Abuse - It Wasn't Your Fault!

      This is an Introduction to Recognizing you were abused, Acknowledging it, and Learning to HEAL from it.

First I want to cover the Forms of Abuse:

Physical/Neglect -  Being pushed, slapped, beat, held down, forced to do things that hurt our bodies or are not normal (eating things that aren't food, being forced to act like an animal), left alone without an adult to care for you (as a child) being forced to go with out bathroom facilities, a bed to sleep in, food to eat, a shelter to protect you, etc...

Sexual - In My book this one is most simple to recognize, If you are touched in any way that makes you uncomfortable and you ask for it to stop and it continues to occur that's abuse. if you were a child, teen, or adult when the abuse happened. It's your body and your Sacred/Private parts and they are NOT to be touched by any one, without your willing permission.

Emotional/Mental: this is the Most Difficult for Sure to recognize and realize it's abuse. Especially when the abuser is good at twisting, manipulating, and creating false truths, causing us to feel confused and left wondering if we were the problem all along. But if you are being belittled, talked down to, sworn at, yelled at, told you are always wrong, told your opinion doesn't matter, made fun of in front of others, or when you ask your abuser to stop and they turn it on you and say "Well if you didn't..., I wouldn't..." etc...  Most likely you experienced emotional abuse.

There are certainly other indicators as well and each and every person's experience is individual and may be abuse to one and not another. So please NEVER compare your experience to some one else to gauge whether you experienced abuse or not.

So Now I want you to watch this YouTube video that I created and then Read the rest of the post.

Watch this one first

Watch this one second

Thank you for taking the time to watch this, a couple things I didn't really mention in the video that I wanted to discuss.
1) Shame -  when our bodies, minds, and souls feel shame we literally vibrate at a low, state of energy which in turn causes depression, stress, anxiety as we TRY to fight that and boost our energy in other ways. Until we address the Shame, and Heal ourselves through self compassion (not self pity) we can not get our energy to vibrate back up at a higher frequency in order to feel Happy, Self Love, Empowered. It's possible temporarily or with the use of medications, foods, etc...
2) Acknowledging that we were abused and Validating it does not mean we need to go around sharing our story with everyone or filling the Victim roll and acting entitled.

But I am telling you from personal Experience that Facing the WALL (Shame) acknowledging it and allowing Healing is the BEST way. The way that Lasts bringing the Energy back up, helping the depression to subside (more often than not) and we will be able to Accomplish becoming who we desire.

I am not an Expert at all in this field, I am an adult who experienced Childhood abuse and is on a Journey to Heal my Soul and Better my physical health.

Plus I have begun noticing that I am allowing myself to abuse my own children emotionally and I Want that to STOP!!!!  So Please feel free to reach out and share your story if you feel the need, or to ask questions if you need to know how to heal or where to turn, and Let's Heal Together!

- SherinStark 

I Don't Have TIME.....

We were all born with Spirits that came with Knowledge and Ability to control our bodies. Our Bodies would be NOTHING with out them, as we know they simply rot and return to the dust of the earth. 

Yet day after day Millions of us claim we do not have TIME to care for and nourish our Spirits. 
Oh we have time to entertain our minds, at a ball game, or movie. We have time to visit with friends and enjoy eating at their BBQ. We MAKE Time every day to Eat, Sleep, Drink, etc.... 

So WHY NOT give Time to our Spirits who control our bodies and Fuel them too???

I have made it a Goal this year to Improve my Spirit and Focus on Nourishing it, just as much as my Physical Body. So far I have learned much, become more able to accomplish the things I desire, and able to Pull through Hard things that I know would have been OVERWHELMING and unbearable before. 

 

 Just like with our Bodies we start out as infants unable to do anything for ourselves, we learn each day, by trying new things. and after a Year of life we have come a long way, most of us could sit up, crawl, giggle, eat (put food in our mouths, or hold our bottles) clap, respond to our parents, etc...


By just 6 months later at 18 months, we are walking, talking, playing with other kids, and so much more.  Well of course we all know that as we continue just one day at a time eventually we become grown ups who can take care of ourselves and then start the cycle over when we become parents. 



So it is with our spirits, if at first it seems wasteful, to do things like Meditation, Prayer, Scripture Reading, taking time alone out in Nature, Serving those who can't serve themselves, Fasting (going without food, or giving up something for a certain period of time) attending Church and learning together the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and of Course many many other ways to grow and nourish our spirits,  Then just remember it takes TIME. 


