Created for This with Danielle Roberts

As we wrap up our focus on health and wellness this month, I'm going to share with you my story about hope through depression and suicidal thoughts. *Affiliate links present.*

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts and want to talk with someone, the suicide hotline is 1-800-273-8255 and they do have a live chat option which is https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/.

If you're a veteran, you can use https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/.

My story takes us back to when I was in the Navy. We were living on the island of Oahu. I was having a really hard time processing the fact that I was so far away from my family, I felt super alone and that my leadership wasn't doing a great job getting us/me acclimated to the Navy command.

A command is the headquarters for those Sailors or Soldiers assigned to that area.

I felt like the command was not supportive of the Sailors and there was not good moral in the command. There have been a lot of mental health issues in the military on Oahu because of different things. I know I'm not alone because of the number of people who have had difficulties.

Living in Hawaii was not a good time for me mentally or for my mental health. It was a very dark time. It was difficult to be happy when things at work were not good. I loved being in the Navy at my previous command. I was the top Sailor one of the years I was there. I loved my work, I loved my Sailors, and then to go to another command were things were not that way, it was sad.

It went from struggling with depression to suicidal thoughts to a suicide plan.

One of the girlfriends I'd shared my emotions with ended up telling my leadership and I was not happy with that. I was handling things on my own. For anyone who has been through this, it is possible to handle this on your own. It's difficult but possible. They referred me to see a counselor and I'd already been seeing one. I was working on trying to get out of the Navy at the time because I knew it was not the best place for me to be at this point. The suicidal thoughts were when I knew it was not safe anymore.

I was pregnant at the time so there was a lot of strain on me.

I ended up getting out of the Navy and we flew home when I was 36 weeks pregnant. The baby was born just fine here in Wisconsin three weeks later.

I still had suicidal thoughts when I got home. The psychologist believed that part of the suicidal thoughts and depression was hormonal, and situational because of everything going on at work, and I also believe that there was a spiritual aspect.

I still struggle with depression. Thankfully the suicidal thoughts have gone away for the most part. This is why I'm such a huge proponent of taking care of hormones and treating your body well.

You may have heard that I took caffeine out of my diet about eight months ago because caffeine is not good for mental health in a lot of ways. Because I'm not a doctor, I'll let you guys look up how it helps or hinder anxiety and depression.

One of the ways I've helped anxiety is cutting out that caffeine. It affects my heart and causes my heart to beat faster which is like an adrenaline rush. My natural health provider has treated my heart in a way to respond to anxiety.

I'm also aware of the all of the ways we push so hard and we don't listen to the cues of our bodies. I think one of the ways we can help ourselves is to stop pushing ourselves so hard.

There are people who have chemical reasons for depression and anxiety. Take care of that. Do what you need to do to get help.

Nicole Walters had share the website where you could pay cash for counseling and it's at a reduced rate.

Stress. I also notice when I'm under stress or under a stressful situation, my depression gets worse. I've worked to keep myself out of those situations. We cannot keep ourselves from stress because it happens, but you can help lesson the stress you encounter.

One of the ways I've done this is to give us more margin in our schedules. Margin is a space around yourself or your calendar. I'm digging into a book called Margin by Dr. Richard Swenson and he talks about how our world has not left room for margin at all. If we leave space in our calendar or if we know that we have something happening and we know we're going to be going through a lot, you can create margin. It's like a boundary around yourself to protect yourself, especially if you're an introvert or an ambivert who needs more down time to themselves. Allow yourself to have space to deal with the stressful situation.

For me, that's been important as I've dealt with stressful situations. I've learned this as I've had a few high stress clients. I've found that I need to take a break and actually do it.

Essential Oils. One of the other ways I've found that helps is using essential oils. One of my favorite books is called Releasing Emotional Patterns with Essential Oils by Carolyn Mein, DC. We need to start being proactive about our mental health. The oil called Joy has helped my anxiety according to this book. Even something as simple as smelling orange oil is uplifting and good for us. There are a bunch of other oils that are good for emotions and I recorded a class on oils and emotions.

