The Story Behind the Name: “Evolve & Grow Wellness”
The story of how something comes into being is almost always unique. The origin of “Evolve & Grow Wellness” is my unique story, grown from the ground up. I guess you could say the seed was planted over a decade ago, I just didn’t know it since I was in the throes of parenting 3 young children. I didn’t take time to nurture the seed...I don’t think I even knew it had been planted.
Like a lot of parents, I put all of my heart and soul into being the “best” mother I could be. Being a mother was (and still is) the most important job I have ever been granted, and I intended to crush it. Long days “on the job” as a mostly stay-at-home mom eventually took it’s toll on me. I didn’t fully realize it at the time, but now I look back and realize there were times when I was pretty burned out…you might even say there were times when I was crispy. I thought that the more I gave to my children and my family, the more it validated me as a mother and justified the fact that I was hardly working (as an OT in a paid position). I felt like I should be working more to contribute financially to our household. The irony is I was working really hard but because I wasn’t getting paid I couldn’t justify it as “work”. I had a case of the “never enough” syndrome that we often place upon ourselves. “I’m not working enough”, “I’m not spending enough time with the kids”, “I’m not making enough home-cooked meals”, “I’m not keeping the house clean enough”, “I’m not exercising enough”….the list goes on. Dr. Brene Brown calls this a mindset of “scarcity”. Dr. Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston who has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She has several best-selling books, one of them is Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way we Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. The Shortform summary of Daring Greatly defines a culture of scarcity as “a culture preoccupied with lack, in which the focus is on your inadequacies, and there is a perpetual felt sense of “never enough.” We’re afraid we’re not enough, and we respond to this by trying to prove how extraordinary we are”. According to Dr. Brown, “Our culture of scarcity is defined by this sentence: Never _______________ enough”. I wish I knew about this book 10 years ago, maybe I would have cut myself some slack.
Fast-forward to March, 2020. Life as we knew it changed for everyone across the globe. With utmost gratitude for all of the “essential workers” in every community, the rest of us were strongly encouraged (even mandated) to stay home while the threat of an invisible virus seeped into our daily existence. As a result of this dramatic lifestyle shift, many of us experienced an “awakening” to the things that were really important in life, the ability to reassess where we are in our lives, a chance to re-prioritize the things that really matter. For me, this was a time when I was finally able to nurture the seed that had been planted a decade ago. Before this, I was on the hamster wheel of life doing everything I thought I was “supposed” to do in order to be crushing it as a mom, carting my kids to all their many events, volunteering wherever I was needed, and working more consistently. I thought that’s how it was supposed to be, I was oblivious that there was any other way. I didn’t realize how busy I was until I stopped. Once I stopped, not only did I realize a seed had been planted, but I was able to feed and water the seed until it started to grow.
It started in the area of personal growth. A friend of mine referred me to a free online class on Coursera called “The Science of Well-Being” offered through Yale University, taught by Dr. Laurie Santos. It shares research-backed strategies designed to increase our happiness and well-being, such as gratitude, savoring, and meditation. I was already familiar with these strategies and was fascinated with the topic of “happiness”. In hindsight, I think taking this class was pivotal for me on the journey to where I am now.
This personal exploration into my happiness and well-being organically sprouted into the area of professional growth. I was not feeling fulfilled in my job and desperately wanted a change. I deeply believe in the premise of Occupational Therapy, however I needed a new direction. As I researched other avenues where I could take my OT skills, I became intrigued by Health and Wellness Coaching. It sounded like a perfect match for me as a person and as an OT (check out this blog post I wrote for more deets about why). I researched Health and Wellness Coaching programs, became certified by the Duke Integrative Health Coach Professional Training Program, and have become a proud coach and OT (and all the other occupations I take part in...i.e. mom, wife, daughter, volunteer :)
Throughout the last year and a half I feel as though I have been shedding my outer layer and becoming the next best version of myself, evolving into the woman I am destined to become. This continuous evolution and growth feels boundless for me. While the path is not always straight-forward and it’s definitely not always pretty, it is always transformative. It feels as though that seed that was planted long ago has finally developed steadfast roots, and let me tell ya, it feels amazing! These visceral feelings of “becoming” and “growth” and “transitions” naturally developed into my mantra, my philosophy, and my business and domain name: “Evolve & Grow Wellness”. So there you have it—the backstory—with more chapters to come so stay tuned!
