Guest Spotlight: Meet JoJo Lewis, a regular at OHI San Diego!

Some people are lucky enough to be able to travel the world.  But then there are a few like JoJo Lewis who are lucky enough to have been able to live all over the world.  “I was born in Munich, Germany,” said JoJo.  “My mother’s family comes from Austria and Germany.  My father’s family hails from South Carolina and Georgia in the United States.

Growing up, we moved throughout Europe quite a bit, and I lived in beautiful places in Germany, Austria, and Italy.  I didn’t move to the United States until I was 28.  Once settled in the States, I started a real estate appraisal business.  I poured my heart and soul into that career for 30 years, and loved every minute of it.  But you have to be a workaholic to succeed in real estate, and after weathering so many ups and downs in the market over the years, I decided enough was enough.  I closed my business, sold my house, and retired.  My dream was to travel the world visiting extended family in the United States and Europe.  But after all the work of shuttering my business and closing escrow on my house, I was completely exhausted.  I couldn’t imagine walking around the block, let alone traveling around the world.”

JoJo needed a plan, if not for her extended future, at least for the near term.  “I remembered reading in a Dr. Mercola newsletter a few years prior about a health center in Lemon Grove,” said JoJo.  “I did a little research, figured out that the health center I had read about was OHI in San Diego, and made plans to attend the next Sunday Open House.  That Open House was the lifeline I needed.  After touring the campus and learning all about their body/mind/spirit program, I booked a one-week stay on the spot.  That one-week stay turned into two weeks, and those pivotal two weeks literally saved my life.  Being a first-time guest at OHI opened my eyes to how physically and emotionally exhausted I had let myself become.  I threw myself into the classes, I bonded with the other guests, I leaned hard on the staff and let them teach me all the ins and outs of a raw food diet.  The juicing and detox cleansing is overwhelming for most people, but I loved it.  The whole concept of the body/mind/spirit connection was already very real to me, so the detox made complete sense as I could feel my body coming alive again, my mind clearing, and my spirit reaching out to others for connection.  During the second week, I came out of my cocoon and took note of the wonderful people supporting the guests and staff.  They were the missionaries, and I was fascinated by their ability to connect to people one-on-one and still have the time to work on their own personal growth.  The idea of becoming a missionary and spending an extended period of time at OHI to recharge mentally and physically, and really dig into what I wanted to do with the next stage of my life was something I just could not let go of.  I left OHI after two weeks as planned to visit all of my extended family throughout the United States and Europe, but I left my heart at OHI.  I returned a few months later to complete the third week of the program so that I would be eligible to formally apply to the OHI Missionary Program.”

JoJo’s transition from guest to missionary was seamless.  “My first missionary experience was amazing,” said JoJo.  “I formed long-lasting friendships with the other missionaries that I still have today.  I hold them all dear to my heart and consider them my found family.  The OHI program is structured to build true connections, and I feel like we are all one big OHI family — guests, missionaries, and staff — all with the common purpose of helping others heal while healing ourselves.  To me, there’s no greater reward than helping others.  For the next five years, I served as an OHI missionary once a year, all while continuing my travels.  OHI makes it easy to be my authentic self while there.  I give myself over to vulnerability and try to be as open and trusting as I can. In return, I feel completely supported and safe with fellow guests, missionaries, and staff.  That true interaction with other human beings is all anyone really needs and wants out of life, and I try to carry this purpose out into the world each time I leave campus.  To feel truly seen and heard as a spiritual being is something quite special that I’ll never take for granted, and I feel completely validated each time I return for a stay at OHI.”

Optimum Health Institute is here for you! We will motivate you to stick with your commitment to health and discover new ways to empower yourself. Explore the holistic healing program offered at OHI. This program offers three week-long sessions, where you will learn to cleanse the body, quiet the mind, and awaken the spirit. Call OHI at (800) 588-0809 or visit www.OptimumHealth.org today for more information.