My Wellness Story
When my older brother was only 27 years old, he heard the words that change a person’s life forever:
You have cancer.
To be specific, it was Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and he had a football sized tumor in his chest. After 5 different chemotherapy regimens and a stem-cell transplant, he was in remission and has been ever since.
If you or one of your loved ones has ever had a health crisis, you know that the impact of this type of news is far reaching. He was the healthiest member of our family by far – able to run marathons like they were 5K’s
If I’m being totally honest, his diagnosis gutted me.
I was never a runner, but completed a half marathon to fundraise for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society when Alfie was sick. This is him jumping in at the finish line, two days after getting a stem cell transplant. He's been in remission for over five years now and even has a beautiful daughter!
That was in 2008 and I still get choked up when I talk about it sometimes. It’s only in hindsight that I can now see how big of an impact his journey to health had on mine. One of the things that terrified me, among the MANY, was the reality that this could happen to someone who was so thoughtful about his health. It jolted me into taking a more serious look at my own.
I used to be so exhausted that I’d hit the snooze button four times before waking, take a shower, then take a quick nap before being able to start my day. I was used to feeling consistently bloated and foggy, having lots of trouble with my digestion and skin, and getting constant colds that would linger for weeks.
It was easy for me to brush each issue aside in isolation from one another, but after seeing what my brother went through I had a newfound appreciation for all that our bodies do for us and a yearning to treat mine with more care. I wanted to collectively look at my lifestyle choices and assess where I could, and should, make changes.
Luckily, a friend of mine was studying to become a health coach, and through working with her I confirmed that both needing a nap 10 minutes after waking up and being sick all of the time weren’t normal... but it didn’t have to be this way.
After working together for a few months, I was less bloated and barely ever got sick, my skin cleared up, and I felt this new, incredible sense of energy, productivity, and clear-mindedness. From there, I was hooked on learning anything and everything wellness related and sharing what I learned with anyone who would listen. Seeing how I was able to impact people's lives with my newfound knowledge motivated me to commit to becoming a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition™ (IIN).
While I’ll never know what caused my brother to develop cancer, I know I’m motivated to avoid foods, products, and habits that are linked to the disease. I’m excited to continue to share my passion for wellness with others to help them discover how to spend this one life feeling their best and doing more of what they love. Since the majority of disease is linked to stress (over 80% of visits to doctors are stress related source) and a major source of stress for many is work, I felt compelled to offer a holistic approach to my career coaching!
If any of my story resonated with you, or you want accountability to reach your wellness goals, let's connect for a free 30 minute consultation. More information on offerings and my approach here!
Pure Style Photography
Pure Style Photography
My Training
- Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. If you're interested in becoming a health coach yourself, feel free to reach out with any questions about my experience. To see the curriculum, check out the guide here or click here for my post about what else you can do with this certification.
- Certified Yoga Instructor through a 200-Hour Yoga Alliance teaching certification under Amy Leydon and David Magone. I teach corporate and individual workshops found here. Other than meaning "to strive for," the word aspire is also traced back to the breath, making yoga a perfect complement to my other offerings.
