We recently connected with Dawn Hope and have shared our conversation below.
Dawn, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
First and foremost, I learned resilience from my mother. She loved and still (lucky me!) loves me dearly, and has always encouraged me that I could do anything…the world was truly my canvus if I kept showing up and caring deeply. Next, from my two children. From my son, Elyjah I learned courageous resilience. Brave, pick yourself up off the floor, pause, breathe and laugh…A LOT kind of resilience. And, from my daughter, who early in my life ignited my passion for understanding healing and wellness. It wasn’t an easy journey, like many of the journeys we take towards health, healing and wellness. The story goes like a little like this…There once was a spirited and happy little girl who entered kindergarten. We thought she was bright and talented (and of course she was). Life went on with its inevitable ups and downs, and she loved school, but by third grade pressures begin to build. She seemed increasing listless and detached. It was soon after she started to clench her fists, strain in contorted ways and develop tics. Various doctors diagnosed Tourettes Syndrome and told us her chances of getting better were slim. The tics worsened, she developed an anxiety disorder that left her for months at a time unable to leave her room. We took her to doctors, opting at least initially for not the medication route. Instead, we used diet and lifestyle changes, herbs, homeopathy, visualization, neuro-feedback and many other holistic modalities. And, she got better. Deena Metzeger says that.”the pathology of the body is writ large in the society and that it isn’t an accident that the illness we are suffering at this point in history are analogous to social and global ills.”
Our story is special becuase it is our story, and the little girl is, of course, my daughter. But it is not an usual story, at least not in my world! It is a story I hear time and time again by the clients who come in for Thermography Screenings, but with differnt stories of healing and healh and with different outcomes. It is through her that I have learned to never give up, to keep learning, listening and trying, and most of all….trusting life as it is.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Dawn Hope and I”m a certified clinical Thermographer. I own and operate The Thermography Center with my daughter, Amanda and our dedicated and nurturing thermographer Sage. I have a Masters in Education and feel passionate about health, healing and wellness. I have been in service to others most of my life through teaching children and teenagers, massage therapy, therapuetic yoga, cancer coach, and currently, I’m in a Buddhist Chaplaincy program.
I’m dedicated to helping people ‘see’ their bodies through 100% safe, radiation free thermography breast screenings and body scans. They then, with their holistic healthcare pracitioners guidance, can become agents of change towards better health. There are many choices for monitoring body and breast health, including mammography, ultrasound, MRI and blood labs. All are good choices, and its important for clients to understand the different pros and cons of each kind of test so they can choose the test which most aligns with their healthcare needs. Educating and supporting our clients before, during and after their appointments has been such a privledge.. to all the women (and men) we have screened over the many years since procuring the business in 2011!
We screen in 9 differnt locations throughout the greater Los Angeles area and Central California. Every year we offer discounted screenings during the months of January and October, in honor of Breast Cancer Prevention month. We also work with the United Breast Cancer Foundation which offers are clients scholarships which can help pay for their breast screening. We are proud to say we are a woman owned business, and the business was initally started and has been passed down by women. The Thermography Centers is a compassionate based business, nurtured by our desire to offer goodwill, good service and to help people be happier and healthier!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Right now on my journey, the three qualities I value most are the ability to trust the unknown and the uncertainty of life. Trusting just what is. This is very important to me because it helps people who are struggling with disease, especially with cancer, trust each day as it comes…not reaching or worrying or catastrphising about their fears or worries. It helps them to stay focused on their healing plan, trusting the unfolding of life, and all the possbiliies that may come to be!
Second, the quality of bearing whitness to whatever shows up. So if someone is really going through a rough period in their lives, I can hold the space and walk alongside their needs. This give them a companion rather than someone telling them how to get better, how to get help. It is an empowering strategy to see whatever the client needs at any given moment or time. Thirdly, to offer compassionate action to my clients. Pausing, then asking, how can I best be of service to them?
I think these skills have been with me for years, Im just getting better and clearer on when and how to use them best.
My advice to folks on their journey through life is to care deeply and tenderly and love unconditionally. People get sick, not only from the toxic junk we ingest from the food we eat or the chemicals we are exposed to, but also from the stress in our everyday lives. Remembering that kindness goes a long way.
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?
We at The Thermography Centers are always looking for different health care professionals to collaborate with, including holistic healthcare practitioners. We provide the imaging and the radiologists/MDs who do are interpreting, provide the findings of the images we take in a written report. We offer phone consulations for clarification and guidance, but what we really want to do is get our clients into the hands of excellent and dedicated practioners so they can receive the care they deserve. Currently we refer to oncologists, massage therapists, integrative MDs, naturopaths, cancer clinics, acupuncturists and many other kinds of pracitioners! We want all our clients, in our different locations, to feel supported. We want them to understand their Thermography report findings and know what options they have in treating a disease or implenting more proactive or preventative kinds of healing modalities.
If you are a health care provider or practioner in the health field, we would be very interested in knowing about you and understanding what you may have to offer our clients! For more information about thermography scans and what is thermography or more about us, go to our website: www.thethermographycenter.com. To reach us, call our office number at, 805-560-7602 or contact me directly through my email, [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thethermographycenter.com
- Instagram: thermography_center
- Facebook: The Thermography Center
- Youtube: ThermographyCenterSB /The Thermography Center
- Yelp: The Thermography Center
Image Credits
Women in photo on coach, my mom, Gael Belden, my daugher, Amanda Scharnberg and myself, Dawn Belden-Hope
Sage Ryan-Fenwick, our dedicated certified clinical thermographer
Photo of my daughter and I at a Solstic parade in Santa Barbara dressed for the celebration!
Photo of my daugher with a baby goat when she was pregnant with her first baby, Arlo
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
