In this vulnerable role-reversal, functional medicine practitioner and gut health expert Dr. Anya Szigeti interviews our host, Lindsie—former ER nurse and gym owner turned health & nutrition coach—about the messy middle of healing and the identity shifts it demands. Lindsie opens up about ER burnout, owning a kickboxing gym through COVID, the “whisper-then-scream” symptoms that led to autoimmune diagnoses and how going gluten- and dairy-free, rebuilding her relationship with food, and prioritizing rest and digest changed everything. You’ll hear why “food first” isn’t restriction—it’s restoration—why movement is medicine for the mind, and how to advocate for yourself when the conventional system shrugs. If you’ve ever felt dismissed, stuck, or scared by a label, this conversation is your permission slip to rewrite the story.
Join the movement! Click HERE to write the story the doctor never told you was possible.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Upcoming event, UNWRITTEN: Healing Beyond the Diagnosis (Free, Virtual)
Dates: October 9, 16, 23 from 6-7:30pm
What you’ll get: practical tools, real stories, and hope from clinicians & coaches who’ve lived it
You're going to get the maximum benefit by attending live but if you can't make it to all sessions, shoot me an email (nurselindsie@gmail.com) to let me know.
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0:02 – Why Dr. Anya is interviewing Lindsie today + a peek at “Unwritten”
3:28 – Called to care: the parts of nursing that shaped (and strained) Lindsay’s definition of health
11:06 – Burnout whispers vs. screams: disengagement, identity conflict, and the moment she knew to pivot
14:42 – Owning a gym: helping people, wearing every hat, and the COVID roller coaster
20:39 – When success looks shiny but hurts inside: finances, staff turnover, and sleepless nights
25:34 – Symptoms she couldn’t ignore: joint pain, migraines, gut blowups—and the gluten clue
29:04 – Testing, functional care, and early autoimmune/celiac insights
32:54 – Letting go of old beliefs: food as reward → food as repair
39:02 – Going gluten-free (and then dairy-free): what was hard, what wasn’t, and family dynamics
46:13 – Skin as a messenger; tuning in without spiraling
50:34 – Identity shifts around food, traditions, and social settings
1:00:34 – Why she chose health coaching over returning to the bedside or another gym
1:03:13 – Movement for the mind; why nutrition moves the physical needle most
1:10:32 – Ultra-processed “gluten-free” traps and blood sugar chaos
1:10:32 – What women with PCOS/autoimmunity need to hear about true healing
1:18:45 – Whole-person health: inflammation, stress, and the bigger picture
1:24:06 – Social media detox and reclaiming your attention
1:26:13 – Advice to her earlier self: no band-aids, no quick fixes—embrace the process
(0:02 - 3:27) Hey friend and welcome back to PCOS Unfiltered. Nourish, Heal, Thrive. The podcast where we cut through the noise, ditch the shame, and talk about what it actually takes to heal your body, your mind, and your story. Today's episode is a special one because for once I'm not the one asking the questions. Dr. Anya Szigeti, functional medicine practitioner, gut health expert, and one of the incredible speakers at our upcoming Unwritten Healing Beyond the Diagnosis event is flipping the script and interviewing me. We're diving deep into the journey that brought me here from ER nurse and gym owner to a burned out woman with an autoimmune diagnosis to now a health and nutrition coach who's fiercely passionate about helping women heal in a whole new way. We'll talk about the identity shifts, the hard pivots, the what the heck is happening to my body moments, and yes, even going gluten-free and dairy-free, I know, R.I.P. cheeseboards. This conversation is raw, real, and maybe a little emotional, but I hope it shows you that your diagnosis is not the end of your story. You get to rewrite it. And speaking of rewriting stories, make sure you check out Unwritten, our free virtual event happening this October, where powerful voices are coming together to share the healing tools your doctor never told you were possible. Details are in the show notes. You're not going to want to miss this one. Lastly, the content shared on PCOS Unfiltered is for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the host and guests are not intended to serve as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified health care professional before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or treatment plan. The information shared is based on personal experience and expert interviews and is not a substitute for professional medical guidance. Now let's get into it. Hi, so this is so exciting to be able to flip the script today and interview you for a change. I'm really excited about this because I've known you, you're one of my good friends, I've known you for several years, and so I feel like I know a lot about your story, but I'm excited to learn more right along with all your listeners. So without further ado, why don't we hop in and learn more about Lindsie. All right, so many of us are drawn into health care because we have a calling to serve others. What initially drew you to nursing and what did you love most about that role? Well, first of all, I want to say thank you for having me today. It's like really weird. But yeah, I mean, I went right out of high school and even backtracking, I should say, I was a CNA in high school. So I knew that was the track that I wanted. And I don't know, I feel like coming from a small town, it was like, doctor, nurse, teacher, you know, just kind of those like fit in a box type of career paths. Like never imagined I'd be doing what I'm doing today, of course.
(3:28 - 11:03) And so, yeah, I mean, I was drawn to it. Yes, I think for just learning about the body and the health and science, you know, aspect of it, but ultimately, helping people, helping people feel better, you know, that's, that's what I'm doing even now. But that was what initially drew me to it. And I feel like too, as women, we kind of have that natural tendency to want to help all the time. And so I mean, yeah, I loved it. I did. And, and it was amazing. It taught me so, so many things that I still use today. That I've used even personally, like when my mother was sick, for example, like my nursing background just kicked right in. And so I did, I loved it, but I outgrew it. I was ready to kind of close that chapter. And I wasn't fulfilling my original mission of helping people feel better. And so at some point, I felt I just needed to do that, make a change. Nice. Yes, we definitely have that similar calling to help others with the healthcare piece of that. But something that that I see in medicine, unfortunately, is burnout quite often. And what I see in my clinical practice as well is that our bodies will whisper before they scream. When did you notice those signs of burnout? And how did that show up in your body and in your mind? Yeah, so like, like I mentioned, I was a CNA in high school. So I did a co-op program. And I did my junior and senior year, I took a class that I then became certified as a, as a CNA, nursing assistant. And I worked pretty much every Monday through Friday during the school year, for three hours after school. And even over the summer, of course, it led into a summer job and everything too. And then, you know, passed my boards right out of college worked all through college as a CNA as well. So total, I was almost 20 years being in that, you know, traditional healthcare model. And that's the thing, I don't know if there was really one point when I was still a nurse, it was probably more mentally than physically, where the burnout came in the physical burnout. But mentally, with with most of that being in the ER, it can wear on you. I mean, I think the burnout rates are higher in the ER and ICU probably in particular, because you really struggle with with what you see, sometimes. And there are some crazy things that happen in this world that you know, that only those in that role could probably tell you. But on top of that, you also see a lot of people over and over again, that aren't getting the help they need outside. And maybe even aren't willing to even get that help. They're not willing to help themselves, you know, even so. So yeah, I've been out of nursing for seven plus years, seven and a half years out of the bedside role, I should say. And it was definitely probably that last year, before I left that I was really just starting to feel, feel the pull. And I knew there just had to be something else out there. What I see a lot is this, this tension, this imbalance between wanting to help others heal, while emptying ourselves as caregivers. And what what sort of you shared a little bit about it, but what sort of internal conflicts did you experience, especially as you alluded to in that final year? I just wasn't as engaged. I wasn't as Yeah, I, my passion was fading. And I felt like then I was failing myself. Because that's not me. You know, when I do something, I want to do it fully. And so I was pulling away from it, I was not doing a good job, probably like I should have, I probably had some poor attitudes with people. But again, was just, you know, just not, not me. And I was always the one that picked up the extra shift. You know, and, and maybe to like, at some point, I did back away from that. And that was probably an indicator because I was like, Okay, this is gonna be like too much. And I did end up a little sicker, you know, more so but, but yeah, I just I knew I wasn't doing, doing the job that I used to do, I knew I wasn't fully engaged with my role anymore. And that was a big indicator. Often, I see that there's like this moment that kind of clicks and you're like, I can't do this anymore. This isn't sustainable. You know, you kind of alluded to this gradual decline in your performance and your productivity. Did you have a turning point moment where you were like, I have to make a change like this is no longer serving me and I'm not doing, you know, the best job that I can here? Yeah, I feel like so I actually I started trading for an Ironman. And I was missing out on that work life balance. And then I met I also in there met my now husband. And so it just kind of became very eye opening. I think that, you know, I was nonstop giving to this job that wasn't really rewarding me. And more. And so I wanted some of that balance. And there was, I didn't have the support, let's just say, from, you know, the management and the administrators above me, because I was I wasn't in an administrative role myself when I left, but, but they weren't as supportive of realizing that I needed that balance, as well. And so that was probably, yeah, the point. And then I had also joined a gym that I fell in love with, which we'll get into. And me being the fitness freak that I was, I was like, Oh, so cool to own a gym. And so everything just kind of like, yeah, kept going, kept going. And I was just like, being pulled to that, like, Oh, what if we just learn more about opening this gym? And I finally said to again, my now husband, which the funny thing was, we had both like, early, early on in our relationship said, What would you do if you won, you know, a million dollars won the lottery, whatever. And we both said we would open a gym. Yeah. So when I said to him, when I finally was at the tipping point and said, Hey, why don't we just, you know, make a phone call and see what happens because of the franchise. So I was like, let's just talk to somebody and see what this would take. Yeah. And then we did we took the leap.
