Category Archives: accomplishment

    Categories accomplishment, Advice, Anxiety, autoimmune, autoimmune crisis, Chronic Pain, Digestive Issues, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, fatigue, Fibromyalgia, gym, Health, hope, pain, Physical Pain

    Autoimmune Warrior

    What does it mean to be an autoimmune warrior?  It means you fight hard to overcome your symptoms and live the life you dream.  It means that there are battles and sometimes your fail but you get back up and do it again.  But most of all it means that once you finally succeed, it is time to share your story and help others accomplish the same.  It wasn’t an easy journey.  It was filled with obstacles and challenges.  It took me 7 years to perfect my process.  There were tons of rock bottom failures.  But we all learn from our mistakes.  That is when you find a way out, dust yourself off and do it again.  There were many times that I wanted to give up and eat junk food.  There were many times I wasn’t motivated to exercise.  There were plenty of hard days.  There were plenty of horrible days.  But every challenge I faced only made me stronger.  I have autoimmune leaky gut and a genetic syndrome called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.  The combination can be pretty debilitating and overwhelming.  If I wouldn’t have chosen to make my health a priority my life would be very different right now.  It wasn’t an easy decision to put myself before others.  After all I am a mom, wife and nurse.  All those amazing things means you put everyone else before you.  And I absolutely love doing that but when my health started to fail and it impacted my children’s joy, I stopped to reflect.  If I didn’t find a way out they would be faced with the hardships of having a chronically ill mom to care for and they didn’t deserve that fate.

    Leaky gut is a condition that allows particle of food to travel throughout your body.  These particles begin to wreck havoc everywhere.  Then your immune system begins to attack the food particles and your own body in the process.  Leaky gut and autoimmune disease is a backfiring of your own immune system.  Your body attacks itself creating physical symptoms and pain. I suffered from symptoms since childhood.  But I had no idea what or why it was happening until my 30s.  I’ve learned a lot on this journey to find wellness.  My journey took me through an educational journey to find answers for others that ended up helping me.  My career evolved from a Special Education teacher to a Registered nurse in hopes of helping children with special needs overcome their health battles.  And the amazing gift that unveiled was the very answered I needed for myself.  In the process my health eventually failed and crisis struck.  I desperately searched for a solution to my horrible digestive issues. Slowly my body began to heal and transform.  The journey helped me develop an incredible technique that I have used to support my clients and children.  I reduced and practically eliminated all my symptoms in my body.  And boy were those symptoms extensive.  I used to experience all of these symptoms almost daily: reflux, bloating, cramping, anxiety, fatigue, chronic pain, frequent illness, migraines, headaches, etc.  The symptoms became overwhelming and my life seemed to be falling apart.  I knew that there had to be a better way to live.  And I knew my children deserved better.  And I am so thankful and grateful for the journey that brought me here. But to truly understand the hardship, it is time to take you into a journey about genetics.

    I went to countless specialists and as my research evolved I knew there was a genetic condition behind all my extensive medical diagnosis and symptoms.  But it wasn’t easy to find.  I went to rheumatologists, Gastroenterologists, neurologists and then finally a geneticist.  And that was finally when I got the answer I was looking for, I was diagnosed with EDS III. Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is a debilitating condition that impacts every organ, muscle and tissue of your body.  Most people with this condition have tons of surgeries and need assistive devices.  The pain and frequent injuries leave you feeling ashamed and useless.  Thankfully I was able to overcome that dreadful time in my life.  It has been amazing to see that I was able to develop a routine that has helped me become more active and energized.  It has been a long journey.  But I learned a lot along the way.  And the most valuable gift was that all genetic conditions, illnesses and diseases have a root cause that needs to be addressed synergistically for true success.  Trust me I was skeptical. I didn’t believe myself for years.  I didn’t truly accept that there were 2 root causes of my illness.  And then suddenly in 2019, as I wrote my book, “The Truth about IBS and Anxiety,” everything became crystal clear.  As I helped people heal, I truly began to see the transformations that were possible with my process and the gifts they experienced.  You see the truth about what I teach, is that it doesn’t only help mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa; it helps the kids and grandkids too.

