The Beginning
My name is Dr. Angela Mendoza DPT, Certified Lymphedema and Wound Therapist and to my friends I'm Angela (phonetically sounds like Ahnjelah). I was inspired to start blogging, vlogging, podcasts, and gallery series after I met some amazing women during my first solo-overseas adventure to Thailand. I began my journey on a tour and quickly realized I was the oldest female on it, standing 5'4, 122 lbs, and 30 years of age! My companions were any where between 18 to 24 years of age, with the exception of the only guy on our tour at 38 years of age. These women inspired me to be courageous and to continue traveling, even if that meant alone.
The journey continued on to Koh Panghan at Wonderland Healing Center where I met more amazing women! I met a brilliant business woman gifted with strategic insight, a young enthusiastic cancer survivor running her own non profit holistic festival in the UK, a skilled accountant with a passion for providing quality organic farming in Australia, and many more women who had something grand to bring to the world. The quality that we all shared was the longing for connectedness with other people, a selfless and kind nature, and a genuine desire to help better the lives of all people through our own individual skill set. We all gave each other the opportunity to grow by providing a safe space to let go of pain, fear, and frustrations of the past, present, and future. We provided helpful advice from an altruistic and loving place. Most importantly, we saw the best in each other.
In the end we were able to give each other things money can't buy--- joy though gratitude; courage to follow our intuition; love to share with others; peace through presence; and hope in a better future through being the best versions of ourselves. I became, and continue to strive to be the best version of myself, which means going with my gut and pursuing my dreams, even if it feels scary or illogical.
And here I am! I feel whole, healed, and open to what the universe chooses to reveal to me.
I have had a passion to explore the National Parks and travel since I can remember, but was only able to start making a dent seeing then when I started graduate school and had occasional breaks between semesters. My first nearly, cross country, road trip was with one of my best friends, Tiffany. We started out journey in West Palm Beach, Florida in the summer of 2013 and continued north through GA, SC, NC, to TN (Smokey Mountain NP), MO, KS, CO (Mesa Verde), UT (Zion NP), AZ (Grand Canyon), NM, TX, AL, MS, LO, back to FL. It was a glimpse of heaven, and I wanted more of it! We both described the nature we saw as our church, the place we would find peace. It was a magical adventure filled with triple rainbows, wild horses, sand storms, stray dogs, and the occasional traffic ticket! I continued to share my travels and passion for the National Parks with my friend Noah and significant other at the time, Nicholas from graduate school. To this day I've been to Red Woods NP, Lassen Volcanic NP, Kings Canyon NP, Sequoia NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Arches NP, Zion NP, Yosemite NP, Oregon Caves NP, Red Rock NP, Mammoth Caves NP, Mesa Verde NP, Everglades NP, Smokey Mountains NP, and Pinnacles NP. However, there are so many more National Parks and places to explore!
Why am I doing this?
People think sometimes that as a Physical Therapist I only care about promoting healing/functionality by maximizing the efficiency and the use of the musculoskeletal system in conjunction with osteokinematics and body mechanics, however, I believe that sometimes there are things that are deeper than our skin and bones that can maximize our quality of life.
Diet and exercise are very important to take care of our bodies, but we also need to nourish our mind and soul as well. I hope I can provide people with more alternative forms of healing, other than only taking pills. I propose a more holistic and balanced approach towards living your happiest and healthiest life through physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well being with a deep commitment to serve the community you live in.
Everything comes as a cost, extended use of any medication is detrimental to our bodies and typically loses its efficacy over time. Isolation, as we have discovered in 2020-2021, is detrimental to our wellbeing in more than just one facet.
On most days I end my sessions with this phrase, "You only have one body, take care of it." However, I find this equally fitting, "You only have one soul, nourish it!"
Also, I feel like this journey will beautifully intertwine my passions and skills to best serve my soul. It's exciting! It is important for me, as a healthcare provider, to find alternative methods for pain management and healing that can help patients and people in general to not only begin a healthy lifestyle, but maintain it. I'm looking forward to sharing this adventure with each of you! Feel free to read more about this chapter in my life in the up and coming book “Turning Point Moments”.
“Turning Point Moments” will be released June 22, 2022
www.turningpointmoments.com or directly to the book on Amazon at: https://turningpointmoments.com/purchase
https://vimeo.com/718444306/9a631b4533
Sincerely and with love,
Angela