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Ready to Take Back Your Health? Best Kept Diet Secret Revealed Today (Spoiler...You Might Be Shocked!)

5/27/2021

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By Erika Fehrenbach Prell
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Ready for the BIG secret to diets? They. Don’t. Work. 

Ouch. I’m sorry to break that one to you, DreamChaser. But, that’s not the best kept secret...the secret the billion dollar diet industry doesn’t want you to know. Before I get to that, I want your buy-in to ditch the diet because the BIG secret requires a BIG shift in thinking. Let’s get to it!
Get this, studies have shown time and time again that most people gain back any lost weight from diets in 1 to 5 years. By most people, I am talking at least 80%! Know what else? It doesn’t matter which diet you select, the results are the same across the board. This rebound effect is caused by many things but the 5 consistent reasons why diets fail are the following: 
  1. Diets Aren’t Forever: By definition, diets are a short term fix. Since diets are not designed to be a long term solution, they simply will not work. 
  2. Willpower Driven: Many diets are designed to give you a quick win, which is what is appealing. Diets rely heavily on your willpower. As your metabolism slows down and the weight stops dropping off quickly, willpower starts to wane as weight loss plateaus. This typically results in returning to prior behaviors.
  3. Too Restrictive: To get the short term results, diets are based on restricting certain food classes from the diet, which can deprive the body of needed nutrients. This can trigger cravings as well as the body’s starvation mode, decreasing metabolism resulting in a decrease in both weight loss and energy levels. Many restrictive diets cause a nearly immediate yo-yo effect once the diet is discontinued, meaning weight lost returns quickly. Restriction can also contribute to negative food associations and eating disorders.
  4. Drastic Measures: Many diets require drastic changes in behavior. Let’s be real; you didn’t get to your current state of health overnight, so it’s actually going to take a little time to reverse your behavior. The more drastic the plan, the harder it is to follow and less likely you will stick with it.
  5. Ignores the Emotional Component: It’s called comfort food for a reason, right? There can be a huge emotional component to eating from what we crave to when we crave it. Typically, diets do not address this. If this is a big driver of your eating habits, no diet will fix this.

So, why do we still jump on the diet train? The answer is simple, but you might not like it...I sure didn’t, lol. We, you and I, want immediate results without doing the work. A magic potion that poofs us into whatever healthy state we desire, which is what diets often promise. Sigh...the classic case of “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is”.

Now, are you ready for the BIG secret? For all the reasons we have already addressed, diets just aren’t the solution for a healthy lifestyle. So what is? Making simple and consistent exchanges in your daily life, swapping an unhealthy option for a healthier option mixed with time will result in you becoming your healthiest self. It’s really that simple, without the drastic measures. Just picking one small thing to change at a time in a positive, healthier way.  Getting on the right track isn’t as hard as you think. Here’s where to start!
  1. Mindset Reset: Like all change, it all starts here. It’s time to ditch the diet mindset and upgrade to the healthy lifestyle mindset. Focus on designing a simple, healthier plan that you will be able to follow for your entire life.
  2. Embrace Small Changes: It’s your small, everyday decisions that add to or take away from you living your healthiest life. Start by focusing on one area at a time. For instance, replace 1 can of soda or coffee with water. Here’s a great example of the compounding effect of small changes. If you were to eliminate 1 can of regular soda for 1 year and made no other changes to your health, you would lose approximately 15 pounds...and you would save $153!
  3. Stick With It: Remember the goal is a healthy life, not a skinny moment. Small changes may take a bit longer to see the results, but the results will come. Know what else? These small changes that fit into the healthy lifestyle YOU designed means you will stick with them while not feeling deprived or restricted.

That’s your homework for this month, DreamChaser! Work to ditch the diet mindset and embrace your healthy lifestyle journey, one that will be a sustainable lifestyle rather than a short term band aid approach. Pick one small healthier change to focus one, like exchanging soda for water or walking 10 minutes every day. Commit to sticking with it. Stay tuned for more health and wellness support next month! Let’s get started, and, as always, Shine On!


