My Abbreviated Story
I’ve always admired those people who knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. I knew that I wanted to work with people, but in what capacity, I hadn't a clue.
Fast-forward through 5 years at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and 2 years at USC in LA, and what do you get? B.A. and M.A. in Professional Writing, M.A. in Communication Management, followed by 12 years in Manhattan with a resumé full of sales and business development jobs in a variety of different industries. Plus, the pressure of maintaining that Manhattan lifestyle (and rent!). Maybe it was all meant to play out this way, or maybe I kept ignoring the signs, hoping that with each new gig I’d come into my own. Find my “thing,” like everyone else.
While all of the skills and experience I've cultivated, and the people I've met along the way, have shaped me to be the person I am today, I was massively unfulfilled-- a feeling that permeated every aspect of my life. In 2015, I learned there was a way for me to merge my values and passions with my skills and capabilities, through health coaching, courtesy of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN).
It's worth noting: I’d been a “health-conscious” person my whole life. On those late nights to the diner with friends, you’d find me eating egg white & spinach omelettes with whole wheat toast, while everyone else indulged in heaps of cheese fries and cheeseburgers. When we ordered pizza to our freshman dorm room at 4am, as all-nighter sustenance, I thought I was doing myself a favor by taking mine sans cheese... because, you know, low fat!
We know better now, but at the time, what I hadn’t realized, was that with each choice I made, I was shaping my health, my preferences, and my self-worth. If I continued to self-sabotage via misguided food choices and obsession with weight and appearance, no amount of exercise, cheese-less pizza, or they're-only-five-calories pickles was going to set me up for a fulfilling existence.
As a young adult, I continued to make choices that directly contradicted my goals, with an inner dialogue I'd never use on a friend or loved one. We're so much harder on ourselves for some reason, and I lacked the insight, the motivation, and the tools to really look inward and address the underlying problems.
Through various eye-opening experiences traveling the world, changing jobs every few years, and discovering my true, adventurous, and independent self, I slowly realized the things that matter to me. During my eleven-month program with IIN, which coincided with a halt in my previous career in business development, I had no choice but to be honest with myself. And through health coaching, I can finally proclaim that I'm living in sync with my values. Now, it is my goal to help others to do the same, whatever shape that may take.
