Research:

This project was designed as a free 7 day eclass email series for building an email list. Customer avatar targeted women over 40 who were looking to establish a foundational wellness routine.

Email 1

Subject: WELCOME to the Foundational Wellness Email Course

WELCOME to the Foundational Wellness Email Course

What does foundational wellness mean to you? For me, it sets the stage for overall health. Health is the one thing we all seem to take for granted … until we have a problem. In midlife, we often receive a wakeup call that leads to wanting to do more to change.

That’s what this course is about. This is a free, 7 day email course designed to help you explore your mind/body connection as a part of your wellness journey.

For the next 7 days, you will receive one email per day … starting today.

I’ve designed this course to help you start asking questions about your own approach to wellness. Each day will help you think about your own journey on a larger scale. I’ll send you an email each day with a thought on wellness and what you can do to make real impact here in midlife. If you journal, I encourage you to print out each of these lessons and use them to ponder and journal each day for the next week. We’ll be covering:

Day 1: What is foundational wellness?

Day 2: Discovering your why

Day 3: Defining YOUR wellness routines

Day 4: What’s the first step?

Day 5: It’s a journey, not a race

Day 6: Pro-aging is …

Day 7: Seeing the new you

Your first course email should arrive in your inbox shortly. I’m looking forward to being your guide.

Email 2

Subject: Day 1: What is foundational wellness?

These are challenging times.

But you don’t need me to tell you that.

Years ago, I read a study by AARP that said the average person over the age of 45 takes four prescription drugs regularly. Four. Not only that, the vast majority of Americans over the age of 50 (85 percent) say they have taken at least one prescription drug within the last five years.

We’re a nation of pill poppers. We’re trying to fix everything in capsule or tablet format.

And I believe that’s the wrong approach. If you’re focused on what services you can use ONCE YOU GET SICK, you’ll never take charge of your wellness. And that’s really the key.

I started asking how I could eliminate heart disease years ago when my father died of a massive heart attack at the age of fifty-four. That’s where my concept of Foundational Wellness came from.

Foundational is defined as “an underlying basis or principle” of something. To get to Foundational Wellness, it means finding a way to inspire yourself to stay WELL rather than waiting until you get sick enough to take action.

Instead of looking for a magic pill, what if you found a way to get to the root of the problem and use that to improve your wellness?

I’m not a doctor. I’m not a scientist. I’m not in the pharmacy business (Hint: they’re in the business of selling as MANY prescription drugs as they possibly can.)

What I am is a person who wants to live every day in the best shape I possibly can be in.

Foundational Wellness starts by creating a foundational plan for wellness, for life. For me, wellness includes:

• Eating better
• Thinking better
• Living better
• Better relationships
• Self-care with positive thinking
• Taking charge of my own approach to wellness

For me, WELLNESS means using holistic practitioners, chiropractors, and biological dentists. I do my research thoroughly before I enter any medical office, and know what outcome I want before I ever step through the door. I don’t accept advice without asking a lot of questions first.

Am I doing it the right way? Yes – for me. I’ve done my research; I pay attention to how health and wellness fit together. I ask questions, and create my own strategy. And I don’t accept an answer without a lot of research.

Because I want FOUNDATIONAL WELLNESS first.

Now it’s your turn.

What is your current approach to wellness?

What does wellness mean to you?

Do you research before you head in for any medical advice?

Do you accept advice without question?

How can you change your approach to wellness?

What does your FOUNDATIONAL WELLNESS plan look like?

Email 3

Subject: Day 2: Discovering your why

I want you to think about WHY you’ve committed to making this time in your life all about Foundational Wellness.

Maybe you’re like one of my relatives who had such debilitating migraines, she went looking for a solution to stop spending days each month in bed.

Maybe you’re like my neighbor who just celebrated a BIG birthday. Suddenly, she’s being called out because of her age. AARP announcements and anti-aging advertisements are now front and center in her life, and she’s not taking it lying down. She wants CHANGE that will last a lifetime.

Or maybe you’ve hit midlife, and things are changing. Your cholesterol is high. You have elevated blood pressure. You’re pre-diabetic. You don’t feel one-hundred percent anymore – could it be gut health? All you know is that you’re in midlife, and you have years – decades ahead of you. And you don’t want to be spending any of it in assisted living. You know NOW is the time to improve your health.

Midlife is a time when we ask “What’s next?” about everything. And when it comes to making lifestyle changes, “what’s next” comes from seeing your future, and it has health complications written all over it.

My “why” started out when my dad died at the age of fifty-four from a massive heart attack. I couldn’t wrap my head around it, so I started doing research. I learned even more about healthy living.

My “why” started from not wanting to repeat my father’s patterns. He loved his meat-and-potatoes dinners. He smoked. He wasn’t as active as he could have been. The more research I did, the more I discovered how that impacted his health.

My “why” morphed when my daughter turned vegetarian. I wanted her body to always be strong, and I had to discover how to keep her on the right path to do so.

My “why” is for Foundational Health. Because I want to live to the age of one-hundred, and I want to be well and enjoy every moment of it in the process.