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Self-Doubt - The Bad Habit that Can Be a Silent Killer

5/24/2021

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By Jackie White
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We are warned about health conditions and how some can be a silent killer. They lay quiet for a time and then quite literally attack you physically, sometimes killing. There is another silent killer out there that slowly chips away at you each day and you may not even realize the impact it is having on your life. This silent killer is called self-doubt.

Self Doubt can seep in at any age. Early childhood, adolescence, ugh adolescence can be tough, or even as an adult we deal with self-doubt. No matter how you have found yourself to be in the self-doubters club, you need to be aware that this can affect your mental health and physical health. Anxiety, depression, and stress open the door for weight gain, high blood pressure, and chronic fatigue if you continue to marinate in self-doubt

5 Ways to Shake It Off

  1. Choose to Live in Positivity: This will help you to see the good and the happiness in circumstances and in yourself. Imagine that, choosing to see the world through a positive lens will change your perspective on your life experience.
  2. Dodge the Self-Limiting Beliefs: This is the crux of self-doubt and you must work through them in a realistic way. You need to wipe the slate clean here and believe in yourself as someone who can achieve happiness and success. Anything other is a self-limiting belief that keeping you from your true potential in life.
  3. Face your Fears: Fear will block you from happiness and your dreams. It can be difficult, but to move forward you have to step out of the comfort zone and start a life that is not ruled by fear. By doing just that, you will likely impress your own self!
  4. Shut the Critical Inner Voice Down: That nagging negative voice needs to shut its face. You are the only one who can do that. Every negative thought has to be addressed and replaced with a more positive thought. Over time this will become a habit and soon that inner critic will have moved on.
  5. Practice Self-Love: We all need more of this and especially so when we have been so hard on ourselves spewing negativity and harsh thoughts rather than uplifting and loving thoughts


Practicing these 5 things will change you. You will begin to feel stronger mentally and physically. You will see how important it is to get out of your head and shake certain belief systems from your repertoire. Keep on moving forward, it might feel a bit like a dance of two steps forward and one step back. That’s ok, keep practicing and soon you will find your new positive habits becoming automatic and any self-doubt will be replaced with self-belief.

Shine On!

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20 Questions Every Woman Should Be Asking Themselves

5/20/2021

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By Jackie White
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Isn’t it funny how sometimes life just seems to go by in the blink of an eye? The weeks melt into each other and suddenly the next month is upon you. It is so easy to get caught up in the stuff of everyday living and put the meaningful part of living life on the back burner. We don’t do it intentionally, but with the quick passing of the days melting into weeks, into months, and even years, we can lose sight of where we wanted to go.

One way to keep yourself on track is to take time each month and check in with yourself through a personal inventory. Asking yourself just 20 questions a month can help you gain perspective on where you are spending your time and what areas of your life need attention. This monthly check-in helps you to be intentional with your life plan. Did you just say “What life plan?” That’s totally fine, playing this game of 20 questions will help you with that too!
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20 Questions to Assess Your Life and Make a Plan

The first 12 questions are going to focus on areas of your life experience that when balanced help you to live your fullest and most meaningful life.

Take a look at each of these areas and rate your satisfaction on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being most satisfied and 1 being not at all satisfied.

  1. Love: how happy are you in your current love relationship?
  2. Friendships: do you have a friend network? Do you feel supported by them?
  3. Adventures: do you include adventure, travel, or new ideas in your life?
  4. Environment: how do you feel about the environments you spend time in?
  5. Health and Fitness: do you feel you are caring for your health properly?
  6. Intellectual Life: when was the last time you learned something new?
  7. Skills: are there any skills you have been meaning to acquire?
  8. Spiritual Life: are you in touch with your spiritual life or Higher Power?
  9. Career: how is your career going? Are you satisfied? 
  10. Creative Life: do you paint, write, play music or engage in creativity regularly?
  11. Family Life: do you feel happy with your family life? How are your relationships?
  12. Community Life: are you giving or contributing to your community?
  13. Of the previous 12 areas, which are balanced and which ones need attention? ​
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For the next 7 questions, be brutally honest and be willing to dream big!
 
