Today we’d like to introduce you to Josephine Miller
Hi Josephine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
For a long period of my life, I struggled with my health. I felt like a fish out of water. It was difficult for me to breathe due to asthma, I had awfully dry, itchy skin riddled with eczema, and I often fell very ill due to my compromised immune system. I saw many doctors, but my condition only started to get worse. I was told I would suffer with my symptoms for the rest of my life. Eventually, I hit a low point, and this is when I knew that something had to change. I refused to keep living this way. When I was in my early teens, an idea came to me, and I decided to experiment with altering my diet and lifestyle. Shortly afterward, my allergies subsided and my asthma and eczema were completely healed. I didn’t realize how incredible it was to feel healthy and strong in my body! This was the first time in my life where I could feel how good it felt to take a full breath in without wheezing.
In high school, I was a dedicated hockey player. However, after an injury, I decided to withdraw from the sport, and put my focus into other passions. During this time, COVID-19 happened. With all the newfound hardship in the world, I created a health and wellness website and Instagram account with the tag NaturallyJosephine in hopes to help others with their wellness journeys. In addition, I researched wellness techniques, and discovered the power of the mind-body connection, breath work, meditation, and yoga. After overcoming some mental struggles, I understood how influential the mind can be on your overall well being, even your physical health. Meditation, breath work, and yoga greatly impacted me during this time, and I realized how powerful of tools they were. During my senior year of high school, I obtained my LifePower 200 Hour Yoga Teacher certification with Life Time Fitness to share the benefits of mind-body connection.
I began thinking deeper about my career and personal calling. Ever since I healed my body and understood the power of the mind, I have had a passion for health and wellness and a calling to help others. By changing my lifestyle through eating whole foods, eliminating items that triggered allergies, incorporating regular movement, and implementing breath work and meditation techniques, I revolutionized my body and changed the trajectory of my life. I knew that there are many other people who have the same struggles as I did, and I wanted to help them. As a result, I discovered my mission: to inspire others and help heal people so they can live their lives to the fullest.
In order to accomplish this mission, I decided to embark on a pre-medical track in college to one day attend medical school. I shadowed a variety of doctors, but it was not until I worked as a preceptor for Yggdrasil Naturopathic Medical Clinic in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that I was inspired by the practice of naturopathic medicine. As of right now, my goal is to become a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine once I finish my undergraduate degree.
Currently, I am studying Entrepreneurial Management at the Carlson School of Business within the University of Minnesota and fulfilling my pre-medical requirements through a minor in Biology. Furthermore, I have been instructing yoga, gaining experience at naturopathic medical clinics, and am working to spread awareness and inspiration through my health, fitness, and wellness social media account, NaturallyJosephine. I have also been traveling to learn, broaden my perspective, and grow!
My goal is to be of service to others and inspire them to become the healthiest and happiest versions of themselves they can be!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course not! There have been many ups and downs.
For example, I first struggled with my physical health, then had set backs after getting injured in hockey and feeling mentally defeated. However, it was during this time that I realized how important your mental health is and how strong of an impact stress can have on your body. This lead me to discover meditation and yoga to calm the nervous system. Furthermore, it made me realize how important your mental wellbeing is, and made me an advocate for mental health, respecting the mind, and understanding the tools that can be utilized to improve mental wellbeing.
Although my struggles have been challenging to go through, I am grateful for these hardships, as they helped to strengthen me and gift me with the experience to bring me to where I am today. I believe that challenges lead to personal growth and discovery.
As you know, we’re big fans of Naturally Josephine. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Naturally Josephine is my health and wellness social media brand. I post fitness, wellness, yoga, and motivation related content. Occasionally, I also post about my travels. I work with a variety of wellness brands and businesses that I believe in. My mission with this page is to inspire others and leave a positive impact.
What does success mean to you?
My personal definition of success is when I feel that I made a positive impact on someone’s life, or helped to inspire someone. I would say that success can be defined as a feeling of personal fulfillment, which is an indicator that you are making progress toward your personal mission.
I used to measure success from a more objective standpoint (and I still do), but I have realized it is just as important to check in with yourself to see how you are feeling as achieving the end goal itself.
This helps ensure you are staying aligned, that you are allowing yourself the space to feel good about what you have accomplished, and that you are enjoying the journey!
If you don’t check in with yourself, the journey can become draining, which can make it a lot more challenging to stick with your goals to accomplish your mission.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturallyjosephine/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiejmiller/
