I’m lucky...
I'm so very lucky and blessed to have lived a really great life. I have great parents, two awesome brothers and the best husband in the world. I grew up on a farm, playing outside, raising animals and enjoying life.
I never had an abusive relationship, a serious accident or negative life-changing event. I was an excellent student, a good kid and now a good adult.
I never had much direction in life.
By never really having to work too hard at anything I also never really had much of a drive in one direction or another. I chose my university (Purdue) and program (Chemical Engineering) because my friends were going there and I enjoyed math and science.
I graduated the spring after September 11, 2001. The job market was really low but I was lucky enough to start working for my best friend's dad. That didn't work out long-term and I soon found myself working several jobs at coffee house's, photographing weddings, and substitute teaching.
Life was busy but simple.
Working three jobs wasn't paying my bills and I soon was looking at bankruptcy. That was the first thing I can remember that changed my life trajectory. I asked my parents if I could move back in with them so I could more quickly pay off my debt. I also attended Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace course at my church (highly recommended).
Within 6 months I had cleared my hurdles.
Around this time I also stumbled into full-time employment at Bayer Diabetes Care and started to make a wage better than my three jobs combined but nowhere near what my engineering degree promised. It didn't matter to me. I was paying my bills and a little while later I bought a house.
Two years after buying my house I paid off all my consumer debt! I was so proud of myself. I hated worrying about money and focusing so much of my attention on it but all the work paid off.
Now that I was no longer at risk of financial issues I started to look at my career. I didn't really love my job. I didn't feel a 'calling' or really anything rewarding about what I did on a daily basis.
I hit 30 years old and regretted only one thing, never hiking the Appalachian Trail. I vowed then to start turning my dreams into goals. I realized I never hiked the AT because I just lived my life day to day with no long-term goals or direction. I believe that was the first time in my life, at age 30, where I actually started to think about what I could do in life.
I didn't know that exactly one year later, on my 31st birthday my whole life would be turned upside down.
I moved to Switzerland.
Again, not by any planning on my part. I was in the right place at the right time. There was an opening in Bayer in Basel, Switzerland. I happened to meet the hiring manager in January and by May 19th I was living in the land of cheese and mountains.
It's hard to say how my already great life could have gotten any better, but it did! I really thrived on change, meeting new people, experiencing new things and seeing the world. This is really opposite of my dad who's a farmer and has lived his whole life within a 2-mile radius. Leaving my family behind was the only sore point and it continues to be. I miss my family a lot but I know I made the right decision for me.
Moving to Switzerland, meeting my husband and generally enjoying life still didn't solve my issue with my career but I was distracted for some years. My job is not bad, it's actually a really great job but I don't feel like I'm really changing anything in the world. Even though I work for a company that supports the lives of persons with diabetes, I don't personally feel like I'm making any difference.
I have tons of hobbies and activities that have kept me busy but again to what end? That brings us to Health Coaching. I have long been passionate about nutrition, exercise, and generally trying to make my life better. I decided to pursue Health Coaching for myself. If I never had one client I would still be better off for choosing a program, going to school for 1 year and getting my certification.
I hope that I can help even just my friends and family with the knowledge that I have gained and my enthusiasm for change. Health Coaching and the field of Integrative Medicine is amazing. They are not doctors or dieticians. They do not prescribe or diagnose.
The Heath Coach is a supplement, they are the support system.
A doctor will tell you to eat better, get more exercise or you might need medication for XYZ. A Health Coach will work with you to help you accomplish your goals. I can think of nothing more gratifying than to help someone become a better version of themselves.
And that is my story. I want to help.