Karianne Croy - Wellness Warrior, Holistic Health Coach, Founder The Whole Truth

Karianne Croy

Karianne Croy is a Wellness Warrior and Holistic Health Coach, and the founder of The Whole Truth. She created The Whole Truth because what she needed didn’t exist. As she was suffering through sleepless nights, severe muscle spasms, invasive medical procedures, and the inability to work or even function normally, she was frustrated and devastated, wondering why she wasn’t healing despite all of conventional medicine’s attempts, wondering why this had happened to her and what had she had done wrong.

Rewind twelve years to the beginning of Karianne’s career as a firefighter, which she chose because of her enthusiasm for health and fitness and a strong desire to be of service to others. It was the first time in her life that she had felt so strong, capable, and confident after struggling through her teens and early twenties, plagued with bouts of depression, low self-esteem, disordered eating, and an overall dysfunctional relationship with herself, her body, and food.

Karianne had overcome these obstacles and forged ahead into firefighting with perseverance, enthusiasm, and optimism, despite her gender and relatively small size. After an injury at work, Karianne tried everything. From surgeries to acupuncture, she realized that in the process of healing her own body, she was meant to help others learn to help their bodies heal. To help people reclaim their power and their health, instead of giving them away to a medical system that’s been ineffective at treating chronic illness. She studied plant based nutrition, integrative nutrition, and earned a certificate from eCornell and the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, and became an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.

Beyond that, Karianne realized she could hear her own intuition and soul guidance more clearly, and she realized a deeper truth - that we are already healed and whole. This is just the beginning, and Karianne’s story, journey, and words are truly beautiful and will touch you. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and connecting with Karianne over the last year and a half, and I’m so excited for you guys to connect with her too, check out her work and offerings, and follow along as she continues to step into her truth, journey, and purpose!

I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.

Hi, I’m Karianne Croy. I am a former firefighter and paramedic turned integrative nutrition and holistic lifestyle coach. I like to say I’m a Wellness Warrior. I call my business The Whole Truth and I advocate for and teach holistic wellness to help people achieve and enjoy vibrant health so they can live with more JOY and share their unique gifts with the world. Wellness is worth fighting for, but it doesn’t actually have to be a struggle! Here’s the thing I want you to know, and this is the Truth: You are needed. You are valued. You are worthy. You are Divine in human form. Love is the ultimate Truth at the heart of the Universe and The Universe is inextricably linked with you. It is not only “out there”, it’s inside you. You are Love. When you can not only know this but also feelit deeply, then you know that self-care is not selfish; it’s the exact opposite. When you know that you are a vessel, a vehicle, for this Love, you can’t help but honor that. And that honoring, that devotion, that Love, ripples out to the world. And that’s how we transform the world. So I beg you to stop fighting with yourself, stop berating yourself, stop giving away your power, and instead nurture and nourish yourself. Self-care is the ultimate form of devotion to God (or whatever your name is for your Higher Power), to humanity, to the Earth. That’s The Whole Truth.

I currently offer 1:1 sessions, but I am working on a group program that will help us to create ideal and vibrant health in the body so that we may use the physical body as a finely tuned instrument, vessel, and conduit for our spiritual expansion, for fulfilling our Soul purpose, and for the expression of the Divine that is within each of us. It will combine many aspects of health and my personal passions: whole food plant based nutrition, herbal medicines (including essential oils and flower essences), cruelty-free and toxin-free beauty and personal care products, conscious consumerism, sleep optimization, tuning into your own wisdom, ways to be more in tune with nature, and more!

How did you get started? What inspired the work that you're doing?

Like most people that consider themselves healers or helpers, I’ve had my struggles with my health, physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. It really became clear to me that all these aspects of our health are interconnected and interdependent: a change in one will inevitably affect the others.

After an injury at work resulted in surgery and a chronic pain condition, I was forced to retire from my job as a firefighter. I was devastated. The chronic pain caused me to feel like I was a prisoner in my own body. My body wasn’t healing despite being a very compliant patient of conventional medicine. It wasn’t until I was able to see my body as a messenger rather than an enemy and really listen to what it was saying that I began to heal. I learned to ask for what I needed from my doctors, and I began to care for my body as I would care for a loved one, giving it nourishing things like acupuncture, herbs, more plant based food, and loving thoughts. The healing in my physical body precipitated growth emotionally and mentally, and elicited a spiritual awakening. I felt so empowered that I had healed from this condition that once felt hopeless, that I wanted to show others how they could also have more agency over their own health and experience.