To access the class I did on emotional oils, click here.

I really believe using oils has caused a positive impact on my depression and anxiety and given me more clarity on the days that I'm dealing with depression. I don't know if you're familiar with depression, but there are days you can have a cloudy brain.

With essential oils, there is so much skepticism, but when you smell them, the smells go straight to your brain. When I smell oils, it helps to clear that brain fog so I can function. If you're searching out answers for mental health, this is a good one.

Faith. The last way I've made a difference in my mental health is to grow in my faith.

That's not to say that I wasn't strong in my faith when I was in Hawaii, but I've grown since then. My church family in Hawaii, Kaka'ako Christian Fellowship was great. There were days when I just told them that I needed prayer and they would pray. They'd give non-judgemental hugs and advice.

When I was there and I was wrestling with all these things and I really believe that it is vital to ask God those questions. I asked him why this was happening. God told me that this would not be in vain. I've been able to share with others and come alongside people.

We need to remove the stigma of depression and suicide. We need to say it's okay to get help. A lot of times there are so many ways to get help. Here's the suicide hotline information again: the suicide hotline is 1-800-273-8255 and they do have a live chat option which is https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/. If you're a veteran, you can use https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/.

I hopped on the chat in November 2014 when I was not ready to take my life, but I credit that to the baby that was growing in me.

I want to leave you guys with hope.

God is right by your side. He's not leaving you, even if it feels like you're all alone.

There was a time when I told my counselor that depression and anxiety felt like being in a box. And through the darkness, there were poked holes shining through the light. There's hope.

If you're going through this right now, there's power in getting help and asking for help. People care about you. I care about you. If you want you can email me at [email protected].

Being active in seeking out help is important. I want you so much to know that God cares about you. I care about you.

Let's change how we talk about mental health and handle it. Let's be proactive and listen and be aware of those who need help because there are those in our world who need help right now, even if they aren't talking about it.

I'm giving you permission to rest. Yes, you can rest.

There are so many people giving us permission to hustle and work really, really hard. I love my work and I love working, but I also feel like we need to be resting. It's not something a lot of people talk about, it's not something we get permission to do very often.

So, if you need permission, here it is.

Mark 4:35-40 "That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!"Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

There are many stories in the Bible about Jesus going and resting. He would preach to thousands of people then go away and rest. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, during a very turbulent time in Jesus' life, he went away and prayed to God.

Resting can be going and talking with others and fellowshipping with them or prayer and worship time.

We can take steps back from business and rest. Jesus' life is a great representation of how we can take breaks.

It's super ironic that I'm recording this episode today because I took a nap today. It was one of those days that I took a step back and checked in with my body and asked myself how am I really feeling. And I laid down and took a nap. Maybe that's not an option for you but it's one of the ways we can rest.

From a biblical sense, rest is going to be taking time to read the scriptures, pray, meet with others, and worship. That's Sabbath. That's what we're called to as a Christian - to practice that. It's a practice that not only Jesus did, but other disciples and early Christians did.

I've been reading through Acts and it's a powerful view of the early church and how they acted and interacted.

Another way we can look at rest is that it is a chance to do what fills us up and lights us up and fulfills us. That in and of itself will give us rest. When I sit back with a good book, I want to sit back and enjoy that book. For you, rest might be cooking or cleaning. Some people really enjoy watching videos or YouTube. Knitting or crocheting, anything that fills you up. For me, it's also kind of restful to be with my children.

I wouldn't say that resting is going to be working because we need to take time away from our business in order to rest.

The example we see in Exodus 16 is that God tells his people to rest. God gave the Israelites extra food the day before so that they could take a break from their work, which was gathering food.

What happens when we rest. When I rest I feel more creative, I have more clarity and I wind up feeling like I can do more with my time in progress and growth and doing what I need to do. I was able to take a nap.