It takes Years of practice every single day to see/feel changes, and to be able to look back in 2-4-8 years and Realize just how much our Spirit has grown. How much more able we are to find Joy in our daily life. How much more we are able to endure hardships/trials in our life. And how much more our bodies and spirits act together to Create Happy Healthy Lives. 


Yes Eating Healthy is super Important, Daily Exercise is Crucial, getting enough Sleep is Vital, BUT so is Nourishing our Spirits. Which is why we MUST do all 4 of these things and work on them in baby steps each and every day. 

So many of us allow our Bodies to Control us Day in and Day out, without even giving it a second thought. When it should be that our Spirits are Controlling our bodies, telling them what we can and can't endure, reminding them that although the situation we are in currently may be rough we can Pull Through and Find JOY again in our Day to Day. 

Don't allow your BODY to take charge of your Life and Happiness. Start NOW to Improve the way you Nourish your Spirit, just like I have started to do back in January. I can Promise you, it's Very Very Very Worth it, and YOU will feel so much more in a Good Place and able to Enjoy your LIFE more fully. 

www.SherinStark.com 

Let's Talk, Depression...

Let's Talk about Depression for a minute. 

First off there are different levels of depression, like the Winter Blues, Post Postpartum, Situational, all the way to Deep Dark, Extremely tough to pull out of depression. 

Yes, I have experienced Every ONE of them, I don't talk about it super often because I am not trying to get sympathy or people offering ways to help me. 

I have Learned over many years of Personal Experience that something that has worked for some one else may not work for ME, but that doesn't mean there IS NOT A Solution. Just means I hadn't found one yet. 

So This post is NOT to try and pull you out of Depression necessarily, more how to Cope with it WHILE you work to get out of it. I hope that makes sense.
I guess I simply want to Share a few Ways that I have found have kept me Upbeat, Happy, and Truly feeling Well. Rather than battling my own daemons day after day.

1) Be Forgiving of YOUR Faults, not to the point you don't try to improve yourself, but to the point you recognize, we all fall short, and the only way to get better is by continuing to try. YOU are not Abnormal, or Unusual or one in a million. Many of us Live with Depression daily.

2) I beg you to do this one, READ/Listen to Personal Development, I LOVE the Book the Compound Effect (Great for Everyone)

3) REACH Out to some one you Trust, if you feel you don't have that some one, please reach out to me. I may not be able to connect with you the way a close friend would, but I can telly you I have experienced it and can give you ideas. Plus my Love to Serve and make new friends, and wont JUDGE you :)

4) Try one way small way to improve your eating habits and just keep at it (maybe eat one more serving of veggies a day, drink 100oz of water a day, cut back to only 3-5 Treats (salty or sweet) a week, cut back to one soda a day, etc...) When our Body has the proper nutrition and isn't being pumped with unhealthful foods, it can function much better and helps our mood, Promise! 

5) Daily Movement/Exercise - JUST Move, I don't care if it's 5mins a day or 60 mins, do your best to move, and start on the path to a more active life. Start slow, keep at it for 2 weeks then up the time, or intensity every couple weeks and in just 90 days you will Look back and be Surprised with your Results for SURE. 

6) Socialize - this seems to SCREAM against everything you may be feeling cause when we are depressed we want to push EVERYONE AWAY and Convince ourselves no one wants to be around us. But this simply isn't true, so reach out to a single friend or maybe a small group of friends and let them know what you are going through. Then schedule at least once a month to get out of the house and do something with those friends. :)

7) Find some one who NEEDS YOU, outside of your home. Serving others truly has been a healing part of my Depression, it helps my mind to NOT think about my problems for a couple of hours plus it helps me feel Valuable and Needed form others. 

8) Lastly ALLOW Jesus Christ into your life, he atoned for not only our sins, but our sorrows and struggles, he understand what we are battling, he knows how to heal our souls and broken wounds, even if at first it may not feel that way. Keep praying, and watching for his tender mercies in your life. THEY are there daily if we look.

My Friends I LOVE you, I KNOW this is a very difficult thing to live with, and I also know that getting through it and LIVING Life on the other side is Exhilarating and makes you feel like a total Bada** that you Fought and WON!
Keep Up the Fight and while you do, give one or more of these suggestions a try and see how much Stronger you are able to Battle Depression and NOT let it Consume your life. 

