Valerie went from being a train wreck of bad habits, think three packs of smokes a day, to a self-made business owner of all things healthy and holistic.
Valerie's Story
"I even ate meat for breakfast."
When I was in my 20s, I smoked three packs a day. And, when I went out for drinks with friends, I ordered scotch and water. I didn't exercise. I was a real carnivore and, in fact, sometimes I even ate meat for breakfast. I'd get up in the morning, and I would drink coffee and begin that whole cycle of drinking coffee and eating sugar to make my body feel better. I had a lot of trouble with my skin and I had chronic bronchitis. I was always on a lot of antibiotics, which compromised my immune system.
"My father sent me to SmokEnders, and my uncle got me drinking wheat grass."
My uncle had had a lot of his own [health] struggles, and he got into natural health. He got me into drinking wheat grass juice when not too many people were drinking wheat grass juice, and he taught me about herbal medicine and homeopathy. And my father sent me to SmokEnders and I failed that. Then it was Nicorette gum.
I was starting to make adjustments in my health, like I joined a running club, but still there were times when I would be juicing with carrot juice and celery and having a cigarette with it. It wasn't until I quit smoking completely that the impact of what I was doing really started to take hold.
"When the student is ready, the teacher appears."
When I was 41, I decided to get serious about holistic healing. I loved everything about it. I focused on plant essences because they were so versatile. I could make a beauty product with them. I could make a therapeutic product with them. I liked that they're very concentrated, easy to work with and transportable. Two days after I made that decision, I found a teacher. There's a saying, when the student is ready the teacher appears, and that is absolutely what happened. I studied for four years and I started a home-based business. People would come and see me, and I would create a formula just for them. I developed a recipe book and began to realize that a lot of people have trouble sleeping, women have hormonal issues, people have depression, so I created a line around these common conditions. One of my most popular recipes is a formula that helps people sleep. For me to know that every night, because someone is putting a drop of something that I created on their pillow, they are finally sleeping...well, I can't think of anything that is more gratifying.
"When I got healthy, I also got happy."
As I started to feel better I started to have the energy to look at my life because I wasn't busy trying to feel better. I can focus on who I am and what I want to do with my life and what I want to contribute. So, first it was health, then it was leaving my corporate job and starting my own company, which I did six years ago, and then it was about finding a sense of purpose, excitement, empowerment, and the knowledge that I create my life. I create it everyday in the conversations I have with people and with what I do with my work, with my family, with friends. Life feels very palatable. I get a palatable excitement and an awareness of the miracle of life, just by getting up in the morning.
