A Message from Camille Leon
Founder and Executive Director The Holistic Chamber of Commerce
The Holistic Chamber of Commerce was created to be a bridge to new solutions for everyone who would like to learn more about complementary, integrative, holistic and eco-friendly options and solutions, as well as a resource for Holistic and Eco-friendly professionals and practitioners. I would like to take you through my journey to holistic living and how it led me to found The Holistic Chamber of Commerce.
For years I worked, and worked hard, in the administration of both not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. My drive and determination earned me the nickname “Hurricane Camille.” I was successful at what I did and kept myself constantly working. When I wasn’t at work, I was out doing public speaking. But there was always something missing. I was just too busy to notice.
It slowly dawned on me that I was not healthy, physically or otherwise. I was so caught up in a high-stress environment that I didn’t even realize how stressed out I was. But the universe has a way of getting through to you. My grandmother had a stroke. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy. I realized that I was not living a healthy lifestyle, and needed a change.
I remembered that when I was in my early twenties, I was diagnosed with gout. The doctors gave me a prescription and warned me that the medication would be “tough on my liver.” Instead, I found nutrition-based ways to cure myself, rather than simply trade one problem for another with medication.
So I took a look at my life and realized that I was caught in a cycle of stress which led to poor habits which led to poor health which led to more stress. I needed shift. Remembering back to my holistic approach to my gout, I took a holistic approach to my life. I started eating healthier. I looked at things holistically. Rather than focusing solely on short-term goals, I considered long-term results. I found that shifting my habits led to better health and less stress.
I found a way to health and happiness through a holistic approach to life. Then, I found other people like me. People who had adopted a holistic lifestyle and who wanted to share what they had found with others.
I also found that these wonderful people generally did not have experience running a business. Their primary goal was to help people, not to make money. The problem was that, in order to spend their time helping others, they needed to make money to keep their practices open, to pay their rent, to buy food. I had the business background that they lacked.