Local experts share holistic advice on how to nurture your mind, body and soul for a healthier new year
By Leah Berry | Photography by John Michael Simpson
A new year doesn’t have to mean a new you. Maybe it means a better you. A more well you. Taking care of your whole self is easier said than done – the multifaceted nature of wellness is often disregarded, failing to take into account a holistic perspective. Our mental, physical and spiritual health are largely dependent on one another, and neglecting one means neglecting your overall well-being. We spoke with local experts in these fields to gather the best advice on how to take care of, well, all of you.
Your Body Is a Temple
Anna Coyne, co-owner of Fitness @ the Cube, knows a thing or two about exercise. Anna grew up with parents and grandparents who instilled in her the importance of staying active, and it has always played a critical part in her life. It’s been a lifelong dream of hers to aid others in their journey as well. “I feel better when I’m moving my body, so I try to help others feel better by moving their bodies,” she says.
Anna opened Fitness @ the Cube in 2016 with her business partner, Gaby Zinn, after the Chapel Hill exercise studio they worked at closed. Anna and Gaby’s clients set up a GoFundMe page and also provided the pair with the connections and coaching to properly start their own fitness studio. “When you come into the studio and feel the sense of community there, it all makes sense,” Anna says. “Even though it’s clear that a lot of [our clients] have been with us for a long time, it’s a welcoming space … we want newcomers to feel successful and like they’re part of the group.”
The studio offers barre classes, suspension training, Pilates mat and Pilates apparatus training as well as cardio options including Zumba and trampoline. “It’s important to have a variety of movement,” Anna says. “Moving your body in different planes and in different ways leads to more balanced musculature and, in turn, leads to healthier joints and longevity of movement. We’re not doing a six-week boot camp – this is for life.”
Anna believes overall wellness is not about how you look, but how each of your systems function together – digestive, nervous, muscular and skeletal. For her, fitness is about constant learning. “We’re not always going to feel our best, and that’s OK,” she says.
“Plan something that’s sustainable for you and that fits within your schedule,” Anna says, giving her best advice for creating and maintaining fitness goals. She encourages looking at your fitness journey as a marathon, not a sprint. “Find a place where you see yourself building community, as that community will help you stay motivated. Find a workout that’s sustainable and personalized. Try different classes to see what’s fun and what feels good. You don’t have to have a concrete, detailed plan to start moving. Your plan will develop as you gain more information about yourself and those around you … just do something.”
“Eat your fruits and veggies and exercise regularly!” We’ve all heard it a million times before. But, it’s not an action plan that actually helps in lifestyle adjustments.
“We all have different situations, responsibilities and resources,” says Deborah D. Smith, a nurse practitioner in internal medicine at the Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center, which has offered a comprehensive approach to obesity treatment, weight loss and lifestyle change for the past 50 years. “… One plan does not fit all, and the plan needs to be suitable for that particular client to succeed. It takes time, encouragement and openmindedness by the provider to figure this out. I am always an advocate for setting some short-term achievable goals so that people see results and are not discouraged. … Sometimes just getting started is so overwhelming that people often stop when they feel like they have a huge mountain to climb.”
Mary Constantino, a clinical social worker at the center, notes that to understand our relationship with food, we need to develop insight related to why we overeat, stress eat or emotionally eat. “Engage in nonjudgmental curiosity of self,” Mary says. “Without self-judgment, ask yourself, am I using food to cope with big emotions or problems? If so, what are the associated emotions? Are there times of day when I am more likely to overeat? Are there situations in general or in the future that are stressful and may lead to overeating?” She believes it’s important to show yourself grace and kindness, especially when you deviate from your ideal meal plan.
“Plan ahead if you want to eat better … nothing good happens without a plan,” adds Christine Tenekjian, a dietician, health and well-being coach who focuses on helping the center’s patients with mindful and intuitive eating. “Whether you choose to plan meals, shop and cook yourself, use pre-portioned healthy convenience foods or review restaurant menus ahead of time for healthy choices, some thinking ahead about what you are going to eat – before it’s time to eat – will be to your benefit.” Christine also believes prioritizing good sleep is crucial in eating healthier. “When you are exhausted and sleep-deprived, you have no energy to plan meals, and you will be hungrier and crave more sugary foods,” she says.
