Community Health

#Entrepreneurial Life Coaching

I remember this time last year, I was stuck in my corporate job hating the very thing that I loved. Have you ever finally made it to your goal destination and it didn’t feel or look like what you had anticipated? I was finally in my career, but somehow the journey didn’t look the way I thought it was supposed to.

I ended up going out on a 6-week stress leave and that’s when I had to rediscover myself and find out what I truly wanted. I questioned the very thing that I felt like I was built for. I had feelings of guilt for changing directions professionally and I felt like I would be betraying my peers if I did something different. I had a serious conversation with God about the direction I was supposed to go in, because things felt as if they were falling apart.

Thing is, I knew that there was a shift coming and that I’d be out of this draining full time job soon. But I surely didn’t expect it to happen the way it did. Let’s just say that after spending months exploring what I really wanted my business to look like, a repossessed car and struggling to pay rent, I was separated from my job!

I was finally free!!! I had let go of my self-imposed obligations that I HAD to be a therapist, and focused on building my coaching business. I’ve learned so much since my launch and my business has evolved several times over the last 9 months. I set out & conquered the daily mindset shenanigans that come with the entrepreneurial journey. I revamped over and over, until I finally implemented a winning strategy.

Your journey is ever-evolving and you must LET GO OF ANY SELF-IMPOSED OBLIGATIONS. One of the major lessons I have learned is to embrace the journey! Because without all of the failures, disappointments and frustrations, I wouldn’t have been able to develop the greatness that I now hold.

I now see how every set back was a set up for greatness!! I now help entrepreneurs conquer emotional & mental challenges that are affecting the productivity & profitability of their business. But had I not overcome those internal challenges, I would have never manifested the external rewards. So today, I encourage you to embrace the journey, because without the journey, the destination is meaningless.

Candace M. Gray M.S. is a Entrepreneurial Coach. With a background in Mental Health and Social Services, she has learned to take her therapeutic skills and apply them to the entrepreneurial world. Candace now helps other entrepreneurs conquer the emotional & mental challenges that are affecting the productivity and profitability of their business. Candace has inspired countless people to live their lives to their fullest potential, obliterating fears and walking in confidence.

Candace helps entrepreneurs through her Your Abundant Life program where she partners with them for 4 weeks or 3 months to overcome the mindset obstacles that are keeping them stuck. She helps them understand that until they process their internal blocks, they will not see the external manifestations they want. Want a taste test of what it’s like to work with Candace? Let her help you find your freedom at: bit.do/freecallwithcandace

You can also find Candace at www.rophehealing.com

Challenging your Health

I’ve been scared of not feeling my legs again since 2007, when I could not feel both legs and I was forced to in bed for a few months; a long time. It was absolutely scary, beyond infinity and beyond scary. This summer, I felt super scared again.

I was siting, being stressed, trying to stay afloat of everything I had to do amidst of going through a lot of other things. I began to fall down. I felt like I wasn’t doing well, my body was aching, my system was crashing and with that came Jes tumbling down. I was following rules. I was doing what I was supposed to do in other areas of my life. I was helping others out, being kind, getting productivity in, working under the pressures of what I had to fix. I was doing all of that except for one MAJOR thing… I was not taking care of me. As a person who was use to going on that morning walk or evening walk I had placed that to the side. I was afraid to challenge other’s and not say anything. I’d placed my health to the side. I wasn’t even going to the gym. At one point I was told to act like I was working during my finals to push through and get it done. And I didn’t want to disappoint and I didn’t want anyone mad. I’d already felt like a failure in more ways than one. I was scared of loosing it all.

I was challenging the wrong things. Others perception of me; what people thought of me. I allowed everything else to take a hold of my time and forgot to take care of me.

Thankfully, I have amazing mentors and they helped me out so much. I tend to choose amazing people in my life. I’m very blessed I have them, I did a good job in picking them for my inner circle, for my life. They defiantly helped me.

