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E. 24 From Burnout to Balance: Reclaiming Energy, Hormone Harmony & Joy with Colleen Kurtz
21 Plays1 month ago
Welcome back, friends!
If you’ve been running on caffeine and sheer willpower just to make it through the day—this one’s for you.
In this episode, I sit down with Colleen Kurtz, a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and founder of Mindfully Nourished. Colleen specializes in helping burned-out moms in their 30s and 40s reclaim their energy, calm anxiety, and feel like themselves again—without guesswork, crash diets, or band-aid fixes.
We talk about:
- The real signs of burnout (and how to know you’re not just “tired”)
- Hidden “energy leaks” most women don’t even know they have
- The connection between hormones, stress, and survival mode
- Why reclaiming your energy doesn’t mean doing more—it means doing what matters
- Encouraging truths for the woman who feels too far gone
Colleen’s practical wisdom and compassionate heart will leave you feeling seen, understood, and—most importantly—hopeful.
Links:
✨ Energy Leak Audit – $97 Personalized Session Get to the root of your fatigue in just one session. This personalized 1:1 audit helps you identify what’s draining your energy and gives you a clear, step-by-step game plan to start feeling better fast—without adding more to your plate.
📘 Free Guide: Reclaim Your Energy Feeling burnt out and running on fumes? Grab my free guide to uncover the top reasons women feel exhausted—and what to start doing today to restore your energy, balance your hormones, and finally feel like yourself again.
Follow Colleen on Instagram: @mindfully.nourished
colleen.nutritionaltherapy@gmail.com
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Oh There You Are'
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey friend, I'm so glad you're here. Welcome to oh There You Are. This is the podcast for anyone who's ready to step out of the shadows of self-doubt and into the life they've always dreamed of.
00:00:13
Speaker
I'm your host, Danielle, a wife, mom, and registered nurse who spent way too long believing my voice didn't matter. But guess what? It does, and does yours.
00:00:25
Speaker
If you've been holding back, waiting for the perfect moment, or telling yourself you're not enough, this is your reminder you are more than enough. You've always been enough.
00:00:36
Speaker
Everything you need is already inside you. In this space, we're going to push past fear, stop hitting snooze on life, and start going after what we really want. Each week, I'll bring you solo episodes and interviews with people who had the courage to go first so that you can go next.
00:00:55
Speaker
So grab your favorite drink, settle in, and let's go. And hey, don't forget to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode because we're just getting started. And remember, you're not late, you're right on time.
00:01:09
Speaker
And I can't wait to see where this journey takes us.
00:01:15
Speaker
Hey friend, welcome back to all There You Are.
Meet Colleen: Addressing Burnout in Moms
00:01:18
Speaker
Today's episode is for every woman out there who's ever felt like she's running on empty, stuck in survival mode, or wondering, will I ever feel like myself again?
00:01:28
Speaker
I'm so excited to welcome Colleen, a functional nutritional therapy practitioner. She's a licensed clinical social worker and the powerhouse behind Mindfully Nourished.
00:01:39
Speaker
Colleen has made it her mission to help burnout moms in their 30s and 40s reclaim their energy, calm their anxiety, and finally thrive again without crash diets or complicated routines.
00:01:51
Speaker
She blends science-backed lab testing and heart-centered coaching to get you to the root of what's really going on so you can stop guessing and start healing. Whether it's hormonal chaos, stubborn fatigue, or the constant stress cycle, Colleen brings clarity, compassion, and real solutions to the table.
00:02:11
Speaker
I can't wait for you to hear her story, her wisdom, and her encouragement for everyone who is ready to trade burnout, for balance. So let's dive in. Welcome, Colleen. Thank you. i'm excited to be here. Yes, we're so happy to have you. This is something, you know, I know even from my own personal self, I'm going through ah the journey right now. So I just love real relatable things that we can kind of learn and grow from each other. So with that, can you share a little bit about your personal journey and what led you to do the work, you know, that you do today with Mindfully
Colleen's Personal Health Journey
00:02:45
Speaker
Nourished?
00:02:45
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. It's a layered question and i I love it because it reminds me every single time I answer this question of it brings me right back to that time.
