I'm so excited to offer you a chance to get to know Ellen Barnard through her guest interview here. I first met Ellen many years ago through the Kitsap birth community, when she was new to our area. She has been an advocate for women and their health for many years and is very passionate about supporting people in moving toward health and wellness. Take a minute to read her answers to the 5 questions she chose, and be sure to check out her bio to get a peek into her personal journey and the support she offers. How would you respond to these questions? Share here in the comments, I'd love to know your thoughts!  What does it mean to you to move toward healing? What types of things support your healing journey? Knowledge, boundaries and prioritizing myself care above all! I have spent many years trying to fix what was broken and real healing did not start until I realized that I was not broken and that with knowledge comes boundaries, I can learn something and not have to hyper focus on it to be perfect. I first have to check in with myself and see if this knowledge is helpful or hurtful and find what works for me. I recognize that for me a lot of times in situations that feel very out of my control (like getting pregnant/staying pregnant) I can do my best to take care of myself by eating well, sleep and movement but at the end of the day it does not mean I must be perfect in those areas to be able to be healthy. More important than the perfect diet or workout plan is how I talk to myself, what I believe to be true about myself/situation and how much I am taking care of me, before pouring everything into everyone else. What are 3 things someone should know about you at the beginning of a friendship or relationship that would help them understand you better? I am pretty intense, I don’t realize I have RBF, I am actually pretty goofy and silly once you get to know me. I like direct communication and you can’t really hurt my feelings if you are direct. Passive aggression shuts me down right away. Also, if you don’t want advise, please just tell me that! My love language is to help, I have probably read something or researched something that I think could be helpful and I just want to help. I can totally listen, but will often ask, “Do you want advise or just to vent?”. What are some things you have done in your life that you are truly proud of? I am very proud of the work I have put into my own growth and health. This is not a value I was raised with and was not modeled for me. It has taken a lot of work to find value and balance in taking care of myself. I am also very proud of my impact in others lives. I have always been drive to help others and that has looked very different over the years/careers but the goal of helping others has always been from the heart! How does curiosity show up in your life? I am not sure if it is because I am a Virgo or enneagram 8 but I am a researcher by nature. I Love to know the WHY behind so many things, especially when the answer is not an easy one. This is very true when it has come to my health/ health journey/ fertility. I was told after my first miscarriage that its just “unlucky” and to try again. The experience was not that simple for me physically or emotionally so taking control as much as I could in situation that was largely out of my control was best for me. I did not simply “try again” I researched, made changes and sought answers to what I could do to better my chances of conception. Finish this sentence: I want to live in a world where…..? Women are given true, informed consent about their health and even if their choice is medication, or medical intervention, that they are given the real risks and side effects as well as the nutrition and lifestyle changes that can impact their health/outcome. In my experience personally and as a practitioner most women have NO idea what their options are or what the risks are! We deserve to be empowered through knowledge and options! Are you a parent? What has parenting taught you about caring for another person or being curious about them? Not until I was a parent did, I realize how much my own childhood impacted my day-to-day life. I’m sure this is common but I had done so much work to forgive my parents and had immense compassion for their struggles. But then became a mom and struggled with how much pressure I would feel to raise my daughter so differently. I have come to realize there is no right or wrong way. Day to day it means listening to myself, my needs and taking care of myself and then doing the same for her. If I am carrying work into “mom time” or have not eaten enough then I am less then present with her and this results in a power struggle. If I listen to what I need, fulfill that and then get on her level and really hear her, we have way less tension and struggle in our day. Its not always easy to do but regulating and caring for myself was never something I saw modeled. BIO Hi! I’m Ellen!
The evolution of my career and my personal health struggles have created a unique perspective and approach to health. I have been an athlete, struggled with PCOS, spent the typical (for my generation) years on birth control & got off of it when I realized its implications. I’ve taught myself to track my cycle through FAM/FEMM to avoid pregnancy. Then at what I thought was my “healthiest”, we were ready to start a family, but I experienced a devastating miscarriage. I was sick of not knowing my body, not feeling empowered with the limited information I was given about health even as a health coach and the lack of help I was getting from the MANY providers I saw left me defeated. I took my health into my own hands in many ways and chose to connect the puzzle pieces of my health journey and find providers to help me HEAL. Not to reach a destination of health but to know my body, know what it felt like to thrive so that when life changes, things shift, I had the foundation to manage my health and the tools to find the root cause of whatever symptoms I was experiencing. I was done with diets, quick fixes and weight loss goals. I wanted to be in a state of health harmony. Through my struggles and healing it became my mission to help other women. I created what I wish I would have had in my teens, 20’s or even my 30’s, to help guide me to true health, in the most simple and straightforward way possible. It was overwhelming to compile the information, research, advocate for myself and hold myself accountable and I knew other women needed all this and more. So I created the program I wish I had, in order to impact as many women as I can! Connect with Ellen: Website Your Hive Life
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AuthorIt's me, Crystal. I need a place to put all my extra words. Archives
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