So… after loosing most things and I ended up in the hospital. After coming out of the hospital and getting all these things done, I challenged myself. I told myself I would restore and walk again without pain by the end of the summer’s end. I told myself I would take care of everything I had to take care of before I had to go back to saving one life at a time. I challenged myself to be emotionally strong and say what I needed to say before the summer ended. I challenged my health. Everyone around me kept telling me take it slow, one step at a time… and I did.

I started testing my limits, testing my self, one step at a time. When the pain was too much I would stop. My doctors told me, if it hurts don’t do it. And it did hurt and after a few more steps I stopped. Today two months later I’m walking 3.5-4 miles 4-5xs weekly, again. I’m back to where I was. I’m cooking for myself and feeling like myself again. I’m even saying what I felt and feel again. I’m being honest with how I’m feeling. I’m no longer worried if expressing myself is going to cause something else to go wrong. That is no way to live. I’m not letting anyone or anything stop me from taking care of me and voicing myself. I’m recouping slowly everything else I lost, but for now, i’m being strong. Back to who you know me to be. Many didn’t even know all I went through, I guess you will have to buy my book eventually to read about it…

For now, I’m eating all my meals, I’m drinking loads of water and I challenged myself. I’m challenging my health. Everything is one step at a time.

I doing it.

I’m not it alone though, I will tell you that. I don’t do it without supervision or without caution. I have an awesome team to help me with that; mentors, medical teams, friends, parents, family, people around me to be there for me. I learned that lesson a long time ago to keep my circle tight.

I took a Healthy Me Pause (when everything around is crumbling down and all you have to do is take care of you and get strong to keep going on). I had to. It was all too much.

You will see me walking, hiking and baking, and I’m taking care of me. I was reminded “you can’t help the world and people in it if you are not taking care of you.” Its words I preach all the time. And now I’m an example why I preach them… It’s just that simple. God first, You and then all things. Challenge yourself to take care of you first. People will say it’s hard, I won’t lie it has its moments. However, it’s that or not being well at all. You would be amazed at what a walk can do, of how making time for you and your friends can do. Its simple once you make the time for that.

I hope you have a good time with your challenge, whatever it may be.

Smile (if you want),

Jes Sofia Valle

What is beyond being poor?

There is a land not far from where we live; I’d say about 4-5 countries far away (depending if you count side to side)… too far to walk to yet many do so every day, where several communities seek to learn new ways to be sustained. Where women and men are rich in land and are learning to cultivate the dirt with no water, no shovels, and for many no plan. The other part of the land is green fruit filled, where bees are kept, they make honey that helps their communities grow.

I recently traveled to Nicaragua for a long weekend to meet a group of people who are creating positive social change. They are beyond working bees. They are leaders in communities helping advance people lives. Raising communities the way they’ve been taught how.

In this team there are leaders, one traveling and telling people all over the world of his non-profit. His job takes him everywhere and through what he makes he started this act of love his name is Vince. I call his Cosgrove. His partner Victoria, she operates the non-profit that is literally saving people’s lives. This non-profit is called Sweet Progress. They help communities help their people become entrepreneurs so they can stand on their own. There are women, children and men with undiagnosed disabilities, people who don’t have the ability to talk, or walk, and people that have no control of their body and children with resiliency far beyond what poverty is known to create. And just because they have such resiliency should they continue to live in such ways? They are choosing not to and choosing to advance in life.

How you ask? Here is one of many ways:

I met a woman, she could not speak, she has two children, and she is learning how to make dresses so she can sell her works and feed her children, pay for her children’s schooling needs. A typical story you hear in the “third world scenes.” What you don’t know is that she lives in iron wooden stick hot open shelter home with little to no water. You only get one hour to pour and fill your buckets for every few days. The water wells, ponds and lakes have dried up, there use to be water all around them. Now, there is no walking 5-15 miles to get a gallon of water (it takes me 1 hour alone to walk 3.5-4 miles alone, imagine that). There is no water to cultivate their lands. A few years ago they where finally given the deeds to their lands. These communities created in old cane fields were given to them as payment for their hard work as a company they worked for broke during the Nicaraguan wars. This once was a land of the biggest company that grew sweet cane in Central America they once had sweet lands.