After my recovery, it became very obvious to me that if our energy is bound in pain, suffering, or dis-ease of any kind, then it isn’t available for fulfilling our purpose or higher forms of energy work. We each have a unique purpose for being here, and we are needed to expand into our full potential. I want to help people remember why they came (it’s not to suffer, unless that’s what we need to wake up). I want to help people shine their light in the world, and that’s what inspires the work I now do.

What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?

My biggest passion is the pursuit of whole health, including spiritual expansion. And to be clear, I am in pursuitof whole health, I haven’t achieved it. The body is constantly evolving, adapting, and changing, based on various inputs throughout our days. There are aspects of my health which my body is asking me improve, and I am doing my best to give it what it needs. My purpose is to share my experiences with others, to serve as an example of what it is like to live in an authentic and fully embodied way, with vibrant health, and to shed light on the path, inspiring, educating, encouraging, and guiding others on their way. I want to demonstrate and teach that we are more powerful than we have been led to believe and that we are truly sovereign beings. I do believe I am living my purpose, but I know that it is constantly unfolding, expanding and evolving, and so what it looks like in my daily life will change.

What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?

I began reconnecting with joy out of a desperate need to find the beauty in living, both during my health crisis and also after my mother’s suicide in 2012. Joy is found in the simplest of things: the contrast of a white cloud against a blue sky, the feeling of the warming sun on my skin, the sound of birdsong, the smell of sweet acacia blooms, or petrichor when the rain begins to fall. Nature brings me joy. Laughter brings me joy. Connection with people and other animals (we humans are animals, you know!) brings me joy. The taste (and aroma) of freshly brewed coffee brings me joy. Writing prose or poetry (and sharing it!) brings me joy. Beautiful music brings me joy. Looking at the rugged beauty of the mountains through my picture windows brings me joy. Making eye contact with my loved ones-my husband, our two sons (one of which happens to be a greyhound) brings me joy. I am constantly rediscovering what joy is throughout my day(s) and reveling in it, letting it perfuse my being. It truly is one of the greatest sources of nourishment.

Travel is something else that brings me joy. To see new landscapes, cultures, and environments is so stimulating. I love seeing the connection points across cultures, seeing new perspectives, and challenging myself to expand my own boundaries. Traveling makes me feel truly alive.

How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?

Firstly, I start the day in an intentional way. I typically get up before my family and sneak away into the master bathroom (this is where moms get the most privacy, am I right?). I have a counter reserved for writing which has candles, my favorite crystals, essential oils, and my journals. I jot down interesting or pertinent dreams, songs that have made their way into my awareness, or do automatic writing (this is where 99% of my Instagram posts come from).

I then do a series of yoga poses with accompanying mantras/affirmations, and if I have time, a round of conscious breathing or a short meditation. This helps me focus my energy and intentions for the day so that I am more aligned with the Truth of who I am, who we all are: Divine Love. It allows me to be in a mindset of receptivity to the abundance that surrounds me, and to more likely respond to a situation versus being reactionary in an unconscious way. (It doesn’t mean that I don’t have frustration when my eight-year-old son does the opposite of what I am asking of him, but it helps me to have the patience to deal with it appropriately!) 

As I go through my day, I give myself little reminders to be present (I think of them as alarm clocks), small things that cause me to be in the moment and not unconsciously “sleeping” through my life. For example, anytime I pass through a doorway (a transition) I remind myself to be present. When washing or bathing, I remind myself to be present to the process, consciously imagining the cleansing that is taking place. As I am preparing food, or before I eat it, I imagine all the places on the Earth that provided these foods and send gratitude back, and I try to be present while I am taking it into my body, asking that it will serve my body well so that my body may well be of service. And simply stopping to notice the breath, or even pausing to hear the sound or the feel the feeling of the heart beating are powerful ways to restore presence.

 At the end of the day, as I lie in bed, I imagine myself fully grounded and connected to the Earth, and aligned and connected with Source energy, filling my space with loving, healing light with the intention that my sleep will be rejuvenating and restorative. I ask for any messages or dreams to come to me easily and readily and that I be open and ready to receive the messages they contain.

