In this edition, I want to tell you a bit about myself and my personal story. Let’s talk about how Live Magically came to be and why this mission is so important. The Live Magically story begins when I felt very unfulfilled. It was before I believed I could create what I wanted. By the end, hopefully, you will have more of an idea of what you’re getting into here!
Before we get into it, I want to give you a general warning. I may not be the kind of person you want to listen to in public or with little ears nearby. That goes for reading when someone is peeking over the shoulder, too. Some of the content in Live Magically may be classified as adult topics or vocabulary. This is because bringing light to different things builds awareness, which is essential to heal and grow. I’ll try to keep it G-rated, but you may want privacy or headphones for some editions.
Okay, now let’s talk about the Live Magically story!
The Live Magically Story – Before Magic
The Live Magically story began before I knew about magic. Many of us experience magic as children. We believe in fairy tales and all kinds of things. Then we experience a lot of life and messages from society. We often lose those beliefs and sometimes even hope.
Throughout college, undergrad, and a few years after, I was pretty much just fumbling around. 18 to twenty-somethings don’t always know what they want. Sometimes what they think they want doesn’t work out, or they get into it and it’s not right. That was me – a mix of it. I had some dreams that didn’t work out. Since I had always been business-minded, I thought a bachelor’s of business administration would work. Also, the program was such that I could take extra classes and graduate in three years instead of four. That was appealing because I hated school and wanted to be done as fast as possible.
Note this red flag that I didn’t acknowledge at the time.
I ended up getting a couple of jobs after graduating, up to three at a time. It was okay for a while because I was making some money. However, the excitement of having a “real job” wore off. I began to dread going to work. Sunday evenings were met with stress and gloom in anticipation of Monday mornings. When my alarm went off each morning, I groaned. Dragging myself to work and sitting at a desk all day was completely draining. There was no passion. What I was doing professionally was not aligned with my core values. It was fine, and perhaps a dream of others, but not for me. I didn’t even know my life purpose, but had a deep, burning desire to find out. Switching to a new job helped, but not nearly enough.
Every other area of my life was suffering.
While I had some amazing people in my life, there were also some very unhealthy relationships. The term “relationships” is generally thought to be romantic in nature, but it can also apply to family, friends, coworkers, and even self. The most important relationship, the one with myself, was abysmal. I didn’t know what I wanted, was a stranger to boundaries, and “went with the flow” when the flow was harming me.
My social life needed a lot of work. Most activities were centered around behaviors that didn’t serve me, such as eating lots of unhealthy foods. There was even some drinking – gasp! Don’t get me wrong – I am not at all blaming peer pressure. Living off of embarrassingly little more than free coffee, donuts, and cake at work, social food on the weekends, and brown rice, pasta, and ice cream at home was entirely my decision. There was a lot of negativity and not a lot of growth. It may have seemed fun or the easy way at times, but I paid for it after. Those choices added up to the harder, less fun reality. I knew I was on a path of destruction. Switching jobs helped, but not enough.
The need to get away was relentless. So, I did what any “rational” person would do. Seemingly out of nowhere, I hopped on a couple of flights to Africa to teach second grade as a volunteer. Even though I felt like I had $0 to spare and needed to be working, I did it. My need to contribute to something bigger was greater than my need to remain stagnant. When I returned to the U.S., it was with new awareness and motivation.
The Live Magically Story – Building Magic
I don’t remember the exact details or timeline, but I began to focus on creating a much healthier lifestyle. The gist is that I cut way back on self-destruction. Also, I felt a strong pull toward the health and wellness field, and going to medical school seemed right. Since my undergraduate degree was not science-related I needed to take a lot of courses before applying. It was super drawn out, as I was also working full-time to fund school and life. We’re talking years. Along the way, I married a man who prioritized health and well-being (and still does). We had our first baby. I got sick, really sick, with an invisible illness. It all came to a head when I passed out on the floor of a public restroom. That’s a story for another day, but the modern medicine route was unsuccessful, at best, in healing me.