00:02:56
Speaker
um I was actually in my twenties and could barely make it through the day. um I had a myriad of diagnoses that I was already dealing with from probably about the age of 14, maybe even earlier up, um taking medications for this and medications for the side of effects and this and that and the other. And I just could barely function. I was sleeping probably 12 to 15 hours a day, um exhausted at work, coming home, crashing on the couch, um getting up, having dinner, going back to bed. it it was no life whatsoever. I had migraines and eczema and joint pain. I was told, I think I was maybe early 20s at the time. i don't even know if I was 20. And I was told I was going to have have knee replacement by the time I was 30.
00:03:44
Speaker
And I had a ah specialist after specialist telling me, oh maybe it's MS. Maybe it's a brain tumor. Oh, actually, we think you have cancer.
00:03:55
Speaker
And it turned out my gut was a complete disaster. And it took every specialist to tell me your everything is normal. Things are fine. um, to look a different way, to seek a different approach. And it wasn't until I changed my diet very begrudgingly, say I was not happy about it.
00:04:18
Speaker
And, um, it was one of those, like, I'll just try it for two weeks and see how I feel. And it was this fog that was lifting within those two weeks. And I didn't feel a hundred percent, but within those two weeks I was able to, to come off some of my medications.
00:04:34
Speaker
Um, I was on antibiotics probably every four weeks for chronic sinus infections and different things like that. I was able to finally stop taking those. And it was like I could function again. I could sit with my husband and to have a conversation after work instead of crashing. I could make it through the day without being a really crabby individual.
00:04:55
Speaker
ah it was just amazing to feel that light at the end of the tunnel finally. And I actually went back to school for nutrition. I was working as a clinical social worker at the time. And I went back to school for nutrition because this was just so life-changing to me. I wanted other people to have this knowledge, this support that I didn't have. And I just kept getting these scary, maybe it's this um question marks that ended up thankfully not to be.
00:05:24
Speaker
um that really just changed my whole career path, essentially. That's just, that's so crazy. you know, so many people just giving you such scary things. And I say this not lightheartedly, but it was something so simple um to understanding how connected our gut and our brain truly are, you know, in life and trying to find that balance, um you know, and how they actually work and do communicate to one another and that you needed so many people you know, to kind of put their brains together and they still were so stumped.
00:05:54
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, i I, had cut my, the first diet change I made was cutting gluten out of my diet. And at the time I didn't realize how impactful that was or really, i didn't even know what gluten was or understand it or anything like that.
00:06:08
Speaker
And it turns out I had celiac and I went to my doctor who I saw very frequently and said, I've, changed I've made this diet change and actually have stopped taking several my medications. And she goes, oh, yeah, I think you have celiac. I think that's about right. and I'm like, where was this information four years ago? yeah um So it nobody asked me about my diet. That was one of the things that was really interesting to me is they asked if i was depresseded depressed, if I was anxious.
00:06:36
Speaker
A lot of other questions. I mean, I saw every specialist, but no one asked me about my diet, which was doing what I do now. Looking back, I just think, wow, if If they had just asked, maybe that would have been the key to everything. Yeah. I mean, but, you know, being a nurse, I know we talked about it some in school and stuff, but it really is not a home, you know, down in something that people really do talk about. And I do have a lot of friends who then do rely on, um you know, reaching out and finding functional medicine people.
00:07:10
Speaker
um to help get the answers for things that they're looking for. um I mean, I, I don't know, I know, I'm not saying you might have the answer, but it's like basic be like, why, why doesn't just modern medicine understand and know how to step back and look at the broader picture?
00:07:26
Speaker
I think they're shifting a little bit, but I know just the training that even physicians get on nutrition is maybe in hour. You know, they really don't get a lot of training, if any, and also depends on where you go um to to get that information. I've had fantastic conversations with conventional providers and they just say, like, we don't know any of this. We don't know the same things because they were just not taught. So it's not a fault of.
00:07:54
Speaker
the physician or fault of the provider. It's just, they don't have that knowledge. um But that's why I went back to school. Yeah. think That's really good. I mean, because look, we look at all the women that were before. And like you said that even if the doctors didn't have the knowledge, how can they, you know, are we as women who aren't at,
00:08:11
Speaker
We're ones that aren't educated, find the information, because they have to trust these people who they're going to, right, and looking for the answers. And, you know, when you do come back saying, well, all your tests are normal, you know, and then you goes down these other spiraling things, but I don't feel normal. So that's where you get to help them work through all of that and find life again on the other side.
00:08:31
Speaker
Absolutely. And that's truly my favorite part of all of this is just hearing repeatedly from so many women that they went to their doctor, they got their labs and were told everything was normal, but they're still struggling to fall asleep at night. They're snapping at their kids during the day.