YOU GOT THIS!!!

www.sherinstark.com

LIFE...Is Bearable When You Make Your Bed

I have been wanting to BLOG for a couple weeks, but I have still been battling some depression, anxiety and parenting/marital trials and I just have NOT been sure HOW to approach this subject until this MORNING. 

I was tagged in a post from one of my fellow Coaches this morning, that gave me that Ah-Ha I KNOW what I need to say and How I NEED to approach it. Here goes....

This Summer has been thee hardest most Trying three months of my LIFE! Many of you that have followed me know many of the details but just a run down. 

If you have been following me you can skip all of this paragraph: In May my son got suspended from school, then the next week my husband took a new job that we thought would be a wonderful answer to our prayers, well 30 days later the guy turned out to be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Fired and we were without a job for Layne again. Next the first week of June my son attempted suicide and had a mental break down. Then that caused my Face to flare up in some awful rash that was blistered and swollen and miserable. Finally after all of the month of June trying to figure out all three of those things, my hubby landed another job. Not nearly as promising income wise but much more stable. July rolled around and my face was most of the way healed we finally found the right balance of meds for our son that he was doing better and things were pretty okay at that point. I went to my Beachbody Coach Annual Summit which should have been a wonderful uplifting and educational time, but I found out some traumatic stuff about a relative while I was there and that triggered my body to Shut down, and my leg and back to seize up. So I came back and was laid up in bed for 10 days. I finally began to heal from that, and then things with my business began to Fall to pieces. My Goodness can we just catch a Break (is kinda how I was beginning to feel at that point) But I also know that GOD allows us to go through things to teach us and mold us and shape us into who he want's us to be and into the Person who can Best CHANGE the World for the better. 

Obviously I left out a whole ton of details, for times sake, but you can I am sure feel and see the picture, that this all paints. 

Picture sundown time, sitting on a bench in a park during late fall when the trees only have a few stray leaves hanging on and winter could settle in at any moment. The birds have silenced their songs, it's too cold for any one else to be venturing out at the the park. The swings are still, no laughter of children. Just Still Quite and Bleak!

Well this is how my life felt, very unbearable, and still some days it does. So when I saw this video Clip here: https://youtu.be/xoQn2ZRp6Yo that my friend had tagged me in, I was so touched that my emotions were uncontrollable and the tears began to wet my cheeks and fall to the desk and my shoulders were shaking and all these emotions came flooding to the surface. 

You See, I made it a goal to make my bed daily about 18 months ago and I did for Months and Months, and then all of a sudden life seemed to overwhelming and I stopped. It's been on and off that I have made the bed for the past couple of months, so I wasn't even feeling that sense of accomplishment first thing in my day. 

But more than that, I cried because I have felt for Years (since I was a teen) that I have a HUGE calling in this life, 

*a Calling to Make the World a Better Place to Live, 

*a More Bearable, even Enjoyable Place to live and recently I have felt like "a little nothing". 

Like if I were to die tomorrow I would have a handful of friends at my funeral (heck I don't even know if my parents would attend, they didn't even attend my own wedding) but that nothing I have done in this life has been Life Altering, I wouldn't be Talked about or reminisced about, because I haven't made much of an Impact. 

However after the end of the Video I felt:

* HOPE, 

* LIGHT, 

* ENERGY, and a 

* Desire to RISE up & Change my circumstances, Stop allowing myself to wallow or feel so down in the dumps. 

I began thinking and listing off in my mind the Accomplishments I have made, the lives I have changed, or impacted. That although it might not be thousands or millions, Those who I have touched some I have helped Save their lives, change the course their life was headed in, or simply lifted up their weary heads & showed them the light or opportunity in front of them. 

I have 3 Children who I know have great things in store for them and I (Sherin) am Blessed to be their Mommy, Now that right there is HUGE. 

I started thinking of all the little things that I do daily, reading scriptures, praying, reaching out and lifting others, serving my family, serving friends, serving in my church and assisting my clients. Encouraging others to lift their eyes to God, keeping the house livable (sometimes Clean) meals cooked and kids well dressed and clean. I workout and take care of my health, I eat good foods so that I can have the Energy I need to accomplish all the little tasks. 

I realized, thanks to this video, that it's all the Little things that add up and MAKE Me Great! These things will Bless others lives, and set the example to my children and those I meet that "I am a Woman of God" and with him by my side and waking up to make my bed, Life can be Bearable, and even Joyous no matter what comes our way. 

Perspective is HUGE, and although it may seem too hard to see things any differently some days, Just start your day by rolling to your knees and giving thanks to God and Asking him for the strength to get through, then stand up and Make That Bed... You'll start out each day with a sense of accomplishment and GOD along side you fighting your battles and getting you through LIFE.

