*This post was last updated February 2022
My husband and I welcomed the year of 2020 in Las Vegas, but it wasn’t our typical Vegas trip, filled with late nights, decadent food, and bar hopping. This year was different.
We got dressed up, went out to bougie restaurants, and celebrated all we had to be thankful for over a few cocktails and carefully selected entrees.
Why the change? To share the full picture, I need to explain what the year of 2019 was like for me.
Crohn’s flare or something else?
In July 2019, after taking a trip to San Diego to celebrate my birthday, I became incredibly ill overnight. It had been years since I last experienced a Crohn’s flare up, and although my symptoms felt very similar, my intuition told me this was different.
I didn’t know where to turn for help, and I was tired of feeling unsupported and dismissed by conventional doctors. That’s when I found a Functional MD. Finally a breath of fresh air. She listened, she cared that I was suffering, and she wanted to find answers.
Through our work together, we discovered gut dysbiosis and leaky gut were contributing to my symptoms. She helped me incorporate diet and lifestyle changes and recommended a number of supplements.
At the beginning of 2020, I finally felt like my body was coming back into balance. Or, so I thought.
The darkest time of my life
And then came March, when a global pandemic swept the nation, changing the lives of so many. I began working from home and became consumed with the pandemic due to my career in public relations. It was all I spoke about, wrote about, and thought about. In turn, I felt immense pressure and anxiety during this time, and was in a constant state of fight or flight each day.
In early June, you can imagine my devastation when I began feeling similar to how I did in the summer of 2019. I could barely eat anything without feeling extremely sick with stomach pain, diarrhea, bloating, and nausea. I had gotten to a point where I could only tolerate four foods…yes, FOUR. My body ached and twitched all over. I was exhausted both physically and mentally, and just so tired of feeling sick and tired. I remember feeling so frustrated, so scared, and so angry. I asked myself over and over, “why is this happening again?”
So, I went back to my FMD. We did test after test, and each time we received the results, they seemed to lead to nowhere.
I fell deeper and deeper into a place of anxiety and hopelessness. I was tired. I felt broken. And to be completely honest, I just didn’t want to do this thing called life anymore. It’s difficult to type that out and read it back, and realize that was my truth. Out of everything I have been through in my healing journey, this was by far the darkest time of my life. Even more so than the Crohn’s diagnosis.
The one thing that kept me going during this time was an intuition deep within me. Somehow I knew there were answers, and I was so desperate to uncover them. I began asking myself, “what is my body trying to tell me?”
Finally, a place to start
After numerous tests and blood draws, I finally found some answers in July 2020 – SIBO. Also known as, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. I started a treatment protocol with my FMD. The herx (detox) reaction was rough. But, after about 6 weeks, I finally started feeling more like myself.
However, I still did not feel 100% or “normal.” I wanted to find out why. I wanted to find answers for why I just couldn’t seem to get well and stay well. I began to pour myself deeply into research. I read, listened, and absorbed as much information as I could find on healing – blog posts, podcasts, articles, webinars.
Putting passion to purpose
Through all of this research, I realized that I have been given band aid solutions for far too long, and in order to find true healing, I needed to uncover the root cause.
It was like a lightbulb finally went off in my mind…
That’s why I wasn’t fully getting well or staying well…
Because I was not addressing the root cause of WHY these symptoms were happening in the first place.
It was also during this time that I discovered a relentless passion within me. Not only did I want to heal myself, but I wanted to help others like me who were lost on their journey to wellness. It breaks my heart knowing there are so many people like me who have been given band aid solution after band aid solution for far too long. I wanted to change that.
In early August, I enrolled in the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner program with the Nutritional Therapy Association. I graduated from the program in July 2021 and to this day, it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.
A different approach to healing
While I trusted my FMD and was grateful for the healing I found in working with her, I knew I needed more support. I needed someone who would dig even deeper for answers. I needed a different approach.
In August 2020, I had my first appointment with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.
What led me to this NTP? Not only was she an NTP (the certification I was in school to become myself), but she also had incredible knowledge and skill for analyzing blood work from a functional lens, and utilized energy frequency testing in her practice.
While I was intrigued by her technique for healing, I honestly didn’t know if it would be the right fit for me. If you know me personally, you know that I over analyze and overthink just about everything. Making the decision to surrender to her process was a challenge, but I am so thankful I did.
After my first appointment with her, I was overwhelmed with emotion. The experience I had was something I really can’t explain or put into words.
I felt heard.
I felt understood.
I felt validated.
I felt hope.
I felt as though all of these pieces of the puzzle were coming together.
While at the same time, I was intimidated by what came up in my session after her thorough analysis:
- Lyme coinfection
- Parasites
- Mold
- EMFs
- Cellular dehydration
- Heavy metal toxicity
- Leaky gut
- Cortisol imbalance
- Oxidative stress
- Overall inflammation and gut mucosal inflammation
- SIBO and dysbiosis
- Low progesterone
- Polycystic ovaries
- A plethora of nutrient deficiencies
- Hypoglycemia
- Stress in my liver, kidneys, gallbladder, and thyroid
Although I was scared of the road ahead, I knew deep down this was the next step I needed to take on my journey to healing, and I dove all in.