(11:06 - 12:43) So that's incredible. I definitely want to dive into the gym chapter. But real quick, before we leave the nursing chapter, I know that your identity plays a really big role with how we define health or look at health. How did being a nurse shape your view of health back then? And what was maybe missing from your perspective when you kind of look back on it now? Oh, my gosh. That's a big one. Yeah, I mean, it was traditional health care. And that's why I feel like I have to watch myself sometimes because I don't want to bash that because there is a place for that. I mean, especially, you know, in the emergency room. But my, yeah, my view was, you know, prescribed or cut. You know, that was that was how I was taught for, like I said, almost 20 years, you come in, you don't feel good. I mean, even looking back, there were some instances where now I know, I'm like, that person had a gluten intolerance, you know, that person had had some, you know, some type of sensitivity, some food sensitivities going on, and they came in, and we would do the whole slew of tests, you know, because that's what you do. It's very like, you come in for abdominal pain, you get x, y and z, you come in for chest pain, you get x, y and z, oh, you cut yourself, we're just gonna sit you up. You know, so yeah, I mean, that's what I thought there was. And I maybe like, as my, you know, my view started to shift. My only thought was, Oh, these people aren't exercising, they're not working out.
(12:45 - 14:41) I had no clue about the nutrition piece. Like, yeah, like, oh, yeah, protein, you know, sure. Yeah, you need protein. But definitely, the nutrition piece was what was missing throughout all of that. And yeah, it's missing in the traditional healthcare model. And shift into the gym phase of your life, as you alluded to, because I know a lot of practitioners and healthcare professionals, they look for outlets when, you know, traditional medicine, Western medicine feels really, really constraining. And you you shared a little bit about your inspiration to open the gym. And if you don't mind expanding on that, and how did you feel like that was the solution or your next step? Yeah, that was, I mean, that was helping people. That was ultimately how I wanted to help people, I thought at the time, and it was. Because again, I was only focused so much on fitness. And I just thought that, you know, that was the missing piece. It was also something that was just like my baby. Right? I mean, it wasn't working for, you know, a corporation, a hospital, a big company, where I'm being told what to do, especially when you're told, you know, do more with less. I'm like, I need to actually run this thing and really serve people in the way that I want to. So yes, I mean, from the beginning, of course, it was, it was, it was an amazing, amazing experience, really helping people in the way that I wanted to.
(14:42 - 15:28) That's beautiful. And then we all carry different beliefs about health and fitness and weight. What did you believe during this chapter about exercise about weight loss about health? Well, it's so funny. So, you know, I even remembered when we opened, especially because we partnered with like a meal, like a meal plan delivery, you know, company, whatever. And I, we came across, of course, the posters and stuff for it, you know, saying 80%, you know, of health and weight loss happens in the kitchen. And I was like, I was like, I can work out.
(15:28 - 16:48) Oh, and you know, I always felt connected to the people though, that would come in and say, Oh, my gosh, I'm, yeah, they're losing weight. But they'd go to the doctor and they'd say, I don't have to be a blood pressure medicine anymore. Or, you know, the doctor says I'm doing so so well. I lost weight, I don't need to go on anything. I was like, maybe borderline, like anybody that had that kind of story. I was always like, really, really drawn to you. And the weight loss piece as well, because I knew that yes, that was that was part of health. But again, I was still rejecting the nutrition, the nutrition. So this was definitely a transitional step for you from Western medicine. And in the way that you served people from being a nurse to being a gym owner, drastic change. How did your approach shift from working in medicine to the gym environment? It's a lot more fun. That's important.
(16:50 - 17:28) It was like, I mean, it's so funny, because I would have people, you know, even after we've been open at the gym a couple years, and they would, like, even just start asking me, will you ever go back to nursing? And I would say no. Like, like, right before they could even, you know, finish the sentence. Yeah, I mean, it was, it was fun. But it was just a lot of everything. You wore all the hats. You know, yes, I coached the classes, which of course, I think in my mind, when I opened it was what I was going to be doing, like all the time.
(17:28 - 20:38) And I didn't really have to worry, I'm sure I'll hire some other people to hire, you know, to teach the other classes. But I didn't really need to worry about all this stuff. But no, that's not how it works. You know, yes, I had to hire those people. I was the HR, I was the the janitor, you know, cleaning up stuff. The Yeah, the maintenance person. I mean, it was, it was crazy. And so COVID happened, like that was huge. That was a huge tipping point, which yes, we'll go more into detail on that. But that first year, we just saw amazing growth, I felt like I was really, really fulfilling, you know, fulfilling my passion. Again, nothing like I had expected. With nursing, I was having a blast helping so so many people. My thing was, I couldn't like understand why some people were getting results. Why some people couldn't keep results. You know, why some people just couldn't get results at all. So, so yeah, it was, again, like those first couple years were still great. But once COVID, COVID was the big shift then with the gym, that just changed. Everything. Do you want to share more about that now? Yeah, we can. So yeah, we closed for about eight weeks. Yeah, like eight weeks, I think or so it was. And you know, of course, I mean, if you're listening, you probably know. It was right, we had, we had no idea, no idea what was happening. We, of course, pivoted really quickly, we did a whole bunch of online classes, we even just did fun, like live, you know, going live on Facebook, we had a YouTube channel, just everything to try to keep people engaged. And, you know, positive, stay positive through all of it, of course. But when we came back, it was just never, never the same. I think everybody's view of health changed. And unfortunately, we lost a lot of members during that time. We had a lot of even our instructors, you know, we came back from it and a lot of those instructors quit. Huge, huge change, even just like I said, we'd only been open maybe a year and a half ish when it happened. And so I think everybody's view and then you know, we would open and we'd be climbing again, and then another variant would happen and then it would go back down. So yeah, so mentally, physically, you know, myself, my husband, all the other coaches, we were on this roller coaster. And that was just a huge, huge turning point in all of it.