What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?

I am laughing about what my younger self would think of what I am doing now! She would definitely appreciate the idea of educating, inspiring, and guiding others. I think she might be pretty confused, though! “Plant based nutrition? Sovereign beings?” I couldn’t have imagined this outcome when I was still a firefighter; I assumed I’d always be in that career until retirement and had no notion of what might come after.

Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?

There are so many beautiful mantras from incredibly inspiring people that I appreciate and still use, but I thought I would share with you the mantras that came to me through my yoga postures. I’ve never shared this with anyone before, but I teach that our contributions are valuable, that our voices and experiences need to be shared, that we need to recognize and distribute our own inherent wisdom, rather than relying on “the chosen few” for inspiration, so it’s time to demonstrate my own philosophy in action. (deep breath here)

I am rooted to the Earth yet reaching skyward, like a mountain.

I am opening to the energies of the sun(s), the cosmos, Source.

I am bringing these energies to the Earth.

I am learning to manipulate energy, knowing when to expand and extend, and when to contract and conserve.

As I stretch into my body glove, I am opening to my soul purpose.

I am a warrior of Love and Light with an open heart and open arms.

I am radiating this Love and Light in all dimensions.

I see clearly in all directions.

I am strong and stable, like a pyramid, with my own sacred geometry.

I am flexible like the willow.

I am becoming more flexible, more aligned, and stronger with each breath.

I am powerful; I am learning to ride time and gravity like waves, but also knowing when to surrender into the Earth’s embrace.

I am always connected to Mother Earth through my grounding cord, through the umbilicus, through the heart, feeling and knowing Her.

I am also connected to the etheric realm: angels and spirit guides, animal guides, Ascended Masters, ancestors and family, David Bowie and other star family (yeah, I just said that!), benevolent celestial beings, and to myself-my Higher Self, my Soul, and my Source. I am constantly being supported and guided.

I am the bridger of worlds; I am the connection between Heaven and Earth, between humanity and Divinity, and I am reaching and stretching in both directions.

I am an antenna for Divine frequency.

I can ride the winds of change with faith and courage.

I am changing the future; I am preparing to shock the future rather than being shocked by it.

I am stepping forward into a new paradigm, a new timeline, a new way of being.

I am now channeling the refracted cosmic light, potentiated, from the center of the Earth back into the sun(s).

I am the receiver, the connector, the transmitter, the beacon.

I have come to raise my vibration and the vibration of all creation.

I say to you, “I know Who you are, I know What you are, I know how you serve. You are free.” (This quote is from The Book of Freedom by Paul Selig)

You are filled with Lovingkindness 

You are healthy.

You are a well being.

You are loved and you are loving.

You are free from suffering.

You are Love.

Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!

And so it is.

I go forward now in peace to love and serve the world as an instrument of the Divine and I do so with much gratitude:

For the ancestors who have brought me to this place where I am,

For the opportunity to be on the Earth at this critical time,

For this miraculous body,

For love, support, family, and tribe.

(I insert other gratitude here as appropriate)

Namaste, namaste, namaste.

What is your biggest dream?

Thank you for asking about my dreams! I don’t think we have enough opportunity to shed light on our dreams, to voice them aloud, to feel the power of their possibility, to allow them to grow and manifest into form. I have personal dreams, of course, (I’d love to impact and inspire more people through a book, retreats, perhaps a podcast), but I’d like to share with you something much bigger: my dream for the world.

My dream for the world is for it to be a place of love: love for all beings, including Earth herself. I wish for all beings to know their connection to Earth, to the Divine, to one another. I wish for all beings to recognize the Oneness and the beauty in all that is. I wish for humans to live in peace with themselves, with the Earth, and all her lifeforms, and for the aggression, violence, and suffering to fall away. I wish for humans to remember the Truth that all life is miraculous and act accordingly. I wish for us all to remember that Love is the ultimate Truth at the heart of the Universe, to know and feel that love surrounds and supports us at all times. I dream this for all the world(s). I believe that when those of us who are conscious unite our energy and intention, this dream becomes possible.

To learn more about Karianne and her work, you can connect with her on her website www.wholetruthaz.com on Instagram @kariannecroy and Facebook Karianne Klove Croy

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