Washington Post Features Rancho La Puerta in the Sunday Travel Section - Two of my Photos Used!

A Thrill that two of my photos were used to illustrate a travel story in the Washington Post about Rancho La Puerta - a little bummed to not get a photo credit, but hey, visits to RLP are enough!!!

I always call it my "favorite place in the world" and I think Dina Mishev writing for the Washington Post hits the nail right on the head when she describes what's so special about Rancho La Puerta. It's precisely ALL of what she writes about that has inspired me to want to found The Healing Farm: Rancho La Puetra-esque with more of an affordable cost structure, a focus on functional healing.... and meat!

Funny. The first time I went to Rancho La Puerta was probably almost the same week and year as Dina! I was lucky enough to be called on to help them re-build their photo library for their marketing materials. I'm now proud to say many of my photos have become some of the iconic shots in the RLP marketing materials including a lovely photo of my friend Patti enjoying the view under Alex's oak, my friend Lyn on the cover of the spa brochure, a photo of a visiting yoga instructor doing dancer's pose and of course that outdoor shot at the lounge building with the wisteria which has ben one of the post cards you receive in your room every time you visit. See my photography site for more samples of my photos from RLP.

Whether I build The Healing Farm or not, RLP will always be one of my favorite places to go in the world and I'll always be honored to tell the newbies on the bus that this is my _________ time (currently eight) that I've been to "The Ranch" and that I have the honor of getting to know the guests so well having fun with them while photographing. They all are more than happy to sign model releases because everyone is on board with promoting our "favorite place in the world"!

The second of my photos used to illustrate the Washington Post's article on Rancho La Puerta.

Favorite Place in the World!

Rancho La Puerta

The wisteria was in bloom, the hills were green, the organic garden was brimming with asparagus, lettuce and all sorts of other goodness that we ate in our meals and the guests were, as always such fun to meet and all so interesting! I've posted a few of my personal photos here, but you'll have to go to Rancho La Puerta's site to see the pro pics!

I am truly blessed to go to Rancho La Puerta to do photography for their marketing materials. It's been an inspiration to me since the first time I went and will always be my favorite place in the world, unless I successfully build The Healing Farm property! 

I learned so much this time about the history of the ranch, attending a lecture series by Ludwig Max Fischer PHD and watching a new documentary about the life of Rancho La Puerta founder Edmond Szekely and the origins of this first wellness spa in the world (established in the forties!). Edmond Szekely was so ahead of his time studying other cultures as well as ancient cultures to uncover various natural healing, spiritual  and meditation practices. Founding the ranch in the forties with his wife Deborah the now hugely successful wellness spa started as a tiny camp in Tecate Mexico. Deborah often comes to the ranch to speak to the guests and I was fortunate that Max's appearance and lectures last week also coincided with a visit by Deborah who is still active in health and wellness advocacy. Deborah's "people's lobby" called Wellness Warrior should be an inspiration to all who yearn to get back to whole foods and simple, organic and local agriculture practices and want to lobby congress about big ag!

I would highly recommend watching "Tree of Life, The Living Legacy of Edmond Szekely" here if you want to be inspired by a true forward thinker about our health and longevity and natural healing processes:

Viva Rancho La Puerta! - until the next time.....

 

Overcoming Adrenal Fatigue - Program Developed by Chris Kresser's Nutritionists - I Guess I'm not REALLY Going Nuts. I'm just N.U.T.S!

I've written a bit about the stress I've been under running an established business, starting this new business (The Healing Farm!), going through a personal family crisis, taking business classes, holidays and on and on. It's really amazing how chronic stress takes its toll no matter how well you take care of yourself with your diet and exercise. I would say I've been going through extreme chronic stress for at least six months - something I will strive to teach people to avoid once The Healing Farm is established, but something that may be unavoidable while I transition my career and try to start this new business. 

