Living with a spinal cord injury isn't easy and pain is Nicole's everyday companion. She smiles and puts her best foot forward so no one knows the kind of pain that is hidden beneath the surface. It's the kind of constant pain that is felt from first thing in the morning to the last thing at night. It is also the kind of pain that if you let it, will make you feel like curling up into a ball and crying all day in bed. The pain is always there and fluctuates in severity based on her activity level.
She is not looking for sympathy and doesn't want to burden anyone with her troubles. She just wants an opportunity to enjoy life like someone who doesn't live with pain for a living.
No one knows what it's like to walk in her shoes and she is glad about that. She wouldn't wish this experience on anyone.
Instead, she is determined to make the best of it and show the world that she is unstoppable. She has made peace with the pain and has found alternative ways to manage it.
Modern medicine left her betrayed, broken, and bedridden, but she picked up the pieces and put herself back together again - without their help.
She is determined to live a fulfilling life despite the obstacles faced and trauma experienced. Facing all challenges head-on, she hopes to be an inspiration to others who may also be suffering from chronic pain, mental or emotional distress, and chronic illness.
She is also determined and driven to prove that you can rebound and recover after hitting rock bottom and live a purposeful and meaningful life once again. Not only did she recover from the mental breakdown, prescription drug abuse, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD she experienced, but was able to send the arachnoiditis into remission - without the need for toxic pharmaceutical medication or profit-driven doctor's advice.
She educated herself on alternative medical therapies and learned how to unlock the secrets of self-healing and of becoming her best version.
Read more about her story of triumph over tragedy below.
"The beauty and significance of a life well lived consists not in the works we leave behind, or in what history has to say about us. It comes from the quality of conscious experience that infuses our every waking moment, and from the impact we have on others." ~ Dr. John Yates, PhD
The playlist of videos (below) represents Nicole's transformation and healing journey through the art of backyard gardening.
A few years ago, she experienced a nervous breakdown from stress, pain, and trauma. In addition, her brain was healing from years of opiate drug use and sudden methadone withdrawal. She was also suffering from anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, Lyme’s Disease, severe panic attacks, and PTSD, and needed to find a way to restore inner peace and balance to her mind, body, and emotions.
Many self-help books listed gardening as a very beneficial way to find balance and harmony, so she joined a local community garden and learned all she could from the local gardeners on how to get started.
From there she was inspired to dig her shovel in the ground and focused on putting the pieces of her broken life back together again. It didn't take her long to realize the amazing healing benefits of being outside and in nature all day long. She spent many hours in the garden; placing each rock in place and picking every weed.
Those rocks that she collected from here and there came to represent the pieces of her life coming back together and the weeds she endlessly picked out came to represent all the things in life that she had to let go of to balance herself back out again.
It didn't happen overnight and it wasn't an easy road at all. She completely left modern medicine behind in 2018; having lost faith in doctors and their ability to heal. She found an inner strength to go on that was born out of the need to end the suffering she was going through.
She soon realized the magic of gardening. Since her body experiences ongoing pain from the spinal cord injury, having beautiful flowers to look at helps her to cope with life in pain. The sounds and smells of nature are very relaxing and calming and taking the time to, "stop and smell the roses," is something she looks forward to everyday the flowers are in bloom.
Gardening has become her passion and she loves every minute she gets to spend in nature. These videos have been put in order so you can view each one and watch the growth and beauty of nature unfold in her backyard as she transforms her disability into an ability.
Through the art of gardening, she has discovered joy and happiness that overcomes the challenges of living life with a disabling chronic illness.
Nature has been her greatest teacher and healer.
It is her mission to bring awareness to the healing and transformative benefits that the art of gardening offers.
We offer energy healing services, including reiki, sound, aromatherapy, cognitive behavior therapy, art and nature therapies, and life coaching that will awaken the sound within you to restore balance and harmony in your life. We also host and co-host various local community events. Check out our events page for upcoming classes & workshops.
Are you in crisis or stuck at an unhappy point in your life? Is stress getting the best of you and beginning to affect your health? Let us help you sort some things out so you can start living your best life again. Click the link below to book an appointment.
