Who's On Your Team?

"Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life." – Amy Poehler

I think about the times in my life when someone walked through the door and changed me for the better. My sister-in-law, a former attorney of mine, my doula, Sarah (who became my dear friend of 17 years now), my husband, and my soul sister, Rachel, all come to mind. In each instance the above-mentioned people not only supported me, but BELIEVED in me! They saw a strong, loving, giving, intelligent woman of value. Even during those times when I didn’t see that in myself. When things got tough and shit got real and I didn’t think I could push through they said “yes you can!” They were on my team.

When the birth of my firstborn became an emergency and I was whisked away to be put asleep to have my baby surgically removed by c-section I was devastated. Of course, the most important thing was that my beautiful baby boy was healthy! But I was made to feel ashamed for the way that I felt about my birth experience. It wasn’t until many years later pregnant with my second child that I was able to take my power back and have a natural birth or VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean.) With the help of Sarah, I had two successful VBACs, laboring at home and making it to the hospital just in time for the doctor to catch the baby! She encouraged and strengthened me, affirming my power as I moved through each of my pregnancies and births. She helped me to listen to my intuition about how to support my body through this natural process.

There are times in our life when we reach a point of challenge and we must grow or coast along and stay the same. Facing these growth edges is not easy. But eventually the urge to grow becomes so strong that we cannot ignore it.

This is how I felt before ReConnectEd To Life was born. I asked Rachel to be my accountability partner because I was stuck. I knew that I needed to make changes, but I was riddled with guilt anytime I thought of my own needs. I made everyone else in my life a priority and put myself on the bottom of the list (if at all.) But I knew in my heart that I deserved to take time for me and that it was not selfish as we are often conditioned to believe. So over the course of a year Rachel and I met and supported each other in our self-care until these practices became habits. As we shared our challenges and successes our conviction in consistently practicing The Four Seeds of Self-Care grew and grew until ReConnectEd To Life sprang forth!

"It takes two flints to make a fire." – Louisa May Alcott

As health coaches we know the importance of having someone on your team to not only affirm the power within, but also the legitimacy of the desires that you have for your own health and wellness! We all WANT to be healthy! We all know and believe that “our health is our first wealth.” But we need more than this knowing. We need a support team to inspire us and challenge us as we take those steps towards optimal health.

The model of health care is quickly changing. Often we turn to medical professionals to seek their expert knowledge and advice, which, of course we need! But when we strive to make lifestyle or professional changes we can also tap into our inner expert and knowing! Coaches honor each person as the expert in their own life and work to create a partnership to facilitate change through a creative and thought-provoking process. A health coach listens, and helps you to dig a little deeper and ignite the spark within! You are only able to change what you are READY and WILLING to change. And BELIEVE that you can change. A health coach is there to help you map out where you want to go and then take that first step and the next step along your journey. This process requires getting quiet, and being still. And then little by little turning the flame up higher by setting your intention and creating goals that are meaningful to you!

So, who motivates you? Who challenges you? Who do you look up to? Who energizes you? What is it that you are stretching towards? Who do you know that is positive and forward-thinking? Your team may include friends, colleagues, a financial counselor, nutritionist, religious/spiritual teacher, yoga instructor, chiropractor, therapist, personal trainer, and yes, a health coach! The famous quote by Helen Keller comes to mind- “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

We are about to start our third Self-Centered Women’s group this summer. This year-long journey is about honoring YOU. When we make our health and wellness a priority above everyone and anything else we are able to accomplish our goals, foster more meaningful relationships, and reconnect to our community. It has been an honor for Rachel and me to help women discover their power and design the life that they truly want to live! Life is precious! Many of us are looking life squarely in the eyes today and acknowledging this truth in a way that we may not have before. Are you ready for something different? Are you ready to move towards your growth edge, as uncomfortable as it may be? We are ready to help you leverage your strengths and make sustainable changes on your journey of personal growth! I think this African Proverb sums it up perfectly: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

With Love & Gratitude,

Kinda and Rachel