Healing is a big word and I don’t want to toss it around lightly. Healing will not be exactly the same for everyone. We are all in different places with our autoimmune disease and current state of health. Some people are able to immediately start a protocol to help with addressing their autoimmunity early on while others have symptoms for many, many years before they receive a diagnosis. The longer we have symptoms the more damage that can occur to our bodies, which can be irreversible. Regardless of the progression of your autoimmune disease I have seen people make major improvements to their symptoms and even go into remission. Also, keep in mind “healing” is more than reducing symptoms. I personally feel I have not only healed from Ankylosing Spondylitis and Iritis but through my struggle with chronic illness, I have healed not only my body but my mind and spirit as well. I have gained full trust in life, the present moment and my journey. Any conversations about getting off of medications should be discussed with a medical doctor. For many people getting off of pharmaceutical drugs is one of their goals. While I have seen many people get off of some or all of their medications over time this is not something you should attempt to do without the supervision of your doctor. I believe changing our mindset about our medication can be hugely beneficial. I personally struggled with taking medications and looked at them as a negative, something bad and harmful. Over time I shifted my mindset and looked at them as a blessing, something I could take that would help my symptoms. I accepted them when they were needed and worked to support my body in healthy ways at the same time. You do not have to approach your autoimmune disease as an either or. Adding coaching along with a conventional approach can be greatly beneficial. Transformational Nutrition is a method of personalized nutrition that moves beyond food and physical symptoms to explore and uncover the root cause of dis-ease (lack of ease or harmony within the body) and unhappiness to help people live fuller, more fulfilled lives. It complements, without intending to replace or ignore, the traditional areas of nutrition and medicine. Transformational Nutrition is the most powerful approach to health that exists. It will lead you to optimal health by healing your mind, body, and soul while discovering total acceptance and love of yourself. I took my education one step further and became an autoimmune specialist. Having struggled with two autoimmune diseases myself I am passionate about helping those with autoimmunity get back to living the life they were meant to live. Together we will discover what a valuable life looks like for you and I will help you to achieve it! The Institute of Transformational Nutrition (ITN) is fully licensed and approved as a postsecondary educational institution with the State of Washington. It is the only health coaching certification school that offers programs focused on the science of Transformational Nutrition which blends in-depth nutrition science, psychology, and spirituality for permanent transformation. The Transformational Nutrition model allows me as a coach to gain a full understanding of your total whole so that we can work together to create a plan that will help you achieve not only a total health transformation but a total life transformation too! Health issues leading to the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease don’t just appear overnight. They take time to develop and are rooted in our history and story. They must be examined at a deeper level. Together we will look at your health history all the way back to childhood, your diet, along with your environment (internal and external), past traumas (which can be things as simple as losing a job or breaking up with a significant other or things more significant like the death of a close family member). We all suffer from trauma whether we want to acknowledge it or not and more than likely the traumatic events we have experienced are buried deep within. When we don’t deal with them and push them away they show themselves in other ways down the road such as chronic illness, unhappiness, and loss of connection. As a Transformational Nutrition Coach specializing in Autoimmune Disease, I can help you resolve past traumas trapped inside so you can move forward. We will also look at your belief system together and determine beliefs about yourself and the world around you that are holding you back and hindering you from moving forward. There is belief today around autoimmune disease being the result of many years of self-hatred manifesting in the physical form. I believe this played a factor for me personally. We will go deeper together. It will feel scary and uncertain but I promise it will be life changing! The whole life approach that I use is not a cookie cutter, one size fits all approach. I did not develop Ankylosing Spondylitis for the exact same reason as someone else with the same diagnosis. My story is different and the approach should be different as well. Together we will use a whole life perspective and heal every facet of your life. THINGS HAPPEN FOR US NOT TOO US and the opportunity your health struggle has given you is bigger than you may realize at this moment. But, I promise you will discover it during our work together. You have the