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

Alright, Erica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

I NEVER imagined myself as an entrepreneur. I have been a nurse for over 17 years, and enjoy helping people. After going through my own journey with autoimmune disease, I realized I wanted to be a health coach, and help other women struggling with autoimmune disease also. One day, an ad came across social media for a free summit on starting your own business. I signed up-it’s free, what did I have to lose? After the summit, I felt called to join the mastermind program. I can’t even explain it, it just felt like this was my chance to really help women in the way that I had wanted to for so long. I was actually on a long road trip with family, and when we stopped at a gas station to stretch, I pulled my husband aside and told him about it. He said he would support me in doing that, so did my dad. So I signed up…and it was an amazing experience!!! Meeting other female entrepreneurs, as well as learning from the amazing mentors in the mastermind was life-changing. It sent me on the path I truly was meant to be on…creating a career that I love, while giving me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of women with autoimmune disease! Everything happens for a reason, and I believe that opportunity was placed in my life so that I can pay it forward and help others.

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

After being diagnosed with autoimmune disease as a teenager and spending time in the hospital, I knew I wanted to be a nurse. Throughout my career, I saw thousands of patients suffering with chronic illness, many with symptoms similar to mine. Meanwhile, I myself was suffering with many symptoms such as migraines, digestive issues, anxiety, and food sensitivities. Though I was told my autoimmune disease was in remission, I felt terrible. Along the way, I discovered an elimination diet called the Whole30, and when I completed that program, I began to understand the connection between what we eat and how we feel. I began to research all I could about functional medicine for healing, which is a whole-body and root cause approach. I only got so far while changing only my diet…I needed to address stress and mindset as well. It was then that I really began to experience symptom relief…no more migraines! No more anxiety! Improved food sensitivities! I knew then that I wanted to help women struggling with their autoimmune symptoms, to let them know that there is hope! I want them to know they are listened to, supported, and I want them to feel empowered. Through my comprehensive, 1:1 program, I help women meet their health and wellness goals and learn tools to last them a lifetime. My program is also unique in that it doesn’t involve expensive testing, long supplement lists, or restrictive diets…there is a time and place for testing and supplements, but I believe the foundations are the most important first step!

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

Throughout my health journey, I have tried ALL the things! Gluten free, Dairy free, Keto, Paleo, Carnivore, Fasting, etc. I’ve done all sorts of self-care modalities: massage, floating therapy, reiki, rolfing, lymphatic massage, meditation, and more. The point is, you have to find what works for YOU. We are all unique, not every thing is going to work for every body. And sometimes life gets crazy, and symptoms flare up again. This has happened to me, because I am not perfect and I don’t expect myself to be. And curve balls come that may knock us off our path. But I think it’s important that when that happens, we get out our toolkit of what works for us, and we implement those tools. Thanks to an amazing practitioner that I love, I have found what works best for me. And that is what “resilience” means to me, it means giving yourself grace and patience, first and foremost, so that you can implement those tools and adapt to the challenges of life. And each time you do that, you grow stronger!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I have definitely had to unlearn a lot related to putting myself first. Because I love caring for others, for a long time I figured that I would take care of myself AFTER I took care of everyone else. And I eventually learned that this is a terrible way to look at it. Every time, I would run out of time for me. My health coach really helped me see the importance of taking care of me, and how that would actually HELP those around me. I will admit, it was weird at first, and some people around me didn’t like it. But once I started to do it, a little at a time, I saw the positive changes. Then those positive changes trickled down to those around me. My kids will sometimes remind me that I am a much happier person than I used to be, and this started with me taking care of myself first! Plus, I feel it’s important to teach our children the same lesson, self-care is not selfish!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ericablades.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erica_blades/
• Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092202011263

Image Credits

Molly Kuplen