GOD Never intended this life to be Bearable on our OWN!

He intended us to have HIM along side us, Family and Friends to Encourage, Support and Cheer us along, and when we allow those things in (rather than push them away) it's kinda like we Powered up on a video Game, and we can bust through walls or jump higher and father than we could before. 

If there is anything I want you to get out of this whole thing it's this, There is NO Onetime HUGE Change that will Fix everything and make Life Bliss, it's the Small and Simple Daily steps when done with your Support System along side you, Will MAKE YOUR LIFE Bearable and Worth Living. 

www.SherinStark.com

WOMEN... STOP Playing the Comparison GAME!

We all KNOW that Social Media is Creating Monsters, allowing for Bullying, Causing us to Compare our lives to Others, waste time scrolling and liking scrolling and liking without ever really engaging with our friends, etc....

But did you also know there are always two sides to the Coin???

Social Media can also be a HUGE blessing, helping us to Stay connect with friends and family we couldn't otherwise, or  allowing us to support friends going through a rough patch, we can use it to share what works for us and what products we love, and many of us have also chosen to USE it to Build a Business. 

Something that's been HUGE on my mind lately is this:
Just because we Choose to Work from home and Build a business online does NOT mean we work less hard, or it's a "pretend" Career, that we should be ignored, mocked, or teased for doing.  

For some reason I have been noticing Work from Home Women being bullied by other parents who are Work out of the home parents or Stay at home parents.

I have seen my dear friends feel this and have it happen to them and I personally have a handful of times. 

WE are all WOMEN, Doing what we feel is BEST for our Families. We should NEVER be tearing each other down, apart, or back talking to others about why one way of choosing to live is better than another. 

NOT all of us WANT to be working from home, but we simply see no other option, Child care is too expensive and so working out of the home is not an option, and not working leaves us not being able to make ends meet. So we do our best with what we can, find what we are passionate about and Run with it. I LOVE that this is even an option for so many women these days.

Lately personally I have been feeling Lonely, feeling like the More I read personal development and try to better myself the less people want to associate with me. especially stay at home mom's and work from home moms. Almost like they think I think I am better or above them.

I do not feel that way and if YOU are reading this and think I am feeling this way towards you, NO I am not. More than anything I am feeling a HUGE burden to help Support our Family from drowning in debt and not enough money to make ends meet monthly, that I am trying my best to hold my emotions together, put the pedal to the medal and grow a business that allows us to cover the necessary costs of living. 

So Please Mamma's 
LOVE eachother 
BUILD one another up
LAUGH together (not at each other)
CRY, VENT, and DUMP on each other as you talk things through
MAKE time to be a Friend the way the Savior Would.

and NEVER try to hurt, cause pain, or say snide words, you never ever know if that could be the last straw on their back that breaks them.

Follow the Golden Rule, Do Unto Others as you would have Done Unto You. 
Even if you aren't a fan of what they do as their career, you can still LOVE, Like, and compliment them on their accomplishments.  

Remember LIFE isn't a Competition against others it's a Competition against ourselves from yesterday, are we improving our lives today over how we were yesterday, that's it. 

So if you have found yourself doing any comparing to others, bullying, name calling, etc.... I BEG You to STOP and Make this World a little easier to live in for all of us.

-Sherin 

www.sherinstark.com 

I'm NO Longer A Band-aid!!!

As  I fell to my Knees this morning in prayer I began saying the usual things that I do, you know the:
"I'm grateful for the sunshine, my home, the rest I got last night."
"I am grateful for my children and husband, please bless them." 
And so on, and then I cam to "ME" and my mind kinda went blank I wasn't sure how to say it or word it or even what to say. I felt like my mind began to wander and I had to keep reminding myself that it was time to be praying not making a list of tasks for the day.

I began just saying what came to mind OUT Loud with my eyes open as if the Lord were sitting across from me.

"...I don't want to be a Band-aid any more and just assist people in covering up their problems, I want to work with you to help Heal People and get rid of their problems, How Lord can you show/teach me how to do this?"

And then my prayer went on and the Thought Came to my mind. "YOU can not HEAL Anyone, YOU can Not HELP Anyone, all you can do is OFFER them a chance to Change their Life and they can Choose to take it or Leave it." "Even I being GOD can not Change their Lives unless they allow me in and let take the necessary steps to do so." 

