My Story

How it All Started

My story began when I was eight years old. I remember few short days with my Grandma before I was the only witness to her death. My life was never the same again. I was already separated from my mom—as she was in the USA and I was in Pakistan. I don’t clearly remember what happened. But she had to send me back to Pakistan so she can bring me back to the USA.

After my Grandma’s passing, I spent a great deal of time crying. I forgot how to smile. My family members were not so welcoming, but I don’t blame them…It’s not like girls are taught to express themselves, the sorrow, grief, and pain. I became so quiet and kept to myself.

I was never close to my mom as I don’t remember spending time with her. After that, I just felt so abandoned. I had no one— so it seemed. During this time, I suffered emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. This was the breaking point in my life, and I thought of ending my life several times. Shortly after, my Uncle Sher (Sher in English translates to – lion) passed away. The two most precious people in my life were gone. However, somewhere in the corner of my heart, I still hope to be united with my mom one day. 

It seemed like a distant dream, but I prayed and prayed daily. By the time my mom came around to take me back to the USA— she was quite shocked to see me— as my skin was yellow—that would be jaundice. I didn’t tell her that I was suffering from intense digestive problems and literally had worms in my stool. This was so disgusting, and I was so scared that I never said a word. This was the result of being neglected, abandoned, and malnourished.

Soon after, my mom decided to change my food habits to bring my color back to life. Well…of course, she would know she was a nurse. I learned the importance of food at a young age. Whenever I fell sick, my mom gave me turmeric milk with some honey. I didn’t quite comprehend the power of food then but I sure do now.

A few years after my mom remarried, our home was filled with fear, anxiety, stress, and physical and sexual abuse. Sometimes we had to escape, which meant leaving our home. 

At times, we spent time in the car or even in shelters, brushed our teeth, and got ready for school at McDonald’s bathrooms. And McDonald’s was also our food choice because $1 burgers can easily feed a family of four—my two brothers, me, and my mom.

It felt like my life is so empty, but it was the love for my brothers that put a smile on my face—because as a big sister, I was also playing the role of being a mom to them. But in silence at night, I cried myself to sleep.

What I remember when I think back to those times is that we went through a great deal. And despite going through so much, I clearly remember the generosity of schools, communities, and social workers. They donated food, making our holiday memorable, and helped us find safe places to stay at. In fact, from what I remember, my first turkey was a donation. I was super excited. I remember laughing and playing with my small family and appreciating the joy we had.

For this very reason, I believe in giving back.  A portion of all purchases made on this website goes to educating girls around the world because education is power. 

Oh no…here comes the bullying. At this point, I just wanted to hide. Of course, as any kid would, I took it to heart. I was also overweight, so I started walking for hours in the morning and watched what I was eating…. I thought it was that easy to lose weight. If you have struggled with weight, you know what I’m talking about… Just eat right, exercise, and lose weight…yeah…right. And if you don’t lose weight, then you must be overeating. Guess what? I’m here to tell you that the truth is far from it.

To my surprise, the more I worked out, the more weight I gained. To give you a good picture, I wore a size 16. I really couldn’t solve the mystery. I was miserable. Throughout my lifetime, I gained weight, I lost weight, and the cycle continued. 

The lesson I learned today is that weight is so much more than we know it to be. For me, it was safety and protection.

I did, however, often questioned…I don’t understand why everyone in the house is sick all the time. When I used to go to the doctor, I complained of fatigue and chest pain. I would even ask the doc to check my thyroid and iron levels…even though I didn’t know anything about it. Instead of listening and digging deeper, I was sent to a psychiatrist and was prescribed Prozac. When you’re relying on conventional labs, the answer in most cases is that everything is normal. Of course, I know that now.

Fast Forward…my health struggles continued, and I accepted that it is meant to be. When I was in my early 20’s, the doctor gave me this awful news…that I have PCOS. I was heartbroken. My whole world came crumbling down.

At this point…I thought my body was inherently just broken. I suffered from a long list of health problems, osteoarthritis, nails peeling off, bone loss, pale color, digestive issues, constipation, acne, body odor, pre-diabetes, PCOS, depression, eating disorder, always dieting, under-eating, taking the next best diet pills, and still tired. 

During the time I was diagnosed with PCOS, I was also working as a health coach. I helped many wonderful women get healthy and lose weight. Still, I couldn’t understand how I could alleviate all their pain and suffering they came to me with—I wasn’t equipped to do that. And I also understood them because of my health struggles.

Did you ever hear the saying – in every obstacle lies an opportunity…Well, that’s kind of what happened to me. But I didn’t actually pick up on that until much later. 

Something inside of me had shifted. I knew in my heart that this can’t be my life sentence. I know that I wouldn’t survive for long like this. So, I refused to accept anything anyone had ever told me and started taking matters into my own hands. I spent a great deal of time searching on Dr. Google for answers.

