It was February of my 5th year of pharmacy school when I first decided to leave my father’s community pharmacy business. I still remember the cold phone conversation as I called my father in an empty corridor of my rotation at Bellevue Hospital in NYC. I recall the feeling of my heart feeling like it was going to beat out of my chest as I told my him I wanted to go out on my own and do a residency. Little did I know that was just the beginning of this incredible journey I’m about to share with you.

Here’s the thing. I come from a pharmacy family – my father, sister, aunt, and uncle are all pharmacists too. No one, besides my father, had ever broken out of the ‘9-5’ mold or owned their own business.

So when I told my family I was doing a residency, they weren’t happy. In fact, my entire family was beyond pissed off that I DARED to leave the family business. In their mind, it was a deep betrayal and I should stay there to eventually take it over. They said I was stupid to leave a guaranteed spot as the future owner of my dad’s pharmacy. They said I would never make it out in the real world. Most of you know this anecdote of my story from my first book, Revealing Your Inner Radiance.

At the time, I was living at home and had to deal with constant ridicule for my decision. I was extremely anxious and couldn’t relax because I was constantly on pins and needles. My father wouldn’t even look at me. My doctor prescribed me Xanax and I just pushed through the anxiety.

It was the ultimate decision of choosing what I knew was my soul’s calling versus ‘betraying my family.’ I think you can guess which direction I chose.

Yep – I pursued this dream anyway and landed a community pharmacy residency in Brooklyn. I did it despite the flack I got from the family and because of my choice, I subsequently got kicked out of my house, fired from my job, and was left sifting through my belongings thrown out onto my front lawn. I bagged all of my discarded belongings into clear plastic leaf bags and stuffed them into my tiny grey Mazda 3.

There was no turning back. That was early April 2012. At the time, I was still in pharmacy school getting ready to graduate, take my board exams, start a residency, find an apartment, get a temporary job, and SURVIVE. At the time I was struggling with a rare eating disorder called Night Eating Syndrome, dealing with anxiety, depression, and trying to keep my life in order. My life was hanging on by a thread.

Fast forward to October 2012 – I was lead to heal myself and decided to become a health coach through The Institute for Integrative Nutrition and start my own nutrition consulting business.

I shared my vision with people I worked with and they said, “Who would pay you $100 for a diabetes consultation?” “What could you possibly teach people that they would pay for?” 

They laughed when I told them my ideas. Their critical comments stung, but I kept going. I knew deep down that I had a message to spread and an impact to make.

There were many firsts. My first YouTube video was in my small studio apartment in Brooklyn that had pink walls and horrible lighting. My first talk at a senior citizen home where the patients fell asleep during my talk. My first client, who my mentor pushed to work with me.

Despite the fear, the criticism – all of it, I WENT FOR IT.

I traveled to Bali for 30 days to write my first book at age 26, invested in countless personal development seminars (Tony Robbins, Brendan Burchard, Landmark Education), devoured hundreds of books and achieved certifications in Reiki, hypnosis, and healing modalities to help myself heal…and in turn, help OTHERS.

The process wasn’t smooth. It wasn’t perfect at all. While I was building all of this, I was still battling my eating disorder and dealing with the pain of continually attracting and dating unavailable, toxic men. Some of those men were jealous of my success and said horrible things to keep me small.

And for a while, it didn’t get much better…

In 2016, I got engaged, picked up my life and moved to PA, only to find out I had attracted another narcissist and couldn’t stay with my fiancé. When I moved out of his apartment, I had no source of income since our business was dismantled in his favor. It was my choice to leave and I had to start from ground zero again.

In 2017, I got fired from my pharmacy job and had nothing to fall back on. My employer denied my unemployment and took me to court. I ended up winning the case. Can you see a theme yet? 😉

All throughout these inner and outer battles, I kept going. Because something deep inside of me KNEW that, despite the external circumstances, I was destined to make that impact.

Even as recent as last year at this time, I faced criticism from my dad (once again). This is actually the experience that prompted me to write this blog…We were at a nice restaurant in Florida on vacation and he was angry that I quit my retail pharmacy job. He called me stupid. He said I was dumb to leave the security, benefits, and steady paycheck. He said I’d never make it.

All of those critical comments ignited me. It was the fuel that made me voracious to make this business successful.

I hired coaches for the first time. I healed deep seated unworthiness, shame, and guilt. I released the very painful things I had been avoiding my entire life. And on the other side, here I am.

And 8 years later….I finally feel like I’m here. Doing my soul work in the world and inspiring other women to release their old programming so they can step into their destiny.

I am grateful for those comments from my father, my family, and the haters who couldn’t stand to see me shine. I’m grateful for the failures, the money spent, the mistakes, and the painful learning experiences.

Because…If I would have stayed small, listened to the critical voices from myself and others, I would have never been able to…

*Write 3 best-selling paperback books about healing.
*Grow a multi-six figure business helping women step into their truth, light, and power.
*Connect with so many amazing women all over the world through podcasts and T.V. interviews.
*Host live events and touched thousands of lives through my YouTube videos, newsletter, events, and programs.

I could have missed out on ALLLL of that!

To all of the women ready to release the BS and step into your BIGNESS, I’m ready for you.

Xx,
Christina

P.S. I’ve extended the enrollment to May 11 for Strategic Ascension Leadership Academy, a 3-month container for visionary entrepreneurs to step into their next level of income & impact. To learn more, click here.