Cultivate True Health: Born from a Promise and a Purpose

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” – Romans 8:28

Part 1: A Promise That Changed Everything

Cultivate True Health was not born from a business plan, a career goal, or a desire to build a brand. It was born out of desperation, prayer, and a promise made in one of the most terrifying moments of my life.

In 2009, while pregnant with our second son, I contracted H1N1. What began as an illness quickly became a near-death experience. There were moments when the outcome felt completely out of my control—moments when all I could do was cry out to God and cling to hope that He would spare my life and the life of my unborn child.

In that place of fear and surrender, I made a promise. I promised God, and I promised my husband, that if He saved us, I would change everything about how I cared for my family’s health. I knew deep in my spirit that whatever I had been doing before was not enough. I didn’t fully understand what needed to change yet—but I knew that God was calling me to something different.

By His grace, we survived.

And I kept my promise.

At first, the changes were small and felt manageable. I began buying organic food. I swapped out toxic cleaning products for natural alternatives. We adopted a vegetarian diet. These choices felt like a good starting point—simple steps toward honoring the bodies God had entrusted to me and my family.

But what started as small changes quickly turned into an insatiable hunger to learn.

I began researching daily. I read books, articles, studies—anything I could get my hands on that spoke to health, nutrition, the body, and healing. The more I learned, the more I realized something unsettling: there were two very different definitions of health.

There was the version of “health” promoted by the medical system—one focused largely on managing symptoms, prescribing medications, and reacting to disease after it appeared. And then there was what I began to think of as true health—the kind of health our ancestors had practiced for thousands of years, long before prescriptions and chronic disease management became the standard of care.

This older, wiser approach to health emphasized prevention, nourishment, balance, and honoring the body’s God-designed ability to heal when given the right support. It aligned deeply with what I believed in my heart—that God did not design our bodies to be fragile, dependent, or constantly breaking down.

Naturally, I began looking for a doctor who shared this vision—someone who would partner with me, teach me, and support my desire to care for my body and my children in a more intentional, God-honoring way.

That search did not go as I had hoped.

Our pediatrician did not support my decisions. I asked questions. I declined certain prescriptions. I wanted to understand why before blindly following recommendations. Eventually, we were asked to leave the practice.

Our family doctor was no different. He was uncomfortable with my questions and frustrated by my unwillingness to accept prescriptions as the default solution. Once again, I felt dismissed, unheard, and alone.

It became painfully clear that the kind of doctor I was looking for did not exist in the spaces I was searching.

And that’s when a quiet but powerful realization took hold:
If I wanted a doctor like this for my family, I would have to become that person.

What I didn’t know then was how completely God would take that willingness and run with it.

He began bringing the right teachers into my life. The right schools. The right opportunities. Doors opened that I never could have planned or imagined. One step at a time, He taught me how to care for the body the way He designed it—with wisdom, intention, and reverence for its complexity and ability to heal.

The more I learned, the more I wanted to know.

That hunger never faded. Over the course of eleven years, I continued my education relentlessly—not because I was chasing a career, but because I was a mother determined to protect and nurture her family. I was still that young mom who had stood in fear in 2009, clinging to a promise and doing everything in her power to honor it.

Along the way, something unexpected happened.

Family and friends began asking for help. I would share what I was learning, walk alongside them through health challenges, and help them make changes in their own lives. Word spread. Before long, people I barely knew were showing up on my doorstep or calling regularly, asking for guidance.

It became clear that what God had revealed to us was not meant to be kept within the walls of our own home.

There were many other families—just like ours—who were searching for a better way. Families who felt unheard, dismissed, or trapped in a system that didn’t align with their values or their faith. Families who wanted to thrive, not just survive.

So, we prayed!

We asked the Lord how to steward what He had given us. We asked Him how to “birth” this calling in a way that honored Him fully. And in His perfect timing, He gave me the name Cultivate True Health—along with a clear vision: to teach other families how to care for their bodies the way He intended, and to help them move from merely managing life to truly thriving.

This is where the story begins.

In the next part, I’ll share how Cultivate True Health grew from a calling into a ministry, the challenges we faced stepping outside the norm, and what it truly means to cultivate health in a world that has forgotten what health really is.

To be continued…