​the emergence of Thriving Fantastic...

M: I remember when we were first together you were at a fun stage in your life because you were learning more about who you truly were and revved up to start a company and take your personal training to the next level. Because we enjoyed creating healthy meals together, that was one of the first things that we discovered - our love of 'real' food. I suggested One-Step-Health, as a name and it became the first name our company had. (and we still have a few clients who remember those days.)

D: yeah... and it became a partnership pretty quickly... and when we became an LLC - we created the name: Livin Now.  "Life is Now" was my mantra at the time, and you loved the concept, so the name was a perfect fit for us both.

M:  and I loved how you were always about getting back to the basics... 

D: though I got a bit militant about it... "until you can drink the right amount of water for 30 days, don't even talk to me." ha ha! 

M: yeah... you've definitely mellowed out... though you still keep your core values.

D: I'd been through the fitness world of pre-workout drinks and the latest crazes and it was all about quick fixes which believe me, I tried! They just don't work in the long run. I wanted to get back to what fitness is: Real health. How much water do you drink? What do you eat? The basics. ​

M:  And I was grounded in that because of my work with La Leche League International. One of the things we did as a Leader was educate women about nutrition. Their concept of nutrition is eating foods in as close to their natural state as possible. 

D: And when I met you, you brought that holistic side to me. You used to call me 'chemical man' and yeah, I had a deep love of bleach at the time, but now that I educated myself about it... 

M: I have to call you "natural man!"  But you did have some "natural" in you from your parents, right?

D: when I was growing up, I learned to take 'honey for your throat' when I was ill, and use 'baking soda and vinegar' for the drain -  so, yes,  'natural' was planted in me. What I like about your philosophy is eating 'real' food.  I grew up eating healthy foods, but plenty of junk as well, I wasn't a believer in organics, but now I can taste the difference. Good, natural food tastes better and helps our planet... which is important to me having grown up in the beauty of Oahu. 

M: And then we decided it would be fun to work with individuals and couples to share the joy we've found in creating a a thriving life...

D: and it was funny that we both had the Conscious Loving Book by Gay and Katie Hendricks and felt a connection with it. 

M: So we looked online to see what resources they might have and next thing you know we were signed up for a coaching program. And how can we begin to describe how Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks have helped transform our lives?

D: Hallelujah! ha ha ha ha... And that's what inspired our latest company, Michele and Dean, LLC and our exploration of Thriving Fantastic. And now the journey continues...

on yasu and michbug

M: There’s something joyful and whimsical about having these characters emerge, and their names became apparent rather quickly. Yasu was your dad's nickname and since we met, I've felt a connection with him and started to call you that.

D: ... And 'mich' was your mom and brother's nickname for you... and 'bug' comes from your dad...

M: ... Yeah... my bro and dad still call me by those names. When we decided to say yes to these characters... ta-da... our nicknames had a home!

D:  And then your idea for a book came... 
​
M: I'm excited to see what these two get up to... it's going to be a fun ride.

on going plant-based...

M: Well this was a surprise!

D:  Yes it was... if you said I'd be doing this 5 years ago...

M: Yep... me too, really. Even though I always felt a pull towards plant-based eating, I resisted the heck out of it.

D:  Yeah, we avoided watching those "food shows" until we were ready... and really, it was not about watching a show, it was something that suddenly felt right. 

M: It feels really good. I can't explain why either, but it feels in alignment with my whole system.

D:  I love how it feels too, and to trust that it's right for me, feels especially good. Following impulse is something we're both studying and exploring... and so the adventure continues...

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