Like almost every green beauty pro we meet, co-founder of New York’s CAP Beauty, Kerrilynn Pamer came to the green lifestyle by necessity. Necessity then turned into a mission to curate the hell out of  holistic lifestyle products – and we couldn’t be more grateful.

Our favorite new series on the site explores the healing stories of some of the wellness community’s most inspiring leaders. For Pamer, who was diagnosed with Celiac’s disease — a disorder characterized by severe gluten intolerance — the journey began with overwhelm and has evolved into something that looks much more like a grounded approach to self care… 

When I found out I had celiac, I thought it was a life sentence of deprivation. Little did I know that this diagnosis would become my greatest friend, a constant advisor and my personal health coach. In those first days there was much talk of what I couldn’t have, but these days it’s more about what I can have. A lot of people say to me, “But, I could never give up pizza or bagels or bread, it would be impossible.” The funny thing is, I can eat any of those foods any day of the week however many times I’d like, but I choose not to. And not because I’m a saint but because I don’t want to feel terrible, have bad acne or spend my days in the bathroom. It’s a simple choice for me and one that has opened me up to a world of health that I never knew was possible.

There have been many pieces of wisdom that I’ve learned over the years, some are profound, some are not. But for me, the combination of these practices brought me to an interesting place of appreciation and awareness of self. I consider my relationship to my body to be a lifelong journey, one that I hope I am just at the beginning of.

Some of my favorite practices are:

+ Consistency is the key to everything.
+ Meditate daily.
+ Move daily.
+ Eat tons of vegetables.
+ Stay away from gluten.
+ If I go to a restaurant, I know there’s a good chance I won’t feel great the next day.
+ Do kundalini.
+ Spend time with my husband.
+ Spend time with my friends.
+ Be near animals as often as possible.
+ Put myself in the other person’s shoes.
+ Have time to myself to rejuvenate.
+ Take a bath weekly.
+ Know that everyone has the same problems, and we’re all just doing our best at that moment in time.

Learn more about managing a healthy and balanced gluten-free lifestyle here.

Also check lifestyle blogger Kelly Lee’s wellness story here!