  1. Where do you want to be in the next 1, 5, and 10 years? Are you on track?
  2. If you do nothing different in your life, will you be satisfied with the outcome?
  3. If you weren’t afraid of anything, what would you do with your life?
  4. What do you want your legacy to be?
  5. What can you do today to move your life in the direction of your dreams?
  6. Are you living a lifestyle that promotes well being in your mind, body, and soul?
  7. ​What are your intentions for this month to live your life in a way that supports your wellbeing and your dreams?
Taking the time to check in with yourself minimally each month, will help you to begin living a more balanced and happy life. For more support, join SoulShine on the first Wednesday of each month at noon to check in on your personal inventories.
 
Shine On!
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Pinned to Perfection:5 Tips on How to Walk the Social Media Tightrope

5/17/2021

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By Erika Fehrenbach Prell
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Hi...my name is Erika, and I am a recovering perfectionist.

Phew, glad I got that off my chest. I used to wear my perfectionism like a pretty little badge; I was proud to be a perfectionist. Turns out, perfectionism left unchecked can be a very negative force in your life. The honest truth is that nothing is ever perfect; there are always improvements that can be made (and that’s a good thing!). 

Like many deeply ingrained personality traits, perfectionism never really goes away. Rather, a better strategy is to learn how to manage it. Know what one of the biggest feeders to a perfectionist is, DreamChaser? Social media! I am grateful that Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram were not popular when I planned my wedding or had my first baby; I had way more Pinterest fails than successes, and the highlight reel of social media would have gotten to me.

Having perfectionist tendencies shifts you to wanting to be the best, do the best, have the best. When that hasn’t been attained or you see someone’s highlight reel that bested your efforts, that naughty little perfectionist voice starts talking in your ear. Without systems in check, social media can feed into the perfectionism cycle of self-doubt, fear to start or try something new, and negative self-talk. 

To help you with this balancing act, I want to share 5 tips on how to walk the social media tightrope. From one recovering perfectionist to another, these have been crucial for me to keep social media light, fun, and helpful.

1. Keep Perspective
You’ve heard the term “pin-worthy” or, more recently, “insta-worthy”, right? The meaning behind these are the same, post only to social what appears beautiful or perfect. This is the highlight reel at it’s finest, showing the big wins and not the struggles in between. It isn’t fair to compare your start or middle to someone else’s finish line. 

2. Cultivate your Feed
You have control of who you follow. Take back control of your feed by cultivating it to the positive. Follow people and pages that bring you joy and boost the positivity, rather than those that feed into your negativity and perfectionism. See other people’s successes as the evidence that you can do it too instead of feeding into self-doubt and negative self-talk.

3. Keep It Real
It can be both easy and tempting to cultivate your own highlights-only reel. Try a little twist by keeping the reel real. What do I mean? Share your failures and struggles as well as your successes and wins, or, better yet how you pushed through a struggle to get the win. That will not only be encouraging to others but also will remind you how far you have come.

4. Set Limitations
Limiting your time on social media is a great practice on many levels. Setting a limit on how long you are on social media serves the dual purpose of minimizing time wasted and negativity exposure that could cause a perfectionism flare-up.

5. Scroll with Intentionality & Mindfulness
Instead of mindlessly scrolling, use intention to go to the feeds that boost your happiness factor. Be mindful of how you are feeling as you are scrolling; if you start noticing negative feelings creeping in, that means it’s time to stop or scroll elsewhere.

