WELLTHY Generation Podcast!

65. Frustration with Medical Providers To A Healthy Pregnancy: Kathy's Health Journey [Client]

• Naihomy Jerez • Episode 65

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Kathy's journey through health struggles highlights the importance of listening to one's body and seeking adequate support in the face of medical dismissals. Embracing knowledge about nutrition and self-care, she transformed her health, leading to her pregnancy and a commitment to fostering generational wellness in her family.

• Kathy shares her background as a mental health therapist and entrepreneur
• Experience with health challenges, including weight gain and fatigue
• Frustration with medical providers and feeling unheard
• Decision to pursue health coaching as an empowering choice
• Importance of connecting with one's body and listening to its signals
• Journey towards pregnancy and overcoming gestational diabetes
• Commitment to fostering healthy family habits and generational health
• Trusting in one's instincts when facing health issues
• Encouragement for others to seek knowledge and support on their health journey

Connect with Kathy

Thank you so much for listening!


Speaker 1:

Hey friends, welcome back to wealthy generation podcast. That's W E L L T H Y. Today is an exciting day because I have one of my beautiful former clients here, kathy, and she is so gracious and generous to share her story with us. I think you're going to most of you, hopefully, are really going to feel seen as you share her experiences, and I hope that that's the case and gives you a big old bucket of hope and just motivation to continue on in, whatever your health goals are. So welcome, kathy. Thank you for being here.

Speaker 2:

I'm so excited to be here. I was excited to see you today because I see you every week and then, all of a sudden, I didn't see you anymore. So I am happy to be here.

Speaker 1:

Yes, thank you so much for being here, and I definitely miss you as well. So please share with us a little bit about who you are, what you do with, us, us a little bit about who you are, what you do with us.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so I now call myself a serial entrepreneur. I have three businesses currently. I am a mental health therapist, I own a group practice. I also started a collective, a membership for Latinx therapist, and I also do coaching for anybody who wants to open up their own practice. That happened all within the past five years. I'm also a mom to a three-year-old boy and I have my husband and my two dogs. So that's a little bit about me, who I am superficially.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, very high level, cool. So tell us a little bit about what your challenges were before we started working together and what called you into health coaching.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so it's really interesting because I had worked with someone in the past. So when I came across you, when I met you because I actually met you at oh my God, what event was it that I met you at?

Speaker 1:

The Dream Love Conference.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes yes, that's exactly where it was. And I was there with one of my friends and she knew a lot of my struggles and she was like, go talk to her. Go talk to her. And I was like, oh, I tried it before. I don't know if I want to right so happy that I did that. She pushed me to do it, but I had worked with someone else in the past and the reason I was hesitant was because there was like a lot of like do this very strict. I just felt like it was more work than like I was actually seeing results.

Speaker 2:

And for me, what was going on is I had never struggled with anything weight related. I had never struggled with anything hormone related and when I was around the age of like 35, also around the pandemic time, when we're like just home we didn't know what was going on. There was a lot of crisis. I started gaining weight, but it wasn't so much the weight that really was uncomfortable for me. It was that I felt more tired. I didn't feel like myself.

Speaker 2:

I had a thyroid issue and what was tough is no one was taking it seriously. I was going to the doctors and doctors like your blood work is fine, you just have to exercise more. And, mind you, I have always been a physically active person. I played softball my entire life. I loved Pilates. I would try yoga. I have a Peloton. Like I'm not an active person. Definitely activity decreased getting busier in life and having a child, but that was always what I was getting. Oh, you just need to exercise. Oh, this happens as you get older. Drink more water. I was like I do all of these things. What are you talking about? So that's really where I was at before I started working with you, that I was really discouraged when I had my thyroid issue.

Speaker 2:

That was a terrible experience. My thyroid was so swollen it was hard for me to even move my neck and this doctor was like move my neck. And this doctor was like but it's not swollen anymore. I was like oh my gosh. Yeah, I was like okay, yes, it's not, but can you tell me why it was? Can we prevent it? Like, what can you do? And her response to me was well, if it gets worse, come back. So I was like okay, never going back to you again. Very discouraging. And she did see that my levels for my thyroid were not good, but she said it didn't warrant for medication or a diagnosis. So she kind of was like well, if you get worse, come back good old regular western medicine yeah, I was like, okay, thank you, thank you, but no, thank.

