I am a wife, mom, lifelong learner, health and life coach, teacher, author, blogger, and entrepreneur. I'm so glad you're here. It was a challenge to think of all that "I am about" to introduce myself and I'm sure I'm missing some, but most importantly, I wan you to know that I've been where you are now.

I am a woman, who was actually born with “failure to thrive” but I survived and grew stronger in my youth. As a teenager, I suffered the incomprehensible loss of my dad, who died very unexpectantly of a stroke, at the young age of 36. And six months later, my uncle (who helped raise me) also died unexpectantly. He was just 48 years old. Navigating life as a teenager is difficult, even under the best circumstances, let alone coping with loss and serious life changes that follow.

Graduating High School and College was a huge accomplishment, especially as I still had some emotional trauma I had not worked through, but I pushed on. I have always been interested in health, and exercising outside of my many athletic clubs while I was in school. As a teenager, I was conscientious of what I ate, and I had an interest in diet and exercise in college but my true passion for it came later.

This period of my life was filled with much joy, as I met and married my amazing husband Chris, and I welcomed his daughter, and we had a child of our own. We were devastated with a miscarriage before we welcomed our rainbow child. Over a matter of years, we moved, I went back to work, volunteered my time, and made a huge transition in my corporate work (left the SICKcare field), we moved again, and I have always been one to continue my education through coursework or coaching. I loved the life we were building, but it was crazy busy and I wasn’t slowing down.  

I suffered from burnout, overwhelm, had a lack of confidence, and self-esteem, as well as feeling like I’d lost my own identity. Plus, I struggled with my health, weight, stress, anxiety, depression, as well as other medical conditions, and let’s be honest, the feeling that I just wasn’t enough. I wasn’t being enough. I didn’t have enough. I wasn’t doing enough. 

My medical condition symptoms crept up, but of course, I ignored them so, they only worsened until I couldn’t ignore them anymore. I’ve had multiple surgeries and tried treatments and medications for some relief, but often those only seemed to cause new/different symptoms. I was working hard to help support our family, which included three active kids and a loving husband. I loved taking care of them and everything else, but I realized the importance of taking care of myself, too!

Stress and anxiety levels were high and good, quality of sleep was low. I lacked energy and our diet was horrible. We had way too much fast food, as an on-the-go family, and as an emotional eater, I was a sugar addict, binge ate, and was starting to drink alcohol more to numb my feelings and pain. These bad habits continued until I finally felt my absolute worst and decided Enough was Enough!

Some of you may be thinking I’m seeking sympathy, but I actually share in hopes that the story of my experience may help you. It is my hope that maybe you can relate and see that you’re not alone. We all have our own things we’re going through. Everyone is or has suffered in some way/shape/form. If this is you, I just want to encourage you that I’ve been there and I’m still working on some of these things, on some level.. but I want to encourage you,

All of this was a lot, but every step has been pivotal in my journey of health and personal growth. Learning and growing is simple, but not always easy. Starting my own health journey, years ago, helped me to see that my medical conditions were affected by my diet. I found a great program that helped me lose 50 pounds and I learned healthier habits. I could see that eating better and exercising was helping me heal and it positively impacted my sleep, mood, mental clarity, and energy.

Feeling better than I have in a very long time; healthy living is my passion! I love my journey and helping others feel better too, so I even wrote a book! Health, Hope, and Happiness: 9 Scientifically Proven Steps to Improve Your Health, Relieve Depression, and Ease Anxiety is available on Amazon. In it, I outline the steps I took on my own health journey including:

1. Becoming more aware of myself and my (physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional) health.

2. Getting a better understanding of my nutrition so I can support and eat according to my goals.

3. Improving my mindset so I can overcome my limiting beliefs and stop my negative self-talk.

4. Setting goals so I’m clear on what I need to focus on and can keep my commitment to myself.

5. Planning for my decision so don’t negotiate with myself and can overcome any obstacles.

6. Form habits of healthy motion and exercises that I enjoy and help me feel better.

7. Surround myself with supportive friends, and family that help me hold myself accountable.

8. Practice daily mindfulness and meditation so that I allow my mind and body time to rest and unplug.

9. Daily journaling helps me analyze and reflect my thoughts, goals, dreams, and life.  

 

Adopting these habits has transformed my life. I’ve never been perfect, and I’m still not, but I’m grateful I brought myself back around to a health journey that is helping me live a healthy lifestyle. I’m also grateful that I decided to become a Health and Life Coach and pay it forward, by empowering others to learn, heal, and grow towards achieving their goals, as well.

I’m on a mission to empower women because I believe that we take on so much physical, mental, and emotional baggage, and somehow, we make it work- but it doesn’t actually feel great and there is a better way to do it. I also do not understand why we are not taught how to manage our emotions, master our mindset, or the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. These things can significantly improve our quality of life, as well as the lives we impact, daily. With the most important ones being our families!

If you’re here, I know you’re looking for something, too. If you’re looking to overcome some obstacles or gain some strengths in areas to help transform your life, I may be able to offer you support in coaching, with tools and resources.

We can connect to discuss your goals and decide what steps we can take to help you achieve your goals. To start, feel free to check out my (growing) blog, Elevating Purposeful Women or Youtube video on 5 Steps to Unlock Your Full Potential. You can also follow me on social media, Pinterest or join the free Elevating Purposeful Women Facebook Community. It’s an honor to meet you and I look forward to helping you, in whatever capacity that may be.

Thanks for being here!

xoxo,