“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” ~ Hippocrates

5 weeks ago today I woke up. I literally woke up and decided I would no longer eat meat, dairy, or eggs. 
 
The reasons are plentiful but I will stick with my own personal health to start. Nothing specific, just an all around feeling of blah. It's been a year full of loss and change, and diet and exercise have taken a back seat. I needed to get back in the driver's seat and take care of myself.

As with many changes I’ve made, I've found reflecting back to my childhood and connecting the dots throughout my life generally steers me in the right direction. My childhood intuition was strong!

Reflecting back, my body has nudged me toward a plant based diet since I was very small. My mom used to tell me I turned orange as a baby because I loved carrots so much. As a child I hated meat, I would chew and chew and chew but could not swallow it. Fruit and cereal were my absolute favorite foods. Milk grossed me out, I would only drink it if it contained loads of chocolate Quick (which I was rarely allowed to have). When salad bars became a thing I was thrilled! 
 
I was the only kid I knew who hated McDonald’s.
 
At 17 I became a vegetarian. I ate no meat throughout college, but my diet was not exactly the epitome of health (cheese pizza and french fries!). For me, nothing was better on Thanksgiving than a grilled cheese. Everyone thought I was crazy but I could have cared less, it was least favorite holiday. I couldn't understand how obsessed people got and how much they stuffed themselves over one meal.

                                         “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” ~ Proverb

After 5 years of vegetarianism I randomly decided to eat meat again, mostly chicken with some occasional red meat. Even then, at restaurants I would request only half the normal amount of chicken in my burritos, chose marinara over meat sauce, and I preferred very thin patties in my burger but lots of toppings. 
 
I was at a stable healthy weight, ate what I wanted, knew when to stop and generally didn’t give it much thought. It was intuitive.
 
Somewhere along the way things shifted, I stopped listening to my body and my instinctual way of eating. I started dieting like my friends did, it screwed me up. I yo-yo'd and gained weight.

Managing 2 kids and a full time job, life got crazy. 

The next 20 years I went on and off every fad diet - Summersizing, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Slimfast, cabbage soup, Paleo, Whole 30, Keto, clean eating, intermittent fasting, even a short stint at veganism. On and on and up and down. I would lose weight and feel great then gradually put it all back on plus some. 
 
I believed I needed protein to stay satiated. Sugar, flour, and carbs where the enemy. Meat, cheese, eggs, and dairy were the solution. I read studies, I researched. Folks, you can find research to support just about anything.

                        “Eating crappy food isn’t a reward, it’s a punishment” ~ Drew Cary

My cholesterol soared, my joints and tendons ached. This past summer I turned 51 and I noticed my waist had disappeared. I joked I was becoming Mrs. Claus. None of my usual weight loss methods worked anymore. I had to stop walking in my neighborhood, the hills were too much on my Achilles’ tendon and I could feel the beginnings of plantar fasciitis. I gave up running years ago because I was plagued with injuries.
 
Was this my fate? Is this just what happens to middle aged women? I felt invisible. My brain was foggy, I was not as sharp or quick thinking as I used to be. I struggled to remember things. I wasn't as concerned about the number on the scale as I was about my health. What was happening? 
 
Then on Monday October 21st I woke up.

Literally I woke up in the morning with clarity. I decided to give up all meat, cheese, dairy, and eggs and focus on eating whole plant based foods. I decided to listen to my body and just see what happened. I started that day.

I do not believe one lifestyle fits everyone, I am not trying to convince anyone to change their diet. We all have different genetics and body chemistry. I am simply sharing my story, connecting the dots of my lifetime and they all led me here.

In 5 short weeks the fog has lifted. It’s the only way I can describe it, I feel clearer and lighter inside my body. I thought it was going to be super hard and I would be really hungry. I kept a journal for a few weeks to track my progress, here is a recap:

Week 1 – A few days in I experienced serious moodiness lasting 2 days. I cried...a lot. I believe it was an emotional detox and release. The persistent and ongoing pain and swelling in Achilles’ tendon was completely gone by the end of the week. I mean completely gone!

Week 2 - No cravings, not even remotely tempted by all the Halloween candy everywhere. Still in disbelief by how good my joints feel. No bloating or weird side effects. Mood stable. Very deep sleep, and sleep was not even an issue for me before. Checked Fitbit data, resting heart rate down considerably from day 1 and continues to drop. Sleep score up from an average in the mid 80s to the 90s.

Week 3 - Business travel and hubby’s birthday. Was concerned about airports and business dinners. No issues, was even able to find a suitable option at a steak restaurant without calling attention to myself.

Week 4 - Cholesterol check and son’s 18th birthday. Not even a bite of birthday cake and honestly was not even tempted. 

After 4 weeks my cholesterol was down 25 points. I lost 10 lbs and 2 inches off my waist. My BMI is back in the normal range.

Thanksgiving is in a few days. No turkey or grilled cheese for me this year, but I sure will be giving thanks!

I plan on enjoying my favorites - roasted sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts. I will tweak my stuffing recipe and top it with mushroom gravy and follow it up with some vegan pumpkin or apple pie!

After that I will enjoy a nice long, pain free walk in my hilly neighborhood.

I feel great about the changes I've made for my health and for the planet. I've learned to never say never but I do hope to continue on this path for the rest of my life.
 
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

If you are curious about switching to a plant based lifestyle I would be happy to share some resources that helped me make the switch.

 "The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure disease with nutrition” ~ Thomas Edison

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." - Nelson Mandela
 
Most days I drive by the local middle school while out running various errands. There is a billboard out front and it often contains an inspirational message. On my way home from Thanksgiving grocery shopping I noticed this written on the board:
 
"Never settle for less than your best"
 
As usual I read it and wondered, do the kids read that? Do they think about it? Does it matter that someone takes time to put those up? Does anyone care?
 
