We recently connected with Sondra Cleghorn and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sondra, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
The truth is, I never really thought I had a lot of resilience. Resilience to me was a person that worked through huge setbacks and became successful in every part of life. Someone that went through tortures that we could not even imagine. Someone that was super successful at whatever they put their mind to.
I definitely never thought I fell into that category. I mean, I knew I went through a lot as a child, but was I really triumphant and successful after it all?
So as I read through the question of where do you get your resilience, I think back on all the times I have felt in the depths of despair and all the times I was able to pull myself out and turn my life around even if it’s just a slight steering towards the light. What I realized is that it doesn’t have to be a 180 full turn,, even a gentle nudge in the opposite direction, choosing that- each moment, and each day, a turn towards light is creating more resilience.
Finding self-love and nurturing that love is how I became more resilient.
I grew up in a loud, sometimes unsafe feeling, sometimes abusive home. but with that there was also lot of deep love.
My dad was an alcoholic . He was the kind of drunk that would never make it inside for family dinner, but instead would pass out o. the garage floor, on the picnic table, wherever he found a spot to shut off.
My mom was left to take care of four kids, I was the oldest. My mom was stretched thin and any mistake could put her over the edge. But she also gave us so much love and that’s what saved us. I went on to take care of my dad for about seven years until he died, while raising two kids of my own. Finding the Strength to provide space to treat him with decency and respect because those are my values, giving up a lot of my life to take care of a man that I hated, but also loved, that’s resilience.
Throughout my life, I have had health challenges, dysfunctional relationships, depression, illness, heartbreaks, just like everyone else. I’ve always had the resilience to look towards my light- good friends, laughing, being honest and open with what I’m going through, being outside in nature . I realized that once I took control of the health of my body and found power in being able to heal myself, and love myself, at that point, I knew that whatever I’m up against I can always eventually look to the light.
The journey of self love is just that, a journey. It’s never a destination.
Somehow through years body dysmorphia, questioning if I was anyone, someone would love and accept, hating and torturing my body, not trusting my heart, not listening to my intuition, now, as I am reaching middle-age this is where I find the most self acceptance, the most love.
Realizing that if you don’t love yourself, no one else can. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of other people. You can love your flaws. You can love your own company, you can take yourself on a date and treat her to something she has always wanted. This is how you build resilience.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner certified through the nutritional therapy association. I love to work with women, I love to help them create lifestyles that heal and create the vibrant person that they have lost. So many women in their 40s and especially if you’ve had kids, get disconnected from their body, heart and soul. Once they get disconnected, it’s hard to find their way back, to feel good in their body, to feel happy and hopeful.
I do Wellness Counseling for women and I also have a program I developed called the Dream Body Program. This program is for women that want to create the body they always dreamed of. The body that they feel like home in, the one that has the energy, passion and desire to do all the fun things they want to do, The body that feels good. The body they love to see in the mirror.in this program, I focus on 12 weeks of learning and support, including mindset, self-care rituals, pleasure, how to eat, what supplements to take, how to move to heal and build a strong body, and much much more.
It’s super exciting for me because I love to see the transformation and shift into women that are energetic, happy, healthy, passionate and excited about life!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Follow your passion. Follow what lights you up, what gets you out of bed in the morning, follow the love. And then you just keep going that direction eventually, you end up in a place that’s meaningful.
2. Get enough sunlight. For any woman trying to create any one thing, you need to have good health. We are human batteries that need charging by the sun in order to be healthy and productive. Morning sunlight, every day with no glasses contacts or sunscreen.
3. Create a strong morning and evening routine to support your dreams and goals. What you do the night before has a huge impact on your energy and drive the next day. Honor that time, get off your phone early, turn the lights down low, really focus on getting good sleep.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
First I need to mention a book that every woman should read: Women Who Run with the Wolves, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Our culture does not have rights of passage for women and men. This book serves as a right of passage for women. Connect with that part of you to come BACK in to your self.
I would LOVE to collaborate with like minded women in the wellness space. Maybe a it’s a neat beauty product or supplement, maybe its a pilates instructor or a chef, another nutritionist would be amazing as well. Please email or call me: 415-279-4419
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sashiwellness.com
- Instagram: @sashiwellness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sashiwellness
Image Credits
Melissa McArdle
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