My life, like many, has been far from perfect... Nobody’s life is perfect, right!

 

I have been faced with many challenges and struggles over the last 20 years. Where I have also learned a lot from my experiences and have grown from them. 

​

My journey led me to study many great things over the years, such as the law of cause & effect; Fung Shui; the law of attraction; quantum physics; philosophies of life; NLP; Buddhism; metaphysics; Mindfulness; Reiki; the oneness of self and environment; and many more wonderful things.

​

I am now a certified Life Coach.

​

Here are some things I have experienced and overcome. Note: these are in no particular order.

 

I have experienced loss and grief:

After trying to get pregnant for two years, me and my husband were ecstatic when we were told (at 22) that I was pregnant, only to discover 3 weeks later that it was an ectopic pregnancy (in my ovary) - I was heartbroken.

 

Then two years later, as a young adult of 24, my father died suddenly of meningococcal. This obviously affected my life, and I didn’t really grieve fully at the time. This came years later along with depression. I still miss him daily and my children have missed out on knowing their granddad too, who would have been such a great influence in their lives.

 

Some things I learned from these experiences:

• Sometimes things happen (or not happen), for reasons that are beyond our comprehension.

• Everyone dies at some point – Before my dad died, he was ’LIVING LIFE’ (as we call it). Living in the beautiful lake town of Wanaka, and snowboarding whenever the weather permitted. He celebrated his 50th birthday early (a joint birthday party with my mum) and died suddenly 2 weeks later, still only 49 years old. Looking back, we recall how he was overdoing it and not prioritizing his self-care (taking care of his health) and this resulted in him being run down in the weeks before he contracted meningococcal.

 

​

Don’t get me started on the financial ruts and instability:

I definitely have never been handed things on a silver platter… Years ago, these ruts caused me to view myself and my life negatively, and I felt completely stuck, with no way out. In turn, I developed depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

 

One time we had to come up with $22,000 within 6 weeks before the bank tried to take our family home – WE DID IT! and got to keep our much-loved family home. This challenge aroused from shutting down a business in 2008 due to the recession.

 

Another strain on our cash flow, was when I needed to leave (quit) my job due to health issues that were caused by the environment I worked in. This happened twice over the last 6 years.

 

On a brighter note - We have had lots of successes over the last 20 years, which was achieved from our pure determination, being driven by a mission, Grit, and unwavering support for each other (teamwork)…

 

Did I mention we bought our first home at 23, and since then have had 3 wonderful children, 2 successful businesses, 6 houses (3 were investment properties), and are currently finishing a renovation on our Bach (small holiday home) in the beautiful Beach town of Piha.

 

The lessons learned from these experiences are priceless!

 

One thing I will say is… “When there’s a will, there’s a way!!!”

​

 

Health issues:

I have always suffered from IBS (gluten, dairy, and soy intolerant). This has also contributed to mineral deficiency, foggy brain, regular leg and foot cramps, and achy joints.

 

However, within the last 6 years, I developed adult-onset asthma, recurring gallbladder attacks, bronchitis, and pneumonia - these were all brought on by the workplace/environment (building materials with chemicals and formaldehyde in them, which apparently I am extremely sensitive to).

 

It took me 3 months of bed rest and a further 2 years off full-time work to get my health back to an ok state. I am so grateful for natural therapies/remedies, that have played a big part in my recovery (naturopathy, homeopathy, osteopathy, and meditation).

 

In 2019, I developed pneumonia four times, and the last one stuck around for 4 weeks, despite all the oral and IV antibiotics and steroids I was given. The morning after I was discharged from the hospital, to recover at home, I received a strong clear message from my late Father. It came at the same time two mornings in a row, loud and clear and I couldn’t ignore it!

 

I already felt called to devote myself wholeheartedly to helping people to transform their lives, but I felt stuck in my 9-5 job. So as soon as I received the message from my father a second time, I knew what I needed to do, and I handed in my resignation that very day and haven't looked back once.

 

To be honest, as soon as I made the decision to quit, my health symptoms improved dramatically and I am now healthier than I have been in 6 years.

​

*Funny how smooth things can go when you are on the right path!

​

More recently I came into alignment with two amazing health specialists, who discovered I was deficient in Vit C, D, and zinc, on top of having toxic heavy metals in my system - they sorted these issues for me and also worked out that I had SIBO (probably for a very long time) and MCAS which is linked to histamines and is probably a big reason why I get set off from so many things both food wise and in my environment. So I am now on low histamine and low fermentation diet. I am so grateful that they both fell into my path, and honestly, my health has improved so much in the last year and is the polar opposite of how I was a few years ago.

 

Negative work environments:

I can’t think of anything I haven’t had to deal with, in a work situation - the list goes on and on. Here is just a few, to give you a better idea: backstabbing; being thrown in the deep end; bully tactics; being undermined; having to do 3+ peoples job-roles (not just the one I was employed to do); having to go way out of my comfort zone; working in an environment where other colleagues were not being treated fairly on a daily basis...

 

TBC at one place, where I did a 5 week contract, I thought for the first time in my life - “I can understand why people would want to commit suicide, due to their work.” I literally had to push myself out of bed, do meditations every morning, and listen to positive affirmations and inspirational talks all the way to work every day, just to get me through the door (at work) – once I was there, the anxiety was not as bad, as I had to focus on the task at hand – CAD drawing.

 

*These experiences (though negative) helped me to form unshakable resilience and grit. Though I truly wouldn’t wish them upon anyone.

 

Positive: I have always had goals and create visions for the next 1, 2 and 5 years. In turn, I have been able to study and work in every field that I have wanted to.

 

• Developing myself and my philosophy along the way

• Pushing myself out of my comfort zone to grow, learn and succeed

• Held leadership positions within each industry, giving me the opportunity to role model, teach and support others

 

The four completely different fields, that I was and still am passionate about are:

 

Photography – Education (children of all ages) – Interior Design – Life Coaching

​

Always the Creative! This has served me well over the years and has assisted my understanding and skills in many areas, as I have grown to appreciate my 'out of the box' thinking, as well as my uniqueness, and somewhat quirkiness. You know when people say someone is 'black and white', well that is definitely not me, and instead of being grey, I see things more in rays of different colours (like a rainbow) and multifaceted. Even as a child I had an awareness of looking at situations from different angles/perspectives - like looking through different windows of a building.

 

Until next time...

 

May you find happiness my dear friend!

​

Namaste