I didn’t choose rest. Rest chose me.
My Story of Rest
I am actively living and cultivating the life of my dreams.
But it wasn’t always like that.
I used to…
Be broke & exhausted all the time.
Use alcohol and weed to numb out.
Settle for “alright” relationships.
Despise my body.
Wonder what the hell I “should do with my life.”
And then…
My father passed away in 2015.
The most painful event of my life was also the catalyst for my radical transformation.
But that didn’t happen overnight.
It took years to heal from this devastating loss.
During those years, I fought rest tooth and nail.
I got engaged. I became a certified Health Coach. I launched the first iteration of my coaching practice.
I look back at that year of grief, excitement, tears, grit, and love, and I really don’t know how I did it.
Truth be told, my body was falling apart.
Labored breathing, skin rashes, migraines, and intense depression.
Social events overwhelmed me.
Being in public felt jarring.
I hadn’t heard the term, “Highly Sensitive Person,” and I wondered what was wrong with me.
I started seeing a therapist and realized I didn’t actually want to marry the person I was engaged to.
I left in a messy and hurtful way.
I felt completely unmoored.
One evening I attended a yin yoga class.
It was the slowest yoga class I had ever taken.
It was uncomfortable for me to be with my body, my mind, my anger, my sadness, my shame in that way.
But it also felt like a healing balm and I kept going.
I journaled. I walked for hours on end.
I let myself sob and weep and wail.
I slept a ton.
I slowly healed.
I didn’t choose rest. Rest chose me.
In the years since that challenging time…
I moved back home to Maine, became a Life Coach, married my best friend, had a son, gave up booze, and learned to trust the wisdom of my body.
I also get to make a great living doing work I love!
To be fair, it wasn’t ONLY rest that catalyzed this transformation.
It was the magical combination of REST + COACHING.
After my dad died, I had to completely reframe my relationship to rest.
Rest became a portal to my own self-actualization.
Coaching uprooted a bunch of nasty limiting beliefs, showed me my true capacity, and bolstered my courage to go for the life I knew I was made for.
I now offer the same magical combo of REST + COACHING to my clients because I know how powerful it is.
These days, my life is distilled down to the essence of who I am and what I love.
My life is centered around my husband, our son, our dog, and our home here in Maine.
I spend ample time walking in nature, doing yoga, teaching rest classes, coaching, eating nourishing foods, napping, reading, trail running, ocean dipping and belly laughing.
Life isn’t always easy, but its full to the brim with goodness and meaning.
And honestly, it just keeps getting better!
I’d love to know about your story and your relationship to rest, plus what is essential to you.