Speaker 2:

You never went back there again. So I think when I met you, it was like shortly after that happened that I went to the doctor and I was like I, I'm gonna try this because nothing is working, going to the doctors asking them for help. It's just like exercise and lose weight. It's like okay. Okay, if it was that easy I would do that and honestly, it wasn't the weight so much. Obviously didn't want to gain weight, but that wasn't the biggest concern. It was like being fatigued. When I have so much to do, always feeling bloated was the worst the worst feeling.

Speaker 2:

So all of those other things that came along with it were really what were bothering me, more so than the fact that, like I had gained some weight. You know, it's not like Um. So all of those other things that came along with it were really what were bothering me, more so than the fact that, like I had gained some weight, you know, it's not like um I. I said I'm still moving, I'm still doing these things, and nothing is changing anything about how I felt.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that is really frustrating. I forgot Cause you definitely shared all this with me before, but how frustrating it was for you when you came. And honestly, it always makes me a little bit nervous when clients come to me and they're like this is like. I've tried everything, nothing's worked. I've worked with other people and nothing has happened. And I'm like God, please just help me, help them. And I always know, but I always get a little nervous. I'm like can I really help this person after they've tried all of these things?

Speaker 1:

And unfortunately, so many women go through this experience where they know in their body something's not right, that they're not feeling well, and it's really so difficult for them to get any sort of support at the doctors and of course, you're talking from personal experience and I'm grossly generalizing because there are doctors out there that do help. But in general, the system is set up to do you fit a diagnosis that fits a medication? If that's not the case, if they can't diagnose you because your blood levels are not to a certain degree, then you don't have anything because we can't legally prescribe you this medication. And that's so unfortunate because they really let people get so, so sick to then give them medicine that actually won't help them solve the problem. So I'm glad we're here now and I know that one of your main concerns was the bloating it was so uncomfortable for you and the fatigue where you're a serial entrepreneur, you're running three businesses, you're a mom and your energy was not lasting an entire day to function.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that was the worst because I feel like it was such a shift from I'm a very high energy person I like doing a lot, I like staying busy to like feeling really tired and almost like not as motivated. I was doing all the things still, but I was like like it was a struggle to do those things.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely so. Tell us a little bit about the experience with bloating, too, like how did that affect you? I remember that you would tell me about you. You're like, you show up to places, like you are the face of a lot of things.

Speaker 2:

And it was yeah, I mean it got it got down to like and I remember explaining this to you I'm like something could fit perfectly the beginning of the day, and when the end of the day was like tight, uncomfortable, I didn't want to wear it. I really had to consciously think about my outfits and what I was going to wear. I had to like there was just so many considerations that you don't even think about that, of being bloated, how it's going to make you feel, um, uncomfortable. What I would eat it was like constantly. I'm like, if I eat this, is this going to make me more bloated? If I, uh, you know, have this now, how will I feel later? Right, it's like.

Speaker 2:

It was like an all-consuming type of thing that I even, like, started dressing differently because I was like I need to be comfortable. It's like I can't I can't not, you know, be comfortable all day with wearing something like you know, if it fits me this way, on the beginning of the day and not on the beginning of the day, I also had um around my like glands, some like swelling too as well. That was uncomfortable. I was like what am I gonna wear?

Speaker 1:

like I, something's going on, but so it was like a like an appearance of like an appearance thing with having to be in front of so many people but like, yeah, think about and consider what to wear and what I'll still be comfortable with at the end of the day took up so much energy yeah, that alone takes up so much energy and I feel like we don't necessarily generally see how much energy it takes up in our brain to think about what we're going to eat or what we're going to wear or how we're going to feel later, and always kind of troubleshooting uh, what's going to happen with us.

Speaker 1:

And I feel like that's so common with with women, where they're scared of just from the beginning to the end of the day of what's going to happen, and then it makes them scared to eat and makes them scared to show up. It really impacts their self-esteem and their confidence because they feel like they have no control over what their body's going to do and how it's going to react or when in certain situations. Yeah, yeah, for sure. So you worked with somebody before and you find that it was too strict and you were kind of over everything. What, what gave you? Like how did you come to the decision of giving something else a try, like coming to work with me?

