ShoeString Startup

My Health Journey
In 1990 I became very ill with what I now know was Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, brought on by the Epstein Barr Virus, overwork, and lack of balance in my life.

At the time I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I had constant migraines, arthritis, severe allergies, and was sleeping ten or more hours per day. On weekends I often took naps which lasted hours and hours. Traditional western medicine wasn’t helping. Instead I found homeopathy, EAV (electro acupuncture by Voll), and some Spiritual Awareness in my life. Eventually I went on to become certified in Holistic Theology.

Note: The link to EAV above takes you to a debunking site, which I’ve had a few battles with over the years. However they give you a great explanation of the different devices - this site and I just have a difference of opinion as to the effectiveness of the machines. I’m living proof of the power of energy medicine.

So, when I was sick, and trying to run a business, I was led to an exceptional practitioner . It took a lot of time and various therapies, but years later I felt better than I’d ever felt my whole life. My practitioner, Spencer, was also the brother of my ex-partner and later the three of us went into business together. Whew, more on that later.

A few years ago, an article was published in AIHT about my healing journey. Here is a small excerpt.

I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome along with Epstein Barr and Mononucleosis.

Somehow I managed to keep my computer business running with a myriad of symptoms that included migraine headaches, permanently swollen lymph glands, arthritis, and extreme tiredness. Put simply, my body was worn out, burned out, and I was depleted, emotionally and spiritually.
My health journey had not yet taken me into the holistic world. And then a friend introduced me to Dr. Spencer Woolley, a homeopathic physician. The first conversation I had with him was foreign to me, and included strange notions such as a nutritious healing diet. However, I connected to him and his message. More importantly, I trusted him and I trusted the modality. I started to feel hope that someday I would be well again.

Dr. Spencer imparted a calm center; he was grounded, patient, and knowledgeable. He helped me see past my sickness to a world of wellness. This was a world to which I desperately wanted to belong, and so I began my long journey back to health. Along the way, Dr. Spencer introduced me to other wonderful practitioners, and many other types of therapies. Slowly I began to learn and study and I recovered my physical health and my emotional well-being.

I was drawn to the holistic world and spent all my time studying energy medicine. I became a Reiki Master and a Bionetic (EAV and Biofeedback combines) Practitioner.

The whole healing process was intense. You’ve got to actually want to get better, which not everyone does. It is easier to stay sick, and you’ve gotta get real and ask yourself what the benefit is to being sick. At least I did. Staying sick I didn’t have to be conscious about my own life, take responsibility. This doesn’t mean I created my illness - I’m not one of these ‘you create everything in your life’ fanatics, but I do believe that we all have an incredible opportunity to find out what our illness can teach us and move from there. That’s a whole different subject though. One I do love to talk about, so maybe later I’ll explore the life lessons/what do you create , subject as it relates to business.

Healing can be an intense process. The internal work I did was as thorough as the physical. I did therapy, journaling, creative expression, prayer, yoga, meditation. At one time I was taking over 50 pills a day - vitamins, herbs and supplements. My practitioner also was trained in Chinese Medicine so I was exploring teas and I was also on 10 different homeoapthics. Managing it all was a full time job in itself.

I loved learning about the process, but healing others wasn’t for me. It was time to go move on - still in business for myself, but a new chapter was beginning.

And now, I was cured from an incurable disease.

Real Life Lessons Coming Next:

You thought being sick was bad enough?

My next business lasted about seven years before it fell apart. That’s where the death, trust and betrayal come in.

Stay tuned. Or subscribe so you don’t miss a post.

This post of part of my life story as a Serial Entrepreneur.