(20:39 - 23:56) How many years did you guys own the gym all together? About five? About five. Okay. And so, you know, from an outsider perspective, being a gym owner, that probably, you know, you guys look like you were, you know, you had it made all everything was rock and roll. I mean, of course, COVID is was a challenging the pandemic was a challenge for literally everybody and every type of business for sure, especially small business owners was very challenging for us for sure. But just in general, you know, your business looked like a success from the outside, but feeling fulfilled internally is very different. So where did you still feel unfulfilled, even though you felt, you know, you were serving your your purpose of leading the workout classes and helping achieve, you know, your definition of health at that at that phase of your life? Yeah. I mean, I think I've never really shared this, like publicly, you know. So I think this is, you know, it's been a couple years, two and a half years since we've, we've closed. We always, you know, especially my husband and I, but we always just smiled in front of everybody. And looking back, I'm like, should we have told our members more about what was going on internally? But no, we didn't want them to feel like the gym was failing, because all they knew is that they were taking some fun classes, kickboxing classes and losing weight. I love them. Yeah. And so, yeah, internally, though. It was a huge struggle. Huge, huge struggle, because I could see the numbers, you know, I could see just the way that things were headed. But then, of course, being torn between like, getting amazing feedback still from members and, you know, but then, again, the merry go round with coaches, you know, coming and going and, and that's definitely I started changing them to where I was like, probably snapping, like, again, on the inside members didn't really see this, but I was probably snappier with, with, you know, with some of the coaches as well. But yeah, we just we always kind of kept a, you know, happy peppy attitude. So none of the members had any idea what was going on, really behind the scenes. And yeah, it was, it was a shock to a lot of people, because they had no idea that it was as bad as it was. And so yeah, internally, I mean, there were times, you know, I mean, I was, I was affecting my sleep. You know, my, my appetite, my I was constantly go, go, go, just trying to keep up with everything. Thinking I could just climb out of this hole, you know, I'm like, if I if I can do this, we'll be better. If I can do that, we'll be better. And it just we never got there.
(23:59 - 25:33) And looking back, do you think now that you should have shared more with your members at the time? Or are you happy with the decision that you guys made? When I thought about that? And I don't know, I wish there was instruction manual for that. Oh, gosh, I wish there was instruction manual for everything, right? I mean, I would say I would say probably not, like, yes and no, because, you know, maybe during the couple years, like I said, after we returned from COVID. And then I also had some personal struggles with my health. And then with my my mom got very sick. And so, you know, maybe that's the point where I should have shared more those last, like six months to a year, then, so that I could have gotten more supportive, they would have been more understanding, because I think the members just, you know, it was always about the members. And I always tried to keep it about the members. And at some point had to be a little bit about me and my health, too. Yeah, exactly. We all go through health struggles and journeys, whether we're experiencing them ourselves or by, you know, with a loved one. And you kind of had both going on at the same time. And I know that many of us in healthcare didn't expect to become patients ourselves. Yeah.
(25:34 - 29:04) You can experience here, too. Would you share what your symptoms began that you couldn't ignore anymore? Yeah, so going back to COVID. So it was a kickboxing gym. So we're punching a bag kicking a bag, right. And, of course, the peak where I'm already starting to get a little stressed, and then COVID happens, you're, you know, even stressed more all the unknowns. My husband and I went up to North Carolina and stayed with my stepsons at the time, I would wake up with joint pain in my hands. And in my mind, I'm thinking, well, you know, I punch a bag, like maybe I hit the bag wrong. But then a few weeks into it, when we I wasn't hadn't been punching any bags, I would still wake up with some bad joint pain in my hands. And it was just a very, very weird pain. Like it didn't, you know, I've sprained with things before I've, you know, you get some bumps and bruises. It just did not feel like a typical injury type of pain. And I ignored it. You know, kept ignoring it. It wasn't every day that I but especially like in the mornings was probably the worst. Sometimes it would happen, you know, kind of even a little bit throughout the day, but occasionally, like, you know, in the mornings, the other thing was migraines. And I had never had headaches or migraines like that before. Sure, I get the occasional headache. But I remember, especially one incidents where I was just like sitting on the couch, and it hit me so fast. I got like, you know, my face was flushed. I felt like my face was on fire. I felt like I was gonna throw up and I just had like, the worst headache, pain. And then we Yeah, we went back to, you know, somewhat normal. And then in May, towards the end of May, we were out with some friends for pizza. And I had had, I think like a couple wings, and I had maybe a piece of pizza that I finished, I was like working on it. And I had this intense pain in my abdomen, more in like the epigastric area. And I looked like I was six months pregnant, all of a sudden. And I looked over at my husband, and I'm like, we got to go. Like something is not right. Not right at all. So we get home, I'm like, do I have to go to the bathroom? Do I have to throw up? You know, I had no idea what's going on. It hurt. All I could do was curl up on a couch, lay on my left side, pull my knees up to my chest, curl up in a ball. And that seemed to relieve it a little bit. And it just so happened. I mean, my nursing background, even though it's not necessarily necessarily something you don't learn a lot about, but my nursing brain kind of kicked in. And I was like, I think this might be a gluten intolerance. So my husband was traveling for work the following week, he's been gone all week. And I was like, you know what, this perfect time, because I'm just gonna cut it out and see what happens. And after a day, I felt so much better.
(29:04 - 32:54) Now I was still have I should say my stomach felt better. I was still having some joint pain. Eventually, though, the like the migraines stopped too. And I wasn't, you know, feeling that way. So after a week, then of giving it up, already was starting to feel really good. But I was having the joint pain. And so I knew I was like, there's still something else going on. And I think in my mind, I knew what traditional medicine would have done for me. And so I chose not to go that route. And I reached out to this wonderful Dr. Anya. And yeah, and, you know, we started doing all the testing and everything and got the diagnosis of lupus. I did end up seeing an endocrinologist that said maybe even RA. Now, we do know some things that there might have been some celiac playing a role in there as well. So, um, yeah, but, I mean, that was almost six months, probably of me ignoring, ignoring what my body was trying to tell me. Until I had to listen. Yeah, yep. Yeah, because it's, you know, we mask it, we mute it, we ignore it as much as we can. But our bodies keep sun, it's whispering, and then it's gonna start screaming. So, you know, I know from personal experience as well, that receiving an autoimmune diagnosis can be both validating on one hand, because you're not crazy, right? All of your symptoms are valid stuff is actually body is not happy. But it can also be terrifying. So why don't you share how you felt when you got the diagnosis? You're welcome. What fear, frustrations, those sorts of things came up for you? Um, I mean, I, luckily, yes, like, even though it had been six months, I think we still caught it, you know, early enough. But I mean, yeah, I was confused, probably especially because in my mind, I was like, I take care of myself. You know, I work out, I eat pretty well, you know. And so I didn't really understand like, where, you know, where this was coming from. I knew immediately, I'd made the right choice, though, because, again, I felt like if I would have just done the traditional route, I probably would have been handed like, an antacid and, you know, said, call me if it gets worse, or, you know, whatever. But I also I mean, I think you were a big part of this too. In the fact that I like, this wasn't going to be it for me. I was like, I can feel better. I know I can feel better. Yeah, I did. I turned around. But, but I knew I knew there was hope. And I feel like a big, a big part of that was you helping me see that, too. Well, one piece of true healing, and there's lots of pieces of true healing, one piece is letting go of old beliefs. So what did you have to release in order to start getting better? It was that whole nutrition piece, that I thought didn't play the role that it did.
(32:54 - 33:37) That was that was probably number one. But I mean, I think because I cut out the gluten and already started seeing the changes that I had, like, I knew I was like food, and you know, the food is, is really a big, big player and all of this. And I really had to start seeing it as something to nourish my body. You know, and fuel it and not just I treated food more as a reward for things, you know, for a great workout and, you know, hard days work. But I had, I had to see the healing properties of food. And that, yeah, started changing for me.
