Hi Reader,

Today we're getting a little more personal because I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on my life and healing journey lately and I’m seeing a lot of similarities in my clients’ journeys, so there's a high chance you’re experiencing some of these things as well.

We want to be told our root cause fits into this nice little box, so we can follow a protocol and BOOM it’s fixed (I know I felt that way for a long time). But 99.99999% of the time, it doesn’t work like that, which can be a hard mindset shift to make.

I’m diving into the hard truths I had to face about how the way I was living my life was impacting my gut and making it impossible for me to actually heal.

Announcements:

March spots are officially OPEN! I’m only taking 4 new 1:1 clients this month, so if one of your goals is to be bloat-free by this summer, now’s the time to get started.

​Learn more and book a free gut clarity call here, so we can figure out what’s keeping your gut stuck and map out your immediate next steps together!

I used to live my life centered around my to-do list (I still do in many ways, but I’m conscious of it now and am actively working to shift away from that mindset when I can). Doing a good job, following the rules, being ambitious…have always been my priorities. You might even say, I’m a (recovering 😉) perfectionist.

I’ve never been the smartest person in the room, but I’ve always worked my a** off to be as close to the top as possible. Type-A perfectionism is a very common quality for people who become registered dietitians, so venturing down this career path only fed into my need to push myself even harder so I could keep up with my peers and mentors.

This was a lot of pressure.

It was a mix of internal and external pressure, but when I look back on those years in college and my early career the most intense pressure came from within. I was always pushing myself to be better, to work through the discomfort, and to keep going even when my body was telling me to slow down.

Until I literally couldn’t push anymore and I had a legit nervous breakdown.

It was scary. It felt like my whole world was crumbling down around me and I didn’t recognize myself. My family even commented on how the joy had completely left my face.

In the years that led up to the final crack, my body sent my mind MANY red flags. But I was so used to pushing through and carrying on that I didn’t even recognize them as red flags at the time.

Of course my gut was struggling – I was dependent on senna to have small, painful, and unsatisfying bowel movements and I was 5 months bloated by the end of every day.

But I was also exhausted all day because as soon as I laid down to go to sleep my mind started racing and I was wide awake. I was reactive and emotional at the drop of a hat. And I looked forward to my 2-3 glasses of wine each night to “wind down”.

Plus, I was still actively treating my SIBO by working with a naturopath, going through multiple rounds of antimicrobials, and trying various elimination diets. All of which was piling on even more stress that my body just couldn’t handle. And my gut wasn’t feeling any better.

It wasn’t until my body forced me to come to a screeching halt that I was able to see the impact my lifestyle was having on my health.

I share this because taking a critical look at how we live our lives can be one of the hardest things we do as we embark on our root cause healing journey. It’s not flashy, it’s not quick, and it requires us to acknowledge that we played a small role in feeling the way we feel today.

Now, I don’t want you to think I’m putting all the blame on you - absolutely not. And I’m never going to tell you that all you need to do is “meditate more and stress less” - that's not real support.

But if the goal is to fully heal your gut and get back to living your life without your gut holding you back, building resilience and supporting the stressors we do have control over is a step we cannot skip over.

This looks like:

• Eating something with protein first thing in the morning and supporting your blood sugars throughout the day.
• Getting daily sunlight (even if it’s cloudy out) to regulate your circadian rhythm and motility.
• Replenishing your mineral stores so your body can make stomach acid, energy, hormones, etc.
• Getting into “rest and digest” mode before meals so your digestion is turned on and ready to go.
• Gentle movement every day to promote bile flow and support motility.

Implementing each of these consistently created safety inside my body and allowed me to tolerate the antimicrobial phase that finally cleared out the bacterial AND fungal overgrowth I had been struggling with for many years.

If you haven’t started working on these strategies yet, that’s OK. Remind yourself there’s no rush. Slow and steady is the name of the game.

If this resonates, I’d love to hear from you – hit reply and let me know if it’s helpful to hear more “real talk” about my journey.

Until next time! xoxo Grace ​​​​ Before you go…here are a few ways I can support you: Find true, lasting relief with 1:1 nutrition coaching. Watch your symptoms fade away as you learn to love life, food, and your body again. Learn more and apply here!​ Not ready for a full program? Apply for a Total Gut Audit — one deep-dive call to get clarity on what your symptoms mean and the exact steps to start taking today. Learn more and apply here!​ Remember: this email is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here. New here? Sign up to receive all our gut health resources in our newsletter!

​