No Colon Still Rollin: My journey from “Why me?!?” to “Why not me!?!” and why it matters to you

I was deeply humbled to be named the Crohns and Colitis Foundation honored hero of the year at the annual spin4 Crohns & Colitis Cures event. This is the speech I gave, that I know applies to all people in life feeling stuck, scared, confused or powerless. I live my life by a pyramid of 4 principles, and they are outlined in the video.

So, here is a brief version of my journey from “Why me?!?” to “Why not me!?!” and why it matters to you.

27 years ago, at the age of 16, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis—a debilitating, often silent, chronic auto-immune disease with with no known cause, and far worse, no known cure. I spent my teens, college years, early 20's and more silently battling a debilitating disease while people told me "you look great" "but you don't look sick!" While I crushed my career, climbed the corporate ladder, traveled the world, got married (and divorced) and even ran a marathon without training, I also battled daily and did it totally alone. No one wants to hear about blood and uncontrollable bowel movements and horrific side effects from medications, and I kept it all to myself.

Until I couldn't. 5 years ago, after a long and storied battle, I underwent (unplanned) emergency surgery and had my entire colon removed, officially kicking off my #nocolonstillrollin #jpouch journey. I had 4 additional surgeries over the next 2.5 years to rebuild my entire digestive tract (and yes, I kept working the whole time).

It was the hardest thing I have ever done, it was fear and pain and terror and humiliation and powerlessness personified. It changed me. For the better. I had always thought I was kind of a badass, but now I knew it. I was a warrior. But now what??

6 months ago, I stepped away from Corporate America to start Rebecca Babcock Coaching, providing the guidance, tools and mindset work that I used to face unsurmountable odds and design, The Babcock Method, a proven system to help everyone who wants to experience true professional success, financial abundance, personal freedom and overall life satisfaction.

I am truly proud of my life, my career and my illness and forever grateful that I get to share my own experience, strength and hope in a way that helps others (especially those that actually DON'T have IBD), all while allowing me heal more every day. It is truly a journey and not a destination.

And now, I have developed a way to ensure my life is spent thriving, not just surviving my #nocolonstillrollin life.

*Lesson for each of you: You don’t have to almost die to love your career and your life. And you are also a total badass warrior, you just might now know it.

When I couldn't find the tools I needed to align my passion and life purpose with a way to make a living, I created it. I don't live in a world of why me, and neither should you. We each have the opportunity every day to co-create our life and be in choice, or to have life happen TO us.

I can do hard things. Spoiler Alert: So can you. Let me help.

Warrior>Worrier,

Rebecca

www.rebeccababcockcoaching.com

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