And BAM.... It hit me, I can not Change Anyone as much as I desperately want to, because I know their lives could be happier if they were healthier, I Realized all I can do is offer my assistance. I can't keep trying to be their Band-aid, listening to their woe's of why they can't make the change or why it's so hard, and consoling them. 

That's NOT what GOD does, he says I will be Ready to HELP YOU when you are Ready to Change, he doesn't coddle us or run along side us asking us over and over how we are doing, if we are ready yet. 

He makes us very Aware he is ALWAYS standing with outstretched arms and Eager to Pick Us Up and Run With us when we are READY to do it HIS WAY, not half his way, not a quarter his way. 
The Reason why is he is our Parent and HE knows what's BEST for us, even when we can't see it. So although it may seem like his way SUCKS (cause sometimes it hurts since we resist a lot) IT will always bring us the most JOY and Success in our LIFE. 

I am by NO means trying to compare myself to GOD. 

However, also KNOW that I am here to Assist each and every one of you when you are Ready and Desire the Change Necessary to PUT your Health a Priority in your life. 
I also have realized MY Health, My Family, and MY GOD all MUST come before anything else, and I can't spend hours a week, trying to drag any one along who is resisting. It's just Draining me, and Killing my Spirits. 

I Know that may come across as HARSH, and I may lose a few friends who view themselves as Victims and the World, God, others OWE them. 

I LOVE YOU!!! 

Just like a Parent may love their child they also MUST let them go and experience things their way. Plus I need to be able to GIVE the Attention to those who Are READY for Change that they Need to Succeed.  

If you are Ready for Change, Sick of feeling unhealthy, depressed, anxious, not motivated, think you don't have time, PLEASE lets talk (Friends that USED to be ME, I hated my life, and COULDN'T see a way to change it or HOW to get out of the life I was living) I want to Bless your life the way mine has been blessed so Desperately. 

-Sherin Stark

www.SherinStark.com

A Different Career Path...

It's been over 9 years since my Layne has been in the Optical industry, however a lot of you don't realize this is what he was in when we were dating and the first 5 years of our Marriage. 

He Really enjoys it, he loves helping people and working in this type of environment. The only reason he ever left is was that it didn't PAY enough when we lived in Florida to make it sustainable for our Family to survive or let alone LIVE Life enjoyably. 

After we found out the job that we Thought was going to be Wonderful for our family that he got in April, didn't Pan out and he found himself searching for something else on June 1st our World kinda fell apart. 

I got super ill with some kinda of Face virus, infection, bacteria, and then my son had to go away (i will be making a full post with details about this later) for 12 days, Talk about Stressful, Depressing time. ( http://sherinstark.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-week-i-crawled-through-hell.html )

To my amazement though, my hubby kept making the job search a Priority among all the rest of life he was having to do. He totally picked up the slack when I was literally in TOO much Pain to do anything other than lie in bed. I was finding myself depressed, anxious, and feeling Totally Defeated. 

I would say as Much as I Hated that 2 weeks of my life, it taught me a lot, and I have so much more gratitude for my life Now. 

~I feel healthy (and can really appreciate that after being hit so hard from so many angles) 

*I feel loved (as my husband really served and loved me through it all) 

~I feel Stronger than before (totally impressed that I was able to come out of all that NOT Bitter or Angry, but rather Grateful for the experience the Lord saw fit to put me through.)

*I feel Blessed to be a Mommy (so much more appreciative of my Children after these experiences.)

~I feel grateful to be a Christian/Disciple of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

*I have build/strengthened Friendships through this time and bonded with people I wouldn't have otherwise.

I KNOW God guides me (if I allow it) and blesses us with ALL that we Need and often times even just things we want, when we ask. 

THANK YOU to the many hundreds of you who sent prayers up for me and my family we Felt them and are forever grateful you took a few minutes to stop your busy lives and offer them to our Lord. 

So back to the new Career, Layne will be Starting work Tomorrow Morning at Artisan Optics and we are all eager for him to begin Enjoying his job again and to be able to Provide for our Family :)

Good Luck Tomorrow Babe!!!

www.SherinStark.com

How Beachbody Has SAVED My Sanity!

Friends/Family my SON is HOME!!!

 I am so so so happy to have him back with us, I hope you read my previous Post to understand a bit more of why he was away (click here if you didn't - http://sherinstark.blogspot.com/2017/06/being-molded-shaped-hurts-worse.html ) He needed to be in beavioral therapy for 10 days and his meds were adjusted to help him cope better with LIFE. 