She is but one of many social entrepreneurs I will tell you about in my next few posts. All I can tell you now is to buy their honey, to help them mend their lives and lands.

www.SweetProgress.org

More later: What is beyond being poor

Have a positive and giving day,

Jes

You are not alone.

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I came across someone at Starbucks today who looked very sad. They said, I am alone. My response was, well dayum I guess I’m invisible today. I looked around and said, well i must be seeing ghost. In the midst of laughter I heard a cry in her voice. It broke my heart. We spoke about why she came to LA and how she was struggling. A story I hear all the time. Being an LA woman, I hear it all the time. And every time I hear it, it breaks my heart. You choose to come to LA for a dream… and you feel alone.

Nevertheless, I listened. Her tears began to flow, there was nothing she could do, she said. I felt bad. What can I do? My rapid thinking…make her smile, dig up her buried hope and make her believe once again why she was here again.

There are times where you may feel alone. These are reasons why you are not.

You are with you. And in you, the most important is your faith, what ever brought you to where you are at. What triggered you to come to LA? What makes you do these things? And lastly, You have other people around you. Your choice is to make the best of it and befriend them or make an acquaintance.

If YOU CHOOSE to be alone, then its your choice. But regardless… logically you are not alone. You may feel alone, but you are not physically alone. Heck! for all i know Mars have red Martians that become red dust when they see something orbit and they hide… that’s my imagination there… LMAO.

I wish you well in what you do. I hope you know that when you think you are alone, I hope you know there is always someone around you, and strangers ready to make you smile. Not everyone is a stuck up LA person. And when you think you are alone, keep in mind that there is someone like me is thinking of people like you that feel alone.

The best of everything! A Repost From 2014

Hope you enjoy your week.

Jes Sofia Valle 🙂

Ten ways to #Advocate for your #Parents

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One thing I am noticing is that our bodies become frail as we get older. I mean, that is a given… but you don’t see it until you actually see your parents go through it, and how much you took care of yourself shows as you get older … (this may be partially true).

I’m currently at the point where my parents are going to the doctors more often. They are getting small but significant procedures done and its interesting because they are doing it back to back…meaning, one week my mom, the other week my dad. (Ahhhh :-)!) And I WANT to be there for them, even if by their side in the hospital. Luckily, I have an awesome schedule and my parents schedule their appointments to be the first appointment of the day and I can see clients in the evening, but living a caretaking life is no joke.

I can only imagine what it must be like to be in the shoes of others that cannot accompany their parents to see the doctors. Now that I’m older, I ask… do a lot of parents even get their check ups done?

Luckily to my advantage, our family knows that doctors can actually help. Growing up as a hospital kid, they learned to advocate for me. I guess those tables are turning and its time to advocate/support them. So…Here are…

Ten ways to advocate for your Parents

1. Listen to your parents and to the doctors. They are defining the issues.

A lot of people go to the doctors and don’t use the knowledge the doctors give you – parents tend to do things their way and sometimes forget what the doctor says.

2. Learn to ask for second opinions. Gather information. Sometimes this helps, not only can one doctor miss something, but you gain assurance that its not just your doctor telling you something, its now two or three.

3. Know your rights!

HIPPA (Health InsurancePortability and Accountability Act). Know what the hospital/clinical settings should be doing to protect your parent’s information.

If your parents do not speak English (in the USA), ask for a Translator. Though you may be able to translate, don’t place the burden of having to tell you parents’ things and later feeling emotions due to it. Let a professional do it, its their job, not yours. Also, there may be some medical terminology that sometimes-even professionals can’t comprehend because getting certain news about your parents can be shocking.

4. Have them Ask, Answer and make their own Decisions: Read about the conditions that they have, knowledge is power. They will want to ask you questions. Guide them to ask their doctors…gently/ sometimes sternly depending on how stubborn your parent(s) is/are…lol

Example: “mom/da/grandma, I read that this is what it is (hand them a brochure in their language), but I think you should defiantly ask the doctor as they know a lot more about this subject.”

The reason for this is to empower your parent and help them become advocated for themselves, if not already. This allows them to make an informed decision as oppose to a generalized statement “OK.”

