Thee conference of the year! The IIN conference – holy cannoli bananas mostacholli! ohemgee wow! I want to say there are no words for this experience bc that’s the figure of speech but I have so many words. I am so grateful that I took the leap to NYC to experience an amazingly powerful collaboration between IIN, the speakers – more like the engagers – and all the beautiful health coaches! We met at Frederick P. Rose Hall inside Jazz at Lincoln Center. There were cheerleaders at the entrance when I got off the elevators to enter the event. Instantly, the energy changed from disconnected people walking down the streets of NYC to energized people who made me feel like they were truly happy I was there in that space with them. It’s such a great feeling, especially when you’re in a town of a bunch of hustle and bustlers.
I went by myself. I didn’t know anybody and I felt like I knew everybody. I was in the presence of like-minded people who I truly felt connected with. And we all have the same intention, to transform health! I learned so much while I was there. My intention of attending this event was in hopes of help my coaching business flourish but what I got was something completely unexpected. My cup was overfilled this weekend and although it will undoubtedly help my business, the personal growth that I received is unmeasured. Like, I can’t wait to get home and get to work on myself. I now know that I have so much to offer others and I have newly discovered ways of doing so. I don’t care what anybody says, nobody who is helping others has their shit all put together. Ok maybe Gandhi but everybody else has work to do, some just more than others. Doctors, nurses, therapists, health coaches, we all have our own shit that we deal with outside of the workplace. But I am so ready to own it, all the things, all the lies I’ve been telling myself, all the limitations that I thought were true, all the fears of failure, all the feelings of self doubt, all that shit I’m throwing in the trash. Babyyyyeeee! And the beautiful collaboration of beautiful humans who shared their hearts with us in that hall for two days gave me the permission.
Sometimes, all you need is a nudge from the right source. I can’t say that I don’t have people in my life that believe in me. My husband is my biggest support and if you asked him, he’d tell you that there is no limit to what I’m capable of. It’s easy to passively accept compliments or affirmations from the people who are close to you. I think, subconsciously, that we undermine their thoughts or praises bc we feel like they are obligated to have those thoughts or say the things you want to hear.
But anyways, I’m so so glad that I went on this trip. When I first got there I had anxiety – being in a big city, having to take public transportation, and opening my heart to learning and expression. Like I did all of those things and I’m so dang proud of myself. I explored. I met new people. I saw old friends – they housed me. I saw my cousin. I saw a show. I ate. I drank. I walked so damn much that my feet are wicked sore. Not sore from wearing bad shoes. Sore bc they haven’t been used that much in a long time. I wish I could attend this conference over and over!
The conference included talks and engagements from the following:
- DR. ANDREW WEIL – Functional Medicine expert – legit my hero!
- ROBYN YOUKILIS – founder and CEO of Your Healthiest You and author of bestselling books Go with Your Gut and Thin from Within
- CORA POAGE – Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, heart whisperer, and presence coach – the sweetest soul on earth!
- MICHELLE MALDONADO – mindful leadership and human potential expert and founder of Lucenscia
- LESLIE SALMON JONES and JEFF W. JONES – founders of Afro Flow Yoga® – they were so energizing and their energy was beautiful. They got us out of seats and we were dancing which was a nice break-up from from seated lectures!
- DR. TERRY WAHLS, MD – functional medicine physician and bestselling author of The Wahls Protocol – she had a radical recovery from Multiple Sclerosis – buy using diet alone! She was so inspirational and walked across the stage after being wheelchair bound for many years. You would have never know that she was ever in a debilitating state at one time!
- SAHARA ROSE – Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and bestselling author
- DR LISSA RANKIN, MD – integrative physician and founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute – she got us out of our seats and provided an amazing harmony song that we all sang together. Healing from trauma is her expertise.
- LATHAM THOMAS – author, maternity lifestyle maven, and wellness and birth coach – now she sent chills up and down my spine with guided meditation – she had us touch each other and hum and ah in harmony – the energy was so powerful!
- PILAR GERASIMO – IIN’s chief creative officer – she was the host of the event and she taught us a lot throughout the event, most notably about ultradium rhythm breaks. She is coming out with a new book soon called The Healthy Deviant.
- MEGHAN MCCARTHY – systems director of community health for PeaceHealth – this is the wonderful lady who has partnered with IIN to offer scholarships for hospital workers to get their coaching certificate from IIN. This is an unprecedented and a huge win!
- DARRELL ROGERS – IIN’s director of advocacy – this is really cool, Darrell is IIN’s lobbyist and provides advocacy for health coaches. He legit is in DC focusing on increasing the recognition of Health Coaches to ensure their continued success. He has our back! The only reason congress knows about health coaches is bc of him. We are making strides ya’ll!
- PATRICIA MORENO – creator of the intenSati method and mind-body movement champion – this girl will make you believe that you can take on the world and have no shame, no self doubt, and all of the courage!
- DAVID LUDWIG, MD, PHD, professor, nutrition researcher, obesity warrior, and bestselling author
- JIM CURTIS, IIN’s chief revenue and marketing officer
All of these speakers brought so much light into my heart! I can’t say it enough but it was a beautiful collaboration full of personal transformations, advocacy, and positive outlooks. It wasn’t your typical conference where you sit for hours on end. Every other speaker had us out of our seats, engaging with each other, sharing the love with each other and filling up our soul cups! It was thee best – I wish everybody could attend this event. I’m so so grateful I did.
This weekend taught me to get out of my own way and I intend on doing just that! Watch out world, here I come, bolder and stronger than ever. For those of you that are not aware, IIN stands for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and this is where I received my certification for health coaching. It’s an amazing program! I have been to a lot of different schools in my time but this one was truly the best! Whether you want to learn more about nutrition for personal growth or your burnt out from your current job and want to transition into a career in wellness, this program is a fit – hands down. I believe that everybody can benefit from the health coaching program. We all need our health and it’s so much more than food and exercise. Yeah that’s a big part but there’s so much more to the equation and IIN shares the keys to success and optimal wellness. For more info, check it out this link. As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
So much love,
Tay
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