My journey with Stress, Burnout and Developing Resiliency started over 35 years ago when I was an executive in the healthcare industry, I remember opening a healthcare facility in Palm Bay Fl and working 12-14 hours per day 7 days a week. Sometime later my colon started to hurt and over time symptoms got worse. It was ultimately diagnosed as Ulcerative Colitis, and I received treatment for which I still take medication. Then it was on to San Francisco trying to normalize system in while combating patient abuse. I recall waking up in the middle of the night with solutions but unable to go back to sleep. I was diagnosed with insomnia and received medication for this which I still take. Then on to Southern California managing up to seven centers and hypertension creeped in for which I still take medication. Finally, by the time I arrived in Omaha NE, I was experiencing symptoms of burnout and completely fatigued. All of my physicians were able to diagnose and treat my symptoms, but no one addressed what my overall condition was.

I decided at that time to leave my profession and find a way to heal myself. I was not prepared for this mentally or financially but saw no other path if I wanted to survive my symptoms. Ultimately, I pursued a doctoral degree in addition to several coaching certifications including the Institute of HeartMath (a research organization focused on the physiology of stress and solutions to overcome stress). One of the most important pint I learned is that stress does not cause disease. Rather, when challenge(s) become too great, whatever autoimmune disease(s) we are predisposed to, will flare up and ultimately affect us. The key is to pay attention to our bodies and the signals it sends to us and develop responses that have been scientifically proven to alleviate these symptoms. Ultimately, we can learn to build our capacity for resilience and sustain our energy.