According to the New York Times,
Robyn O’Brien is “food’s Erin Brockovich.” Robyn is the founder of
AllergyKids, an organization designed to protect the 1 in 3 American children with autism, allergies, ADHD and asthma. Robyn has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and CNN highlighting the role that chemicals in our food supply are having on our health. O’Brien is the author of
The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It (Random House/ May 2009) and it exposes the role that money plays in our federal food policy. Robyn shared her Passioneering story with us in mid-December 2009:
SO: What’s your definition of “passion”?
That which you believe in to your toes whose pursuit gives your life purpose, meaning and fulfillment; something, that once you find it, to live without it, would be to not live at all.
SO: What are your biggest passions for serving others, and how are you expressing them (also include hobbies and volunteering)?
I love inspiring others into believing in themselves and in their own abilities to affect change in their lives. For me, it was about informing others and inspiring them to make changes in their health and the health of their families. Allowing them to accept that “good” is great! And to not make “the perfect” the enemy of “the good”. To embrace an 80/20 rule, where you do an awesome job 80% of the time, and allow yourself the grace of the everyday world the other 20% of the time. In a world that very much feels like it has been thrown into a cuisinart, there are so many opportunities to be part of the solution. And it is so important to believe in our ability to inspire change.
SO: Your biggest challenge(s) in leaping into your passions for serving others, and how you have addressed them?
The biggest challenge was believing in my own ability to overcome challenges and to affect remarkable change – in a world that constantly messages otherwise. It is a challenge to silence the noise and the headlines that are constantly pushing the status quo and to hear the internal dialogue in your heart. It therefore requires tremendous discipline, strength, courage and tenacity to silence the cultural “noise” in order that you may hear the message that is inspiring you from within. As a result, I try to take time to exercise everyday as it gives me clarity and focus – and the ability to process the everyday “noise” so that I may better hear the internal dialogue. I also had to “de-friend” those around me with negative messages, the “naysayers” and choose to surround myself with positive people and positive energy, as it helped provide positive “fuel” for & to nourish my passion!
SO: Your experience of “prosperity,” as you define it, in making the leap?
The complete fulfillment that comes in knowing that you are doing what you are here to do. Realizing that your life and every stage in it has prepared you for this work – every accomplishment and every setback, a lesson to be learned, making you a better “passioneer” as you evolve in your role of advocating your passion and message.
SO: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in making the leap?
That it will scare people that are close to you which can pose perhaps the biggest risk of all. Those around you may feel threatened by the energy and emotion that you feel towards your life’s work, having not found that same energy themselves. They may feel threatened or displaced by your newfound “love affair”, as jealous as if you’d betrayed them with a newfound love. The risk then becomes that rather than risk alienating those that are close, you choose to forgo your passion and risk alienating your heart’s work. As a result, I have found that it is very important to share with others that your passion makes you more complete, more of a person, more “whole” – which in turn gives you more to share with those you care about. There is nothing special about me, I simply found something that I was so passionate about, that I cared for so deeply that to live without it would have been to cease living, and then I had to shelter myself from a world that told me that I couldn’t make a difference, that my work wouldn’t matter, and take active steps to shield my passion and my heart’s work from those with condescending and destructive words and messages.
SO: What’s your support system look like; how did you create it?
I had to distance myself from the ‘naysayers’ (which was incredibly difficult at times, as it sometimes included close family members) and surround myself with positive energy in order to have the strength, endurance and courage to pursue work that can be so consuming. As a result, I spend less time with those that are negative (including family) and have also learned to avoid the topic with these people, and I spend more time with those who share passionate work. I find absolutely joy in being with other ‘passioneers’ as there is an energy and life to the work that provides constant nourishment. I also take time to nourish myself, not only through good relationships, but also with nourishing, healthy food and nourishing exercise, which gives me the fuel for my passionate journey!
SO: What wisdom do you have for someone who’s scared/discouraged about their own leap?
Hope is the knowledge that change is possible, even when it seems hard to imagine. And while the world favors the status quo and conformity, there is so much fun to be had in the experience of living what you are here to do. It won’t be without challenges and growing pains, but it is those very challenges and your ability to overcome them that will give you such a tremendous sense of LIFE. As you weigh the pros and cons of whether or not to take this leap, ask yourself “What do I have to lose?” Perhaps you’d lose “face”. Then ask yourself “What do I have to gain?” A sense of purpose, of being, of fulfillment, of energy….that will inspire your life and the lives of those around you in such a way that you have made the mark on the world that you are truly here to make! And it’s so important when taking the ‘leap’ to not make “the perfect” the enemy of “the good”. To embrace an 80/20 rule, where you do an awesome job 80% of the time, and allow yourself the grace of the everyday world the other 20% of the time.
SO: What’s your next big milestone?
I continue to learn from my readers and invite them to be part of the journey to change our country’s health! While we can’t change the beginning, we have an incredible ability to change the end. So I am engaging many with whom I work in new projects going forward: we are working on films, online forums and other tools that “we the people” can use to help create a healthier home, and I am so humbled and constantly inspired by the remarkable stories that readers have shared and look forward to highlighting them in my future work!
Thanks Robyn and Happy Passioneering!
Joanna Dolgoff, M.D. is a pediatrician and child obesity expert. She is the creator of 
Jasmine Graham is the Founder and President of Pace For Success Inc. She is a certified coach with the Road runners Club of America and an American Council of Exercise certified Fitness instructor. Pace For Success creates F.I.N.E. HUMAN BEINGS through Fitness, Involvement, Nutrition & Empowerment. Jasmine is currently running a very successful Health and wellness company. She offers Bootcamp Fitness sessions, Running programs and Nutrition programs. Her scope of service is not just limited to fitness and nutrition. Her newest endeavor is her talk show FINE WOMEN that will cover issues related to Fitness, Involvement , Nutrition and Empowerment in every show. She also wants to showcase ordinary people doing extraordinary things in every episode. She decided to create this show because she wanted to empower and effect people in a positive way on a larger scale. The pilot is completed and will be shopped to various networks. She has also been interviewed on various cable programs where she discussed how she changed careers and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Her life’s passion is to help people be the best that they can be and she is accomplishing that. She can be reached at www.pace4success.com.