When all else fails, it’s time to break up. It’s not you, Social Media, it’s me. My perfectionism can’t handle it so I need a break to live my best life full out. Chances are, you won’t miss social media nearly as much as you think you will. You got this, DreamChaser! Shine on!
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Calling All Sports Moms…7 Time Saving Tips to Rescue Your Season (and Sanity)!

5/13/2021

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By Erika Fehrenbach Prell
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Spring is here! While warmer weather and budding greenery might be your thoughts of spring, mine immediately goes to baseball season. The intensity of the spring sports season has no rival. Just like your athlete, taking time to prepare and train for the upcoming season sets you up for success rather than becoming stressed out and frazzled, missing out on the fun. Don’t worry, I got you, girl! I’m about to let you in on my strategy that sets up my season, and athletes, for success, allowing me to enjoy the moments. Here are 7 tested and true time saving tips to rescue your season...and, more importantly, your sanity!

1. Sync your Calendar
Take a moment to compile dates on emails from coaches and team scheduling apps. Put all dates in 1 central location for easy reference. Personally, I prefer to have a paper calendar as well as a phone calendar with all the deets.

 Pro Parent Tip: Assign each person in your family a different color for quick reference.

2. Sunday Set-Up
Sunday evening is my day to prepare for the week ahead, not only for sports but life in general. Taking a few moments of intentional planning and organizing will set your week up to be successful and less stressful. Here are some things to prep for: double check practice & game schedules, note any work or other evening commitments, arrange kid rides as needed, meal plan, and grocery list. Enter your plan into your phone or calendar. 

Pro Parent Tips: Use reminders in your phone so you don't forget! Consider using an app that syncs with your spouse/significant other or children's phones to keep everyone on track.

3. Plan Meals Ahead
Spring sports have a tendency to hit during meal time, and concession stand dinner options get old fast. Pick and prepare quick, easy meals that are low on mess for on-the-go eating. Crock pots, air fryers, and Instapots are lifesavers in fast meal prep. 

Pro Parent Tips: Double the recipe and freeze half for a future night. Using a thermos is a game changer for keeping food warm on the go!

4. Stock the Snacks 
Having healthy snacks available is key for healthy choices and fueling your athlete. Here's some snack-spiration: apples, oranges, pouch applesauce, yogurt and yogurt smoothies, individual hummus with veggies, string cheese, protein bites, crackers, pretzels, almonds, individual almond butter, bananas. 

Pro Parent Tip: Portion snacks ahead of time for easy grab & go!

5. Pack the Trunk Once
Spring weather is unpredictable. Pack your trunk or cargo area once for the whole season. Here's your checklist: chairs, blankets, umbrella, sunscreen, bug spray, bandaids, bottled water, extra snacks, sweatshirts, rain gear, hats (stocking & sun). 

Pro Parent Tip: A foldable wagon or cart is a worthwhile investment for hauling gear!

6. Delegate Responsibilities 
There is no section in the sports parent handbook that says mom needs to do everything. Athletic participation is an excellent time to teach responsibility. Make your athlete responsible for preparing their sports bag and making sure all pieces of their uniform are accounted for. Spouses/significant others can also be delegated responsibilities to ease up on what is on your plate. 

Pro Parent Tip: Make a reference checklist for your athlete to use to check their bag!

7. Grace
No matter how well you plan and prepare, something will happen to derail your plan like a rainout that is rescheduled during a prior commitment. Missing a game or two is not the end of the world for you OR your kids. Give yourself grace and move on. 

Focusing on these points has been a game changer for not only my family but also my sanity and stress level having two athletes in sports all year round. We all know, a stress-free, sane mom is a happy mom. A little focus and preparation in these areas will pay off. Now, let’s play ball and, as always, Shine On!
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When Was The Last Time You’ve Tried Something For the First Time?

5/10/2021

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By Jackie White
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Children try something new almost daily. They are explorers, adventurers and they are learners. They are expected to try new things and they are expected to be a learner. Where and when do these expectations fall off? That leads us to a critical question to ask yourself, when did you close the book on what the world can offer, and why have you stopped trying new things? 
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Why Try?