00:08:47
Speaker
They can't even really be part of the family events because they're so so overwhelmed and burnt out and exhausted with all of the different things and managing their health and everyone else's health and life and different things like that. And at the same time, being told that the thing that's making them feel awful is actually just being dismissed, which is heartbreaking when you really think about it. But yeah.
00:09:14
Speaker
but there are there are other avenues and there are different things that we look at from that functional perspective that really just, it's life-changing and I love it. Yes, yes. and And like I always tell people, I know they can't see, you know, who I'm speaking with, but the smiles that come back. So one of these days I got to get things because I love my guests. You guys are always just so happy and smiling and there's just so much love, genuine love of what you guys are sharing. love it.
00:09:42
Speaker
with that word on like burnout, we hear that, you know, it's a buzzword, we hear, you know, a lot of, um and we're all tired, but how does someone really just know that, you know, they're more than just tired?
Understanding Burnout and Health Assessments
00:09:53
Speaker
Yeah, it's, you know, we think of fight or flight, we hear this term, I feel like all the time and burnout and overwhelm and all of them being used together, but that fight or flight moving into what we call freeze response is really where that burnout kicks in. And so fight or flight is that,
00:10:09
Speaker
i I constantly feel like I have to be doing something. And when we move into freeze, this is where we're starting to really just struggle with making decisions. We're struggling to do the tasks that need to be done. We're really not having passion for anything anymore.
00:10:27
Speaker
everything seems like a struggle. And this is often where I see women getting diagnosed with things like depression and anxiety. But when we really get to what's your day look like, all of these different things, their calendars are packed from the time they wake up till the time they go to bed with zero space for themselves. And on top of that, when we talk about self-care, it's considered it selfish and we feel guilty about it.
00:10:50
Speaker
So there's this I have to take care of everyone else, but also i can't even really process how to do that anymore because I've been doing this for so long that I've moved from fight or flight into this freeze burnout state.
00:11:05
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. So whenever you're going to help, you know, people and you share that you use science and also, you know, from the heart and soul, what does that look like for your clients? Oh, it's different for every single person, but there are some common themes, right? There's some things that everyone gets and really it's diving deep into just what is actually going on, which my intake paperwork is quite lengthy. And one of the things I get almost every single time is no one's ever asked me these questions. No one's ever listened to this experience and I've never shared this or
00:11:39
Speaker
My favorite is I didn't actually think that this was an issue until I wrote it out. And now I can see this is something that's holding me back. So everyone goes through the semen intake process and we look at a really lengthy symptom questionnaire to see just what exactly is happening.
00:11:55
Speaker
Think of how many times you've been to your doctor or to a provider and you walk out and say, oh, shoot, I forgot to tell them. X, Y, Z, right? Yes. yeah And so i have it all written out and you can just check, yep, this happens. Nope, this doesn't happen. And it's it puts it all in this fun little graph that people can see exactly where you know their symptoms are presenting.
00:12:15
Speaker
um And then we just dive deep and have a conversation and um really just get to what are some of the things that we want to work on together? What are the goals? And from there it goes a number of different ways.
00:12:28
Speaker
um You know, for most, I bring in functional lab testing. So we look at things in a different way than their doctor has. And sometimes we combine or add, you know, if they did ah a blood panel, we might add a few markers to get more information or look at a gut test or a hair mineral test or things like that. And that part is really unique to each person is what their needs are. But it's a lot of listening and a lot of really holding space for women who haven't really either allowed them to take the space that's been given to them or create that space or be heard in any capacity and just told this is motherhood.
00:13:06
Speaker
Yeah. And you're just supposed to be exhausted. Yeah, no, I really I really like that because you do you feel so rushed whenever you go to appointments, you know, because they only have 1015 minutes per person. And you're like part of a factory line, you're in, you're out.
00:13:19
Speaker
And sometimes the reasons why we do forget what we need to ask is because we do freeze. And we're just like, ah ah ah because we we just we do freeze because we don't feel like we're being heard, maybe dismissed from the first comment that you make.
00:13:32
Speaker
you know, and, you know, struggling hormones and with weight. I know for myself, it's been such a roller coaster. So if I go back into the doctors and I've gained weight from the last time when I've seen them instantly, my blood pressure goes up. You're trying to like, please don't let this focus. That'd be the only focus. Cause there's something else going on. And sometimes it's just hard to feel comfortable and to actually be heard. So I really am glad to hear or that you do take the time to allow people to speak freely. And that is that space is held there. So that's really great.
