An Introduction

Daughter, granddaughter, niece, & cousin from the moment I was born. After that… Sister. Friend. Student. Avid reader. Gymnast. Horseback rider. Field hockey player. Rower. Employee. Coworker. Actress. English major. Theatre major. Director. Writer. International student. International tourist. Waitress. Receptionist. Spa manager. Massage Therapist. Homeowner. Esthetician. Master Esthetician. Teacher. Single. Coupled. Wife. Business owner. I’ve identified as all of these things and so many more. You could make a similar list and realize that you, too, are the sum of your parts. You, too, can choose to compartmentalize or be the tapestry of knowledge and experience that you are. I try to make a point of asking a new acquaintance “What do you do professionally?” rather than “What do you do?”. Where we go and what we do every day certainly contributes to who we are as people, but it doesn’t define us. We are multifaceted beings.

My interest in the world of health and wellness officially began in 2002, but seeds had already been planted in the early-mid 1990s when I learned to care for my skin on a basic level. Having struggled with acne, I had quickly learned that what was bad about my skin could be at least a little better if I simply washed and moisturized my face morning and night. And then I learned to exfoliate (but not too much!) and do a facial mask once in a while (often with girlfriends on the weekends). By college I was applying a daily sunscreen (albeit not realizing I needed to reapply if I was basking in direct sunlight several hours later). In 1994 my mother treated me to my first full body massage as a birthday gift and I loved it. It became a request for future birthdays. Hindsight was 20/20 on those seeds being planted, though. I had a whole life to live before they were germinated. I had to get through high school and go to college. I had to find my people and the interests that would carry me into my 20s.

Things I wish I’d known or had someone [I would’ve listened to] instruct me on as a teenager:
1) Don’t touch your face with unclean hands. (This is HARD. Teens are sitting down listening to their teachers day in and day out. It’s difficult not to rest your head in your hands at least once in a while. And those desks are filthy. And those doorknobs are filthy. And most peoples’ phones and computer keyboards are filthy.)
2) What I ate was affecting my skin in a negative way just as it could have in a positive way if I had been educated. I drank SO MUCH orange juice (8oz = 22g total sugars, 9% of one’s daily value…I was probably drinking at least 32oz/day because it was delicious and I thought it was healthy. That’s at least 88g of total sugars. At least 36% of my daily value of total sugars in 2 tall glasses.), binged on junk food on weekends (my rationale being that I was healthier by doing it this way), and thought that Frosted Mini Wheats were a healthy choice each morning because the majority of what I literally saw was shredded wheat. (Psst… The internet either didn’t exist or was in its infancy at this period of my life. What could have been different if I had easily been able to research the correlation between my gut health and my skin? I would’ve had a hard time trying an elimination diet in my teens, but my ego/self-loathing/vanity probably would’ve won in the end and I would’ve at least tried.)
3) Cigarettes were bad for more than just my lungs. Those lines around one’s mouth that come with age are certainly made no better by cigarettes, vapes, or straws. (But I admit that this introvert-who-can-tap-into-her-extrovert will forever carry a flame of nostalgia for what I call “The Smoker’s Club”: It was the perfect excuse to extract myself from a room because it was a habit/activity that I had to actually go outside to partake in along with the other people who were doing the same. Join the group or don’t. Talk or don’t. Maybe I found a friend or had a weird and possibly notable conversation that made for a great story, or maybe I just found a colorful character who got me thinking. I met people because one of us simply needed a light—this is literally how I met my first college friends. The sheer excuse to remove oneself from whatever the present situation was to sit on a porch or a stoop or a swing—in any weather—and get deep was there in those nasty little cancer sticks that I smoked for so long. Gross and yet I can’t take it back so I guess I wouldn’t. Vices do have a way of bringing people together… And then we learn, grow, and evolve. I chalk it up to life experiences and not being ready to make changes until I was, well, ready to. Now I take a few minutes to ground myself and take a few deep breaths. It’s better here but I meet far fewer people.)
4) Getting even a mild sunburn every spring was not a good way to get a base tan. But I was invincible and was never going to get old and get those dark spots that my mom, dad, and other grownups had. I was surely the exception.
5) Alcohol can wreak havoc on your system in ways you don’t even know until you’re willing to know. Everything in moderation.

And speaking of moderation, this is true across the board. There IS such a thing as too much of a good thing when those “good” things are based on perception rather than fact. Our taste buds would have us believe that sugar is a good thing. After a raucously fun evening with friends, our memories would have us believe that alcohol is a good thing that always must be part of evenings with friends. Having all felt the joy our bodies experience when the sun kisses our skin after days of rain, our knowledge of moderate sun exposure is sometimes outweighed by the high we feel in it and we end up sunburned before we even think to put sunscreen on. Not a good thing.

My road to thriving in a healthier world of my own making started with being ready to explore becoming a Massage Therapist, which I took to immediately. That gave me a window into the spa world and almost as soon as I was delving into massage school, I knew I was going to eventually explore becoming an Esthetician, which I did. The more I learned about the body in those two professions, the more I wanted to know. That’s why my next step was learning about nutrition. And one of the things that I love about these three areas of study is that there’s always something more to learn and learn well.

Starting a health and wellness blog is a way of tapping back into the part of me that loves to write. I also love to share information in an organized and concise way and I’ve always found it far easier to do so on the page. My thoughts get trapped sometimes and I can’t always get them out of my mouth articulately. This blog will have the ability to be a reference to which I can direct my clients so they can better understand certain topics on which I’m well-versed and/or -researched. I’m hopeful that more than just my clients will benefit from this as a resource, though. Regardless of whether or not I ever have or ever will have my hands on you therapeutically, I hope you enjoy!

With gratitude,
Laura