Thanks for stopping by. This is my space to share what I’m learning about being healthy, aging well + making a difference. I’m glad you’re here!
Like you, I wear a lot of hats. I’m a wife. Mother. Daughter. Friend. I work. I volunteer. I create. I run marathons. I do ‘all the things’. I like my plate full. And, I don’t mind a little juggling when necessary (that darn work/life ‘balance’ we all strive for).
Throughout my life (and without much thought), I have relied heavily on modern conveniences of every kind to navigate my crazy, busy life.
Always on a quest for more convenience, simplicity, efficiency. Time.
To be honest, I thought I was doing pretty good. Making healthy choices. Being a good mama. Doing all the things to live a good life.
THE TURNING POINT
It all took a turn about 15 years ago when one of my daughters was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. And, quite by accident – we discovered the connection between what we thought was ‘healthy’ food & this disease.
It’s a long story that I’ll share with you along the way, but ultimately, it led us to completely revamp our diet – how we shop & how we eat.
Eliminating all of the chemicals & additives from our food changed not only her health, but ours.
It changed a lot of things at our house.
NUTRITION
My husband & I became obsessed with food as medicine. We even went so far as to study nutrition & become certified health coaches.
Armed with this new information & these new skills, we did whatever we could to pass along what we had learned & be a resource to other families just like ours.
We spent an entire year building a membership-based website that would help people plan their meals & make whole foods easy for people like us who had never really learned to cook.
We felt compelled to share what we had learned.
Of course, that was just the start.
CLEAN BEAUTY
Ten years of studying nutrition & cleaning up things at our house & never did I stop to think about what I was putting on my skin every day – or that our everyday products might not be safe.
We didn’t really use a lot of products at our house, so it never even dawned on me – until I started looking into anti-aging creams & treatments.
I knew at some level that aggressive anti-aging treatments might expose me to questionable ingredients. It was a choice I was prepared, though frustrated, to have to make.
Why do I as a woman have to consider compromising my health in the name of beauty?
This is when a friend introduced me to Beautycounter & the clean beauty movement. And the more I learned, the more I had to be part of it.
I was shocked to learn that I had been unknowingly exposing myself & my family to harmful ingredients in our everyday products all along.
Here I was eating the best organic food, exercising diligently & yet unknowingly using products that I assumed were safe – but weren’t.
That was six years ago & once again, I find myself compelled to share what I’ve learned.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
I call this site be | COUNTER because our environment is not set up to support a healthy life or feeling good. The statistics are stacked against us.
If we want to be healthy & feel our best – we have to do things differently – to be | COUNTER.
We also have to be willing to stand up, use our voices & demand better for ourselves, our families & our planet. To be | COUNTER.
Most people I know are on some kind of medication. They are not feeling their best. They are struggling with allergies or weight or auto-immune diseases. They are unhappy with the way their body looks & feels.
They assume that our food & products are safe. And, just like me, they don’t know what they don’t know. Maybe that’s you?
THE INVITATION
My goal is to be | COUNTER to all of that – especially as I age.
To be healthy. Active. Energized. Informed. Confident. Intentional. Engaged. And, most of all, willing to carve a new path & lead the way.
How about you? You in?
It’s NEVER too late to start. I invite you to jump in. Learn with me. Let’s make things better. Not only for us, but for the generations behind us.
Connect with me. Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter. Join the conversation.
Most importantly, join me on the right side of the statistics…carving the path to your healthiest, happiest self.
We all deserve better!
Thanks for being here!
Karen Friend Smith
Certified Health Coach & Clean Beauty Advocate