- BOLD & BEAUTIFUL -
Entrepreneurs
Holly Wade
Most testimonials or stories that you hear have a
“this was my life before” and “after doing xyz, this is my life!”
Mine is a little different...
a
I
started having digestive issues about 20 years ago. My weight fluctuated, with ex-
treme unexplained weight loss, then later bloat which I thought was weight gain.
I was in college at the time. My dad has Crohn’s Disease and at that particular
time, if you had a pre-existing condition, health insurance wouldn’t touch you.
It wasn’t until after grad school that I was able to seek a diagnosis…and THAT
took over 2 years. Sure enough, I had Crohn’s.
In the meantime, I decided to approach my health a different way. I’d observed my fa-
ther’s decline in health through the use of pharmaceutical drugs. “Here, THIS will be the
one!” “Oh, there’s a new drug out. Let’s give it a go.” Instead of taking care of the initial
issue, the drugs were creating other issues.
I found a Naturopath and started to dive in to really understand my body and myself in
all layers. It started with nutrition. (I was already a fitness person and knew movement).
Then I started incorporating mind/body practices like Pilates and Yoga and letting go of
the “hit it hard” types of classes. Meditation and journaling began to be part of my daily
practices. I already had a strong sense of faith.
I dove wholeheartedly into the process of learning about me THROUGH understanding
my body on all levels. I began to understand what behaviors and beliefs were learned
and to reestablish my own Truths. I learned to say “no” and that it wasn’t a bad thing. I’d
been a high functioning over-achiever, a people pleaser, a perfectionist, a stress addict,
and really good at hiding my insecurities. What was happening is that layer by layer, I
was having to de al with various relationships: my relationship with my body, food, God,
life, and most importantly, myself.
In 2006, I was hired to be the Coordinator of Group Fitness & Wellness at James Madi-
son University. In a little over 8 years, I’d grown my program area to 43 Student Group
Fitness Instructors, 3 Massage Therapists, operating over 100 classes a week, and several
workshops that our campus community could attend. I also taught 3 academic classes.
And that was a small part of my job. It was demanding to say the least.
I’d had a dream to leave and venture on my own as a Wellness Expert. I wanted to write,
present, and GROOVE. But, as a single woman with a job with benefits AND a chronic
condition, I didn’t know how I’d make that happen.
WE ARE BEAUTIFUL ENTREP RENURS M AGAZI NE
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