Who Am I?
I Am -A Certified Health Coach, a mom, a wife, a retired Army Officer, a foodie, a traveler, and I have a passion for helping others to live a healthy lifestyle.
Where My Wellness Journey Began-
I have always been a pretty-driven person- yes, that type A perfectionist personality with focused goals. I was accepted to a University as a Junior in High School, placed in an advanced military training program two years ahead of my peers, and was able to transfer to my final degree-producing University without losing one credit- thus graduating in four years. Upon graduation, I was commissioned as an Army Officer and headed off to big things in the military for the next 18 years.
Welcome to civilian life!
My military career encompassed many different places and skills which afforded me many opportunities when I retired in 1997. But with a baby born 11 days after retirement and a five and a three-year-old already, I decided to focus on raising my girls.
Well, that didn’t last long. Six months later I dove into the world of Entrepreneurship and Started a Gift Basket business out of my home.
Juggling building a business while raising young kids was truly a challenge. As a result, fast food and food in a box (you know- though highly processed non-nutritional meals in a box) became my staple in meal preparation. Then in 1999, I had a stillborn birth that placed me on the slippery slope from postpartum to full clinical depression. Before I knew what was happening. I was in a health crisis. I gained 60 lbs in three months and became more and more dysfunctional as the months passed. With work to do but a body that couldn’t move- I was looking for any help I could find. After seeing Suzanne Sommers’ on TV discussing her new book “Breakthrough”, I searched it out. Wow, was it really eye-opening- and as a result, I began the search for an Integrative doctor around. Unfortunately at the time, most were in Virginia and very expensive, but I finally found one local and my journey began!
So My Journey to Wellness Begins
After a lot of testing and some thyroid support, as mine was barely functioning, I began to clean out all the frankenfood (processed foods and snacks) from my diet and the house, much to the distaste of my family and started cooking real, whole foods again. He also told me this- “Get the JUNK out of your skincare” – WHAT?? No one had ever said that to me!
Shortly after my first appointment, and while attending a vendor show for my basket business, I was introduced to the world of network marketing company. This company was all about getting the junk out of your skincare.
I didn’t quite understand the whole picture at the time, but I took a look into this company. I found that a healthy lifestyle isn’t just eating right and exercising. What we put ON our bodies is just as important as what we put IN them.
A healthy living lifestyle is about BALANCING body, mind, and spirit so we can truly achieve WELLNESS. I found that most people were not aware or didn’t consider all of these aspects, especially what toxins are going on their skin, despite the growing amount of evidence to their health harm. Due to the lack of regulatory standards in the personal care arena, companies can use toxic chemicals known to be carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, allergens, reproductive system disruptors, etc. to produce all of the personal care products that make up a multi-billion dollar industry. I wish I knew all this when my kids were young, but thankfully my grandson has been started right with non-toxic baby wash, lotion etc. But I digress-
I tried and loved the products! I also loved that the company promoted a healthier lifestyle for everyone. So, I signed up to represent them. But helping me and my family wasn’t enough, I needed to share the wealth. As this company grew and evolved, it launched a nutritional product line and coaching program that just spoke to me. But despite successfully coaching many folks with this program, I still felt I had more of an unfilled purpose.
Fast forward to today! I am a Certified Health Coach.
But what is a Certified Health Coach? A Health Coach is a partner on your path to overall wellness. We’ll work together as a team to develop a wellness program based on YOUR individual goals. Health Coaches are your cheerleader, supporter, mentor, guide, and advocate throughout your program. Now I can help so many more people- Are you ONE of them? Want to join me?
