NURTURE: Something that nourishes; sustenance.
The act of bringing up.
To nourish; feed… To educate; train…. To help grow or develop; cultivate.
When was the last time you felt NURTURED in your life? Was it recent enough that you can name ‘it’ or recount the ‘someone’ or the ‘something’ specific that helped refuel you in a powerful way? Did you know the definition of NURTURE to mean what is written above? I honestly did not… I considered nurture a refueling of sorts or encouragement & for some reason, I also married it with a task or deed. So if I was to face the question before Mama Makeover, I’m not sure I would have answered appropriately. It would have gone something like: “ah, yes, nurture… I had a pedicure recently & that really fueled me” or “my friend helped me by watching Maddy & it was so nice” or “I’m so grateful Dom helped me with the grocery shopping, I feel so much better”. While those things are nice & appreciated, in actuality, that’s not nurturing at all. Through the MM process, I have learned – and am STILL learning – that nurturing starts from within us… it’s not something given to you & it’s not a task to be checked off a list. It’s something I give myself and it’s something I’m being coached through.
The minute you meet Savannah Mayfield of Nurture Life Coaching, you know she was called to this line of work. She is different, the real deal; she has most authentic & welcoming presence. AND she’s got an amazing passion for women reaching their fullest potential while teaching the art of self-nurture. A big piece of my MM experience has been my work with her through six sessions of individual life coaching.
Initially when I saw LIFE COACH, I thought of “work” or my role in a job. I’m not sure why, but instantly, my mind went there and I was unsure how Sav would ‘coach’ me where I’m at as SAHM with no current job outside the home. I actually thought I’d be quite boring or run out of things to work on – ha! What I learned very quickly is that Savannah is truly multifaceted to guide & direct in ALL areas of life period! And she is exceptionally in-tune with women & our roles in life. Over the past two months, we have discussed every topic you can imagine ranging from my past career, my living kids, Michael’s death, my marriage & our roles in the family to my faith & the beliefs I hold dear & live by to my “work” in the home & balancing that to finances to relationships to… you get the point. I now affectionately look at Savannah as a girlfriend who happens to also be my personal coach/cheerleader/guidance, career, marriage, finance counselor and more! 
She has discussed virtually every aspect of life with her clients, but one thing is certain… Sav will not necessarily make a decision for you but instead, she believes strongly that each of us has the answers IN us and part of getting those answers is nurturing ourselves in the process. That is a priceless gift to us as her clients… she believes in us, she coaches us and allowing the process to unfold naturally!
For example, something that’s been stirring in me the past several months is the desire to be active outside the home again, be it a part-time or full-time job & possibly in business again or non-profit work in pediatric end-of-life care. I felt like I had 20 different scenarios to consider & I was feeling overwhelmed – and if you’re like me, you desire the answer yesterday! I surrender these ideas to the Lord each day & pray in turn for patience, which I know God is granting me, but ultimately, I still need to participate in the process. One way Sav has helped guide me through these very different options is to consider what it would mean to LIVE IN THEM for three days at a time… like, really wake up & pretend “today I’d be taking a shower & getting ready for my full-time work at such-n-such, which means I need to dress & arrange Maddy for the day, etc.” It was eye-opening! And I did do that with four different scenarios and gained some real perspective.
Another key gift from Savannah is her teaching of self compassion. It has become incredibly important to me and part of me hopes I’ll always be a student in this learning because it needs constant tending to. As women & mamas, it is VITAL we embrace and give to ourselves as much as we embrace and encourage and fuel and give to our spouses, our kids, our friends, our work. I was not doing this before – or if I did, it was certainly not the nurturing described above.
This blog has been a more difficult one for me to articulate because – quite frankly – I feel like LIFE is just getting started. That’s what it is, you know… a new creation from God each day. In fact, I was with Savannah today and felt like this full circle had happened – even after six sessions of visits & loads of topics. While I’ve done so much work with her, I know now I’ve only cracked open the surface. I’m coming ‘alive’ again, so to speak, and so with that comes appreciating the ALIVENESS and the journey it’s going on. When you dive into the art of self-nurture & compassion & looking at life in a whole new way, it takes time, but the blessing for me is that I have been able to enter into it with someone I trust and admire… and honestly adore. Thanks, Sav.