I no longer accept the status quo of having to be sick as we age. Of being on multiple prescriptions in midlife.

My “why” is wellness.

My “why” is so strong, there’s nothing anyone could do to change it.

That’s me. You have to discover your “why” too.

Why is Foundational Wellness so important to you?

Why is it your focus now?

Email 4

Subject: Day 3: Defining YOUR wellness routines

When I was in my twenties, I believed a sharp mind could track anything. I tried not to write down my to-do lists; I wanted to remember them instead.

All that gave me was a headache. After attending a productivity class, I learned that productivity starts by being well organized and developing strong daily habits.

I believe wellness can be summed up in a similar manner.

To have Foundational Wellness, you’ll need two things:

• Organization
• Strong daily habits

Being well organized means gathering your resources carefully.

Read books. Watch podcasts. Go to seminars. Find the RIGHT medical team to help you achieve your goals. Stretch beyond your current belief to learn new things. Don’t stop at anything until you have your strategy in place. This is your WELLNESS we’re talking about here.

Years ago, a friend recommended a book by Suzanne Somers on wellness. I laughed, and thought: “Yeah, right.” I thought it would be a book on plastic surgery and crazy diets. Boy, was I wrong. Suzanne Somers is 75 years old and has stated repeatedly that she doesn’t just want to be alive, she wants to be ALIVE. She wants a s3x drive, shiny hair, and a good night’s sleep. She wants her memory intact, and to be able to do anything she chooses to do.

I agree!

But you don’t get there by living fast and hard for a couple of decades, only to try and find the quick-fix when things start to go wrong. The only way to feel ALIVE for life is to take charge of everything, right from the start.

And that’s where your daily habits come into play.

Every morning, I rise at five without an alarm clock. I meditate, journal, read, make time for yoga. I pour my favorite mug of tea, and sit down to write (something I deeply love). I walk by the river, breathing in the fresh air.

I take supplements. I adhere to a plant-based lifestyle. I schedule time with my wellness team. I make self-care a priority.

Mindset. By making it a part of my daily routine, it’s a part of my life. It’s a part of who I am. I can’t imagine it any other way.

We each have twenty-four hours in a day. We all make choices.

If you want something new in your life, you have to exchange one activity for another.

Instead of hitting the snooze alarm, I’ll get up and meditate.

Instead of watching Netflix, I’ll read a wellness book.

Instead of going through the drive-thru, I’ll pick up a cookbook.

What will you do instead?

Email 5

Subject: Day 4: What’s the first step?

Ready to make room in your life for something new?

Start small!

I’ve spoken with a lot of people who set out for radical change. They may move from traditional eating to a completely vegan diet overnight, for example, then wonder why they fail in less than a week.

Wanting to change is a good thing. Making it stick is something else.

Whether you’re starting a new exercise plan, implementing plant-based living into your life, or reducing the chemicals in your weekly routine, it’s going to take changing your daily habits. And you can’t do that all at once. So start small.

Replace one thing. Pay attention to one ingredient. Switch out one product you use.

Work with that for a while.

And then move on to the next item in your life.

What’s one thing you’re willing to change this week on your quest towards foundational wellness?

What will it look like once the change takes effect?

How will that make your life better?

Email 6

Subject: Day 5: It’s a journey, not a race

It’s taken you [your age] years to reach where you are today. And it’s been quite the journey, hasn’t it?

Too often, we live in a world where we expect results in two hours. I call it the Hollywood Factor, where every problem in the world can be solved during a two-hour timeframe.

In reality, that’s never the case. No matter how much work you put into something, it’s going to take time to stick. This is about changing your journey, not about getting instant results.

Ben Franklin said: “Some people die at 25, but aren’t buried until they’re 75.” That’s a great way to put it. I think that describes a lot of us here in midlife.

When we reach our 40s and 50s, “no” isn’t just a word; it’s a lifestyle. Complacency becomes a way of life. That’s because humans, in general, don’t like change. We like safety. We like comfort. We like sameness. And “yes” can stretch you wayyyyyy beyond all of that.

Complacency stifles who you are. It puts you in a place that might not be in your best interest. It might be doing you more harm than good, and finally, here in midlife, you might not even recognize it. There are many reasons for that.

We love comfort – by default, humans like comfort. We want the familiar. This grows stronger with age and becomes more difficult to tackle when you see all you have.

We fear risk – even if you aren’t where you want to be, you have “things.” And as much as you want more, you want change, the thought of losing often wins out.

We fear a loss of identity – your persona exists to those around you. Your family, your friends, your co-workers, your peers, your audience – they see the YOU you put out to the world, even if it isn’t who you truly want to be. To get in touch with who you really are might upset all you’ve achieved. What if you had to move past people in your circle to get where you truly need to be? Are you sacrificing your core happiness just to stay a part of that circle?

