As you know from previous posts, we had a great chat with Gillan Brown, Self Care Teacher. Brown has inspired many people and I am sure some of you are curious as to what led her and many other individuals in her field on to their current path; health and wellness. It’s a lot easier to relate and learn from people when you understand their story and can appreciate their journey.
It’s important for you to get a in-depth look at what motivates individuals like Brown and what led them to where they are. You can make the changes needed to have the best life possible.
It’s not impossible to transform, you’re not unfixable and you are more than worth the effort. Gillian shares a bit of her journey with us. I hope it inspires you to start today, even baby steps are more than enough.
Please read part one and two of our interview: Discover A Healthier You & Love, Ego and Self-discovery
TTIWIK: You are what you eat and you are what you think. You incorporate your diet into a lot of what you talk about because what you eat is energy. How has your diet transformed from when you were 20 to now, in terms of how you eat and how you see food and what it does for your body. I know you were a vegan at some point. What was that transformation like and what was it like for your body when started to see the impact of food on your mood and just overall being?
GB: That is a good question. Food, since I was 14, is something that I have used as a bargaining chip. What I mean by that I was using it, for instance, when I was 14 I decided I was going to be vegetarian. I wanted to be different from my family, I used it as a way I think subconsciously to get attention. I was vegetarian for 10 years and then went vegan for two so this is more than just a way of eating. I was fully identifying with being vegetarian and vegan and it was just who I was. So for me to shift, you know I was vegetarian for 10 years then for me to go vegan, in that 2 years my health totally nose-dived. I realized that was probably in combination, I was eating very healthy, I am a nutritionist, so I made sure I was getting enough but I believe that coming off of then years being vegetarian through which at that time I definitely wasn’t eating enough because I was 14 when I decided to go vegetarian. Leading into going vegan I realized I wasn’t getting enough reserves, I was already depleted. So that was part and parcel why it didn’t work for me, but vegan works for some people and it doesn’t work for others and I think I am just one of those people.
TTIWIK: I was one of those people, it just didn’t work for me
GB: So many people were just eat a burger, you are going to feel better and my mind is so strong and I realized why, because my identity was so wrapped up into it. So the thought of letting go of being vegan or vegetarian was the thought of losing myself.
TTIWIK: Oh, because it was wrapped into who you thought you were.
GB: Yes, a major way of how I got attention from people…and what is attention, attention translates to love.
TTIWIK: What was the most difficult thing for you, being on social media when all of a sudden people saw that you had meat one day. Did you have to explain yourself? Were you a little scared that you were going to lose some of your credibility? When you’re in the community it’s a big part of your identity so when you go rogue it can be scary.
GB: It definitely shakes people up, but it can shake people up in the best kind of way. But by us listening to our bodies, by us doing what’s right for us we give other people permission to do the same things.
TTIWIK: Are thinking the same thing, they don’t have to hide. Those who are secretly eating meat. You can consume it in a humane way.
GB: And just because we eat meat doesn’t that we eat it three times a day. Once every few days is definitely enough for me but when people think oh she is eating meat, it’s like I am a full carnivore, like am I…you know eating bacon and eggs, breakfast lunch and dinner. It’s not like that. It’s about bringing more balance into my diet and realizing that is a loving choice for me.
TTIWIK: What was it like for you when you decided I am going to be the real Gillian Brown, what was that day like for you?
GB: I think that I was a gradual transformation, that I was slowly stepping into my own. I don’t think that one day I woke-up that I was like yeah, this is the real me. I’ve just been slowly opening up to the real me. You know, everyday, that is my intention. It’s just to be more and more of my true self.
I think that I have been given this amazing opportunity with social media just to share the realness. I share some of my deepest reflections and it’s amazing because I find that it, like I said with starting to eat meat again, it just gives permission for people to be themselves.
TTIWIK: So you’re saying you’re still figuring it out?
GB: Yes, Change is something, it’s never going to end. I am very comfortable with who I am. I have made peace with myself. I am not at war with myself and I think that’s something we all need to strive for. But you know that when you are in the thick of it, you don’t even know that’s possible. It’s something you have to experience and it’s not been something where like okay you know one thing and the next day I felt better. It’s been this slow gradual process of undoing what has been done in the past and really becoming who I am and realizing my potential.
TTIWIK: What is one thing you wish you knew a year ago that you wish you know now? If you could talk to Gillian B. today back then what would you tell her, what do you wish she knew that you know now?
GB:The change that I even made in one year is remarkable. I would say it definitely has to do with relationships. I wish I could go back and tell myself that I deserved more.
In her words — from Gillain to you: “Have the best day ever”
If you want more information from Gillian, take a look at her site for some great recipes and her insights on how to live a balanced and happy life.
Cover Image Courtesy: Gillian Brown
