Three Generations on a Wellness Journey
“Life doesn’t come with a manual. It comes with a mother.”
My mother has been, and always will be, the main source of inspiration for my lifestyle. Watching her health journey has helped me to grow, learn, and develop the foundational skills that I now use to support the wellness of my family and curate Tempted Temple.
My mother saw the home as a work of art; she has always known how to make home feel good, bring peace, and provide comfort to the whole family. She is wonderfully creative in the kitchen, taking whole food ingredients and turning them into aromatic masterpieces. All my life, she has poured hard work, effort, and love into the home. When I was in high school, I watched as my mother adjusted her lifestyle. I was inspired by her newfound energy, so I decided to follow the same fitness and diet program. Immediately, I felt a huge improvement. I hadn’t realized how bad I felt…until I started feeling better! I began to excel in school, my skin became clear and bright, the fogginess in my brain dissipated, and I bounced out of bed every morning. Simply put, I felt fantastic. I was shocked at the transformation, proving the popular quote “Most people don’t know how good they can feel.” At age 16, I learned that we have the power to transform how we feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. That was the first spark, and the beginning of my fascination with wellness.
Years later, I became a mother myself. After I had my first child, I started to notice little symptoms like digestive issues, bloating, painful menstrual cycles, forehead acne, and trouble concentrating – just to name a few. Around the same time, my mother was diagnosed with Polymyalgia, an inflammatory disorder that causes muscle pain and stiffness. It was clear that something needed to change, but what? Through her research, we realized that we had been focussed on eating for fitness, but not for wellness. Consumed with carb, protein, and calorie counting, we felt an initial surge of improvement due to the removal of processed foods from our diets and increased hydration. While this worked in some ways, and for some time, it became clear: ultimately, it wasn’t enough to heal ourselves. My mother discovered the Weston A. Price Foundation at www.westonaprice.org, and I once again watched her transform into a healthy and thriving person. I followed suit, changing my eating habits to include more fat, easily digestible vegetables, and nutrient dense anti-inflammatory foods. Before I knew it, my laundry list of symptoms began to disappear.
As the years went by, I learned about the gut-brain connection. When my children needed some attention to their health and academics, it will come as no surprise that I first sought solutions through their diet. Shortly thereafter, my husband was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I decided to attend school at the Nutritional Therapy Association to further understand the way food can support our healing. Together as a family, we follow a health-centered lifestyle, and we continue to focus on healing our bodies naturally.
I am blessed to have a large family of women with stories similar to mine. We learn, grow, create and share our findings and experiences with one another. This vibrant family support system has grown into something bigger than we are. My hope and design for Tempted Temple is to open this network to others. I want to share anything and everything I’ve picked up along the way, and to open up the floor to hear your stories and discoveries, too. I aspire for my business to be a source of inspiration for you, the same way my mother is for me. It takes a village, so why not start a tribe?