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About My Journey
Here's a little about how I came to be a Health and Wellness Coach.
Hi, my name is Mary Yost and I have had a passion for nutrition for a very long time. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Arizona State University. My career for a while was all about preparing foods: food for pets in a pet store, animals in a zoo, and children in schools. My passion for nutrition grew stronger when I started nourishing my own children. Both of my children struggled with acid reflux, and I changed my diet to make sure that my breastmilk was not causing their suffering. With my second baby, I had to cut out all of the top 8 allergens plus citrus, pineapple, tomato, and a few others. When I went back to eating as I had been before having children, I began feeling ill after eating certain foods like soup, bread, pizza or pasta. The best I could figure out was a gluten intolerance. I had a doctor’s appointment to test for celiac disease, but that was negative. Over the next few years I avoided many foods but occasionally I would have a flair up of symptoms and it became increasingly difficult to eat outside of the home. Life was also difficult for my son. He had food allergies. If you would like to read more about his journey you can read my first blog. I eventually wanted to get myself a test for food allergies. I stumbled on a place that would do a skin allergy test on site. My results were hard to handle; I had 24 food allergens. The results were so varied that they didn’t really seem to make sense. I had my suspicions and I talked to a few other people that went through similar situations. We concluded it seemed like I had leaky gut syndrome. After doing some online research through reputable sites, It all started to make sense. During this time, my interest in healing the body through food was increasing. I felt like I needed to get into school about this stuff and learn more and possibly use the information to help others in the future. I had taken a few nutrition courses over the years but hadn’t fully decided how to use that in my career. When I learned about the Health and Wellness Coach program at the Southwest Institute of the Healing Arts (SWIHA), I felt like I found the next step to a career helping others. I have learned so much about digestion and the digestive tract. I have also learned various ways to heal the whole body, mind and spirit through exercise, mindfulness, meditation, tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique), etc. The courses I have taken at SWIHA have helped me develop a specific set of coaching skills to help others pursue their desires to change their lifestyle. Through coaching we can find your path to a better, healthier you.