Rise and Shine! How I Stopped Pressing the Snooze Button and Woke Up to My Own Life

In this Changemaker Challenge career conversation, Carly Banks chats with Yoga Health Coach in Training, Amarylis Fernandez. All too often, potential pro healers fall into lives and patterns that society deems “normal” only to find themselves years later unhappy, burnt out, and unfulfilled. Such was the case with Amarylis. She thought she was doing everything “right.” She had a husband, education, a home and career, yet felt lost in her life. She set the bar low for herself, accepting low paying work and settling in her marriage. The life she was leading wasn’t bringing her joy, and she felt like she was just wandering through it. When thoughts of change would creep in, she would “check out” with the help of alcohol. After the birth of her daughter, Amarylis came to her breaking point. She didn’t know how to live her life, and she knew she was suffering physically, mentally, and emotionally. Taking small steps toward health, Amarylis found Yogahealer. She completed the Living Ayurveda Course and Body Thrive and is now in Quarter 1 of Yoga Health Coaching. No longer pressing the “snooze” button, Amarylis has transitioned out of her old life. She is experiencing joy, and she is waking up to the possibilities this new way of life holds for her.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• Why potential wellness pros often find themselves leading unfulfilling lives.
• What to do when prolonged discontent leads to physical suffering.
• How Yoga Health Coaches benefit from business training and community support.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Body Thrive
• Yoga Health Coaching
• Awake Living
• How to Build a Tribe webinar
• Amarylis facebook
• Amarylis website

Show Highlights:

• 1:00 – All too often, potential pro healers fall into lives and patterns that society deems “normal.” After resisting for a while, Amarylis eventually started following what she thought was the path to a “good life:” college, marriage, a house, a career with a benefits package . . . . But rather than bringing her happiness, Amarylis found herself “checking out.”  There was nothing wrong with her life; it just wasn’t resonating with her; it didn’t bring her joy.
• 4:00 – Later Amarylis realized that she had been depressed and using alcohol as her “snooze button,” as her means of “checking out.” She felt ungrounded and didn’t have a real sense of who she was. For decades, she hit the “snooze button” on her life because she didn’t feel like she was ready to wake up to her own life.
• 5:15 – Amarylis’s wake up call came after the birth of her daughter. She was staying at home to care for her and was forced to confront the fact that she didn’t know who she was anymore. She didn’t know how to live her life, and she knew she was suffering. Her suffering manifested as neurological issues that doctors couldn’t explain. She knew her body was “freaking out” about something and she needed to get grounded, so she committed herself to exercise, despite some deep resistance. She started weight training and it felt amazing to move her body. More importantly, she started to get grounded in herself and wake up to who she was and what she wanted her life to be. Once she started to “undo” the life she had made for reasons that were not her own, everything started to align for her. She stopped drinking, and she began to experience joy.
• 9:50 – Amarylis completed the Living Ayurveda Course with Cate and is now in Quarter 1 of Yoga Health Coaching. Body Thrive changed the way she lived and Yoga Health Coaching is changing the way she thinks about her work and her earning potential. YHC made her understand that she was limiting herself with outdated beliefs about money and the type of work she does.
• 12:55 – Amarylis’s keystone habit is Early to Bed. She has always been an early riser, so getting enough sleep means getting to be early. Waking early gives her the time she needs for self care before her daughter wakes up, which sets her up for a really good day.
• 15:30 – One of the best things about Yoga Health Coaching is that you can tailor your program to a segment of the general population that you want to work with . Both Amarylis and Carly work with new moms. Even though Yoga Health Coaches are entrepreneurs, we are part of a larger community that offers support and guidance.
• 17:25 – YHC also helps us see the value of the work we do so that we have the courage to step outside our comfort zones and price our programs according to the results our members get, which often means a much higher dollar value than we might have placed on ourselves. We also learn how to invest in ourselves so that we show up fully.

Favorite Quotes:

• “Every time I drank, I was hitting the snooze button and saying to the universe that ‘I’m not ready to wake up yet. I’m not ready to wake up to my own life.’” — Amarylis Fernandez
• “Getting grounded in that way helped me started to get grounded in who I am and find the confidence to say, ‘I’m going to have to leave and undo this life that I’ve made for myself for reasons that weren’t mine.’ ” — Amarylis Fernandez
• “When you take that step, and when you do that scary thing and make that scary change and stop pressing the snooze button or stop checking out when the fears to change come up, really beautiful things can happen and that feeling of alignment . . . happens so quickly. — Carly Banks

Guest BIO:

Amarylis Fernandez is a yoga teach, a yoga health coach in training, and a mother. Not so long ago, Amarylis was totally frazzled, ungrounded, and desperate for change. And she realized things wouldn’t change until she did. So she did. Now, Amarylis is on a path to guide women into vibrant living amidst the beautiful chaos children can bring. She spent a transformative month living at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health getting my 200 hour yoga teacher certification. She earned her 85 hour pre/postnatal certificate through the Bhaktishop in Portland, Oregon. She’s trained more than 200 hours in Ayurveda with Cate Stillman of Yoga Healer, and specialized in Ayurveda for pregnant mamas and new mothers through Sacred Window’s Ayurvedic Doula programs. Amarylis believes the transition into motherhood is a wild and wondrous ride that can be aided by yoga in all forms: postures, breath work, meditation, mantra, and help from your tiny guru(s)! She also knows the potent life transformations that occur when the wisdom of Ayurveda is incorporated into daily rhythms. Connect with Amarylis on her FB page and get more info on Suzanne’s website.