A Second Career, Why Nutritional Therapy?
After nearly a decade working as a producer, writer, and marketing strategist — why nutritional therapy? Random? Not at all. Here’s why.
I chose a second career path of becoming a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. A Nutritional Therapist works to empower individuals to become knowledgeable about and responsible for their own health. By harnessing holistic nutrition and a balanced lifestyle, it’s my hope to reconnect each person to their unique needs and innate wisdom of their bodies for long-lasting wellness.
When I look back on my childhood, it’s blindingly obvious how empathic and sensitive I was ; coupled with a tenacity to make a difference. To paint you a picture, I used to ask my mom to save me the page from the newspaper funded by the animal shelter. You know the one with tiny headshots of dogs and cats who were looking for homes. I’d cut their photos out, laminate them in a binder, and go door to door to my neighbors and ask them if they were interested in adopting a pet. The animal shelter had no knowledge of me doing this. Secondly, I had an affinity for the Amazon rainforest since my dad was from Brazil and many of my stuffed animals were named after animals I imagined populated the jungle. I joined Greenpeace in elementary school and while my parents were away at work I’d make long distance phone calls to the Argentinean and Brazilian governments reading scripts that protested deforestation. But two memories stand out and will bring me to tears still. My dad, a playful, joyous man with a passion for life and determination to right the wrongs of the world slipped into a deep depression when I was about 9-years-old. He hid in the basement not wanting to be bothered or seen, but I would go to him every night to hug and hold him so he was not alone in his darkness. He thanks me still. Some short time after, he became irritable, aggressive, and unbearable. Finally one night, he passed out at the dinner table and was rushed to the hospital. He was diagnosed with diabetes. I remember being told that everything was ok, it was common, and he has medicine for it. After that, it was like life went on as usual. But it didn’t go on as usual and the medicine didn’t make my dad’s diabetes go away, he simply coped for the next 20+ years with no education, coaching or guidance. It wasn’t until I was 15-years-old, deep into my 12 year ballet career, athletics, and popularity that I developed my own illness and one that no one could see.
When I picked up my first notebook at 8-years-old and put pen to paper, I wrote down goals. The first one, was to go to Paris and drink coffee in a French café. What a dreamer, right? At the time, I couldn’t even point out Paris on a map and wasn’t allowed to drink caffeine. The Paris I was in love with was from a past life and as an aspiring writer-artist, I knew it was the place where artists, dreamers, and travelers converged. I imagined them waltzing the enchanted streets, conversing, dancing, painting, kissing, creating and making love. I knew by some fame or fortune, I’d find myself there. Voile, just like that, an opportunity presented itself at my little ballet school in middle-of-nowhere Wisconsin. We were invited to attend the American Ballet Academy in Paris. I could feel it, my dream at my fingertips. I had a lust for a place I knew nothing about. I begged my parents, both world-travelers, educators, and global business owners who understood and valued cultural experiences. My mom agreed to take me. We’d be departing mid-November and staying downtown Paris for 10 whole days. I packed the Louis Vuitton suitcase my mom let me borrow with clothes that I hoped would make me more Parisian. How could I disguise myself and not reveal to Paris that I was a small town girl from middle of America? Mid-November On Rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France, a well-postured German man taught our first ballet class in French. I danced, pirouetted, and moved across the ballet floor at the academy alongside pretty and perfect Parisian prima-ballerinas. I couldn’t hide from the girl with agate eyes looking back at me. She didn’t fit in, not there. She wasn’t thin enough, sophisticated enough, French enough, tall enough, white enough. Yet, this was my dream and it couldn’t be taken away from me. As I walked the cold Parisian streets with my mom, we wandered behind Notre Dame and found Cafe de Paris. It was a classic French gastronomy with wicker-like chairs outside, heated lamps, flowers, and coffee. We sat down and I sipped a sweet cappuccino. Was this how life works? Dreaming and bringing it to reality? I didn’t know, but I was willing to find out. Yet life has a funny way of showing you that the night will always come for the day. I boarded my Air France flight back to Chicago. I reveled and held on to everything Paris. When we were airborne, the flight attendant set down my aluminum foiled vegetarian meal. Suddenly, feeling self-conscious of my appearance, sophistication, beauty, and overall self-worth I scarfed down my meal with regret. I excused myself from my seat for the restroom and for the first time in my young-adult life, I purposefully purged. This was the beginning of a 7-year battle and the start of a journey that would take me around the world to eventually look at the girl in the mirror and tell her that I loved her.
In today’s world, the causation and treatments for bulimia and anorexia are still very abstract and unknown. Many people misconstrue the idea that it’s about food or simply wanting to be thin, when in fact, eating disorders have everything to do with the psychological, emotional, and spiritual state of the person. The self-annihilating form of false control later leads individuals into feelings of overwhelming guilt and shame, resulting in an even larger state of anxiety and depression. It took me 7 years to understand, accept, and love myself.
Today, I am incredibly grateful for the deep healing journey that brought me back to me. I am forever inspired by my own pain and wounds to connect and support other individuals take charge of their life and happiness that they so much deserve and, ultimately, reconnect with themselves to live a full and delicious life.
My focuses:
Mood Disorders & Improvements
Mental Sluggishness, Clarity, & Memory
Addiction & Negative Thought Patterns
Eating Disorders & Self-Esteem
Environmental & Lifestyle Balance
Depression & Anxiety through Breathe & Movement
If you’re interested in nutritional therapy services please head to www.zenyih.com.