Lucy Goff didn’t set out to create a multi-million-dollar business — but a life-threatening medical emergency changed everything.
It was 2012 and Goff, who was in her late 30s, had just given birth to her first child. But what was supposed to be a joyous time became a matter of life or death because Goff developed septicemia, also known as sepsis.
According to the Mayo Clinic, sepsis occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight an infection can trigger inflammation throughout the body. This can sometimes lead to fatal consequences.
“I was in the hospital for six weeks in the intensive care [unit] while they were just battling to save my life,” Goff said at Forbes and Know Your Value’s 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi. “They couldn’t find the antibiotics that worked and thank God that they did. And I left, and I lived, but it was just such a horrific experience, and it left my body finished.”
While looking for ways to help heal her body, Goff sought treatment at a clinic in Geneva, and it was there she had a serendipitous run-in with Dr. Paul Clayton. Clayton, a longevity professor who also calls himself a pharmaco-nutritionist, says on his website, “I obsess about food, nutrition and health so that you don’t have to.”
Goff says Dr. Clayton’s regimen of supplements quite literally “changed my life … within weeks.”
In the years after Goff’s near fatal experience, she would often dream about how great she felt on those supplements. That’s when she says she knew she needed to create a company that allowed others to experience what she had. After a bit of convincing, Goff was able to get Dr. Clayton on board to launch LYMA.
“I’ve been given this second chance, and I was really excited about the prospect of empowering people to change with these proven technologies that are not always available to the consumer,” she said.
Now at the age of 51, Goff is at the helm of one of the fastest growing health and wellness businesses in the world, which consists of supplements, the LYMA Laser and skincare products. Goff was also honored on Forbes and Know Your Value’s “50 Over 50” global list earlier this year.
“I think it’s about living younger,” said Goff, who noted she had to asked Dr. Clayton three times to start a company with her. “I’ll never forget the moment after the third time of asking that he said ‘yes,’ and I was 43.
Mika Brzezinski, who created the Know Your Value platform and is the chair of the Forbes 30/50 summit says, “Lucy’s like the textbook Know Your Value story … first of all, asking again and again and again. That’s what I teach women … just because you get a ‘no’ doesn’t mean you go home and cry about it. You go ask again and again and again until you get that ‘yes’.” She added, “The message for younger women is, ‘you’ve got such a long runway. Slow down.’”
But despite her success with LYMA and overcoming insurmountable odds, Goff was ready for another challenge. She wanted to be a mother, again. This time, at the age of 49. “I was scared from the first birth which went so wrong. I was petrified,” Goff said. “And then I realized maybe it was too late, and I was kind of hiding behind the business thinking, ‘Well, … I haven’t got time to have a child.’” With the help of science once again, Goff underwent IVF (In vitro fertilization) and became pregnant with her second child. Now, Goff is a proud mother-of-two who is constantly aiming to empower women to look and feel their best from the inside out. “It’s about looking in the mirror and feeling good about yourself. It’s about feeling that you are your best self, and there’s no shame in that,” she said. Just last May she wrote on Instagram, “If I’m living proof of one thing, it’s that you’re never too old, and it’s never too late.”
Chloe Melas
Chloe Melas is an entertainment correspondent for NBC News. Recommended