00:14:02
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. We, we don't give ourselves enough credit as women. And I, and at the same time, we also need to lift each other up as women too. And I remember when was pregnant with my first, one of the things that I was told was you're going to be tired for the rest of your life. And I just remember being like, Oh, this is the image that we paint.
00:14:23
Speaker
Our future is just, this is it. Your life's over. you're going to be exhausted for the rest of your life. And I just, I want to create that safety and that space where people can come and say, yes, I actually do feel like this, but I, I i don't want to feel like this. And I i want to understand that it's not normal.
00:14:40
Speaker
It's common, but it's not normal. And, um, and that stress burden that we hold as women too, if we have to do everything. It has to be perfect. We're comparing ourselves to other people, you know, really comes into play in this world. And,
00:14:54
Speaker
People think they're getting just nutrition and what to eat, but it's actually a whole transformation. yeah Well, I mean, it's so important because, again, we talked about how the gut and the mind speak. And if the mind can't be open to hear what the gut's trying to speak to it, right, how can you really be able to move forward?
00:15:12
Speaker
So I just had another question along with that. We have, you know, so many of us in our 30s and 40s, and we feel like we're just falling apart and we feel like we're doing all of the right things, know, calculating our you know, our calories and we're getting our steps in and we're drinking enough water, we're a protein, our fiber, because that's so important and we're doing all of that.
00:15:31
Speaker
And then we're just like, well, we're still stuck. This is what's still happening to us. Why does so much of it then come down to our hormones at this time? Yeah. Great question. Oh, I love this one because we do at this age, it's probably one of the most common questions I get is what's going on with my hormones. And yes, they are shifting and changing. Don't get me wrong.
00:15:50
Speaker
But There's also a lead up to these hormones changing one and and a lot of that does come into our stress. our sleep, our movement, our diet, um our hydration. we're often not drinking enough water, especially, you know, in this generation where we didn't have water bottles that we constantly carried around with us as kids. So we're just like still dehydrated from the nineties, right? Yes. yes Yes. And, um but hormones are responders.
00:16:17
Speaker
And so that's the big thing that I try to teach people about is hormones are reacting to something that's going on within our body. And they're not the the culprit, essentially. they're the They're not the why. They're the symptom, if you will. And so when we're seeing a lot of this dysfunction, you're getting your cycle and it's just a wreck. You're super moody. like And I'll have people say like two months out of or two weeks out of the month, I'm just not a functioning human. And it shouldn't be that way. And
00:16:52
Speaker
we want to feel like, Oh, my cycle starting great. This is just another day essentially. And, um, and, and we normalize it being the opposite. We normalize our hormones moving into menopause being these crazy things that we have no control over, but we do. And that's the biggest thing that I want.
00:17:13
Speaker
I wish women knew more of is that our hormones respond. They respond to stress in how we're managing it, which means stepping back, And actually sometimes saying no to things that aren't serving us, setting those boundaries, including us more in our day, like actually scheduling you on the calendar, right? I need to take care of me for a little bit, even if it's just five minutes. And sometimes that's all we feel like we have the capacity for.
00:17:39
Speaker
It's just five minutes and start there. There's nothing wrong with five minutes, right? yeah um And the diet piece you mentioned, like I'm doing all of the things. The biggest thing I feel like I see with diet is not women at our age, like eating anything wrong at this point, I feel like we've gotten to the point where we understand that the, the hundred calorie snack packs that we were eating, you know, before aren't, weren't actually the answer. it was creating a lot of this dysfunction. And I see women eating these really nutrient dense diets.
00:18:09
Speaker
But what I also see is we're massively under eating. This is the one area that, um, I feel like it's like the, what? for sure yeah my over eatingating And so i have clients track their food for two to three days. I really don't recommend doing like the every single day, track every single meal. I feel like that's just, i don't want to do that. I'm not going to ask somebody else to do that, but just tracking for two to three days in a week and give you so much information. And I regularly see women around 900 1100, sometimes calories.
00:18:43
Speaker
And just drained, like their hormones are rock. They're drained. They're hangry all the time. Right. And then gaining weight is a big one. And so when we start to, to really get to what do you actually need?
