Of course, this is not my whole life story, but the why behind becoming an Integrative Health Practitioner. I openly share about my life experiences. If I mention something you want to know more about, just ask (Examples: Why I don’t have kids, Losing a dog, etc.)

When we share, we can strengthen others, give them a space to share, have a shoulder to cry on and let them know they can get through it.

When we get a diagnosis of any kind, it’s scary and we may feel like we have no hope or afraid of what is next. It’s in those moments we need that shoulder to cry on or that listening ear - with no judgement. No shaming for not doing more, better or being blamed for the diagnosis. We need to hear there is hope. This is exactly why I feel compelled to share with you what brought me here and that I have been able to feel alive and amazing again.

Writing this was not easy. It’s hard to be so open about a dark or hard time in your life.

In September 2022 I weighed in at my doctor's office more than I had in my life. I was concerned but knew there had to be an reason. I had an IUD removed in June 2022 after having it in for 13 long awful months.

I knew it would take time to get rebalanced, but the bouncing back like I thought would happen, wasn’t happening. So I asked my doctor for a full panel of hormone, SBHG, Thyroid, vitamin & mineral levels and figured the answer would lie in the bloodwork and I could go from there and get back on track.

In the weeks that followed, I learned that my bloodwork panel was not really that out of balance, nothing causing the scale to go up and up.

I was confused and what was worse it was no longer just the fact my clothes didn’t fit….. I felt awful.

I was depressed, overwhelmed in all areas of my life, my emotions were unstable, I was barely making it to the gym, found every excuse not to go, social situations gave me anxiety. I barely showed up in the month of October 2022 to my Christian meetings and my volunteer work came to a halt. All the things I loved didn’t matter to me.

Never in my life had I felt this out of control and without any idea on what to do next.

When you support a spouse with cancer, lose a parent, deal with infidelity, betrayal, and go through a divorce you know why you have debilitating anxiety, are depressed, feel stressed, awful and out of control.

This was different, it seemed to come out of nowhere for no reason.

I wasn’t going through any of those things anymore, in fact, I was remarried, happy and excited for this next chapter. Yet, it was like my body had completely stopped responding and pulled the emergency brake. (Which I learned later is exactly what happened.) I looked in the mirror and I didn’t recognize myself not just because I had gained weight but what was happening internally. It was scary.

I knew the weight gain was my body telling me something was wrong. My mind started telling me “It doesn’t matter if I eat healthy or eat the cake, I’m gaining weight anyway”. My energy was gone, and everything felt like too much. What was happening? I kept asking myself and why was all the things I did before not working?

Rewind to the Spring of 2022, I thought maybe I just need someone to help me. I am a believer that investing in your health is priority. If that means enlisting the right help in your life, it’s worth it. So, I hired a coach to help me be accountable and I ended up weighing more after 4 months of coaching than when I started. I wrote it off just not wanting to lose weight bad enough. I started to just accept this was what I weigh now and maybe it’s not that bad and I am just too hard on myself. At this point it seemed the weight was the only issue. I soon found out that this was just beginning.

After October 2022, I knew this was much more than just gaining weight. I kept hearing Keto & Fasting were the answer. The thought around liver health and it’s impact on us is what resonated with me so I started researching.

I read a book on Keto and tried Keto and fasting but being a woman who was still having a menstrual cycle there was a lot of don’ts with both. It seemed I could easily mess things up and make matters worse. I was desperate and I figured, what do I have to lose. (Except 30 extra lbs. I had gained) I tried it for about 8 weeks and did lose about 10 lbs. over the course of 3 months. Although the weight wasn’t falling off like all the success stories, I was just glad the weight had stopped going up.

I recognized constantly tracking my cycle and eat this, don’t do this, fast or don’t fast throughout the month was too much and I also couldn’t fully buy into a Keto lifestyle being healthy long term. So, I kept reading and learning more about liver health and it’s importance, it was fascinating. It was this research that led me to where I am today.

In February 2023, I came across a podcast by Dr. Stephen Cabral. I don’t even remember what it was at this point, but it put me on the right path. What he taught MADE SENSE. It wasn’t extreme dieting, exercise, or the latest claim to the easy button. He wasn’t selling me a quick fix; he provided the answers and solutions that was long term and effective.

He has a book, The Rain Barrel Effect, so I ordered it and started reading it. This book put together all the pieces of previous research into one logical explanation and a whole-body approach and I knew I had found the RIGHT answer.

It was logical and backed by science on why I had gotten to the place I had, and it was not by accident. As soon as I read about the FM Liver Detox, I knew I needed it. To my delight it gave me amazing results and a quick win when my belief was low on anything working.

The detox was just a step on the path to healing my body from what was going on. But now I had hope and solutions. My mood lifted, my energy came back, I was excited and knew I had to help others who find themselves in a similar situation.

I enrolled in the Integrative Health Institute in March 2023 and haven’t looked back. What I have learned for my own health alone has been worth the countless hours of studying and the cost. It is a relief to stop the constant search for answers and finally able to focus on healing.

When I see other women, who are noticeably struggling, have gained weight, have no energy, are depressed, have anxiety, aren’t sleeping, I feel for them. My experience has given me so much empathy for fellow women. I want to help.

I quit working corporately in November 2023 to focus solely on completing my IHP Level 2 Certification.

I am now Level 2 Board Certified with continuing education in Female Hormones, Thyroid & Gut Health and can go deeper into root causes with home lab testing.

If my story resonates with you, do yourself a favor and at the very least book a free 30-minute consult with me. If you are tired of researching, have given up or feel as awful as I did, then I am sure you are ready to try anything. Life is not over for you.

I am so excited to help you find the RIGHT answer, learn how to support your body, get to the root of why you are struggling and lose weight in the process.

You are not alone, lazy or hopeless.

You can regain your vitality.

Don’t give up on your body’s amazing ability to heal.

I assure you, it’s not messing up, it wants to keep you alive.

There is a logical reason why you are experiencing symptoms.

I look forward to having the privilege of helping you.

Xx

All the best,

Michelle

*The pictures on this page were taken the summer of 2023 on trips to Oregon, California, South Dakota & North Dakota. I love them because I can see the shift, I had my energy back, my smile, my confidence. It reinforces what the right help can do. It can change everything. If you have lost those things….let’s get them back for you. :)