A woman who overcame the loss of her hearing and her father dying has gone onto become a neuroscientist, business psychologist and motivational speaker.

Dr Lynda Shaw, from Chalfont St Giles, lost her dad when she was 39 and due to the shock and stress of the passing, the doctor’s hearing started to get weaker.

It wasn’t until when a friend noticed that Lynda was not responding back during conversations that she decided to get help, and after overcoming her denial that she had lost her hearing, the doctor is now helping those who are going through a similar scenario.

She said: “My father died when I was 39 and I was devastated and it started showing itself physically, starting with psoriasis on my scalp.

“One day I was talking to a friend and she said to me, ‘you didn’t hear what I just said did you?’

At that point it dawned on me that something was wrong with my hearing too and I just hadn’t been picking up the signals.

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“I realised then that you simply don’t know what you can’t hear.

“When I sought help, I was asked if I wanted to be part of audiology research being done at Cambridge University and they ascertained that my hearing loss was most likely attributed to severe shock and stress at the loss of my father.

“I realised I had a hearing problem, but I was still in full denial and thought if I just concentrated a little more I could manage.

“The problem was I was misinterpreting what I heard and that made me feel stupid and isolated.

“It was also completely exhausting.”

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Dr Shaw admitted that she was in a ‘mix of denial and struggle’ for around five years before she finally went to her local audiologists in Aston Hearing in Amersham.

They introduced the doctor to hearing aids and despite being reluctant to use them at first, Lynda revealed that she is now happy with the way she can hear.

She added: “I still didn’t want to use a hearing aid and felt pretty fed up and slightly awkward that I was needing hearing aids in my mid-40s.

“My hearing loss got worse and everything was a struggle.

“I couldn’t work effectively, couldn’t talk on the phone and relationships deteriorated.

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“I finally realised I could no longer operate without the technology of hearing aids, so I bit the bullet and returned to Aston Hearing and together we carefully chose two new digital hearing aids that were just right for the issues I was facing.

“I can honestly say that outside of my family and close friends, my relationship with my audiologists, is one of my most important relationships. It helped me beyond anything I can imagine, it literally was life changing.

“I hear well, I have strong relationships, a successful business as a professional speaker and mentor to CEO’s across the country, I am extremely active, and I love life.”

For more information about Lynda’s work and life, visit: www.drlyndashaw.com.