Donna's Healthy Living Tips

I am originally from Ferndale, Michigan and now split my time between Ypsilanti, Michigan and Waynesboro, Tennessee.  With a degree from Eastern Michigan University (my mom and I graduated from EMU on the same day, both with honors!) I have worked for a variety of organizations including Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Hughes Training (in General Motors), Ford Motor Company, and Saturn Consulting to name a few.

In recent years I have partnered with my husband in our consulting business “Copeland and Associates” and to open and operate our martial arts school, Quest Martial Arts, in Ann Arbor, Michigan (affiliated with Stephen K. Hayes).  My interests have long operated around helping others to learn more about themselves through their interactions with others.  I also deeply love the earth and am concerned about how we humans are treating her and how that in turn is harming us and our future generations. 

Anyone who knows me knows I love my furry family, Fari (our cat) and Jewelie (our dog).  They really light up my life and bring great comfort and pleasure to life.  They point out lessons that I may be overlooking and provide respite when I am discouraged.

My husband Keith and I have been married over five years, together over 15.  It took us a while to get engaged (8 1/2 years) and one of my favorite memories of my dad is when we called my parents to tell them we got engaged and I asked my dad if he was feeling like it was “about time” he said, “There’s nothing wrong with being sure.” 

My dad passed away this past June of liver cancer.  It was a surprise to many people because he had always been so fit and active.  However, he was exposed to a lot of chemicals through his work as a machinist and also some of his own choices (like washing tar and other things off his hands with gasoline). 

With my concern for the earth (which got its roots through my parent’s organic gardening and attending Camp Wathana through Camp Fire) I was attracted to green cleaners and getting the toxins out of my home since the early nineties (I know I am later than many of you, earlier than some).   I am also thrilled at the increased availability of organic foods and the education that so many consumers are getting in how to keep their families safer.

I have taken supplements for years, sometimes just calcium, but when I became anemic and often rejected from donating blood I underwent a variety of tests to see what was at the root of the anemia and started an iron supplement.  One of the things we discovered is that I am gluten-intolerant so I have removed gluten from my diet.  This basically means all wheat, barley, rye, and a variety of other things you wouldn’t think of (like most soy sauce and licorice).

I have found met many wonderful people who are also gluten or wheat-free for a variety of reasons (and a variety of sensitivities).  I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes so I love sharing what I have discovered with others.  That is part of my motivation with this blog…reaching out to others who are gluten-free and helping them to have healthy choices.

My other career that I love is as an Independent Shaklee Distributor.  The integrity of the company and how great the supplements and green cleaners are won me over.  I had looked at a variety of other companies to be a distributor for but Shaklee is the best fit for me.

Let me sum all this up by saying that we are all on our own path, along various stages.  If we can help to open each other’s eyes to the possibilities and educated each other we will all be further along our own paths.