When Chris Kresser announced this webinar and program called "Paleo Rehab" that his two nutritionists created I felt like it couldn't have come at a better time. I signed up for the webinar immediately and then woke up yesterday morning feeling like I couldn't get myself out of bed. After completing a ten-week business plan class the night before, I needed to jump right back into room assignments and getting out final link payments for the Mayacamas Ranch retreat participants (plus I'm leaving for a week-long photo shoot out of the country tomorrow!). I was barely (and late) out of bed just settling in with coffee in hand for my morning routine of reading the news, answering light e-mails and my workout when my husband started ranting about something regarding the presidential campaign. As the "f" word started coming out of his mouth, I stopped him and said my psyche couldn't handle a rant at that particular moment. When he looked at me as if I lost my mind, I think I kind of did lose my mind. I broke down into hysterical crying.  This has happened a couple of times over the past few months so he kindly sat down with me and we talked about the amount of constant stress I have been under for the past seven months. He had some really great suggestions like "you need to start thinking about how much you're piling into your schedule" and the fact that I haven't been myself for months (among other things). When I finally calmed down, I opened my calendar and up popped the reminder about the stress webinar! Serendipity.

I decided to take it easy on myself and recognizing that my body and mind were near complete exhaustion, I read the news leisurely and decided I couldn't handle even my NYT Seven Minute workout. By the time I was done reading the news and answering e-mails, it was time for the webninar. I actually enjoyed two hours of much-needed cooking and cleaning time (something I haven't been able to do regularly for months - Brennan has been eating frozen pizzas multiple times per week for dinner for crying out loud) while I listened to Chris, Kelsey (both of whom will be speaking at the Mayacamas Ranch retreat) and Laura talk as if they were using me as their worst case scenario patient. if you went through the N.U.T.S acronym with me -  and here it is from Chris' site:

4 key factors that determine how we respond to stress

So what determines the intensity of our response to a particular stressor? Research has identified four key factors: (1)

1. The novelty of the event
2. The unpredictable nature of the event
3. A perceived threat to our body or ego
4. A sense of loss of control

Some researchers and clinicians use the acronym N.U.T.S. (novelty, unpredictability, threat, sense of no control) to refer to them. I think that’s perfect!

...I was experiencing all of the above only over multiple events and months. I was also interested to learn that as someone who is in peri-menopause, the symptoms of chronic stress and adrenal fatigue can be intensified and I'm more vulnerable. So I'm not really losing my mind then. I think I'm in some severe adrenal fatigue experiencing these symptoms:

• Weight gain (I eat with stress and although I eat well, to make it worse, sometimes I can't keep my mitts off of tortilla chips! I get organic, but I'm guessing they are fried in industrial seed oil)
• Chronic back pain is starting to creep back in
• Extreme fatigue and although I'm still an overall happy person, depression seems to be creeping in
• Brain fog - which didn't help with my ten-week course
• Cold hands and feet (Brennan commented on "Jack Frost Nipping at My Nose" last night too)
• Skin breakouts
• Panic, agitation and anxiety
• A sense of hopelessness and doubt
• On and on the symptoms matched up with what Chris, Laura and Kelsey were discussing

After the webinar a strange thing happened. I decided that despite it not being a good time for us financially, I needed to tackle this chronic stress and fatigue immediately so it wouldn't cause long-term harm so I committed to going through the program (at my own pace). When I finally got into the office, I answered a phone call from one of the Mayacamas Ranch attendees who told me how inspired she was by what I was trying to do with The Healing Farm. As I've planned these retreats, but especially the Mayacamas Paleo Reset Retreat, I've heard from so many people around the country that this is something that is needed and wanted:

•  A program that focusses on a paleo reset type diet in which one learns to reduce systemic inflammation, therefore reducing or even eliminating symptoms of chronic pain and illness
• A program that is reasonably priced
• and mostly a program that a features realistic non-intense exercise program (and after listening to Chris yesterday I was wishing I had a Tai Chi instructor coming)
• In a beautiful place where one could go and unplug, rest, gently exercise and eat a meal plan that is non-toxic and inflammation-reducing 

This phone conversation completely validated what I've been trying to accomplish in the past year with The Healing Farm concept. I don't want to kill myself pursuing it, but if I can find the right people to build this dream with me, maybe I can make it a reality. A glimmer of hope set in again yesterday afternoon and I was again thinking of the impeccable timing of the webinar. I decided then that I still didn't have the energy to dig into final payment setup on The Healing Farm site, so went over our personal finances, sorted and filed piles of papers from my desk and then went back into my cozy home to spend the evening with my husband eating the nutritious food I cooked during the webinar, quiet time listening to music together and then a little "business time" on a Wednesday night (a little reference to "Flight of the Conchords"). 