    Think about it this way.  Reflect on your week or your month.  Was there a day that you were super stressed, anxious or overwhelmed?  Did it change the way you behaved?  Did it change the way you felt? Did it change the way you spoke to others?  Did it change their reaction? I bet if you truly think about it, you will say, YES, YES, YES.  I will give you an example.  My client, Demi, suffered from chronic illness, reflux, chronic pain and fatigue.  She felt hopeless and alone when we began working together.  She was sure she was doomed to fail and hopeless.  As we worked together to create a supportive routine for her, she began to transform easily.  Her weight seemed to melt away.  Her symptoms seemed to disappear.  Her energy and motivation increased.  And her life completely changed.  But it didn’t stop with her, it extended to the entire family.  Her husband and children began to eat healthier.  The more energetic and happy she became, the more fun and exciting their relationship became.  And her children began to change too.  When we started working together her youngest had anxiety and trouble sleeping.  He often complained of stomach aches and headaches.  As she began to improve the way she felt, their health began to change too.  She began to really see that her own health impacted the entire family.  She began to notice that the days she was stressed and overwhelmed, everyone was stressed and overwhelmed.  She noticed that when she screamed and lost her temper, her kids suddenly had a symptoms arise.  She noticed that when she wasn’t following her routine, it affected the world around her too.

    The beautiful gift she thanked me for her compassion and courage

    The funny thing is that I didn’t realize I gave her that gift until now.  I actually created that audio about courage and compassion for myself.  Because getting on camera, writing my book and sharing my story has been a difficult journey.  It has tested my resilience and perseverance.  It has tested my patience and kindness.  It has tested me in all facets of my life.  But Demi reminded me that my journey is not only to help women.  She reminded me by helping one person, I help everyone around them heal as well.  Because if one person can make a different to transform the world around them, imagine the possibilities if more people do the same.  We all deserve to feel happy, energized and vibrant.  We all deserve to thrive in life.  We all deserve to reach our ultimate potential.  And it all starts by working on yourself first.  I never thought I could overcome my chronic debilitating pain.  I though I was destined to live a life of pain and fatigue.  I thought that surgery and physical therapy was the only way to reduce my symptoms.  But now I surpassed all my physical limitations.  I went from a girl that never exercised or played sports because her pain was so intense.  To a girl that rock climbs, dances and repels down waterfalls.  And it all began with a decision to work on me first.  And the same magical transformations happen when my clients unveil their own healing powers.

    Categories accomplishment, kids, Mommy, motivation, positivity

    The Baseball Shuffle…

    The Baseball Shuffle took my by surprise. Little did I know that this little trip would change my outlook completely. As a mom of active boys, sports is an essential part of life. But each child is unique in their interests and hobbies. My oldest, Gabriel has always loved baseball since little league. The sport has become a bigger part of our lives over the past few years. This year things shifted even more as he ventured to a new school with hope of joining the school baseball team. I could see the smile in his face and the glow in his eyes when he made it onto the Belen baseball team. I watched the games but I never really understood the game very well nor did it truly grasp my attention. The games were long and a little boring to be honest.

    This past week in Cooperstown the universe shifted and boom I was hooked on baseball. I’m not sure if it was finally getting to Cooperstown for the tournament or seeing him play. Gabriel had been dreaming of this for almost a year. Or maybe it was visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame. The movie about the History of Baseball definitely made me cry. And I wasn’t the only teary eyed person in the room. I say person because it was emotional for men too. Baseball is America’s favorite pastime. It united America and brought a sense of hope to the masses. It was amazing the see the smiles and sense of awe in all the boys eyes as they walked through the museum. I was awestruck by Babe Ruth’s memorabilia and other baseball icons. And remember, I really didn’t show much interest in baseball until this trip. It doesn’t really matter how my mind shifted but it did.

