We had the good fortune of connecting with Cassandra Fournet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cassandra, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
My favorite affirmation is the word “maybe”. It may sound very dull, but as a chronic sufferer of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) it is actually the perfect phrase to arm myself with. What many people do not know is that OCD consists of receiving multiple intrusive thoughts per day that go against the sufferers values–intrusive thoughts that you would not wish on anyone. The sufferer then has to perform “compulsions” or “mental rituals” to try to eliminate the thoughts. These compulsions or mental rituals may relieve some anxiety in the moment, but in reality it actually brings the anxiety to an even higher level the next time around, until the sufferer is spending large amounts of time in their cloud of panic and anxiety. So, by armoring myself with the word “maybe” (like maybe this thought is true, maybe it is not) and choosing the things I value instead of anxiety at any given moment, I have been able to conquer those three little letters–OCD.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My journey to health and wellness began two years ago when my world came crashing down around me and I was diagnosed with chronic autoimmunity and OCD. It was something I would have never expected in a million years to happen to me. It was truly debilitating and a life-changing experience for me all rolled into one. However, somewhere in the same breath I realized I had two choices–to let both of these setbacks completely devastate me or to create purpose from my pain. I decided on the latter. So, out of that pain I decided to build a social media handle, called “The Associated Mess”, dedicated to my recovery and all of the knowledge I have gained from doctors, health coaches, nutritionists, and even other influencers along the way.

The content I create features everything from healthy lifestyle choices, budgeting tips, new health products and even mindset hacks. I wanted this space to be a testament that we all have the ability to live a wonderful and colorful life despite our setbacks, all we have to do to get there is “embrace the mess!”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh this is such a fun question because Houston is synonymous with amazing food everywhere you turn, but until I really started researching and digging I had no idea we had such awesome places to go for healthy food, too! Some of my favorite healthy restaurants that I frequent on a regular basis (and that you can find all over my blog) are modern wellness restaurant, Vibrant (get the pancakes and eat breakfast for dinner), Bebidas for healthy coffee, juice, and bites, as well as Verdine and Coltivare for their grain-free pizza crusts! Also, don’t even get me started on all of the natural wine hot-spots that are popping up all over Houston like Light Years, The Heights Grocer, and 13-Celsius.

Some other cool places that you should have on your radar to checkout are Forth and Nomad, Go Easy (in MKT), Lemon Laine and Switch 2 Pure for sustainable and non-toxic skincare, wellness and makeup products! Next, after a big day of shopping I would definitely go to Paloma or Milk and Honey for a non-toxic mani-pedi!

So, Houston may not be synonymous with “health”, but as you can see we are definitely making some strides to get there!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to recognize my family for their continued love and support, my friends for always sticking around even when times got hard, the health and wellness community that jumpstarted my journey and every doctor and therapist who has supported me along the way!

Website: www.associatedmess.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.associated.mess/

Image Credits
These were all taken by me or family members/friends. No professional shots…etc.

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