“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist.” – Oscar Wilde
Prior to 2015 Dr. Julianne Arena had it all. She was a partner at a lucrative doctor’s office and was earning a substantial income; she was married and raising two children, and she was living out her dream of helping women in the health sphere. As an OB-GYN, she was delivering thousands of babies and helping new mothers bring life into existence. But underneath, she felt an incessant desire to do more. She wanted to help people live. She wanted to see her patients living a life beyond mere existence – a life with purpose.
Julianne’s desire led her into experiencing her first big “awakening.” In 2015 she attended an integrative medicine conference that opened her eyes to a new world within health and wellness; and she realized she had found the path towards the life she was meant to lead.
“I couldn’t believe how much I hadn’t learned in conventional medicine that would help my patients; and my sisters, and my mother, and myself! I went back to work with all this enthusiasm. I enrolled in a functional medicine fellowship and spent the next two years trying to bring it into my practice, but I just couldn’t convince my partners. So, at one of our meetings, I finally said you know what, I’m done. And turned in my resignation.”
For Julianne this decision was more than a disagreement about the trajectory of the practice. Walking away would be the hardest thing she would ever do, but she couldn’t ignore the road she saw in her newly awakened state. The road that led to joy, fulfillment, and a broader understanding of how to empower others into having their own “awakening.”
“I knew that there was more out there for me- more happiness and joy. And I really wanted my children to see that. We all just live through life. We try to do the right things but can easily get caught on a treadmill. And we lose when we are on it. We lose our vision, our mission, and our passion. We need to have continued awakenings, and I’m trying to do my part to help people have theirs in the health sphere.”
After resigning, Julianne worked at an integrative health clinic for two years before learning that they would be closing for business. It was then that she decided to turn the practice that she had mentally built into a reality. “Waves of Awakening Center” officially opened its doors in February of 2020; just two weeks before the pandemic. She spent the next eight months in survival mode, then finally made the decision to get help.
“I had heard Charlie speak a few years earlier and then I just started getting emails from him again and felt like it was a sign. So, I went through the whole discovery process with him and Danielle and took another leap. And three days later, I was attending my first virtual quarterly.”
Julianne dove headfirst into the FPC training and in June of 2021, she and her team were recognized in FPC’s Hope for Health magazine shortly after breaking the 100K mark in their record month. Since then, they have completely transitioned out of insurance and have continued their record-breaking momentum to the point of needing to establish a new monthly target. More recently, Julianne was awarded FPC’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” for her ability to innovate, lead, and run a thriving practice that adds value to people’s lives.
“After I received the award someone at my table asked me, what is your secret? I told her, as I have said in the past, if you follow the FPC steps and dig in with your all, the process will work for you. She said, yes, but it must be more than that. And in thinking more about it, emotionally connecting with your prospects is really important. And being open, and honest, and relatable is key.”
“Resentment is high when self-care is low,” Julianne said about her moments of complete overwhelm. “When you’re stressed, its oxygen mask to yourself first.”
“The whole FPC system – I know that its successful, but its challenging. There are definitely times when there are 50 thousand balls in the air and I’m just like, I’m done, I don’t want to do this. But it’s a fleeting thought that doesn’t stick. You have to look past that and keep your eyes on the future and on what you’re trying to build. You push through. And you pick yourself up, you dust yourself off, and you keep going. I have a calling – I have a mission.”
Are you ready for your own success story?
If you are, I have good news! We can get you results like this. It won’t be easy, nor will it happen overnight, but I’ve seen it happen so many times that I can tell you that’s it’s possible.
You’ve got to be hungry, driven, up for the work, listen more than you talk, complete more than complain, implement plans more than you announce them, and show up daily with a beginners mind. If you’re ready, it’s time to get to work!