Speaker 2:

yeah, well, one. I was like okay, and to be very, very honest, I was like she's not white. I was like so she's not gonna make me eat this really bland food and I'm like I hope she really gets it, because that was the really difficult part, like eating is so different. So prior to working with you, I was already gluten free. Try to explain gluten to a Latina mom. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

She was like. She was like this is whole wheat pasta, have this. I was like, girl, that's the thing I cannot have, mom. And she's like I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, right. So it was already difficult to eat because I'm already gluten-free, because that definitely was bothering my stomach for many years. That helped temporarily to to not have gluten. So I was already limited in what I was eating.

Speaker 2:

So, on top of that, the person I was working with she was like giving me these things to eat and these recipes, such bland stuff. I love food. Like I love food. I cannot have flavorless, dull food and it was like making me depressed to eat this food that was so plain and that I just wasn't enjoying at all. So when I was like, okay, I was like she's going to get it, she's going to get that. I like food and that food Like.

Speaker 2:

And I saw on your Instagram, too, things that you were sharing and that food like. And I saw on your Instagram things that you were sharing and all of that I was like, okay, that's one thing right, and I think, like, for me it was really important and I went through this like whole, like journey for myself in the past, like two or three years, to like just connect more with providers who look like me and who really understand, and I don't have to explain like, no, I need some seasoning on my food. Like this is unacceptable. I'm not eating this and this can't be the only way. So that's what kind of gave me hope. I'm like she, she gets it.

Speaker 2:

Um, I saw some of the things that you shared which was really important to me and it was very relatable. Uh, you know not, I got some things out of my first experience. She actually did run a lot of tests and that she confirmed that my hormones were not balanced. She confirmed that for me 100%. But the ways and the methods that she wanted me to start following after that just were not helpful to me and it just it didn't fit in with my lifestyle either. I'm like I still want to eat with my husband, I still want to, you know, share some foods with my child, and it just it didn't fit into my life.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I totally. You're not the only person who has told me that before. I have to say, and me personally now I definitely look for providers that are women of color for sure, because there's just some things that it needs to be understood without having to explain and having somebody imagine what it would be like. So, no, like you don't need to hold back there and saying that, and that's one of the things that I really try and convey right, like I do get the cultural experience, I do understand how important food is and how not eating or cultural foods does have an impact and the stress that it brings.

Speaker 1:

When you're in family activities or we're very interconnected with our families and they show love through food and all this, and especially when you're in a family setting, when you're eating by yourself something totally different to accomplish something than your family is, it is depressing. So how do we bring all of those things together where you all could enjoy similar or the same kinds of foods, where you don't feel so isolated? So absolutely. And also like the first gen experience comes into this as well, with food scarcity and like you have to eat all your food and you have to. You know you can't throw food away and all these other things that come up. So when did you start? Okay, so that was that and this is what you were like. Okay, I'll give this a shot. When did you start to notice any changes, or talk to me a little bit about your experience with the process, versus all the other stuff that you tried before?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, well, I think one of the things I think in the beginning and we talked about this, like when you start something new, like there was a lot of momentum and I felt good and I felt changes. And then there was like this, like plateau where, like we talked about it and I was like frustrated which, like you did such a great job, like like talking through it and going okay, I understand what you're feeling. This is what's going on. I think it was very practical things that you gave, like you were like okay, you're going to go to this place, let's look at this menu and what could you eat from here? Like what could you replace? What things would be really helpful? But really just understanding what foods really helped me and listening to my body.

Speaker 2:

Once I really started listening to my body in that way, that's when I felt like the process really started working for me right and being able to talk to you about like well, this is what was going on this week and I noticed this and like just it forced me to be more connected with my body and more aware of what was going on, which I feel like that I was aware I was like I was not that aware of my body and so you really have to pay attention to it and say, okay, after eating this food I felt like this right, once I pair these foods together, I actually feel a lot better.

Speaker 2:

So I don't have to limit myself. It's just how and when I eat, because my schedule really also was a hard thing about it, because I see clients in the evening and sometimes I'm like, oh, I'm really hungry at night, I want to eat, and that would just like throw me off completely because then I went to bed not feeling great. So it's like how and what to eat. Those times were really important. So, like you giving me actual like examples and practical things, that I did, I think, was what was really helpful instead of like being so strict and be like well, you're not following this really, really strict rules of the day Like what's wrong with you.