    Gabriel, Frankie and Christian were finally at Cooperstown. The smiles on their faces were priceless. I could see Gabriel’s dreams were at his fingertips. He was living his 12 year old dream. Something he had hoped and wished for but wasn’t sure it would manifest. Things worked out in the end and he joined his old baseball team Hardball to participate in the tournament. And he even invited a few friends from Belen too. They were all so excited to spend a week hanging with their friends and playing baseball. We were all ecstatic to watch them play. It was amazing to see how ALL the boys had improved over the past year. But the 3 peas brought a unique smile to our faces and glow in our hearts. Gabriel, Frankie and Christian had developed a unique bond over the past year. And they were ready to play BALL.

    It was a rainy week in Cooperstown Allstar Village. And games were cancelled so we headed to the Hall of Fame. I couldn’t help but smile when I looked at my son’s face hanging out with his team or playing baseball. All the parents were anxious when their kid was up to bat or catch the baseball. I had never really been paying such close attention to a game but his week was intense. I had seen my son work so hard over this past year. Playing baseball 4 to 5 times a week. Taking hitting and pitching lessons. Countless hours of working his butt off and playing for a team that consistently lost. It must have been the most frustrating thing for him and the other peas in the pod (Frankie and Christian). It was frustrating for all of us to watch. Maybe that was part of the detachment I had. Or maybe it was that the games dragged on until eternity. But either way all of us were frustrated and this tournament began to shift it all. My son had a goal and it was Cooperstown. He has more goals like playing on the 7th grade team at his Belen. And Cooperstown is like the Holy grail of baseball for an 11 or 12 year old baseball loving boy. If your child plays baseball or you love the sport then you completely understand. My son and husband love the sport. My little one (Lucas) has other sports dreams; baseball wasn’t his cup of tea. We knew that this week was our one and only chance at participating in Cooperstown. Gabriel is almost 13 and this was his last shot.

    I’m not sure why Baseball hadn’t caught my attention until Cooperstown. For some reason until this very surreal moment in time I hadn’t loved baseball. I wonder? Does my father love baseball? Of course he does, he talks about it all the time with Gabriel and Robert. But I can’t remember, Did he watch baseball? Did we watch it together? Was it a guy only tradition or were girls there too? I wish I knew. I guess I need to ask him. I’ll figure it out soon. But let’s get back to Cooperstown. Our entire family and small circle of friends were all looking forward to this tournament since early this year. The boys have been practicing like crazy to get to this tournament. They were a trio of buddies excited to visit Cooperstown together. They were like 3 peas in a pod. We hung out together every chance we got and this little adventure would bring us all closer together than ever before. Little did I know that Baseball was going to be my new favorite sport. The pressure was on for all of us. The kids and the parents felt the pressure. Each game was nerve racking and each parent had their own way of dealing with the stress. We also all had our own funny superstitious tricks up our sleeves. Some parents wouldn’t look at their kid when they were up to bat. To nervous to see it all unfold. But I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. Gabriel had worked so hard this year. He had made MVP on his school team, which he brushed off as no big deal but it is a huge deal. He had improved his pitching, catching and hitting so much since last year. For some reason he was nervous in Cooperstown and he wasn’t using his own bat. It was frustrating but you can’t push a pre-teen boy. You just have to let them try it out and come up with the decision on their own. Oh boy did I want to tell him something but he was frustrated enough on his own. I get it because I used to be the same way, I didn’t believe in myself and had to work through it on my own. So we patiently waited watching him play game after game with his frustration increasing.

