Soul Supporters – Part I
I first heard of the term “Soul Supporters” from Sonia Choquette’s latest book “Trust Your Vibes”, while I was contemplating about my next blog.
I wanted to title I was grateful for my “Tribe” initially.
It just didn’t sound right to me.
It was like I was putting a boundary around a limited group and type of people.
So, when I heard “Soul Supporters”, they felt like the right words to describe all the people who have contributed to my health transformation and my continual growth as a person.
The most influential and long-time soul supporters are my husband, my 2 children, and my parents, without whom I would not have had the confidence to establish my practice as a Holistic Health and Fitness Coach.
Their accommodating and unwavering support provided the safety net for me to play full out each day to all the programs I was doing and learning.
They were my first students, clients, and teachers.
Working with them made me realize how different everyone’s needs and wants were, even within the same family.
They were also my accidental guinea pigs. LOL.
I was able to share and teach them what I was learning.
I received not only direct feedback from them, but also, unintentionally, learned how to be a better communicator, teacher, and coach while experimenting, integrating, and adapting all the new knowledge to their lives.
Case in point.
My mom had hypertension for a long time and was diagnosed with Diabetes prior to the pandemic.
Ever since I started working with her, her blood pressure and blood glucose level have become normal.
Besides my own family, I have also met many, who shared common interests, passion, and goals and became my soul supporters on my health transformation journey.
Their diverse backgrounds and experiences made my journey so much more fun and horizon-broadening.
Each of them brought a unique perspective and approach to the same issue or problem.
Along the way, we celebrated each other’s wins.
We offered suggestions and solutions to each other’s challenges.
Everyone’s willingness to be vulnerable and openness to share their wisdom and insights helped accelerated my growth.
Much like how humans have evolved and how knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation.
We all play different roles in this global tribe of ours.
Some of us lead.
Some of us initiate and take risks to see what works and what doesn’t.
Some of us cheer and support.
Some of us fine-tune and ensure no details get missed, while others provide much-needed comedic relief, expose our eyes to the beauty in and around us, and help us appreciate every moment of our life as a sensory being.
And so much more.
We don’t all have to be the Sun or the Star.
The sun is a star, remember?
Some of us can be the moon that reflect the light coming from the star.
The star is bright, fiery, and inspires us to grow.
But we cannot be around it 24/7 or get too close to it, because we would get burned and be blinded.
The moon is also bright but in a gentler way, reflects the star’s light, and guides us in the darkness.
The different phases of the moon remind us of when to go full steam ahead and when to retreat and recover.
Just like the magic and the wonder of the universe, everything is balanced and operates in a cyclical manner.
We all get a turn in the spotlight, whether we want it or not.
No matter how small or insignificant YOU THINK your role is, each role plays an important part in the fabric of human life.
We influence everyone and are influenced by everyone whom we come into contact with.
So, what exactly is a soul?
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary online, soul is the nonphysical part of a person which is the moral and emotional nature of human beings.
What makes someone my soul supporter?
Someone who genuinely wants me to succeed, who shares his or her experiences, wisdom, and insights with me, and treats me with love and respect.
With our soul supporters, we foster an environment for co-elevation and co-llaboration for all involved.
It is not about competition or comparison.
It is about how we can compliment and generate win-win situations for each other.
One of my many soul supporters, besides my family, is Lawrence.
Lawrence is originally from the Philippines and has lived in Japan for many years.
He celebrated the birth of his second child recently on July 16th.
He was one of my very first friends in Mindvalley.
We bonded over the photos of the food that he was preparing for himself during the 10X Quest.
I did say in the previous posts that I loved food, right? LOL.
We were in the 10X Quest together when it was first officially launched, although he already beta-tested the program before its launch.
He was a 10X veteran, and I was a newbie like most of us going through the quest then.
Most of us hesitated to speak or ask questions during the Live Calls initially because we did not know each other.
Not Lawrence.