We all missed him Fiercely, and I cried when we were able to finally go in for our evening visit and walk out with HIM with us. I felt our Family was finally Complete again. 
Since he has been home he has been doing pretty well, still struggling with behavior but we certainly see improvements, and we are working to be more united as parents and follow the counsel we got from the behavior specialist at the center he was at. 


Our family is treating each other with more kindness and being more patient and loving which Feels so good to have in our home, when before it was so much chaos I Wanted to RUN Away Myself. I just didn't know how to Change it, cause everything we kept trying would Come back at us, and NOT work. or Make things Worse. 

So although these past 10 days were some of the Hardest days of my life, I have LEARNED so SO Much through it all and would NOT change that for the World. 

Well then How has being a part of Beachbody SAVED my Sanity through these trials, well here are just a few of the things that I have learned thanks to Bb:

~BE patient, and Forgiving of MYSELF, I am not expected to be Perfect, even though I personally hold myself to a VERY High standard, I learned that I am Human & NEED to Rely on my Savior, my Team, my Husband, my Family & Friends WAY more than I do currently. Some days it was all I could do to JUST breath & keep alive. 

 ~Through Personal Development I have learned that I Create my Life and I am the ONLY one that can make it or break it, so rather than BE mad at the circumstances that came my way, I chose to Utilize them to Learn and Grow Make them into tools in my Box rather than allow them to Tear me down and Destroy my Life. 

~Exercise and healthful eating Helps me to release the stress, anger, frustration, depression, hurt, anxiety that keeps trying to Creep in, I seriously can't imagine not having those outlets in my life. 

~The Friendships that I have created through my 2 years of Coaching, it may seem silly to some of you, but Having Friends that YOU know have your back and Support you, Help you, and Jump in to sustain you in your choices, actions and LIFE are HARD to Find, and through this business I have created more than a dozen of those relationships that I consider LIFERS. I see different fb friends of mine post daily that they need friends, or the friends they have keep hurting them, so they are going to just hermit themselves, cause they are DONE being hurt over and over. I so understand that, because I used to be there but NOT anymore, I have friends that I could call at any time and they would laugh, cry, sympathize with me. I LOVE YOU my Team, THANK YOU for being a part of my Life and trusting me to Lead YOU!

~We have a weekly team training calls and various leaders in our team do the training, Those trainings have SAVED me more than once, when I could feel myself going into depression. (my coach told me 2 years ago that a LEADER Always Shows UP, so never to miss a training) even when everything in me didn't want to show up and I have a million Valid reasons for not participating, I go away Blessed, Renewed and Grateful to be a part of a company with such Integrity, Love, Strength and JOY. 

These are some of the Wonderful Women on our Team

~Being able to connect with my friends via social media, we are taught to Connect and Build friendships with everyone we can, and I have met some awesome friends because of this, friends who I know do not need/want Beachbody in their lives, yet we have still connected and bonded over similarities or mutual friends, etc... So when I was able to start reaching out and connecting with others again (after 10 days of very little social media), it helped me to Forget about my wows and listen to theirs, cheer them along, encourage them to get back up and keep going. and Letting them know they are LOVED and I appreciate them being a part of my LIFE!!! I never would have done that before BB, the other companies I was a part of trained us to Make the sale or MOVE On. It was all about SELLING to Make MORE money. We do NOT follow that philosophy, but rather we Create friendships so that we can all benefit from one another (sharing parenting advice, how to get over an illness, where to go or what to do on a date night, how to make something, or share things that have worked for us, and I LOVE that about my network of friends) no matter if a sale ever happens or not. If I do not KNOW that coaching, or bb can better their life in someway then I don't even share it. Cause I am NOT about Pushing Product just to make a Buck. 

~ My Shakeology, YEP it's been a life saver it has all kinds of whole food goodness in it to help my body handle stress, and stay strong through tough times, plus I know even when I lost my appetite and couldn't eat much I was still getting at least one Nutritionally pack Meal a Day. Plus being able to drink a CHOCOLATE shake every Day without feeling guilty does wonders for my anxiety/ stress. 


~Having something to LOOK forward to getting back to that I LOVE So Much, was HUGE for not allowing me to Sink into Deep Depression as I have found myself in before in life. I am so Happy to be BACK, to Connect, Cheer on, and LOVE on Y'all, SO THANK YOU for Being a Part of my LIFE I appreciate it more than you May ever KNOW. 

