This morning we're at the Dock Coffee in Spooner talking to an Integrative Health Coach, Intuitive Reiki Healer, and Holistic Health Practitioner, April Willger.
While I drink a Minnesota Mudd, she's having a really great looking English muffin melt and some of Dock's unique cucumber water.
April and her husband Chad moved to Shell Lake from Rice Lake in December of 2017, and it was because of her husband's cancer that she changed her original career mid-point and is doing what she's doing now in her business, Wellness N Soul.
April, you shared that you were born on a farm in mid-state Wisconsin and that it was your mom's breast cancer diagnosis when you were in fifth grade that started you looking into the medical field. Which field did you choose and why?
I chose to get an associate’s degree in radiography so that I could eventually become a mammographer (a technologist performing mammogram examinations.) My Mom and both of my Grandmas had cancer diagnosis’ I wanted to help join the fight against breast cancer.
By the time you were twenty one you had a great career, you also got married, and you and Chad were living in everybody's big dream home and driving a great new car. What caused the wheels to come off that dream?
After a few years of both my husband and I dragged ourselves to jobs that neither of us was satisfied in, I realized that the "American Dream" was not OUR dream. We wanted nothing more than to relax, spend time outside, go on vacations, visit our family and friends, and most importantly, work in a career that was fulfilling where we could use our talents to serve others best. We felt that instead, we were running a rat race that we were unsure of how to get out.
What drew you to research the influence diet has on fighting cancer and how did the foods change you and Chad ate?
When Chad was first diagnosed and had chemotherapy, we both knew in our hearts that the chemotherapy was only getting rid of a symptom and not correcting the root as to why he had this disease in the first place. We felt that the healing had to come from within and it made sense to us that we had to give his body the correct fuel it needed to reach optimal health. We discovered that sugar was a huge no no with cancer, so we started to eliminate that and incorporate more fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. We were amazed by how much better we felt after we made the changes. We both had much more energy, mental clarity, mood stability, and ease in maintaining a healthy weight.
How long did it take before you noticed positive changes in yourself because of the food choices you were making?
Only 3-4 weeks. It doesn’t take long!
Your husband's cancer changed your life more than it did his. He continued in the plumbing, heating and air conditioning business, but what changed for you?
Mostly everything! After working in healthcare for almost 10 years as an x-ray technologist, I saw how there was a considerable lack in support and education in creating health and if I wanted to indeed help in the fight against cancer that the best way was to guide others how to create health in the first place. I decided to quit my job and start my own business doing just this! Shortly after my husband got a clean bill of health, I had a mental breakdown of epic proportions which taught me that while I can eat well and exercise, that health has much more to do with self-care in our relationships, career, spirituality, emotions, home environment, and creativity. Up until I had my breakdown, I lived to please everyone else except for me. I bottled up all of my unforgiveness, frustrations, and stress and working through all of that taught me that it's so important to make ourselves a priority first.
You describe yourself as an Integrative Health Coach, Intuitive Reiki Healer, and a Holistic Health Practitioner, what does that mean and do all three come into play with each client?
When working with clients, I embrace the mind, body, and spirit approach to healing and enabling clients to create the lives that they truly want. All healing and creation require action, and the coaching helps to motivate clients to move beyond their fears and excuses and create support and accountability in doing so. Reiki is a powerful tool in getting to the real root of the emotional, spiritual, and subconscious garbage that is usually what is holding everybody back. Those work synergistically with the nutrition and holistic healing education that I obtained while in my Integrative Health Coach and Holistic Health Practitioner courses to create a powerful program in which clients can heal and shape the lives that they truly want.
You offer a free 'get to know you' session and then your services are packaged priced. Will you share your costs and information on the package plan length of time?
Yes! Currently, I offer individual 1-hour Intuitive Reiki sessions at $60.00 per session. For Integrative Health Coaching I provide a 6-month program where I meet with clients individually bi-weekly over 6 months for a total of 12 sessions. It includes access to all of my wellness classes, gifts at each session, and educational handouts along the way. The cost for coaching is $60.00 per session for 12 sessions for a total of $720 or $600 if you pay in full. I offer group coaching at a lower cost at Vitality Village on various topics. I teach wellness classes in the community through WITC in Rice Lake, Spooner Community Education and Cumberland Community Education. You can check out www.wellnessnsoul.com for more details on current offerings for group coaching and wellness classes going on in the community.
What type of payment do you accept and how can people get in touch with you?
I accept credit, cash, or check! People can call or text 715-651-4981 to chat or e-mail me at wellnessnsoul@hotmail.com.
Last Update: Jul 05, 2018 5:49 pm CDT