AND then I came across this quote…

It was at this moment that a light bulb turned on in my foggy, tired brain. It was lit up with excitement as I had just discovered something miraculous. I also found energy like never before. I pondered on it for a few days and learned from my boss about an RD career path.

When I was 12, I knew that I wanted to be a healer. I thought I might need some superpowers to relieve others from their suffering, so I decided a doctor would be the next best option. But growing up in a single-family home with financial insecurities considering a doctorate was not an option.

Flash forward, I started pursuing my career as an RD. Even though I still felt like this wasn’t my full calling. You know it’s like someone baked a delicious chocolate cake without any icing and served it to you—I mean how is that even considered a cake—you just know that something is off.

When I was completing my bachelor’s degree, I suffered from intense ovary pain, chest pain, and so much more. I was prescribed metformin, which sent me to the ER for very low blood sugar. But, I often had bouts of hypoglycemic attacks even before metformin, just not to this degree.

A day or two after that, I found myself crying uncontrollably and screaming to the universe, asking for help because I just couldn’t take it anymore, and I was so desperate.

I felt so hollow, lost, broken, and alone.  

I prayed, and I prayed. The next day I came across a video about Keto Diet. I thought to myself…this is going against everything I’m taught. However, I didn’t let doubts enter my mind. I took the diet as an answer to my prayers. Then I found Dr. Hyman during this time and started applying his protocols as well. After that, I read so many books, listened to a podcast about functional medicine, and literally became my own doctor.

As crazy as I sounded to my colleagues and friend, I carried on with the diet in utter confidence. They said to me …Ruby, you can die…my response was, I’m dying anyway…why not try something? What’s the worst that can happen. That was the start of my healing journey. But…that was only one piece of the puzzle.

Longer story shorter…one after the other, I came across each life area that impacts health & vitality. Through it all, I learned I never lived a balanced life. Since my childhood, I’ve been living in a fight or flight mode—no wonder why I suffered so much.

I started doing more mind-body practices such as meditation, changed my relationships, how I perceive things, worked on trauma, changed my environment, and on and on.  

What I learned is that there is no one size fits all. To find health, to end your suffering, there needs to be a wholistic approach. Where your entire being is considered in your plan. Who are you? What limiting beliefs are holding you back? What do you believe about health? What fears do you carry? Can you actually imagine yourself healthy? What would you like your future to be? Have you suffered from trauma? 

Do you see what I mean now? I wished for so long that someone would come and rescue me. This is the exact reason why I started my own business. I know what it takes to get healthy. And I want that for you.

This has become my mission. I want to help you transform your pain and suffering into your superpower. I firmly believe that when you combine everything and apply it to your life that your success is inevitable, and nothing remains out of reach. This is something once you experience, you’ll never want to go back to the “normal” life. Because…there’s no “normal.”

The Key Takeaway

My point is that there are so many underlying emotions and deep desires buried deep inside us that we don’t allow to surface. When those feelings do surface, they need to be expressed…and they can show up in so many different ways. In my case, it was always pain and discomfort.

We all have the power to heal if we have the right mindset. I know it probably sounds too simple to be true. I’m living proof, and many people that I came across in my journey shared a similar belief.

The answer to your health problems doesn’t lie in books, podcasts, a new gadget, diet pills, medications, food restrictions, and heavy exercises. Point to be noted that my health started shifting when I started understanding the power of healing foods. But, my transformation didn’t begin until I faced the deepest parts of me that I had rejected for years—my inner child that never felt safe or loved, and learning to speak my truth unapologetically.

Like an onion, my healing process was one layer at a time, I would deal with one situation, and another one would pop up. That’s how healing works. There’s no magic pill or potion, just deep desire and love to get well.

I know, and I know that you know to some level that there is so much to a human being. If I’m honest, we are not a machine. We are spiritual beings. Your health is a direct reflection of your life. I want to spare you the time and money on fixing the surface level symptoms and issues.

Because it will only disappoint you and continue to lead you to a life of suffering. 

Suppose you want to live a life full of health and vitality, a life without chronic pain and suffering, without relying on medications and spending countless hours with medical professionals, or sleepless nights worrying about your future. In that case, you must focus on healing your inner child, loving yourself deeply, and concentrate on reprogramming your subconscious mind. This is the only way!

Let me also remind you that you are not alone in this journey. It’s not your fault that you have faulty programming set forth by society and your childhood. Freedom from pain and suffering, living a stress-free life, having confidence, and finding your fulfilling purpose is possible, and it all comes from within.

All these practices are the fundamentals of my program. These are my core beliefs that I apply to myself, and I also implement them with all my coaching clients. 

You can do anything you set your mind and heart to. 

If you walk away with anything from this story, then remember this…your only limitation is you.