FIRST HAND WOMAN is not just a stage play. It’s also a state of mind.

Welcome to the launch of  my “Unleashed” Series! This series will bring you the true and inspiring stories of real-life first hand women and first hand men.

It is my absolutely pleasure to introduce you to our inaugural “Unleashed” hero Sarah Ramsden: holistic nutritionist and overall badass – think that’s incompatible? Keep reading. She’s going to dive right in and share her real-life journey of how she faced extraordinary circumstances head-on and transformed her life. She is a true FIRST HAND WOMAN! I hope you enjoy this inspiring read.

Make sure you read all the way to the bottom for your very own action steps.

And as always…

Dream up,

 

 

Cloud with a silver lining? How about hurricane with a diamond lining?

Life has a way of happening.

I was doing everything we’re told we should. In fact, in one hectic year I got married, sold a house, moved across Canada, got a promotion, and found my dream apartment. Maybe we’re not supposed to do all these things in one meager year, but that’s how it happened.

Anyway. Then the sh&^ hit the proverbial fan.

In the space of a week I found out I had a brain tumour (a meningioma), and multiple sclerosis.

Brain surgery was the cherry on top.

Yes, you’re absolutely right. It was a sh^tty time.

I spent the next three months at home recovering from surgery. Just like the long summer holidays we get as kids, I was given a three-month sabbatical from my life.

So began “Sarah’s summer of love”. Yes that’s what I actually called it.

I decided to dedicate my time off to doing the things I loved, and trying the things I always wanted to try yet somehow hadn’t found time for (how could that possibly have happened?!). I took the dog for long walks in the woods, learnt how to sew, sweated it out while spinning, and learnt how to lift heavy in the gym.

 

Less of what you’re supposed to do, and more of what you want to do.

What I learnt is, that when you want to be the best version of you (sounds corny I know), you have to get rid of the things that are not serving your best interests. Every time you say “Yes” to something you are not ecstatic about, you are saying “No” to something else that could, quite frankly, be the most amazing thing happen to you in a long time.

It’s that simple.

This goes for people, food, and even cute summer dresses!

If you close one door, another opens, and since my summer of love I have quietly (and sometimes not-so quietly) closed one after another.

First I quit my soul-sapping job without a back-up plan. Then, BAM! Freelance opportunities hit my inbox. I said “No thanks” to MS medication. Then a stranger introduced me to the idea of managing it with food and lifestyle.

You know what, I also learnt that the wrong people in your life can also hold you back. After the revelation that there are things you can do to help MS naturally, I really wanted to go back to school to study Holistic Nutrition. My husband would have none of it though. Seriously, he said I’d be a single nutritionist if I went ahead with that crazy plan.

Suffice to say that relationship eventually came to an end (to be fair there was more to it than that, but you get the idea).

I quit my career, went back to school, and started my own business as a Holistic Nutritionist. Now I get to work with people just like me, who are fired up to reinvent their health.

I also found love in a man who positively encourages me to slam doors shut, and fling new ones wide open.

 

So, let me ask you something:

• Is every relationship in your life supportive?
• Do you leap out of bed in the morning to get to work?
• Do you do things because you feel you should, or because you want to do them?
• Forget what your head says, what does your gut say?

It’s cool if something feels not-quite-right, and you don’t know why or what the fix is just yet. Start by closing the doors on small things.

Say a decisive “NO” instead of “Ummm ok then”. Say “Hells-Yes!” when you feel that surge of electricity, when it feels freakin’ amazing.

Saying NO every now and again helps create some wide-open space in your life. If there’s no space, there’s no room for all that as-yet unknown good stuff that’s waiting for you behind the next door!

This is what I’m all about as a Nutritionist too. Crowd out the bad with the good, and next thing you know, you’re feeling like you never have before. Come over to my website and sign up for weekly inspiration that will help you open some new doors to reaching better health.

~ Sarah

Sarah Ramsden is a reinvention opportunist and health instigator. As a holistic nutritionist she works with people who are ready to reinvent their health. She uses the unbridled energy and conviction that comes with the “f@&% this sh*t” attitude, and helps people use food and lifestyle to change their life.

_________________________________

 

Thank you so much Sarah Ramsden!!

Okay, people, here is where you come in. I want you to take action now.

Write down one thing that you want to say “no” to and one thing that you are burning to say “yes” to. Got ’em? Great. Now I want you to claim one of them in the comments below.

What are you sooo over? OR What lights you up inside?

I can’t wait to see what you have to say!

Ps – Be sure to spread the love by sharing this article with your networks.   🙂