I remember sitting at Tidballs (a reference for you WKU alum) around 2002 talking to some big-wigs from the waste management business about making a difference in the world. I was studying agriculture with the goal of working in the alternative fuel industry one day. I made the vow that I wouldn’t let money drive the work I did, so my endless search for the right job proved to serve the environment and nearly starve me.

Since then, I’ve faced one challenge (or opportunity) after another in my career path. When leaving that first job out of college, I was in my office on my way out telling a friend who thought I was crazy to leave without anything lined up that sometimes one door has to close in order for the right one to open. 

Ignorant, or unknowingly wise, I’ve always followed my heart.

Later, working for a big agriculture company and making a lot of money, I had the fortune of running into a local food business's marketing coordinator at a networking event. When I told her what I did for a living, she scoffed at me and said, “I couldn’t imagine doing anything that wasn’t truly in line with my values”. I remember noticing the size of the diamond on her wedding ring and thinking it must be easy to live that way with an engagement of that measure. 

Judgmental and naive as I was, her words hit hard. Shortly after, I took our middle child for an ear tube consult. The doctor told me that women’s rights were the cause for antibiotic resistance and drove his work. No shit, he said that. I’d spent the last 10 years in agriculture managing products that worked with the gut to reverse antibiotic resistance in livestock and here this guy was telling me I was the cause. While I left seeing red, I gained a greater appreciation for family values and made a commitment to figure out a better way to balance work/life. Sometimes those that move you to extreme discomfort provide you a great service. 

One thing that has remained consistent has been my ability to recognize and act when something isn’t in line with my divine purpose. I am working toward trusting myself sooner so that I can bring more grace to major decisions. 

So in the spirit of spirituality and the upcoming Festival of Faiths, I wanted to share my story about gut/heart based decision making. Last month we featured nutrition, and how it can impact the mind and body, but there is so much of this that is related to our spirit.

In Gut: The Inside Story of our Body’s Most Underrated Organ, Dr. Giulia Enders discusses why these gut feelings might be more than just digestive upset. As our most metabolically active organ, it is comparable to the function of the brain. We carry the book at the Cave if you’re interested.

My favorite subject is when science meets spirituality. Recently, John told me that when science confirms spirituality, faith in God is no longer needed. That really makes me put the brakes on my drive behind justifying my beliefs with science, despite a societal demand for evidence. Maybe faith is sometimes delivered in the form of a wrenched gut or broken heart. 

I pulled this fortune recently and thought it was a fine fit for this month’s blog. I hope you too enjoy the little gifts of each day. 

“Most spend their lives reading the menu instead of enjoying the banquet”

The February Speaker Series on Health + Wellness brought in a lot of great ideas on how to live healthy, happy and free. I captured some thoughts from these events below, but Dawne Gee may have said it best when she stated “Health is your wealth, but you can’t get it back like a dollar bill”. ​

On February 8th, Gretchen Homer discussed nutrition by muscle testing. She helps to identify stressors in the body and provide you with specific nutritional supplements that will help to reverse those stressors.

She used the analogy that one could view their nutritional health as one views their car. If your check engine light comes on, you take it to the mechanic, where they run a diagnostic test to identify a cause. You don’t tape over the light or switch it off, which is what we do in many cases with our own health. Gretchen will help to identify the cause and help your body receive the support it needs to begin self-healing. 

Ginnie Hill discussed the connection between mental health and physical wellness. As a former psychologist turned nutritionist, her insight was much of mind over matter. 

She offered some examples of what may have been the reason behind trying for healthy weight previously without much success. Things like, if it’s not your “why”, if you are making suffering your identity, or if you don’t believe what you’re doing will work, will all negatively contribute to your success in a healthy mind/body relationship.

In what she refers to as the ‘stress bucket’ you can identify all the things in your life that may contribute to stress such as: work-life balance, unhealthy relationships, poor physical health, depression, etc., and if there is one major contributing factor, you must start responding differently to that situation in order to change it.

Sisters Andrea Dill and Natalie Sadeck provided easy solutions to bring more fruits and vegetables into the diet and shared how scientific research backed their anecdotal experiences.

“As part of the healthy living revolution movement, our goal is to come alongside families who want better health, meet them where they are and empower positive changes along the way. We inspire healthy living by offering free resources as well as nutritional support.” Andrea Dill

In addition to our speakers, this Sunday’s Courier Journal had a great article about responsible food consumption and how you can do your part. 

Despite each speaker bringing a different focus to the program, there were consistent messages every time. 

• This is no one size fits all - everyone is different
• Changes take time and effort
• Foundation programs and principles can give you huge results if you give it time

Thank you to those of you that came out for this series, and please check out our wonderful speakers if you have any questions about how to better take charge of your health.