JOHN FITZGERALD, CERTIFIED HEALTH COACH AND SPEAKER
I have a strong family history of heart disease, my father had a triple bypass at age 58 and angioplasty 10 years later and his father passed away at 49 years of age from a heart attack. In 2012 my wife was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. And shortly after in 2014, I had a heart scare of my own just as we were struggling with the realization of my wife’s illness and prognosis. With all that was going on in our lives and knowing at the time that I might have to be the surviving parent for my kids, I started to do research into how to improve my health.
I came across the books and research of Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., Rip Esselstyn and Dr. T. Colin Campbell. As soon as I started reading these books, it hit me that eating a whole food, plant-based diet was a no brainer — this was the ultimate way to eat and be healthy.
From that point on, I have dedicated myself to getting involved with ways to spread the benefits of living a healthy, whole food plant-based lifestyle. I have attended Engine 2 events and have been working with them for the past 5 years.
I also realized through these years that knowing what to eat is only half the battle. The key is having the tools, techniques and support to create the strong healthy habits that will assist in making sure that you continue to live this lifestyle long after your coaching program.
This journey has led me to become a certified health coach and speaker with special emphasis on the psychology and formation of good habits and the creation of new habits, so that I can directly help people establish lifelong healthy habits.