Blog founder Connie Bennett — also known as The Sweet Freedom Coach — is the bestselling author of Beyond Sugar Shock and Sugar Shock, which has been praised by many acclaimed health gurus and celebrities as “America’s Favorite Doctor” Dr. Mehmet Oz; as well as “The Father of Motivation” Dr. Wayne Dyer; women’s health and fitness pioneer Dr. Christiane Northrup, brain-imaging pioneer Dr. Daniel Amen, success guru Brian Tracy, Bernie Siegel, Marci Shimoff, spirtitual entrepreneur John Assaraf, celebrity fitness expert JJ Virgin, low-carb aficianado Jimmy Moore, and many more.
Connie’s sour-to-sweet story began in 1998, when all 44 of her baffling ailments vanished, including brain fog, heart palpitations, mood swings, after she quit sugar on doctor’s orders. Now, 15-plus years later, the compassionate, passionate, self-mocking Connie has helped thousands of sugar and carb addicts worldwide discover that Life is Sweeter When Sugar Doesn’t Seduce You™. Connie is also an in-demand motivational speaker, a popular blogger (Sugar Shock Blog), a widely published journalist, a certified life coach, certified health coach, and tapping practitioner (now completing EFT training). Subscribe to this Sugar Shock Blog and like Connie on Facebook..
In Her Own Words
Little did I realize back in 1998 that my heavy sugar addiction and carb habit would lead me on an exciting aedventure to become an internationally recognized sugar expert, The Sweet Freedom Coach, and bestselling author of two books so far (Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock,) about my former “legal drug of choice.”
My transition from lethargic, confused, often-cranky sugar-addicted journalist to health cheerleader, wellness author, motivating speaker, organic-foods fan, certified health coach, certified life coach, and tapping practitioner came about by accident.
In 1998, I hit rock bottom.
Often, I was pummeled by a whopping 44 baffling ailments, including crushing fatigue, brain fog, heart palpitations and severe PMS.
At the time, I was clever at hiding my need for sugar “fixes” and my many symptoms from editors, who had no clue that I needed frequent sugar highs (hard candies, red licorice, refined crackers, etc.) for sugar highs so I’d make my deadlines.
When my sugar addiction got so out of hand that my boyfriend Mark dumped me (the poor guy couldn’t handle my sugar-triggered mood swings, fuzzy thinking, and crying spells, which struck soon after I gobbled red licorice in private before seeing him.
Exasperated, brokenhearted and frustrated, I saw yet another new doctor, who quizzed me about my diet, ordered some tests, and soon discovered that I had severe reactive hypoglycemia.
He blamed every single symptom on my heavy sugar and carb habi!.
“Connie, quit eating sugar and refined carbs,” he ordered.
“If you don’t, you could die young.”
I was annoyed. Okay, angry! I did NOT want to give up my cherished sweet treats! But I was downright desperate to feel better.
On April 15, 1998 — after much resistance, reluctance, defiance and procrastination — I shed my sugar habit. Thankfully, I was armed with a curious mindset.
While releasing my sugar habit, I took extensive notes. (My curious journalism mindset kicked in almost immediately.) Before and after quitting sweets, I sought out every book I could find on the subject (remember, in 1998, the Internet wasn’t active).
Instead of dreading my undertaking, I began to view it as a life-changing adventure. I began to create many cool tools, including my 7 D’s (you can read about one of them here). I also found tactics from other experts.
My goal was to transform my difficult project of quitting sugar into a fun, powerful, practical, playful, easy adventure.
Within a few days, many ailments vanished. Within a few weeks of quitting sugar, all 44 of my ailments went poof! I felt like I’d been reborn! I became energetic, focused, free, and determined to discover The Sour Scoop about Sweets. I was utterly thrilled and delighted with my remarkablr transformation.
Soon, I began to guide thousands of people around the world to Sweet Freedom, especially in my then Kick Sugar group on Yahoo. I also began interviewing hundreds of researchers, doctors, and health experts about sugar’s many dangers.
In late 2006, seven years after I quit sugar, my first book, Sugar Shock: How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life–And How You Can Get Back on Track was released by Berkley Books.
The distringuished Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra came on board as contributing author and Dr. Nicholas Perricone wrote the foreword.
Then, Sugar Shock received many endorsements from acclaimed health gurus and celebrities, including America’s Favorite Doctor, Dr. Mehmet Oz, fitness expert Kathy Smith, then actress/author Marilu Henner, Dr. Mark Hyman, JJ Virgin, and many more.
Since 2001, in addition to writing articles, essays and books, I’ve been coaching, presenting my Sugar Freedom Now Course, and inspiring thousands of people worldwide to easily, playfully release their sugar or carb addiction so they can discover that Life is Sweeter When Sugar Doesn’t Seduce You™.
In June 2012, my decade-plus of helping sugar addicts worldwide culminated in my most recent book, Beyond Sugar Shock: The 6-Week Plan to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction & Get Slimmer, Sexier & Sweeter. It quickly became an international bestseller.
A plethora of health and empowermetn experts praised the book, including Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Daniel Amen, Brian Tracy, Bernie Siegel, Mark Sisson, Marci Shimoff, John Assaraff, JJ Virgin, Katie Dolgin (“High Voltage”), and Jimmy Moore.
I’m now working on the second edition of Beyond Sugar Shock. Sadly, I couldn’t promote my book much after it was published, because my then terminally ill Mom took top priority. I chose to move across country and devote as much time as possible to my mother in her final months. Then, after Mom passed away, I needed time to grieve, heal, recover from her cancer-triggered abuse and symptoms of PTSD, and find a new place to live. I’ve also been writing two new books. More about that later.)
These days, people now call me The Sweet Freedom Guide and The Sugar Liberator. I often poke fun of my “Sugar Shrew” past on this Sugar Shock Blog and even in TV or radio interviews. (I’ve been on such shows as “CBS News Sunday Morning” and “Oprah & Friends Radio.”)
I also enjoy speaking to groups — either in intimate gaterings in private homes or to large audiences at health conferences, media companies, and corporations.
And, as mentioned earlier, I’m also an experienced journalist and columnist (www.eDiets.com, The Los Angeles Times, www.SheKnows.com, etc.)
I studied at the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
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