My Story
I'm Angela
As I look back over my life, I realize that holistic wellness has been a common theme although it’s only been in the last six years that I’ve come to understand the real meaning of “holistic wellness.” I was born and raised in Brazil, South America so I was fortunate to have lived my early years being active outdoors. Riding bikes, running, playing sports, climbing trees, and swimming were all things I did on a daily basis. I’ve come to associate freedom and happiness with being active in the outdoors.
Another benefit of where and when I grew up was that most of the foods we ate were made “from scratch.” We rarely ate processed foods. I’m very thankful for the wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables and many other locally grown foods that we enjoyed.
In grade school, I was sexually abused by an adult close to my family. In my early teens, I began to understand the ways in which that abuse had affected me. I understood the need to be proactive in healing from the abuse so that nothing damaging could take root in my life. Eventually, in my thirties, I received professional counseling and I’ve also read many books over the years about abuse and healing. Abuse is certainly one of the things that reveals the interconnected nature of our physical body, mind, emotions, and soul. Failing to understand this close interconnection is to our detriment.
After graduating from high school, I attended Bible School in Wisconsin for two years. A lot of spiritual growth took place in my life during that time. I also began to realize the way winter weather affects me. I get seasonal depression during winter which is not something I ever experienced while growing up in Brazil. It’s the only time I feel depressed, but again, it’s one of those things that affects every part of you. You can’t just tell your mind not to be depressed. Your body, emotions and soul are all affected. I still feel it every year but I now have many strategies to use that I know help make winter more bearable.
When I got married, I was barely 20 and my husband and I are still married today. I set out to have the best marriage ever. I have read many marriage books and listened to all kinds of podcasts. I am very intrigued by relationships. I always want to grow in my marriage and deepen our relationship.
Over the following years, we had three boys. I read all the books I could find on parenting and raising boys. The years when they were little were definitely the hardest for me. But as they have gotten older and today are all becoming young men, I have loved to see them develop into their own individual identities. I love getting to know their own uniqueness and personalities. It’s a wonderful journey.
As I was getting close to turning forty, I wanted to “get healthier.” I wasn’t really sure what I meant by that other than to lose 10 pounds but I just knew it was a goal I wanted to achieve. I came across a program which was exactly what I needed at the time. That catapulted me into getting much more serious about my health. I started reading and listening to podcasts that all had this common theme of holistic wellness. That’s when the puzzle pieces all started coming together for me. Although I didn’t know the definition of “holistic wellness” until then, it was familiar to me because I felt like, in a way, I had been living it my whole life. I was very aware of it even though I didn’t know or have the vocabulary to talk about it. Now it has become my passion.
We spent almost four years in Brazil as missionaries when our boys were really small and our youngest was born there. Since returning to the USA, I have been a stay-at-home mom while my husband worked full-time. Only our youngest son still lives at home since he’s a senior in high school. He is pretty independent so I’m not needed as much for logistics. I have spent a great amount of time learning about my strengths and weaknesses and working on my own self-development. Now I am so eager to help others who want to grow in their own journey towards holistic wellness.
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What Clients are Saying
“Angela listens intently as I share things that may be challenging to me. I do not feel judged. It feels like a safe place for me to be honest, not only with her, but with myself also.”
– Cory Lynn P.