Self love.

Have you ever truly thought about those two words?  Self. Love.

“Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self-love is dynamic; it grows by actions that mature us. When we act in ways that expand self-love in us, we begin to accept much better our weaknesses as well as our strengths, have less need to explain away our short-comings, have compassion for ourselves as human beings struggling to find personal meaning, are more centered in our life purpose and values, and expect living fulfillment through our own efforts.”

Which leads me what this post is all about…

A little while ago I went on a sunrise adventure shoot with a truly inspiring and uplifiting lady, Kristian Head. Her passions, her drive, her dedication, her determination, her beauty, her spirit…..is incredible. I have known Kristian since we were younger and she has always been one to admire.  We couldn’t wait to collaborate together because we love supporting other people with big dreams, a strong passion and endless motivation especially when it comes to health and fitness.  A little while back she had a life changing experience that, at the time, was something to think would be an unbearable recovery but thankfully it has been the driving force to her accomplishments today.

Let me tell you a little bit about her story…

She was working as a paramedic for the Dare Country EMS and had attended a call where a patient needed to be put on the stretcher and into the ambulance and taken to the hospital. As herself and another paramedic were lifting the patient into the car, she felt a pop in her back and immediate pain but she had no idea the amount of damage that been caused.  This happened on October 10th of 2013 and after many trips to the doctors, it wasn’t until the end of February of 2014 that they had finally realized that she had broken her back and had two complete Pedicle Fracters to her L5.  The doctors, still to this day, are not sure how she didn’t end up paralyzed from the amount of damage and duration of time it took to realize the severity of it all.

It wasn’t until May of 2014 that she had to have a MAS TLIF surgery.   After her surgery, they sent her home with strict orders of no exercise for 3 months. She had a walker and had to be taught the basics again like walking, using the stairs, how to sit and how to stand….Kristian said, “it was like being a baby all over again.” But that day she woke up from surgery was when her everlasting motivation to take this as a driving force to be the very best verison of herself everyday and overcome this experience better than she has ever been before.

Kristian says, “When I woke up after surgery….groggy, fuzzy, and in the most pain I had ever been in, in my entire life.  I couldn’t even cry it hurt so bad.  I can’t express that in any better way.  I literally wanted to call it quits.  In my head I was like “God, this is it, take me now because if I have to feel like this any longer I’m going to pull the plug myself” Then I realized that there was no plug to pull and I had to rally. So I’ve been doing that ever since.  Rallying.”

Kristian is a warrior. She is determinted to move forward and push herself everyday to get stronger, fight harder, and never give up. She has always been an athlete, an inspiration, and in killer shape but now….now is a different story. She is rallying. Rallying for the very best life she could ever have for herself and everyone that surrounds her.

Inspirational Active Woman – Kristian Head

Sunrise Adventures in Buxton, NC

“surround yourself with people whose dreams are as big as yours”

Empowering others, following your dreams, making the most of your time on this earth, sharing your passions and living your absolute best life is what it is all about.  I truly believe that you will get more out of life by giving more of yourself every single day.

Never give up.

xo,

Caroline

What drives your soul?  What are you passionate about?  What obstacles have you overcome?

Comment below and share your inspiration!  Click here for more inspirational posts 🙂

Also, be on the lookout for more collaborations between Kristian and I 🙂 🙂