00:18:57
Speaker
What does your body need? Doesn't mean you need a little bit more fat. Doesn't need a little bit more carbs. how How much, like when we look at calories, what should you be eating every day? And we start to even that out. Things change. Hormones come nicely into range.
00:19:11
Speaker
And their energy comes back, anxiety dips, and we start being able to like layer all these other fun things like getting back to the gym again or going for longer walks or, you know, whatever that is that brings them joy. We're able to bring that back in. So that's great. And really just helping people to, you know, meet themselves where they are is what I'm hearing, you know?
00:19:34
Speaker
So, right. That's right. rating Yeah. And I mean, we like to overhaul everything all at once, right? We're like in this culture where we just like, I'm going to do it all. And then it's really overwhelming. it's i call it the New Year's resolution effect. Like we're going to set this resolution.
00:19:48
Speaker
going to do all these really big things. And then three weeks in we're like, don't even know what to do. I'm not really seeing results. But it's if we take one step at a time and focus on those little things. Like I actually drink only a bottle of water a day. i'm going to try for like two and Instead of I'm going to go from a bottle to like 100. Yes. It's instant gratification, you know, that we all want and now yeah and realizing that it's not a quick fix is I think is what people really need to hear and understand.
Rethinking Weight and Nutrition Myths
00:20:14
Speaker
Yeah, it's not a quid quick, quick fix. And we have to layer it in we have to celebrate the small wins too.
00:20:21
Speaker
And I think also just in my own personal journey, needing to be gentle with myself of where I am. I've been on that constant rollercoaster of up and down. I share that with my audience all the time. And just, you know, back in 21, I lost 80 pounds over like six, seven months and no supplements, just natural. Kept it off for a while. But I mean- I have gained like 60 pounds since last April.
00:20:42
Speaker
So that's why said really just been diving down in and, you know, with my practitioner in October, it was like, well, do we can refer you to the weight loss clinic and talk about GLP ones? And I'm like, well, no, no, let's just not let me just step back. So I mean,
00:20:55
Speaker
ah just really wrapping my mind around a lot of stuff. And that's why I'm just out here craving more information. And I know if I'm craving it, I know my audience and other women are craving it. So, you know, that's why we're here to pull this out of you today and help point us in the direction and light the avenues up for us. So, yeah.
00:21:11
Speaker
Well, congratulations on your weight loss. And i just want to say that's still 20 pounds. Thank you. It's still 20 pounds. It's still amazing. But you know, this is such a common journey for most women and especially with the GLP ones now it's,
00:21:23
Speaker
It's really just like, a okay, just go do this now. And and i so I personally, I feel like that's still a form of dismissal because we're not actually asking what is it that you need in your journey and where are you struggling and where do you need support? We're just saying here, take this medication. We're not even talking about the side effects of it and the studies. and yeah And it's ah it's a big question that I get.
00:21:45
Speaker
And I think we're starting to have more conversations about the benefits that or the costbe analysis of of these, which is so good instead of just blindly. Yeah, no. And I think it's important for a lot of people can make, you know, their informed decisions, but I think it's very important to be informed. And there's always that pieces that are missing. And like you said, it's just, here you go.
00:22:06
Speaker
And so, no, I appreciate that. and because we all have autonomy, we all have the right to make the choices of what we feel is best for us in the moment that we're going through. And as providers, you know, we allow those doors to happen and to not happen because but anyway, allow them to choose again because their autonomy.
00:22:23
Speaker
And so we just, it's not for us to judge, just like for you to present the information and help figure out in their moment, what is best for them. Exactly. Yeah. And it's, it's amazing when I, when people have the education, the choices that they do make and exactly no judgment ever, Correct. um For what somebody decides is right for them when they have the education that they need.
00:22:46
Speaker
Yeah. So then are you able to give, you know, there any myths that are kind of floating out there that you love to bust, you know, based around like hormones and dieting wellness, just to kind of tidy up the topic here with that.
00:22:58
Speaker
Yeah. I think the biggest one that that I love to bust and I love to see my clients faces when I mentioned this is the diet piece of we're under eating, which is, sometimes, I mean, if I don't track my food for a while, I will actually go in and feel like, Hmm, something's a little off. I'll track for a little bit and I'm under eating. So I have to be really mindful of it, but it is a really common one that I love to bust and just say, like, let's just track for a couple of days and see see what comes up. And then we have a conversation about it. What did you discover and different things like that. and That's a really fun one. The other is
00:23:33
Speaker
the of the information that we have on, it's just like your thyroid. You know, we like to blame an organ um oftentimes, like it's your hormones, it's your thyroid and reminding women that their whole body is connected.