5. Paperwork: Help keep and teach your parent how to keep their paperwork in one binder, so that if they every need anything, its all there. Doctor appointments, past and current medications. Have tabs, Label them, Past and Present. This way if their doctors (new doctors) ask about their history and your parents don’t remember, they have a binder. Also, you can always ask your treating team for a summary of services (HIPPA).

6. Help your parents set a plan for their health. Ask questions. Its better to ask than to assume. When can they fit in exercise? What can they do or not do (mobility wise). When is their next doctor appointment? What are their general health goals?

If they have a chronic illness, how will the team of doctors treat them? These questions you can ask your parents to ask their doctors. And explain to them that its always good to know what they should expect from the doctors, even though most doctors might say, we will take it one step at a time.

This helps…

7. Be patient, assertive but not aggressive.

Because these are your parents, you will want to get mad at the person who is treating them… this will not help the situation, it will only create more anxiety. And the whole point of you being there is to support.

A lot of the time, you will see yourself in their reactions, which is normal because…well…. They raised you and you learned things from them. So try to be patient with them and yourself.

8. Review with your parent. I will warn you, a lot of people who have acute or chronic illness with do one of two things; talk about it like there is no tomorrow, or not talk about it like there is no tomorrow…. Be patient. Be kind and remind yourself that you are there to support not live their life. This is also where things can get dicey. Because your parent may already know and may not want to review, your binder may help. Casually leaving the binder out might help them review their condition, but regardless, always refer them to talk to their doctors. Have a talk about it.

9. Remind them of their follow up appointments.

10. Be you. Its good to know yourself, and your positive attributes. Sometimes it’s also good to know if you are not fit to be your parent’s supporter and you need to step away.

Most of the time it’s hard to see our Heroes being frail. If for some reason your parent(s) ask you to be there for them and you don’t feel ready, have a conversation about it. Tell them why you don’t feel capable to help them. Explain it to them. Because with out an explanation, it usually just feels like a rejection or like you don’t want to be there for them.

11. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF TOO!

I know I only said ten, but I added one because its needed.

Well… I wish you luck. And ALWAYS< ALWAYS>ALWAYS contact a doctor for support. Even if you yourself are a doctor. J

If your Parents need Insurance Click Here to find out how you can get then insurance. For Español haga clic aqui.

Smile (if you want),

Jes Sofia Valle, Founder, MA IMFT

Mourning

The death of a loved one is one of life’s most stressful events. It can be the catalyst of major emotional crises to those who mourn. Grief is the internal (emotional) reaction to the death of a loved one whereas mourning is the external (behavioral) reaction of this grief. Whether the death was expect or unaccepted, a variety of emotions arise. These include but are not limited to:

Denial
Disbelief
Confusion
Shock
Sadness

Yearning
Anger
Humiliation
Despair
Guilt

Historically, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’ 5 Stages of Loss, where readily used to explain grieving; this is no longer practiced to support mourners. There are no strategic stages to grieving. Grief is a journey marked by easier moments and moments of hardship. One never gets over the death of a loved one. We simply learn to live with the loss and learn healthier ways of coping. In essence, creating a new normal.

The intensity and longevity of grieving emotions and mourning behaviors varies; everyone is different in their journey. However, there are strategies a person can use to take care for themselves through the grieving process.

Seek support. Whether is in the form of friends or relatives or professional help. Seek to express what you are feeling and going through at this time.
Take care of your health. The stress the body goes through after the death of a loved one can lead to physical complications. Make sure to care for your physical well being; be sure to eat well and get plenty of rest. Be aware of the danger of developing a dependence on medication or alcohol to deal with your grief.
Avoid making major life decisions. Give yourself time to adjust to the death. Another change can further complicate your emotional health and further your stress level.
Be patient. It can take months or even years to absorb a major loss and accept your changed life.

Remember, with support, patience and effort, you will survive grief. Some day the pain will lessen, leaving you with cherished memories of your loved one.

Resources:

National Alliance for Grieving Children. 2016. Web. 30 Jan 2016.

Gupta, Sanjay. “How Grief Can Make You Sick.” Everydayhealth. Every Day Health Media, LLC. Web. 28 January 2016.