    Then one day, Wednesday June 19th everything shifted for him. I was so nervous that I couldn’t sit. I was literally pacing back and forth as I watched the game unfold. He finally grabbed his own bat and I jumped and screamed like a school girl. He hit his first home run in Field #33. It didn’t stop there. He went on to have a Grand Slam in field #33. I jumped and screamed again. All the parents were so excited. They had been waiting for Gabriel to hit it out of the park. He was selected by his coach for the Home Run derby in the beginning of the tournament (Sunday) but for some reason he didn’t use his bat until Wednesday. I’m not sure what shifted but we all had our superstitions and little tricks. Before that game I prayed and sent him some blessings. I even blessed his gatorade before I handed it to him. I was wearing all Blue (Baseball shirt, yoga pants, undies and all). Even the face of my watch mysteriously changed to blue on its own. My shirt said, “There’s no crying in Baseball.” We honestly don’t know what shifted on that Wednesday but I do know that Wednesday’s have been a big transition day for me over the past few months. So, it could have been Wednesday, the clothes, the blessings or any other variable. The fact is that it was the most exhilarating experience to see MY son hit a baseball out of the park. To hear that ball hit the bat perfectly and zoom out of the park was amazing. I had jumped and screamed for Christian too but this was my boy and I screamed like crazy. He had finally fulfilled his dream and hit a home run in Cooperstown. He ended up hitting 3 home runs that day. We couldn’t be any prouder of him. He was so happy and the boys were all jumping up too. He did it. He finally fulfilled his dream and were were all ecstatic. Let’s just say Baseball has a new place in my heart. I never though the game could excite me so much, that I would scream at the top of my lungs and jump like a kid but I did. Cooperstown was an amazing experience for all of us. It was exhausting, stressful and exhilarating all at once. We enjoyed the bonding experience to the fullest and I’m thankful that Gabriel achieved his dream.

    P.S. One funny thing that happened in Cooperstown that any mommy can understand. LMAO. Embarrassing but true. When Christian got his first home run, I peed a little. LMAO. I screamed and jumped so much that a little pee came out. It happens to all of us at one point or another. I haven’t experienced that in a long time. I workout my pelvic floor often but I had been holding it in too long and oopsie happened.

    Categories accomplishment, Anxiety, Chronic Pain, Emotional pain, flare up, hope, motivation, pain, Physical Pain

    Let go and Be Free!!!

    Learning your personal stress triggers and fears is a huge part of emotional health and wellness. It is impossible to change the world around us but we can change the way we react to it. I’ve learned a lot about myself over this past year. Learning the way I react to criticism, comments and conversations with others wasn’t easy but it is an essential part of emotional health. Every single one of us has pre-established beliefs, rules and behavior patterns in our subconscious mind. The healing comes into play when we truly understand our own beliefs, rules and patterns. We can only change our responses and actions towards the events life sends our way. We all face challenges and obstacles in our daily lives that can impact our health and happiness. Our reactions to these obstacles and challenges impact our bodies in exponential ways. Over the years, keeping my true emotions trapped inside lead to an exponential changes in my body resulting in chronic illness and disease. I was a person that held in all my emotions, fears, worry and stress. I didn’t share them with anyone much less myself. I kept everything so bottled up and tight that my health began to fail more and more with each year that passed. These high stress levels impact our bodies cell by cell that accumulates over time developing illness and disease. Emotional intelligence is not something we are born with or learn in school. The more we experience stress and keep it bottled up inside the worse our emotional and physical health gets. I’ve learned that no one can hurt you more than you hurt yourself. We hurt ourselves everyday repetitively and harshly. We repeat the same hurtful and harmful statements to ourselves everyday. It’s a vicious cycle that creates a build up of emotional stress in our bodies. This emotional pile accumulates inside our tissues, organs and cells and eventually develops into symptoms, illness and disease.

