Hi friends!
Not long ago I shared with you my own health “wake up call” – being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in December of 2017 – and since I told you all about my desire to become a health coach.
In the last year that has passed SO MUCH good stuff has happened!
My disease is in remission. I’m not taking any meds. I completed the 6 Pack Of Peaks Challenge and summited 6 of the highest peaks in SoCal with my husband. And I even ran (or attempted to run) a 5K!
What I’m most excited about, though, is completing my health coaching certification, finishing my book Built For Greatness and seeing it in print, and launching my coaching practice.
There have been so many pieces of my puzzle. There have been some big victories, too.
and I truly believe none would have happened if I hadn’t gotten my mind right. For me, the biggest piece of the puzzle has been the emotional health piece- taking the time to really understand myself, my history, my hurts…
Things I had tucked away and not dealt with…
All the times I told myself little lies like “I’m strong. I don’t need help. I don’t need to talk about this.”
And taking a cold, hard look at my unhealthy coping strategies and thought patterns.
And how I was dealing with stress… or NOT dealing with stress. (I 100% believe stress was a HUGE contributing factor to my illness.)
I spent the last couple of years educating myself. I read a lot and listened to the teachings of many, many experts in the fields of health, emotional wellness, psychology, and personal development. Plus, the health coaching certification process required me to do a lot of work on myself. The program I was in has a philosophy of “First for yourself, then for others.” In other words, you can do the most good for others once you’ve cleaned up your own life and gotten your own health in order.
Throughout the coaching certification process I was simultaneously working on my book “Built For Greatness- 5 Breakthrough Steps For Understanding Your Child’s School Struggles & The Solutions To Overcome Them.”
I remember standing in the kitchen one day after I sent my manuscript to the editor talking to my husband and I had an “aha” moment.
I remember saying, “Oh my gosh Bryan, these steps I’ve outlined for the kids are the SAME steps I USED to get healthy!”
I realized that the 5-step framework I outlined in Built For Greatness… those steps were the SAME steps I personally took to get well.
It was right there, staring me in the face!
- Identify the problem
- Learn the triggers
- Investigate the why
- Acknowledge my past, and Choose to be a warrior – not a victim
- Rebuild
The whole time I was in this mindset that what I was writing was just for kids who were struggling emotionally and whose struggles were manifesting as “problems in school.”
Like health & wellness, and working with struggling kids, were two separate things…
But I realized that the whole goal of the 5-step framework is emotional resiliency, emotional healing, and ultimately emotional wellness.
It’s about how we deal with our pasts…
How we deal with the things that “trigger” our thoughts and emotions, and “trigger” our behavior.
What I have experienced is that when we can get our emotional health in order, the physical health piece is sooo much more successful.
Things that used to trigger us in a harmful way no longer have the power to keep hurting us. We become so much more self-aware.
And with awareness comes better choices, better actions, and ultimately… better results.
What I’ve come to realize is that what’s at the intersection of my professional expertise and my personal journey is emotional health – learning to deal with stress in a healthy way and developing a positive, resilient mindset.
Which is exactly what I address in Built For Greatness and exactly the work I want to do with teenagers and young adults.
I WANT TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION to the scary, rapidly growing mental and emotional health crisis we’re seeing among young people in this country.
I want to make a difference for kids who are hurting.
That’s my mission for 2020.
To be part of the solution.
Using my 5-step framework to offer health coaching that is really focused on emotional health and healing. To offer personalized support and guidance to young people (and their parents) in a one-one-setting. To teach problem solving skills and coping strategies that are healthy and effective and can last a lifetime.
Can’t wait to see the great things that 2020 has in store!