Finding A Fresh Chapter

Two different friends from two wildly different worlds both told Janet Ottersberg – an occupational therapist and wellness coach – that she should meet Terri Wingham – A Fresh Chapter’s founder. “As soon as we met, I knew I wanted to get more involved. I was inspired by A Fresh Chapter and I wanted an opportunity to take the work I was already doing to the next level.”

In addition to her work, Janet also had a personal connection to cancer. When she was 18 years old, Janet’s much older brother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His initial prognosis? 2 months to live. Janet did her best to support him, while also trying to navigate her own fears and sense of loss. Miraculously, her brother survived for 24 more years and throughout that time, Janet watched his struggles and triumphs through cancer come full circle. In the end, she was with him when he passed peacefully. Four years later, while facilitating a cancer retreat, Janet learned more about the early signs of ovarian cancer and realized she had some of the symptoms. A quick trip to the doctor, subsequent tests, and the discovery of multiple tumors in her uterus led to a radical hysterectomy. Although the tumors ultimately proved to be benign, this brush with cancer gave Janet even more insight and compassion into the need to help others heal both the physical and emotional scars of the disease.

In 2016, Janet joined the A Fresh Chapter (AFC) Facilitation team and served as a co-facilitator for the first U.S. Odyssey program, from LA to Phoenix. Since then, Janet has been involved in facilitating multiple Odyssey and ReFresh programs in the U.S., Peru, and South Africa.

Value in vulnerability

Janet believes that physical and emotional challenges can lead to an opportunity for people to grow. She includes herself as someone who continues to learn from the adversities in her life. As people conquer challenges, she said, new ones arise. “There are always opportunities to learn, grow and be challenged in different ways.”

Cancer brings up mortality, which leads people to ask questions, such as, What is the meaning of being here? Along with her fellow AFC facilitation team, Janet offers participants a feeling of hope and access to a variety of activities, tools, and resources designed to help heal the emotional scars of cancer.

Also, through her certification as a Daring Way facilitator – a program based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown – Janet help participants see vulnerability from a different perspective.

Lessons learned

Helping empower people to live their best life keeps Janet involved in AFC. “That has been my driving force behind everything I’ve done,” she said. Janet suggests that people with reservations about AFC talk to someone who has already completed the program. Then, in order to make the most of the experience, she suggests a willingness to trust the process, be open-minded, and practice stepping outside of your comfort zone. In the end, you’ll end up with lifelong connections and the ongoing support of the AFC tribe. 

Janet received her training as a life coach from the Fielding Graduate University. She works one on one with clients to achieve their health goals, as part of their cancer treatment program. Janet empowers her clients to explore the tools for creating connection. She is a yoga alliance registered yoga instructor and specializes in assisting clients at all physical levels. She facilitates wellness retreats in the United States and internationally. As a facilitator with A Fresh Chapter, she utilizes her lifetime of experiences to assist participants in reimaging their future. You can visit her online at https://www.janetottersberg.com.