00:23:49
Speaker
um and it all works together really beautifully. And in the way that it was designed to do this. And when we, we forget when we are reminded of this, I love to watch women,
00:24:03
Speaker
just put the pieces together for themselves and how they've you've segmented their own body, their own health to say, this is just cramps, or this is just a headache, or this is just another pound gained instead of looking at how it all functions together. And that's one of my favorite pieces of it's not just one thing.
00:24:22
Speaker
There's a beautiful harmony. going on within our body that we really want to support so that all functions properly. Yeah. Well, I love that. Cause then that just is what I hear is that that's the important piece where everybody is so unique that it is important to step back and look, because what, when you look at the lab values, what is normal for one person is totally not normal for the next. So I appreciate that part of that.
00:24:47
Speaker
Which is, that's another fun one to bust too, is lab values um with, And I actually had somebody go to two different labs and see this themselves. But the lab values that you see when you get your labs done are based on that lab's population. and so you're going to those lab ranges shift and change depending on where you're getting your lab done. you know Are you using Quest or LabCorp or another lab? Are you in a different part of the country than you were the last time you had them done?
00:25:16
Speaker
And so so you might have the same lab value and it might be high or low depending on where you're at So really does take somebody to actually look at it and say, this is what we want for you.
00:25:27
Speaker
and this is what's working for you versus just what you get on that piece of paperback. That's a good one. That's a good one. I honestly, I didn't realize I thought they were kind of like universal, you know, average rates and stuff. So you teach me something too.
00:25:42
Speaker
I love it. It's really wild. And I remember just being really floored when I learned that. No way. Come on. There's gotta be some consistency and there's, there's some consistency. There's some recommendations, you know, you get like bunch of recommendations, cholesterol, yeah but when you look at the ranges on the labs, very based on state to state where you're at and different things like that. So yeah, very good. How about then, are there some simple, um like realistic steps that people can take, um you know, starting today, even to help them feel a little more energized um and
Small Steps to Health Improvement
00:26:14
Speaker
grounded?
00:26:14
Speaker
Yeah. I tell people start with one thing. So focus on, I like to think of the body is built on steady foundation and we really want to make sure that we're supporting it from a foundational standpoint so that our gut is functioning, our hormones are functioning, our stress feels a little bit more managed, our brain can work.
00:26:31
Speaker
And pick one of those foundational pieces. you know, are you drinking enough water? If you're not, start there. If you are, you know, you're skipping meals, you know, you're, you wake up, you're not hungry.
00:26:44
Speaker
We're skipping breakfast, but then we're really only getting to maybe smaller meals in during the day. start there, add something in small for breakfast and then gradually increase.
00:26:55
Speaker
um movement. You know, I hear so many people, I wish I could work out. I wish I could go do these things. I just don't have the energy. Walk two houses down, two houses back, three houses down through, you know, start with one thing.
00:27:07
Speaker
it doesn't have to be a complete overhaul to transform your life. It starts with one thing. and um it really just creates momentum when you start with that one thing.
00:27:22
Speaker
I love it. It's so important. I do share about that a lot because we do just become so overwhelmed and we're not going to stick to things if we try to, like you said, pick it up all at one time. So. I really love that encouragement.
00:27:34
Speaker
So along with all of these things, do you have a short a story that you like to share of like of a client transformation? Of course, anonymously, of one that just gives you goosebumps. You're like, oh my goodness, this is the one that I always love to share. For so many, it's always really hard to pick. But the one that I think of the most is um I worked with this sweet, sweet woman who had seen a couple different providers, had done a, you know, kind of in both worlds, conventional world, functional world.
00:28:02
Speaker
And she, her original complaint was actually constipation. She just was like, I'm not pooping. don't, this is not something that happens. It's really struggle. And when we dug down into it, she was super overwhelmed.
00:28:16
Speaker
And um I mean, stress was just through the roof. and She was not sleeping very well. She had all kinds of funky stuff going on, like which she thought was maybe reactions to food. So like things like hives and eczema and different things like that. And we went through and did some testing. We actually did a hair tissue mineral analysis, HTMA test to just see what was going on from a mineral standpoint ah within her body. And then we looked at her gut and did a stool test and both just showed immense information for her specifically. And she was actually somebody who um struggled with fibroids.
