The first 20+ years of my life revolved around playing sports and being active, but also eating fast food. As I started “adulting”, my life shifted, like most people. The busier I got, the less active I was. I kept eating fast food routinely and slowly, each year, my activity decreased and my pounds increased. My health decreased and my anxiety increased. As I got older, my body started changing and all of a sudden I woke up one day feeling fat, out of shape, anxious, and I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror.

My busy schedule gave me all the excuses to not exercise and not cook healthy meals at home. It also gave me every excuse to sleep and relax, which led to me feeling more and more anxiety about doing social things, anxiety about the past as I fretted about choices I’ve made in my life, and anxiety about what was coming up on my packed calendar.

When I wasn’t busy, I was in bed to get away from it all. But that wasn’t helping my brain from shutting off. I started having panic attacks for the first time in my life. I started needing to have control over everything, and if I felt I was out of control, I would either emotionally eat or sleep. I have used the words “I am eating my feelings today” more times that I can count.

Over the years, I tried and failed at every diet and exercise program that I could find. I did the apps, I counted the points, I logged my food, counted my calories going in and out, did juice fasts, tried a raw vegan diet, caveman diet, South Beach diet, the list could go on. I did Zumba, boot camps, exercise videos at home, again the list could keep going. I always did these things because I “had to”, not because I wanted to. My brain was not in the right place for any healthy changes to be a part of my life. So, I failed. And failed again. That was my pattern. And I kept getting unhealthier.

I was going through the motions in my life, enjoying things here and there, but not actually ENJOYING life. I was not miserable, but not totally happy. Something BIG was missing, but I didn’t know what it was.

Then I found mindfulness. But that was a long journey. I was 46 years old! It took THAT long before I found what works!

That journey started way back in college when I got my degree in “Fitness/Wellness” with no clue what to do with it. I ran a senior citizen exercise class (and loved it), I ran the K-2 basketball league (and loved it). Fast forward a few years later, I am teaching 6th grade, not doing anything “fitness or wellness” related, but I still coached sports for 10+ years. Then, 20 years into my teaching career, the opportunity to use my degree fell into my lap, and I applied for and was offered the position to teach the class called “Intro to Body and Mind Wellness” to freshmen in the Health and Wellness Pathway in my school.

A few years before teaching that class, I was also seeing a therapist to try to get a hold on why I made the decisions I made. Why I made certain choices in my past. Why I felt like I was and “all or nothing” person. Why did I either put everything into what I was doing, feel the need to be perfect at it, and if I wasn’t… I was a failure and I gave it up? My therapist had mentioned mindfulness to me. I didn’t know what it was. I thought it was just using our senses in certain situations. He didn’t explain it to me, just told me I would benefit from it. That relationship didn’t last long (like all my other relationships in my life!!). But… he was right.

Because I was the Intro to Body and Mind Wellness teacher, I was offered the opportunity to go through a 9 week certification course in mindfulness. Here, I would learn how to use practice mindfulness in my life, but also teach it to other (my students, my coworkers, my friends and family, and eventually health coaching clients).

That first class of mindfulness… Changed.My.Life.

After learning mindfulness, practicing it in my daily life, other things started falling into place. Then, I found my own health coach, who changed my life even more!

Once my brain, mind, mood, heart, and soul were aligned and balanced, everything else followed.

My mind wasn’t “right”- that is why my diet wasn’t right or why my attempt at exercise didn’t stick.

Now that I have found what worked for ME, I want to help others find what works for them. I want to use my 20+ years of teaching experience to professionally and enthusiastically teach my clients how to become a better version of themselves through reflection, mindfulness, nutrition, and movement in a meaningful and fun way.

Can you relate to any part of my story?