We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Sichmeller a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Amy , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

In the earlier years of my professional career, working always felt like a dead end situation. Grinding Monday through Friday without much control what I could earn year to year. Back then (15 years ago) working from home and jobs with flexibility were not common and as we started our family, I quickly felt the weight of holding a career and managing a household. Financially we needed more income to make ends meet, so by the time my kids were 2 and 5, I had started my first “side hustle” of many.

You may be thinking, “great, you found a way to make more money! Problem solved!” Well, techinically yes, but I also was burning the candle at both ends like so many Americans do. I was draining myself physically and mentally and by 2019, I had reached a breaking point. I knew something had to change or I’d end up very sick in the near future.

I decided I would pave my own path. Create a career that was fullfilling but also lucrative; one where I could make a living without working myself to the bone. I had built many relationships in my town, and I had a strong network of people that supported me in my earlier side hustles. I took a risk and invested a decent chuck of change into an integrative health coaching program. I was interested in helping others find their path and improve their health. I did not want to depend on only one revenue stream, so I also decided to create a product line of superfood smoothie boosters. I had no real clue what I was doing nor did I have investors or much capital to work with – so I took out a loan and pushed fear of failure aside. The day before “quarantine” began in March of 2020, I wrote the largest check I’ve ever written to start manufacturing my product line. These amazing superfood products were delivered to my driveway a few months later (with a few nosey neighbors curiously watching) and I have not looked back since.

It has been 3 years since I started Wellmade Restorative and I’ve never felt so fullfilled and balanced. I have been able to make progress to my health because I have regained control over my boundaries and have the flexibility I need. The product line is doing ok – I won’t sugar coat it, it’s not making me a millionaire, but I’m not losing money and most importantly I have helped over 100 people (one-on-one) on their health journey.

If I were to do it all over again, would I do it differently? Probably not. I now see things I could have done smarter – but they would have required more time and money, and that was something I did not have. I needed to make a change quickly and I found a way out of a life that was not serving me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

5 years ago I would have described myself as a passionate foodie and chef, a runner, and a dedicated mother/wife. I had worked as a Food Stylist and later owned a small catering business for a few years while running a local cafe. During this time, I began to experience changes in my health that did not feel right. I went from feeling like I could take on the world to spending my days pushing through to crash hard by early evening. The physical symptoms grew more intense and I began to experience cognitive changes as well. My normally chatty self because too exhausted to partake in social gatherings and I often found myself avoiding conversations because of the severity of my brain fog.

I visited my general practicitioner and expressed my concerns and was told “you are just a busy mom who is getting older. This is life.” This did not sit well with me. I was 32 years old and refused to believe this was a valid explanation. Unfortunely I did not know where to turn, so I ended up in that same spot for the next 3 years, with new and worsening symptoms with zero help from my doctor whatsoever.

I realized I needed to take my health in my own hands and began diligently researching. I explored food sensitivity testing, gut healing, stress management, multiple healing modalities such as myofascial massage, acupuncture, yoga and introducting new supplements. I finally began to make progress and regain part of my “self” again. This fueled me in a way nothing had before. I knew there were SO many others that were stuck in that same boat I was, and I was determined to help them.

Fastforward to present day, and I have been working one-on-one with individuals for just about 3 years. I’ve helped people find their spark again, finnd the courage to make big career changes, reverse autoimmune conditions, improve their relationship with food and quit diets once and for all and one of the biggest successes is helping a breast cancer survivor get off a cancer drug she was told she would always be on.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In my twenties and early thirties, I had a victim mentality. I felt that things were always happening to me. I really believed it was bad luck and it was just how my life was going to go. Something shifted within me a few years ago and I thought “enough is enough! I cannot wait for someone to come rescue me and present my dream job on a platter – I need to create this life I want!”

I had started creating the brand, Wellmade Restorative, with the intent to leave my job as a chef and caterer by the end of the following year. March 17th, 2020 our cafe closed due to Covid-19 with the thoughts we’d be back up and running in 2 weeks. I was leaving a job that had sort of put my face on the map in my hometown and although I did not realize I’d never go back there, something was telling me THIS was the time; not in 9 months but now.

I spent only a few moments mourning my old identity and threw myself all into this new brand and career path. I can honestly say I’ve never questioned my choice. Following my gut has almost always lead me down the right road. I do not overthink scenarios, I tend to feel them and then make quick decisions. I no longer feel like a victim in any circumstance. I can see that we hold the power of how we choose to respond to adversity.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Becoming a mother at the age of 26 was amazing. I was ready to be a mom and I was not so set in my ways that having a new baby would completely throw me. I did not overthink, I mothered with intuition and it felt easy and right. I wanted to be a “good” mom. As our lives became more hectic after baby #2, my husband switching jobs and eventually me going back to work full-time, I started trying to DO IT ALL. I wanted to be healthy and fit, I wanted friendships, to be successful at work, and I wanted to be there for my kids in all the capacity as I could. I believed I could do it all.

That thought process – doing it all, is what compromised my health. I had to unlearn this way of thinking and it was REALLY hard. I thrive off of productivity! I love a challenge! But in this stressed state, you cannot see what isn’t serving you. It’s hard to create and honor boundaries. It’s hard to live as your authentic self because you are living in reactionary mode opposed to being intentional and present.

Healing my nervous system was something that took quite a bit of time. As I was healing and bringing my body back to a rested state, the clarity was there! I could see the boundaries that needed to be drawn and I could easily honor. I could now recognize those things that were not serving me from a mile away. I did this by changing my expection of productivity and what that looked like. Before my mindset was how many things can I possibly fit into this day where as now I prioritize and schedule in time for breaks/rest.

The lesson I learned is you cannot and should not “do it all” if you want to live an intentional and balanced life. You can still attain your goals and be driven without pushing yourself to the limits.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wellmaderestorative.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellmaderestorative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellmaderestorative
• Other: https://wellmaderestorative.podbean.com

Image Credits
Photos by Melissa Guadarrama