Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Seibel

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

I am a child of God, a wife, mother and Kingdom leader. Like anything, everything begins with a thought but my story of entrepreneurship began with a voice.

In college, upon completion of my Masters Degree, I heard the Spirit of God tell me that I would become a business owner and a legacy builder. At that time, I laughed and thought about the girl who’s self worth is wrapped up in people pleasing and self-doubt only to be reminded by the Holy Spirit of the story of Abraham and Sara.

If you are familiar with the story of Abraham and Sara and God’s promise of the birth of a great nation, then you remember when God told Abraham that they would have a son. When Sara overheard this, she laughed. She was way too old to birth a child and could not fathom Gods plan. According to Sara, time was against her, so she took matters into her own hands and gave her handmaid to her husband in hopes to have a child through her. This was not God’s plan and this did not end well for Sara or Abraham but God honored his word and two nations were born (to find out more, read the book of Genesis).

The thing about God is, his timing is always perfect and He will use every choice you make, every life experience gained, for the betterment of his kingdom. He is faithful and true to his word. So, when I strayed away from God, much like Sara, I took matters into my own hands and settled for a regular 40-50 hour work week with healthcare companies thinking I had all that I needed.

Again, a few years later, God started tugging at my heart telling me the time had come. The difference this time, he told me how I would become a legacy leader. He revealed his plan in pieces, much like a puzzle, that fit together nicely. Being the faithful God that He has always been, he showed me, step-by-step, how to build a partnership program and gave specific instructions on the content and brought all the right people into my life to help fulfill this great legacy. If you are wondering, this is how you will know it’s a plan from God and not a plan being built in your own strength.

Working as a licensed occupational therapist in home health and assisted living settings for 5 years led me to understand the huge gap in our healthcare system. The under staffing issues and lack of quality healthcare that leads to burnout and high turnover rates. The system is governed by policies and laws that limit therapists ability to spend quality time with the client and meet their needs in hopes of improving independence and wellness. As a result, clients are kept on this cycle of heath decline and recovery with minimal efforts for real change. The problem is that there is not enough preventative measures in place to reduce the high demand being placed on the healthcare system.

As a gerontologist, I knew major life change for elderly would be too difficult and if real change was going to happen, it needed to start sooner. If you had an opportunity to see into the future, what would you do with the knowledge? This is what fueled the start of the target market for the company now known as Full FAITH OT, LLC.

Mid life is often associated with managing life’s transitions and wellness is gauged by coping strategies to get through the changes successfully. For women, particularly, the task of raising kids, working, home management and relationship management is very taxing but what’s more is the idea of caregiving for parents who are entering into advanced ages.

Known as the “sandwich” generation, many women are faced with navigating the challenges of adding caregiver to the already too full plate of life. Without a timely proper self-care program structured to nurture holistically, women end up with poor mental health, weak physical fitness and no spiritual wellness which then contributes to the early onset of disease and increased dependence on the healthcare system. This leads to convenient and toxic solutions such as prescription drugs, poor nutrition, and for some, unnecessary surgeries to correct years of neglect.

Mid life at this point reveals identity loss, mental confusion, social isolation, anxiety, and feelings far from the person they thought the’d be by this stage in life. It also has them questioning their purpose in life with greater fear of end of life. Through this understanding the need to focus on prevention, education and the how to of self-directed healthcare was born.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Definitely not a smooth road. There were lots of tears and feelings of frustration because at the time I was putting together this program and following God’s instructions, I could not communicate any of it to my husband. Trying to tell him what God has put on my heart and how it has been accumulating over many years, was a hard conversation. There were no words to string together that would convey the urgency of it all. I just knew that I needed to dedicate time to completing it so I could move on to the next phase.

The only way I could explain it that made any sense was to say I was being “obedient”. Obedience to God and putting together puzzle pieces of a vision of an unborn legacy that will reign in a Kingdom that needs warriors. Sounds like a lot because it is. I knew I was on the right track when I got a lot of push back from my friends and family. In the beginning it was very hard and emotionally draining. I ended up quitting my job to follow this path full-time. Praying a bold prayer, I asked God to provide every step of the way so I don’t put my family in any more financial danger. Sure enough, being the faithful God he has always been, he provided and continues to provide.

After quitting my job, a friend reached out to me asking if I could help her build her business and the amount she would pay me was the exact amount I needed to cover the expense of starting a business. Working as a contractor, I set my own hours and the demand is very manageable compared to working for a healthcare corporation ran by the guidelines of insurance and government aide. I now had money, time freedom and I get to continue to work with the elder population which is where my heart has always been.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I am a licensed occupational therapist and gerontologist. I love working in the settings of home health, assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care units. My care plans are all developed on the foundation of mental wellness, improving body awareness and maintaining functional mobility through strengthening and performance of everyday living activities. What is important to my clients is important to me. I love helping them improve their overall quality of life.

Being able to work with this particular group of people, seeing how they live and function in the advanced ages allows me a greater understanding of what is waiting in the future for my generation, the millennials. I heard the saying, “if you want to know the road ahead, ask those who on their way back”. This really speaks true to the idea that we have an opportunity to be more prepared for what’s to come.

The reality is, the world is changing at a rapid rate and our nations healthcare system is not equipped to sustain the upcoming generations. We are seeing more younger people seek medical attention due to early onset of disease and mental illnesses. The statistics on teen suicide rates are unimaginable and rate if obesity and diabetes is out of control in the U. S. When working with my elderly clients, I always think to myself, “if they knew then what they know now, would they have made different choices along the way”. The answer, without a doubt is yes. I know this because it is not uncommon for me to hear things like, “I pray every night for God to take me… I am so tired of living…this ain’t living….I’m suffering”.

I have so much respect for the older generations, the baby boomers and Gen X. They are hard workers. They paved the path for us, fought in wars for our freedom and gave us everything they wanted us to have and more. They worked their entire lives to end up dependent on caregivers and living out the rest of their life in a place and state of being that steals their identity and sense of dignity and purpose. The hard reality of life is that it’s over before it begins so there’s never enough time to think about the future and the future leads to too much time thinking about the past. What could they have done differently to be better prepared? The better question is, what do mid lifers need to be doing to preserve their quality of life long-term?

It might be too late for the baby boomers to change the trajectory of lifestyle to create significant change as disease and decay has set in. What is more possible is to speak to the younger generations to get them to understand the road ahead. This is a huge part of the reason why God called me to build a legacy around prevention. I help women understand that the choices they make in mid life have a huge impact on quality of life now and later on. I help them analyze what life will look like in 10 years from now and work backwards to improve and preserve quality of life for long-term independence. The so called “golden years” will be spent doing the things they love to do, want to do and need to do. I help them develop a sustainable self-care program that balances mental, physical and spiritual wellness. I educate women through a biblical lens and I show them through God’s word what it takes to have 100% health and wellness into the later years of life.

How do you think about luck?

I am not lucky, I am blessed and highly favored by God. I don’t need luck when I have the Holy Spirit to guide and advise me. Luck is for those who do not believe in the things of God and rely on their own strength to attract the right people and opportunities. When God calls you into something, He will provide everything you need. As long as your heart is aligned with his will, you can do all things through God who gives the strength to do them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Full-Faith-ot.com
• Instagram: loveyourmentalfitness