Durham native and Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center Medical Director Dr. William S. Yancy Jr. emphasizes the difficulty in changing eating habits. “We try to make it easier any way that we can,” he says. “It may be simply placing emphasis on certain foods at meal or snack time. … For example, strive to have protein and non-starchy vegetables at every meal, and eat those first before moving on to other foods. That way you may be less hungry and eat less of other foods (starches, sweets) that typically have fewer nutrients and won’t satisfy your hunger as long.” Dr. Yancy also stresses the importance of activity. “Strength exercises are being recognized as key to keeping your metabolic rate higher,” he says. “Adding any type of strength exercises just twice a week can make a difference – even simple dumbbell or body weight exercises like planks or pushups on your knees or against a counter.”
Weathering Winter
Frosty frizz and snowflake skin? The mix of dry, cooler seasons with serious summer heat means our skin and follicles are put under pressure all year in the Bull City. Nourish your epidermis and tame your tresses with these cold weather TLC tips:
Dry, itchy skin is the reality for many in the winter, so Lo & Behold Naturals founder and CEO Lizzie Chadbourne advises moisturizing, moisturizing and then moisturizing some more. “We recommend implementing a simple plan that you can be consistent about without introducing too much hassle, and bolstering that routine where needs and interest arise,” she says
Lizzie handcrafts her 100% natural body care products using locally grown and certified organic ingredients, and says that Lo & Behold’s serum, face cream and moisturizer can best address winter-specific skin and hair concerns. “Our cleansing balm offers a unique way to clean your skin without stripping it of its natural moisture,” she says. “We also recommend keeping a few lip balms and hand salves around so you’re never caught out without one.”
Dr. TopicOils founder Dwella Moton Nelson (pictured right) also believes using natural, high-quality products lays the foundation for proper self-care. Her company provides non-steroidal, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, topical formulas for skin care, hair and scalp care, eczema, anxiety relief and more, using essential oils to create formulas that can be used to provide symptom relief and encourage overall wellness
Dwella believes knowing the difference between skin moisturizers and skin protectants is crucial to taking care of yourself during the winter months. “A moisturizer will be hydrating to the skin, and it is meant to keep the skin soft and supple,” Dwella says. “A skin protectant is used to lock in that moisture and keep the skin from feeling dry and flaky.”
For hair, Dwella emphasizes that hot oil treatments are excellent for locking in moisture, especially during the cold. “I prefer using lighter essential oils like coconut oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and safflower oil for this treatment,” she says. “Mixing in heavier oils like olive oil or castor oil can be useful, too, but be careful when using dilutions that contain these heavier oils, because they can be very difficult to remove from the scalp and hair.”
“Holistic, head-to-toe wellness starts with the mind,” Dwella adds. She recommends three ways to stay healthy, in any season: Find natural ways to manage stress and anxiety, pay attention to aches and pains and rest. “Ever feel like you need to get to the ocean? Ever feel like taking a walk outside in the dark?” Dwella says. “Those are examples of your spirit needing rest from the hectic moments of your life. Lean into those feelings.” Her favorite activity to “revive and restore” is a long soak in a bath using Dr. TopicOils’ eucalyptus-lemon bath salt.
Feed Your Soul
Harness the power of healthy food sources to get your new year off on the right foot, diet-wise; these three businesses are just a few newer establishments dedicated to helping customers nourish their bodies:
Originally from India, Veena Birajadar grew up with a focus on healthy eating – an influence from her parents. After moving to the United States and working in IT for 13 years, she quit her job in 2017 and spent two years putting her energy into a 700-square-foot vegetable garden, selling its produce to neighbors. She was juicing smoothies and focusing more on eating healthy.
Her journey took a significant turn when her father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer, leading her to explore alternative medicine options like Gersen therapy, which is centered on diet and nutrient changes as a method of treating cancer patients. A push from her husband, Ravi Jeyaraman, encouraged Veena to open her first locations of Pure Vegan Cafe in Wake County in 2020 and 2021. The Erwin Terrace location opened in July 2022. “I believe in not boring yourself with just healthy foods,” Veena says. “Our cafe has juices and salads, but also burgers and fries.” The restaurant is gradually incorporating more Indian items, too, including uttapam, a savory pancake topped with onion, tomato and cilantro.