Richardson, Angelle. Personal interview. 29 January 2016

Yaritza Zayas, MS, MFT, LPC

www.thesharecenter.net

Yaritza Zayas, is a Marriage & Family Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor . She is co-owner of SHARE Counseling & Therapy Services™, a private practice in Philadelphia, Pa. Yaritza graduated from Temple University with her B.S. in Human Biology and a minor in Anthropology. She earned her Master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy from Holy Family University.

Haven’t Seen Star Wars Yet?!

Go see it! It’s the best New Year Present you can give yourself!

What’s my take on it? Umm…well, if you are like me, you will try to get spoilers before you saw it and no one will tell you. But now that most of the world has seen it….

Here is a list of question you can go into the movie theater asking yourself …

“Killing Chewbacca by crashing a moon into him?”

“Letting Rey run naked?”

“Who is the new guy? And whyyyyyy be a double agent?”

“Why do they only shoot in “Guatemala Pyramids?”

“Will they have tissues in the movie theaters?!

“Why does that lady look like that?”

“Whhhhyyyyyyyyyyyy?”

And

“How old was I?

I hope it helps you understand the movie.

Overall review: emotionally riveting.

“STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS debuted in the US and Canada on Dec. 18, its first two weeks pushing the domestic annual industry box office to an all-time high of $11B. It has set numerous individual records including:

Fastest film to reach $100M (21 hours), $200M (3 days), $300M (5 days), $400M (8 days), $500M (10 days), $600M (12 days), and $700M (16 days)
Biggest all-time debut and biggest December debut ($247.966M), propelling the industry to the biggest overall moviegoing weekend of all time ($313.3M for all films, Dec. 18-20)
Biggest second weekend of all time ($149.2M), propelling the industry to the biggest overall Christmas weekend of all time ($296.4M for all films, Dec. 25-27)
Biggest third weekend of all time ($90.2M)
Biggest Thursday preview gross ($57M)
Biggest Friday, opening, and single day ($119.1M)
Biggest Sunday ($60.55M), Monday ($40.1M), and Tuesday ($37.3M)
Biggest Christmas Day ($49.3M) and New Year’s Day ($34.39M)
Highest per-theater average for a wide debut ($59,982)
Biggest opening week ($390.85M)
Biggest IMAX debut ($30.1M)

Globally, the film posted the highest global opening weekend of all time ($528.967M) and surpassed $1B in a record 12 days. It also had the biggest global IMAX debut ($48M) and surpassed $152M in IMAX in a record 19 days. It was the highest international debut in December history with $281M, and it remains #1 in many territories after posting the biggest opening weekend in at least 18 major markets.

Named one of AFI’s top 10 films of 2015, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS now heads into its fourth weekend of global release ahead of a debut in its final international market, China, on Jan. 9.”

Meds: Did You Know? #ABCenEspanol

One thing I’ve found out is that everyone is talking about health, but with in health there is … “what will the doctor give me because I’m going to see the doctor?” Am I getting meds? And How am going to pay for them? It is important to be able to know more about your medication needs are.

So here is a link about Accessing Better Coverage. http://accessbettercoverage.org/about-access-better-coverage

Also see in it Spanish:
http://accessbettercoverage.org/espanol

You will be able to get your questions answered like:

How does the insurance cover your medication?
¿Cómo los seguros de salud cubren sus medicamentos?

You will be able to find out so much about how to take care of yourself and your medication.

Check it out! Know you what you need to know.

Jes Sofia Valle

This is a paid blog post by the MooreCommunications Group for the AccessbetterHealth.org site.

Health Insurance Words… What Do They Mean? #ABCenEspanol (English & Spanish)

Every tried to find out what the health companies and insurance companies are talking about when they say ‘certain’ words? Well, there is a site that gives you a glossary of all the medical terminology these companies are using. WHY? because there are people that actually care about what they are putting out there…

http://accessbettercoverage.org/about-access-better-coverage

Here are some words: Glossary

“Combined deductible

A deductible – total amount a patient must pay out of pocket annually before the health plan begins to pay – that includes both medical care and prescription medicines. This amount does not include premiums. For example, if a deductible is $1,000, the health plan won’t pay anything for most health care until a patient pays $1,000 out of pocket.

