A Journey to Health: My Story

My Struggles

Picture this:  3 kids under the age of 4, husband traveling for work several days a week, bathing all the kids alone every night, dinner alone, going to bed alone only to wake in the middle of the night with at least one child every.single.night.  Only to wake up and do it all again the next day.  If you are a single mom reading this, I’m sure this sounds very familiar and to you I give the highest respect! 

Although I am married, the first 8 years of our children’s lives, my husband’s job was very demanding which left me as a single mom the majority of the time.  I don’t resent him, although I may have some of those days back then.  Nevertheless, he worked extremely hard for our family and I am grateful.

However, I was in a bad spot.  Physically, emotionally and mentally.  The stress of it all had really started to take a toll on my body by baby #3, our daughter, Jade.  For a little over 3.5 years I had been going at it alone and it was if my body was shutting down.  Headaches every day, joint pain, unexplained chest pain, afternoon fatigue that required a nap, brain fog that I just couldn’t shake, and early signs of depression starting to creep in and take over.

I had so much to be grateful for, yet I was crumbling on the inside.  I spent nearly two years going to doctor after doctor with the same diagnosis:  Anxiety!

I grew increasingly frustrated every day and it just seemed as if my symptoms were getting worse by the minute.  Nearly to the point that I couldn’t get out of bed and found myself crying daily and unable to take care of my kids.  Talk about debilitating.  I was convinced I was dying of some underlying condition that certainly all these doctors, E.R. doctors, specialists, etc. had missed.  I began to believe the diagnosis; “I am just crazy”, I thought.  I even took a low dose anxiety medicine for a short while, although I never felt any relief from that. 

Disclaimer: I am not a medical provider, nor am I advising you to take medicine to treat anxiety.  I do not carry an opinion either way and feel as though it is best to make that decision with your trusted medical provider.

Finding Answers

After nearly 2 years of searching for answers and nearly giving up, I was graciously re-introduced to a local Women’s Integrative Medicine Doctor.  It was there that I started to feel hope that I would feel myself again.  Of course, it didn’t come easy, and there were a lot of tests, trial and error and even frustration.  However, I trusted her process and the results of the test results. 

After finding elevated inflammation markers in my blood work and some food intolerances, we finally had a plan.  Over the course of 6 months to a year, I began to put new practices into place, new foods on my menu (excluding certain foods) and quite a bit of research and reading of my own.  It was exhausting and overwhelming, but I started feeling a bit better every day.

Essentially my body began to heal itself once I removed what was damaging it.  I learned so much through that process that once I could finally see the light, I knew I had to give back and help other women.  It wasn’t until years later when I FINALLY got to a place of freedom and feeling like myself again, as well as a little more time on my hands, that I began my Health Coach training at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. 

Since February of 2019, I’ve been helping women break through the barriers in the health and wellness journey.  Guiding and equipping them with tools and strategies to help them find lasting success.  Encouraging them to honor their bodies in a way that is God honoring and supports what is best for them as an individual.

I am grateful every day to wake up and help women become the best version of themselves!