Speaker 2:

Why did you do that? I think that's like part of that process too, but also really trusting the process, because there was a moment of like, like plateau, that I was like what's happening? And then you get then you get discouraged, right and like really have to like push yourself through that and making sure and then, as we know, I then uh, you know, was doing better. I actually was not as bloated, feeling better, uh, losing a couple pounds, but mostly I was energy up, I was feeling better and then I got pregnant. So, yes, which was like a back end goal, right, like I knew. I was like I will not be able to get pregnant unless my body is really prepared for it and I didn't want to be pregnant. Like feeling bloated, feeling tired, I'm like I'm already going to feel all of those things while pregnant. I did not want to feel that going into it, but really trusting the process and really pushing through, because I feel like that's what happens, like when we don't get immediate results, we get discouraged and then we stop.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely. I just I think it was the what one of the previous podcasts, maybe the very first one about this year of this year. I talk about what happens after that honeymoon phase because I feel like that's when a lot of us just give up because it is it is tough in the beginning Like there is some sort of you have to make changes of some sort, and I try and make it this nice balance between it feels uncomfortable because you're doing something new, but it's not so out of this world where it's extremely stressful and is extremely hard to do. And if that's the case, then you know I we talk about it again, we pair it back and we see where it is good starting point for you, meeting you where you are. But I always have to talk about that plateau period. Every single client I've had it's like well, we talk about that because and this is why I like to make my program six months too, because it gives opportunity for that.

Speaker 1:

I feel when the programs are shorter at least the way I run mine a lot of times you end in that honeymoon phase where you're so excited and then, when no one's there to kind of guide you through that phase, knowing that is super normal and part of the journey. It's another like, oh, this doesn't work for me, I can't keep up with this. This is so hard when there is another side to this, as you've said. I feel like that connecting with the body piece is so important for every single person because it gets a little bit easier once we're past that plateau period of understanding our body and our resources and we have more tools of what to do. So talk to us a little bit more about like you're expecting now. I remember that was one of your goals and I still remember to this day the day you texted me and I was losing it oh, you were the first person I told I'm like who else can I tell?

Speaker 2:

right now, I'm like I can't tell anybody. So you were the first person I told I'm like who else can I tell? Right now, I'm like I can't tell anybody. So you were the first person I told um, obviously outside of my husband, but the first person, um, and, yeah, it's, it's.

Speaker 2:

It's been a journey because even within that there's some things. I had to accept some things. That and I remember I was talking about it before I was going to take my glucose sets to see if I had gestational diabetes, and we were just like, like most likely no, the way I eat this and that, and then I do have it, right, but it was like a very genetic component to it. Right, it was because, like everyone in my family, almost everyone in my family besides me has diabetes, like all my siblings. My father did all of that. So the doctor was like also, like, like this is there's a huge genetic factor in here, and I talked to some of my other cousins. They've actually had it. It's just like I'm like, why don't we talk about this like this?

Speaker 2:

is like we should talk about this so that it's not this like shock. So but because the work we did, I have like during the day, like I am completely controlled, diet controlled. There is, like my, my, my levels never go up too high, but it's like I also know how to pair things too, um, and know, like what to eat. Also, I'm not super swollen being pregnant, like I feel like that's also a difference too, like knowing like the amount of water that I need, knowing like what's gonna help me and TMI, but also I don't get super constipated because I know what to take now if I'm feeling that way?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely, and those are things that naturally, like a lot of people, a lot of women go through the swelling, the constipation. It's really hard. I actually spoke to somebody who's a physician's assistant I feel like that's her title and she works in the maternal unit and she was sharing with me how the women who are there and pregnant or wanting to get pregnant are so incredibly unwell and no one shares with them any sort of information on how to improve their health, on the consequences that this has on themselves and on their baby. It's just really sad to see where women are starting off and how their pregnancies develop, and I'm really happy that you're in this place where most of it is genetic. But we worked on so many tools, not just before you got pregnant but then when you were newly pregnant, on how to manage all of these different symptoms and what the doctors were telling you and and how you were feeling which is a big factor in in this is not just what they're telling you, right.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, I think a big part of it, too is like feeling like I had some control over it, because I feel, like other people in you know just reading being in, like different groups and things like that. It's like if you're constipated, it's like, oh, take this like supplement. I'm like, no, drink more water, have more fiber, have more veggies, Like you'll be okay. And move your body. Move your body Like the biggest thing is to move your body. I felt like very equipped, but I want to do.

