Well, today what I wanted to start out with in this inaugural episode is just talking a little bit about what does wellness God's way actually mean. And I don't mean the podcast, although it is a big part of the podcast, obviously, but I mean the actual words. But before we dive into that, really what I want to talk about is I want to first acknowledge kind of where you might be right now.

If you are on a health journey or just starting a health journey or maybe you've been on it for a while and you're just not getting the results that you want, you're feeling stuck. You feel like I've tried so much and I still feel stuck. Or if you are in the beginning, you may be feeling like I don't even know where to begin, let alone trying to think about this from a faith perspective, from a God perspective.

I have been there is what I want you to know. I have been there where at points where I felt very overwhelmed by the health advice that I was seeing. I felt like I was doing all the right things, but still not feeling well and not feeling like I was making the progress that I wanted to make. And then through a series of events, I got to this point where I recognized that I wanted to honor God in what I was doing, but not at all knowing how that fits in with health.

See, probably like you, I recognized that most wellness conversations focus on two main things, the food that you eat and the movement that you get. But I want to go beyond that because I needed to go beyond that in my own life. I want to take a multi-pronged approach to talking about health and wellness and ultimately how you can live the most wonderful, fulfilling life because you're taking care of yourself in all the areas that make up your life.

And you're doing it in a way that is honoring to God. In our health journeys and wellness journeys, when we start on them, faith is often left out or at the very least is tacked on kind of as an afterthought. And it gets very exhausting trying to control or fix your body or tweak that one thing that's going to make all the difference. It can be really, really exhausting and it can be very discouraging.

What I wanted to share with you though is a little bit about my own story about striving and struggling and how bringing God into my journey has really helped. When I was 21, I came down with a rare disease and this disease, they would tell me every day, there's nothing more we can do, get your affairs in order. The doctors fully expected me not to make it. But I knew that I had greater purpose in this life. I knew that God had something bigger for me.

And so I eventually went to see a naturopathic doctor and he is the one who quite literally saved my life. He is the one that put me on this road to trying to heal myself naturally. Not saying that there isn't a time and a place for doctors and for modern medicine. I do believe in doctors. In my own life, I choose to try and heal things naturally first.

When this disease hit me, it came with residual effects including psoriasis. I have had severe psoriasis since the time I was 21. There were times when it covered probably 90% of my body. Over the years I have made some diet and lifestyle changes and I've been able to clear a lot of that up. But it's not gone. I also have some rheumatoid arthritis that has progressed over the years.

Throughout this time, I also experienced a string of abusive relationships. I go into more of that story on my other podcast, Tragically Beautiful, where I give abuse survivors space to tell their stories and feel heard and seen.

Through those experiences, I realized I had patterns I needed to confront. A mentor once told me, “You’ve been in a series of abusive relationships and you're the common denominator.” That was hard to hear, but it was true. And over time, I began to ask God to show me what needed to change.

Eventually I enrolled in health coach training through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. That program was pivotal. It taught me that health isn’t just physical. It includes emotional, mental, and spiritual components. It also introduced me to bio-individuality — that what works for one person may not work for another.

When we bring God into that process, it becomes clearer. He knows us intimately. He knows every detail of our bodies. When we invite Him into what I call the healing odyssey, He guides us step by step.

I believe that chasing health without faith becomes striving. Wellness God’s way is not a program or protocol. It’s an approach rooted in stewardship rather than perfection.

Like the parable of the talents, we are called to steward what we’ve been given. God has given us our minds, bodies, and spirits. The question is — how are we stewarding them?

All you need to know is that what has happened is the most loving thing I could have allowed to happen.

That truth changed my life. When I realized God’s love was woven even into painful seasons, my perspective shifted. I began inviting Him into every aspect of my healing.

As a health coach, two principles guide me: crowding out and sustainable shifts. Crowding out means adding in more good so it naturally replaces what doesn’t serve you. Sustainable shifts mean small, faithful steps that last.

Health is not about control. It is about care. It is about stewardship.

I share this because I am walking this journey with you. I am still healing. I am still growing. But I trust His promises. He works all things together for good.

My prayer is that you invite God into your wellness journey. That you choose partnership over self-reliance. That you steward well what He has given you.

So I’ll leave you with this question: Are you willing to invite God into your health and wellness journey and find wellness God’s way?