Self-Care School was born in response to a need in the world, and within me, after my life was derailed by a series of devastating losses.  My journey to becoming a Self-Care Specialist™ began after the sudden death of my father, when grief collided with chronic illness, resulting in a catastrophic health crisis requiring extreme self-care.

Proudly– because I kind of feel like a superhero after fighting for my life, then completely rebuilding it — I consider my story to be a ‘cautionary tale’, meaning, you do NOT want to go through what I did.  I didn’t listen when my body gave me not-so-subtle messages it was unhappy.  I didn’t listen to my body until it was screaming . . . in pain.  It took experiencing a total-body-breakdown, which led to a dark depression, to get me to listen, learn, and love myself enough to take the countless steps required to restore my health, peace of mind, and joy.

Downward Spiral . . . 

For decades I took my body for granted, I could eat what I wanted and not gain weight, and I didn’t need to workout much to maintain a toned physique.  It was a sweet ride until my body did a “180” and went off the rails. Cortisol overload from chronic stress (or better said, grief; I lost sixteen loved ones in twenty-six months, starting with my father. Ouch!) led to a thirty-eight pound weight gain, which was the least of my problems, but a challenge nonetheless.

I’ll spare you the gory details of the multitude of ways illness ravaged my body; and mind, since our gut and brain are connected.

On the Rise . . . 

Change for me was ‘do or die’, and doctors were of little help.  Their solution was to pump me full of medicine before they’d even determined what exactly was causing my illness.  One day I said, “Enough! No more tests, I don’t need a diagnosis, or drugs that might make me worse. I need to get better, now!”

In that moment I decided to get to the root of the issue and address my health problems naturally, starting with my diet. My health & wellness learning curve was Grand Canyon sized because I’d always been so disconnected to my body, preferring to be totally connected to my soul

I’m Back & Better Than Ever . . .