Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlyn Porter.
Hi Carlyn, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am an intelligent thinker with a willingness to learn, and it took some time to figure out what to do with this energy. My friends and family helped me see my strengths: that I am strong-willed, driven, determined, that I am willing to take risks, and am not held down by adversity. My positive attitude and compassion allow me to connect with an engaging sincerity that is open-minded. I am intrigued by the unique qualities of the people I meet and want to see them thrive.
My adolescence laid the foundation for my strengths to be realized.
As a young teen, I was diagnosed with severe scoliosis. My care plan led to a spinal fusion surgery when I was 15. Though I normalized what I went through, experiencing medical intervention at an influential age left a big scar physically and emotionally.
It wasn’t until well into my 20s that I became aware of my body’s need for healing. I put myself in therapy to address emotional wounds and I began to dabble with food, sometimes going vegetarian. Inside I knew something wasn’t right and food was a gateway. As I began to look into what I needed to do to take care of my spinal fusion as I aged I was surprised at how difficult it was to find any information that was helpful. When I began looking in new places, I discovered an entire world that was there the entire time, I just didn’t have exposure to it.
In 2015, I began to blog about my experiences and things I was learning as I began my growth into an “empowered patient”. I took ownership of my health in a way I never had before. It became important to me to share my experience and be a light for girls diagnosed with scoliosis. I don’t want them to have to go through what I went through. I also want to ease the minds of the parents. A scary diagnosis is just as hard on the caretaker as it is on the child.
This has driven me to be an online resource, spreading comfort and encouragement on my blog and social media. I enjoy sharing research articles and ways of being physically active to promote a healthy lifestyle because I didn’t have exposure to it when I was young. I want to be a living example of overcoming the scoliosis condition (even when the curves remain) and not being overwhelmed to the point of inaction as can happen when we get caught up in the fear of the unknown.
What breaks my heart about the world today is that it feels like we are only responsible for ourselves. We’ve lost a sense of community and tradition. We are isolated and suffering. The challenge I seek to solve is to make healthy lifestyle choices easy, fun, and rewarding. People feel defeated by treatable non-life-threatening conditions because of a lack of personalized holistic care. Too many patients experience the emotional toll that comes with their needs and concerns being dismissed, and spend a lot of money but don’t have the support to create an environment for healing. We can’t expect to get better in the same environment that made us sick.
My healing journey has taken me to a place where I am in touch with myself and who I am. It’s a great place to be and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. As my bonus mom once told me “live a life you love and then share it”, and that is what I intend to do.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It felt like my health came crashing down after a bad breakup in 2017. I was not ok. I learned the tough lesson of what happens when we lose ourselves in a relationship with someone who is not a safe person to be attached to emotionally. I’d never experienced such an intense physical response to emotional volatility until that relationship. Everything became clear as I recovered from the heartbreak. The panic attacks, the way my body held onto tension when my boundaries weren’t respected, how I responded to stress by reaching for a glass of wine, the way I would carry more than my fair share at work regardless of the toll it took. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the wake-up call I needed and the time when I decided there was no going back to the way things were before.
I began working with an integrative nurse practitioner and she monitored me as I went through an intense gut healing as I followed the autoimmune paleo protocol (AIP). I lost a scary amount of weight, and I was spending way too much money shooting in the dark on what supplements to take to get my body to go in the direction I wanted.
During this time, I became friends with a woman who had gone through healing for the same conditions I was struggling with. She introduced me to essential oils and connected me to a community of like-minded women. When I began working with her as my holistic health coach, it provided a path towards a tailored plan that allowed me to pinpoint where my body needed support and step forward in my healing one layer at a time. This approach was so effective that she trained me to provide this same service to others, and that is what I do now. After experiencing the struggles involved in elimination diets, I instead focus on intuitive eating and rotating foods, eating the rainbow, and being an adventurous eater. I have a high level of empathy for people looking to heal their bodies with food. I’ve been there, I understand the emotional side of it and I encourage building a relationship with food that is positive and nourishing.
It amazes me that as I healed my body, other areas of my life went through healing as well. I never would have believed it if someone had told me where I’d be now. I find myself surrounded by the love of all types, from friends, family, and a caring partner. My healing journey was so much more than focusing on food. Though it was where it all started, it truly was a gateway to so much more. When I look at the romantic relationship I find myself in now, I see a mirror of mutual loving-kindness that is supportive, encouraging, and rooted in values. The life I live now is an honest reflection of who I am and what my heart desires.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
As an essential oils brand partner, I educate customers on how to reduce exposure to endocrine disruptors and toxic chemicals by replacing them with quality essential oils for day-to-day living. Essential oils helped me adopt a toxin-free lifestyle and became an integral means of support to my body and my emotions while creating a beautiful atmosphere for my home.
As a practitioner joining the Empowered Healing Community – a network of holistic practitioners – starting this Fall I will work one-on-one with clients to help them incorporate the healing power of food in their wellness journey.
The difference I make through this business is demystifying chronic conditions, digestive issues, structural asymmetry, and autoimmunity. I focus on lifestyle changes that support the body. This is identified through bio-communication software that analyzes the client’s specific needs. This method transformed my life and I am so glad I get to share it with others. I enjoy approaching healing with an abundance mindset rather than a place of lack, working with a client to identify foods, essential oils, affirmations, and the right physical activity that is in line with their bio-individuality.
Now, more than ever, we need to be in charge of our own health. As women, we tend to care greatly for others, and sometimes we need a loving reminder to care for ourselves too. I help women who are stressed out and overworked and feel like their hormones are out of whack. I help them break the fight-flight-freeze cycle and get their energy back so they can enjoy life again.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I grew up in Birmingham, Michigan, just outside of Detroit, Michigan. I have fond memories of living there and one memory, in particular, is extra special to me. My older sister Julia and I are close in age and it meant a lot to me when she would let me go on adventures with her. She loved reading and her favorite place was the library.
I remember riding our bikes to the library and it was thrilling. As a shy and quiet kid, I had a very active inner world, so for me, this was as fun as traveling to a faraway land. When we’d get to the library I’d walk down the aisles, picking up books that caught my attention, flipping through them, and getting excited for what remained to be discovered within the pages. Sometimes I would wander over to the room where they kept the grown-up books. It didn’t look as fun as where they had the kid’s books, but the world felt so expansive on that side like we had access to anything we could ever want to know about, we only needed to take the time to look.
To this day the library is one of my favorite places to be. I enjoy the calm and quiet, sometimes going there to browse, read or write. Every library has its own personality and I love having the variety to switch it up and spend time in a library that matches my mood for that day.
Pricing:
- $150 per session
Contact Info:
- Email: info@carlynporter.com
- Website: http://www.carlynporter.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswithcarlyn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1327196337489956/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlynporter
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZjEbvPnKmlE478eG64KykQ
- Other: https://www.thecurvytruth.com