00:28:57
Speaker
for most of her life. And, um, she ended up having a hysterectomy before we had started working together. And, um, when we really kind of dove into a lot of the stuff, she was actually still having some of the ah same symptoms that she was having pre hysterectomy.
00:29:13
Speaker
Um, thinking that, you know, the hysterectomy would have yeah alleviated a lot of that. So we dove in, we looked at her gut, we addressed the things that were going on within her gut and And on her hair tissue test, we actually could see the stress response on her hair tissue test. And we could see that her gut was just a big old mess.
00:29:30
Speaker
And we layered those those things in, you know, here's how we're going to start. We just kind of did one thing after another, after another. And within three to four months, um she was able to reintroduce foods that she had to take out because she was having these hives and skin reactions and different things like that.
00:29:46
Speaker
She ended up having regular bowel movements again. She felt like she could control her stress a little bit better. um And those like mystery cycle symptoms that she was having work on. yeah So it was, it really was very transformational for me even just to watch her go through this process and also grieve the, you know, I wish I had known this sooner and I definitely know what that feels like, but yeah.
00:30:13
Speaker
and giving her that space to walk through this process and and start to see her energy come back and just feel like she could live her life, be present with her kids again, and show up in her life the way that she had always dreamed of. It was it was such an honor to work with her.
00:30:31
Speaker
Absolutely. Very rewarding. So, you know, we're going to have women who are listening who feel like, oh, she how could she ever help me? I'm just too far gone. too exhausted I'm too too overwhelmed. yeah If you had the opportunity to speak to as you do, what would you like to share with her? Oh, gosh. The I tried everything is something that really resonates for me because I i truly feel like i I tried everything until I tried
Encouragement and Contact Information
00:30:54
Speaker
something different. Right. And so and even if you've worked with a functional provider, even if you've
00:31:02
Speaker
you've done all the testing that you think is out there, i can assure you your body can heal. And i see it time and again, that we are, we are beautifully designed to heal.
00:31:15
Speaker
And it is possible to heal. It is possible to feel better. It is possible to have more energy. It, it really, You just need the right information and the right steps to get you there.
00:31:30
Speaker
um And what I tell people too is i i have an amazing group of women that I connect with that do very similar work to me. So if I ever talk to somebody and I'm like, you know what, this is possible, but it's outside my wheelhouse, you're not going to be just left with, it's not something I handle. You're going to get a referral to somebody who's going to directly be able to work.
00:31:53
Speaker
um with you if if it's not me. yeah And if you're like, well, I don't really connect with you. That's great too. you know, we're not going to be friends with everyone. There's people who are kind of like me. And I am always willing to say, here's some other options that work for you. Because the biggest thing at the end of the day is that you're heard, you're cared for, and that you feel like you are on the track to healing.
00:32:14
Speaker
Absolutely. You know? That's really good because that leads in then to ones who would like to work with you. yeah How can they find you um and your free guide um about the energy leak audit it and all of that good stuff? How can they find you?
00:32:29
Speaker
Yeah, a couple different ways. So I'm on Instagram and my Instagram handle is Colleen underscore mindfully nourished. So you can find me there. and in my link, in my bio is links to all of these different things. So, you know, you can book a free call.
00:32:45
Speaker
where we sit down for 20, 30 minutes and just kind of chat through what, what in the world is going on that, that, you know, you're, you're here in the first place, or you just feel like I've tried all the things. And that's why I offer the free call because there's a lot of different avenues that you can go down and people have had oh many challenging experiences, just trying to get answers and support in their health. And I want to create that space just to say, you know, what is going on?
00:33:10
Speaker
Here's how I can help or here's somebody who can. um My energy leak audit is a 75 minute appointment. I am running a special um for $97. That's usually a 297 investment, but it right now it's 97. And we just go through that symptom questionnaire that um I love to go over. It's about like 300 different symptoms that you can just get some information on.
00:33:36
Speaker
um And then we create a plan and you walk away with three actionable steps that you can start today and how you can layer them in and what needs to be that next step for you. And then you can even take that if you're like, actually, I just really want to get the testing done and work with you. We take that 97 and just roll it into to care. um And yeah, I have my free reclaim your energy guide, which walks through those foundational steps that I mentioned and gives you again, actionable steps to do to to support each one of those foundational pieces to get that foundation built, get it really solid, um, and get your energy back. And, uh, that that's available as well. And you can actually find that on my Instagram, find it on my website, which is, um, www.mindfully-nourished.com.
