How Did I Become Passionate About Passing on the Ripple Effect of Health and Wellness?
As a Certified Health Coach and Cooking Instructor my Mission Statement is:
My Mission is to provide a sustainable plan for wellness; equipping you with a "tool box" full of resources and motivation leading you to an increased level of health. With your energy renewed and your wellness goals attained, you will be empowered to maintain your restored level of health and wellness as a lasting lifestyle change.
What inspired me to become a Certified Health Coach and Cooking Instructor?
There are 2 significant parts to my story…
The 1st part is a health crisis of my Primary Foods…
In 2005 I found myself sinking in an emotional health crisis. I was unable to sleep without the aid of medications, which left me feeling like a zombie even hours after “waking up.” I was anxious beyond measure. I felt completely inadequate as a mom, wife, church member, and friend. I was unable to perform even basic tasks like doing laundry and picking up the house. I was losing weight quickly and found myself at a weight that I hadn’t seen since I was 14 (which was 20 years earlier). Every task I started was incomplete as I frantically went from room to room never confident enough within myself that I had the ability to get it done. Eventually my anxieties escalated adding depression to my list. I had lost all sense of purpose in my life. My body was a mess, I visited my GYN, my PCP, who sent me to a neurologist, who sent me to a Psychologist who sent me to a Psychiatrist. I had blood work, I had ultra sounds, I had EKG’s and everything came back, “You’re healthy. And yet I was not, I was a complete mess.
How did I get here? I was happily married to the man God had hand-picked for me. He was gentle, kind, and loving to me and to our four beautiful, healthy children. My husband had a job that provided sufficiently and beyond so I was blessed with the freedom to stay home to raise our children, go on nice vacations, and have a beautiful home to share with all of them. Beyond that I had a huge church family that I thrived in and was actively involved. Above all of this I had a deep and inward peace that God had freely given to me when, by His grace, I was able to acknowledge Christ as my Saviour. I was able to embrace and rejoice in this each day. So, why was my health so askew?
As I looked to others for answers, I also looked within myself for answers. I reviewed my life. I was married at age 20. Nine months and nine days later we joyfully welcomed our 1st child, Joanna, into our lives. Three months after Joanna was born we began building our home. My husband, who was a carpenter and licensed electrician by trade, was the GC, and we did a majority of the work ourselves. We painted, stained, laid floors, tiled, and built our home where we could raise our family in. Just 3 weeks after moving into our new home, we welcomed our 2nd child, Joseph, into our hearts and lives. I was immersed in motherhood and loved it. I took care of their every need and devoted all of my time and energy on their welfare, my husband's needs, my church's needs, and the cares of my friends. Twenty five months later we were blessed with our 3rd healthy robust little boy, Stephen. I went through some significant sleeping difficulties at this time, found myself on meds to sleep, but shook it off as “this is what happens when you have 3 kids 4 and younger. I pressed through it, got “better, kinda” and went back to caring for everyone. Twenty five months later our 4th child, Naomi was born, a precious baby girl. I was elated. Two boys and two girls, my family felt complete. Two years later, after much prayer God lead me to homeschool my oldest daughter and over the course of time, I homeschooled each of our children. This job I held for the next 6 years of my life. This responsibility came with just another part of caring for those around me. I immersed myself in the group of homeschoolers at our church, planned field trips, directed plays, all while doing everything else a mom does, a friend does, a wife does, a Child of God does. I poured everything I had into others. And, again, by the grace of God, for the most part, my days were joyful, blessed and I was content.
Ok, so how did I get here? I dug deeper into me, and I knew that somewhere along the journey I had lost how to, and forgotten to take the time to care for ME. I had put such a high demand on myself to be everything I could for everyone else I had forgotten to take time to nourish ME. Everyone else’s needs were certainly more important than mine, so I would put mine to the side. I want to be very clear, nobody put these demands on me except me. Not my husband, not my church, not my children, just ME! I had become a control freak, and had taken on all of my responsibilities plus every one else’s whether I could control them or not. And in the midst of it, I didn’t even know it until I crashed into an emotional health crisis. I remember my dear husband saying to me “Hon, what are your dreams?” and I looked at him with tears streaming down my face, anxiety pulsing through my veins, and a listlessness in my voice saying, “I don’t have any dreams, I have forgotten how to dream!” That was a terrifying reality.