How do you find time to rest?

You make time for it. Everything that is important you make time for. Now, I didn't necessarily have a nap scheduled into my day today, but I did have margin scheduled into my day.

Boundaries are a good thing. They allow us to do more with the time that we have.

Margin is so important. It's extra time and space in our schedules so we can have down time. We need to have it in our schedule because we stack appointments on top of each other and then don't allow time when we need to take time to rest or take a break.

I want to encourage you to proactively rest and make time for that. Protect time to rest because burn out is one of the worst things that can happen. Take it from someone who has been there.

Two ways you can make this work - margin and boundaries. Make sure you're doing what God has called you to and then create those boundaries around your rest and have margin in your schedule.

If this all seems great, I'd love to invite you to a productivity intensive with me. During this in-depth assessment and implementation, we will help you love your business again and allow you to be present with the people you love.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We'll deep dive into what makes you light up, fills your heart and identify your priorities and how you can live them out.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ After 2.5 hours, you'll walk away with a schedule that you love and have your mission and vision statements to give you a clear direction of where you're going and what direction you need to take your business.

Ready to schedule? Click here to schedule a chat to see if this is the right option for you. I can't wait to work with you!

Join Women's Integrative Health Speaker, Writer, and Educator Rebekah Fedrowitz as we have an open dialogue about natural health, wellness, and fitness.

Rebekah is passionate about helping women escape the traps of our modern approaches to health that leave them always striving for better but often feeling worse. She believes that nutrition and other natural approaches are an important part of the body's healing process, and with the right nutrition, we all can obtain the complete health that God intended for us to have.

She integrates science and scripture for a well-rounded approach to the kind of health women are seeking. ​ It was due to her own health challenges that Rebekah discovered natural health. Amongst numerous certifications and continuing education, Rebekah completed her master's diploma in nutrition and is board certified in holistic nutrition.

Affiliate links are present.

We talk about:

• The Essential Oils Diet by Dr. Eric and Sabrina Zielinski
• How God wants us well
• Proverbs 17:22 "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (NIV)
• Using food as external satisfaction and how we're looking at food
• Creating a shift in how we look at food
• Being rooted in God
• Steps for being a more optimally performing person
• Hormone imbalance and hormone inhibitors
• Dirty Dozen from Environmental Working Group
• The biggest changes someone can make
• Food sensitivities
• Improving physical wellness through exercise

Productivity Intensive – Productivity Intensive is an in-depth assessment and implementation will help you love your business again and allow you to be present with the people you love. We'll deep dive into what makes you light up, fills your heart and identify your priorities and how you can live them out.

After 2.5 hours, you'll walk away with a schedule that you love and have your mission and vision statements to give you a clear direction of where you're going and what direction you need to take your business. Click here to book a discovery chat with me to find out if this is a great option for you.

To follow Rebekah', you can choose to do so on her website / Instagram / Twitter / You Are Well Podcast

I want to share with you something that's so important to us as Christian and business owners.

This is not to add on another layer of things we should be doing. This is important. Please listen to this and don't feel guilty for what you are not doing.

As Christians, our bodies are the temple of God. When we become Christians, that's what the Bible says. Therefore, we should take care of ourselves. It's not a trivial thing that people talk about being healthy and taking care of ourselves.

Get Moving.

As business owners, I know it's hard to take care of ourselves. It's hard for me to find time to prioritize walking two miles.

For me, the biggest driver in taking care of myself is being there with my for my kids and my family. I want to be able to run with them and not to have my back issues. I have chronic back pain from being in the military, and knee and shoulder problems. I also know that if I don't keep moving, I'm going to have a harder time.

Thankfully, we have a treadmill in our basement. If it weren't for that, it would be a lot harder. However, there are plenty of things we can do at our desks or in our offices.

