Darlene, gifted with highly intuitive skills, has been blessed to experience a nursing career in acute care, geriatrics, psych nursing and travel nursing before moving to real estate and financial planning, then back to nursing—only this time to nursing management. She was guided into a holistic practice after the passing of her mother and was fortunate to be led to Dr. Masters and his wonderful teachings, where Darlene’s spiritual path really took flight.
It was back in 2006 when Darlene first embarked on the mission of developing a care collaboration of practitioners to deliver services individually and as a team to the client in need of support. It was important to her to work in a (w)holistic fashion, in that as human beings we are created of a complex system, and one component does not work well without all components being in sync.
It seemed to her that too many health professionals were using a band-aid approach, thereby failing to get to the root cause of the patient’s issue. Darlene put out feelers, asked around, and approached people of influence in these areas of practice. At that time, she couldn’t seem to gather interest, for the timing was wrong. Darlene let the idea go and continued to serve those who were led to her door.
In 2012 we entered the era where “mental health” was touted as a condition almost all of us could be concerned about, and the focus was on to erase the stigma around mental health. Some proclaimed mental health issues have become a pandemic. This stance annoyed Darlene because it simply was and is not true. As Darlene says, “Everyone has to deal with emotional highs and lows. It is how we deal or don’t deal with them where there may be a ‘mental condition/illness develop.” For the next two years Darlene supported more and more clients who were on anti-depressants for one thing or another. It seemed anti-depressants has been the “quick fix” for far too many years, with the United States and Canada among the top countries prescribing the drug, an atrocity to be sure, for this drug can be more harmful than good and should only be prescribed as a last resort. Yet doctors by and large do not have the time or have become so mechanical that more and more of them have become prescription writers first, and secondly referring patients to a medical specialist for a medical problem or to a psychiatrist, psychologist, or counselor for emotional issues. Alas, most do not embrace energy work, meditation, spiritual connection, or the many other avenues available to help move people through emotional turmoil. This is not to say that at some point an anti-depressant might be required. However, it needs to be a last resort only.
From 2012 to 2014 the promotion of having a mental health condition being OK, and a huge effort being placed on eliminating the stigma of mental health, and more and more emphasis that everyone has a mental health problem continued to really irritate Darlene. Could big Pharms have a lot to do with this push? Many people believe this to be true. While emotional health may be under the umbrella of mental health, we all have emotional ups and downs. The quest then is to learn how to handle our emotions, or first seek a natural way for support so that they do not control or ruin our lives, and we lessen the incidence of side effects of medication.
During those years and prior, health care teams were created. Yet these health care teams usually only consisted of doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, and the like—still traditional mainstream. There were and are no complementary therapists, financial planners, occupational, social, or spiritual counselors or such on these health care teams.
With all this going on Darlene was now being awakened in the middle of the night on so many nights with thoughts, messages to follow this path again, that the timing was now right, and through Spirit she was being given snippets on how to begin. She remembers saying to Spirit that this task is too big for her, and that could Spirit please find someone else. But the nightly interruptions continued and wouldn’t let up. Feeling compelled, Darlene began the task of setting about to start an organization whose focus was “whole health.” Darlene initiated focus groups and a lot of research to investigate gaps in the system, needs of the patients, and the best ways to accomplish this task. Finally, this all led led Darlene to what she launched in February 2016: LIVE WELL TODAY.
To that end, comes the beginning. LIVE WELL TODAY has three main distinct differences from other online listings. 1) LIVE WELL TODAY’s focus is on whole health; 2) semi-exclusivity is offered, meaning your competition in your geographical area is very limited, so the practitioner is more easily discovered, and the consumer is not so overwhelmed on who to choose for help; and 3) a consumer engagement platform has been developed and is ongoing and updated to encourage consumers to visit often and connect with the practitioners through the informative and entertaining online programs.
Also planned are networking events for practitioners and new programs to be unveiled during various stages of growth. Check out www.livewelltoday.net, and then give Darlene a call to discuss how you can benefit from this program that delivers client-focused healing through a whole health approach.
Darlene hosts a radio show entitled “360 with Darlene” at 88.7 The River. You can listen live at www.saugeen.ca Monday nights at 7pm. She volunteers her time at a local seniors-care facility on the most important day of the year when many do not but should receive visitors. It is on this day that Darlene helps these people “remember and feel” the joy of Christmas.
In her private practice, Darlene helps everyday people with everyday problems through intuitive counseling, spiritual guidance, life coaching, and business coaching.
Darlene completed her studies with the International Metaphysical Ministry’s University of Metaphysics and University of Sedona, receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Metaphysics, Ministerial Ordination, a Master’s degree of Metaphysics and a doctoral degree—a Ph.D. Specializing in Pastoral Counseling Psychology. She is presently completing her studies to earn another Ph.D., this one specializing in Relationship Dynamics.
“It is an honor to be a student of Dr. Masters. I feel privileged and blessed to be guided by the teachings of Dr. Masters who was clearly inspired and guided by Spirit.”
“I invite those of you who believe in a ‘WHOLE HEALTH’ approach to living well to join us at www.livewelltoday.net. Please call me, I am located in the Eastern Standard Time Zone.”
“Always, Live Well . . . Darlene” 
Dr. Darlene DeStefano, Ph.D.
Phone: 519-937-0507
Email: info@darleneglobal.com
Website: https://livewelltoday.net/
