Meet Donor and Facilitator Lisa Taitelman

The Foundation for Living Beauty provides free wellness and support services to women with cancer and we are able to do this because of the generous support of our donors! Living Beauty spoke with a dedicated donor and asked her to share her story of why she gives. Lisa Taitelman is not only a committed donor, but also an amazing facilitator who has worked with Living Beauties at our Goddess Wellness Retreat, as well as lead her own stand-alone workshops. Read more to learn about the programs she brings to our women as well as why she is a huge supporter of Living Beauty!

FFLB: How did you become connected to Living Beauty?

Lisa: I was introduced to your awesome organization through a fellow health coach, Jeanette Carbajal, who recommended that I connect with you all… and am so glad I did!

FFLB: What is it about our mission that inspires you to give?

Lisa: It was after the loss of my own mom to cancer, I started on my path of self-discovery and learned how hiking became the vessel for my healing and changed the course of my life as I know it today. I have educated and inspired many women through the healing power of nature to shed limiting beliefs and live a life of joy and fulfillment. I went back to school in my early 50’s to become a transformational coach, and through my education and life experience, I have created a program called “Follow Your Trail”, a 6-week empowerment program which focuses on healing, and finding one’s truth in nature through self-care, self-love and community. When I was introduced to Living Beauty, it spoke straight to my heart! I love that you provide a safe haven through wellness retreats for all these women going through the most difficult time in their lives in all different stages of cancer… and FREE to all of them. I love how you offer them a beautiful community of other women going through something similar so they don’t feel alone in a very scary time in their lives. I wish I would have known about Living Beauty when my mom was diagnosed all those years ago. I believe that it may have saved her life. I love your mission and everything it stands for and it makes me want to give back to these incredible women. I know firsthand how my mom suffered and I felt so helpless, giving back has fulfilled me in so many ways. It has given me new meaning in my life to be a facilitator at Living Beauty and to donate portions of my program with them in honor of my mother.

FFLB: When giving to do Living Beauty, what impact do you expect your donation to have?

Lisa: I want to be able to share my story with other women, through the healing power of nature, whether it is a walk at the beach, or a hike in the mountains. I want to shout out to them how hiking healed me and how it can heal them too, I believe I needed to find out what hiking had to teach me. I found my voice and I found ME! Women tend to put all others first, before ourselves, our partners, our kids, even our pets. I want other women to know that we must take care of ourselves first, and that is not selfish, but a gift we give to ourselves and to our loved ones. Through Follow Your Trail, I show them how to give from a full cup, and not an empty one, otherwise we become depleted, exhausted, resentful and ultimately sick. I have come to learn through the loss of my mom, disease starts with “DIS-EASE” in the body. Giving back this way to Living Beauty has been the most meaningful part of my work and journey thus far. By giving to them, I get so much more in return from all of these amazing women. I like to call them warriors, because that is what they all are. True Warriors. So, the impact I am hoping my donation has is that I want to show these women that they all have the power within themselves to be strong, make change, be resilient, feel empowered and liberated, it all comes down to the power of our mindset and what we chose to tell ourselves. I like to say, “Be careful what you tell yourself, because you are listening”!