“Wellness is holistic,” Veena adds. “Along with diet, you have to focus on sleep cycles and stress levels and incorporate as much local, fresh food as possible.” She stresses the importance of hydration and cutting down on white cane sugar. “I’m here with multiple options,” she says, smiling.
Clean Eatz Cafe can also help you in your wellness journey, or perhaps kickstart it. The national franchise started in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 2013. J.D. Hughes, an owner of the Durham cafe (that opened in March 2021) and the director of operations for the Triangle, has a background in physiology and 20 years of experience in health and fitness. He became involved in Clean Eatz seven years ago. “Neither [me nor my co-owner, Mike Parker,] had any restaurant experience at all,” J.D. says. “We learned together, grew the business together and put together the processes we use today.”
General Manager Jacob Coyne, who has a martial arts background, found a fulfilling lifestyle through Clean Eatz. “This has been a game-changer for me,” Jacob says. “Being able to affect people on a very personal level, meeting people in the community daily and hearing stories about how they’ve had great results from coming in … it’s been very rewarding.”
The cafe has meal plans, meal prep options and freezer grab-and-go meals, all with portion control and healthy proteins and carbs. “What you get here is a lot healthier than what your average 9-5 worker eats daily,” J.D. says. “We try to stock meals with what people love,” Jacob says, like healthy versions of dishes like pasta and pizza.
“The American diet is a lot of heavily processed foods, and that’s what leads to a lot of health issues,” J.D. notes. “We try to combat all of that by providing as much food as we can in its most whole and realistic form,” which boosts energy and focus, and facilitates better workouts and recovery, he says
Their advice for improving wellness is simple: “Eat better and move more,” J.D. emphasizes.
Blend of Soul co-founders Kiera Gardner and Margo Newkirk didn’t plan on starting their own bottled juice company.
Kiera, who spent much of her life in Grimesland, North Carolina, learned the importance of growing produce from her grandfather, who was a farmer. “It’s always been at the forefront for me,” she says.
Margo, a native of Salemburg, North Carolina, also learned about nutrition from her grandfather, who raised chickens and grew veggies. She was in the military for 10 years, and met Kiera while still serving; the two have been inseparable ever since, first as a couple (who just recently tied the knot!) and now as business partners, too.
Blend of Soul emerged from Margo’s expertise and Kiera’s spontaneity. Margo, dealing with weight gain due to self-professed poor eating habits and lack of exercise after an injury, needed to get in shape quickly for a fitness test. She started making smoothies, eventually buying a proper juicer. Interest grew once she began making them for others, and Kiera, with a business mindset, encouraged Margo to turn it into a company. The pair began selling juices in January 2020.
The business got off the ground right as the COVID-19 pandemic sent folks into lockdown, so Margo and Kiera initially sold juices and wellness shots via no-contact delivery. Since opening a food truck in May 2023, Blend of Soul now also offers cold-pressed juices, protein bites, smoothies and acai bowls. All products are 100% fresh, plant-based, vegan-friendly and vegetarian-friendly. Ingredients come from Kiera and Margo’s backyard or other local, small, Black-owned businesses.
They are motivated by seeing their community healthier. “Be mindful of the types of foods you’re putting into your body,” Kiera says. “Try to eat as natural and as fresh as possible.” Her No. 1 piece of advice, though, is to celebrate the body that you’re in. “Bad foods aren’t a thing; there’s unhealthy foods, but food should be celebrated,” she says.
Be Kind To Your Mind
Taking care of your mental health is paramount in maintaining overall wellness. Our mind informs every decision we make, so in order for us to live full, healthy lives, we must prioritize it.
Clinical mental health counselor and Healing Minds Therapeutic Services PLLC owner Johnny Leonard has worked in this field for 14 years, but has always had a fascination with understanding human behaviors. “I eat, drink and breathe therapy,” he says. “In my free time, I like going to workshops and conferences so I can learn as much as possible.”