(33:38 - 38:56) Okay, that's, yeah, that's fantastic. And that's not uncommon to see food as a reward, because that's what we've been trained very often in our society as well. But, you know, you did great. So you need to, you know, you get to go to have a glass of wine, or you get to go, you know, you get dessert tonight, or whatever, especially indulge. And so you did allude to this, just now, but I just want to see if there's anything else that you want to share, because it does sound like your healing journey redefined everything that you thought you knew about health in particular. And how did it challenge your perspective, as both a nurse and a gym owner? I mean, as a gym owner, we weren't so I did end up, I went and got my personal training certificate, and my nutrition, you know, certification, and then first, eventually, my health certification. And so, as a gym owner, I mean, yeah, thinking back as a nurse, I remember taking a nutrition class, but it was nothing like it was, it was like, you know, how many carbs to give to a diabetic, you know, or something, you know, associated with insulin, and how much they should be eating, if they're taking as much insulin, you know, to that effect. As far as the gym, we would hand them a piece of paper with kind of what to eat, what not to eat type of deal. But we really couldn't, like, fully give them, you know, advice. And then once I did get my nutrition certification, and started, you know, going through my own journey, I was able to start implementing more of that, because I was also, you know, I got, I became the patient, I became the, I got to sit on the other side, and see what some of these women were struggling with in the gym, too. And so as I was going through it, I was able to better help the members, too. Absolutely. And as you've alluded to previously, as well, food is such a powerful piece of the health puzzle, but often overlooked, especially in Western medicine, as you alluded to, with nursing, you get very little nutrition education, medical doctors in their, what, almost 10 years of training get maybe five hours of nutrition. So it's definitely highly, highly lacking in the Western medicine, conventional medicine model. How has your relationship with food shifted from before your diagnosis to now? Yeah, you're gonna love this. The convenience factor, because as I was, as I was working as a nurse, you know, 12 hour shifts, first of all, a lot of times, you're on your feet, you're go, go, go. And if you didn't prepare anything, yeah, you were grabbing, because by the time you ate eight hours into your shift, sometimes, like you were grabbing, whatever you could, whatever was in sight. I would also, you know, if I worked a couple back to back shifts, I would just pick up like, Starbucks, you know, and, well, you know, one of their muffins or something and of course, sugary, sugary coffee drink, you know, on the way to work. So it was a lot of convenience, living that, that I did. And then even, even at the, even with the gym, because again, I was wearing all the hats. And so I was constantly eating protein bars, full sugar, you know, modified things. I had, you know, sugary yogurts on hand. And like, in my mind, that was still, like healthy. Right. But it was it was big time, the convenience side. And then I had to, I had to flip that switch, and start realizing that I had to make this a priority, I had to really think about what I'm putting my body and prepare those foods in advance. And even like my husband used to do all the cooking, especially when I was working as a nurse, and, you know, he works from home when he's here, but it shifted also to me cooking all the time. A lot, which was fine. But yeah, I think the convenience thing was the biggest, the biggest, biggest piece of that. Yeah, I can definitely relate to that. When you were sharing about the 12 hour shifts, it brought me back to when I was in the service, I was doing 12 hour shifts as well. Same scenario, like I couldn't leave my post because I was I you know, I was on call, like I had to be right there. So it didn't matter how many cups there are cups, pots of coffee that it took wasn't cups and pots. And then I had to grab whatever was right there on hand, because I couldn't leave, I couldn't go anywhere. I'm, you know, directing search and rescue operations or whatever it was at that time. So yeah, the convenience piece of it was that that brought that memory right back.
(39:02 - 39:23) To, you know, gluten playing a pretty significant role in a lot of your symptoms, and gluten and autoimmunity are very closely connected. What was the hardest part for you about going gluten free? That's the thing, it was not hard for me. But I've learned, I'm not the norm.
(39:24 - 42:19) There are a lot of Yeah, I've, there, there are a lot of women. And even I remember talking to some members at the gym, that, you know, I'd said, Oh, I just got a celiac diagnosis, for example. And they were like, Yeah, but I'm going to continue eating it. And I'll just suffer. And my mind, I was like, I know how I'm gonna feel, even if I just have like the littlest thing, which even it ended up being like, I don't know, you know, a few months into the journey, after I realized it was the gluten thing. My husband made a drink for me, an alcoholic drink, but anyways. But we, we discovered it was like a, you know, some type of flavored liqueur. And apparently it probably came from something with weed, I literally had like, a sip. And again, I just, I looked like I was since six months pregnant. So I knew even just having like, even if I thought I could have the smallest little bite of something, I was gonna feel and so for me, it was super easy. But I do realize that that is not the case for a lot of a lot of people that go through that. Wasn't there a breadcrumb situation to like a gluten free breadcrumb situation? Yeah, yeah, there was Yeah, gluten free breadcrumb situation. There I learned about cross reactivities, oats, you know, so there's definitely been a lot of still a lot of learning on this journey. For things that can still give me that same reaction, for sure. And some of those were, you know, unknown at the time. But all the typical breads and pastas and stuff, like I was just like, okay, and you know, and I was probably one that had, especially like, on days that I'd run, I'd have a slice of toast with peanut butter on it, I'd become my like pre run snack, you know, and I was just like, okay, not gonna do that anymore. And I didn't really have an issue with it. Let me ask a follow up question to that. Because, yes, you are the exception in that when I said gluten free, you were like, okay, and you were gluten free, like the next second, I was like, Oh, how did your family react? Oh, that's a good one. Um, I'm actually talking about interviewing my husband because because I mean, it hearing his side of things, I mean, he was very supportive, you know, especially like he saw that I was not feeling good. And yeah, my hands hurt. And I was just like, not, not my normal self, you know, he saw that. And, and for those that don't know you, you're a tough, cool cucumber. And so if you're saying you're in pain, and you're not, you know, in your moody or anything like that, like that's way out of the norm for you.
(42:22 - 43:46) Information. So yeah, I mean, he was he was obviously very supportive. We don't eat out a whole lot. We were probably still eating out a little bit more at the time. We now definitely don't eat out a whole lot. But if we do go out, he's always the first one to make a joke. You know, he's like, at least she's cute. You know, she might be high maintenance, but at least she's cute. You know, as he tells the waiter that I can't have gluten and dairy and all these things. And so yeah, and then his his kids, my stepkids, of course, you know, not didn't really have an issue. I just always kind of had my separate thing. I do have one stepson that loves his pasta. And that was probably I was eating a lot of it with him during COVID. And that was probably what was just amplifying the whole thing. So of course, like, you know, there were some jokes made in the beginning, but, but in general, of course, yeah, they were all super supportive. And it's even been a learning curve, I think, for them. But I think with me cooking though, too, I can make I can I'm totally fine with making my gluten free, and then, you know, gluten full, or dairy free and dairy full. And, yeah, so it wasn't it wasn't too too much of a transition.
(43:46 - 44:03) And it wasn't overnight, either. That's the thing. I mean, that's that was years. Thinking of, yeah, like, okay, she's not having gluten. But now we also realized she can't have this. And so kind of learning, learning some of those things along the way.
(44:05 - 46:12) That's awesome that you, you know, stepped up and said, Okay, I now not able to have this item. And so I'm going to take the steps that I need to take for my body and start cooking and being in control of the ingredients as best as we can, right. And learning as we go and evolving and you know, not, you know, being too hard on ourselves when you know, maybe we're misled by the food industry and what's on the label like that. But I also noticed that sometimes, you know, sometimes gluten free isn't enough. And sometimes, you know, you might hit this plateau where you're like, okay, I'm doing that. But, you know, maybe there needs to be more. So what, what kind of nudged you or did you realize that you needed to kind of take the next step and look at other food groups that you, you might be consuming that might not have been serving you? Yeah. I mean, again, this is, you know, it, this has been like five years now, basically. And so I don't have dairy now. And I honestly, I went a little bit back and forth with that. You know, I did like cleanse, and I cut out dairy. And then I thought it was very eye opening. I went without dairy then for a little while. And then I thought, Okay, well, I can bring back in some, like, you know, good quality dairy, as long as it's, you know, the good quality cheeses, or, you know, organic cottage cheese. But I, I think I've become so in tune with my body. And that can be, I think there's, there's like a limit to that. Because yeah, you don't want to be so in tune that it's stressing you out more. And you're so hyper focused on, you know, all the things that it's causing stress on your relationships and all that, either. But I just knew something was off. And I ended up removing dairy. And which is going on, like, I think almost a year now again, because I was breaking out.
