I recently received a note from a lovely woman sharing with me that she feels too incapacitated in her life to chase her ideals and follow her dreams. This stuckness creates substantial anxiety and leads to this uncomfortable feeling that the world is just passing by and you are running out of time.... ekkk, sound familiar?

What creates this stuckness? It could be anything from a physical ailment or disability all the way to an emotional challenge that seems insurmountable; life’s challenges seem simply too big.

In my life I have gotten caught in both -the physical and the emotional- kinds of stuckness.

Physical stuckness occurred when I was first diagnosed with 2 herniated disks in my lower spine and was in so much pain that I could sometimes barely get out of bed -not to mention exercise, which had been a lifelong source of confidence and happiness for me.

Emotional stuckness occurred when I disliked myself so much that I thought that I should be someone who I am not in order to be worthy. I believed that I had to prove myself through external accomplishments (a medical degree, a certain body...) before I could be fully accepting of myself.

Co-incidentally (or not?!) these two stucknesses happened right around the same time. When the mind suffers and is not cared for (basically when you relationship with yourself is mean and negative), you body will manifest symptoms to make this pain heard. Similarly when we treat our bodies disrespectfully (through crappy food, lack of movement, environmental toxins) our mind and our emotions will show negative symptoms as well.

It took me a few years, a M.A. degree in Counseling Psychology, years of analyzing my wild dreams, and lots of self-love and mindfulness work to shed both the physical pain and the emotional challenges.

But once I did come home to myself, things were just clear.

They are not always easy, but they are clear. For example, I have no doubt that life coaching is what I am meant to do even though running my own business can totally feel like a lot, I am engaged to the best man in the world even though I know what the divorce rates are, and I genuinely love my body even though I never know if my back pain will come back.

Here is the deal: When you are at a low and you confront your own demons and meet the YOU you really are, you will find out that you are stronger, more resilient, and more loving than you ever thought you could be. I have seen this evolution in so many of my clients and know it’s scary but possible!

Your past doesn't define you and it’s up to you to remove the blocks that are arresting you in non-action. Start to identify with your vision of your ideal life instead of identifying with your past or current misfortunes.

I understand that especially for physical ailments or disabilities, it’s not always possible to “shed them” so to speak, but I do believe that it is possible for EVERYONE to reconnect with who you truly are, what you truly want, and get to a place where you can take positive action forward.

This is what I call an AWAKENING: Witnessing yourself with clarity and positivity and ultimately, becoming the leader of your own life. And I know you can do this!!!

If you are in NYC and interested in this topic, I’d love to meet you at my up-coming live event called Summer Awakening: A night of Inspiration for Your Soul on May 15th. Join me for a night of motivational talks + a live panel with my friends & fellow coaches, Anna Goldstein, Jennifer Racioppi, and Nadya Andreeva. The panel will be emceed by the fabulous and creative storyteller, Elizabeth Blue.

It will be followed by a Q+A panel where you can get your questions answered and receive live coaching on the spot!

All of us will share the real, messy details of our journeys and the most powerful shifts that we have taken to get us to where we are now: