I'm only in my 30s, but I've already lived through enough years of sickness to know how important it is to find a way to help our bodies do the job they were designed to do: keep us healthy, fuel our lives with energy, and heal us when we are sick.

I have a long history as a sickly human, starting around the third grade, when I developed allergies and exercise-induced asthma. Before then I was a spunky little tomboy who loved to play outdoors, but my growing health issues lead to inactivity and weight gain. I'll never forget the day my gym teacher told me that my asthma was all in my head. From that moment on I have been a skeptic of "adults" and "health authorities" and their supposed knowledge of how my own body works. Truly the only way to know what works for your health is to experience the change yourself.

By the time I headed to college, I had begun to wonder why eating and living like everyone else made me fat, exhausted, and sick. My freshman year I spent more time sick than well, and I relied on the crutches of asthma and allergy medicine to get me through each day. After a terrible case of tonsillitis that knocked me down for a whole week, I decided I was sick of being sick and needed to find another way to improve my health, a way that the doctors seemed unable to provide me.

Through that piece of my journey I discovered that my poor digestion was a huge part of my problem, and I started taking probiotics way before most people had heard of them. I started eating organic and cutting out sugar and un-sprouted grains. And then suddenly I felt way better! I had more energy, I looked healthier, and I stopped taking my allergy medicine all together.

I wish that was the end of the story. But as we have all discovered, life gets much more REAL after college. I hit the job market just weeks before the financial crash. I struggled to find a decent job, and I certainly couldn't afford the healthy alternatives I was used to consuming.

One year and lots of cheap pasta later, I was heavier and sicker and stressed out by a job I HATED. By the time I was making enough money to afford better food, I had already been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. This diagnosis explained so much about my fatigue, sporadic weight gain, aching joints and restless sleep. But it also meant taking meds. I hated the medicine and kept having to take higher doses to get the results I needed to live a MEDIOCRE life.

I was already on asthma and allergy meds and didn’t want to add one more things to my daily regimen. I found a doctor who used both standard and alternative methods who was happy to help me discover the underlying issue and try to taper off the meds. Every time I went to visit her she would ask me about my stress levels. I kept telling her I wasn’t stressed, I was just exhausted from this illness. Finally one day it clicked. I WAS stressed. In fact I was a MESS! I had a job I hated, a failing marriage, and no outlet for my creativity.

In that moment I realized that that stress, fear, and unhappiness were a huge contributing factor to my poor health. It was from this pivot point that I began researching alternative methods for reducing stress, rather than just “curing hypothyroidism.” From here I discovered Aquamarine and Rose Quartz, as well as Essential Oils for balancing hormones. When these vibrational healing tools started to work wonders, I decided to dedicate my life to understanding energy healing and sharing these tools and techniques with everyone.

Over the past 5 years, my physical health has been totally revolutionized. I now take NO meds, not because I don’t want, but because I no longer need them. I don’t suffer from any of my long list of ailments. My weight is down to the lowest it’s been since I was a teen. My physical strength and stamina have improved, and I can exercise without getting short of breath.

Beyond this, the emotional, mental, and spiritual changes have been even more profound. I no longer suffer from anxiety or depression. I handle stressful situations much better. I am more patient, more joyful, and more focused on creating a wonderful life rather than waiting for the circumstances of life to make me happy.

When I first began my journey into energy healing, I was a huge sceptic. I’m very scientifically minded by nature, and the only way I was going to trust these methods was if I could understand them. This skepticism led me on a journey into Quantum Physics, where I learned how energy and vibration really work. All of this research has really helped me to be able to teach and coach in a way that helps people understand how healing works. I truly believe that understanding is one of the most powerful tools we can use in any area of life!

The beauty of energy healing is that you can start wherever you are and there will be tools and methods that work for your particular situation.

My personal favorite methods are using crystals, essential oils, and positive affirmations. I often pair all three together, wearing my crystals and diffusing essential oils while meditating and repeating my affirmation. In this way I am able to release emotions and beliefs and enhance the emotions I want to create in my life.

At Ivy+Light we teach these methods and so many more, so that you can find the ones that are right for YOU!