(46:13 - 46:27) And I mean, I've mentioned this in other episodes. And I think because it was such a big eye opener for me, how much the skin, especially talks to you. Yeah.
(46:28 - 48:19) Um, and so again, the correlation kind of like with the gluten, I was like, Oh, you're not supposed to eat and feel like feel bad. Same thing. Same thing kind of with the dairy. Like I just removed that. And I was like, Wow, like, yeah, I feel better, my skin is much clearer, not breaking out like I was. Because that's the thing too, you can still remove some of those things. And then okay, if you're still not seeing, you know, maybe you can add it back in. And you have to kind of play with things a little bit. But I don't know, I think for me, because I am just so in tune with my body. Now, I, I just kind of knew Gary wasn't serving me. It's really interesting. You mentioned about being in tune with your body. You know, I'm deep in the research and writing of my second book, convenience is killing you. And it's, it's reminding me a lot about my journey to, you know, I'm going on 15 years, yay. But when I was in the the throes of the, you know, the ultra processed convenience foods, the gluten free is the low fats, all that goodness. There was a piece of it, that definitely disconnected me from my body. And knowing what my body needed. And so that is one of the big takeaways for me, when I look back and say, once I started removing these ultra processed foods from my diet, now I can feel my body and understand and hear my body a lot better. So I can tell what's serving me and what's not relatively quickly. Like I can consume something and I'm like, Oh, that's not gonna fly. I mean, there's still I still do testing and things like that, because I'm a science geek.
(48:19 - 49:35) And I want to know more and I want to learn and I want to see the science and all that fun stuff. But I definitely you know, that that revelation came to me actually just yesterday when I was working on a section of my book, and I was like, Oh my gosh, they hijack your you know, your hunger hormones, they hijack your your thyroid hormones, your sex hormones, like all the different hormones, but they also just have you disconnect from understanding what your body actually needs. And when we reconnect with that, it's it's a beautiful thing. And it just, I think just propels and accelerates the healing journey. Sure. Yeah. And then you mentioned skin too, which is another lovely, you know, outward reflection of what's going on inside usually the reflection of in our gut. Yeah, and that was even I mean, I, again, not listening to my body, but as a nurse, I remember going to like a hairdresser. And they would say occasionally, like, Oh, your scalp looks inflamed. And I'm like, talking about. So again, like, that could have been some signs there. And yeah, I mean, internally, we found out, of course, that my gut was an absolute mess.
(49:36 - 50:34) And probably not as bad as it could be. But But yeah, that was definitely playing a big role in all that. And so even, you know, that was 2020, even a couple years in, then it was the skin that really told me again, that something was going on. And that's when I was going through the stuff with my mom. And it wasn't necessarily, you know, abdominal issues, it was my skin that was talking to me. And again, by that time, I was really starting to listen and understand my body more. And so I knew something else was going on. And sure enough, it was. That's, I mean, that's beautiful that you were able to take what your body was telling you, listen this time and actually listen and say, Okay, something needs to change. What's, you know, what's kind of next on my list of modifications on my healing journey. So that's, that's a beautiful phase to go through. Not always fun, but beautiful.
(50:34 - 52:49) And so you did allude to this a little bit with, you know, how you viewed food, obviously, as a convenience, and then kind of as a reward, because we know that food is not just physical, there's a huge emotional component to it as well. What did you learn about identity shifts and emotions tied to giving up some of these certain foods? I mean, yeah, you see, you still learn, even though yes, it was easy for me, there was still some association, you know, with things that, like, for example, my family, my grandma used to make it and my mom made it. And it was like a, it was like a pretzel layer, it was for Christmas, like usually Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it was like a pretzel layer on the bottom with some type of cream cheese layer and then like some strawberries on top, you know, strawberry and strawberry jam like that. And so I do remember, you know, those first couple of holidays thinking, but flipping the script and saying, you know, that's not serving my body, and that's okay. And then coming up with some other alternatives, something else that might be similar to that, that I can start now bringing to my family and to the table. And so yeah, I mean, yes, like, like you kind of said, with the family and everything, my identity changed, because I kind of became the health, the health nut. And I feel like even now, like when I'm with the step kids, for example, they almost think I'm not like, you know, I'm going to like shame them if they eat whatever. And that even happens sometimes with like friends or something, if we're out, you know, no, like, no, that's your choice. Like, this is my journey. I've been, you know, I've been on it. I'll be there to support you if it comes the time when, when you need that support. But I mean, down deep, yeah, like, I feel like this really helped open my eyes.
(52:49 - 1:00:34) And really, I was just, I was living a life of go, go, go convenience, you know, high, like, always putting so much pressure on myself. So I'm still there. I'm still me, but I'm just a healthier version. Now of me like, yes, like, and I understand the balance between that, you know, yes, to perform at a high level, I put a lot of pressure on myself, but, but I understand that there's a priorities, along with that, now that I have to have that balance and still take care of me before I do all that other stuff. No, that's awesome. That's beautiful. I love that. So food is a big passion of mine. And I love to frame food in the context of abundance and empowerment versus restriction. So how, how do you view food as medicine nourishment strength now versus previously? Yeah, and I think that's one big thing that also plays a role with my clients too. Because, yeah, like, I've tried a few diets in the past. But you know, calories, calorie counting, and all that, macro counting, I never got big into that. But, but to me, if you're eating all the right stuff, you shouldn't have to do that. And that's also what I teach my clients, you know, once you kind of get back to the basics, and stop making it so freaking complicated. You shouldn't have to follow a diet, follow some type of plan, count calories. And so yeah, you, you can eat as much of whatever it is, as long as it's serving your body, and helping you, you know, on your journey. And that restrictive mindset just, yeah, has to go. Yeah, absolutely. That's Yeah, that's so, so, so important. So you're spreading that message with your clients as well. So this is something that I see pretty common in the more holistic health space is taking our pain, our struggle, our health diagnosis, and using that to formulate our purpose. So what made you choose health nutrition coaching instead of returning to either, you know, traditional Western medicine, or even maybe opening another gym? Oh, that's a big one. It was just the obvious answer for me. It was just an like a natural evolution. I mean, I feel like, you know, without my nursing background, I wouldn't be where I am. But it also led me to open the gym. And then the gym also got me to where I am, you know, today. And so pair that with my story, of course. Because I do know that you can, you'll be on the diagnosis. Just throw that that little thing out there. But yeah, and healing can look different for everybody. For me, I yeah, I was able to reverse all of my symptoms and have a much better quality of life than I even I mean, I feel like I'm probably the healthiest, you know, that I've probably ever been. So that can look different for everybody, you know, as far as what kind of quality of life you want to bring, you know, where you know what your goals are. But yeah, it was a no brainer for me. I mean, this just this has led me here. And yes, I mean, also, I, I don't work with patients with autoimmune. But I think between again, going back to my nursing journey, you know, the gym, doing some of my own research, you know, women with PCOS, I feel like are, are a little neglected and kind of brushed off and dismissed. And I wouldn't want, I made that choice, you know, coming to you. But I wouldn't want any woman to feel like no matter who they go to, that whatever diagnosis they have, that they would be just, you know, dismissed and continue to feel stuck and limited by that diagnosis. And so no matter what it is, yes, I work with women with PCOS, but there's so much that they have to know, there's so much they can do to help themselves. And that's where, you know, you and I come in to help guide them on that journey, too. Absolutely. And I love what you said about, you know, different people have a