    My health issues started as a child with digestive issues, reflux, and IBS. I began bottling up my emotions and hiding my voice from the world as a child. I lost my creative side completely. The part of me that could write poems and paint, simply went to sleep when my voice went silent. The symptoms built up more and more each year until my health crisis in 2013. I reached a point in my life that any more stress was simply overwhelming and my body was ready to give up. It was evident in my emotional and physical health that something had to change. I reached my breaking point where my body just couldn’t take any more stress. I was getting my MSN degree, working in the PEDS ED and raising to young boys. My husband’s work schedule had him traveling all the time which added extra stress on my already full plate. At this point my hair was falling constantly, panic attacks were the norm and food was simply not digesting. I reached a point where water and saltine crackers were causing me stomach distress, nausea and pain. After extensive tests and hospitalization the truth was clear. My body was tearing itself down little by little. My stomach lining was eroding and ulcers were soon to develop in my stomach and intestines. The poor digestion and lack of nutrient absorption was impacting my skin, body and hair. The anxiety was causing panic and my chronic pain was at its peak. I was taking 13+ prescriptions and felt absolutely awful. My right arm and leg were numb and the pain was constantly severe. The doctor basically told me either you change your lifestyle or you are going to die. It was a scary truth that I had to face as a 36 year old young mom. The decision to place my health on my priority list was not easy. I had spent my entire life helping everyone else around me. Since childhood I had placed the feelings of everyone around me before my own. The decision I made was for me but even more for my children and husband. After all my health impacted my children the most good or bad. If I kept on that path my boys (Gabriel 7 and Lucas 3) would face a life without a loving and supportive mom to guide their way. Even typing that today brings tears to my eyes. I can imagine their beautiful little faces and lives impacted by my own lack of self-love. Over these 6 roller coaster years, I found my way back to my emotional and physical health. But the hardest part was this last year. The emotional journey to unlock the feelings and beliefs that had impacted my health over these 41 years. Now as a 41 year old mom of 2, I see the power in emotional health and wellness. I see the impact our emotions have on our bodies and that we harm ourselves more than anyone else can. We fail to forgive ourselves for our mistakes, behaviors and actions. We criticize ourselves more every single day about any little insecurity. Some of the criticisms I realize now runs really deep and impacts your body. I learned a month ago that I actually was angry with myself about the birth of my children. I was angry at myself for not having a vaginal birth. It was a decision that had to be made because my oldest was too big and likely would have been stuck in the birth canal. I didn’t realize the impact my anger had on my body until 12.5 years later. I realize inside my body, inside my yoni, I was blaming myself for not being good enough. I blamed myself and thought I wasn’t a good mom because of this little bump in the road. This little obstacle that gave me a precious gift a son that I love with all my heart. It just goes to show that you have no idea what your subconscious is hiding and the damage it can be causing in your body.
    Low self-esteem and self-doubt plagued my mind throughout my life. When I was heavier, I used to say horrible things to myself when I looked in the mirror. “Yuck look at that cellulite. Omg look at that belly bump, you are so fat.” I would look at myself and not see the beautiful woman everyone else saw. I didn’t think I was beautiful, I had little self-esteem, I didn’t show myself much self-love. This continued for most of my life until 2013 when started making myself the priority. I started eating right and exercising. I began to show myself more kindness as my body started to feel better and the pain began to leave my body. I began loving the beautiful girl in the mirror. I started to see my body was changing, shedding weight, looking less bloated and a real smile started to emerge. It wasn’t the fake smile I had been hiding behind for so long. I had been hiding my physical pain from the world a long time. Finally, when that pain was gone and I connected with the truth behind it my true smile emerged. It’s a smile filled with self-love and appreciation for everything I had been through, everything I had learned and the new me emerged.

    This journey of emotional healing and connecting with my intuition wasn’t easy. It takes dedication and self-love to truly get to the root cause. Learning that I had been keeping emotions trapped inside my body gave me the power to release them. I was holding a multitude of emotions. I had been a worrier all my life. I worried that I didn’t do things well, that I wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t beautiful, that I wasn’t loved, etc. I was holding many other emotions too. The thing I realized through hypnosis was that my subconscious not only had the power to hurt me but it had the power to heal. There are so many emotions we hold inside us. These emotions don’t serve us to keep them trapped inside. The more we allow them to build up inside our bodies the more symptoms arise. It’s very interesting to tap into your intuition and allow your body to give you the answers. When you connect with yourself through self-love and nurture your mind, body and soul everything unfolds. You become aware of the immediate tension that arises in your shoulders, when your feeling overwhelmed. You notices the knot erupting in your neck while you talk to a friend that tells you something upsetting. You feel the pressure in your chest when someone shares a truly emotional truth they experienced. You can actually close your eyes, scan your body, identify a sore spot and know exactly why it is tender. This is not pain or soreness from exercise or overuse of a muscle. This is emotional pain that you have absorbed inside your body. Sometimes the pain isn’t even your own. It sounds absolutely crazy, I know but I have learned that as an empath, I can actually absorb the physical and emotional pain of others. My intuition tells me exactly why the pain is there and only then am I able to release it. It’s essential to bring out the subconscious triggers from hiding into your conscious mind. You need to feel the emotions in the moment in order to Let it go!!! You need to feel the pain, feel the symptoms, cry if you need too, sit with it and feel it. Sometimes you need to work a little harder to get it out of your muscles and tissues. The power of naturally releasing pain comes into action when you combine the subconscious mind, the conscious mind and the physical body. I have learned my body so well that I can actually release physical pain, feel the fluids shift inside my body and sense the emotions change with it. Working with your body in this deep way connecting mind, body and soul empowers you to tackle your biggest trauma, your worst heartbreak and even your greatest fears. Understanding your bodies natural healing powers enables you to accomplish things you never dreamed. Letting go of the past that created turmoil inside your body creates a positivity that radiates out of you. Letting go of every emotion that no longer serves you sets you free. Let go, live your life, be free, be powerful, be abundant, be YOU!! ou can be the ultimate version of yourself, I believe in YOU!!!

