I grew up in Iowa on a grain and hog farm, so loving dirt, sunshine, nature and animals comes very naturally for me (Oh yeah, and big green tractors!!). Training and raising horses has been a great grounding force in my life, the quote “There is nothing greater for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse” is so very true. One of my great joys is starting young horses, watching as they find who they are and what their talents are and then guiding them as these talents bloom, building trust all along the way.
I have worked in health care for 24 years as a Medical Technologist in hospital and outpatient labs in Iowa, Montana and Nevada. I am a true “lab rat” as I love to see and know how our bodies work and respond to whatever we choose to throw at them. Along this journey, I have seen a lot of what works and what doesn’t in our current system of medicine. Here in the USA we have the best acute care system in the world bar none, if you are in the acute phase of anything or have an appendage falling off by all means get to your nearest ER (or ED as they are now being called), and they will do everything in their power to fix you! It is in the area of chronic illness and preventative care that our current system is lacking, by no fault of the physicians, nurses and others. Our medical schools have not kept up with the changes and challenges we face in today’s types of illnesses, there are other factors at play here too, but are more controversial and beyond the scope of what I want to address here. We’ve needed a paradigm shift in medicine for quite a few years, and this is where Functional Medicine comes into play…it is the much needed paradigm shift. Learn more about Functional Medicine here.
I have always had a passion for helping others; I consider compassion a true gift from God, although I have not always known how to use it. After listening AND hearing that still small voice inside me calling me to use this gift in serving others, I found FMCA (Functional Medicine Coaching Academy) and spent a year learning about the Functional Medicine approach. The course ended up teaching me more about myself than I expected and has given me the confidence to help others overcome their unique obstacles and be able to sustain the changes that they make on their amazing journeys.
Do I have it all together…ABSOLUTELY NOT! I have come to the realization that I am a continual work in process and will be until I take my final breath. It is here that I can get rid of the perfectionist mindset, one that is defeatist, impossible, and drives wedges in between us and our overall health, and replace it with one of striving for excellence, a more positive way of thinking that attracts others and helps build relationships that are so necessary for us to attain and maintain health.