Liberate Your Life and Dress Yourself in Health and True Happiness

Life is a fantastic journey with its ups and downs. I strongly believe that we are here for a purpose. We are all here to learn and to evolve through our experiences, opportunities, successes, defeats, and achievements. I am grateful for the person I am today, for what I have, and for what is about to unfold in my life. The further I walk on my path, the more I realize that there are no coincidences and that everything happens for a reason. All the experiences I have been through, the people who have been part of my life, the jobs I have had, and the places that I have lived have had a huge impact on the person I am now.

After graduating from the National Academy of Physical Education and Sport, I returned to my hometown and joined Valahia University as a junior lecturer. I always felt driven to travel the world and to experience different modalities and systems of teaching. After gaining three years of teaching experience as a physical education junior lecturer at Valahia University, I answered the challenge to move abroad.

This move has paid off significantly, as I have had the opportunity to function in a variety of educational settings and to explore different cultural environments. I was able to offer commitment and enthusiasm to my teaching, sports, health, and students while endeavoring to continue to develop both as a person and as a practitioner. My journey to wellness started with playing sports and trying to follow a healthy lifestyle. Despite all of this, a few years ago, I hit rock bottom. To me the word rock signified stillness, being centered, digging deeper, and deciding, in that moment, what was best for me. I could choose to be crushed by the rock and to continue to make excuses or to become the rock.

I chose to become the rock and to overcome anything that did not serve me anymore. It was one of my first aha moments. Being at rock bottom did the trick for me. I strongly believe that once you hit rock bottom, there is no place to go but up!

On the Outside, I lived a perfect life, had the perfect job, worked in the perfect place, and was financially secure. However, I was on the verge of a breakdown. My body could not take the pain anymore. I was in a marriage that was not serving me, and my heart was bleeding and screaming for help. Because my life was a total mess, I felt trapped and needed to get out. I knew I had to make a change and to take action if I wanted to live an authentic and fulfilled life. Honestly, I was scared and confused. It was heartbreaking for me.

During this time, I discovered the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). Being part of the IIN family began a lifelong journey, which left me forever changed in the best possible way. Motivated by my own transformation and overcoming my sugar addiction, I decided to leave my seventeen-year teaching job and to help people in a different way.

I would be a holistic health coach. I would inspire and educate others to start their journeys to wellness, to live freely, away from the confusion of what to eat, and how to feel completely in control of their bodies, minds, and souls. Now I am here to help you as well. I will teach you what foods fuel your unique body, as well as exercise routines and health and de-stressing strategies.

Here is the story of my journey to health. Let me be straight, this is not pretty. It all started when I realized I was not living my truth and food was my best friend. I was addicted to sugar and wanted to eat chocolate every single day. This may not sound so terrible, but this addiction ran my file.

I could not focus and was gaining weight. I had horrible skin and was exhausted most days. I did not like being in my own body. I swore every day that it would stop. I felt like I was on a roller coaster because I was living a life I could not control. I felt disgusted with myself because I knew that sugar was poisoning my body.

At that time, pretty much everything in my life was falling apart. I was not sleeping, I was bored, I put on weight, and I was in pain. Many of my deepest fears were revealed. I soothed my pain with sugar. Being stuck in this place affected my life and health.

I strongly believe that sometimes in life, you must hit rock bottom to make lifelong, positive changes. This was my rock-bottom time, and I was unhappy, sad, and fat. My body was telling me it had had enough excuses! I looked at my future and thought, Unless I get radical and become nonnegotiable, this is going to be an ugly journey. What am I going to do about it? I looked at my life and wondered, What if my past does not equal my future? What if I could create a better life? What if I could be happy, healthy, and vibrant?

At this point, I made the decision that I would seek the truth, so I could find optimum health and true happiness. I did something different. I realized I needed to make some changes, and they were not going to be easy. However, I had faith that if I made those changes, my whole life would change too.

I chose a holistic approach to wellness that encouraged me to look at food in two ways: the food that I wanted and the food that would nourish my soul.

An important aspect of making lifelong changes is believing that you can do it and breaking your goals into small, achievable steps. This is about making a commitment to your health, happiness, and prevention and feeling vibrant every second of the day. Believe you can and you are half way through!