Wanna know more about Coaching or Beachbody: SherinStark.com

Wondrous Woman Wednesday - Erin Casper

This WOMAN has been in my life since she was three (I was 5) and used to Run around on her tippy toes. And I have watched as she has been Knocked Down, time and time again only to RISE up and Use those trials to Propel her Forward and Empower her to be a better Human. Erin I LOVE you my Friend and am So So SO honored to Recognize you tonight. 

-Erin has completed at least 7 half marathons (she's lost count), several 5k & 6k races, a sprint triathlon, and she is currently training for her 2nd Olympic triathlon. She didn't even start racing until she was 26 and already had 2 children. She wasn't really athletic growing up or in high school so to start this in 2010 and Realize she was so good at it changed her whole perspective of who She thought She was.

-She is Mommy to 3 beautiful children 10, 8, and 4. She is an Incredible mom, she works full time yet still makes time for Each of her kiddos, letting them feel Loved individually. They are super awesome kids and She feel honored to be their mom.

- She dons't allow the many trials she has endured to define her but rather allowed it to grow her faith in God and Experience how faith has made her feel whole through her trials. For Realz my Friends I have watched as she has conquered trial after trial and comes out on TOP.

- This Incredible woman was awarded a corporate wide title of Live Well champion. An award to someone who exemplifies a balanced life in physical health, financial health, work place health, and social/ family health. She works for the largest health care company in Utah and they have millions of employees.

- In Erin's words "I married to the most wonderful man who has taken me and my children on and loves us deeply. We have been married 6 months this month after both of us went through very painful divorces. He loves my children as his own and I am so grateful I have found him. He is definitely not an accomplishment in my life because I did nothing to deserve him, but I'm fiercely proud of him!" Even through the time she was a single mom, probably feeling like she was just barely surviving, she had HOPE and a Positive outlook on life that MOST do NOT have when they go through similar experiences and I admire her for that. 

Erin YOU are a WOMAN of GOD, a Fierce Example of HOW a Wife, Mother, Friend, Sister, and Daughter SHOULD live her life, YOU Emulate our Savior in your life and LOVE being blessed to Call you my Friend. 

Being Molded & Shaped HURTS Worse...

Wow, I am sitting here with so MUCH weighing on my heart and yet, I feel i must have writers block cause I just don't know how to get it all out.

It's most likely going to be LONG and I am sorry but I just can't give all the details so it may not fully make sense. But bare with me, be Kind in your responses and KNOW that I share for two Reasons:
1) I need to get it out of my brain and write it out 2) I hope that in some way it will bless one of you in your own life.

So Last Thursday my husband lost the JOB that he just got 30 day prior that we thought was going to be the Relief that we had been pleading with the Lord for, for many months. But all though that was tough, we both FELT there was something better around the corner and we kept a fairly positive attitude about it.

Then Friday something bad happened with our Oldest son and we have not been able to be with him for a week. (that's the really Short, version) we can visit him and call and talk with him. BUT let me tell you this MY Heart didn't know it could HURT the way it has until this all came crashing down.

Then of course my mouth issue has been here through this all and my back has been hurting a lot, so trying to be strong and PUSH through with constant pain, I Realized I couldn't and I BROKE on Tuesday. I had never been to my Breaking point before, CLOSE for sure a few times but never to where I literally SHUT down and couldn't even FUNCTION. I was a MESS and I Realized I could NOT keep going the way I was, I Had to Step Back and focus solely on me and my family for a few days.

BUT one of the Neatest things through all of these Awful Overwhelming feelings, is that I know I have been prepared for this TIME, GOD knew this was going to take place and he has helped place things into my life to be my safety net, my support system and my friends.

So first off, when all this went down I was able to reach out to 3 of my Team members and talk openly with them about details and they never once JUDGED me harshly or tried to fix the situation instead they were SO understanding, cried with me, Loved me, and Helped me through. They jumped right in and took over helping my customers so that they wouldn't feel abandoned and I could step away Confidant they THEY would care for them and keep them going on their healthy Journey's while I couldn't.

Second of all, I have friends in my life that have been through SO much crap and still come out strong and I was able to call and talk with a couple of them, and they were wonderful, calming me and helping me to heal, and think rationally. THANK YOU for that (you know who you are)

and Third I have an incredible group of Church friends who stepped right up and help bring in meals baby sit our other two kiddos when necessary and just let me know they care and are praying for our family.

and Forth My Husband has been my Hero, OMG I wouldn't even be able to be sharing this with you all if it wasn't for HIM being my ROCK, holding me and allowing me to Sob in his arms, listening to me cry about the pain in my face, making meals, helping put the kids to bed, all while spending hours each day working diligently to find a new job. HE truly has been a MIRACLE and What I have NEEDED through this Dark, Sorrowful experience.

