Hi, I’m Susan Shaw,

I know what you're feeling!  You're tired, you're exhausted, and you just want to feel like yourself again. Maybe it's been so long that you don't even remember what it feels like to not be tired all of the time.

I know how you are feeling because I was there myself.

 

As a Registered Nurse I knew all of the guidelines for living a healthy and abundant life.  However, like so many people, I gradually found myself falling down that seemingly endless rabbit hole of stress, stress eating, weight gain, lack of sleep, lack of "me" time, lack of exercise, etc. that comes from being a mom of 3 boys (one of whom was severely physically handicapped/medically challenged).  I would manage things for a while and exercise and eat healthy. I would lose a few pounds and start feeling more energetic.  Then, WHAM!  Our son would get sick and end up in the hospital for days at a time.  Stress skyrocketed and once again I resorted to my comfort habits.  

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Over the years I continued a slow slide down the rabbit hole.  I developed hypothyroidism and suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome.  Then in 2007, my world came crashing in on me!  I was diagnosed as a Type II diabetic!  I felt my life was over!  My life felt like an endless merry-go-round of doctor visits, finger sticks, multiple medications, giving up all of my favorite foods, depression, etc.  And worst of all, I felt like I had Absolutely. NO. ENERGY.  Most days I felt like I was walking through a thick fog and it was such an effort!

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Then one day I had a revelation.  I was reading my daily devotion and the scripture was John 10:10: "The thief comes only to kill and steal and destroy.  I came that they might have life and have it abundantly." (ESV - italics mine).  I had read this scripture many times before but this time it really hit me.  WOW!  God wants us to have abundant life!  I began to pray and ask the Lord to show me how to have an abundant life - one that is overflowing with energy.

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In the following days, as I searched the scriptures and prayed, I discovered some guidelines to follow and I gradually began to implement them into my life.  I slowly began to eliminate processed foods from my diet and started eating more fresh fruits and veggies.  I cut way back on diet sodas and started drinking more water. I began to incorporate self-care habits into my life and started walking 5 minutes a day, gradually increasing the time and distance.  Little by little the weight started to come off and the energy started returning.  I learned that I could live in victory and have an abundant life, even with a chronic disease like diabetes.

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My experience ignited a passion in me to share with other women how they, too, could experience an abundant life, even with a chronic illness.  This led me to go to school to become a health coach.

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I'm still a work in progress.  I'm not perfect.  There are days when I "fall off the wagon" and eat something sweet, but now I don't let it completely derail my life.  I have learned to give myself some grace when I slip or intentionally choose to eat something sweet. My life is so much happier than when I was beating myself up over slipping in my diet.  I realized that I wasn't following a diet any more but intentionally choosing a healthy lifestyle and the abundant life God promises

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My life’s mission is to empower women with chronic diseases to not just survive, but to THRIVE  in spite of having a chronic illness.  My coaching philosophy is based on a whole-person approach - body, mind, and spirit.  This holistic approach is grounded in the understanding that whole-person wellbeing is understanding, tracking, and balancing all of life’s dimensions, including spiritual, for your optimal health and wellbeing.   I 

 

Through my love of helping others, knowledge, training, and a multitude of life experiences, I am here to help and guide you as you seek to not just survive, but to THRIVE and have an abundant life lived with purpose, passion, and joy.

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I'm ready to be YOUR coach,

Susan

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