Putting the pieces together
In September, I realized that many of my symptoms were triggered around the time I started working from home (March), and mold did come up as an energy I attracted to in my session with the NTP. So, I decided to submit a mycotoxin test with The Great Plains Laboratory to find out if I had any mold/mycotoxin toxicity levels in my body.
I also started phase one of my new root cause protocol. I learned the importance of supporting foundations for health and opening drainage pathways. During this time I took several supplements to help my body prep for detoxification and addressing the root cause. This step is so important as you do not want to begin any pathogen-targeting protocol without first opening drainage pathways!
I also learned about the incredible healing powers of reishi mushrooms. I wanted to try the King Coffee I had heard my NTP speak so highly of, but she insisted my body was not ready for it and that my toxicity bucket was too full to try it out. The reishi combined with the coffee can be a powerful form of detoxification. Instead, I flooded my body with the most bioavailable form of reishi by supplementing with Organo Spore Powder Capsules. I took 5 capsules per day to boost immunity, heal leaky gut, and help my body detox.
Every single morning I journaled what I was grateful for and wrote affirmations like “my body is capable of healing” and “I am on the right path.” I made sure I was moving lymph around daily with walking and jumping jacks (the only exercise I had the stamina for), along with daily dry brushing, gua sha, and facial cupping. I ate nourishing, whole foods and drank a ton of water. I prioritized sleep, I made time for myself, and most importantly, after years of being on the go, I finally learned how to slow down.
A big piece of the puzzle
In October, I received my mycotoxin test results back and was terrified to confirm that I was positive for Ochratoxin A, a nephrotoxic, immunotoxic, and carcinogenic mycotoxin. My levels were at 4 times the normal range. Our home, the one place I felt safe during this pandemic, instantly became my greatest source of fear.
We moved out of our moldy apartment and into a brand new (just built) apartment. I also had my second session with my NTP. We continued our work on supporting drainage, added in light supplementation for lyme coinfections, and started tackling parasites.
Remember when I talked about the herx I experienced during my SIBO protocol? My goodness, this was much more intense! I stuck to my daily journaling routine, and told myself and believed that I would make it through this.
After nearly 10 years of avoiding coffee due to being diagnosed with Crohn’s (it was too acidic for my gut) and extreme sensitivity to caffeine (I could only tolerate ¼ tsp matcha), I incorporated Organo Black Coffee into my routine. Not only does it include a therapeutic dose of Ganoderma (Reishi) Lucidum, which modulates the caffeine response and removes the acidity, but it is also incredibly healing for leaky gut and SIBO. Let me tell you…this coffee loving girl was extremely happy to find a coffee I could tolerate that also provided me so much healing!
Learn more about the Organo Reishi coffee and capsules here.
A weight is lifted
After a few weeks of drinking Organo Black Coffee every day, and another session with my NTP, my body was ready to incorporate King Coffee. We dove deeper into parasites, heavy metals and removing toxins. We also began working on supporting emotions and healing from past traumas, which can be a major roadblock to healing.
As the fall continued, I started to feel a heaviness lifting off of me.
I continued to journal every single day. I soaked up as much information about detox and drainage, parasites, mold toxicity, and reishi mushrooms as I could. I spent hours of my time studying with the NTA and learning how to heal the body through nutrition and therapeutic supplementation. I started opening up more and sharing my personal story on my Instagram and blog.
Turning Pain Into Purpose
I formed real connections with people I “met” on social media, and the drive within me to help others continued to grow stronger and stronger. I started sharing the healing powers of reishi with as many people as I could so that they too could experience the healing that I was feeling. My brain fog and anxiety began to diminish, as I felt my inspiration and creativity (my livelihood) return, and started dreaming BIG dreams.
In July 2021, I graduated from the NTP program, as well as certification programs that provided me the knowledge to analyze both functional blood chemistry and bioresonance scans.
I could not wait to begin working with clients so they would not have to struggle the same way I had! Since then, I have walked alongside nearly 100 women on their healing journeys, through my 1:1 Program and Group Program. In 2022, I grew my team to include an Associate Practitioner and Emotional Wellness Practitioner. Together, we have made it our mission to help women (just like you) uncover the root cause of their symptoms so they can take back their power and heal!
Changing the narrative
I always say – change the narrative, change your life. I could have let my negative thoughts and reality consume me. I could look back on 2020 and think of those dark times as negative things that happened to me. Instead, I choose to think of them as positive things that happened for me.
If it weren’t for those moments. I would not be where I am today – I may not even be here at all. I would not be feeling the best I have in years. I would not be pursuing my passion to help others. I would not have all of the new friendships I have built or the sisterhood of reishi-loving women I feel blessed to be a part of. I would not have helped so many women restore their balance within. I would have so many incredible dreams for the future.
My healing journey isn’t over. There is so much more to discover and work through. But, for the first time in a long time, I feel at peace with the path I am on, and a deep sense of purpose.
The lessons I’ve learned through all of this are to keep going. Keep fighting. Keep searching for answers. And don’t give up. I promise you, there is an answer – you just need to be willing to find it.
