SHLTMM S5E51 It's Important to be Connected to Family Even If You Are a Continent Away with Guest Nutritionist and Naturopath, Alana Bonnemann.
My guest's mother, Lesley, is Chinese Australian. Alana's maternal great grandfather left China for Australian and her paternal great grandfather came from Scotland. Australia is a big melting pot according to Alana. She says her grandparents didn't speak Chinese but their culture stayed in tack.
One of the most important lessons Alana learned from a young age is "health is wealth," and she still stands by that expression today in her work as a Nutritionist and Naturopath. Her father started studying to become a chiropractor when she was a young girl.
Alana says "we ate a mix of Chinese food and Australian mix of food which consisted mainly of meat and potatoes, however, mom never enjoyed cooking.
Alana's mom is warm and fuzzy yet she and her mom didn't talk openly of intimate topics regarding female issues.
Alana has one brother, Adam, three years older, they will always be there for one another. Alana describe's their relationship as "chalk and cheese."
Lesley had studied bio chemical science and worked in hospital labs.
"As a teenager mom was quite studious but also very very social. She has an ability to retain so much information about the people she's met. She inquisitive and interested when she meets someone and can retain all of this information. Lesley is very creative and logical. Lesley enjoyed calligraphy and making things, "it's a nice balance" according to Alana.
Alana explains that her parents were at university with the same group of friends. "Mom was the bad-cop with strict rules, dad was fun to be with," according to my guest. " Lani" is Alana's nickname. Dad went to chiropractic school as an adult. Alana's dad had to get psychiatric help for a while when she was a child, so mom was on her own for a while taking care of the kids. "Dad was ahead of his time in that he openly searched out help on his own. Personal health is very important to him and he wanted professional help and not just to rely on being medicated", recalls Alana.
"My mother is very empathic and very loyal," and being on her own was tough. my grandparents helped a lot but my mother rose to the occasion. Mom says family comes first. I'm sure this was a very tough time for my mother. Both or our parents gave us a very happy and healthy childhood, even with these ups and downs," reflect Bonnemann.
I asked my guest, "If you're having a bad day and just need someone to talk to, is your mom the first one you call? Alana responds, "I would always go to my mom but my mom always gives me the same advice "you'll be alright, you'll be ok, it'll be what it'll be . Before Alana calls her mom, she already knows what her mother's response will be. "There's always that assurance there," continues Alana. Mom can you just validate my feelings. She's always there. She's open to it as well. She doesn't block me out.
I love how Alana responded to my next question regarding her mother.... "This is the story of a woman.....? And this is her response which I love." "This is the story of a woman who loves her family. She is like a mother duck who will put her wings over the people that she cares about and keeps them close to her heart. "Alana lives in Germany and her mother is in Australia and she's always, even from afar, always encouraging that we have a strong bond with all of our family members."
Alana has chosen the emoji of the flamenco/tango dancer to describe her mom-"she's a bit spicy, she got a flare, she's got energy, she got jazz about her." Lesley is very active. She dragon boat peddles and plays Pickleball. "She's quite short but just a lot of energy. She keeps track of all of Alana's friends back in Australia," reflects Alana.
When asked about her career and how is her philosophy of helping women is different from others, Alana says "it all comes down to purpose, perhaps. She believes that if someone is healthy and feels mentally, emotionally and physically sound we have that much more to offer others. "By elevating women to be able to feel well, then they get to impact their life and that impacts other people's lives . There's a wave of change and in perhaps in my own way, changing the world, for the better."
I learned a lot from Alana. Our mind is a powerful thing and we can get pulled off track very easily. You can either go for that chocolate or sugar treat that's calling out to you or perhaps trade that in for a few minutes of meditation. Neither is bad but meditation may be more frustrating, but consider which will bring you more happiness and what are the long term benefits that we can get from doing things that benefit our health?
WEBSITE: alanabonnemann.com
PODCAST: alanabonnemann.com/podcast/
INSTAGRAM: naturoapth.alana
LINKEDIN: www.linkedin.com/in/alana-bonnemann-3a638b37/
PODCAST:Health After 30