Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Ariel Richards is a Registered Holistic Nutritional Consultant, WildFit Certified Coach and Energy Worker living in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is passionate about nutrition, its impact on happiness, and effect on the mind. Eating meals rich in whole and nutritious foods and practicing mindfulness has renewed her life with feelings of health, vibrancy and energy. With a specific focus on conquering chronic illness and living with mindfulness, her life experience will inspire you. She's all about natural food and lifestyle solutions for real people living everyday lives.
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I am a wellness coach who nearly died in a planned home birth 2 years ago in the Dominican Republic. At 8 months pregnant I was teaching multiple yoga and spinning classes daily, and preparing meal prep for clients. I was eating well, meditating, getting regular visits with my midwife and doula- I thought I had it all figured out. But my spirit was in trouble. A single mother before my daughter was even earthside- and it was not my choice. I was consumed by shame, self doubt, diminishing self confidence and a lack of worthiness. I tried to pretend I was okay- but the body knows, the spirit knows too.
I was bleeding out. My body, always so strong, had surrendered to allow my strong baby to burst through my cervix with her foot tied by our cord to her head. The hemorrhaging, from my birth pool to my backup clinic was too severe- and my pituitary gland ‘irreparably’ damaged- but I didn’t know this yet.
After 2 weeks of no milk in my breasts my Doula suggested that I may be dealing with Sheehan’s Syndrome- a rare condition to Western birth’s due to quick blood transfusions. I was in denial. When I finally visited an endocrinologist in Santo Domingo, she said the fact that I meditate and practice mindfulness daily was probably the only reason I had not gone into shock, fell unconscious, and died.
You see, Sheehan’s Syndrome means my pituitary gland no longer functions properly. My other glands don’t receive the hormones’ messages that they need to function. So, my thyroid, adrenal glands and ovaries don’t work anymore- and I needed to supplement hormones for the rest of my life- which was expected to be shorter and of lesser quality than previously expected.
I went back to Canada, devastated. I could barely walk 50 meters without sitting down to rest. Standing was tiring. My back ached and I go dizzy all the time. My speech was slurred and I could not keep a train of thought- much less write. I was infertile- unable to have more children. I was angry with my baby and furious with myself. How could I have made such a mistake? How could this be my life now? I had spoken to thousands of people about the benefits of holistic health, of using food as medicine, of trusting your body. And now I was dependent on multiple pharmaceuticals just to survive. Food had lost its appeal, my zest for life was gone. My day to day shifted from inspiring and motivating dozens of people to just surviving for me and my daughter. I kept asking myself- the pituitary is the size of a pea- how can something so small cause so much damage? I had lost faith in myself as a teacher, how could I preach what I could no longer practice?
It was a pretentious endocrinologist that started to change things. I sat across from him as he criticized my choices, basically squarely blaming me for this ailment and asking me not to ‘buy into all that holistic stuff’. I asked him if there was any hope of healing this condition and he said “No, you will never heal, this is permanent. If you take your medication as directed you will lead a relatively normal life, albeit with some complications, and this is the best we can hope for in these circumstances.”
In that moment I felt so helpless and powerless. I felt the pain of each of my clients as they had sat in front of me, saying they were about to give up, or felt that their body had deserted them. I had always empathized, but I never truly could relate until that moment. Something bigger than me came up and I shouted “YES I WILL!” I had to start healing for all of us who are dependent on medication, who's body feels foreign, and who’s hope for a vibrant life is growing dim. I decided in that moment that I would do everything I could to set and example- to be that one success story that inspires and lends hope. I had to fall in love with myself and my body- something I had never done before.
I started learning everything I could about regulating my hormones naturally, and practicing what I could to bring my body into balance. It was so difficult to do alone though, so progress was slow. It was when I went back to Dominican and I met a man named Eric Edmeades, that things really started to change. I was teaching his wife cooking classes, and he came bounding out of his office after one of his Mastermind calls. We immediately clicked, our philosophies about health and wellness totally aligned and I knew I wanted to be a member of his team- I just was not sure how to make it happen. However, I believed in the law of attraction and the power of the Universe, so I let things line up naturally, and they did. When I was offered a coaching position with his company, WildFit, I was told I had to take part in their 90 day challenge. I was a bit frustrated, as I wanted to get to work right away- I wondered what I could possibly learn that I did not already know about nutrition and wellness.
What happened next was nothing less than a paradigm shift. I learned all of the food rules that I had created that were limiting me, and how much I depended on willpower to avoid the foods I knew were unsupportive. I learned to listen to my food dialogue- the relationship that I had with food, and I started healing deep wounds that I had created through an eating disorder when I was younger. However, more than achieving food freedom, I finally had the support of a group to hold me accountable to my goals and support me in my healing journey. I had always been on the other side of this journey, and it felt so good to be a part of a tribe who understood my struggles and were working toward their own similar goals. In those 90 days I started to feel a clarity and energy that had been so unattainable in the year before- but it was not until my next crisis that I truly understood the power of WildFit.
After the 90 day challenge I started to feel much worse, I was once again dizzy, weak and had pain all over my body. My legs felt like lead going upstairs. I was so disheartened. How could I have gone through this process and now have all these symptoms back? I tried to ignore it, until one day I passed out. My mother brought me to the ER and they started doing tests. Was my blood toxic? Did I have a terrible virus? They drew more and more blood and I waited in a hospital bed. Finally, after 3 shift changes, a new doctor came to ask me if I had increased my medication on my own accord. "OF COURSE NOT!" I said. I knew all of the negative side effects associated with these pills so of course I would not take more than I absolutely needed. “Oh, that is really strange” he said. “Your thyroid and adrenal levels are off the charts- what could possibly be happening?” He did not know, he could not believe it, but I knew. “What has changed in your life?” he asked. “I started following the natural human diet” I replied. I went home with instructions to stop taking my meds until I felt ‘normal’ again. I continued on without these meds at a new ‘low normal’. I was healing from this ‘incurable’ hormone syndrome.