Offering web design services, business management, and accounting support services for small businesses in the alternative healing community. We provide business mentoring, marketing, creative design, as well as web content. Please see our services page to book your free initial appointment to find out if we can meet your needs.
Our suburban backyard garden features biodynamic diversity utilizing sustainable and earth-friendly practices. The gardens were created with a focus on mental health and well-being and provide a place to rebalance, recharge, and rejuvenate. We host private tours, lectures, and workshops where we share our herbal medicine knowledge base, g
Our suburban backyard garden features biodynamic diversity utilizing sustainable and earth-friendly practices. The gardens were created with a focus on mental health and well-being and provide a place to rebalance, recharge, and rejuvenate. We host private tours, lectures, and workshops where we share our herbal medicine knowledge base, garden design tips, and more. We also offer volunteer opportunities in exchange for services (see our services page for details).
Check out the events page for upcoming lectures, classes, and workshops.
Capturing the splendor of nature's beauty from an artistic perspective and creating motivational works of art. Motivational prints for home or office can be purchased in our online store as well as at our live events. Click the link below for a sampling of our images.
The mission of The Red Dragon Homeschool Academy is nurture each child’s innate gifts and talents, while providing a safe environment to question, learn, and grow. We offer spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions that celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the natural rhythms of nature. It is
The mission of The Red Dragon Homeschool Academy is nurture each child’s innate gifts and talents, while providing a safe environment to question, learn, and grow. We offer spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions that celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the natural rhythms of nature. It is our goal to empower children to develop their natural gifts and abilities and inspire a love a learning through hands-on activities.
We have a variety of health and wellness items available for sale as well as merchandise featuring our artwork.
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We have a variety of offerings designed to help you align with your highest potential and live your best life.
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Chinese Proverb
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Our human bodies have many needs that are both physical and spiritual in order to function at the optimal level. The physical needs of the body include getting plenty of exercise, healthy eating, a restful night's sleep, and clean drinking water. The spiritual needs are all about growth, evolution, and returning back to oneness. If any one of these needs are out of balance, you may be experiencing unwanted side effects, and those around you with a view looking in are probably being affected in an undesirable way.
Are you feeling tired all the time, feeling depressed or anxious for no apparent reason, experiencing frustration and anger, and taking it out on those around you? Are you carrying around more weight in your body than you'd like to? Do you feel stuck? Are you happy with your current life situation? Are there things about yourself that you would like to change? Do you feel like you should be living a different life, but don't know how to make it happen? Do you want to increase your life satisfaction and have a better experience while you're here?
Taking time out to balance your mind, body, and emotions is an important part of daily human life. Cleaning up any toxic energy that includes negative thoughts, habits, and behaviors, as well as processing and healing from trauma creates a positive ripple effect to those around you. Healing yourself heals others as well and helps to heal the planet.
What is the story you're telling yourself? What is the story you tell to others? Are you being honest with yourself and others?
Creating an illusion that things are okay and denying that the problem exists are often seen as defense mechanisms, as witnessed by an observer glancing down from a higher perspective. Before things get too bad in the wrong direction, take responsibility for your personal well-being and get the help you need. Take a step back to rebalance and realign with your best version. Read uplifting books, take empowerment classes, spend time in nature, garden, learn something new, and step outside of your comfort zone. You will begin to evolve into your best version with patience, practice, and persistence. Hold yourself accountable to rise up and blossom into your full potential. Your best version is someone who uses their words in a loving and uplifting way. This version of you, that is living your best life, is caring, authentic, honest, and leads others by example with integrity.
Allowing time for creativity is a great way to shift your consciousness into a positive direction. Not only will you learn to have patience for yourself, but giving yourself space to take a pause to create something beautiful can be a deeply meaningful experience. Having an attitude of gratitude for the things you have instead of focusing on all the things you don't have is another way to add fulfillment to your life.
Each moment we get to experience the wonder and beauty of creation is a miracle and a blessing.
Life is too short - enjoy the ride!
With Nicole‘s guidance, you'll learn how to empower your thinking and develop a positive mindset that will help you overcome any obstacle.
Discover the power of visualization and learn how to set achievable goals that will help you turn your dreams into reality.
Learn how to build resilience and develop a growth mindset that will help you bounce back from setbacks and challenges stronger than ever.
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