How I Became a Cannabis Wellness Coach and Discovered the Magic of the Endocannabinoid System
Updated: May 26
I wanted to share my story with you about how I became a wellness coach and discovered how the Endocannabinoid System is the backbone of good health.
Like so many others, I've faced my share of hardships. I lost a loved one to cancer, battled a disease, and face single motherhood. I've had to face my demons and unhealthy habits. But what I learned is that sustainable health and happiness isn't magic or a secret – it's all about a bit of consistent effort.
“Alright, I admit it is a little bit like magic, but magic rooted in an overlooked science that is really very simple! Let me show you what I mean.”
I always felt myself called to help people heal.
Before I started UR Wellness, I was a physical therapist for 15 years. My favorite patients to work with were those with spinal damage, strokes, or other brain injuries. I was fascinated by how you could take ten different people with the same injury, and they would react and rehabilitate entirely differently. Our bodies are amazing.
I loved helping people regain their health and movement back, but as life changed me, I found my job there was making me feel angry and unfulfilled. It started when my mom had a relapse with breast cancer after 20 years of being cancer-free. She was very spiritual and believed in holistic healing, but when I saw her, she was bedridden.
I asked her, "is it your time, or do you want to fight this? It's okay if it is. It's your choice."
She told me she wanted to fight it.
"Okay," I said, "Then let's get you up and out of bed."
As you'll learn as we go through our coaching together, movement is incredibly powerful for a healthy Endocannabinoid System. The more you lay in bed and don't move, the more you're going to disintegrate and believe that you're worthless.
I got my mom up and walking again. In the end, cancer got the best of her, and she passed. But after treating my own mother, I felt like my career as a physical therapist had come to a culmination. Treating people for bad knees didn't feel as important as it once had.
After my mom died, my blood pressure started going up and down. I ended up in the hospital with a heart rate of 162 and a diagnosis of Graves Disease, or hyperthyroidism.
Most people have problems with inactive thyroids. In my case, it was making too much iodine and reaping havoc on my heart. My endocrinologist gave me heart medication to stabilize and control it.
"What about diet?" I asked.
"What about diet?" He replied, confused.
"Isn't there a diet plan I can take that will help me get control of this?"
He told me no but recommended me to a nutritionist who gave me a diet plan for pre-diabetes.
"I'm not pre-diabetic." I told her.
"Yes, but you have a family history of being diabetic." She said.
"That's true," I said, "but I'm not pre-diabetic. I'm here for my thyroid. Do you have any dietary recommendations for thyroids?"
She didn't. After 13 years of being a nutritionist, she didn't have any knowledge of nutrition for hyperthyroidism. I was on my own.
Sometimes, going through negative experiences wakes us up to a better life.
I switched to a vegetarian, anti-inflammatory diet after learning how it can help prevent cancers from proliferating. In addition to being at risk for diabetes, I'm also at risk for six different types of cancer.
I also quit my job as a physical therapist after realizing it made me feel unfulfilled, sick, and angry at our healthcare system. My son deserved better from his mom, and I deserved more. We all do.
My thyroid woke me up. It told me to slow down and listen to my body.
I threw away all the toxins in my house after noticing things like cleaning supplies, synthetic fragrances, and artificial sweeteners made my heart rate go up. At one point, I literally went through every cabinet in my house like and tossed it all out like a crazy person.
Like how my grandmother was known for turning cockroaches white from all the bleach she used, the Industrial Revolution created lifestyles damaging to our health. In turn, pharmaceuticals make bank off our endocannabinoid deficiencies. So when my son and I moved into our new house, I went over everything with the all-natural cleaner I made – after my friends cleaned it with regular products. I can't even wear my favorite perfumes, but I still keep them for nostalgia.
Purging my lifestyle because my thyroid couldn't take it set my path in motion, and my awakening began after enrolling in a cannabis coaching institute.
I'd become interested in the legal cannabis industry here in Michigan due to my increased interest in wellness and my lifelong affair with cannabis. I thought I wanted to be a dispensary manager since they made decent money, but after taking Corinne Tobias' Wake and Bake coaching course, I realized I could do so much more with cannabis.
I read every book Corine recommended and learned about the Endocannabinoid System and medicinal cannabis. She had me practice sustainable yoga and meditation, starting with just five minutes a day, an inspiration I've carried over into my program at UR Wellness. I even saw how the ECS corresponded to what I learned as a physical therapist.
The ECS is all about connection and healing holistically, just like how if one joint hurts, you need to look at the joints above and below it.
I can only describe the course as my spiritual awakening or my "Snow White moment" where the sun opens up in the forest as I skip through. It was like magic. It felt like a whole world opened up that had been right under my nose the entire time.
Through diet, mindfulness, and medicinal intentions with cannabis, I healed my Endocannabinoid System and got off my thyroid medication.
I realized that this plant is all about creating healing, community, and love for ourselves and others. This is the gift I give to you when we go through my program together.
So, what challenges do you face? What changes do you want to see in your life?
Nydia’s knowledge of the cannabis plant, and spiritual and historical contexts makes her one of a kind in her consultation services.
Let us light the path for others to follow by investing in thoughtful conversations on proper education before partaking or consuming – something that is only offered through professionals like Nydia.
If you want to learn even more, reach out and make an appointment for a consult today.
You will develop a much deeper respect for the plant, as well as receive advice tailored directly to you. Education is key so go forth knowing we have the powerful gift of knowledge within our grasp. Now is the time to use it.