So now, with more belief than ever in the body’s ability to heal itself, when given the proper nourishment to do so, I offer everyone who may be struggling with chronic illness or hormonal dysfunction to work with me. I have walked the path, I understand the struggles, and I know the way to healing.
I was bleeding out. My body, always so strong, had surrendered to allow my strong baby to burst through my cervix with her foot tied by our cord to her head. The hemorrhaging, from my birth pool to my backup clinic was too severe- and my pituitary gland ‘irreparably’ damaged- but I didn’t know this yet.
After 2 weeks of no milk in my breasts my Doula suggested that I may be dealing with Sheehan’s Syndrome- a rare condition to Western birth’s due to quick blood transfusions. I was in denial. When I finally visited an endocrinologist in Santo Domingo, she said the fact that I meditate and practice mindfulness daily was probably the only reason I had not gone into shock, fell unconscious, and died.
You see, Sheehan’s Syndrome means my pituitary gland no longer functions properly. My other glands don’t receive the hormones’ messages that they need to function. So, my thyroid, adrenal glands and ovaries don’t work anymore- and I needed to supplement hormones for the rest of my life- which was expected to be shorter and of lesser quality than previously expected.
I went back to Canada, devastated. I could barely walk 50 meters without sitting down to rest. Standing was tiring. My back ached and I go dizzy all the time. My speech was slurred and I could not keep a train of thought- much less write. I was infertile- unable to have more children. I was angry with my baby and furious with myself. How could I have made such a mistake? How could this be my life now? I had spoken to thousands of people about the benefits of holistic health, of using food as medicine, of trusting your body. And now I was dependent on multiple pharmaceuticals just to survive. Food had lost its appeal, my zest for life was gone. My day to day shifted from inspiring and motivating dozens of people to just surviving for me and my daughter. I kept asking myself- the pituitary is the size of a pea- how can something so small cause so much damage? I had lost faith in myself as a teacher, how could I preach what I could no longer practice?
It was a pretentious endocrinologist that started to change things. I sat across from him as he criticized my choices, basically squarely blaming me for this ailment and asking me not to ‘buy into all that holistic stuff’. I asked him if there was any hope of healing this condition and he said “No, you will never heal, this is permanent. If you take your medication as directed you will lead a relatively normal life, albeit with some complications, and this is the best we can hope for in these circumstances.”
In that moment I felt so helpless and powerless. I felt the pain of each of my clients as they had sat in front of me, saying they were about to give up, or felt that their body had deserted them. I had always empathized, but I never truly could relate until that moment. Something bigger than me came up and I shouted “YES I WILL!” I had to start healing for all of us who are dependent on medication, who's body feels foreign, and who’s hope for a vibrant life is growing dim. I decided in that moment that I would do everything I could to set and example- to be that one success story that inspires and lends hope. I had to fall in love with myself and my body- something I had never done before.
I started learning everything I could about regulating my hormones naturally, and practicing what I could to bring my body into balance. It was so difficult to do alone though, so progress was slow. It was when I went back to Dominican and I met a man named Eric Edmeades, that things really started to change. I was teaching his wife cooking classes, and he came bounding out of his office after one of his Mastermind calls. We immediately clicked, our philosophies about health and wellness totally aligned and I knew I wanted to be a member of his team- I just was not sure how to make it happen. However, I believed in the law of attraction and the power of the Universe, so I let things line up naturally, and they did. When I was offered a coaching position with his company, WildFit, I was told I had to take part in their 90 day challenge. I was a bit frustrated, as I wanted to get to work right away- I wondered what I could possibly learn that I did not already know about nutrition and wellness.
What happened next was nothing less than a paradigm shift. I learned all of the food rules that I had created that were limiting me, and how much I depended on willpower to avoid the foods I knew were unsupportive. I learned to listen to my food dialogue- the relationship that I had with food, and I started healing deep wounds that I had created through an eating disorder when I was younger. However, more than achieving food freedom, I finally had the support of a group to hold me accountable to my goals and support me in my healing journey. I had always been on the other side of this journey, and it felt so good to be a part of a tribe who understood my struggles and were working toward their own similar goals. In those 90 days I started to feel a clarity and energy that had been so unattainable in the year before- but it was not until my next crisis that I truly understood the power of WildFit.
After the 90 day challenge I started to feel much worse, I was once again dizzy, weak and had pain all over my body. My legs felt like lead going upstairs. I was so disheartened. How could I have gone through this process and now have all these symptoms back? I tried to ignore it, until one day I passed out. My mother brought me to the ER and they started doing tests. Was my blood toxic? Did I have a terrible virus? They drew more and more blood and I waited in a hospital bed. Finally, after 3 shift changes, a new doctor came to ask me if I had increased my medication on my own accord. "OF COURSE NOT!" I said. I knew all of the negative side effects associated with these pills so of course I would not take more than I absolutely needed. “Oh, that is really strange” he said. “Your thyroid and adrenal levels are off the charts- what could possibly be happening?” He did not know, he could not believe it, but I knew. “What has changed in your life?” he asked. “I started following the natural human diet” I replied. I went home with instructions to stop taking my meds until I felt ‘normal’ again. I continued on without these meds at a new ‘low normal’. I was healing from this ‘incurable’ hormone syndrome.
So now, with more belief than ever in the body’s ability to heal itself, when given the proper nourishment to do so, I offer everyone who may be struggling with chronic illness or hormonal dysfunction to work with me. I have walked the path, I understand the struggles, and I know the way to healing.
