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Real people. Real results.
Sonja Graff
Hello there beautiful humans!
My name is Sonja G and I am a proud recovering alcoholic, (Hi, Sonja!) 🙂 A 56-year-young Queenager, and a Transformation Specialist as well as the Tribe Leader and CMO (Chief Motivational Officer) of Soulful Savage Wellness and Healing.
How does one become a 'Transformation Specialist'? Well, the easy answer is...by transforming of course. But as we all know, it's not as easy as it sounds. People talk about caterpillars becoming butterflies as though they just go into a cocoon, slap on a pair of vibrantly colored wings, and...Ta-da! They're beautiful!
No.
Caterpillars must first dissolve into a slimy pile of goo before their transformation is complete. It takes time and patience. There are no shortcuts. No magic pills or potions. They quite literally must be broken down to almost nothing before they rise from the darkness to share their metamorphosis with the world.
Like the caterpillar, I started turning into a slimy pile of goo when I hit 48. It began with slight aches and pains which I just attributed to getting older. But with each passing month, I noticed my aches had graduated from slightly annoying to downright debilitating. I had so much pain in my fingers I was certain I had rheumatoid arthritis. Yet, a scan showed there was nothing wrong with my hands. It became so bad I couldn't even tie my own shoes, the task was too intricate. Then the pain in my lower back which kept me from my beloved yoga practice once or twice a week, became chronic and so painful that I would be bedridden for days at a time. Then came the plantar fasciitis and frozen shoulder, followed by depression and anxiety. And as if all of this weren't awful enough, somewhere along the way I started losing my hair along with my mind! I'm not referring to the common shedding that often accompanies perimenopause; we're talking alopecia areata! Small dime-sized bald spots that grew to the size of fifty-cent pieces. As soon as one would fill in, another one would follow! For years I visited my dermatologist every three weeks like clockwork where he administered up to 30 cortisone shots into my scalp. I also had 6 PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatments at $650 a pop! They didn't work. Additionally, I was suffering from frequent migraine headaches, skin rashes, digestive issues, gas, bloating, chronic fatigue! I was a hot mess!
And yet, with all of my pain and suffering, not one of the 6 medical professionals I saw could find a single thing wrong with me. Save for one rheumatologist who finally diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia, which incidentally has no cure. His only suggestion was Big Pharma and a slew of pretty nasty side-effects.
That's when I happened upon a friend that I'd gone through yoga teacher training with. She and I had similar health issues and commiserated often during training. She was vegan. I was a former vegan but was currently on the Ito's diet: Cheetos, Fritos, Doritos, and alcohol-free mojitos. She was addicted to plants. I was addicted to sugar, carbs, fruit smoothies, and healthy green drinks. Don't judge...it's called balance! Both of us were suffering.
When she shared that she had turned to the carnivore diet to heal her ulcerative colitis, my immediate thought was: She is out of her mind! What a ridiculous fad diet! No one can eat just meat and survive! It's not sustainable! She's going to get cancer! What about scurvy? Do I even want to live in a world without donuts, coffee cake, and ice cream????
But as I watched her journey, I was in awe of her transformation. She had earned her butterfly wings, and I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. So, I embarked on a 30-day "carnivore experiment." The way I saw it, I had absolutely nothing to lose and knew I could definitely commit to 30 little days if there was even a remote chance I could find some relief. It was not easy. I didn't have a coach and there was a lot of trial and error. I suffered until I tried different things, learned about supplements, and uncovered that everything I thought I knew about health and wellness was one hundred percent WRONG! But, I felt good enough to try the next protocol and committed to another 30 days. I felt even better. So...not wanting to break my streak, I committed to the third protocol for thirty days. And by the time I was 90 days in, I had reversed my autoimmune symptoms, my inflammation was gone, my hair was not only growing back in, it stopped falling out, and, not to toot my own horn, but I had shed nearly 25 pounds and was turning into quite a snack. I knew there was no going back.
I also realized that all the doctors and dieticians and personal trainers I'd thrown thousands of dollars at over the years were simply regurgitating blanket statements that were lacking scientific proof! I was stunned by what I had uncovered! Could it truly be as simple as PLANTS ARE TOXIC???
After healing my body, it occurred to me that anyone can tell you what to eat and what not to eat to shed a few pounds, but in order to achieve true and everlasting change, we cannot just slay our demons, we must dissect them and find out what they have been feeding on. In short, if we don't get to the root cause of our negative behavior patterns, we are destined to repeat them and end up right back where we started.
That's when Soulful Savage Wellness & Healing was born.
I am an RYT-200 yoga guide and I am also currently undergoing certification for my RYT-300 from Yoga Alliance. I am a carnitrician. I am a Transformation Specialist-- Transforming my pain and insecurities into passion and inner peace, I have developed a fluid, energetic "slaying demons" wellness and healing program founded on my studies in falling down, getting up, dusting off, and starting over again. I offer real solutions to real women who are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We are not your mama's Golden Girls. We are sexy, sophisticated, confident, difference-makers who refuse to be labeled "middle-aged." We. Are. Queenagers. And we're just getting started.
If this sounds like a tribe you'd like to be a part of Click here to begin. I will hold space for you. I see you. I feel you. I am you. Your wings are waiting.
"I am not what has happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” Carl Jung.
