My Dream Job

Aug 21, 2022 | by The Fellowship

Growing up, my career sights were set on becoming a dietician. I was an athlete and found it fascinating how the foods I ate made an impact on my athletic performance, mood, and muscle mass. Unfortunately, my athletic college scholarship took me to a university that did not have a dietetics program.

I majored in Health Education and Promotion instead. There were many times when I wondered if I had made the right decision -- and at one time, I even applied to transfer to another school with a dietetics program.  But ultimately, God led me to stay where I was.

Then I was given the opportunity through another athletic scholarship at the same university to get my master’s degree. That is when I found the Counseling course of study. Seeing a counselor throughout my college years drastically changed my life for the better. As soon as I saw that a Master’s in Counseling was available, I was eager to enroll.

I immediately began brainstorming on how I could incorporate my love for food and nutrition with counseling. My counseling career initially took me in a different direction, but soon found me working alongside an amazing friend in a holistic-centered practice.  There I was able to beautifully include my food and nutrition passions.

Last year, my husband and I made the decision to move from Texas to the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains and Pisgah National Forest in southwest North Carolina. I began looking for jobs in my field and was unsure if it would be possible to work in the specific niche that God had so beautifully provided in Texas.

Initially, I received an offer at the local community college.  While it was exciting to be selected, I was also hesitant. It would be a 45-minute drive from our home, and I kept wondering if this was a job to “pass the time” or if it was truly what the Lord had purposed.

About a week before I was supposed to start, my husband and I experienced some frustrations with the conditions of employment. We both prayed for God to close the door if it was not the right thing. One day later, I got a call from a very renowned Wellness Retreat nearby looking for a counselor.

When we first moved to NC, I had contacted this retreat -- but there had not been any positions available. However, my information must have been kept in their files.  Now it seemed like God was opening a door to an opportunity that I could only describe as my dream job.  Within two days, I went through a series of interviews and was hired!

Now I go to work at a 155-acre campus nestled in the mountains. It is a beautiful setting and immersed in nature -- which is much more my style!  I greatly enjoy my work, specifically with young adult women ages 18-29, teaching them pillars of nutrition, fitness, culinary skills, stress management, and recreation. This is the pathway to rebalance their nervous systems, to move past what is keeping them stuck, and to help them learn new habits for thriving at this pivotal moment in their lives. 

It is impossible to imagine a better or more meaningful place to utilize my passions. I am filled with awe on reflecting how God has led me on a path to prepare me for this specific work. Every day, I thank Him for the opportunity to impact these young women, helping them abandon destructive habits for those that are guaranteed to bring vibrant health and happiness.

S. Y. 

Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will
give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 34:7