power within yourself to heal your life. Proper nutrition plays a huge role in balancing the body but instead of solely focusing on diet and nutrition I will help you to understand the mind-body connection and how you can use it as your superpower. The short answer is NO. Now, ready for the long answer? We are all unique and have different nutritional needs based on a multitude of things. Each of our bodies, as well as needs, are completely different. In addition, much of the time our values, morals, and beliefs play a role in deciding what we choose to eat or avoid. Not to mention we are all in different places. Some of us are just starting our journey to health and have no idea where to begin. If that is you I will be by your side teaching you everything you need to know to start eating in a way that not only nourishes your body but gives you energy, reduces inflammation and pain and makes you feel great. If you consider yourself a nutrition expert then we can work together to hone in on areas that may need tweaking or focus our efforts on the mind-body connection or limiting beliefs. I am not a nutritionist but a nutrition educator. I will share information with you based on my knowledge, studies and what others have found helpful. I do want to note that through my own personal experience as well as research and education I do believe eating foods considered paleo/primal seem to work best for those suffering from autoimmunity. Don’t worry if you are vegan or vegetarian. We can still work together. It is surprisingly easy to follow any type of diet when you focus on eating whole, high-quality foods as close to their natural state as possible. To be honest I really prefer not to use the word diet altogether. After all, we are just eating foods as nature intended. And, just for the record paleo is way more about veggies than it is about meat. At the end of the day, my philosophy is supporting my clients in finding the best diet suited for them and helping to make it a permanent lifestyle and way of life. I am also a huge believer in balance and this is something I help my clients to achieve. You have to have balance or you will drive yourself crazy and it will be difficult to see a permanent transformation. No problem and YES! In addition to my struggle with autoimmune disease I have had a life-long struggle with weight and body image. Prior to changing my mindset about food, it controlled my life. Just like with autoimmunity I don’t believe you can overcome weight challenges with nutrition alone. My approach is to address the root of why you are struggling with your weight in the first place and how to stop letting it continue to limit you. Or, if you are simply looking to clean up your nutrition and mind, grow in a spiritual practice, eliminate toxins from your life and take your health to the next level lets chat. What a great question! From someone who has worked with a health/life coach in the past, when I first heard their hourly rate I swallowed pretty hard and my heart started to pound a bit faster. All sorts of things flashed in my head… “wowzer that is a lot of money”, “can I afford this with my current expenses”, “is this going to put a strain on my family,” and the list goes on. I listened to all sorts of irrational thoughts and then I reminded myself the amount of money I had been dropping at Mayo Clinic appointments and the cost of prescription drugs as well as everything else I was doing and trying at the time. The reality is the 3-month investment I made with my coach was the best money I have ever spent. You know why? Because I got to the root of my illness and finally healed not only my autoimmune disease but my life as well! Here are a few other things to think about. There is value in over a decade of knowledge and experience I have gained through my own personal journey struggling with two autoimmune diseases myself. In addition, I have two coaching certifications from the Institute of Transformational Nutrition which have given me expanded knowledge in not only coaching but nutrition, psychology, spirituality, and autoimmune disease. In addition, a coach is not only working during a one on one session but spend time prepping for sessions, researching and gathering useful information for their client’s in-between sessions. Coaches are also continually researching and learning so they can not only share this information with their clients but create content to serve the broader community as well. I hope the cost won’t be a barrier when it comes to working together but if you are in need of financial help I do offer two 3 month program scholarships each year. To apply for a spot click here. I meet with clients via Zoom or Skype. We can also meet via phone however, I have found this more difficult. I am so grateful that you are here and ready to take next steps. I honor you in this moment. It takes courage to be here and I want to acknowledge you for that! Compatibility is important for both coach and client so to ensure we both feel great about working together I offer a FREE 30 Minute Strategy Session. We will have plenty of time to get to know each other and you can share your health and life goals with me. Basically, you use the time how you want. I am happy to answer any and all questions you have as well as share more about my coaching programs. Schedule your Strategy Session