That's when it hit me like a ton of bricks. Who am I to judge whether the students read it or think about its meaning? I need to turn that finger around and point it right at myself. I always read them but do I really think about the message?
 
It got me wondering, where to do I settle for less than my best?

Well pretty much everywhere. I make excuses, I find reasons to put things off or to do just enough to get by. I think about exercising more and eating less. I think about offering new programs with this business. I think about cleaning out my closets, sprucing up the yard, and dropping things off at Goodwill to name just a few.
 
Over the years, I've struggled with swinging between perfectionism and accepting what is. My thoughts tell me if I don't do something exactly right I am a failure. So I work on accepting what is, I remind myself that practice makes perfect and I can't possibly do everything right. Better to try and fail then not try at all, right? And by the way, who exactly gets to be the judge of what the right way to do something even is?
 
I get to judge what is the right way for me to do something and I get to decide what is my best effort. No one else can or should do that for me. How liberating! The same holds true for you, you are your own judge!
 
I started thinking about my coaching biz, I most definitely do the very best I can for my clients. Or do I?
 
I absolutely put everything I have into working with these brave souls: I listen deeply, I hold space, I question and challenge, I empathize. I help them face their fears. But do I offer them everything I am capable of, do I have more tools in my toolbox?
 
As I read that sign in front of the middle school, I realized I am holding back. I have settled into what is comfortable for me. I have not pushed the envelope far enough; my need for acceptance and fear of ridicule has kept me playing safe and staying small. I get to judge if I am doing my best and I don't think I am, I have more to offer.
 
I have gifts to share, I have programs to release. I’ve stalled in putting them out there, but I am inspired to get going NOW.

In order to get from point A to point B, or C or D, I need to practice.
 
I am offering a free over the phone Tarot reading to the first 5 people who say I’m in! All you have to do is reply in the comments section on my Facebook page and I will send you a PM to get it scheduled.

So tell me, what are you doing to ensure you never settle for less than your best?

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek ~ Joseph Campbell

"I am a Life Coach"

I used to think that sounded corny.

I resisted the call for years. I found every excuse in the book to not become a Life Coach. Meanwhile I kept searching for my purpose, knowing there had to be more to life that what I was doing.

It's interesting how that works...quite often the exact thing we run from is the exact thing we need to run toward. But we resist because it is scary; it leads to the great unknown. It requires vulnerability, courage, strength, and hard work.

Joseph Campbell, who famously wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces, structured "The Hero's Journey", a set of steps that almost every mythological hero follows on their adventure.

At a very high level, this is what the journey looks like. Many movies and books throughout history and across cultures follow this pattern. 

1. Ordinary World - our "hero" is an ordinary person living life in their ordinary world 
2. Call to Adventure - our hero is presented with a problem, challenge or adventure 
3. Refusal of the Call - our hero is reluctant, this is the threshold of adventure, he or she will face a great fear and is very reluctant
4. Meeting a Mentor - a wise person may arrive to instill motivation; someone who has been there. This person can only go so far, our hero must face the unknown by his or herself
5. Crossing the Threshold - our hero enters the unknown and passes the first threshold, the journey begins, the commitment is made to venture into the special  world
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies - our hero must undergo tests and trials, meet allies who will assist on the journey, and encounter resistance from others
7. Approach the Innermost Cave - inside lies our hero's biggest fears, our hero faces doubts, takes time to reflect
8. Ordeal, Death & Rebirth - our hero must face their greatest fear and draw upon experience and skills, at this point everything is put on the line, our hero does not know if he or she will succeed or fail
9. Seizing the Prize - our hero survives the ordeal, they killed the dragon. The reward is upon them, the treasure they came for is theirs
10. The Road Back - our hero must return back to the ordinary world with the reward, he or she must reconcile with how the experience has changed them
11. The Resurrection - our hero emerges from the special world, transformed, back into the ordinary world, he or she must come to grips with lessons learned
12. Return with Elixir - the entire journey is meaningless without the reward our hero brings back. It can be anything from new knowledge and wisdom, a treasure to share, love, freedom, etc. 

Interestingly, we can transfer this to our own lives, not everyone will follow every step in every order but the basic premise is the same. 

For me, I spent years in my "ordinary world". I knew I wanted more but was afraid to shake things up. What if I failed? I was not ready to face vulnerability, criticism, or failure.

Eventually I took the plunge and accepted the call. I found a mentor and a whole new tribe. But they could only take me so far. I met with resistance (within myself and from others), but I also found many allies. I faced my battles and came out transformed. It took a lot of work but life is so much better now.

I returned from the journey with my own special medicine to share. I now help people navigate their own Hero's Journey. I discovered how to use my intuition, insight, and magic to help other people. 

I used to be afraid to call myself a coach. I had to take baby steps to put it out there. I tested the waters by only putting my toe in, then my foot, then waded in to my waist. 

I now proudly state with confidence what I do, I help people Unshackle their Soul.

My work doesn't speak to everyone, it isn't for everyone. 

My work is for those who know, or at least suspect they are not living their truth. They want something more and they are willing to show up, be vulnerable, and step into their Hero's Journey. 

When they come out the other side, back to their ordinary world, they have their own unique elixir to share. The one they worked hard to retrieve. 

So many magical things have happened since I started my adventure, I can say FOR SURE, when you accept your call to action, take your hero's journey and come through the other side, the transformation is so worth it.

Hit me up if you want a free consultation to see if Life Coaching is right for you.

​We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. ~ Joseph Campbell