The Phoenix Project Wellness

Like many, obesity and health issues have plagued my family. My mother being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in her early 20s, and my father being in and out of the hospitals for various reasons in the past few years, being an only child, and I was considered as “overweight.” All these things forced me to look at my own battles with my weight control along with my day-to-day regimen in managing good health.

My desire for and to share healthier life-style choices encouraged me to get more serious about working out consistently, finding motivation in work out partners, fun in my meals and trying new ways to be active.
Multiple times I found myself hitting plateaus in my weight management efforts. It was so much so that I began to realize that it was more to it than just moving and eating right.

As I pushed through those plateaus, multiple times, improved health evolved from not only a physical state of being—but a sharper mental state of awareness as well. To be quite candid the constant case of promiscuity, inconsistent friends, and what seemed to become routine wtf moments, I found myself knowing it was time to make healthier life choices. Choices in how I spent my time, who I spent my time with, the overall energies I put out and came in contact with, and my state of mind through it all.

For many, they are diagnosed with things like depression and ADHD, handed some meds and pushed to the side to be forgotten about. Or the opposite, So many are walking around physically fit but emotionally drowning. There are so many resources I felt were out there but how to get to them? Through trial and error, and word of mouth, I had to draw from everywhere and of course that is good, but like anything else accessibility to knowledge makes things a lot more convenient and motivating when its all in one place….at least for the most part.

So many African Americans are not aware or find it hard to stay motivated when the access to the resources for an overall healthy lifestyle is limited, skewed, and costly. Consequently, I want to create an environment that is encouraging and promotes healthy lifestyle but is delivered in a realistic way. Through real life long testimony, fewer tears, no surgery’s, some laughs, some cuss words (sorry mom and dad), and even months of falling off but never quitting in getting to our next level. A place that gives advice and motives everyone to seek a higher level of being healthy not just in the physical but in the mental as well. A space that gives a real opinion, with real talk on issues and possible solutions with a down to earth vibe, and help in creating healthier habits.

I chose the name Phoenix because of what the firebird symbolizes. Rebirth, life is a continuous stage of rebirth. Through our trials, tribulations and experiences we continue to grow into our true form but it is never a destination; because it is a continuous journey. I had to look at my health this way in order to keep me motivated, and pushing even when I didn’t see the instant gratification of what I felt was hard.

I look at my life as a continous rebirth, the phoenix, forever growing, , forever transforming, forever learning, forever healing . I want others to recognize or begin to form their own Phoenix Project by creating a safe space for real dialog; about Black Wellness...I want to help others find and create their own Phoenix Project through wellness and health coaching. I am attempting to raise funds to become a certified wellness and health coach along with funds for a wellness facility to host seminars and provide a space for all those in the community to have access to in the Metro Detroit Area either on the west side of Detroit or in Southwest Detroit 48217 area where I grew up. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.