Johnny realized his long-held dream of opening his own private practice six years ago. Healing Minds has offices in Durham and Fayetteville, and offers resources for mental health counseling and substance abuse therapy. He often utilizes techniques such as clinical hypnosis, which can be used in treating traumas, anxiety, depression and performance; eye movement desensitization and reprocessing trauma-based therapy; play therapy with children; standard cognitive behavioral therapy; and schema therapy
Johnny says therapy is centered on relationship building. “You can’t go into these difficult spaces and be vulnerable if you don’t have a relationship with that person,” he says, adding that knowledge of the person’s overall health is also paramount. “The therapist needs to be consulting with the physician, and the physician needs to be consulting with the dietician and so on,” Johnny says. He identifies motivation as a significant barrier to prioritizing mental health, noting that people may fear change due to their long-standing familiarity with their current state. “They don’t know anything else … they want to get better, but they don’t know what that feels like,” he says. To address this, Johnny empowers clients to take control by making lifestyle changes. “I let them know that they’re the ones to determine the outcome of their life,” he says. Once individuals recognize the benefits, Johnny says, they are more likely to embrace change.
The initial step in caring for your mental health is often the most challenging – reaching out. Johnny recommends simply picking up the phone or searching online. “When you find a service, you want a good match,” Johnny says. He advises not sticking with someone if it
doesn’t feel like a good connection. Comfort is key.
Above all, Johnny stresses the urgency of taking action. Mental health is too crucial to be confined to a New Year’s resolution. Start the process now.
Durham-born Meg Hamilton grew up near Charlotte and moved back to the Bull City in 2014 when she started dating Sarah Dunsmore (who’d moved to North Carolina from Indiana in 1999 to attend UNC). Meg says she aspired to utilize her counseling and art therapy degree to help people process difficult experiences and to bring awareness to social injustices. “When I found that none of the work I did separate from direct mental health work felt as helpful and sustainable as mental health work itself, I got licensed and began working as a therapist,” Meg says.
She started Birch Counseling in 2016; after working in community-based mental health for several years, she wanted to cater to the needs of individuals in personalized therapy. Sarah joined the practice as a co-owner in 2018. A naturally empathetic soul since childhood, Sarah says she gravitated toward the mental health field to help others navigate emotional pain
Birch Counseling is currently comprised of three clinicians – Sarah and Katie Loebner work with adult clients, and Meg works primarily with children, adolescents and families. All three are queer-identifying providers and work extensively with those in the LGBTQIA+ community, also specializing in trauma treatment. They advocate for mental health practices that incorporate nature, art, movement and connection – in fact, the name of the practice came from an experience with a former client who was deeply traumatized and felt most safe in the woods. “The only way I connected with him was through discussions of nature, camping and hiking,” Meg says.
“Wellness, to me, means understanding what gives to and takes away from well-being on a day-to-day and moment-to-moment basis,” Meg shares. She emphasizes knowing one’s body and relationships and incorporating playfulness for overall health: “What foods make you feel good and energized? What kind of movement do you need after a stressful day?” she says.
“We are wired to be highly social creatures, and connection within the community is an important part of wellbeing. … Finding ways to engage humor, awe and spontaneity [also] does incredible things to keep us healthy and connected.”
Meg and Sarah stress the slow and subtle nature of lifestyle changes, encouraging clients to make small, intentional shifts aligned with personal values rather than what they perceive others want from them. She recommends starting with tiny, achievable measures and gradually building upon them for lasting change. “Don’t wait until Monday, until New Year’s Day or until you have a perfect plan,” Sarah says. “Action begets motivation, rather than the other way around.”
Some small steps Sarah recommends include daily movement, two minutes of focused object study and self-compassion. “Our culture tends to demand perfection, performance and productivity,” Sarah says. “These lofty expectations are often destructive to our creative energy and sense of agency.”
Shea Burkett, the owner of Planned & Proper, understands the multifaceted nature of mental health. To her, organization is a key component in maintaining overall well-being. After graduating as an occupational therapist from Dominican University in New York, Shea recognized the significance of structure in her life and began imparting this knowledge to her patients. A job offer from Duke University Hospital drew Shea south in 2006. “I haven’t looked back, not for a second,” she says. “I fell in love with Durham.”
In 2016, Shea established Planned & Proper, crafting high-quality planners, journals and notebooks that blend beauty and functionality, featuring valuable tools like goal-setting worksheets. The business was originally driven by her own struggles to stay ahead. “I always felt like I was catching up,” Shea says.