Copay

A copay is a fixed amount – or flat fee – a patient is responsible for paying with his or her own money (out of pocket) for certain services or medicines. Plans specify what this amount will be for a variety of health-related services, such as a doctor or specialist visit, emergency room visit or prescription medications. Copays are determined by health insurance plans and are often printed on health insurance cards.

Cost sharing

The amount insurance plans require patients to pay out of their own pocket. For example, copays, coinsurance and deductibles.

¿Estás cansado(a) de las compañías de salud y compañías de seguranzas de salud que dicen ciertas palabras pero no te dicen que es lo que te están diciendo? Bueno, hay un sitio que tiene un glosario con todas las palabras que describen las compañías de medicina. ¿Porque? Porque hay compañías que si te quieren ayudar

Aquí mira unas palabras del glosario. http://accessbettercoverage.org/espanol

“Copago

Un copago es un monto fijo – o tarifa fija – que un paciente debe pagar con su propio dinero (fuera de su bolsillo), por ciertos servicios o medicamentos. Los planes especifican cuál será este monto para diversos servicios relacionados a la salud, tales como visitas a un médico o especialista, visita a la sala de emergencias, o medicamentos recetados. Los copagos están establecidos por los planes de seguro de salud y están usualmente escritos en las tarjetas de los seguros de salud.

Coseguro

El coseguro es un porcentaje de los costos que el paciente debe pagar con su propio dinero (fuera de su bolsillo). Los planes especifican cuál será este porcentaje por diversos servicios relacionados con la salud, tales como visitas a un especialista, visita a la sala de emergencias, o medicamentos recetados. Dado que el coseguro es un porcentaje de los costos totales, es difícil estimar y planearlo de antemano.

Costo fuera de su bolsillo

Es un gasto por cuidado médico que un paciente debe pagar con su propio dinero, y no reembolsable por parte del seguro. Los costos fuera de su bolsillo pueden incluir los deducibles, coseguros y copagos por servicios. La Ley de Cuidado de Salud Asequible exige que la mayoría de los planes de salud tenga un máximo anual de costos fuera de bolsillo, para la mayoría de los servicios de cuidado de salud.”

http://accessbettercoverage.org/espanol

This is a paid blog post by the MooreCommunications Group for the AccessbetterHealth.org site.

Preventing #HIV One Conversation at a Time in the Latinosphere!

Conversations about safer sex, STDs and HIV are Important. Are you having the conversations?

“Latinos are the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority in the United States, representing 17% of the total U.S. population. However, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) they are also one of the groups most heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS. Latinos remain disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, accounting for 20% of the 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States and 21% of new HIV infections each year.

We know that talking about HIV/AIDS is not easy, but we must talk openly about it in order to reduce the impact of HIV in the Latino community. Every conversation we have about HIV/AIDS with our families, partners and friends has the power to help reduce HIV/AIDS among Latinos.

Research indicates that talking openly about HIV can be a simple but powerful way to reduce the stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS, and also reduce HIV-related stigma that often prevents people from getting tested for HIV, seeking treatment options, and/or disclosing their HIV status to potential partners. Talking about HIV is also a powerful way to help educate family and friends on HIV/AIDS, the importance of testing and treatment, and safer sex behaviors and new prevention options like PrEP, a daily pill that can help prevent people from getting HIV if exposed.

In response to this research and the impact HIV has on the Latino community, in 2014 CDC launched the We Can Stop HIV One Conversation at a Time/Podemos Detener el VIH Una Conversación a la Vez campaign. This national HIV/AIDS awareness campaign issues a powerful call to action for Latinos to talk about HIV/AIDS in effort to increase awareness, decrease HIV-associated stigma and shame associated with HIV/AIDS and emphasize the importance of HIV testing and treatment.”

How can you participate? Let is know how you want to be in the conversation too! Give us your needs so we can create a voice!

This information is provided by the Campaign: Conversación a la Vez campaign. #spn