Speaker 2:

I want to say this prior to me getting pregnant I really don't think I would have gotten pregnant if my body didn't feel better. I feel like before my body was like getting pregnant, girl, you're a really long time or something else is going on. Obviously, you know, get all the things checked, and I did get things checked, but I knew that my body was not going to carry a child if my hormones were not balanced. I knew that I needed other supplements. You know like and that was another really great thing Like you were able to sell me take these prenatals, because it has this stuff in it. Like I've never read a label before, Like I don't know.

Speaker 2:

I was like vitamins are vitamins, right, no right. So you were able to also give me exact supplements. That would be helpful even for my husband. I remember you're like, okay, you're trying to get pregnant. This is a good one for him. He's taking those, he's still taking them and he really likes it. His energy is up and he feels really good. Yeah, Multivitamins is omega, all of those things. So it's even just like how I looked at supplements and how they would help me, and then you recommended something for my hormones, which really, I really think that's what helped me get pregnant.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you know I want to circle back to your husband real fast. I was going to bring him up and I'm glad you did first, because there's this big I don't know if it's misconception or what trends that it's just the woman that needs to work on fertility and it's her fault only if.

Speaker 1:

God forbid something happens with the baby, like there's just so many layers to this and I remember I asked you one time. I'm like, hey, so what's your husband doing to support or to help or what's his lifestyle like? Because it is important and we had a whole discussion around him and how to support this goal that you guys have as a couple to grow your family right yeah, and, and it was really good because then I could have that conversation with him.

Speaker 2:

He went and got certain things checked out to make sure everything was good and then he started okay, supplements he already exercised, like he was doing that, but it was more like awareness and I think it takes a. It took, I know it took off for me that it was like, oh, it's all on me, there must be something going on with you if you're not getting pregnant. But it also like there are things that men can do and a lot more people should know that. Um, and, like I said, I'm a mental health therapist. I have clients. I'm very open with them about this.

Speaker 2:

Um, and I didn't share this before, but my son is adopted, so this is literally my first pregnancy. So I share experiences of like. No, it doesn't always happen month one or two that you get pregnant. Sometimes, like me, it took almost 10 months to get pregnant and it's okay, these are not, you know, like that's a sign of like okay, what can we work on? What's going on? Let's listen to our body, because our body's telling us something, but also your partner should also get checked. See what they can do, because they there are things that they can do to make sure that it happens as well.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely, and I just want to share too. Like I had my first son at 28 and it also took us like nine months before I got pregnant and I thought it was again going to be easy fast. I wasn't even 30 yet I got. I guess I got pregnant at 27 and it took a while and I was asking my doctor and things like that. So sometimes, yes, it happens super fast for some people and sometimes it takes longer and, retroactively, thinking back, I was not in my health and wellness journey at that time, but I know my metabolic health or my blood sugar health was not well.

Speaker 1:

I knew. I knew that now, looking back, so I don't know exactly what made the difference for me, because it's been a while, but I know that that maybe was a factor and yeah, so I just wanted to bring that up as, just like another person who it, it sometimes takes a while, but I love what you said too, where and and you're my second client to be on the podcast to share this, where you mentioned if I had not been taking care of myself in this way, I do not know if I would have been able to conceive at all, because I know you were also looking at other ways and options to conceive as well.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, yeah, I definitely we started exploring those options Options I didn't really want to explore because it meant more hormones in my body. And I didn't. I was like I'm just feeling good again. I don't want to explore those options. And the month before before actually the month we were supposed to potentially start the one in the process that ivf, uh, uh, iui we were going to start that. Actually, no, we weren't going to start that because my insurance wanted me to do something else take a pill full of hormones before they would prove any other intervention.

Speaker 2:

That month that I was supposed to do is the month we got pregnant. So it was like by chance. I did not have to do any of that. We got pregnant naturally. But, yeah, we were starting to explore other other options, but other options that I just didn't feel good about. It's like I'm like. But other options that I just didn't feel good about. It's like I'm like I don't want to go down this path because I honestly didn't want it to like offset all the work that we had done for so many months, because I felt like that's what was happening if I would have had to do one of those things. I'm not saying that like it's not, you know, something that other people choose to do. We were willing to do it, if nothing else, but we were very lucky that that month that I was supposed to basically it was it. I was supposed to start taking these pills, I think, like two days after I got my period, but my period didn't come because that's the month that I got pregnant. Yeah, awesome.