Goal-setting holds a central place in her products – which can be found online and at Bull and Bean – promoting both long-term visions and practical short-term objectives. Shea advises clear, realistic targets – “say, ‘I’ll go to the gym every Monday and Wednesday at 2 p.m.’ … Don’t say, ‘I’ll go to the gym seven days a week,’” Shea advises.
Shea believes establishing these intentions helps to eliminate life chaos, thus removing disorganization that can lead to stress, affecting your overall well-being. “No matter how big or how small the goal, being able to control it instead of it controlling you is important,” Shea says. “You have to take care of yourself in order to do the other things well and juggle your family life, work life and personal life.”
To get the new year off on the right foot, Shea advocates prioritizing daily goals. In her daily planner, there’s a section for to-dos and the top three priorities for the day. “We can’t do it all,” Shea says. “You have to decide which things are the most important for you, because when you choose your top two or three to get done, it’s more fulfilling than trying to finish them halfway.”
Make goals and work toward them in 2024, but also give yourself grace. “It’s OK if you don’t get to where you want to be [quickly],” Shea says. “If you fall off track, that’s fine … such is life.”
Good Grief
One aspect of wellness that many of us fail to act upon fully – if at all – is grief. But Rebecca Feinglos has made it her life goal to do so and lead others to do the same.
Durham native and Durham Academy alumna, is a certified grief support specialist and the founder of Grieve Leave. Originally a blog created in 2022 to process her own grief – her mother died when she was 13 from glioblastoma, her father passed away in 2020, and she went through a divorce a year later – it officially became a company in 2023.
Rebecca led what she considered to be a linear life before her father’s death. She graduated from Duke University, earned her master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago and held various roles, including as the senior early childhood policy advisor for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. It wasn’t until her dad’s passing that she fully processed her mother’s death. “By the end of the year I was like, ‘Man, I just feel like something is weighing on me,’ and I didn’t have the vocabulary to identify it as grief,” she says. “It wasn’t praised as a society to get in touch with our feelings … for me it was, ‘How strong am I to put my head down and go back to work after my dad died.’” After spending all of 2021 with her nose to the grindstone and neglecting her own emotions, Rebecca quit her job in December 2021 to take a sabbatical in 2022 to grieve.
While on her “grieve leave,” Rebecca explored what grief looked like for herself and others – specifically young adults. “It seemed like I was getting at something … it was an itch I had, to better understand grieving,” she says. “It felt like I was the only one who felt it, but I realized that there were a lot of people my age who felt totally lost,” Dissatisfied with the lack of available support, she created resources for others.
Grieve Leave organizes “meet-and-grieve” events – nonreligious support groups largely composed of young adults – to provide a space for discussing death to divorce and beyond hosted at bars and online. “I just wanted to chill with people who understood me,” Rebecca says. A group recently met in October at Meat & Graze in Boxyard RTP.
Grieve Leave also produces content, including interviews with experts and grief guides. She also trains corporate leaders in facilitating workplace dialogue to support employees. “The likelihood that you’re going to quit your job when you’re going through a big loss is pretty high,” she says. “But we can do something about that.”
There is truly no way to “properly grieve,” Rebecca says, but to process emotions in the best sense, you must create space for authentic feelings. “Just acknowledging your grief is step No. 1, and honestly, that’s enough,” she says. “Hopefully you’re giving yourself space for those feelings.” She suggests employing outlets, such as yoga or meditation. “Grief can look a million different ways,” she says.
She also notes that, while the holiday season is particularly difficult for those grieving, it’s OK to be honest with yourself and recognize that. “It’s also OK to look forward to the holidays,” Rebecca says. “You don’t have to feel guilty.”
“If you’re going to a holiday event, have a plan for yourself if you start to feel overwhelmed,” Rebecca says – it could be that you’ll go home and turn on Netflix. “Already have that plan in mind, and tell a friend. “Loop people in about your feelings and grief around the holidays – whether it’s peers or a therapist.”
Connecting with others has transformed Rebecca’s life. “I feel more authentic today and more secure in who I am as a person because I talk about these things that make me human – I’m not pretending all the time that I’m fine,” she says. “That doesn’t mean we let our grief overwhelm us or quit our jobs, but it means we’re a tiny bit more honest with ourselves about our grief. That will literally change the world.”
Discover more stories from our December 2023/January 2024 issue!
