​Soul Growth Wellness was founded to help our human family heal, treat our minds and bodies well, and to thrive and grow in the face of difficulty. Always looking to love ourselves and be true to ourselves.

My Story

I wish I could say that the journey to feeling better as a highly sensitive person, empath, and neurospicy girl was clean and simple, but life is messy! And I am a messy girl. And that is okay. These are easily two of the most important sentences for my life right now. My story starts in being stressed to the point of insanity, literally. I've been hospitalized for my mental health a few times and needed to do a lot of inner work in order to regain my life! My joy! The beautiful things I deserve solely because I am alive! 

My experience to feeling better and being better started with combatting all that negative self talk and overthinking that made always wonder, "am I enough?" "Can I make it?" "What's wrong with me?" Endlessly going over my mistakes dozens of time to try to figure out how to feel better about who I was and how I showed up in the world. I spent a lot of time in the beginning just pivoting from automatic negative self talk to something more moderate, eventually moving into self compassion and self kindness. I had to practice this a lot! And I still do everyday!

Years before my first hospitalization, I began reading as much as I could about self improvement, eating regimens, exercise regimens, and specific things to deal with issues like depression, anxiety, and fear. Over the course of this time, I learned a great deal. But...I failed to put any of that into action. I couldn't understand my failure to improve my relationships, my physical health and my mental health. I was anxious of communicating with partners, I was depressed and fearful of ever moving an inch outside my comfort zone. And I drank like a fish and smoked all the time.

But of course, nothing changed, because nothing changed! I didn't change the "inside" of me. I thought I needed to put into practice new habits with perfection. I certainly didn't think I deserved a reward or had much worth, unless I was perfect. You see where I am going here...until I changed and transformed my way of perceiving myself and the world, I would always fail to do what was necessary to improve my life.

Through therapy, coaching, support groups, lots of introspection, journaling and committing to baby steps rather than mountain-sized leaps I managed to apply many of the suggestions from my previous readings into my everyday life. Then a thing happened... I noticed that I felt good about myself, that I was happy for once! I couldn't believe it! All that inner work, taking small steps, letting go the desire for perfection and being okay with making mistakes and seeing them as learning opportunities finally improved my life in ways I didn't imagine were possible until they happened. And I still follow that path today, always unwrapping ways perfectionism shows up in my life and limits my ability to be truly free and happy.

My process to healing and growing past my anxiety hasn't been a perfect unyielding spiral upward. Relapses into less self loving behaviors pop up now and again. But things like cleaning up my negative self talk, reducing unhealthy types of self medication, beginning a mindfulness practice to sit in my discomfort, prayer and developing a spiritual practice was the particular cocktail that worked for me.

Everyone is different, but there are very few regular practitioners of mindfulness and meditation who aren't feeling the benefits of a calmer mind and a calmer body.

In terms of mindset, the single most important realization I had was that my life was my own and that meant things were my responsibility.  Compassion from others helps, but there comes a time when we need to find our inner peace, regardless of the chaos going on around us. That’s where I am today. But we'll see about tomorrow. Life is frequently a journey of ups and down and new discoveries of the self. None of this easy, self awareness is a pretty all encompassing job truth be told, but...I can go where I want (but it takes effort), have the conversations I need to have (while telling myself it's okay to desire things and take up space), approach things that make me fearful with courage, and a resilience to bounce back when my fears come true.

I chose this field because I believe I can be of service to my clients through engaging their mind, body, and spirit. We thrive when we're good to ourselves. Being healthy is all about balancing the social, career, romantic pairings, mind health and body health together. Although not all at the same time. We're human. But it is important to put the necessary time into each category of your life to produce your best self. So you enjoy you! Truly relishing the beauty of your being because you are worth it.

It is through these experiences that I decided to share my life, my empathy, my reflections, and my gentle guidance with others on how to find that richness and ability to say, "I am happy. I am fulfilled. I know where I want to go next," and mean it through and through.

Much love and positive vibes your way,
Santee


Background Trainings: Achology Academy for Life Coaching & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy skills, Illinois Institute of Technology for Recovery Support Specialist (RSS), Cortiva Institute for Massage Therapy. Licensure in Massage Therapy in Illinois, Certification in Recovery Support Specialist in Illinois.