about
Mindful Living NJ strives to educate and empower the community at large to take charge of their health and wellness. We do this by informing the public of local options in the area of alternative and complementary medicine, non-toxic living choices, and environmentally-friendly products and services.
We also assist wellness practitioners and green living businesses in getting their message out to individuals in need of their services and products. Jen Maidenberg, founder of Mindful Living NJ, is a writer and editor. She lends these skills, as well as experience in online community building, to professionals and businesses seeking a wider audience.
Mindful Living NJ also aims to increase knowledge of and accessibility to holistic health and wellness options. We serve as a valuable resource for media professionals seeking expert advice and opinions from qualified holistic health professionals and green business owners. If you are a member of the media seeking a wellness expert for your story, we can be the connector.
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about the founder, Jen Maidenberg
“Why Holistic: My Story”
Most of us who discover the “holistic path” have a story. Here’s mine:
Due to a life long struggle with allergy, asthma, digestive illness, and food sensitivity, taking an active role in managing my health has been key for me. While I am grateful for modern medicine for emergency situations, I found that too often conventional doctors were not taking a holistic approach to my health and well being. When they couldn’t figure out how to make me feel better or why a particular prescribed medicine was having unfavorable side effects, they often gave up or suggested it was all in my head. I started looking into alternative and complementary medicine, as well as diet and lifestyle as factors affecting my well-being. I’ve been lucky to find success in managing my health through diet changes, as well as using a variety of alternative approaches including acupuncture, bodywork like Reiki and QMT, chiropractic, yoga, meditation, and massage. I took this a step further by researching how enviromental factors were impacting my health too. My journey toward holistic health simultaneously put me on the path to greener living.
“Choosing Holistic Health for My Family”
When my older son had a life threatening reaction to nuts at age two, I tried to find out as much information as possible on how to make his world safer. I found that while the allergists could explain to me the basics of his condition and offer a generic treatment plan, the “juicy” real life info came from other parents in the trenches. I spent many hours of many days scouring the food allergy message boards looking for recipes, tips, and warnings. I have a library filled with books on allergy, asthma, natural healing alternatives, detox diets, and more. This information on how to parent a child with food allergies and sensitivities was truly invaluable.
When my second son began having terrible gastrointestinal discomfort at six weeks old, suffering 10 or more mucousy stools a day, the specialist recommended switching him to an hypoallergenic, elemental formula. I was committed to breastfeeding him, so I did my own research before making a rash decision. Instead of weaning him, I went on an elimination diet and discovered he was sensitive not just to dairy and soy, but a host of other foods from citrus to eggs. If I hadn’t done my own research, I might have quit breastfeeding, but instead I continued for 9 more months, carefully navigating my diet and his. His stools became normal as I eliminated the foods that irritated his belly. He thrived on my breast milk.
I’m thankful to both my children and to holistic health practitioners for making me more aware of and mindful of how mind, body, and spirit impact our physical and emotional well-being. Incorporating holistic healing methods into our wellness regimen and becoming more conscious of how diet and environment affect our health has really improved our quality of life. Making connections between people in my community and holistic health and wellness providers has become my passion. My ultimate goal is to heal my community one person at a time.
Jen Maidenberg’s Professional Bio
Jen Maidenberg, owner of Mindful Living NJ, has a professional background in publishing that includes experience on both the editorial and marketing sides of the business. Jen’s previous employers include Scholastic Books, Parade Magazine, and The Arizona Jewish Post, as well as dozens of publications and organizations for which she has produced freelance work. Currently, Jen Maidenberg is a regular Mind/Body/Spirit columnist for New Jersey Life Health & Beauty magazine and a freelance health and wellness reporter for Montclair Patch.
With Mindful Living NJ, Jen has established herself as a go-to person in her community for information on holistic health & wellness and green living options. Partnering with local wellness practitioners, Mindful Living NJ aims to spread a message of empowerment and choice through Mindful Living NJ Magazine (our monthly e-zine), blogging, social media outlets, and live in-person events. With a focus on building trusted relationships as the foundation of Mindful Living NJ, our projects and events are relationship centric.
Jen Maidenberg and/or Mindful Living NJ has been featured in New Jersey Life magazine, The Parent Paper, CNN.com, The Associated Press, The Chicago Tribune, Motherhood magazine, Fox News, NJ Monthly, Holistic Health magazine, The New York Times “The Local,” Women’s Wear Daily, The Arizona Jewish Post, The Forward, West Orange Patch, Maplewood Patch, and the New Jersey Jewish News.
A cum laude graduate of The George Washington University Honors Program, Jen Maidenberg’s resume includes internships and positions at The White House Communications Office, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, The Embassy of Israel Communications Office, and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. She also co-founded 2 Jewish Cowgirls, a retail line of t-shirts and gifts, including the “100% Kosher Beef” tee, as featured on the hit TV-show “Scrubs.”
