‘I’m on a mission to help others’: Northampton grief coach becomes overnight Amazon best seller with second book

A local woman who is a qualified health coach and grief recovery specialist has become an overnight bestselling author.

Carol Wright’s second book ‘Unseen – How to recognise the link between loss and its devastating impact on the body’ was released last weekend and shot straight to the number one spot in the health category on Amazon.

The book, which Carol wrote during lockdown, explores a range of subject matters such as divorce, miscarriage, health, death of loved ones and more as the author shares her personal experience of loss together with her advice on how to navigate bereavement.

Carol, who was born in Doncaster, but recently moved to Great Billing for a ‘stress-free’ life, has not always been a writer.

In the late 70s, Carol started her career in the police force, but due to a knee injury in the first few weeks of training, she spent more time in the office rather than on the beat, so decided to rethink and became a lawyer.

Then when her stepdad passed away nine years ago, Carol felt the full effects of bereavement, which led to a burnout.

The now author said: “To those that knew me, they saw a woman who coped with everything that was thrown at her, yet on the inside, I bottled things up and never spoke about anything that bothered me.

“Everyone thought I was coping. However, one day, it all went horribly wrong, turning into such a deep downward spiral.

“I realised that for a while, following my stepfather’s death and having to care for my mum – I had gone into autopilot mode, I hadn’t really been coping. I wasn’t even existing. I was depressed, suicidal and a wreck physically and emotionally. I wasn’t really me anymore.

“I realised that it was time to start making changes because I hated the way I lived and I couldn’t keep on that way any more and I had to take action.”

Carol sought support and professional help, but found that there was a nine month wait on the NHS, so she decided to work on her mindset and self-care herself by speaking to a health coach, reading self-help books, journaling, educating herself around food and getting out in nature.

This passion for change, led Carol to retrain in 2016 to become a health coach and when she qualified in 2018 she launched her business Healthy Minds Matter.

Following the loss of her mother in 2019, Carol became a qualified Advanced Grief Recovery Specialist and wrote a chapter for a contribution book in the same year called 'The Woman I'm Becoming'.

She now combines her health coaching knowledge and grief recovery training to deliver a seven week action step course.

Carol added: “One of the main factors for me is that on reflection, serious health challenges seemed to occur when I had severe losses in my life.

“I ended up in a vicious circle at times.

“I did not play victim or succumb to a life of being unwell. I didn’t want labels or pills. I wanted energy and a life that I could enjoy.”

Throughout her book, Carol opens up and provides guidance and comfort for readers experiencing loss, based on her coaching and personal life experiences.

The book explains the unseen and often unrecognised physical effects of loss and how looking after our physical body can hugely benefit the mental health.

“I wrote this book as I am on a mission to help others unleash themselves from the darkness of loss, whether that is physical or mental loss,” Carol continued.

“People think loss is to do with death only, but it is much more than that and after a death, we often go into overdrive mode, sorting and organising – some may emotionally eat or not eat at all, some may drink more or dive into work in order to stay busy, some may have health problems or accidents that are triggered by loss, and many can experience a lack of self-worth and self-care and this can all often lead to burnout.

“I wanted to share my story, warts and all, to show others that no matter what you have been through or what you are currently going through, there is a way forward that can heal your broken heart.”

The book has been published by the award winning team at Authors&Co, who work to showcase and celebrate empowering stories of women and copies can be bought from Amazon.

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