Meet Anne Marie

Bio
My philosophy
Why a turtle?

Photo Credit Stephanie Richey

Bio

Anne Marie Stott graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City where she studied major dietary theories and food politics under Deepak Chopra, Mehemet Oz, Andrew Weil, and Debbie Ford, among others.  While most dietitians dwell on calories, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, restrictions, and lists of good and bad foods, she works with clients to create a happy healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun, and free of denial and will power. A true holistic approach to life incorporates things that bring nourishment other than food, including honest and open relationships, a meaningful spiritual practice, a career that inspires, and playful physical activity. Anne Marie assists clients in allowing this balance to manifest in their lives. She is a proud member of Slow Food Piedmont Triad and has written extensively in support of local Farmer’s Markets, Vitamin-L, and weight-loss using wholesome homemade foods. In addition to her private practice in Winston-Salem, she helps clients transition to a plant-based diet as a health coach with the T. Colin Campbell Foundation based in Ithaca, NY. (Dr. T. Colin Campbell is a co-author of the best selling book The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, and Long-Term Health). Anne Marie is a mother of one fire-cracker of a daughter and runs a successful business as a professional wedding DJ and vocalist. 

 

My Philosophy

My health counseling philosophy is the pillar of my practice and includes the beliefs on which my own personal healing journey is built. 

- A health counselor cannot heal you, but can remind you of your own power to heal yourself.
- You have the power to create any sort of well-being experience you desire, regardless of the appearance of your physical body.
- The quality of your food shapes the quality of your thoughts.
- The quality of your thoughts shapes the quality of your life.
- You cannot control your family’s eating habits, but you can support them by preparing wholesome foods and modeling healthy eating. Your progress will inspire them when they are ready, in their own time.
- ‘Thinness’ does not equal ‘Healthy’ or ‘Happy’.
- Weight-loss can be a side effect of a solid self-care plan and of total body neglect.
- Self-care is how we love ourselves. Do it everyday, lavishly.
- Rome was not built in a day, your new thinking and eating habits will take more than a day to build. 
- Allow love (not fear) to be your motivation for any lasting change.
- Use your inner-wisdom about your unique body (not a diet book) to choose foods that support your wellness goals.
- Forgiveness and fiber cure constipation.
- Lighten up!
- Love every nook and cranny of yourself — the light, the shadows, and the excruciatingly mundane — and watch how the world loves you back.

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Why a Turtle?

‘Sea Turtle’ painting by Emily Zimmerman, age 12

People often ask me why I decided to use a turtle as my logo and in the name of my health counseling practice. I sometimes get off balance, and thinking of the turtle brings me back to center. We Have Much to Learn from Turtles. When I look back on any of the illnesses or emotional pain in my life, I can usually trace it back to some sort of ‘hurry’. There was always this sense of urgency about everything. I was in a rush, working too long, moving too fast, committing too soon, consuming too much, or deciding too quickly.I was under the illusion that happiness came from other people’s perception of me. I thought that if I could just be wildly successful in business, have a beautiful home, be a perfect weight, and appear happy in a relationship, that others would approve of me and I would, therefore, be okay.I was exhausted during these periods. I was either over-doing to improve appearances or frozen with procrastination, completely overwhelmed by my self-inflicted impossible standards.During these times in my life, my ego, with her urgent desire to be bigger-better-faster yesterday ruined my peace, my health, and my relationships. When I would jump right in to a new relationship, all wrapped up in the excitement of infatuation, neglecting to give the relationship a solid foundation, I would watch it crumble within months. When I was a chronic dieter I would start some restrictive fad diet in hopes of losing weight quickly. Inevitably I would ‘cheat’, feel terrible, and then binge. In a rush to see pounds disappear, I was following and trusting some nutty diet, impatient with my progress, and wrapping my self-worth up in my diet’s success.Relationships take time, and no amount of butterflies or intense connection can replace the months it takes to really get to know someone, to mold a strong friendship, and to  gauge how you get through tough times as a couple.Lifestyle changes take time, and no temporary weight-loss can beat the satisfaction of listening to your body, learning to prepare fresh wholesome foods, and creating a sustainable food plan for life based on your own inner wisdom. What better symbol to remind us to slow down than the turtle? The times when I failed to surrender to the natural rhythm of life I got out of balance. The turtle, a creature completely at one with the present moment, reminds me to pace myself. How unfortunate that it takes exhaustion, illness, or a string of broken relationships to remind us to  

s l o w   d o w n. 

 

Today Is a New Day 

By slowing down, doing less, getting quiet, and listening, I realized that all of the things I desired (approval, unconditional love, acceptance, joy) were already inside of me, accessible at any time.  ‘Out there’ was chaos and constantly changing, and to tie my peace and happiness to anything out there was madness. Inside of me, in the ‘home’ of my consciousness, I am always loved, there is always peace, and I am always whole. Thinking whole, loving, affirming thoughts created my more peaceful experience. And at the same time that I discovered the power of my thoughts to create my experience, I discovered how sensitive my thoughts were to my self-care practice. I feel better, and therefore think better, when I sleep enough, feed myself nutritious food, live in the now, enjoy my work, and move my body.  Instead of wasting my energy on outside appearances and trying to manage other people’s perceptions of me, I go within, where time is never wasted. It is my privilege to love myself unconditionally, lavishly, every day.Making my self-care plan my number one priority allows me to be more emotionally present for my daughter, fosters more authentic connection with friends, and makes me a more effective health counselor. When I feel myself getting impatient, I know it is because I am either not accepting the current moment or I am living in the future, an illusion that exists only in my mind.  When I feel myself resisting the natural progression of life, I think of the turtle. The sea turtle, a symbol of feminine healing and mysticism, swims gracefully through the sea of life — fearlessly, intentionally. The tortoise reminds us of the power of slow, steady and thoughtful changes, to eat plants, and to spend time in the sunshine everyday. Whether a turtle of the sea or the land, they remind us that wherever we go, we take ourselves with us. Just like the turtle, we are always home. I gladly display the turtle on my business cards, letterhead, and website, and as I guide clients to build a foundation for wellness and for slow, steady changes that will last long beyond our time together, I heal a part of myself. 

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About the Logo

While scouring the internet for Turtle logo inspiration, I stumbled across this beautiful image of a sea turtle. A woman had posted the picture in her blog since she was writing about a sea turtle appearing in one of her dreams. I contacted the woman about the origins of the painting. She lead me to Anne Higdon of the Fiest Weiller Cancer Center, who lead me to Judy Ball Johnson of South Highlands Magnet, who let me to Emily Zimmerman of Shraveport, LA. Emily, a sixth grader, was inspired to paint ‘Sea Turtle’ after traveling to Hawaii and swimming among the beautiful creatures. The painting was chosen to hang at the Fiest Weiller Cancer Center to delight onlookers for one year. Upon receiving the original painting back, Emily presented it to her grandfather, a cancer survivor. The painting now hangs in Emily’s grandparent’s home in Louisiana. Many thanks to all who helped facilitate tracking down the painting. Special thanks to the Zimmerman family for allow me to use the painting and for attending to the many details to make it happen. 

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