different, different story. And 100%, each of us are so unique, and not just in our experiences, our lifestyles, you know, our environments. So even if we have the same, quote, diagnosis, we got there two completely different ways. Yeah, that I think is a big piece of the the healing beyond the diagnosis piece of the puzzle is that when you're just confined to this diagnosis box, that is such a helpless and hopeless place to be. But once you do that investigative work to figure out how did we get here? And let's act that that that is where the healing really, really begins and really can empower somebody, but then it's their body, their choice, right? You can educate and share and show like this, if you do these things, this is the path you're going to go. If you keep doing what you're doing, this is the path you're going to go. You guide which direction you want to go. It's not, you know, not up to me, even though I've been called a food Nazi. Like, I don't really care what you eat. Honestly, it's your body and your choice. I'm guiding you. This is the choice that I would make if I were in your shoes and the choices that I've made because I was in a similar situation. Yeah. And that's, that's the recommendation. And then it's up to you to follow the steps. And you know, I'm not sitting there next to you as you're putting the food on your fork. Yeah. Yeah. Like I said, my journey's I mean, you know, been like five years of, yes, like it started with the gluten stuff, but you know, you go through life, there's some stressful moments. And so you, you have some flare ups. And now like, it's such a priority, priority to me. No, it's not something I stress over. But it's, it's always top of mind what I'm eating and what I'm planning for. I mean, yeah, kind of going back to, you know, you were asking me about, you know, family support and stuff. And like, my husband is always great, because whenever we travel, he knows that I would like to have a kitchen if I can. So you know, whether that means an Airbnb, or, you know, a hotel where we can still kind of make some things or you know, if they have some decent food choices, or like we went to Miami, for example, a few weeks back, and I brought coolers full of stuff, because he was gonna be gone all day. So I had plenty of I like prepared chicken that I could just cut up and eat, you know, cold. And so, yeah, it's, it's, it does not happen overnight. You really have to, you learn, like you said, because of different backgrounds and sensitivities, and, you know, whatever lifestyle you were living before, you have to kind of learn and grow with it. And there's going to be some ups and downs along the way.
(1:00:34 - 1:03:11) Mm hmm. Yeah, that's a journey. It's not a straight line path. It's gonna be uphill, downhill around the corners and all those sorts of things. Having control over what we're consuming, first, obviously, awareness of it, and then having control over it. It's become, you know, second nature for me as well. And it's interesting that you were mentioning, bringing the coolers and finding a place with a kitchen, I, it didn't even dawn on me, but like, we bought an Airstream a couple years ago. And so 90% of the time, if we're traveling in the US, we're traveling with the Airstream. So I always have my kitchen and my refrigerator full of all the things that I know are going to nourish my body. You know, obviously, when we're in certain parts of the country, we can't get certain things. Which is which is very interesting. But you know, we adapt and adjust and I have emergency snacks on hand all the time. But you know, that's, that's a piece of the puzzle is setting yourself up for success. And now, you know, probably for you, too. It's second nature. It's foundational. It's not it's, it's non-negotiable for me. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so now you're doing health coaching. And that is a completely different model of care, which is fantastic from what you were doing before. And so how is the way that you help women now radically different from how you helped your patients and your even your gym clients before? I mean, there's like, there's no comparison. There's a, I'm saying no similar, no similarities, I should say. Yeah, because because it's huge focus on nutrition. And then the kind of the sub piece probably to that is, is a little bit of the psychology behind it, too. And those subconscious, you know, things that we do for years and years. Like for me, like I mentioned, it was just kind of always stopping and grabbing a quick breakfast at, you know, Starbucks or something on the way to work. Or if my husband was gone, I would just plan on going to like Panera and getting a quick salad instead of actually, you know, making stuff. And so so learning how to just break that cycle is a huge, huge piece of that and celebrating all the wins along the way, of course, too, which yeah, like I remember at one point, you know, I wish I had a coach like myself.
(1:03:13 - 1:04:37) Because I remember at one point, I mean, I definitely had you but it like, at one point, I was like, What can I eat? You know, I would just get like, so frustrated. Because like, everything just makes me feel awful. But that wasn't the case. But like, you know, just kind of celebrating, celebrating all the wins. But yeah, it's, to me, it's shifted to the nutrition is is the biggest piece of the puzzle. To me, that's more physical health, where the the movement piece, I don't even really say like exercise anymore. To me, it's moving your body. That's more for the mental health. And that was always for me. Like I always said, like I run because I'm crazy, because my therapist is too much. But it was true, because that was always like, yeah, that was always my, you know, mental therapy. And so helping my clients see what I saw in the fact that food is medicine. And it's going to help you. But then, for me, because it was so easy, and like I said, I do realize it's not easy. You can't just tell somebody to eat better or to eat X, Y, and Z without really kind of deep diving into why they're so attached to those foods that they were eating before.
(1:04:38 - 1:05:51) The emotional component of that for sure. And it's interesting that you mentioned the, you know, touching back on your former life when convenience was key and then switching to gym. It's just interesting, because those are a couple of the areas that I'm looking into for my book, not just the convenience of processed foods, but the convenience in our lifestyles that have engineered movement out of our daily routine. So many different things that we do today, we can just push a button or, you know, our food just shows up at the door, which is great. It's great sometimes. But if we're doing that all the time, then we're not shopping, we're not making those decisions. We're not moving our body. Like there's, there's so many steps of our day to day life that we are no longer moving or doing. And you know, you and I are both sitting right now, we're recording a podcast, and we've been sitting for over an hour. And it's like, we both know that we shouldn't be sitting. But, you know, there's just so many things now that are so common, that we don't no longer do that we were doing even just like five, 10 years ago. So that's just like a couple other pieces of kind of like the health puzzle tied in with the convenience piece.
(1:05:52 - 1:07:59) One of the biggest things that sticks out to me that I can't remember, for some reason, I'm picturing it. But I feel like it was from a book. And it was they were commenting on how fitness people go to, especially I think, like, you know, LA, for example, to, you know, they have two stories, a lot of the times, right? For fitness classes up top, you know, all the regular equipment down the bottom, whatever. But it showed that people were at this fitness facility, taking the escalator to get up to the top level. I know. So, you know, like, like, that's like, I mean, that's a perfect example right there of the convenience, you know, side of things, like you said, and yeah, like, that's still an opportunity to move your body like walking up the stairs to get to that class. So but unfortunately, in the world that we live in, there are escalators at fitness facilities for something like that. So yeah. I also wanted to touch on to one piece that you shared on your journey when you said it was challenging, and you kind of wish you had a coach to kind of help you through because you got you get to a point where a lot of us get on this journey where we get so frustrated. We're like, I don't know what the heck to eat. Like, I can't have this. I can't have that. This has this. And then you just get almost like, decision fatigue. And then you go to the store. And it's like, the label says this, but I don't think I should be having that. And you almost cut your, you know, your intake down to just about nothing. And so that actually was one of the many driving pieces behind writing a second book is that all of the recipes in my second book, over 200 right now, are naturally gluten free, dairy free and egg free. Because those three categories are typically the highest food reactivity that I see with my patients. And then also on the same, you know, on the flip side, the hardest recipes to find that are actually have all three of those. So that's why I'm compiling and I have 25 people out there testing them right now.