While I respect and am extremely thankful for modern medicine, it didn’t work for me then. I fully support that route when needed, and have benefitted from it since. Also, it’s not for everyone with every single health challenge.
Long story short, I healed myself naturally. As I was becoming healthier and stronger, secondary medical school applications rolled in. I had applied to some schools, and they were offering me a chance to move to the next phase of the process of acceptance. Part of that process was to write essays and answer questions. There were two primary themes: why I wanted to be a doctor and why I wanted to go to that specific school. Writing came easily to me, yet I simply couldn’t write those responses.
Everything was adding up. Given my husband’s military career, it was likely we would have had to live apart for at least part of medical school. Considering the nature of medical school programs and their requirements, staying home with my baby while taking classes was out of the question. It was the non-modern medicine interventions that worked for me when I most needed to recover.
I didn’t want to go to medical school. It wasn’t the right path for me, and I knew that because the words would not come when I tried to respond to those questions. I could have gone to medical school and made it work no matter what. However, I wasn’t willing to make the necessary sacrifices because it wasn’t aligned with what I really wanted. There had to be something else for me.
The Live Magically Story – With Magic
Once again, it was time for a new path. I explored the opportunities available, this time really considering what I deeply wanted. There was one clear answer: a PhD in health psychology. This field combines physical and mental/emotional health. For me, it’s perfection. Looking back, it all makes so much sense.
When I was taking classes on the medical school track I would sit at a table outside a psychology lecture hall to study. That’s the spot I always picked because the professor left the door open. I was fascinated as he spoke to one class after another. Why didn’t I get the message sooner? When I prepared for the MCAT, psychology was the section I was always excited to study. It was the section of my highest score, too. Of course, I was and am very interested in so many things about medical sciences and the human body, like the brain and nervous system, immune system, all of it together. The psychological interest is just a lot stronger. All the signs were there the whole time.
Health psychology it is!
I chose the school and program with online classes and flexibility. This allowed me to move with my husband and his career, and stay home with my daughter while working to pay for it. It was the option that literally checked every single one of the boxes for what I deeply wanted.
Just like my master’s program in public health, I devoured my courses enthusiastically and finished early. Finishing early wasn’t because I was desperate to be done. Instead, it was because I couldn’t get enough of it fast enough. While graduating was a celebration, there was also an element of sadness because it was over. That never happened with my bachelor’s degree or any other schooling aside from public health. I had definitely found my passion and purpose. Everything aligned – career, family, health, life, the works.
It’s rare, but it doesn’t have to be.
Throughout the years of navigating my career, parenting, health challenges, and all the things, I realized what I have created is extremely rare. So many women and mothers suffer. They feel they have to choose between being present as a parent, prioritizing physical and mental/emotional health, and fulfilling their own dreams. It doesn’t have to be like that. I’m on a mission to help families thrive in all areas of life, together. That’s why I created Live Magically.
The Live Magically story is not about everything unfolding perfectly. Trust me, there were plenty of times along the way that I considered quitting. That wouldn’t have worked because life wouldn’t have been as great. The Live Magically story is about taking one step, and then another, when there is no clear path. Further, it’s about choosing to keep searching and trying things, even when the dream seems impossible. It’s believing no matter what the challenges.
Create YOUR Live Magically Story!
Living Magically is creating and living your dreams without sacrificing the things most important to you. I’m here to help you along the way. Tell me what’s happening with you, including your dreams and challenges. Can’t wait to hear about your own Live Magically story, wherever you are on the journey!
You have heard my Live Magically story, now what?
Please share this content with anyone you feel would benefit. I want to help as many people as possible to Live Magically. Comments on blog posts and videos, and reviews on podcast episodes, help to get this message out to those who need it. So, if you leave a comment or review, I have a special gift for you. Email a screenshot of your comment or review to ashley@olivinewellnes.com and I will email you back with a PDF guide to help you Live Magically.
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Thank you so much for being part of my community and have a magical day!
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