Because he saw how his body was transformed during the beta-testing stage, he was eager and happy to share his progress, wins, and challenges during our live calls.
His enthusiastic demeanor was contagious and soon, people started to open up and share as well.
Lawrence was such an inspiration to us and to someone like me, who was generally reserved, that I felt the urge to share my gratitude for the 10X Quest in our 9th Live Call when only 3 more live calls left to go by then.
Better late than never, right?
Lawrence was awarded the Mindvalley Hero Award, a recognition well-deserved.
Did I mention that Lawrence was an amputee?
He lost a portion of his right leg from the knee down from a workplace accident.
He was hospitalized for a year.
He suffered from depression after the accident and gained a lot of weight during that time.
You can read more about his story here.
He attributed much of his success in recovery to 10X, which gave him a chance to live like a normal person and to do things that a normal person could do.
He said that he didn’t feel like an amputee anymore.
He is also a fellow HoloBody and 10X Coach, who has firmly established his practice since graduation.
Besides coaching, he is the assistant coach for the Mindvalley HoloBody Certification Program and the co-founder of Be Extraordinary Publishing, alongside Kerry Fisher whom I spoke about in the previous post.
Lawrence was always there to encourage me and celebrate my wins every step of the way.
I’m grateful to have him as a close friend and a wonderful soul supporter.
Another one of my soul supporters is Rob (not his real name), who was my first client.
He avoids social media and does not want to have an online presence, and so, with respect to his privacy, I cannot give his real name here.
Rob and I have been neighbours for 14 years.
When we first started working together, he was approaching 80 years of age.
He’s been retired for a long time and has kept himself active by working at a local hardware store.
He doesn’t look his age and has such a sharp wit and sound mind.
Both he and his wife are inspirations to me.
I hope to be like them when I reach their age, by continuing to stay active physically and intellectually.
He is a courteous neighbour, friendly, and has always respected everyone’s boundary and privacy.
He is also a generous neighbour.
When I was the Sponsorship & Fundraising Committee Chair at my son’s swim club and approached him for one of our fundraisers, he was ready to give and provide support to our local club at the drop of a hat.
I could not thank him and many other local supporters and our club volunteers enough.
They helped make it one of the most successful fundraising campaigns we ever ran at that time.
It was near the end of the summer of 2021, still under the shadow of the pandemic, we got to speak to each other outside his front lawn after months of not seeing each other.
We were catching up on things that happened during those months.
I was in the beginning stages of the HoloBody Certification program.
He mentioned that he had this cough for more than 6 months and the doctors did not know what to do, even after he was referred to a specialist.
He tested negative for COVID.
I asked him right away if he had a sweet tooth.
He raised an eyebrow to my question and answered yes.
I said that I might be able to help him with that cough and proceeded to tell him about the holistic health certification I was completing.
I also asked him if he would be interested in being my pro bono client during the program, as I needed to accumulate coaching hours for graduation.
We had weekly phone calls set up for the first 4 weeks, as we could not meet in person.
He was a stellar student and really tried to implement many of the new routines I suggested and replaced a lot of the foods in his old diet.
Our calls quickly went from weekly to biweekly in the second month. Soon, we were at our final call.
He no longer had that cough and said he felt like he had more energy somehow.
He could not pinpoint exactly what changed but I knew, as his coach, many things had changed.
He was more active, avoiding and limiting processed and added sugar, dairy, and products with gluten, and cut down on his alcohol consumption drastically.
I grew so much as a coach from my coaching sessions with him as well.
I learned that, to be a good coach, not only should I come from a place of service and love, but I also needed to be a good listener and ask clarifying questions to understand my client’s current needs.
When they sign up with me, they are putting their trust in me to take them through this journey of exploration and self-discovery.
After all, our health needs are different and one size does not fit all.
We work together to find out what works best for them so they can have the health and vitality that they desire for the long run.
Read Rob’s recommendation letter here.
