Everyone has a personal story—a history of lived experience that shapes their lives, work, and perspective on the world.
Here’s mine—this is the extended version of the story. For the abridged version, click here.
It started in the ’90s when I grew up in Brooklyn, NY, second to the youngest of five siblings.
My childhood was one of dysfunction, chaos, poverty, and abuse. My father suffered from severe mental illness and was physically, emotionally, and mentally abusive.
For much of my childhood, he didn’t work, so my mother picked up the slack. When I was seven, she enrolled in college for a teaching degree. She began working multiple jobs to make ends meet and dig us out of debt.
My mom was successfully putting our family on the right track financially, while my father’s mental state was rapidly declining. His abuse escalated.
Like any child lacking the proper mechanisms to cope with dysfunction… Here’s how the story goes.
I turned to food to control the instability of my environment, express my emotions, and regulate my nervous system. This was the start of my disordered eating. By 16 years old, I was deep in the throes of restrictive and compulsive eating, laxative addiction, and body dysmorphia.
I had a completely distorted perception of my body. Stick-skinny at 95 pounds, I saw something completely different in the mirror. Consumed with self-hatred, I was convinced that if I lost weight and changed the shape of my body, I would be worthy of love and acceptance.
I’d restrict calories daily, go to the gym, and run on the treadmill for hours. Then, completely lose myself in a binge at night. I’d feel so bad about not being able to have more “willpower and self-control” that I’d mentally beat myself up, only creating more self-hatred and shame.
The next day, I’d attempt to course correct and “get back on the diet,” I’d consume laxatives and diet shakes until eventually going back to full restriction, and the cycle would continue over and over again.
I was health conscious, but it was being done in a very distorted and self-punishing way.
My unhealthy relationships with food and my body were evidence of that. I had zero self-confidence. Furthermore, my body was in a state of dis-ease with chronic eczema, asthma, allergies, and frequent bronchitis.
Things began to shift a few years later when I had my first (of many) spiritual awakening around 18 years old. It was catalyzed by two books:
- A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle, and
- Natural Cures They Don’t Want You to Know About, by Kevin Trudeau.
These books instantaneously changed my thinking and eating habits. I experienced my first-ever paradigm shift. I began to have an entirely new perspective on life, my health, my mindset, my relationships, and how I related to the world.
And just like that, initiated by my willingness to change my relationship with food and my relationship with myself, my healing journey began. My personal story begins to take a turn.
For the first time, I saw that it was possible to overcome the trauma of my childhood, the obstacles I faced with food and my body, and find forgiveness in my relationship with my father. Read the full story in my book, The Empowered Women Series: Book 4.
I began feeling new possibilities emerge and a change in the trajectory of my life’s path.
I was taking my life and health into my own hands! This new experience gave me an incredible feeling of empowerment and liberation. From this place, I asked myself a critical question that would determine how the rest of my life – and story – would unfold.
- Will I carry the personal story of my childhood experiences into the rest of my life, feeling victim to it?
- Or will I leverage these challenges into opportunities for change and growth, utilizing them as the gifts they truly are?
I chose the latter and began taking responsibility for my life and happiness. I committed to my healing, personal growth, and spiritual-emotional transformation.
As my relationship with food slowly healed, so did my relationship with my body. Followed by my relationship with my mind, soul, and, consequently, my life.
This was so important because I saw how my father lived, and I knew I never wanted to suffer or create suffering for others in the ways he did. I never wanted to give up on life or blame the world for everything how he did. My father lived in a chronic state of misery, victim consciousness, lack of personal responsibility, and without an ounce of self-reflection. Albeit he was diagnosed with mental illnesses, in many ways, he leaned on them as a crutch, which perpetuated his physical, mental, and emotional collapse.
He was the exact model of what I didn’t want for my life. Seeing how he lived fueled me to create massive change in myself. I needed to take full responsibility for my health, happiness, and quality of life.
Because of my personal story of what I went through in my formative years, I dedicated my life to ongoing personal, professional, and spiritual growth.
And that’s exactly what I’ve done in the last 2 decades.
After I received my Teaching Degree from Brooklyn College in 2012, I went on to get certified in Integrative Nutritional Health Coaching through The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Six months later, I started my coaching practice. Over eleven years later, I continue to coach, teach, guide, and inspire others.
Fast Forward to Today:
This is the wisdom and insight I bring to my students and clients.
The purpose of particularly challenging circumstances is for the divine assignments those situations offer. We learn and grow from the pain, gain insight and wisdom through the struggle, and accept the assignment as a teacher to inspire others.
I knew I needed to take what I learned and the gifts I alchemized it into and share it with the world.
Throughout the past 20+ years of my journey, I’ve immersed myself in vast spiritual teachings, dove deep into personal and professional development courses, and invested in many mentors. As a life-long learner committed to this journey of self-progression, I continue learning.
Bringing these skills, tools, insight, knowledge, and methodology to my clients, I teach people the powerful healing effects of real food, nourishment of the mind, body, and soul through sacred self-care, and the transformation that is possible when you set your mind toward willingness and a desire to heal.
I love how my life path unfolded and wouldn’t change it if I could. Everything I experienced gave me the exact life experience, learning, tools, wisdom, and insight needed for my precise soul path and life journey. I wouldn’t be the woman, teacher, wife, sister, daughter, friend, or mom I am today had I not experienced my life exactly as it was in its divine and perfect unfolding.
I’ve learned that you can take your personal story and life experience exactly as they were, are, and will be and turn them into gems of learning, wisdom, and gold.
Our struggles truly are our greatest teachings because, without them, we wouldn’t find ourselves, we’d remain blocked from our truth, and others would never get to experience the inspiration from our triumph…
Thank you for being here today to read my personal story. If you’d like to learn more about what it would be like to work together, the services I offer, and how to get started, click here.
Now, I’d love to hear from you. Share in the comments below. What did you take away from my story? What inspired or resonated for you?