A Chronic Entrepreneur: Ilana K
Ilana K is a kinesiologist who has gone on a long health journey since her early childhood. Since hitting “rock bottom” and having to completely upend her life to focus on recovery, Ilana’s career has taken a full 180 degree shift from being in the corporate finance industry as a financial analyst, to now practising kinesthesiology where she helps people reclaim their health, wellbeing, inner joy and sparkle for life.
What makes you an Entrepreneur?
I am still a little daunted by the word entrepreneur, but I think it is my fire and innovation within. I am often thinking of new ways to serve others and the community. I’m also open to both success and failure (failure is part of business), but I probably see myself more as a guide, facilitator and teacher than a traditional business focused entrepreneur.
What’s your Chronic?
Chronic fatigue, auto-immune diseases and MTHFR gene mutation.
How did the path of entrepreneurship come to you?
By accident and through my health journey. My partner started a cafe four months into my diagnosis, so I feel this business taught me a lot about entrepreneurship, trusting, courage and confidence with business.
Previous to my chronic I worked as a Finance Analyst, with numbers, budgets and forecasts; and up until my rock bottom, I thought this was my career path.
What came first, the “chronic” or the “entrepreneur”?
Chronic. My health led me to become an entrepreneur.
What’s your diagnosis story? How old were you?
It started back when I was about 3 or 4 years old with asthma and allergies. I was a five year old with gluten free buckwheat pancakes (yes back then they were disgusting). At age 7 I had glandular fever and suffered most of my school life with constant colds, flus, chest infections and tonsilitis.
I’ve had low immunity most of my life (until now) and at age 30 my body shut down. The week of my 30th my body said “enough” and forced me into 18 month rest and healing mode. I was diagnosed with chronic and adrenal fatigue not long after and then a year later I was also diagnosed with lyme-like auto-immune disease and EBV.
While this journey has not been easy by any stretch or means, I have learnt a great deal about health, the mind, energy, processing emotions, business and myself. Not only do I know what boundaries are now, but I understand the importance of self care, self love, rest… and how to say that little word that can be so hard at times, “NO”. I have found out who I am and what my values are in life and the importance of practicing self care daily!
What’s your frame of mind like at the moment? How have you survived the pandemic?
I’ve worked a lot on my mindset and processing emotions since my diagnosis and I feel I have been quite resilient over the past year. Being a holistic health practitioner, during the pandemic and lockdown period I often find myself in support mode for my clients and community.
Having been through multiple chronic diseases, I’ve not really allowed the pandemic to affect me. I have survived the pandemic by:
Protecting my energy and clearing my spaces often
Blocking out the media and negativity
Walking daily
Afternoon Yoga nidra or meditation
Baking and cooking more
Choosing my thoughts and focusing on what I can control
Focusing on serving others
What have you learnt about yourself through this journey? How have you changed, if at all in your relationships, decisions, what you value/your life philosophy?
I’ve learned a lot about myself over the past 7 years. I am so much more aware of my mindset, thoughts and how I talk to myself, which influences my emotions. I am a healing people pleaser, perfectionist and YES person and so anxiety often can run the show if I let her. We are now great mates and not enemies.
I’ve learnt you can’t change others, only yourself. I am also more compassionate with myself and others. I now seek decisions from the heart and check-in with self first.
Generally I can now shift any situation from negative to positive pretty quickly, where past me may have processed it for days.
My life philosophy is where energy goes, energy flows. Take one day at a time and tomorrow is a new day.
I now value my health and wellbeing first and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
Did you go through any sort of 12-stages of grief with the diagnosis or take it in its stride? In other words, how did the grief process manifest itself – did you immediately reassess your life or was it more gradual?
For probably the first year I thought and had waves telling myself that I would never get well and would be tired and melancholy for life and never work again. Then one day I woke up and said enough. I jumped out of bed and told myself that I can heal and need to shift my focus to something that brought me joy. Studying Kinesiology part time at the time was this joy and wanting to learn more about the body and how to heal it. Since that day I haven’t looked back.
Louise Hay book “You can heal your life” and audio track 101 Power Thoughts on youtube saved me over 2014 and 2015.
While I still get tired easily and often over do it, I know my warning signs and have accepted that I need more self care, rest and sleep then most.
What would you say to your ‘first-diagnosed’ self, or someone else who has just been diagnosed with a chronic illness?
Firstly, I would listen to them and let them process what they are thinking and feeling. Then I would say:
You are safe.
You are supported.
You can heal.
You have got this.
Think and you shall become.
I would give hope. Allow them the space to process the grief, trauma and doubts and then give them the positive tools so they can find their feet and move forward.
What is a ‘bad day’ for you? How do you look after yourself on a ‘bad day’ or a day that is particularly stressful?
A bad day is waking with zero energy in the tank and often soldiering on, weeks of living with no energy if I've just had a busy or stressful work period or old immune symptoms returning.
On bad days I am compassionate. Up self care. Pull out the old remedies and just take an hour at a time.
I give myself permission to do only what absolutely needs to be done and then rest.
Are you on any treatments? What modalities are in your wellness team?
No formal treatments now. I have had many diets, supplements and detoxing protocols like juice fasts, colonics, parasite protocols in the past, but now I maintain my health by eating real whole, often organic food, rest and fresh air.
The modalities that are apart of my wellness team are:
Kinesiology
Acupuncture
Massage
Chiropractic
Yoga + Meditation
Who are your back up dancers?
My partner.
Mum and family.
My community of clients, students and followers.
Numerous business women’s networking groups.
My wellbeing team mentioned above.
Best & worst bits of being A Chronic Entrepreneur?
Best:
Creating your own work hours
Designing your own lifestyle
Working from home
Creating a business that serve you and your chronic
Prioritising health
Appreciating life more
Valuing what is really important in life
Constantly interested in wellbeing
Outsourcing
Worst:
Working solo often
Lacking energy, drive and motivation at times
Having bad days, weeks or periods
Comparisons to others
Feeling like you can’t keep up
People not understanding your chronic
Pushing and working through your limits
Are you a 5-year planner or are you winging it?
Both. As a previous type A personality and Finance Analyst I do love a good plan, but I am now passionate about living life more in flow and harmony with my daily energy, intuition, the season, menstrual cycle and moon.
What are your dream weekend plans and have these changed over the past year?
My dream weekend is having free weekends to cook, bake, head to the local market, catch up with friends or family, go to the beach and refuel my tank with self care like reading, baths, and restorative or yin yoga. As we have been in and out of COVID in Melbourne, most of this I can still do.
Who are your ultimate dinner party guests, (dead or alive), and who would you seat on either side of you?
Louise L Hay.
Tony Robbins.
Brene Brown.
Delicious Ella.
Oprah.
Dr Joe Dispenza
I would have any of them either side.
What are you looking forward to in the next 6 months-1 year?
Starting a family, creating a herb garden and new ventures in my business.
Where can people support you online?
You can find out more about me and my services at:
Website: ilanak.com.au
IG: @ilanak.kinesiology
FB: @ilanak.kinesiology
Podcast: The Energy Shift
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