Through a lot of hard work, counseling, medications, prayers, support, perseverance, and with the steadfastness of my beloved husband, those days are in the past. I am well and thriving, and in all honesty feel better at 45 than I did at 25. Hard places mold you into a softer more compassionate, thankful individual.
Do you find yourself in a similar state? Are you a mom who “just can’t take time for herself” because of all the others you care for? Do you allow the demands of everyone else diminish the importance of caring for yourself? When is the last time you allowed yourself to do something for YOU? When is the last time you pursued a dream YOU had? When is the last time you went to the bathroom without a toddler watching, or you found yourself answering a text or email on the toilet???!!?? Yikes! When is the last time you took a walk and really noticed the lush green leaves, the symmetry of the flowers, or the blueness of the sky? When is the last time you had an uninterrupted heart to heart conversation with your spouse about the two of you, and how much you appreciate one another? When is the last time you found yourself doing that hobby you loved when you were 20 years old? Does your life resonate anything similar to my story? Do you find yourself yearning for help from someone to assist you on the path of health and wellness? Do you need someone to help you navigate through all the media and news flashes across your screens of what you must do to attain that “perfect” place. Together we can find that balance. We will discover your stressors, and set goals to reduce or eliminate them. As we form a client/coach partnership I will take the time to listen to your concerns, discover where and why you are struggling, and support you in small changes, step by step, that is comfortable for you, so that you can achieve all of your health and wellness goals. Small steps each leading to the big picture of you at your optimal health. We will evaluate your food diet and your lifestyle choices and stressors. We work together, experiment, set attainable client driven goals, to find a balance that leads you to a more vibrant, purposeful, and abundant life of health.
The 2nd part of my story began about 25 years ago…
The 2nd Part is a health crisis of my Secondary Foods…
The 2nd part of my story began about 25 years ago, I just didn’t know it until…2015. I found myself day after day, week after week, month after month, feeling continually worse with no relief in sight. At this time of my life I found myself with the following symptoms - gas, bloating, alternating diarrhea and constipation, abdominal pressure, recurring yeast infections, irregular periods, fuzzy thoughts and lack of mental clarity, headaches that were becoming more and more frequent and intense, significant decrease in sexual desire, vaginal dryness, a lack of energy, and the feelings of exhaustion, even after a good nights rest. I was taking antacid tablets almost daily, Advil was a staple, and yet nothing really seemed to help long term. I labeled myself with the one of the unfortunate ones who got the “family funny tummy” and thought I would just have to deal with it for the rest of my life. I had eliminated almost all dairy from my diet, thinking maybe I was lactose intolerant since every time I would eat dairy based foods my symptoms seemed to get worse. Finally my gut issues got to the point that almost every evening when I went to bed, I would be bloated, exhausted beyond measure and nauseous. I would tell my husband, "I feel like I have early onset of dementia or Alzheimer's. I feel like I’m 9 months pregnant with all of the pressure built up in my gut. It also feels like someone has stuck a dull knife right into the bottom of my sternum and has left it there!” Needless to say, I felt lousy! Once again, I knew I had to take action if I wanted to live my life with optimal health and wellness.
What has transpired over the past 2 years for me is truly a miracle. Through trial and error I self- discovered that Gluten was my poison. When this was removed from my diet, for me, within 3 weeks I saw and felt a significant difference in my gut issues and mental clarity. The headaches had subsided some, but were still significant. About 6 months into this journey I was introduced to Pro Health Chiropractic, chiropractic care with a focus on healing the body as a whole rather than each individual system as a separate entity. They incorporated spinal care, proper nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, and avoiding toxins in their care plan. The more I learned, the more this made sense and resonated within my body and mind.