We have lymph nodes. *I'm not a doctor in any way. I've been learning about the body and food and diets since I was a little kid.* In the lymph nodes, that's where the body fights off infections or bacteria. A few are in the arm bits by the breast tissues. There are some in the neck where you can feel if you're getting sick.

We need to be moving to keep the lymph moving. And drinking water to flush out the toxins. We need to be moving. Sitting is the new smoking and they are saying that sitting can kill you. They're saying to walk for 30 minutes a day to improve your health.

That is one of the ways I'm taking care of myself. I'm getting walking so I can move the lymph out of the lymph nodes and doing what I can to stay healthy.

One of the reasons they say not to wear deodorant/anti-persperant with aluminum is because it holds the toxins into the breast area and it's been known to cause cancer.

I said to get moving. You can do squats and lunges anywhere - in the bathroom, in your office, at your desk - all you need is two feet by two feet space so you don't bump into anyone. I used my bathtub to do dips to work on my triceps. I didn't have to go to the gym because I've got my body weight.

There are a lot of people who have free workout videos on YouTube - one that I love and appreciate for having a wealth of videos online is Robin Long of the Balanced Life. She's got pilates, pre and post natal videos and more online. And I'm trying to get her on the podcast because I really want to share her with you guys.

I was in the military for six years and we did PT (physical training) multiple times a week, and I've done four half marathons and numerous 5Ks. Even if you're just jogging back and forth getting your heart rate up makes a difference.

Drink Water.

The next thing you can do is to drink water. Here in the US and in other first world countries, we have access to clean drinking water most of the time. If you cannot access clean drinking water, it's super easy to buy a water filter. We use the Burke which is available on Amazon.

Our bodies need water to live. We can last for days without food, but we need water. There's a reason why Jesus calls himself the living water and why the woman at the well asked Jesus for his living water.

Most of the time when you're feeling hungry, is because you're actually thirsty.

You can add high quality essential oils, like Young Living which I sell, into your water. Adding the lemon oil to the water helps me absorb the water, but it also helps my body flush the toxins. I was reading how lemon oil can help the kidneys.

There are products like Crystal Light and other drink flavoring packets that are "sugar free". They usually also use aspertame, sucralose and other artificial sweetners that have been linked to cancer. Please reconsider using these drink packets. Look up articles to do your own research. The Environmental Working Group is a great resource for a lot of this information I'm sharing today.

Think about the things you're putting in your body.

Essential Oils

Yes, I'm with Young Living Essential Oils, that's the Essential Oil Educator part of my title. We've been using essential oils for around three years and we've seen a big change in our health.

It's super easy to get started and to learn how to use these in your own oils.

I love lavender for so many things. Look up the uses for lavender on Google. The amount of anti- properties it has, the rest you can get from using it, and how great it is for burns is astounding.

If you want a sample, let me know! I actually just bought sample packets so I can send them to you. Email me at [email protected]. I'd love to get them into your hands.

One of the biggest things that I've seen happen with essential oils is with my own personal health and my hormones. The other day I had a huge migrane from my hormones. There's a oil called Progessense Plus which has natural yam oil in it which contains a natural hormone. I used the oil on my wrists and within 20 minutes, my migraine was gone.

You guys, if I had had that oil a few years ago when I was having more headaches, life would have been a lot easier and a lot better.

I've talked about emotional oils. Joy helps me feel better when I'm feeling really blue. And Peace and Calming calms me down when I'm having a hard day.

If you want to know more, let me know, I'm happy to chat. You can click this link to have a 30-minute call with me about oils.

God's given us these oils, just like he's given us water and movement, for our good.

Vitamins and Nutrients and the food we eat.

This is a huge topic and a huge way to take care of our bodies. I love chocolate, and cake and cupcakes. All the sugar you guys. But I also know that sugar is so detrimental to our bodies. I know when I eat sugar, it impacts my body. My mood is affected so much because of the chemical makeup of sugar.