Speaker 1:

So tell me because my podcast is called Wealthy Generation and I am a really big advocate not just and part of like my mission is not just for women's health, but creating generational health and changes and influences Is there any way that this work has allowed you to have generational impact in your life or in your family?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, for sure, we think about the way that we feed my son and I probably had shared this with you while we were here. It's interesting because there was a family member that would come over and always want to give my son McDonald's and I'm like, like I can't remember the last time I ate McDonald's. I don't want him to have that. And it was a difficult conversation for them to hear us say like we don't want him to have that. It was like why? Like you know, it's just a chicken nugget, it's just a french fry, you know, and he really likes it. I'm like, of course he really likes it. I'm like they're made to really like it. I'm like, look at those apples. They're not turning a different color. That's concerning. So it really gave us the like no, we have to talk to our family members. We are going to tell them no, I do not feel bad saying no about not eating something right, especially not just pregnant, but just normal. I'll say like, no, I'm not eating that or having a very small portion, and being okay with any comments that they might have or not have, and really making sure, like for our son and for our daughter when she's here, like, like, we don't have to eat our whole entire plate, we don't have to eat like a ton of carbs because. So it's like.

Speaker 2:

Made me also just realize how many carbs we have all the time. Right, it's like, okay, I can eat like a ton of carbs because so it's like made me also just realize how many carbs we have all the time. Right, it's like, okay, I can eat like more of a protein and a little bit of a carb. I don't have to have all that. And also made me realize how, in so many of these functions, we don't have vegetables, there are no vegetables. So it's like I'm like, okay, I'll, we'll be the ones bringing the vegetables, we'll be the ones that are going to bring those things that we know that we're going to like, and that's okay. But just like having those conversations whether it's like with a parent, whether a grandparent or whatever it is saying like, like I know that that doesn't make me feel good after I eat that and being okay with saying that, so that our kids can hear us say that and that they're comfortable with that as well.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely. I love that and I remember that was my favorite part because you were always like. Oh, I don't mind. Like I'll say no yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, no, none at all. But I think it's like also having the knowledge now behind it, having experienced it, knowing how my body feels. I don't even know how my body would feel if I had McDonald's, right.

Speaker 1:

I'm like.

Speaker 2:

I don't know what my body would do. I don't want to find out, right? So it's like having that knowledge of like how much what you put in your body is going to impact you. For the rest of that day, for the rest of the week, it's like I don't even want to take a chance. I'm okay with saying no and I'm okay with saying now why it's a no.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think the why is super important, because I know even for me growing up, mcdonald's was like a luxury and it wasn't real big sign of love, where it was such a treat that your parent or a loved one would take you there. It was such an experience and and I truly remember that and that's fine. However, now, knowing the impact that it can have on our health, it's like how do we recreate those experiences and how do we give our older generation those tools to show love in the same way through food if they want to, but a different quality, and I feel like having that why, that knowledge piece to be able to share with them. And it's like, oh, actually they create these foods to be addictive and they cause these certain kinds of patterns and destructive like health patterns and we don't want to start our children off with those kinds of influences can be such a big deal. So can you please share how, like if somebody's thinking about this, if they're struggling through some sort of health issues that again they pretty much feel and and they feel really seen by your story Like I've gone to the doctor and they tell me everything's fine, but clearly I don't feel well and I would really like to feel differently and things are happening and I can explain why and I don't know what to do, because what the doctor's telling me to do, I'm already doing.

Speaker 1:

What kind of doctor's telling me to do I'm already doing. What kind of I don't know suggestion advice would you have for a person like that, if they are scared, nervous, reluctant to seek out health and wellness coaching?

Speaker 2:

I think it would be similar that I have to like most things in my life. Like you, can't change something if you don't have the knowledge behind it, right? So, if anything, um, being scared or nervous to do something like this, this is going to empower you with a lot of knowledge for you to make better choices, and we can't make different choices oftentimes if we don't know why. Okay, so once, for me, why's are very important. I'm like, okay, why, and then seeing the results of that, but I needed to understand the why. So giving yourself that knowledge so you can make better choices is so worth it, instead of because the other option is to do nothing. It's literally to do nothing, because doctors will wait until you're worse, until you have diabetes, so that you have to take medication. Right, because, like you said, like they need a diagnosis in order to give you anything which, like I understand from, like, a mental health perspective which I really can't say about insurance either I have to give someone a diagnosis in order to continue to treat them in therapy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