(1:08:01 - 1:09:17) Hopefully they're good. When I like them, but I guess the trouble is like, I've been doing this for 15 years. So I can eat a lot of stuff that, you know, I wouldn't have eaten 15 years ago. And so I want to make sure that they're, you know, some of them are going to be a little more advanced, but some of them are going to be entry level to be able to help people wherever they are in that journey to help to help guide them on those steps. Yeah. Yeah, I know. Like one of the biggest things for me is like, like cheese, for example, we put cheese on like everything, but a lot of times you don't need cheese on there to, to make it taste better, really. How they make cheese. Like, like, I used to absolutely I love cheese, cheese was, cheese was harder for me to give up the gluten, personally, because I love cheese so much. But 2025 is my dairy free year, officially, like I've dabbled in it previously, and never. But this has been my dairy free year. And do I miss it? Occasionally I do, you know, but for the most part, I don't because I feel so much better. Yeah. I mean, I'd rather feel like this or, you know, eat the cheese. So I'm like, I'm good right now.
(1:09:17 - 1:09:26) Yeah. And even like in, you know, my transition period, like I, I tried the gluten free breads. I tried a lot of different, you know, gluten free pastas.
(1:09:26 - 1:10:14) I found like one now that actually I like, or I just do like spaghetti squash, you know, instead, like having like a gluten free pasta is more like a treat then, you know. But I don't even have the breads anymore. Because when you can, when you look at the, the label, the ingredients on those, you're like, but but yes, they were gluten free lie. Yeah, a lot. And a lot of it is still cross contaminated. You know, more, more ultra processed than its counterpart. All the blood sugar spikes and plummets and all that other stuff we're trying to avoid. It's, you know, incurring all of that. Plus, I know for myself, I would eat more of it because it's healthy, right? So I can have more.
(1:10:14 - 1:10:31) Exactly. So yeah, I mean, that was like part of my journey where I, you know, felt like I had to try some of that stuff. But in the end, once you really kind of start getting into it, and becoming stronger on the journey, you're like, those aren't serving me.
(1:10:32 - 1:12:21) Exactly. So this is something I wanted to kind of circle back on it, too, that you alluded on, or alluded to earlier, is that women very often, you know, whether it's PCOS, or autoimmune, or they're, you know, just burnt out, they feel unseen, particularly in the Western medical system. What do you wish they knew about true healing? Just I mean, that it's possible. It really is like, to me, to me, you can heal anything. And like I kind of said already, yeah, healing might look different, you know, for different people. And that kind of depends on to how far advanced in the disease or illness, you know, it is, but you can feel better. Just there's hope. And you don't have to listen, just because one doctor tells you, you know, this is the be all end all, do the research, advocate for yourself, you know, reach out to someone, you know, like, like one of us. You really have to be your own advocate, I think is what it, you know, is what it comes down to. Once you once you accept and you know that there, you can heal beyond a diagnosis. Yeah, you then have to kind of take that next step. And if that doctor, you know, or practitioner is not willing to work with you on that, then it's okay to move on and find somebody else that will be open minded to what you to what you really want to achieve.
(1:12:22 - 1:18:45) Yep, absolutely. Absolutely. And so, you know, as, as you're sharing today, and I've shared previously many times too, but our stories are medicine too, because our stories are relatable. They're overcoming, unfortunately, common situations, health situations that people find themselves in. What parts of your story do you feel that your clients most often relate to? And why do you think that is? Um, I mean, I think the just coming to terms with the nutrition thing, I think is the biggest, biggest piece of that. Because I do I get a lot of women that reach out that have tried everything tried way more. You know, I never really had an issue with my weight, necessarily. Do I look back at pictures and see how puffy my face was? Yeah. But I never really had, like, you know, had a weight issue. But, um, but when they feel like they've tried everything, and they just feel stuck, and like, there's nothing else to turn to, I think, like with me, that was when I was like, that's the missing piece. That's what I've been ignoring the entire time is that food is medicine and food can help you heal. And food does play an even bigger role, you know, than we realize. And yeah, I mean, and that's a big, big eye opener. And then, you know, I help my clients along the way, because doesn't happen overnight again. So so they have to, they have to do some inner work. Also, like I guide them through some inner work before we even jump into talking more about, about food, and healing using food, you know, on their journey. Yeah, yeah. And the food piece, too, you know, obviously, looking at abundance, and what are we nourishing with, but also what are we releasing that's no longer serving us. So I think it's a balance of the two coming together, which is, you know, beautiful harmony when they, when you find that balance in your body's like, Oh, and that's why I mean, I even we add in stuff before we even start subtracting stuff. And I want them to feel all the things along the way. Because I know, the ultra process stuff has stopped them from feeling they can Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Important stuff. Yeah. So so much of what we've talked about, and, you know, just creating a life that feels aligned. And then how would you describe the lifestyle that you've created now? And how does it differ from your past? I think you've alluded to it in a couple of pieces, but just kind of looking, you know, big, big picture. Yeah. I'm making, making my health and me a priority and not feeling bad about it, I think, is like, probably one of the biggest things. Yes, I alluded to the, the convenience, you know, piece that was probably like one of the biggest things, but, but even taking that a step further, I was just always wanting to take care of everybody else, you know, on my nursing role and, and everything. And then know at the gym, I just wanted everything to be perfect all the time and put on a smiling, happy face. But now, I realize it's okay. It's okay to put me first and have that balance. And even like my husband knows, he knows I like my alone time. And, you know, yeah, that's, that's especially like, again, especially for women, you have to realize you need that you can't, you can't continue to help everybody else when your health is failing. And when you, you know, when you're not fulfilled. It's that old, you know, that old, old age saying, you know, you can't fill up somebody else's cup unless you fill up yours first. So you can't pour from an empty vessel. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, it's okay. It's okay to make yourself a priority. And I prioritize my health. And, you know, I plan my I've always probably kind of been like that. But I do I plan my day, like, okay, what am I eating? When am I doing my workout, you know, all of that stuff. And, and then having that support system to go on with that is really great. Let's dive into that a little bit deeper. Because as we've discussed as well, healing is an ongoing, ever evolving journey. That's not like a destination. What daily practices, mindsets or habits keep you grounded and connected and on your path on purpose? Oh, I think, like I just said, is planning is probably one of the biggest things is just making sure I have, you know, the food there, and or preps. Like I'll make some juices at home. And you know, if I have to prep them the night before, so I have them first thing in the morning, you know, I do that. I do some breathing exercises that I never would have done before. I wouldn't say meditation, I haven't gotten, I've been off and on with meditation before. But I do implement the the breathing exercises that I talked to my own clients about as well. Sleep, prioritizing sleep, I think is another, another big one. I probably do drive my husband crazy with that one. I know. I'm like, I need my sleep. Like, I'm sleepless now. I know. I'm like, you don't want to be around me if I don't get my sleep.
(1:18:45 - 1:19:11) Yeah, yeah, it's true. And then even just all the things to like, make sure it's optimal, like the temperature down. All you know, I don't want any form of light in my eyes, like anything. So but yeah, so so that's also probably been before I was probably the person that said I could like I was like, I'll be fine. I'm like five, six hours of sleep. No, no.
(1:19:13 - 1:19:17) I like my seven, eight hours of sleep. That's surviving. That's not thriving.
