My story begins over 8 years ago. I was depressed, burnt out, in physical pain daily, angry, with a new baby and a toddler. I was working a job I dreaded, struggling with debt, and trying to figure out life at the same time.

But let’s back up to before all that…

When I was 16, I went to the doctor because I always had stomach pain when I would eat and was only going to the bathroom 1-2 times per MONTH, I know TMI.

After months of seeing different doctors, I was told I had IBS.

I did all the testing, blood work, and exams they could come up with, and seen all the specialists in my area. When the doctors came up empty handed again and again, they told me I had IBS and to take a laxative daily and I would be fine.

I tried to argue my point with them that I really don’t think it’s IBS (I had done some researching prior to this). I know my body best (at least you’d think so?) but of course they wouldn’t listen to me and had no other suggestions to even try to help me find out what was really going on or to just relieve the pain.

So, I left the doctors after that last appointment feeling defeated, frustrated, and mad. So, I decided to try what they said (I didn’t have much to lose) and I took a laxative every day, well that worked for maybe 6 months until it all went back to the way it was in the beginning.

My stomach pains got worse and worse over the next 10 years. I had given up on the doctor since apparently, they didn’t know what was wrong with me. I ate less and less food because everything hurt my stomach. I tried to exercise more every day (2 hours per day to be exact), eat healthier foods, all the different pills I could find that would “help” my condition. And nothing worked.

So, my question list grew and grew, if I had IBS why did nothing work? I knew all these years that there was more going on that just IBS, maybe I had that but it wasn’t what was causing all my issues. I mean let’s be real for a second, I had these stomach problems since I could remember!

No one ever took me serious and always caulked it up as me eating something “bad”.

Do you know how frustrating that is?! To go your whole life with no one believing you that you have constant stomach pain? Then when they do start to believe you no one can figure out why this all began or how to fix it?

That is one of the most frustrating, defeating feelings ever.

Finally, after all these years I had enough. I had just had my second child, I was depressed, burnt out, struggling with debt, stressed, in physical pain daily, angry, frustrated, all while trying to be a good mom with a new baby and a toddler, and trying to figure out life at the same time.

I had enough. I couldn’t take all this stress and anxiety anymore; it was causing more and more stomach pain and I knew I had to take action.

So, after 10 years, I decided to try to see a doctor one more time. It’d been a long time since I’d seen one for my stomach and things had to have evolved since I went last time, right?

Apparently, I was mistaken. This doctor semi listened to me the first appointment and put me on a prescription laxative. It did nothing but make me have to go to the bathroom every single time I ate ANYTHING!

So, we basically went from one extreme to the next.

I told the doctor this and she put me on a stronger dose of that same medicine and said my body had to get “used to it” (insert eye roll). Well, that made me have to go to the bathroom anytime I looked or thought about food.

Again, I told her this at my third appointment with her and she looked me in the face and said “Well I guess this is just something you’ll have to learn to live with then”.

Are you kidding me?!

I went in my car after that appointment and cried my eyes out.

Why could no one help me? Why did nothing work for me? Why didn’t anyone want to listen to me and actually help?

I was so mad, frustrated, and done. I wiped the tears away and decided enough is enough. I’m not going to rely on the doctors or anyone else telling me what to do to help me heal myself. I finally took matters into my own hands.

I went home that afternoon and started researching everything I could think of to try to figure out what the heck was going on in my body and why did it seem like it got worse with each passing year?

I finally stumbled over herbal medicine. I felt like I need to give it a try, what’s the worst that could happen? I already felt like crap every day, so I figured if anything I’d just stop using it if it made my symptoms worse.

That was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I researched my heart out for weeks. I finally decided to give a couple of herbs a try and see what happens. After a few weeks, I started to notice some improvements finally! So, I kept at it and decided to do some more digging- you could say I went down the herbal rabbit hole.

I discovered that “big events” from your past can cause disease to manifest if it’s not addressed. I sat with that for a day and out of nowhere it hit me. I did have a big event happen to me when I was only 5 years old and come to think about it-that’s when my stomach pains slowly began.

The “big” event that happened to me was my parents getting divorced. I remember bits and pieces of their divorce in the beginning but I was 5, I didn’t know what any of it actually meant. It was a messy divorce that went on for most of my childhood. My parents couldn’t be in the same room as each other and were always fighting about something normally with us kids in the middle of it.

After realizing this, I had the biggest “ah-ha” moment I ever had in my life.

I discovered the pains in my stomach is most likely stored trauma, emotions, and stress from that time in my life. The reason it seemed to be getting worse was because the more I grew up the more stressed I became. I just kept letting it build up and never addressed any of it.

All I can say is holy sh** did that hit home to me. That made more sense to me than anything else I was ever told.

After this I decided to cut way back on the exercise I was doing to rest and to also do a full body detox to try to help my body get back to the way it should operate.

6 weeks later, I was so excited when I realized I was feeling the best I’ve felt in all my life! I never thought I’d be able to say that.

Was I completely healed? No. But it was a really good start.

The more I learned about herbal medicine the more in love with it I fell. I was hooked, I wanted to know everything I could get my hands on about healing my body naturally in any way I could.

I dove in head first. I read books, took classes (so many classes), did a ton of inner healing work, and anything else I could do to get myself to where I am today.

I am so proud of myself for taking that step in my life. It has changed my life for the better in more ways than I can count.

Looking back, I don’t even recognize that girl/woman anymore. I learned to manage and cope with my stress and triggers, which helped my anger disappear.

I took the leap and I quit my job and started my own business, have more time with my family and less time with the toxic people in my life, I set boundaries I never thought I’d hold to (but I did and still am today!).

I stepped so far out of my comfort zone that I now can’t figure out why I wanted to be there in the first place for so long.

I am happier today than what I ever saw or imagined for my life to be. And it’s all because I chose to try something outside of the “norm”. Even when everyone called me “crazy” and said “that’ll never work”.

If you have ever felt any of these feelings, you feel unheard or unseen, frustrated, at a dead end in any area of life, like you’re backed up against a wall and can’t find the exit, please reach out.

You don’t need to live life in a constant fight or flight mode. Your life might not change overnight and it may not be easy but you can do it.

You have the power to change your life if you’re willing to commit and do the work.

I am now a Women’s Holistic Health Coach, Herbalist, and Reiki Master Practitioner. I work to help women bring back balance, harmony, and joy into their lives. I love to empower others and help them get started on their own healing journey without confusion and overwhelm.

Everyone deserves to live a fulling, happy life. Life is tough, but so are you.