My Story

My Life:​

Growing up I was a dreamer, a passionate right brain who dreamt of doing anything related to expressing myself through some creative way. I've always believed that joy is the key to youth and a healthy body! I wanted to live in the world and contribute to it by creating inspiration that would motivate people and would bring them joy. But - I was afraid of choosing a path that was not traditionally practical. So I went to nursing school. Nursing wasn't the artsy fun I wanted to surround myself with but it was responsible, it was caring for others, allowed me to contribute to others and it certainly was, still is, job security.

 

I dedicated myself to building a career in nursing, one that would take me all the way to the top as an executive in the healthcare industry. It was HARD work!! But I pushed and persevered as hard as it needed me to...I put everyone ahead of me, made every decision based on how it made the other person or people feel, not caring much about whether I wanted to or not.

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And then I burned myself out, to the point where I had to take a mandatory time out and reflect on the important things in my life. I wasn't happy and needed to decompress, destress, recover, and then ask myself what did I truly, really want.

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My Health:

My health took a toll, my mental health, my physical health...it was all on a downward spiral. I gained a lot of dangerous weight for myself, not so much from overeating but from letting stress wreak havoc on my body. I was living in the fight or flight response day and night. I was not getting sleep, was not exercising, and was not caring enough to ensure that I was eating well. Total self destruction.

 

My Journey. My Decision.

I prioritized my physical and mental health as the most important elements in my life. I realized I was no good to anyone in the state that I was in. So I started putting everything else on hold to make time for my own nourishments (physical, mental, spiritual, emotional). I prioritized my fitness and learning how to eat right - as if they were my J-O-B (and by the way, I am a mom, a wife, a daughter and I made a way to prioritize myself without short-changing my other roles). In fact, my prioritizing of my own self care made me twice as good at being a mom, a wife and a daughter!! 

 

I made a decision....

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I decided who I wanted to be, who and how I wanted to identify as.... and that was as a person who believes health and wellness are the most important elements to a joy filled life... and a joy filled life is what I decided I wanted.

I decided that I will be someone who puts herself first in order to be there for everyone else I love.

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I made the decision to work through my own obstacles and barriers to crossing the chasm between my bad situation to the other side where my happy and healthier version was waiting for me. It took a lot of habit changes, mindset resetting, reflection, bravery, gratitude, and most of all, faith that the process (becuase it was a process) would work.

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Got to Trust the process!!