    Categories accomplishment, motivation, positivity

    Embrace Life

    We only get one chance at this Life, Embrace it. Embrace the life you have and enjoy every day you have on earth. Trust me I know it can be difficult sometimes. We often get stuck in a negative mindset and feel trapped. This negativity stops us from enjoying the happiness and fun around us. Staying positive and enjoying life has changed a lot for me. Positivity has opened my life to new possibilities for today and tomorrow. It has given me the power to tackle obstacles and challenges. I tackled my obstacles and created the life I love. I have learned to embrace and enjoy the little things. I learned to truly enjoy the life I was given. Don’t get me wrong, it took time to establish this positive routine and effectively use it daily. It was a struggle to heal my body and develop a positive outlook. But my journey was worth every moment because I am worth it. You are worth it too. You deserve to be happier, healthier and enjoy the life you have. Sometimes you need a helping hand to change your mindset. Maybe you need a little push in the right direction. I know for me, I had an internal desire, motivation and dedication to accomplish my desires. But the journey doesn’t have to be as hard as mine was. If I would have had a helping hand to show me the way, I would have accomplished it so much sooner. I am here to guide your way. Let me help you find the motivation you need, the support you desire and the helping hand to change your future. Don’t let the negativity bring you down. Shout out and spread positivity to yourself and the world around you. Positivity will change your life and the lives of those around you. Let me help you find the obstacles that are holding you back, create strategies to tackle them and develop the life you want. Let’s embrace life now, don’t wait until tomorrow, it might be too late. Live the life you want now. Love the life you have, embrace it and live the way you want, now and forever. Create the life you want today. There is nothing stopping you…

    Categories accomplishment, Advice, fatigue, flexibility, freedom, hope, motivation, pain

    Clean Slate

    What is a clean slate? It’s is a fresh start to finding your younger self. It’s trapped inside you waiting to emerge again. My health crisis has me feeling exhausted, fatigued and filled with pain. Through holistic healing I found so many possibilities. These are all new feeling and accomplishments for me:

    • The love for nature and appreciation of the little moments with family.
    • The drive and motivation to accomplish more and maintain health.
    • The knowledge that you deserve to care for your health too.
    • The feeling of accomplishment and happiness after a long stress filled day.
    • The ability to care for everyone you love and yourself at the same time.
    • Accomplishing your hope for a better way to feel and live.
    • Energy and motivation to jump out of bed and seize the day.
    • The freedom of pain to accomplish fitness in ways you never thought was possible.
    • Flexibility to improve the circulation of your entire body.
    • Savoring the healthy nutrient-rich foods you eat while your body reaps the benefits.
    • The relief that your children don’t have to worry about you being sick or caring for you through a health crisis.
    • Love for life and enjoying the beauty around you
    • Reconnecting with your loved one and igniting the fire for passion.

    These are only a few of the changes I made when I took a leap for a Clean Slate. The possibilities are endless. You can achieve more than you think. Let me help you BELIEVE!