(1:19:17 - 1:19:20) Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
(1:19:22 - 1:22:15) Beautiful. So I practice holistic functional medicine. And so I love that it encompasses the whole person, not just the lab test or the symptoms. How have you rewritten healthy from coming from that Western medicine perspective? You know, this is mentally, emotionally, spiritually, as well as physically. That's a good one. I mean, I think that's, you know, that's why that's why I do what I do. And even as I got out of nursing, I had taken number some type of class. It was for some CEOs, but, but it was like more, you know, holistic focused. And I think that was also kind of one thing that kind of started opening my eyes, but it made me see, you know, that, yeah, I mean, all these, these stressors, you know, what is a financial stressor, a personal stressor, it all plays a role in our healing. And yeah, and I've been through that, you know, I've been through some major, you know, life things, you know, a divorce, and a big move, and, you know, job changes, and career changes, you know, all of that stuff. And so you do you have to, every piece really does have to, you know, be aligned there. Because I mean, as I that was probably one of the first things I learned with you was about inflammation. And that can come not just, you know, in the form of, of a physical, you know, trigger that can come in a lot of different forms. And so all those things can play a role. And you do you have to address all of that stuff. I mean, I definitely address the physical side and the emotional and mental side, probably, you know, throughout my program as well. But, but I also understand and I get to know my clients. And if if there is seems to be more, you know, to the story, and something that I can't, you know, I can't help them with, then I do recommend other, you know, seeing other people, other professionals that might be able to help them in that area. But, but yeah, it's definitely, again, I think my journey is just between the evolution of everything, like I do, I see the big picture now, like all of that. That's beautiful. I love that. And I see that too, that, you know, each of us are gonna, you know, we've gone through stuff. All of us have gone through stuff, but each of us has gone through different stuff. And it's affected us differently.
(1:22:17 - 1:22:48) And, you know, we need to work through that in whatever capacity it looks like for you to process it. Because as you mentioned before, it, you know, you need your alone time. That's something that a lot of people don't, don't give themselves. Like, just to give a quick example of that. My husband, we were watching a movie last night, because I am working on braiding my hair. And I have to do something like I have to watch something doing my hands are occupied.
(1:22:48 - 1:24:06) And I can't I can't just stare off into the distance. They're watching Netflix. And then it did that, you know, the death spiral thing, it was just spinning and spinning, spinning. Well, I'm the techie one. So I my hands were busy, I couldn't fix it. The second it started spinning, he picked up his phone, and sort of doomsday scrolling. I was like, yes, sit for fun for five seconds without doing something. Yeah. So just as a society, we're so used to being, you know, distracted and pulled away. And just like, we can't sit with our own thoughts. And that's, that's not healthy. I don't like all the stuff that we've gone through in the last five years, even the stuff we've gone through in the last week, like it is a time to, you know, be processing things like we need to be sitting with our thoughts and working through them. And, and, you know, maybe spending time and having the deeper discussions with whether it's a loved one or professional or somebody just in work through what we're feeling, because it's okay to feel all the fields. It's not okay to shove them down and ignore them, and then let them explode. And it's going to explode either with an emotional outburst or a health issue or you know, what have you, it's going to come out in some way or another.
(1:24:06 - 1:26:11) Some form. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, I even like, and this was huge for me, too. This is something if I wouldn't have done before, but with all the stuff that's happened recently, I have taken a social media detox, you know, and I'm not on social media at all. And it feels good. I did have to catch myself a few times, like just because if I'm on my phone, like it's just habit, like I scroll over to it, and then I'm like, I'm about to click it just to like, start, you know, like you said, scrolling. Yeah. And like, I even debated, I was like, should I delete the apps off my phone for the weekend. But in some ways, I wanted to challenge myself a little bit, you know, to, to actually say, like, to catch myself and realize, you know, what I'm doing. And so I did, I had to catch myself a few times. But it's been great. And so sometimes, yeah, maybe it's that, you know, it's just taking a break from it. I have done like, this was, like, probably early on when I started health coaching, but I've done a challenge with, with some clients that I was working with. And that was one of them. And it was a struggle for some people to just stay off of that stuff for a day. You know, yeah, it really is. It really is. We often will go when we're RVing, way away from people, we don't even have cell signal. And it's fantastic. I'm like, I can't be online. And I can't reply to text messages. Sorry. For the next, you know, 2448 hours, whatever it is, but that, that is, it's powerful. So yeah, I recommend doing, you know, having challenging people to do that for themselves. I'm not saying like, be completely out of touch and not communicate with your family. Yeah, yeah. Like, you know, the social medias and social media for me, I was like, it needs to go for it. And, you know, because my business, it's not like I can just give it up altogether. But I was like, perfect weekend to just stay off of it.
(1:26:13 - 1:28:15) I'm off of it this weekend, for other reasons, just because I don't have time. Lindsie, I have one final question for you. So looking back is always very, very powerful. If you could sit with an earlier version of yourself, maybe at the start of this journey, what would you tell her? Oh, at the start of my own health journey, or the start of nursing? Because you've had different journeys. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I definitely I, I wouldn't, I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't, you know, because we don't have that manual. And so whether I made the right or wrong choice in the moment, who knows? These pieces make you who you are today. Helped with, you know, you needed to learn that lesson, to be able to help you with something down the line. So but I think when I started, you know, this health journey, it's, and that's a, this is a big thing that I talk to my clients. And why I do things the way I do with my clients, is that I'm not into, you know, the band aids, literally or figuratively, however you want to, no band aids, no quick fixes. Because on my health journey, it's taken time. And I think I knew it was going to take time, you know, when I started, started everything, started working with you and all that, but, but even to get to this point, you're still always learning and growing and learning some more. So, so yeah, just being patient with it, you know, embracing the process, celebrating all the good stuff along the way. And realizing that it's all happening for a reason. You know, it's getting you to where you need to go. Yeah, that's powerful. I love that.
(1:28:17 - 1:30:12) I loved hearing, you know, the bits and pieces of your story. And I obviously was involved integrally in some, in some areas along the way, but it's definitely interesting to hear it, you know, all laid out in the different stages. And, you know, that is something that, that I, that I do with my patients on the initial visit, at least go through a timeline of events and kind of get an understanding of them as a, as a human and their life experiences and their health experience and those sorts of things, because all of it plays a role in, in the foundation of you and your story and your health and this part of your, of your health journey. Are there any final things that you want to share in areas that you wanted to kind of touch on that we didn't discuss? I don't think so. I don't think so. I will just promote our events that's coming up. So yeah, depending on when you're when you're catching this, but it does start October 9 is the first night. And as I've said a few times running into that throughout this episode, it is called Unwritten Healing Beyond the Diagnosis. It is a virtual event, it is free to register, you're going to be hearing from speakers like us that have lived, lived it, lived the journey, and are now teaching others how to do the same. So I will be speaking on the last night, which is October 23. And then Dr. Anya will be on October 16. So even if you can't make all the sessions, there will be recordings. If you can't make the first one, but you can make the other two, that's fine to go ahead and register. And I'll make sure to put the link with all the details in the notes for you. So super excited for that.
(1:30:14 - 1:30:23) Yes. Podcast show back to us. Thank you for having myself on today.
(1:30:24 - 1:30:46) Thank you for being here. Yeah, this was this was great. Because I think it just hearing my story, I think a lot of a lot of women can relate to it. You were a big part of that. So this was a perfect, a perfect way to do it. But yes, I will be back as host next time.
(1:30:49 - 1:32:03) What a ride, right? If you're still here, thank you. Thank you for holding space for this story for being curious and for believing that healing is possible. Even if your path looks nothing like you expected. My journey from burnout and autoimmune chaos to where I am today wasn't a straight line. And honestly, I'm still learning, still growing, still rewriting. And that's exactly what unwritten is all about. This October, I'm bringing together an incredible lineup of speakers, including today's guest host, Dr. Anya Szigeti, for unwritten healing beyond the diagnosis, a free virtual event designed to help you take back your health story one chapter at a time. Whether you're newly diagnosed, or just sick of being dismissed, unwritten will give you the tools, the validation and the hope you've been missing. You don't have to settle for managing your symptoms. You were made to thrive. And this event will show you how. Head to the link in the show notes to grab your free ticket. And if you're ready for deeper support, check out the gold pass upgrade for lifetime access, bonus resources, and the exclusive Healing Map workbook. Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered, and remember, your story is not over. It's just getting started.