My Path to Living Well: From Military Service to Becoming a Health and Wellness Coach
“How did a Marine Corps Officer end up becoming a Wellness Coach??” I got asked incredulously by an old acquaintance. I was honestly taken aback that those two professions were immediately mentally associated with each other, but it does make sense. One is very fast paced, where you’re willing to put your body in conditions that are not necessarily gentle or healthy alongside a heavy dosage of stress… While the other focuses on listening to your body at all times, with emphasis on health, longevity, and stress management. It’s definitely true that I’ve never attended a Marine Corps meeting that had participants do a centering exercise to open up the meeting....
I lived life as a typical high achiever as soon as I started high school, up until my career ended with a bang. The “bang” can be otherwise described as a massive episode of burnout accompanied with strong medications and about a dozen very predominant symptoms of auto-immunity. That being said, I'm not necessarily not a high achiever: high achieving just looks different. The negative connotation associated with the title of "high achiever" is associated with the lack of longevity, and the higher potential for burnout. Not to mention the chronic stress.
Right now, high achieving for me looks like me listening to my body, healing from my autoimmunity, moving, enjoying life, and meeting goals with flexibility. Old high achieving me put my head down and worked through stress, pain, and exhaustion. While I do think that there is a level of these symptoms of burnout present when we're doing hard things, it is becoming increasingly important to draw the line. I drew no lines... And I can trace my lack of line-drawing back through high school. In high school, prep began so that I could finish the application process on time for the Naval Academy during junior year.
That being said, the rigorous application process (with a summer camp and fitness tests) began sophomore year. I took AP classes, tutored, was team captain of a couple sports (including club sports), amongst other things ambitious high schoolers are expected to do. I ended up attending the Naval Academy, and immediately began prep to go into the Marine Corps.
I got everything I wanted as far as goals go… I ended up getting certified as a CrossFit instructor somewhere in the mix, and after being stationed in North Carolina, I had a very fun time coaching and leading Marines. That is until I started feeling “very stressed.”
That’s at least how I described it to myself. My periods were very irregular (like many other stressed out servicewomen), I began to have migraines, some serious brain fog, and then eventually pain. Not just the joint pain or the uterine pain, but a weird prickly tender-to-the-touch pain all over my skin. When these symptoms were all mild, I assumed that this was just some weird side effects of stress. My job at this specific point was incredibly stressful, I was never home, and was living off of caffeine and fumes.
It wasn’t until all of this began to feel debilitating that I went to the doctors, where I was told that I’m probably just pregnant. After about three different types of specialists and six pregnancy tests, my OBGYN asked for an autoimmune panel. I won’t bore you with the rest of the details, but I will just say that I ended up getting medically retired almost two years later.
I went from being able to deadlift 330 pounds to my roommates intermittently helping me walk up the stairs in my house. And I felt very insecure with where I was at… I was diagnosed eventually with “Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease” which essentially means that I have some sort of autoimmune disease that is still evolving. After a lot of second guessing myself, others second guessing me, loss of identity, confusion, exhaustion, and some despair, I remember thinking, “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.” While I am now back in the gym with autoimmune antibodies all negative after being positive for years, the journey here was extremely challenging at times in the least. So I made it my mission to help people prevent this from happening to them.
Outside of wellness coaching, this blog will be where I dump some thought/research spirals that I’ve gone down while searching for ways to better help my clients. And no, none of these will be written with AI. You might catch typos, run-on sentences, and just plain ole gibberish at some point! Overall, I will always work to make sure this blog proves valuable to you and your wellness journey. As always, if you have questions or feedback, feel free to email me, or set up a clarity call to chat! You can also connect with me on Linked-In or Instagram at any time.
Health & Medical Disclaimer:
The information shared on this blog is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a substitute for professional medical care. While I am a Nationally Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), I am not a licensed medical or mental health professional, and I do not diagnose, treat, or prescribe for medical or mental health conditions.
Please do not use information from this blog to make decisions about your health or to delay, discontinue, or replace care from your physician or other qualified healthcare professional. Always consult your medical team regarding your individual health, symptoms, medications, treatment, or other medical concerns.
Individual results and experiences may vary, and no information on this blog should be understood as a guarantee of any particular health outcome.
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