Having lost my mom to cancer at the early age of 54, as well as losing twin girls, my job and my marriage, I suddenly woke up to the fact that I needed to find a different approach to life. I had hit rock bottom, and I needed to dig my way back out. I needed solutions—and fast.

I knew I was stressed out and that it was putting my health at risk. I was also aware that my own genetic history was abysmal. If I wanted to protect myself and my loved ones from disease and illness, I needed to find alternative answers. It was now or never.

My new book, Get Balanced, Get Blissed, explores a personal journey of finding and implementing a “w”holistic approach to health and healing. Focusing on the five components of well-being—body, mind, environment, relationships and spirit—was vital in restoring my life to balance and bliss.

In studying plant-based nutrition through the T. Colin Campbell Foundation, I learned that having a genetic predisposition to a disease does not necessarily mean that there will be genetic expression of it. Understanding the body’s ability to ward off disease was empowering and provided a framework for the solution I was seeking. However, that was only part of the answer. I was still stressed and unhappy, and the rest of my life needed sorting out.

Our minds are inextricably tied to the health of our bodies. Learning how to calm myself, manage stress and pick myself up when I needed it most was another part of the solution. As I learned how to meditate (and later go on to study and teach it), my body felt more relaxed, I was able to make better decisions, I was more emotionally balanced and much more in touch with my authentic self.

After a lifetime of doing the “right” thing—or at least what I thought had been right—I learned how to do the right thing for myself. I realized that we are not alone on this journey. Our health and well-being are connected to the relationships we make and the environment we live in. Through nurturing my home environment, my physical environment and my interpersonal connections, I enriched and empowered myself. I am so grateful to the T. Colin Campbell Foundation for helping me to take charge of my health and my life. Get Balanced, Get Blissed wouldn’t have been possible without the Foundation’s work.