Growing up as a young athlete, the concept of working hard to achieve a goal was ingrained. It was hard-wired. I truly believed that pushing through, not slowing down, persevering, “toughing it out” was not only admirable, but the only way to truly get everything done and move ahead in life.
So I pushed. I pushed hard. I often worked 60+ hours a week managing software products for large corporations and consulting firms. I rarely took a sick day and carried over weeks of vacation every year. I maintained a rigorous exercise schedule. I tried several fad diets to stay thin. I met all my commitments in both my professional life and personal life.
I had everything under control.
And I was exhausted. I struggled with fatigue, anemia, a sluggish thyroid and digestive issues. My mood & energy levels were falling lower and lower every day. Despite everything I was doing to keep on top of my health, I knew it was deteriorating. I was miserable and I finally hit THE wall. After several visits to the doctors, I knew I was going to have to figure this out myself.
So l started to educate myself.
I read a lot of nutrition books then enrolled at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. There, I learned about the tremendous healing power of food and slowing down. I shifted to a whole foods diet while on a forced hiatus from physical activity. It took two years of recovery to be able to have enough energy to go for a walk. But it didn’t end there.
While I now understood the importance of diet and rest, I didn’t fully understand the mind-body-spirit connection. So, I continued to push. I continued with my fast and furious pace. Never mind that I couldn’t remember what I did 2 hours ago, or barely string 2 sentences together, that I was irritable all the time and in a deep, gripping fog. My mental and emotional state was on the edge and again I couldn’t stop.
Then the worst day of my life happened.
My mom died. Suddenly she was gone and I was unprepared for life without her. Over the next 8 months, I tried hard to focus, to handle my business – work, personal obligations, grieving, finalizing her estate. It was too much for my already fragile mental state. I just couldn’t keep it together. I had hit THE wall AGAIN. This time I’d hit the emotional and mental wall. It was at this juncture that I decided to find another way to live.
This time I was done.
I knew that if I wanted to be at my best, to feel great physically, mentally and emotionally, I needed to drastically change my lifestyle. I decided to listen to my gut. I quit my corporate job and committed to my new career as a health coach.
I jumped into entrepreneurship with the same drive and discipline I’d approached everything, but my mind wasn’t having it. I’d taken no steps to heal from hitting the mental and emotional wall and no matter how much I tried to will it, I couldn’t get it done so I was forced to completely check out. It was then that I found Ayurveda and learned the importance of caring for my mind and soul as I do my body.
It was then that I began to trust in my inner wisdom.
Today, my life looks completely different then it did 10, even 5 years ago. I am now an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and a certified Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant with The American Institute of Vedic Studies. I am excited about life and fueled by my passion and purpose every single day. I wake up full of energy and vibrancy, with a healthy body and a renewed spirit. I now live knowing there is a way to move forward in life that can leave me feeling like a thriver, rather than just a striver & survivor of my own life.
I started my health coaching practice in 2010 to help other professional, highly-motivated women stop running themselves into the ground so they can feel energized, eat well, and find balance in their lives. As a health coach for the worn-out and burnt-out (WOBO), my workshops, retreats and 1-on-1 sessions, will help you to create a joyous and thriving life while still being driven and accomplished.
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