When we at leafy greens, fish, healthy meat, fruits and good food, it benefits us.

If we aren't using those foods to get the vitamins and minerals, we're going to be more tired.

I recommend eating organic foods because the Round Up (Glycosphate) kills your gut bacteria which can make you sick and give you other issues. It's been put into plants that we eat through genetic modification. It's found in Cheerios, on kale and in pea protein among other things.

The Environmental Working Group has a list of 12 fruits and vegetables it recommends to eat organic.

I want you guys to be thriving and I know that these things can make a huge difference for you.

Productivity Intensive - Productivity Intensive is an in-depth assessment and implementation will help you love your business again and allow you to be present with the people you love. We'll deep dive into what makes you light up, fills your heart and identify your priorities and how you can live them out.

After 2.5 hours, you'll walk away with a schedule that you love and have your mission and vision statements to give you a clear direction of where you're going and what direction you need to take your business. Click here to book a discovery chat with me to find out if this is a great option for you.

Katie Bowling started in business by selling button earrings and her business, One Delightful Shop, has pivoted over the years as she's felt God leading different directions.

Katie candidly talks about how she has listened to God as he's led her out of a business that was going really well and into something new.

She's currently working on another transition and has started working on her passion - home decorating. One Delightful Creative will involve the home decorating aspect as well as some graphic design and hand lettering. She and her husband have a podcast that talks about their creative life.

Part of what she loves about interior designing is bringing joy into the home.

Every move has pushed them to rely on the Lord which as increased their trust in him.

We also talk about marketing and advertising and how it can be difficult as a Christian business owner to want to create a need in people to buy something. Katie shares how she strives for more of a minimalist and capsule wardrobe as she's pivoted.

She shares what they're doing after they move to Virginia (p.s. after we recorded this, they announced they're pregnant with their third child - congratulations guys!).

Whatever they're doing next, they're waiting with open hands.

One Delightful Creative Website / Instagram

Productivity Intensive - Productivity Intensive is an in-depth assessment and implementation will help you love your business again and allow you to be present with the people you love. We'll deep dive into what makes you light up, fills your heart and identify your priorities and how you can live them out.

After 2.5 hours, you'll walk away with a schedule that you love and have your mission and vision statements to give you a clear direction of where you're going and what direction you need to take your business. Click here to book a discovery chat with me to find out if this is a great option for you.

We have been given our platforms by God, to be used for his glory. Your social media platform, your stage platform, your relationships - they all are meant for God's glory.

So how do we do this? Listen to this episode for more thoughts and how-tos.

Matthew 5:13-16 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

To listen to my podcast on being rooted in Jesus, click here.

Better Life Bags started when Rebecca made herself a diaper bag. When friends and family prompted her to start making them to sell, she started an Etsy shop. She loved giving part of the proceeds of the bags she sold to a company called Kiva loans which allows you to pick a woman to sponsor in a 3rd world company through a microloan. She would add the picture of the woman she was sponsoring to the bag when she sent it to the purchaser so they could learn about the woman who was being sponsored through their bag.

Rebecca and her family moved to Hamtramck, MI where there's a large migrant population. When she started to get too many orders, she looked around the neighborhood and figured out who it was that she would be able to hire. She hired her friend Nadia who was from Yemen. Because of that work, her friend was able to buy bunk beds for her girls. The company now has 15 employees who make Better Life Bags.

Rebecca and I chat about how the business has grown and developed, how she shares her faith with the women and how her faith has grown through the business.

Through the business, she's seen God work and see how he has a plan in mind. Specifically, how we're not in control of our business, we can trust God and rest in knowing that he brings in the orders and the business.

Rebecca has a book coming out next year about the history of Better Life Bags. In the book, she shares lessons learned through the business, about the women who have been impacted by the company and growing slow in business. There is also an anti-hustle theme.

She also dishes on her favorite bags and fabric. The secret menu if you do an all leather bag you can do any fabric on the inside.

