“I believe the concept of finding your truest and highest self starts with doing the most good for your tribe. One of our coaches calls it sharing your genius. It’s sharing your light, what’s most unique about your authentic self.”

As an athlete, my experiences with postpartum presented a new challenge

Competition has always been a big part of my life. I played soccer and earned a full scholarship to North Carolina State. I performed marathons and Ironman triathlons, searching out a new challenge to put on my bucket list as soon as I ticked off the last. After we started our family, I experienced the crippling effects of postpartum depression. I didn’t even push our baby around the block for the first six months. I also didn’t have anyone to hold up the mirror to say, “this isn’t normal.”

After my second son, my anxiety returned and increased. At the time, Sheldon traveled four or five days out of the week. After several weeks of anxiety, I remember thinking, “I just need this feeling to stop.” I sat nursing my 3-month-old when I had my first suicidal thought. Desperate, I immediately went to see a doctor, who prescribed a SSRI, considered the safest option for nursing mothers. I went to hot yoga four or five days per week, just white knuckling it while I waited for the medication to take effect.

My turning points thanks to functional life coaching and Aspen HPX

After a few months on the medication, I felt numbed, less motivated. Then, on a family vacation, my legs and arms started to go numb. I thought I was having a heart attack, so Sheldon rushed me to the hospital. Turns out, one of the major side effects of the medication prescribed to reduce my anxiety is panic attacks.

I became angry at the whole system. I started seeing a functional medicine doctor and developed a safe, holistic approach to personal wellness. Two months after my panic attack, I attended and hosted HPX where cold plunges are one of the many experiences. I learned the story behind Wim Hof’s “brain over body” cold therapy, which he culvitated following his wife, who struggling with depression, committed suicide. A year later, I completed yoga teacher training at the Vimana House yoga center and now teach in the Roaring Fork Valley. I healed my mind-body connection thanks to functional life coaching.

Why women empowerment coaching is part of the Aspen HPX mission

The whole experience solidified for me the mind-body connection, especially when we are forced to be present whether in an ice bath or meditating. Even if you walk away simply finding ways to refill your tank by going out into nature or discovering moments of calm, then I see this life mentor program as a success.

Thanks to this knowledge, I intentionally chose a different path for the birth of my third child, resulting in a very different outcome compared to my previous postpartum. As women, we shouldn’t have to do tons of research to be treated with safety and compassion. Women’s and Men’s holistic health is part of the essential training in Aspen HPX mindfulness-based life coaching thanks in part to my own functional medicine exploration. We have a gaping hole for women to understand our bodies, our choices, and what we can do to protect our reproductive health.

We still have to fight for what is best for our health, but I’m glad to be an advocate. My goal is to bring better energy and more holistic health awareness to our community.