Today is the first day that I feel like I am getting back to myself, first time I have even sat down at the computer or reached out to friends to check on them. usually I do that daily and I did miss hearing how they were doing but i felt so Broken that I didn't feel I would be able to Listen to what y'all had to say or that I could sympathize with you when I felt the MOUNTAIN that was crushing me seemed impossible to LIFT from my chest.

But I wanted you to KNOW I have appreciate your prayers, your love, the meals I have been fed, the Help, the healing, the Friendships. I KNOW I could NOT have been able to pull through this with out all those Safety NETS God placed into my life, without the personal Development that I have been reading for years to help me understand how to KEEP myself from falling into Deep Depression.

I have Really focused on strengthening my spirit this week and that has been so Refreshing, I have been reading the Infinite Atonement, reading scriptures, praying, I was able to attend the Temple with my hubby on Tuesday. My Spirit has been so fuel and filled and I am forever Grateful to have a savior who not only paid for my sins but suffered through every pain physically or emotionally that I have ever or will ever feel, so I can turn to him, Plead with him, to allow me the Strength to get through and carry my burden with me so I am not doing it alone. and I have FELT that Strength.

Right now I would rather NOT have you send me messages or try to ask more questions I shared what I shared and unless I have already personally told you more detail then that's because I don't want you to know. My family deserves privacy and I shared what I felt I could with out sharing too much. Maybe someday I will feel I can share more but for now that is simply NOT the case.

Thank YOU for reading and Loving us, We Need it and thank you for your Prayers and Pleadings on our Behalf they have been so appreciated as well.

I am picking up the pieces and Climbing back up to once again be STRONG and Fully Feel Empowered, but I have learned that being MOLDED after being in the Refiners FIRE can HURT so MUCH Worse than the Heat from the Fire itself. I love my GOD, I Trust my GOD and I Thank my God for TRUSTING me and Giving me this Opportunity to be MOLDED by HIM!

Wondrous Woman Wednesday - Alynn Mortensen

Today I get to Shout out Alynn Mortensen, we met through a political campaign in early NOVEMBER, but Right away something stood out to me about her and I wanted to be her friends, so I reached out and introduced myself. I felt like we hit it off well, and over the past several months we have become friends. Well I am Honored to have the Opportunity to SHOUT HER OUT to you all Today!!!

* Just in the in the short 7 months that I have begun building a relationship with Alynn she has Shown how Strong, Kind Hearted, and Capable she is, she such an Example to others of how women should Treat themselves and each other, there is Far to much bashing and belittling going on, we need More women like Alynn to Stop that through their Example and LOVE.




* This Woman is Incredibly Passionate about being a MOM, Wife, Sister, Daughter, she LOVES her Family Dearly and her life certainly shows it as her days revolve around Serving them. “I am proud of the children I have raised. They are hard workers they are kind and polite. They know Who They Are and where they came from.” 
~Alynn M. 











* Through her Younique Buisness she has been able to gain confidence that in her self, and then passed that on to her Team and Customer base. A Confident Woman is Radiant and can do so much GOOD in the world. And I Watch her do just that, Always doing Good for others. When she started her Younique business she was presenter #27 which means they were a brand new company and had nothing to go off. They had to Learn and Create the training's as they went. 







* She also overcame her Fears and trained and certified as a Realtor. She Adores Helping people purchase their Very First home, or sell a home to down size once the kiddos are gone. But she pays attention to Detail & Serves her clients beautifully, while also assisting her family with income.

* And Talk about an Incredible “Come Back Team”, together her and her hubby fought to get back on solid ground after losing their home and his job, and all the stresses that go with that. But it has made them stronger in many ways as a family. "It was a reminder of what was really important, which is the People in our lives NOT our accumulation of Stuff." ~ Alynn M. 

I know this is only a Small scope of the AWE that this Wondrous Woman holds, BUT I wanted to Shout Her out so that YOU can all see a Glimpse into the Life of another Incredible Human that I get to call Friend.

If you have a friend YOU would Like to Refer and have me SHOUT OUT, Please send me a message, leave a comment, find me on FB. JUST Let me KNOW that your Friend Deserves or Could USE the Spot Light.