At 42 I was going through a major mid-life crisis. I was in the middle of a painful divorce, My hormones were all over the place, my fast paced interior design company was wearing me out, and something was terribly wrong with my digestion. I simply was not eliminating well, and food felt like it was not digesting but just hanging around my middle. Everything I ate or drank would result in bloating that would distend my stomach by 5 - 6 inches. I was in pain with constant cramping and at time my face and hands would swell up so much I didn't leave the house. I went repeatedly to doctors who prescribed things like Miralax and told me to not worry about it, as it probably wasn't something serious. Finally my OBGYN felt the symptoms warranted a colonoscopy. It turned out that indeed, I had pre-cancerous polyps on my colon and diverticulitis. When the gastroenterologist doctor sent the results, it was just a "matter of fact" letter that stated the findings and that they had been removed along with a recommendation for a follow up in a month. I called the office and requested a visit sooner, as I really had no idea why I'd develop this: I didn't have a poor diet! I've always eaten very well! Yes, I had a secret stash of Diet Pepsi which I drank every day, and I certainly liked my wine, but my food habits were pretty stellar. When I finally spoke with him I asked him: "How bad is my colon?" He said: "It looks like the colon of an overweight, 58 year old man who eats a lot of red meat and junk food." WOW. That hit me like a ton of bricks! Then I shared how my stomach issues had been plaguing me for months, and how I felt it was devastating how I felt on a daily basis and his EXACT dismissive reply was, as he handed me a prescription for Miralax: "Well that sucks." I was not only completely livid at his response, but suddenly determined. At that exact moment, I knew that not only was I going to do everything in my power to figure out how to heal myself, but that when I did, I was going to help other people to do the same. I embarked on a long journey that led me on a path of holistic healing through diet, yoga, and major lifestyle changes which now 8 years later have resulted in a completely healed digestive system, a completely healthy colon with no signs of distress, and to feeling better and younger, now at almost 50 than I did at 42. I was so passionate about what I learned that I closed my successful interior design practice, went back to school to become a Holistic Health Coach & Lifestyle Educator, and now I help women over 40 to conquer their mid-life health challenges, with digestion, weight loss, life balance, and many other things so they can start feeling incredible about their bodies & lives again.