Meet Amanda Ryan, MCLC | Life Coach, Content Creator, Writer, Heath Advocate, Humanitarian

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Ryan, MCLC and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, what role has risk played in your life or career?

I’ve always been a risk-taker, and I love it that way. I believe in taking risks—in life, in business, in my career, in personal development—because I believe that without taking risks, we don’t get uncomfortable and we don’t grow. We don’t learn. We don’t uncover the things we need to change or the things we need to do differently.

I was on the verge of opening a life coaching business when I fell Ill. I adored life coaching. I felt like I had found what I was meant to do. I fought through the Illness for awhile but it became too much in the end. I put everything on hold but I dreamt about my business every single day. As I faced the coming obstacles, two things kept me motivated and focused. My boys and my business. I was going to open my practice, I was going to help people. And my boys would see me fight no matter how bad things became.

So I was ready when my most recent risk taking opportunity presented itself to me. Last year, I was suffering from diastolic heart failure & pulmonary hypertension; my doctors were unsure of what to do with me because they were still uncertain of the cause. Despite my doctors’ insistence that I do things in a way that didn’t work for me, I went ahead and listened to my body and did what I thought was right; I chose to trust my instincts and opted for a risky approach where I went against my doctors advice entirely. Taking this risk paid off greatly—recently, an echocardiogram showed that my heart was functioning better than ever.. My decision gave me back my quality of life. And it’s all because I took a risk that could have ended completely differently.

I think this is one example of how trusting your gut instincts—your intuition—is a powerful thing and how sometimes in life the only way to get to the treasure at the end of our journey is to take a leap of faith. To take that risk.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I spent 2012-2014 helping the autism community. My partner and I worked diligently to ensure assistance for over 2000 children and their families during that time period. It truly made me love and appreciate helping people even more.

I took a few years off and made tons of memories. 

Then 2017 came, and that year that was hell for me. I was going through multiple traumas all at once and I was struggling. I knew I had to do something to help myself and that’s when I stumbled across life coaching courses. I decided right then and there to take them. It took some time and effort, but by 2019 I was just about ready to open my own life coaching business—when suddenly my health declined sharply. Within six months of that first symptom, I was essentially bedridden and unable to function. Even still I refused to let go of my business. I refused to give up on that dream. I worked with a couple of clients for free during that time and it made me more determined to get where I wanted to be.

I was diagnosed with heart failure and pulmonary hypertension in the weeks before the pandemic began in 2020. But I still kept fighting and knew that I wasn’t giving up, so in December of that year, I started an Instagram page to document my journey and to talk about what it means to live with these illnesses.

Slowly but surely, a community of people grew and supported me as I educated them on the nature of these diseases, raised awareness about them, and even became involved in other creative projects.

I became very involved in the research part of things and regularly participate in focus panels and study’s. This gives me an outlet for my complaints about the healthcare system and my hope is that I am a part of the solution. I have so many great ideas which is why I work hard to position myself so that someday, I’m in a place where I can work to make my ideas a reality.

A year ago, I could barely keep up with everything going on. It felt like a constant struggle to keep the momentum going. I had stopped working with clients. I had stopped working on my business. I was bedridden and so weak. And I had begged and pleaded with doctors to help me fix this but my pleas fell on deaf ears.

Then last September, everything changed. I was sitting in bed one night thinking about how much I had lost due to my illness. That’s when I decided enough was enough—I had had it with being sick. The very next day I set about changing my diet, my lifestyle, my habits—and with persistence, it all paid off! In eight months , I’ve lost 100 pounds, improved my heart failure diagnosis, and have seen miraculous things happen as a result of my changes.

Now that my health is improving I want to get back to my life coaching dreams. I want to help women with chronic illness overcome their challenges and live the life of their dreams too. I want to help others facing their own journeys feel supported and understood. I want to show people that rock bottom isn’t the end.

My husband asked me the other day what I was going to do now that I’m doing so much better. I told him I would do exactly what I’m doing now, but better.

I want to raise heart health awareness. I want to educate others. I want to help others facing health battles revise their lives to enable them to live as the best versions of themselves. Life is short and I have a second chance at living. I will continue to raise awareness, educate, and create content, but now that I’m well my next goal is to conquer the Manitou Incline which would be a huge feat! I also want to take on my Living List (my version of a bucket list!) and turn it into a grand adventure! It’s time to live big!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

You can’t come to Colorado without going to Garden of the Gods. That’s not even negotiable honestly! It’s a magical place.

I’m also a big fan of Denver. My family and I took a lot of weekend trips there before the pandemic and we always had a blast!

The D Bar is one of my favorite spots in Denver, probably in Colorado. Their beignets are to die for! Their burgers are pretty stellar too!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out all of my fellow creators and advocates on Instagram! They all do an incredible job of bringing awareness to their illnesses and when you have to fight just to function, I know how much that means. The chronic illness community on Instagram is incredible! They are so entertaining and do such a fantastic job of spreading awareness and acceptance. They advocate. They make light of the worst things possible. They inspire me every day! I learn from them every day and as I work towards being the coach I always wanted to be, they are truly my greatest source of knowledge and inspiration!

Website: www.myfightforair.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myfightforair/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebounceback

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/myfightforair

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/youngandthebreathless/

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC2zDoplzwM_MYYDm2pjJViQ

Other: myfightforair.medium.com