We recently connected with Diana Bejasa and have shared our conversation below.

Diana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

My passion for cooking and feeding others helped me excel in my 10-year career as a professional chef. I am proud of my culinary achievements: cooking for former President Obama and other celebrities, opening multiple restaurants, and helping Michelin-starred chefs design custom menus for Delta Airlines’ first-class passengers.

When I woke up to find a quarter-sized bald spot on the side of my head, my stomach sank from my DC hotel room down to the ground floor lobby. My eyes darted from side-to-side as I wondered, “What the heck is happening to me?!”

But that day, I was too busy opening 9 restaurants in 2 states to focus on my health. Instead, I did what so many of us do when other people are relying on us. I covered up my problem. I pushed my worries aside. I focused on getting the work done.

When things settled, I mentioned my hair loss to colleagues. “That’s normal,” assured one culinary veteran. “Just get the shots to the head. It’ll grow back.”

WAS this normal? With reflection, I realized I was literally sick from head to toe.

It was exhausting to run from one doctor’s office to another, desperately searching for relief. From hair loss to jaw tension and full-body hives, to the chronic wrist and lower back pain, down to the bone spurs and tendinitis in my feet, my body was screaming for help.

Was I willing to accept this as normal?

Chronic pain and illness had robbed me of what I loved doing most. I couldn’t continue as a chef anymore because simply standing for hours had become excruciating.

I resented hearing from doctors who offered pills potions and lotions to soothe my symptoms but came up empty-handed when it came to a real cure. But my ears perked up when I realized a common theme: they kept mentioning stress as a contributing factor.

Yes, I thought. It’s my high-stress job! It’s this stressful city! It’s all the stress in my life!

Stress. That’s the problem!

Little did I know that stress was just the tip of the iceberg. My commitment to healing the deeper root cause led me on an unexpected life adventure that’s been anything but normal.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

15 years ago, I walked away from Wall Street and quit advising Fortune 500 CEOs, because surviving 9/11 as a child taught me that life is too short to waste it unhappy and unfulfilled.

Despite working as a chef in New York and San Francisco where I cooked for President Obama, my career ended when extreme burnout made her sick from head to toe.

Despite my health setback, I resolved to come back even stronger than ever. Today, I live in Hawai’i where I share my insights as an international speaker, life coach, and author of “Manifest Your Dreams.”

As a result of my coaching programs, workshops, and retreats, ambitious businesswomen break free from the burnout cycle and leave a legacy that inspires our daughters to make a meaningful impact in the world.

As a single mom, I am most proud to lead my daughter by example. My greatest hope is that my baby grows up to be a brave, bold young woman with the determination to overcome “impossible” odds and achieve her wildest dreams.

When I’m not supporting small business growth or advocating for well-being, my daughter Olive and I love to play outdoors, embark on adventures, and share delicious food.

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

As the first-born daughter of two entrepreneurs who immigrated from the Philippines, I saw my parents work hard and overcome significant challenges to “make it” in New York City. My parents pushed and persevered against all odds to establish their family in the United States. They did whatever it took to give me and my siblings every opportunity to pursue our dreams. They continue to inspire me to this day.

However, my health crisis with extreme burnout when I was working as a chef in my early 30s made me realize that while a hard work ethic is valuable, working harder and harder was not the key to more success. Since then, I’ve shifted my paradigm to seek opportunities to work smarter – investing my finite resources to pursuits that are truly worth my time, energy, and attention.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was 3 months pregnant when my soon-to-be-ex husband moved out and filed for a divorce after returning from a trip to Las Vegas. Shocked and devastated by the unexpectedly abrupt end of my 9-year marriage, I’m not proud to say that I thought about ending my life and terminating the life of our baby.

A few days before my scheduled abortion, I researched the medical procedure I was about to undergo. As I learned about the surgery, I noticed that I was most excited for the ultrasound, when I would get to see my baby again.

I teach my coaching clients that we often wind up regretting the decisions made when we are in a negative emotional state. I encourage them instead to hold off on making any rash moves until they are feeling more like their normal selves whenever possible.

I took my own advice and realized I was not in the right state of mind to make such a life-changing decision. Although I was terrified, I chose to practice what I preach. I leaned deeper into my faith practice and left the outcome in the hands of God.

I told God, “If you believe I can get through my geriatric pregnancy and make it as a single mother, show me! Because I have no idea how to do this.”

Since I chose single motherhood, my relationships with my parents, siblings, and friends have strengthened. I’ve discovered more support than I ever knew I had. I have the most wonderful relationship with my daughter, who brings me deep joy. Thanks to her, I have found an even greater sense of fulfillment and purpose in my life. It is my greatest honor to be her mother and to help her grow into a strong young woman.

More than anything, I am so grateful that I have the right to choose. In the end, I’m so happy that I chose my life – and my daughter’s.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.savorlifewithdiana.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savorlifewithdiana
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savorlifewithdiana
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-bejasa-74265880/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/@savorlifewithdiana
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@savorlifewithdiana

Image Credits
Photo Credits: Robyn McCreary, Brave Thinking Institute, Philippine Consulate General, Hawaii Workforce Pipeline, Skydive Hawaii, Megan Moura