1.Curiosity: Trying new things stimulates curiosity about the world. It allows you to open your horizons and perhaps learn about something that really turns your crank. You may not have ever known something existed or would be so appealing to you until you try. 
2. Adventure: Some things you try may not be so dramatic but what they do is supply some adventure in your life. They allow you to express yourself in ways you may have never expressed yourself before. 
3. Confidence: What if just by trying something new, you have instilled confidence in yourself for stepping out of your comfort zone?
4. Wellness: Doing the same ol’ same ol’ is living a stagnant lifestyle and that can affect your total wellness. So, by shaking the trees and losing the cobwebs that we settle into on a daily basis can change your physiology and promote wellness in your mind, body, and soul.
5. Fun and Joy: Kids have a lot of fun because they just go for it and try new things without any other goal but to have fun. Maybe we adults should try on that mindset and add some more fun and joy into our own lives.

The Downside

Now for the downside of trying something new. Um, nope, no downside. Not unless you want to put being embarrassed or failing as important enough to trump all of the benefits. Fear of trying something new will stifle your life experience. If that’s alright with you, then I guess you can just keep on keeping on, but if you want to have more in your life then you have to kick fear to the curb. More fun, more joy, more learning, and more adventure. Better health and wellness and a sense of confidence that will build you up in so many ways are only a few of the benefits of trying something new!

Take a chance on life and get curious. Learn from the kids who are experts in trying something new daily! Open your horizons and see life in a whole new way just by trying something new!

Here’s to new adventures in life! Shine On!
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The Best Mother’s Day Gift Ever...Is Giving Yourself the Gift of Time

5/6/2021

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By Jackie White
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Happy Mother’s Day to you! You tirelessly give yourself to others by caring for them in every way. You provide love, hugs, and support every day to your family. You are a superhero! Yay, You!

On Mother’s Day, perhaps your children will make you a card and your spouse will buy you “The World’s Greatest Mom” coffee cup. These things are so precious to you because they have been given with love, but let’s get real, sometimes you get stuff that maybe isn’t so lovely. Take, for example, the year I bought my mom a “Big Mama” soap-on-a-rope. It’s safe to say she didn’t exactly love the sentiment, but nevertheless, it was the thought that counted - right?

However you are celebrated this year, I am going to suggest something special that you should consider. What if you gave yourself a gift? A gift of time. Time just for you. Imagine that! Time in each day just for you. Make it a habit and sprinkle that time throughout the year for respite, self-care, and renewal.

How To Give Yourself Time

First of all, you have to begin this gift by allowing yourself to have permission to take time for yourself. This isn’t about taking time for yourself and feeling guilty about it, rather it is knowing you are worth it and relaxing into self-care.
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  1. Get Rid of Time-Wasting Activities: Take a hard look at where you are spending your time and replace the time-wasting activities with something more meaningful for you.
  2. Wake Up Earlier: Choose to be a morning person and rise before the chaos begins. Carve out this time for you to take care of yourself whether it be exercising, enjoying your coffee, or just taking in the peace. Don’t use this time for laundry or other household duties.
  3. Ask For Help: There is no shame in asking for help! There is also no need for you to do everything. News flash: Spouses and children can help!
  4. Hire Help: If you are able, this can be a very good use of funds. You would be surprised to find out how many people are hiring a housekeeper to help out. Hiring a local teen to come on for a lot less money and help with cleaning or babysitting while you take some time for yourself.
  5. Make it a Priority: Schedule time in each day or week for you to have me-time. Understand that this is a priority for your own mental health, renewal and in doing so, makes you better for your family.