Same thing for medical and really just trust your body. Trust that if you give your body what you need, it will feel better. Because that was the biggest thing, and I think at one point I shared this with you. I said I really don't care how much I lose or don't lose, I just want to feel better. When it comes to pounds, I'm like I want to feel more energy, I want to feel like myself. I don't want to have any fog, I don't want to feel bloated and like once I felt the not bloated, I was like, oh, you don't have to be bloated every single day. This is fantastic, right. But it's because, like working with you, I was able to get knowledge and information about like okay, putting this in your body is going to make you feel like this. Like, okay, putting this in your body is going to make you feel like this, right. But if you do this, you're going to feel like that and in those beginning stages, when things really start feeling better, you can really see the difference. So it's giving yourself, it's honestly so what you're doing something for yourself, like you're giving yourself knowledge, information and things that you can carry forever.

Speaker 2:

And I had told you, as I said. You know, like when we were going to continue, I was like I'm pregnant right now, let's going to continue. I was like I'm pregnant right now, let's see how it goes. I'm like, but I'll probably come back after, you know, I deliver to see how my body feels then. Right, because there's also your body's going to go through changes, especially as women. We have all these hormonal changes. Whether we have kids or don't have kids, we're still going to have hormonal changes. And that's exactly what happened to me at 35. My body started changing and the things that worked before no longer worked for me. So, again, learning, gaining that knowledge, so you can say, okay, this is what my body needs now, and doing it in a very natural way. Things that we have control over. We don't have control over what's in a medication, but you have control over how much food, what food and when you eat those foods, Absolutely.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for sharing that.

Speaker 1:

And the piece of your body's going to change, whether you have children or not, whether you are expecting or not. It's going to happen, especially with perimenopause and I was just sharing with another client today where there's people with very limited knowledge as to what are the strategies and the skills and the habits that you need in perimenopause, because she was frustrated about another one of her, like a person in her wellness team, Right? So I'm glad that the strategies that do apply to this season in life not only allowed you to feel better in your body and like reducing the brain fog and the bloating and all that. Also getting pregnant at a stage where a lot of people in the medical system have doubt and probably like discourage it. Or I've heard crazy stories about what people are told. I'm like, oh my God and I know we've also spoken a lot about that what happens in the office? So thank you so much for trusting me. Is there anything else you would like to share that I didn't ask that you have in mind with our audience.

Speaker 2:

No, I think we covered so much. I was so excited to be here and to share about this, and because I just don't think that these things are talked about enough of just like not trusting you know, like, or rather trusting yourself, and that when you know something is going on with your body, like it's not just like oh, you're getting older, it's like no, like there was like a 60 something year old woman that like swam across like thousands of miles, like, no right, other people do it, you can do it too. It just isn't. We don't have to accept this norm of like, oh, you get older, and like everything hurts and your stomach hurts and this and that. But taking care of yourself in this way is so very important because it's long lasting and, like you said, it's things that you pass down generation to generation, or it just continues Like, how is it that everybody in my family has diabetes?

Speaker 2:

You know, like there's something going on there that really needs to be looked at, that if you don't change it it's just going to continue happening. So it's like trusting yourself when you don't feel well, something's going on and that even if you go to a doctor and a doctor says everything is fine I know culturally to like something they're like well, the doctor said this and we just go with it and I'm like no, you can still trust yourself if something else is going on.

Speaker 2:

So that's my biggest thing. It's like trust when you don't feel okay and find other ways, because there are other ways to to live better and to feel better are other ways to to live better and to feel better.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for that, Kathy. Is there any way that we can connect with?

Speaker 2:

you. We can support you if people want to get in touch with you or reach out. Yeah, so on socials you'll find me at my practice. So my practice is called a hero counseling center, so you find me there. Latinx Practice Collective is the collective where, again, like I said, the past couple years I've really wanted to connect with other people that are like minded, like look like me. It's really important to me. So created the Latinx Practice Collective, the two other founders so you can find me there as well, and then that has all the connections to any websites on there. So thank you for asking.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, awesome. I'll make sure to include that in the show notes so that you can easily find them. And Kathy, thank you so much, kathy, for being here. I appreciate you, your time, your honesty and vulnerability, because I know sometimes these topics are not easy to talk about, but I do appreciate that Because, as you said, they're not talking about, they're not spoken about enough, especially in our communities. So I thank you on behalf of everybody else who needs to hear your story and feel seen and can have some, hopefully, hope at this moment listening to your story. So, thank you so much. Thank you for having me, thank you.