"It takes wisdom and strength to surrender to our own helplessness and to accept that we, just like every other human being, have limitations. The gifts of surrender are numerous. We discover humility, gratitude, and a deepening understanding of the human experience that enables us to be that much more compassionate and surrendered in the world." ~ Madisyn Taylor

Are you reflecting on your year? 2018 is winding down, I hope you are taking time to pause and cherish the beauty of the life lessons this spin around the sun has provided.

This photo depicts the essence of me this past year.

I chose to lovingly take back my power and remove all interference.

A lot of inner work, inner healing and integration of myself occurred.
This is me no longer carrying the armor of strength.

This is me, content, nourished, not forcing myself to be anything other than what I am. Aligned.

I processed a lot of grief this year, grief was not something I really knew how to deal with so I always just buried...

I heard about the term ‘adrenal fatigue’ in 2009 after reading one of the most popular books (at the time), on the subject. I realized that all the symptoms of adrenal fatigue described my current health and life to a TEE.

I did not get any functional testing done for years to come. I began to learn the ‘hard way' it was my reality.

When I finally did get my first Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) test back, I was both sobered and grateful. After having felt so out of control, emotionally volatile, constantly in a crash and burn mode, I was deeply upset to learn I was truly in burnout or 'adrenal exhaustion'. Even though, intuitively, I already knew.

Seeing my HTMA lab results made me face my health and life,  in a whole new way. Adrenal fatigue is a lifestyle condition, not just a health and nutrition condition. You can’t pull out of deep exhaustion (not to mention a level of trauma and PTSD) just by getting more sleep and eating clean.

Sorry, I wish...

I am not sure it's possible to express the immense feelings of love, joy, pride and gratitude I feel when I look at these two photos of my boys and I.

There is just something so powerful about being a mother. Something so incredibly rewarding when you look at the children you birthed and raised and see who they are becoming. It warms your heart to the point it feels like exploding.

And that feeling, is never just a one time feeling. It's a lifelong vibe you get to enjoy, if you choose to. The immense gratitude for everything you can possibly think of and imagine about what it means to be a mother, as well as the joy you take in creating life and watching it grow, is indescribable.

The same is true when it comes to actively appreciating anything and everything in your life. Expressing your gratitude for everything you can possibly think of fills you up to the point of bursting.

Over the years, I've practiced gratitude to the point it has become a way of life. It wasn't always that...

Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. Hippocrates

First, let me just remind you, Hippocrates was alive in a very different world than we are today. He’s an ancient Greek physician who lived during Greece's Classical period and is traditionally regarded as the father of medicine (in case you weren’t aware).

He wrote that infamous quote in a time when the world was very different. At a time when most people attributed sickness to superstition and the wrath of the gods, Hippocrates taught that all forms of illness had a natural cause. His writings of the time were used to form what is known as the Hippocratic oath. Today, many medical school graduates still recite modern variations of the oath. Essentially, first do no harm and a focus on prevention.

Today reading that quote may mean something entirely different because of how the world currently is. So let’s unpack it a bit, shall we?

Food is powerful medicine. It is energy as well as information. Every...

In light of how much my physical body had gone through over the years, all the intense stress, I had to learn to rest a lot. So my body could heal and re-energize.

My body was basically telling me, by my constant crashes, to find time for rest and relaxation in order to improve my overall health. I was in it for the long game, no more quick fixes. Sustainable, lifestyle change became my new mission.

It really became necessary for me to take a reprieve from action and make space for contemplation. So, while I did just that I also began to do a lot of planning so I could clear all of my clutter; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Since I had plenty of down time to rest and recoup, planning became my new hobby.  I no longer wanted to live a life of reactivity. Or act as if life was just happening to me. Instead, I realized I have more control over how my life went than I previously thought.

Instead of rushing into action (aka: living in 'fight or flight mode'), it became...

I felt so much relief after my first session with my nutritionist and herbalist. I began to really feel like I could more carefully plan and take action to manifest my goals of keeping my health stable and grounded.

I was ready to shift to build a much stronger foundation for my health and take the necessary steps to prevent more crashes. I began to get excited about adding herbs and supplements to my regime and go beyond just food, exercise and sleep.

Within just a couple weeks I was feeling so much better. I still wrestled a bit with my mindset and the fact that I was so deep in burnout. I wanted my healing to be faster. Many times I'd catch myself slipping back into sabotage by taking on too much, even when I knew better.

It was hard for me to always stay grounded, to simply relax and let things grow at their own pace. I struggled to be patient and let the results take shape as I laid the foundations for my health.

And I know full well, I'm not the only one tempted to sabotage my...

It has taken me YEARS to recover my health after my split from my ex, and the baby years. Starting my new life as a single mom, no income, completely burned out, my health kept taking a hit. I was working my way out of the stress from the past, while dealing with a whole new stressful way of life.

I can still remember going through cycles of ups and downs in my health. Feeling better but then pushing too hard only to crash again. During one of my health crashes in 2013, I finally went to see a local herbalist in my town. I had been to all my doctors already and received zero real answers or support to help me.

I remember laying on the herbalists massage table before she did nutritional response testing on me. As soon as she began the muscle testing on me, she asked me if I was getting any sleep at all. The crazy thing was, at the time my sleep was pretty good, but I was still exhausted (even with 9+ hours of sleep a night). She was observing the years and years of me not being able...

I let so many things go over the years due to the toxic marriage I was in, as well as no sense of purpose or vision. Not to mention, the toll having babies took on me with all of the above in mind. In light of that for many years of my life, I was literally stuck in survival mode only.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids and I LOVED the baby years. But the truth was it sucked the life out of me more than I ever could imagine. I lost a lot of my motivation and passion along the way.

Once I was out of that situation, as well as settled on my own with the kids in school, I was able to start to shift my energy and focus. It was time to balance life back out again.

What happens when you end up ‘stuck in the mud’ or ‘survival mode’ is your nervous system ends up stuck too. You can swing too far out of balance and end up in an unhealthy parasympathetic mode. In this case, you may find it harder to shift out of and become motivated.

Let's talk about how your body...

If you take anything away from what I’ve written up to this point I hope it’s that you will believe in yourself. All the struggles and hardships you are going through (or have) will all be worth it. They all can teach you lessons to help you grow. Be thankful for these struggles, for you will never know the true meaning of strength and determination without them.

One thing I learned about myself as I went through my divorce was that I was not very in control of my own emotions. I felt emotional turmoil and volatility like that of a tornado or storm at sea. I did not like that feeling whatsoever and wondered if I would ever embody the whole ‘keep calm and carry on’ vibe. Instead I’d felt like I had been through war, with no respite only to be thrust into yet another war.

Over the years as I’ve coached and supported other women through nutritional therapy and my mind-body coaching program, one of the biggest results they’ve shared is their...

In my last post; 'How to breakthrough limiting beliefs so you can heal', I shared about the role of personal responsibility in healing your body, mind, soul and spirit.

Today, I want to talk about  finding the courage to see and embrace your full inner strength.

I can still remember the first time I went to see a therapist. It was September of 2009 and the only reason I went was thanks to the loving prodding of a couple friends.

I didn't grow up in a home where therapy was something that was embraced. We grew up believing everything we needed for life was through our church leaders (maybe that's a story for another day). Suffice it to say it was a very big step for me and incredibly uncomfortable, but I knew it was necessary.

As I sat on my therapists couch in her incredibly cozy 'office', she asked me what had been going on in my life that led me to come see her. After I shared, she asked me some clarifying questions.

I told her my life story in summary (rather point blank at...