You can visit (affiliate link) Better Life Bags and order your bag here and get $10 off!

Rebecca Smith is the founder of Better Life Bags, a custom leather and fabric handbag company whose workforce is made up of local women with barriers to employment. Rebecca loves to encourage and coach young entrepreneurs who desire to use their businesses for good. She is passionate about reminding women that when it comes to pursuing dreams, waiting on God's nudges always trumps hustling hard. It's okay being the turtle; life is better when it's slow. Rebecca and her husband, Neil, live in Hamtramck, MI where they run Better Life Bags together. They have four amazing kids: Jonah, Clara, Corbin, and Gavin.

Better Life Bags Instagram / VIP Group

Rebecca's Instagram

Three ways a coach can help your business:

1. Accountability for actually getting things done and making forward progress

2. A questioning guide who helps you understand better where you want to be going or what you want to do

3. Mindset and Jesus - we are what we think

Life coaching is forward facing - helping you become unstuck, helping you reach goals, make changes or transition.

Book a call with me to talk about the Priorities-based Productivity Intensive or coaching.

Director of Operations through Natalie Gingrich

Social media and marketing expert Jamie Samples joins me on this episode to talk about making the most of Instagram. Instagram is such a great platform for getting to know others and creating relationships.

Here are Jamie's tips for growing and using your Instagram well are:

• Be authentic with your Instagram
• People want to see the faces of who is behind the account
• Use direct messages - be authentic with them, but use them
• Make it work for where you are - yes, have it be pretty but don't be afraid to share what's happening in your life

Tools to make it easier:

• Instazood (DM bot)
• Later

Follow along with Jamie on Instagram/Website/Twitter

Her official bio in her own words: I am a social media specialist, marketing professional, speaker and founder of Yellow Barn Media. But that's only a fraction of who I really am. I am a wife, a mother, a horse enthusiast, an animal lover, an American patriot, a country chick and an eternal optimist with endless energy and a contagious smile. I'm based in Howell, Michigan, not far from the town where I was born and raised. If I could live anywhere else, it would be Kentucky, because it's horse country and I have fond memories from visiting my granny and granddaddy's farm as a child. The sweet smell of bluegrass and the tasty chicken tenders and waffle fries from Chick-Fil-A are hard to forget. Staying close to family is a priority, so I'll be in Michigan for many years to come.

I'm blessed to have the best husband an entrepreneur could ask for. He's supportive of the business and the passion I have for nurturing it. Eddie is one-of-a-kind and I am blessed to share my life with him. In 2015, we welcomed our first child, Edison into our family. Every day he teaches me to look at the world with fresh perspective no matter what the day may bring and inspires me to strive to be a better person at home and in the office. Our family also includes two and four-legged friends alike. We are owned by a Welsh Pony, a mini-donkey, a flock of free range chickens, two dogs and a handful of cats. All of our four legged animals were adopted from an animal rescue and joined our lives at just the right moment in time.

My Entrepreneurial Roots My father was a small business owner, role model, and mentor. He always encouraged me to dream big and follow my heart. It came as no surprise that I would follow in his footsteps. When I was 13, I started my first business. I bought and resold horse equipment at local weekend competitions. Selling horse supplies in between the classes I competed in earned me to enough money to continue buying more gear for my own horse. My entrepreneurial adventures also included a dog obedience company, showing, raising and selling show quality rabbits and I dabbled in direct sales selling air and water purification units. As a young professional, I worked for corporations in administrative, human resources and management positions. I had many positive experiences and honed my skills managing projects, finding efficiencies, engaging and reaching an audience. In 2008, I was ready to leave my cubicle behind and share my accumulated expertise with small business owners. That year, I launched Yellow Barn Media and have never looked back.

I'm a certified life coach now!!!! Yes, I'm very excited about it. I'm sharing in this episode why I got certified as a life coach and why laundry baskets were important for me during my own experience with a life coach.