Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivica Menegaz.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Vivica. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in Sanremo, Italy in 1968 and though I love my country, I never felt like I fully belonged there! I always had a longing to know more, to see more, to experience the world and life to the fullest. This longing led me to study languages from an early age, as well as being an avid reader. By the age of 11, I had read several books by Mahatma Gandhi and was practicing yoga on my own. By 18, I had read all kinds of philosophy, literature and psychology books. I think the core of my interests has always been “The Human Being” from every perspective, body, soul, emotions. At 18 years old, I moved from Italy to Germany, where I worked as an airport stewardess. Then at 22 I moved to Spain for a year, and then to California at 23. Once in the USA, I quickly realized the immense potential for creating a life I wanted from a blank canvas, and I enthusiastically started to study, starting with community college as I was working as a waitress to support myself.
As you can imagine, this thirst for “knowing” was fueled by a deep inner dissatisfaction, and let’s say it honestly, from the pain and trauma of my childhood. I was searching for myself, for a place where I belonged and for a deeper purpose for my life. During my twenties, health was definitely not on the forefront of my explorations, physical or mental, as I was still caught up in the superficial indulgences of youth. At the same time, the inner yearning kept me searching and learning from both life and school. At 33, I graduated from the prestigious Pasadena Art Center for Design with honors, with a BFA in Photography. As I started a promising career in food and editorial photography, I was able to work for some of my favorite magazines, like Gourmet and Vanity Fair! But life had more adventures in store for me! I traveled to Brazil for a vacation and felt a deep calling to the land, as I remembered previous lifetimes and karmic lessons to complete.
Within six months of my first visit, I had bought a beautiful house near the beach of Salvador Bahia! For the following seven years, I moved back and forth between the United States and Brazil, and opened a new company, working with indigenous people and artisans, creating sustainable handcrafted jewelry. These were the years when a couple of main themes of my life started to congeal together: Sustainability, Eco-mindfulness, Indigenous traditions. I became more and more aware of the needs of the Earth and how we as humans can become more integrated into sustainable ecosystems, and wanted to be a part of the solution to our current paradigm. I had already become burned out by my photography work and could not identify with the fashion world anymore. Approaching my 40’s, I was looking for a deeper alignment with my purpose here on the planet.
At this time, I was offered a position as an office manager for a chiropractor, as well as the opportunity to live on a homestead. This was the life-change I was looking for, so I accepted the offer and began to study nutrition. Nutrition was a major turning point for me as I felt that I had finally found my true calling! Helping people heal in a natural way truly resonated with my soul’s purpose in life! Being Italian, I also have a deep connection with food and cooking, which combined with the focus on healing brought me to realize one of the big dreams on my bucket list, to have my own beautifully photographed cookbook: The Keto Paleo Kitchen. After the nutrition studies were complete, I opened my own virtual practice, with an initial focus on metabolic dysfunctions and started working with clients all over the world. My vast travel experience and five languages were coming in handy here!
For the last six years, I have been working as a nutritionist, I started working with the ketogenic diet about five years ago before anybody had even heard of it, and I am proud to be one of the trailblazers who made it so popular! Along with keto, I specialized in Functional Endocrinology, and everything hormones, working especially with women to help balance their metabolic needs with hormonal needs. I use healing foods to create a solid foundation of health for my clients, and also include detoxification, lifestyle, exercise and mindfulness practices for a fully rounded approach to natural healing! In the last three years, I have included more emotional and life coaching as well, as for me the meaning of being a “holistic practitioner’ is truly to address the whole being: physical body, emotional body and spirit!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road! I feel that from an early age I could only rely on my inner guidance, which was not always the wisest, but life has taught me a lot! From my struggles I have learned to be more compassionate for the struggles of others. I think the hardest part for me was lacking a solid base of self-confidence. I never thought I was worthy of the good things in life, so I created very difficult situations for myself. After many years of learning about myself, I can now see things differently, so I can make better choices. I think all the struggles I faced are ultimately a gift, as I believe in my mission of service to others, to help them overcome similar issues, both of health and emotional, and offering the guidance I wish I had received.
Journey 2 Wholeness – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My company is called Journey 2 Wholeness, and it includes my blog The Nourished Caveman and my program The Healing Foods Method. I am a holistic nutritionist, specializing in the Ketogenic Diet and Functional Endocrinology. My clients are predominantly women, and I help them resolve issues like hormone dysfunctions, i.e., Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, Adrenal Fatigue, Infertility, etc. I am proud to have created a very comprehensive program which addresses the roots of disease. It is a road map for restoring the state of health our bodies naturally crave. We live in a very complex and toxic world nowadays, and our delicate hormonal systems are constantly challenged, so it is important to learn the right tools to keep ourselves healthy!
Our medical system is not designed for wellness, it pretty much just addresses pathology through drugs and surgical intervention, there is no understanding of how to restore real health! I try to offer an alternative for women who are interested in true balance, wellness, and value alignment with our planet and our evolution. I think what really sets me apart from many other practitioners is my ability to see the whole picture and to make connections within the body’s systems, which helps me resolve quite complex issues. I also offer a very special kind of care and support, very individualized and in-depth. I am proud to be very available for my clients as I guide them through a journey of whole life transformation!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
There have been many proud moments when any of my clients share with me how I have helped them find hope again and resolve problems no other doctor or practitioner could help them with! So many women told me they thought they could never lose weight again, or get off toxic medications, or get their thyroid healthy again, but we accomplished all of it together!
Pricing:
- Initial health and hormone consult $250 – Includes review of food diary and current labs and 1 hour call.
- Follow Ups $150
- The Healing Foods Method – Individual 4 Month Program – $3500 payable in 3 installments or $3000 in one payment
- Life and Health Coaching Call $150
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thehealingfoodsmethod.com www.theketopaleokitchen.com
www.thenourishedcaveman.com - Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenourishedcaveman
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNourishedCaveman
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wholefoodviv
- Other: https://thenourishedcaveman.com/
Image Credit:
Shasta Photography
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