When I was nine, I was hit by a car and almost lost my left foot. 

My initial recovery was nothing short of miraculous. Though cautioned by the doctors that I’d never be able to run again, two years and many hours of physical therapy later, I was back playing little-league baseball. Things seemed back to normal, mostly.

Over the next few years the situation began to change; my condition worsened. My ankle–thankfully re-attached to my body–remained hypersensitive, and would often hurt when I walked. Worse, my left hip would sometimes ‘lock’ in its joint, causing my leg to buckle mid-stride. Throughout high school, these occurrences were rare. But the regularity and severity of these episodes continued to increase.  By the time I reached college I was collapsing in pain multiple times a day.   

By my junior year, I needed hip surgery, undergoing a procedure at 19 that some men require in their 40’s and 50’s. A year later I developed sciatica. Five years after that, I ruptured two discs in my back while turning around to answer someone behind me.

Injury, chronic pain and anxiety have been a part of my life for almost as long as I can remember. From a young age, I learned to be mindful of my body and appreciate the little things, like being able to lie on my back comfortably, or walk to the bathroom without assistance. I know from experience how hard it can be to get out of bed when things feel hopeless–how easy it can be to slip into an emotional black hole and stay there. 

By necessity, I learned how to keep myself motivated and optimistic. Even as I’ve been knocked back to square-one again and again, I’ve fought to find ways to stay positive. I know first-hand how interwoven physical, emotional and mental health are. 

Over time, ‘taking care’ of myself became a fixture of my life. As circumstances forced me to evaluate the conditions of my health, I became practiced at taking a 360 degree view of myself to identify the things that were really important to me.  Along the way, I realized I wanted to help others ‘take care of themselves,’ too. It took me a while to find the right path. When I discovered health and wellness coaching, I knew immediately it was what I had been searching for: a way for me to use my own experiences to help others.