We are held captive by ego – “look at me, and all I’ve achieved!” Even if we don’t scream it out loud every day, it’s still a part of us.  It’s our true identity! We drive certain cars, live in certain neighborhoods, put our kids in certain schools. What will people think if you didn’t stay there? That’s your ego talking. You’ve put a pricetag on what you’ve achieved, and feel a step in a new direction might cause you to move to a new track, one where those around you might no longer value. Can your ego take that kind of hit?

We value love – how many times do you sit back and do nothing out of love? As women, we do it all the time.

• I can’t take that class because I have to be home for the kids.
• I can’t take that job because my spouse can’t move away from his.
• I can’t start that business because it would leave me vulnerable. Everyone tells me how much risk that is, and I just don’t think I can do that to “them.”
• I can’t change my diet. I’m known as the “cookie baker” in the family.

This can be especially difficult when you start pulling away from those who are a big part of your life.

Foundational Wellness comes from little steps that have a big impact over time.

When I start to commit to something new in my life, I often remember that people enter our lives for a reason, season, or a lifetime. We only get disappointed when we try to force a relationship beyond its useful purpose.

It’s okay to change, and continue on with your journey.

Your wellness depends on it.

How has complacency impacted your wellness?

What are you willing to change no matter what the cost?

Email 7

Subject: Day 6: Pro-aging is …

Why does wellness matter to you? 

After all of my research, I’ve found most people give an answer that falls into one of two categories:

1. They want to get their health back.

2. They want to stop aging in its tracks. 

Both stem from having lost something they had in their past. People look longingly back at their younger days, wishing for things they once had. 

It’s a bit of nostalgia, envy, and midlife crisis, all rolled into one. 

Before you move forward, I have an exercise for you. Spend a few minutes writing down all the emotions you’ve held onto this past year. What words did you come up with?

• Angry?
• Irritated?
• Unsure?
• Hopeless?
• Anxious?
• Overwhelmed?

Did you list any positive feelings?

In the 1970s, psychologist Paul Eckman identified six basic emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, surprise. Today, scientific studies have increased the list to include several dozen basic emotions, but in every case, negative emotions far outweigh positive ones.

What that does is give the average person a lot more word choices to describe their bad moments in a day, compared to positive feelings.

Words become habits. If you have to stretch more to come up with positive words, you’re more likely to stick with the negative. And by sticking with negative words, you’re more likely to live with those as your guide.

Try getting up in the morning to a feeling of “I’m tired.” Now change your words to “I’m elated!” 

Just the mere act of changing your words can alter the way your body responds.

A part of our current culture tells women they are waayyy past their prime in midlife. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a woman right smack in the middle of life – you’re 40 or older. What fills your mind every day? If you listen to the media or pay attention to any advertisement anywhere, you’ve probably come to a conclusion:

• You’re too old
• You’re overweight
• You have too many wrinkles
• Your skin sags
• You need anti-aging everything

How are we supposed to stay positive when all we do is focus on anti-aging?

Anti means: you’re opposed to or against an activity or idea.

Are you really opposed to aging?

I love being right here in my 50s. I wouldn’t trade it for anything! I love who I’ve become. I love my place in the world.

So why on earth would I want to “anti-age?”

I believe words are deep-rooted, and we need to change them if we hope to be the best we can be.

Pro-aging is an entirely different way of looking at something that naturally occurs every day.

Pro means: to have an advantage in favor of something, to be in favor of.

And I definitely am in favor of being the best I can be, at every age I experience.

Part of wellness is changing your mindset. And after several years of ridding my life of anti-aging messages as much as I can, replacing it with pro-aging advice from my own making, I can tell you it makes a BIG difference. 

What anti-aging rhetoric have you bought into?

How does anti-aging impact your current wellness routine?

Are you working towards gaining something back you thought you lost?

What would it look like to be the best YOU, right now, at this age? [Your best age!]

Email 8

Subject: Day 7: Seeing the new you

The past 6 days we have opened you up a lot of new ideas about wellness, and what Foundational Wellness really means. You’ve learned how words matter, how your mindset controls everything about your health, and what it takes to truly make changes stick in your life.

Where do we go from here?

How can you define what’s truly important?

Is it possible to get to the best, healthiest you, no matter where you sit today?

These are all important questions to be asking right now. We’ve proven so far this decade that our health is everything. But if our Western approach is all wrong, what does that mean for you?

I AM MY BEST ME.

What comes to mind when you read and think about that statement?

Where do you need work?

What goals do you hope to achieve?

Hopefully things have come to light, possibly feelings you never knew were in the back of your mind. Maybe you didn’t realize how critical you were of your looks. Or how weekly lunches with your friends were aiding in you making bad choices with the foods you eat.

Foundational Wellness starts at your core. It’s both the inside and outside, body and mind. It’s about internal conflict, and external influences.

In your journal today, make a list:

How do I define Foundational Wellness?

What nourishment do I need as I move forward?

What questions do I have about eating right, treating my body well, and giving my mind the subsistence it needs to thrive?

Revisit this list as much as you need to keep it fresh in your mind.

Trust that you are on the road to Wellness.

You have everything you need to become the BEST version of YOU.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me.