I wish I could say I woke up feeling like a million bucks this morning, but I managed to get myself out of bed at a reasonable time, managed to do my workout and get to work at my regular hour and before tackling The Healing Farm Mayacamas Ranch booking stuff, I'm going to walk out onto the avenue in the warm sunshine to run some errands before leaving town tomorrow. I think it's going to take a while until I can get myself back to the "normal" Julie, but the smartest thing I think I can do for myself right now since the stress won't stop until end of April is sign up for the "Overcoming Fatigue" program and get some much needed guidance and support for my road to recovery. Here is the link in case you want to check it out:

Thank you to Laura and Kelsey (and Chris) for doing this important work!

Guest Post by Super Trooper Solo Camper Stephanie!

Stephanie at her solo campsite in Joshua Tree

I posted my thoughts about the Joshua Tree Solo Camping Retreat when I returned but was so inspired by Stephanie's truly deep experience that I asked her to write a guest blog post about her experience. I so appreciated that she chose to dig deep into her own spirituality bringing only her bible and her journal. Although The Healing Farm strives to be non-spiritually focussed we would never discount anyone's spiritual experience and as a Christian, I was inspired to pray with Stephanie when I left her for the first time alone in her campsite knowing that because of the coming storm it would be a challenge for her. 

When you spend almost 48 hours alone in a tent with howling winds and dust and absolutely no cell or internet service you are forced to dig deep and dig deep is what she did. Thankfully the sun came out and the winds died down for her third day!

Here's super trooper Stephanie's take on her experience. I'm so happy she's still up for the Mayacamas Ranch retreat experience next month! Here's what Stephanie wrote:

Joshua Tree Thoughts

3-13-2016

I wore the same clothes for 3 days.  Brushing my teeth was optional, I needed every layer I had and thank God for hand warmers to make it though the night.  Not what I had anticipated, however, what I found beyond my comfort was revealed…if I had eyes to see.

When faced with circumstances that challenge us, we have a choice to make.  We can run from them, we can fight against them or we can allow them to ‘be’ and be willing to learn, grow and find revelation.

The Joshua Tree Solo Retreat invitation landed before me, my adventure spirit immediately said ‘yes!’, the part of me that longs to hear my own thoughts and spend time with God felt awakened.  I’m in! The day arrives, last minute details of picking up some firewood…I am standing in a parking lot of a home improvement store in a small town with my suitcase, sleeping bag and a cart full of firewood.  My thought…“I’m waiting in a parking lot for someone I’ve never met, who’s going to take me somewhere I’ve never been.  That’s crazy!”. Have you ever been somewhere that didn’t make sense to your brain, but you knew you were supposed to be there?

I’d never seen a landscape like Joshua Tree; desert, mountain, boulders and basically one type of tree standing alone as far as you could see.  It was uniquely beautiful.  My campsite looked like it was straight out of a ‘Go on an adventure! Explore the outdoors! Be free!’ magazine.  I was so exhilarated at the thought of living in this space, to exhale and unplug for a moment.  As the next few days unfolded, I would be faced with multiple challenges of body, mind and spirit…lack of sleep, high-powered winds, cold temperatures, fear, disappointment and vulnerability.  But in those same moments, if I was willing, I was also invited into surrender, trust, faith and courage.  I heard a whisper inside of me…”who are you beyond your comfort?”  Wow.  That’s a question I’ve never thought about.  Seriously, who wants to be out of their comfort?!  Crazy!

And that’s exactly where I found myself.  It was horrible and wonderful at the same time.  What I chose to focus on in the midst of the sense of un-raveling, revealed to me elements of my framework.  What did I cling to?

I chose God.

With each declaration of His goodness, “God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all”, He wove my unraveling back together.

His nearness is my good.

My desire to know Him outweighed my comfort.  I long to know God more in every circumstance.  I will search for Him.  He tells us He will be found when we search for Him with our whole heart.  Thank You Lord for the opportunity to see beyond my comfort, to choose You and to grow my roots a little bit deeper.

As the sun was revealed and pierced through the clouds on the third day, it was warmth on my face…joy and peace in my heart.  Being present in the moment.  My experience was unexpected, but full of purpose.  I have been changed, and for this I am grateful.