The story behind the program….

In early 2017 I was working at my part time job, ignoring an excruciating pain in the left side of my lower abdomen. Later that same day that I would receive a call that would change my life forever-my Mom and best friend had died. I flung full force into settling her affairs, getting rid of her car, her belongings and selling my childhood home.

It wouldn’t be for another 6 months that I was able to crawl out from under the grief of this loss and begin to take care of myself again. I finally addressed the pain I had been ignoring and learned from my gynecologist that the pain I had was in fact, a chronic reproductive illness called Endometriosis. Being the strong, independent ‘fixer’ that I was, I immediately went to my favorite health food store in my new town and got all the healing foods I could find-determined to heal this they was I learned how throughout my education at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

Through eating a plant-based diet and incorporating the proper supplements I began to see improvement. But I was still reeling over my Mom’s death and the emotional, financial and physical changes that occurred because of it. Her death caused me to look at my life in ways I hadn’t before- was I happy in my career? Relationships? Did I like where I lived? Did I have the support I needed? 

Five months into my healing another devastating event rocked my world-my ten-year romantic relationship with my lover and best friend, which had been rocky even before my Mom’s death-ended abruptly. I was forced to move back into my Mom’s house and into the role of caretaker, problem solver and communicator between family who didn’t want to or couldn’t communicate amongst themselves. I took my old job back, this time as a manager which meant I was working more hours, many double shifts and commuting long hours to the city from my Mom’s house in the suburbs. Needless to say I was totally and completely overwhelmed, alone and with little support.

I knew that if I was truly going to make any progress in my healing and my life, I had to find support for this process to offer me some comfort and accountability. That’s when I decided to get a health coach who had been working with a plant-based protocol approach for a few years and that’s when my healing process really gained some steam.

My coach incorporated an understanding of Developmental Trauma and Nervous System Health into the program and this is where real change began to occur. I was able to follow a stress-free food plan, heal anxiety, depression and move through the grief of not only my Mom’s death but my Dad’s death that I had many long ignored emotions about. I became more confident in my relationships and began to set clear boundaries with family and my ex who was slowly making his way back into my life. If they wanted to be here they would have to be willing to join me in this new life…

I began taking better care of myself, saying NO when something didn’t feel truly aligned, I finally took a look at my finances which had frightened me for so long and got real about my goals and dreams in life. In essence I began my own Reparenting process.

I don’t know if my Mom hadn’t died if I would be where I am today, I guess I’ll never know, but the greatest unexpected gift she has ever given me in the wake of her death is the ability to Reparent myself. It was because my main caregiver was gone in a flash that I was put face-to-face with my own self care and how I was living my life.

Her gift has changed my life forever, for the better and now I want to share that gift with you. Because we are all entitled to live the beautiful, healthy, FULL lives we desire. I created my 4-month Reparenting for Reproductive Health coaching program for just that-a safe space for you to bring your truth, your shame, your illness where its welcomed. Where who you are and the life you’ve led will never be judged but held and healed.

I created the 8 Pillars of the program in order to give structure to our work together. Here’s a little bit about the 8 Pillars in the program so you can get an idea of what each session would focus on …..

1. HERstory-in our first session together I’ll get to know all about your history, your main health concerns and goals for our time together. Telling your story can be a powerful way to open the door to healing. However, it’s your story to tell and you can share as much or as little as you’d like.
2. Truth-in our second session together you’ll get an education in how to use food, herbs and supplements to help you on your healing journey as well as do some myth-busting and ‘unlearning’ around how we’ve been taught to live in a money-driven, patriarchal society set up for women to fail in their health, career and lives.
3. Basic Needs-this is where we use Maslow’s format of Hierarchy of Basic Needs to see what you didn’t receive form your primary caregivers and how that affects your life today.
4. Unpacking-this is where we take your story and begin to make connections between your life and your chronic illness/period problems. Discussion of root issues into your problems like addiction, developmental and complex trauma, trapped grief, as well as a brief education of the Nervous System and how this relates to your period woes.
5. Back- to-Basics-this is where you will learn, doable enjoyable ways to get your needs met based on a slow and steady process that doesn’t overwhelm the system and is meant to last.
6. Self-this might be my favorite part of the program because it’s where we learn all about YOU using self assessment tools to discover what makes you tick, what you like and don’t like and learning to be OK with it all. We’ll use tools like Astrology and other self-assessments to discover your strengths and weaknesses and how to build a life around them.
7. Community-Here we’ll take a look into your current environment, relationships, connections and see if they are helping you to thrive or holding you back.
8. IRL-this is where you’ll begin putting your new practice to the test in real life. We’ll see what’s working, what needs adjustment and you’ll make plans to support you for the rest of your Reparenting journey because the process is never truly over and you’ll only gain more health and joy the further you get in your journey ~

What this program is….

~A program designed for you to learn what is happening in your body, specifically-what works to help heal you, lift you up and bring you joy

~An understanding of chronic reproductive illness, how to manage yours and have better periods

~Full of resources and practices designed to help regulate your nervous system, relieve stored trauma and grief as well as an understanding of how this leads to better health

~A safe space where all of you is welcome

What this program is NOT…

~A quick fix

~A program based on the same old hormone health information and supplementation that aren’t making changes in your day-to-day life

~A replacement for therapy, addiction or grief counseling

*Does Reparenting sound like it might be right for you? Let’s connect! Email me at ashleymarshallhealthcoach@gmail.com to schedule a 20-minute feeler call ~