Rising Stars: Meet Lindsey Macdonald

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Macdonald.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in the panhandle of Florida for the past 23 years before moving to Colorado to be closer to family.

Right after my senior year of high school, I was in a near-fatal car accident that turned my world as I knew it upside down. I flipped my SUV, was ejected, and had to be life flighted to the nearest trauma unit. I sustained multiple injuries including fracturing the front and back of my skull, fracturing my nose, and fracturing my right orbital socket as well.

I had to get about 56 staples due to the lacerations from the broken glass, tore my left ACL, punctured my left lung, and was left with a CSF leak that needed 4 brain surgeries to repair. This happened in 2008 and while I was told I had a traumatic brain injury unfortunately there were no resources available to me at the time to even begin to grasp what future struggles that diagnosis would hold for me.

After the accident, I did the best I could to just push forward to get back to what I thought “normal” looked like. I went right back to school and finished my AA degree, but did not take the time to process what had happened and take care of myself. Due to the back-to-back surgeries, I also started gaining a lot of weight which kicked in a depression that I couldn’t get out of for a long time. I started feeling like I was given a different avatar all of a sudden and I needed to figure out who she was. Over the years, I ended up gaining almost 100 lbs.

In 2018, I finally started to prioritize my health. I really wanted a quick result, don’t we all haha, but I started making small changes and just did my best to stay consistent with them. I started replacing breakfast with protein shakes and I still am doing that in the present day too! I went to the gym 4-5 days a week and after about 6 months I had dropped 40 lbs but seemed to hit a plateau.

In 2021, I was apprehensive about moving with my family to Colorado but it turned out to be the best decision I have made in a long time! I was away from the area my trauma happened and I felt like I could finally breathe. Being able to hike and watch the leaves change colors was a whole new experience for me that helped me reconnect to my purpose.

I started working at Victoria’s Secret and found my passion in fashion again. I love meeting new people and being able to help them feel confident and comfortable. I was able to help our own Ms Senior Colorado find something for her outfit which was an amazing experience I’ll never forget! My own experience of being a size 18 to a size 4 now helps in being able to identify with a large number of people and maybe the struggles they’re going through as well.

Working day in and day out with a group of women that lift me every day has no doubt changed my life. Especially after just going through a decade of suffering. It’s so impactful what positive affirmations will do for our souls. I decided to quit drinking a little over a year ago.

Ever since that choice the rest of the 50 lbs, I needed to lose started to fall off month by month. I haven’t gone to the gym or changed my diet in any drastic way and I am now the same size I was before my car accident! I did not realize how much sugar content from the alcohol I was drinking was wrecking my system and my mental health too. I’m sure all the cortisol from my stress was not helping either.

I feel like a brand new person. I’m so grateful for this community I have found. The healthier I get just motivates me to want to help others and inspire them on their journey. If I can be an inspiration to anyone else to never give up, that is my goal.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the customer experience manager at Victoria’s Secret in Southlands.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
All the women on my team, former and current, that help me be the best I can be every single day.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Level_Up_LingLing
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsey.macdonald.92