The more I learn about gut health, the more I understand how important it is to nurture and support it as best as we can. Our digestive tract is so intimately interconnected with every other system in our body.

This is why when we have a gut imbalance, we can experience symptoms that seem to have no direct connection to the gut itself.

For most of my young adult life I struggled with chronic constipation, gas and bloating. I was also dealing with

stubborn weight gain, mood swings, irritability, and deep cystic acne on my face and back.

But I knew next to nothing about my body. No one had ever taught me that all of these things might be related.

None of the over-the-counter topical lotions and potions I’d tried were helping heal the acne on my back and face – which for me was the priority at that time. So, I thought a doctor might be able to prescribe me something that would.

I left that dermatologist’s office with a 3-month prescription of antibiotics. The doctor told me I’d probably have to take them for the rest of my life if I wanted clear skin.

Now, I didn’t know much, but the idea of taking antibiotics for the rest of my life just to have clear skin? It didn’t sit well with me.

So, I started educating myself. I experimented with various ways to cleanse my body, and I tried different ways of eating. I truly wanted to discover what foods worked best for my body.

In my mid-20’s I started focusing specifically on my gut health – and that’s when my life was transformed.

I went from chronic adult acne…  to radiant, clear and glowing skin

Feeling tired all the time … to waking up energized and buoyant

Moods that would swing from one extreme to the other … to feeling emotionally resilient

Spending 30+ minutes in the bathroom … to less than 5 minutes every time

I learned my laundry list of health issues were all coming from an imbalanced gut, and a digestive tract that was sluggish, porous, and in need of loving attention.

Since then, I’ve learned how the health of the gut plays a pivotal role in our mental and emotional health, too.

The gut is often referred to as the “second brain” of the body, but I think of it as a center of deep wisdom.

We talk about things like  “gut instincts”. When something impacts us emotionally we use phrases like, “I felt like I was punched in the gut”. When we experience something that is traumatic and overwhelming, our digestion shuts down, making it impossible for us to properly “digest” those kinds of experiences until we feel safe to do so.

Clearly, the digestive tract is just as responsible for helping us integrate life’s psychological complexities as much as it helps us break down food, assimilate those nutrients, and eliminate the things our bodies can’t use.

If you are dealing with one of the top 3 gut health issues for women in 2024 – Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Gut Dysbiosis (when unhealthy gut bacteria take over), or Food Intolerances & Sensitivities – I encourage you to take a Self-Honoring approach to finding lasting relief.

A Self-Honoring approach includes learning how to better support your digestive tract through daily habits, diet and lifestyle choices. But it also means learning to be a better listener to your body’s needs.

Stress, emotional turmoil, toxic relationships, and a lack of good quality sleep (to name just a few!) can all deeply impact our gut health. We must learn the life skills we need to take better care of our bodies.

But we need to learn how to honor, nurture and support ourselves in other ways, too.

We must learn how to…

Set healthy boundaries around our time and energy

Unapologetically ask for what we want and need

Be as bold, brilliant and beautiful as we really are

Feel safe, capable and free in our bodies

Radiate vitality and joy wherever we go.

This is what becomes second-nature to us as we learn to honor ourselves, one step at a time, one day at a time.

Something is coming soon to help you learn how to do all of this and more…

Stay tuned!