Today we’d like to introduce you to Janine Brunell.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Janine. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in the only house on a dirt road leading from Western Massachusetts to New York State. As children, me and my 4 siblings roamed open forests and fields for entertainment and bathed in bottomless rock quarries. We fished with nets from freshwater streams and were unafraid to drink the water when we were thirsty. We became expert at cupping our hands to drink, or simply slurping the frigid water directly with our mouths. That world I remember was worry-free. I had not yet encountered any whisperings of poisoned waterways or of a changing climate.
My career path has been varied. I studied Theater Arts at the University of Massachusetts, moved on to Boston to start a small theater company with my friends, worked in development at Boston Ballet and as a writer at Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Becoming a mother totally changed that trajectory. I was fortunate enough to be able to opt for stay-at-home mothering and to move to the Newburyport, MA where I have raised my children in a Montessori School on the coast. During that time, it became clearer and clearer to me that the wide open wilderness I enjoyed as a child was no longer available in quite the same way. That water is no longer safe to drink, that our coastal properties are compromised by sea level rise projections, and that all of us are facing unprecedented chronic illness, allergies and brain health issues.
I began my mission to attempt to protect my 3 children’s futures by becoming active in our local Transition movement, launching a successful 3-year effort to ban plastic bags in our city, and working on a nearby farm in order to contribute to the local food movement. Farming brought me back to my roots in a way I am so grateful for! It also introduced me to lots of people looking for answers to their illnesses through local food. And there are answers to be found there! But, many of us need more nutrition and guidance on how to reconnect with the land and with each other, so I became and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach as my avenue to working with people around moving themselves and those around them to better health through nutrition, wellness practices and community.
As an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, I am trained in a holistic approach to health and wellness which includes a focus on understanding the drastic increases in chronic illness in today’s toxic environment, as well as an in depth exploration into where much of that toxicity comes from through our food and in our environment as a whole. I also work with schools and communities on year round aeroponic gardening. Which I believe is a wonderful empowerment tool and a great way to teach kids about growing DURING the school year.
This work has given me so much positive return and hopefulness! The future is, and always will be, in our hands.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The progression of my happy childhood was disrupted when my father’s alcoholism and mental illness lead to my parent’s eventual divorce. My teen years were very chaotic and ungrounded and, while I made it through college with high grades and honors, I was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. This diagnosis started me a journey of healing, but did not guard me from a genetic predisposition to addictive behaviors of my own. Eventually, my healing process became one of facing my own loss of control over healthy alcohol consumption. The courage to do that was spurred on by my understanding of where that story might lead for my own children and a vow to do all that was within my power to stop the generational pain.
While I believe that 12 Step Programs are essential in this recovery, I am also deeply involved in understanding the power of nutrition, and its contribution to a healthy micro biome, in determining better mental health outcomes. My work in this area continues to grow and I believe it will become the main focus in my coaching as my business progresses. It all comes back to healthy food, self-care practices, support in healing, and owning one’s place in the community.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Resilient Health and Wellness – what should we know?
It is impossible to express the rewards of working with people to better their health. Providing the information they need to understand what they can do, both in terms of nutrition and in eliminating toxins in their homes, has such a profound effect on their health and their ability to dream about a hopeful future again.
Growing with the aeroponic Tower Gardens gives me a way to be actively engaged in the wonder of the healing properties of plants. Watching a child in the classroom plucking kale she has grown herself and popping it into her mouth is absolutely delightful! I am also looking forward to sharing these gardens in assisted living facilities and with friends and to watch the slow dawning they experience when growing food is put into their hands.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I cannot thank Noel Schroeder and Julie Sheehan on my Juice Plus+ team enough for their support and belief in me as I have grown into this new role. I also owe deepest gratitude to Rebecca Menard whose energy healing work has helped me to break out of deep-rooted thought processes that were in my way.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2 Alberta Ave
Newburyport, MA 01950 - Website: http://www.resilienthealth.online
- Phone: 508 423-8737
- Email: resilienthealth.online@gmail.com
- Instagram: jblyoppific
- Facebook: Resilient Health and Wellness
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