Wellness Coach
Your Personal Integrated Nutrition Coach
I had two life altering events that caused great pain and disability. The first resulted in multiple breaks in my right leg and crushed my left ankle, detached my bottom lip, and facial lacerations rerquiring four surgeries. I was six months pregnant with our second child. My self-esteem was shattered. Faced with a long road to recovery, I fought seven years relentlessly to overcome the adversity life had handed to me. Prior to the first injury I smiled all the time. I was full of radiance and joy, and simply excited about life.
Years later tragedy visited me again. I survived more than five grueling surgeries of my cervical and lumbar spine, head trauma, severe concussion and nerve damage that left me in excruciating chronic pain. This affected my speech, cognition, walking, and normal body functions. I required the care of Orthopedic Specialist, Neurosurgeons, Neurospecialist, and my Pain Management doctor on speed dial. It took months of Occupational Therapy to learn to grip objects, write and dress myself. In addition, I required speech and physical therapy to regain body control and daily functions. I also endured Hydrotherapy three to four times weeky to get through the day. My husband and family were all affected by this event. I missed being active in my community, church, and ministry, and being active with my grandsons or just going to my grandson’s sporting events. I even missed vacuuming and house cleaning. The days of golfing in the ladies league or with my husband, and enjoying gardening. I missed being my own “kinda me”. When I speak of indescribable or chronic pain, know assuredly I am well acquainted.
The injuries and pain was extremely hard physically. However, the injuries to my mind, my thoughts, and emotions were for greater. I could hear my voice telling me, “You will never be the same….you will never regain your body strength again…people will always stare at you as if you are a freak…no one wants you to tag along with all your handicapped equipment….where is your Christian Church family now?…you are useless…what’s your contribution now?
One day while confined to my bed the detailed of my mother’s miraculous comeback from a third Aorta Valve replacement began to play over and over in my mind. Mom even expired but God had another plan for her. She suffered a stroke in recovery landing her in CCU/ICU for over six months, three months in a Step down unit, and three months in a nursing home facility. Her doctors advised me to prepare myself for her demise.
After several weeks of hearing my mother was deficient in many vital nutrients leaving her too fragile to recover, I began to add the missing links to her diet. Little did I know this trajectory would change the course of both of our lives. I began to fed her missing vitamins, supplements, foods and healthy fats. I remembered how Mom looked as she began to regain her strength and her ability to walk again. Her energy, her personality, and sleep pattern begin to normalize. God granted her an additional 12 years of renewed life. This was my epiphany or serendipity if you will.
A glimmer of renewed hope bursted inside me! I was determined to find relief and healing. I focused on healing my body with wholesome nutrient dense foods, improving my mindfulness, and lifestyle. I became acutely aware sadly that when doctors saw no potential for permanent improvement, they tried to pacify me with statements like, “I know it’s hard” or “we can only try to manage the pain to some degree” or “Janice, just accept this it is your new normal”. All the while writing prescriptions for chemically manufactured drugs.
I was upset by the number of people I saw in rehabilitation, physical therapy, and surgery units. They were moaning in pain and tears just as I was. Although pain has begun to seem normal for the vast majority of people; It is not. I began reading all the materials I could get my hands on for a way out of this chronic pain prison. Refusing to settle for the grim prognosis, out of sheer desperation I shouted out a big fat NO! I’m a fighter, a survivor, I don’t quit! I refused to live on pharmaceutical drugs that caused neurological interference with pain receptors and injections that left me even more debilitated.
My personal journey had begun….This led me to the study of nutrient balance and cellular repair, and nerve rejuvenation. I watched the nutrition work its magic in my own physical body just as it had done in my mother’s body. It was working in mine! Excited about the health improvements I had experienced, it fueled me to help others. I gained experience and formal knowledge from the world’s leading Integrative Nutrition and Functional Medicine School on the healing properties in food both on and off the plate. This includes Holistic, Functional, Ayurvedic, Eastern and Western medicines.
I have a burning desire to share with others suffering this kind of pain, the trauma and/or PTSD attached with it. This is often accompanied by weight gain, or weight loss, arthritis, inflammation, fibromyalgia, IBS, digestive issues, skin rashes, intestinal disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and the loss of your true self, just to name a few. In our society poor health is accepted. Left unchecked and running rampant it is the breeding ground for illness and disease.
Poor quality food from both animal and plant sources deprive our body of its natural ability to restore and maintain itself. Optimizing nutrition on a cellular level will improve your quality of life.
Getting beneficial results will not happen overnight….just as your present state of discomfort did not arrive overnight. I promise your transformative journey will be rewarding and filled with new excitement as you feed all your human components.
Synergistically working together achieving your optimal health and lifestyle in your mind – body – spirit. I’d like to invite you to take the journey with me and start your own transformation here at See You Healthy…
Meal Plans – Done For You
Our App is a complete done-for-you meal planning guide to help you stay on track. Designed with you in mind each meal plan is personalized based on your personal profile & dietary goals.
Meal planning based on your lifestyle. We have plans designed by Registered Dietitians that cover the spectrum from weight loss to weight gain to Paleo, Ketogenic, Vegan, and everything in between!