Make Your Time Count

  1. Sacred Time: Identify a block of time, ideally each day, where you allow yourself to do something for yourself. Examples of this might be getting up before everyone each day and enjoying your coffee while reading your book. It could be 20 minutes over lunch when you take a walk.
  2. Friend Time: Take the initiative to set up time with your friends to get together and chat, laugh, take a walk and enjoy each other’s company. These times are so good for your soul.
  3. Special Time: This can look different for everyone, but essentially you set up a time to do something you love that feels indulgent. It could be getting your nails done, going for a hike, thrift shopping, or getting a massage.
  4. Just Be You: Give yourself the time to remember who you are. It is important to connect consciously with ourselves. Do things like meditation, journaling, and expressing yourself in ways that are uniquely you. 
  5. Put Yourself on the List: The bottom line is that it is important to put yourself on the list. When you fill your own bucket, you can be better not only for yourself but also for others.

Give yourself the best mother’s day present ever and make time for yourself starting now. 

Happy Mother’s Day and Shine on!

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From Idea to Habit...7 Key Steps to Instill a New Behavior into Your Daily Life

5/3/2021

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By Erika Fehrenbach Prell
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Ever want to start a new behavior but didn’t know how? Or failed to stick with it? If you are like me, you not only answered yes but also have experienced this multiple times over. After much trial and error, I finally have the 7 key steps to instill a new behavior into your daily life, taking that idea to the habit you just do. Here are the game changing steps to use as your guide:

1. Mindset Matters Most
This is the place to start, and there is no way around it. Your mindset will make or break your efforts. Changing or starting a new behavior requires effort, tenacity, and determination. You will be uncomfortable as you step out of your comfort zone. There may be days everything goes well and others that you stumble or fail. To be successful, adopt a mindset that you can and will do it, no matter what.

2. Action Plan
The next step is making a plan. It doesn’t need to be comprehensive or extremely detailed, truthfully, the simpler, the better. Typically, your new behavior requires consistent repeated effort to become a habit. Figuring out the how for your behavior is key.

3. Schedule It
You have the how, now you need the when. Plan the best time to execute your behavior based on your daily schedule, energy level, and motivation in relation to the behavior, then schedule it into your daily life. This will increase your success exponentially. 

4. Track It
Tracking your new behavior is an awesome success trick. Creating and maintaining a streak can be highly motivating, especially when “you just don’t feel like it”...spoken like someone who has been there, many times. Tracking measures your progress, which is particularly helpful with a behavior that doesn’t yield observable results. 

5. Infuse the Fun!
Fun spices everything up, taking the mundane to the exciting. Get creative and have fun with what you are doing!

6. Get Sticky and Stay the Course…
Adopt a stick with it attitude; that what you are working on is worth the effort. Trust that your consistent, repeated efforts will compound in a positive way in your life. It will be worth it!

7. Celebrate the Wins...all of them.
We have a tendency to save the celebration for the endgame. Guess what? Oftentimes, that endgame is a long way off! Celebrate your small wins along the way, as in every time you show up and do your new behavior. It’s these small, every day wins that get you to the endgame so they are worth the celebration!

That’s it, DreamChaser! Now, you have your guide to turning your new behavior into a habit that serves you. You got this! Shine on!
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    Authors

    ​​​​​​​​​​Jackie White has been writing about life and its ups and downs for many years. With a degree in Industrial Psychology and a life-long student of personal development she is intrigued by how each individual chooses to live their life. Jackie feels strongly that truly living your best life is imperative to attaining peace and fulfillment. SoulShine was borne of her desire to inspire and teach others to live their best life. This is her mission and her dream.

    Erika Fehrenbach Prell is passionate about inspiring and educating, others on their path to complete wellness-mind,body, and soul. This desire led Erika to the helping profession of nursing, and she obtained her Master's Degree as a Nurse Practitioner in 2007. Erika specialized in cardiac surgery, largely influenced by her personal experience with heart disease. While she loved working with this population, her heart's desire has always been to impact lives on a larger scale and from a proactive, not reactive, place. The universe answered when her path crossed with Jackie and SoulShine was born.  Erika finally feels she is walking in her purpose and is excited for this journey to unfold.


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