On New Year’s Eve, 2014, my mom talked me into joining dōTERRA as a Wellness Advocate. Her friend Mary signed me up for an account and I got started. I began to immerse myself in oils. I had no idea what I was doing or what each oil was for, but Mary gave me a book and I started to read. I started immediately creating concoctions and playing with natural homemade health care.
I promised when I started dōTERRA, we would be done with everything else. We had tried so many other companies. This will be a raw emotional excerpt of my life and the lives of our family members who are a part of our journey. If you have the heart, get out the tissues and join me in the journey. It offers happiness and hope for those of you who like fairy tale endings. I never wanted to write about my life, but my passion, purpose and profession is now to inspire others… So here goes.
I started out selling classic American-made baskets and classic pink Cadillac makeup and skin care. For a while I was living in a pink fog. My collection of baskets grew until my house was overflowing. My team of skin care specialists grew, but it was unnatural and forced for me. I didn’t connect with the products on an emotional level. I earned a car and some cash and then my husband, Ron, got sick. Really sick. My team fell apart without me there.
For three years, we were in and out of hospitals. Ron had a routine gallbladder surgery with every complication imaginable. Some unimaginable. The first year after that first frantic phone call, we were in and out of the hospital every month. The longest stay was 40 days long. My kids learned to love hospital cafeteria food for dinner and each suffered in their own way while we tried to keep our family going.
While Ron was sleeping, I came up with a plan for our business, Inspiration Wood Cottage Inn & Conference Center. I wasn’t sure how to make it happen or what exactly it would be, but I had the idea. We had to focus on what we do differently. I began a search for a wellness company to connect with. I stumbled upon a supplier that I could sell retail for and subsequently, use their products to clean our cottages. My health was not yet at a critical place, but I was beginning the research that led me to dōTERRA. We are now an exclusive dōTERRA Wellness Advocate Family. We are building a team of Wellness Warriors at Inspiration Wood and it is a perfect fit! Let me tell you how we figured that out.
My whole life I have suffered from digestive distress, skin sensitivities and other basic health issues. Hormonal havoc came in my teen years and exacerbated the situation. As a teen, I was skinny and lacked much muscle; I wasn’t really very healthy. From the age of 12 to about 18, I was a temperamental intolerable teen prone to outbursts of anger and irritability. The “terrible twos” are nothing compared to the “tragic teen” years. In college, my food sensitivities and hormonal issues continued.
The oils were such a support to me during the time after my father passed away. I learned about oils for grief and emotional support. But, a year later, I got sick. My digestive distress came to a critical level. I have never been so sick in my life: fever, headache, vomiting, and vertigo. I slept in a chair because I couldn’t lay flat. I suffered for almost a year and a half and visited every specialist I could find. I tried my family doctor who recommended neurologists, ear nose and throat specialists, acupuncturists, even chiropractors. No one seemed to know what was causing it.
The essential oil journey has been amazing and intimidating at the same time. I know that the foundation for my health is what I eat and put into my body and environment. Ron and I both chose to begin a path to wellness. It required each of us to explore our nutritional needs and evaluate our health. We are eating mostly whole foods now. As of today, Ron has lost 65 pounds and has better energy than he did when we first got married 22 years ago. I have lost about 15 pounds so far. I feel great! My vertigo is almost gone, and I am learning to manage my hormones.
I was also diagnosed with Celiac disease. Wheat affects me adversely. I have oils to support me, but ultimately, food and diet are very different for me now. I have studied oils and overall health. I know the value of purity and responsibly sourced and harvested oils. dōTERRA is different and we want to share our Oil Journey with the world to give them the tools to take care of their families. We offer Wellness Workshops and private consultations. We have a team of Wellness Warriors that fight for the essential education that we all need for the future of integrative health. Our Oil Journey is not over.
Our mission at Inspiration Wood is to create an environment that inspires others to reach their greatest potential Spiritually, Personally and Professionally. We are now educating others on how essential oils can help them reach that potential. We are currently located in the Midwest and on both coasts and internationally as well.
This fits – dōTERRA was the missing piece of our puzzle. We have found our own greatest potential Spiritually, Personally & Professionally through wellness and our Oil Journey.