Life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies, even in Hawaii
I went to Hawaii to learn about organic farming, and discovered so much more.
As a food freedom and body image coach flying from fast paced Los Angeles to farm life in Hilo, Hawaii, I uncovered many important insights, healing tools, and self care practices that have changed my life forever. I hope you benefit from my experiences as well.
1. Vulnerability is Strength – Not Weakness
My relationship with myself and with food plummeted in high school largely due to my lack of willingness to be vulnerable in my romantic relationship.
I had insecurities and feelings of inadequacy that I was not willing to admit.
I compared myself to other women and thought I wasn’t good enough for my boyfriend.
I wished I was funnier, smarter, bigger boobs…
Instead of being vulnerable, open, and honest about my feelings
I put on a confident mask
I changed myself as much as I could to prove to everyone (mostly myself) that I was good enough.
Resulting in under-eating, overexercising,
and losing my period for 8 years
It has taken a lifelong herculean effort to:
1. Recognize how I feel
2. Accept that feeling and
3. Be able to communicate it clearly
This community in Hawaii has taught me to feel safe to admit to myself, and maybe even to others, how I really feel.
Instead of being met with shame as I anticipated,
I am met with compassion, understanding, and even deeper connection.
How are you practicing willingness to feel?
2. Abundance Mindset
Confident and abundant are ways of being that
we get to choose to be
Living for free with an abundance of fruit trees and farm fresh produce,
I could still easily be counting pennies, withholding food, and barely leaving a tip
No amount or wealth will cause us to start feeling abundant, we could still continue to feel scarcity and lack.
No amount of validation will directly cause us to start feeling confident, we could still continue to feel insecure.
How are you practicing BEING abundant?
3. No matter how many people complain about about the heat, the sun shines anyway. 
As an extrovert, I thought there couldn’t possibly be any cons to communal living. And I was right.
While, what I’m about to share could be considered a huge con, I invite you to try on a more empowering perspective.
Thanks to communal living, I learned that
I laugh too much and too loudly.
I don’t sweep thoroughly enough.
I project my opinions too much.
I am not mature enough.
Communal living brought me back to my grade school years.
Among all of the friends I had and good marks I got,
it was still impossible to escape negative feedback.
Whether that was from peers, professors, or my parents.
Have you ever felt like you’re too much?
Or that you’re not good enough?
While the opinions of others are always changing, the opinions we have of ourselves are the only opinions that we live with 24/7.
I invite us both to frequently request feedback,
and to receive negative feedback gracefully and with a heart full of gratitude.
Knowing that positive feedback keeps us the same,
and negative feedback, whether or not we agree with it,
shapes us to become more of the powerful role models that we are meant to be.
How are you growing thanks to negative feedback?
4. Essential Eco-Friendly Swaps!
When you live on an island you realize: all of this trash has got to go somewhere!
Since living in I…
– Started using a menstrual cup
– Saved all my food scraps for composting
– Use reusable produce bags at the grocery store
– Use vegan wax food wraps instead of plastic wrap
– Switched to the most eco friendly plant based protein powder (use discount code VITAMINKATIE to save 20% $$$ when you order online!)
What eco friendly swaps are exciting and realistic for you?
5. What “aloha” really means
Think “aloha” means hello and goodbye?
It means so much more than that.
To my understanding, living aloha means
giving the gift of our undivided attention.
It means appreciating the present moment.
Living aloha means slowing down, and doing whatever we can to make a positive contribution.
To be generous, and to go out of our way to support and empower others.
When I first arrived at the farm, of course the first thing I did was open my laptop and request WiFi access! 😛
I quickly learned that in the shared space, the farmily is to be present with one another, and screentime is to be had in a separate area.
Decreasing screentime around others brought me the most wonderful human connections and memories, mixed with feelings relief and such a necessary peaceful presence that I didn’t know I needed ❤
Hope these insights help you! 🙂
a huge shout out for these mindset shifts thanks to:
The community at Kulaniapia Farms
Brandilyn Tebo and her Shift Retreats and Embodied Rebel Academy
Lillian Love and her Female Archetypes workshops
✨
Be sure to send this email to a friend who could use some help!
If you’re reading on your phone, screenshot and tag me on instagram in your stories @vitamin.katie and let me know how this was helpful. I would love to connect 💙
If you’d like help on your health and fitness journey, click here to apply to work together.
Sending love!
Katie 🙂
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