this is
my journey
My name is Daniel Monsalve, certified holistic health coach, and I am so thankful for the chance to be part of your wellness journey. Let me tell you a little about my own journey. How I went from a happy kid to a very sad, unhealthy, insecure, six figure earning professional that hated his life, to becoming a health coach full of joy and happiness, on a mission to serve others. I am so thankful for the chance to be part of your wellness journey!
How I got here…
I grew up a very happy kid in Medellin, Colombia. Life was good -- I was a straight A student, popular and loved being the center of attention. But at just 11 years old, out of nowhere, I was told we were moving to the US. I left one of the top schools in Colombia to attend one of the worst middle schools in all of Miami. The next three years were hell for me. Not only did I not speak the language, but I witnessed fights, vandalism, drug use and was constantly bullied. It was a huge culture shock. To make it worse, I would come home to a verbally abusive stepfather who constantly lashed out at my mom, my siblings and me. The once happy kid was gone and my insecurities and limiting beliefs were born.
Reaching the American Dream
Thankfully with the support of my mother and biological father, together with my determination to give my younger siblings a better life, I was able to graduate as an Electrical Engineer and was offered a job in Seattle. I headed to Seattle, chasing the happiness I was desperate for. At the time, I believed that the more money I made and more materialistic things I had, the happier I would be. I found myself earning six figures, living in a nice apartment, having a nice car, being in a good relationship and helping my family financially. I was living my definition of the American dream… and I was miserable. I was so focused on my career and doing what my family expected me to do that I never realized how much I was hurting on the inside. I hadn’t taken the time to heal the past traumas from my childhood and they kept getting worse.
I thought the pain was gone, but it had never left
By that point in my life, I had gained a lot of weight, I was pre-diabetic and had developed a lot of health issues. I suffered from sleep apnea, insomnia, chronic acid reflux, joint pain, low energy and more. I blamed all of these on getting older, even though I was only in my mid 20s! But what I was dealing with on the inside was worse. I had become extremely insecure and HATED the way I looked. I constantly compared myself to others and felt like everyone was better and happier than me. Social events made me extremely anxious and I was afraid of any challenge or change. Fears and insecurities were running, and ruining, my life.
A combination of all these issues drove me to depression
I had lost all motivation. I saw no reason to get out of bed; I would just lay there feeling sorry for myself. I hated Monday morning and thought only about how to get through to Friday. By Friday I was already thinking about having to go back to work on Monday. I started drinking and eating fast food almost daily. The weight and insecurities kept getting worse. This went on for about two years. The worst part, I was VERY good at hiding it. My roommates, friends and family had no clue what I was going through. One day I had enough and moved to a small studio apartment to get my life together. I thought I had hit rock bottom.
But Things Just Got Worse.
Now that I was living on my own, I didn’t have to worry about hiding what I was doing from others. I started drinking more, eating out daily and staying in bed all weekend. I was sad and lonely and suicidal thoughts started to creep in. NOW I had really hit rock bottom. I knew I had two choices -- act on those thoughts or drastically change my life. I decided to change my ways.
My turning point
I started to educate myself on how to lose weight. By living a more active lifestyle, cooking some of my meals and limiting alcohol and processed food, I lost the weight I wanted to lose. All my physical pains started to go away like magic. It was a great feeling. However, something was off. All those mental and emotional pains were not completely gone.
Introduction to holistic health
Then one day, I came across a health and wellness podcast that completely changed my view on health. I learned that we are holistic beings. The mind, body and spirit are one and each must be addressed to achieve true wellness. For the first time I heard about the importance of food (each of our cells are made out of it!), all the different impacts that our environment has on our health, how crucial sleep and recovery are, and so much more! Holistic wellness was healing people from so-called incurable diseases, helping them overcome extraordinary hurdles and allowing them to move past horrific past trauma. The success stories were inspirational and I was hooked! I became obsessed with learning more about everything health related. From books to podcasts, articles to videos; I couldn’t get enough. As I was consuming and implementing all this content, I started to understand the power of the mind and the human body. We are powerful beings, capable of so much more than we know. I started to see the world through brand-new eyes, from a place of love, compassion and limitlessness. True transformation was taking place. I felt happier than I had ever felt in my whole life and I wanted to share it with the world.
I finally had the guts to be myself and to be vulnerable.
I began sharing my story with friends and family and to my surprise, people started to open up to me about their own pains and struggles. I realized that I wasn’t alone. We are all dealing with our own pains and trying our best to live our happiest lives. I knew I needed to do something to help and went back to school to become a certified holistic coach.
Ambiente Revolutionary Wellness was born…
For the past few years, I’ve dedicated myself to serving others and helping people who feel like giving up. Whether they’ve tried everything possible to lose that weight, to gain that confidence, to feel that self-love, to find their happiness… but have yet to succeed. Let’s work together to discover your true potential and emerge empowered! Let’s build a wellness revolution by creating a positive domino effect that will impact millions of lives for the better!
