5 minute read
Elanya van Heerden: Pushing Through To The Silver Lining
Editor In Chief of Health Wisdom magazine and co-founder of Titanium Living health supplements, Elanya van Heerden shares how she has pushed through the resistance she has been met with throughout her whole life to become the healthy, successful woman she is today.
Tell us a little about yourself?
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In 1988 I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. At the time the doctors in my (admittedly rather small) South African hometown, had no idea what Juvenile (Type 1) Diabetes was. My paediatric endocrinologist refused to discharge me if I could not measure my own blood glucose levels and inject myself with insulin. Thank goodness for that, because he empowered me right from the start to manage my own health and I became a chef in self defence.
My husband, Grant, and I are celebrating 17 happy years together, this year!
We emigrated to Australia with four cats, a Rottie, and 2 human kids too, initially only for 2 years, but after only 3 months here we decided to do everything in our power to make this our permanent home.
The coming years I began my own gourmet food production company in Brisbane, which was by no means an easy feat. The industry is quite expensive and after 3 years of paying for council fees, taxes, equipment, staff, insurance, market fees, I decided to shut up shop and pivot in my career. I was quite sad to say goodbye to mAd CoW BaKEs as I had poured countless hours into building up this business. I then became a nutritional supplements salesperson in the US via Amazon.
Because of my chef experience, combined with my autoimmune condition, I understood the importance of proper nutrition and supplementation for a healthy lifestyle. I also understood how ingredients can be combined to make them more effective. Our range of supplements have been proven to be very effective, and our customer base is growing day by day. I truly love hearing how our supplements have changed people’s lives, how they’ve been able to be active once more, how they are able to focus better at work, which helps them be better parents at home, how they start feeling like themselves again, how it has stopped their debilitating pain and they can get back to living their lives. I am honoured to share that journey with them.
Through my magazine, Health Wisdom Magazine, I’ve been able to further help people, mainly women, get access to the health and wellness information that they need in order to turn their lives around. I’ve had incredible opportunities to speak to some of the world’s leading authorities on women’s health, as well as lesser known industry experts that I predict will become thought leaders in this space, and share that information with our readers. For every women that is at the stage in her life where she is ready to take control of her health, do yourself a favour and subscribe to Health Wisdom Magazine, you won’t be disappointed!
Having built up this resilience in business allowed me to travel for a full year with my family. In 2019 my husband and I hit the road to complete a “half lap” around Australia.
If I said the word resistance what is the first thing that comes to mind?
I think of opportunities for growth. It’s like the universe is saying “Congratulations - your soul now has the opportunity to grow.” Even though it may be through some tough times, your soul is ready for new learnings and is delivering every thing you’ve asked for. Resistance is just your mind’s way of trying to say you aren’t ready for the lesson, that you’d rather stay safe where you are at right now. Even though the universe may be delivering that lesson in a completely different way that what you thought it would be, it is absolutely trying to serve up what you’ve ordered (through your thoughts and feelings). Yes, I know this sounds very woo-woo for some people, but I honestly believe in the power of our thoughts driving our every day lives, and beyond.
Why do you think that is?
I think I’ve trained my brain to always look on the bright side of things. Is it easy? Hell no! I get upset too - I’m only human. But it only takes me a short while to snap out of my funk and start looking for the silver linings. And of course it helps being married to a man with a similar outlook on life.
Have you felt resistance before? Internally or externally?
Absolutely, who hasn’t? I think you have to be in tune with how resistance shows up in your life though. Personally, it shows up in my shoulders. I will get very tense, my shoulders will bunch up, and I will not breathe properly. Ha! Who doesn’t know how to breathe properly, right?! But turns out we often hold our breaths without even realising it, and we don’t breathe deeply enough. My breathing tends to be very shallow as a rule, so when I notice that I am not breathing properly I become aware of the resistance very quickly. But becoming aware of my breathing, and actively working on it means I can then work through my feelings, figure out why I am feeling resistant, and change that into a positive way of thinking. I normally don’t have to look too hard to find the silver lining around a grey cloud.
When I decided to close mAd CoW BaKEs in 2016, I was very sad. Everything in me screamed to keep going, as it was all I was used to. But once I let go of the attachment to the outcome, I was ready for new growth. Can you see how the universe was listening to my thoughts and feelings on wanting something better, and then delivered that, through a very tough lesson? Boy, am I glad I trusted my gut instinct! Even though I felt so sad while going through the experience.
Could you get past it? Why and how/ why not and how come?
I’m here, living the dream, aren’t I? But seriously though, overcoming any adverse events in your life will make you grow. And it’s oftentimes only in hindsight that we can say “phew, I’m glad that (bad experience) happened, because it brought me to this great opportunity right here”! I think I was forded through my Type 1 Diabetes, from a very early age on, to deal with challenging situations and not let it get me down. My brain is now hardwired to look for the opportunities, and not the risk, in a situation. I am so thankful for that as it has now become second nature for me to think positively.
What is one piece of advice or support you would offer to someone facing a similar situation?
Slow down, stop thinking of the worst that can happen. Chances are it most probably won’t even happen. Instead, make yourself look for the positives in a situation. It is truly a skill that can be developed, and like any skill, the more you practice it the easier it becomes.