Q: Give us a little background on yourself, including your work experience prior to joining OHI.
A: Before working at OHI, I had my own business as a personal chef. I worked with clients that wanted to enjoy a whole-foods, plant-based diet.
Q: What made you decide to join the staff at OHI?
A: I was introduced to OHI in 2001 by a friend who worked in the OHI store at the time. It was OHI’s 25th anniversary and she invited me to the party. I fell in love with OHI immediately, and applied for an opening in the store the next day.
Q: Describe your current role at OHI.
A: I am currently a part-time facilitator but I have done almost every job on campus. I started in the store, worked both in the kitchen and front desk, and was the missionary coordinator for a time.
Q: What do you look forward to experiencing most each time a new cohort of guests arrives?
A: I love the sense of community that arises with each new week of guests. OHI is a place where people can be themselves without fear of judgment. Guests open up to the reality of their own goodness and worthiness and let go of the habitual armoring and tensing they ordinarily experience due to chronic anxiety and false beliefs. We feel safe opening up to each other, and the love that is shared in just a short time is quite profound. I am honored to be a part of this community.
Q: What is the biggest change you’ve noticed in yourself since you started working at OHI?
A: The biggest change I’ve noticed in myself since my beginning days at OHI is a growing love and acceptance for self and for others. Having the opportunity to deeply connect with the guests has shown me how alike we all are. We are all damaged in some way and have suffered greatly and yet, we are incredibly resilient and hopeful. Seeing this so clearly in others has helped me to recognize and appreciate it in myself.
Q: As a spiritual person, are there any personal spiritual experiences you’ve had since you started working at OHI that you would like to share with the OHI community?
A: Several years ago, I was going through some heavy emotional turmoil. There was a nun in the program, and she had attended the Focus class that I taught. Afterwards, she came up to me and said very sincerely that I was filled with the light of the Lord. It was the exact thing that I needed to hear at that moment to lift me out of my own self-doubt. I have had many synchronistic moments when I felt that God was using a guest as an instrument to tell me what I needed to hear. And, I hope, that I also have been able to be that instrument for others, allowing them a glimpse of their own Divine goodness.
Q: For those seeking spiritual evolution, do you have any advice that might help pivot their journey in a more productive direction?
A: My advice is to carve out time for daily meditation. Initially, it can feel difficult to sit and “do nothing”. But as we strive to be silent, we start to see the tendencies and habits of our mind, and it enables us to know ourselves as separate from our obsessive, worrying thoughts and tendencies. Connecting to this Divine Self is a journey inward where real and lasting peace resides.
In these uncertain times, look to OHI as your safe haven. As we celebrate 43 years of holistic healing, we can teach you how achieve your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual goals for optimal health. Stay safe, and be well. Above all, embrace positivity!
Visit our website at www.optimumhealth.org, or call us at (800) 588-0809
to make your reservation.