Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like? Did you have any particular experiences/stories that shaped your adult life?

I grew up in the beautiful coastal tourist town of Kolobrzeg in Poland, right on the Baltic Sea, with silky sandy beaches all along with the town. My father left my mother when I was 17, so at 18 I decided not to come back after college. I met many mentors and role models as a young adult. Eventually, at 19, I was invited by a Fulbright couple from the US at my university in Gdansk, Poland to visit the US, which is how I ended up in Michigan. Eventually, after completing my master’s degree in Poland, I returned to the US permanently – I missed it too much! Over the 25 years in the US, I have lived in many places and have met amazing inspiring people.

What is something you wish you would’ve realized earlier in your life?

Not to carry anger all those years towards a father that failed me and our family. To trust that I am enough and I am supported.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

Eat less, exercise more.
Carbs are bad.
Fruits have too much sugar.
Using any therapeutic diet long-term (keto, paleo autoimmune, low FODAP) without resolving the reason why a person has to restrict foods in the first place.
Organic foods are a fad.
It is normal to have annoying hot flashes during menopause (common but not normal).
It is normal to need coffee for energy in the morning (energy is your birthright; you do not need stimulants).
After 16 years in practice, I could go on all day.

Tell me about one of the darker periods you’ve experienced in life. How you came out of it and what you learned from it?

When my husband’s highly stressful job induced paranoia, got him into ER and subsequent hospitalizations, more ER visits, disability, and 10 years of paranoia. I had to make decisions for us, change my practice to virtual, move our family too many times to count, live 2 years in renovations in order to be able to move out of state to help him heal, give up much of social life, and work morning till night to be able to pay all the bills, including hospitals and medications while being all alone. We experienced a medical miracle in March 2021, the spontaneous recovery of my husband from paranoia. I learned from this that I am strong, resilient, and resourceful. I learned that love and hope are powerful and healing is possible. We continue to count our blessings with that miracle.

What is one thing that you do that you feel has been the biggest contributor to your success so far?

My mission and drive are to eliminate human suffering. I believe joy and peace are our birthrights and that my job is to help people reconnect with these, especially when they have a chronic illness. I just love bringing that internal compass of love and joy out of the recesses of people’s lives and help people give themselves permission to experience joy and follow their dreams again. Joy opens the door to physical and then emotional healing.

What is your morning routine?

My morning depends on my work schedule, but often I will wake up around 8 am. My husband prepares and brings me some green tea, we each enjoy our delightful warm cups while sitting in bed and having a morning chat together before we start our day. We have been doing it for many years.

What habit or behavior that you have pursued for a few years has most improved your life?

Being near open water. It inspires me and helps me reconnect with my deeper purpose and joy. We actually live on an island, where the Salish Sea is a few minutes away. Also, being open to miracles and saying yes to the universe. I feel I am a student and do not want to miss a message from the universe that comes my way. The intention to evolve is my most favorite behavior as it informs my decisions in personal life and business.

What are your strategies for being productive and using your time most efficiently?

I think finding times of day when I am most creative or most productive and clearing those hours accordingly. Creating structure in my planner, e.g. limited Clarity Sessions to only 4 spots on Monday mornings, or scheduling interviews on Fridays only. I am also learning that most successful people say no more than yes, and I can see that I have been overstretched by saying yes to too many projects. Systems in place that automate activities are priceless, e.g. automatic bill payments, or an automated scheduler. Finding white space is important. For me, it is hanging around horses in the field or walking on the beach or in nature. This is when we have a chance to be creative and tap into our dreams and visions and get great solutions to our problems fast. I also feel it is important to block a few hours for a project and NOT check emails or social media during that time. When having an online business, that is challenging but necessary. Otherwise, we will become drained, lose focus, and feel overwhelmed, while the project gets delayed and takes longer to complete. For any business owner, I would say that it is very important to have a mentor or a coach to help us get out of our own way – it helps on all plains.

What book(s) have influenced your life the most? Why?

Professionally, The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton was the most influential book as it solidified for me the concept of how we are wired to receive information, from our cellular level to our whole body and mind. We either grow and expand or we contract in fear. We have a choice to shape our lives, including influencing the expression of our own DNA. Our thoughts become conduits to biological effects, both positive and negative. His studies revolutionized biology as we know it. He is also an excellent teacher (I had the pleasure of attending his lecture) and one of the most positive persons there are. Watching his lectures online will put a smile on your face.

Currently, I have fallen in love with One with the Herd and Wisdom from the Herd, as well as three other books were co-written by Liz Mitten Ryan and a herd of her horses. Yes, horses. As a species, we are undergoing a deeper spiritual awakening and transformation, which is badly needed for us as well as for the planet, for it to survive us. Animals are connected to higher consciousness in a way we have forgotten. Horses in particular, like elephants and whales, have a resonance that can help humans heal and connect to what is. In these books, horses speak as one and as individual members reminding us that humans created the concept of evil. That animals see things as they are, while we live in illusions of separation and otherness. Their voices are deeply spiritual and wise.

Personally, when I moved to the US in 1996, I was deeply touched by the book written by Dr. Anna Dadlez, Journey from Innocence. I met Dr. Dadlez while teaching at SVSU, a university in Saginaw MI, and fell in love with this amazing woman, teacher, mentor, expatriate, and political historian. She was not hearing of retiring and had more zest in life than many young people do. Her book is a personal but also a historical account of traumatic deportation to Russia, starvation, escape to a Polish refugee camp in the Middle East, and then forced emigration to post-war Great Britain, resulting in economic hardship, cultural alienation, and more. Inspiring, enraging, and deeply sad, it is also a book of hope, patriotism, and perseverance. Just as Dr. Dadlez continues to be to this day. She is my hero.

Do you have any quotes you live by or think of often?

“It is all love. Everything else is an illusion.”