00:34:21
Speaker
Um, and I, I always say dm me, you know, on Instagram, I love to chat with people. I love your conversations and, it starts there sometimes. Absolutely. And you're so easy to talk with too. So i you're very welcome. Very welcome.
00:34:36
Speaker
And I will include all of that stuff down in the show note, um you know, so that everybody has the opportunity to reach out to you and gain some resources. So is there anything the else that you felt that maybe I didn't pull out of you that you were like, man, I wish you really would have asked me this that you would like to share with us?
00:34:53
Speaker
Thank you so much. And I you know It's just such a good opportunity to connect with other women and just really, and love letting women know that their bodies are amazing. Your bodies are amazing. And really just reconnecting women back with what they want to feel every single day, that energy to move through their day, spend time with their family, their friends, go to the girls' nights that they're skipping, and things like that. It is possible.
00:35:24
Speaker
Yeah. I love it too. Cause you know, like you said, we are just so hard on ourselves and, um, you know, our bodies, we put through a lot and, you know, becoming mothers. And I always say like, as things have shifted and changed over time, I always say it was for such a good cause, and you know, beautiful. It is beautiful. And I, you know, we, we get, there's just such a negative culture out there. There's a positive one too, but I so often see the, you know, mommy juice and,
00:35:54
Speaker
You know, I go from coffee to wine and, um you know, I'm tired shirts and different things like that. And it's, there's a funny piece to it, right? But in time when we're normalizing something that's actually really debilitating for so many women, um and want to break that and just say, no, it doesn't have to be that way.
00:36:16
Speaker
in the conversation I've been having with ah another friend who's, you know, very in on this as well with her functional medicine provider and stuff. And it's just understanding that we take for granted that we are in a time where this information is available.
00:36:29
Speaker
Right at our fingertips, you know, just as easily as typing, getting on your Instagram and finding you that women before us didn't have the opportunity. And we've watched our mothers and our grandmothers go through these things where their bellies are getting larger. They're just too tired to walk from here to the mailbox. And they're just like, I just don't know how to do this. And I'm just tired. And they're unable to live.
00:36:50
Speaker
And so just to understand that we have this at our fingertips is it's really something that we shouldn't take for granted. Yes, it is. Yeah. I mean, I regularly go back. My husband and i talk about it all the time and joke that he proposed to me at the lowest of point in my health. and And, you know, one of the things that I had been diagnosed with was endometriosis and was told at 14 that I probably would never have kids. And going through this journey, um,
00:37:18
Speaker
taught me and now, and I've lived it now. And I teach women this, that you can actually heal from something like endometriosis and bring those cycles back into range. So it's just, we kind of joke now and it was very serious. And of course I think I would actually survive till 30 at the time, but um that he, he chose me in the worst health of my life and then has walked this journey with me to um see where, you know, this career has gone. so it's been, it's been such a, I've learned so much in this journey. i love to share this with women and and help them walk through this as well. It's truly a passion of mine.
00:38:00
Speaker
Awesome. Well, you know, he, as in your husband chose you, but he is the Lord chose you and chose him for you to come together to help you, right? Live out this purpose and to be able to be here and present this to us today. So Again, I'm grateful for your time. And again, well, I hope some people do take advantage of listening to this information and do reach out to you. And again, thank you for blessing us today and many blessings over you and your amazing endeavors here too.
00:38:28
Speaker
Thank you so much. and Thanks for having me. Absolutely. Thanks guys.
Conclusion and Free Journal Offer
00:38:34
Speaker
Thanks so much for hanging out with me today on Oh, There You Are. Remember, everything you need to step into your power is already inside of you.
00:38:43
Speaker
So keep going, friend. You've got this. If today's episode inspired you, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new one. And I'd love to connect with you over on Instagram.
00:38:54
Speaker
Find me at itsdanielle.thats.me. Drop say hi let me know what resonated with you, or just share your journey. And before you go, I've got something special for you.
00:39:06
Speaker
I'm offering a free seven-day journal to help you start tapping into your potential and build that mindset shift. It's designed to guide you through the steps of unlocking your power.
00:39:17
Speaker
You can grab it in the show notes below. Let's take this journey together. All right, friend, go make it happen. And remember, you're not late. You're right on time.