- Ali
As humans we crave connections and love sharing ideas and making associations. For so many health and wellness experts food is at the heart of what we do. It’s no wonder really as it’s the lifeblood of the planet and a multi-billion pound industry that sets people up for success and failure. I’ve spent the best part of my life wondering if I was good enough, pretty enough, slim enough, tall enough and on and on and on – well enough of am I enough. The media perpetuate the myth that skinny equals happy (you know my mantra is Strong now Skinny) and I’m not sure the health and wellness industry is doing enough to champion diversity so that people feel loved in their own skin.
It was only in my mid 40s, and having joined the Arbonne business that I realised that I needed to value myself if anyone around me was to value me too. I hit 45 and a life event pushed me right out of my comfort zone and into the spotlight and I realised I wasn’t prepared to stand there as I was and needed to find myself if I was ever to feel comfortable in my life, or in my skin. And this was the start of a journey that changed everything for me. I changed careers, retrained in Nutrition and found a business that could support my nutrition programmes with cellular cleanses. I found my tribe.
Richard Paul Evans summed it up beautifully when he said - It’s often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars. I was in the darkest of times and yet I was looking into the light.
I’d had a successful corporate career travelling to International Markets and mixing with business leaders, I got out to have children and my corporate career was cut short and whilst I’ve never looked back, like so many women I found myself playing small for years.
Having worked for myself for over 15 years I’d be the first to admit I’m totally un-employable. I was a maverick when I worked in the corporate sector. Imagine what I’m like now! In setting up my own business when I first got out of corporate life I bought myself time freedom, freedom from the 9 to 5 (umm really I’ve worked far harder for myself than I ever did for a boss) but I also found I was trading time for money – I worked an hour, I got paid an hour and I was in fact, hugely lonely. I missed the corporate team culture, even if it had more than a fair share of back stabbing and bitchiness. I missed having someone to bounce ideas off and I missed the Christmas party. Why so, because as humans we crave connections.
I realised that the way we make connections is so important to our overall wellbeing and so I began to surround myself with people who lifted me up and wanted more for me, rather than the people who pulled me down, who said that will never work, or no one has ever succeeded at that.
I mean who’d have thought you could write a book using only 50 words – like Dr Seuss did, market a pet rock or sell books online like Amazon do. But all these ideas have successfully taken off.
In starting my wellness business I unearthed the dreams I’d had as a teenager and young graduate - the dreams I’d put on hold for 20+ years. Over time I’d put them in a box and put the box under the bed and there it stayed gathering dust. My hopes and dreams fading and my ambition being squashed. I was a mum and I was playing small. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t unhappy as a mum, and I wasn’t unhappy playing small, but I suddenly realised how dissatisfied I was and that my dissatisfaction would be passed onto the belief of my daughter if I continued to play the role I did. It was at this juncture in my life that I discovered my true passion. My purpose, which I now see, is to work alongside people to inspire and mentor them to realise their dreams for their health and their lifestyle, creating a mindset shift that enables them to love themselves and everything they do. In Arbonne, the business I partnered with which is a Botanical health and Wellness Business, I found a platform that allowed me to share my purpose with others and to teach and mentor them to improve their health and find their purpose. I was no longer working alone and simply trading time for money and I was helping others to create this freedom in their lives and live a healthier, balanced, fulfilled life along the way.
If we don’t love and value ourselves it’s hard or others to love and value us. They show up how we show up. What’s reflected back at you is what you reflect out into the world. When you don’t value yourself you often start a healthy living journey on Monday only to give in to temptation on Wednesday, you take out a gym membership and start a fitness routine only to fall the minute your buddy bails on you and you have to go alone, you start a job or business only to spend days procrastinating about the next move and miss the opportunity to launch your product before your competitor, or you see an opportunity to speak at The Health Blogging Community Christmas Market and tell yourself no one will want to hear what I have to say. That would have been me 5 years ago but not now. Today I put myself out there and last weekend I spoke to that very community about what I’m sharing here. I spoke about my journey and how my passion for helping others to find their purpose is driving me.
Only when I joined the Arbonne business did I get to understand my true value and unearth that box of dreams again. I realised that when I looked at my life and thought about where I’d be in 5 years time if I carried on living as I was, I didn’t like the future. And I knew I had to change it. I looked at where I could be and where I was actually heading and I knew it had to change. And I knew I wanted all those around me to see this for themselves too and have the ability to change their health, their lifestyles, their futures.
It’s often said that there’s no point climbing the ladder if when you get to the top you’re looking through the wrong window.
It took me 45 years to realise I was on the wrong ladder. If you need to reposition your ladder, or get on a different rung, and you need help in making a change in your life, your health or your career please reach out to me. I’m passionate about sharing my journey so others don’t reach their 50s wondering why they have a box of unfulfilled dreams under the bed. As Wayne Dyer said: Don’t die with the music still in you. And even more importantly don’t die with it still stuffed in a box under the bed.
Through my wellness business I started on a journey of personal development. To be honest I came into the business thinking I didn’t need personal development. I’d had a huge corporate career, run a successful business for over 10 years and thought I was sorted. How wrong I was. All through my career I’d done professional development, got more and more accreditations to my name but I’d not worked on me. I’d not focussed on me, my value or learned to love myself.
It was only through Arbonne, effectively a personal development company selling health and wellness products online, that I came to realise how valued I was. I worked with the likes of Jack Canfield, Brene Brown, Gabby Bernstein, Rachel Hollis, Dr Wayne Dyer. And I came to realise that self love needed to be at the heart of everything I did – whether it was at home, in my business or at the farmers market. I realised how I valued myself was important and that this was the legacy I was to teach others – my daughter, my grandchildren, my friends, my clients, you.
In surrounding myself with a tribe of people I love, admire and want to hang out with I’ve built connections that go far beyond working relationships.
There’s a great African Proverb that says If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
Working in the Health and Wellness sector has taught me the value of this and for that I’ll be forever grateful.
So I’m passionate about working alongside people to inspire and mentor them to realise their dreams for their health and their lifestyle, creating a mindset shift that enables them to love themselves and everything they do.
I inspire them to change their LIVES
Love is always the answer
Inspire others to live their greatest life
Value yourself so others will value you too
Enjoy the journey it will be unique to you
Surround yourself with positive, motivated people
As Richard Paul Evans said : There are people I've yet to meet who are waiting for my path to intersect with theirs, so they can complete their own journeys. I don't know who or where they are, but I know for certain that they are waiting. If you are one such person come and have a chat, make a connection with me and let’s continue this journey together.