Back peddle a moment. As I discovered gluten as my trigger, I began to read labels, examine my recipes, modify my recipes, researched, talked with others who had similar sensitivities and over a short period of time, found myself as a resource for many others. I found a new passion in feeling good, and helping others to feel good too. I loved trying and creating new dishes. I loved it when I was “accidentally glutened” and then I could comb through my mind of what I had eaten, and have that “ah ha” moment of what had been the hidden source of my discomfort and pain. I loved that I could find answers, and could learn what to avoid the next time, and that I could share this information with friends and family to keep them from the same mistake. Also, as my gut began to heal, I learned that I could tolerate dairy in small doses. This once again gave me the “freedom” to indulge on these foods every now and then without the fear of wrecking havoc in my gut. The knowledge of my food sensitivities liberated my life rather than restricting it. Becoming aware of what was causing the pain and inflammation in my body, and then taking action, led me to a level of wellness that I didn't believe was attainable.
As my journey continued, so did my headaches and frequent yeast infections. I began to make a connection between the frequency and intensity of my headaches with the amount of sugar I ingested. I began to research how sugar could effect our bodies. I was astounded to learn that inflammation in the body is the root cause of almost all disease. I also learned that sugar played a huge role in activating this inflammation. thus began the journey of learning how to eat and cook joyfully and live abundantly without sugar.
I never completely eliminated sugar but became increasingly aware of where it hid. Salad dressings, sauces, canned soups, yogurt, low fat foods, literally it was everywhere. I now read labels, ask questions, and make a conscious decision of whether or not “Is it worth it?” before I indulge on a sugar filled option. Most of the time I decide i'ts not worth it. As the amount of sugar declined so did the frequency of my headaches and yeast infections. I also found a direct correlation to the abundant energy I had when my sugar intake decreased. I felt like I had a new avenue to health and wellness. Equipped with this new knowledge, I once again began modifying my recipes, searching the web for inspiring “healthy options” to fill up my sweet tooth, and along the way, I shared my passion with those who inquired.
In 2016 I decided to enroll in the Institute of Innovative Nutrition, to further my knowledge and become a Certified Health Coach. This education would then enable me to make a career out of my passion of finding health resolutions through diet and lifestyle changes. In March of 2017 I graduated, filled with knowledge, and a zeal to share my energy to pass on the ripple effect of health and wellness to those I would be blessed to work with in the days and years ahead. I work with clients 1:1 to customize a program to bring them to a new level of optimal health and wellness.
In 2018, I furthered my education by graduating from the Wellness Cooking Academy, to become a Certified Cooking Instructor. With this certification, I can now offer classes in my home, your home or in other facilities. Creating and tasting food together leads to an amazing level of implementation of replacing unhealthy habits and foods to nutritionally packed, energy sustaining options that can be easily created again and again. When you can taste the “YUM” of healthy food, it’s like an “Ahh Ha” moment, of “This tastes amazing, and I CAN DO THIS!” Sharing this information forward and seeing the joy in my class attendees is such a fulfilling part of my job. Cooking Classes are another way I can joyfully and passionately dispense the ripple effect of improving health and wellness.
As a Certified Health Coach and Cooking Instructor my Mission Statement is:
My Mission is to provide a sustainable plan for wellness; equipping you with a "tool box" full of resources and motivation leading you to an increased level of health. With your energy renewed and your wellness goals attained, you will be empowered to maintain your restored level of health and wellness as a lasting lifestyle change.
So this is My Story…
Thank you for taking the time and interest in learning about my motivation and passion as a Certified Health Coach. I look forward to having the opportunity to meet you and to write the next chapter of my journey with you as my client, and I as your coach. Allow me the opportunity to nurture and guide you into wellness. Together we will transform your health dreams into reality… I can’t wait to meet you!
