Hi, Katie. Hi, Lauren. How are you? I'm doing really well. Yeah. I'm so excited to chat with you today. I'll start us off how I start them all off. Can you share a word or phrase to describe your current season of motherhood? That's a good question. I would probably say trust and surrender. Yeah. Yeah. Just because I'm in, like, the season of motherhood where I'm learning to reparent myself, and so a lot of things that are coming up. I'm just finding myself saying, like, I need to trust that this is an opportunity for my own healing and also so to maybe make some different choices in terms of how I, you know, raise my babies and the things that I Say to them and then in terms of surrender, it's, again, kind of just surrendering to the moment and really just Allowing it to be and not having expectations for it to be a certain way and just, again, trusting that there's like, No matter what happens, something in it is for me, and it's there to teach me something. That's beautiful. Yeah. Such an important, kind of mind frame to have for sure. So Katie, can you tell us more about who you are? I I wanna know everything. Okay. I need to know about Katie Galvin. Who are you? What are you passionate about? And what kind of work do you do? Well, I am a wife and a homeschool mama of 2 very tenacious strong willed kiddos. In my former life, I was a speech language pathologist and kind of through my own personal necessity found myself in the Holistic functional health space, specifically women's health space. I married my high school sweetheart, and we I I had always known that I wanted kids. We had both known we always wanted kids. But since I was 15, I knew that I wanted to be a mom. It was always in my plan, And I had been a very, I don't want I don't know if I wanna say, like, typical millennial, but I was very much raised with, like, you, you know, achieve and, like, do your very best and, you know, kind of that perfectionistic overachieving type a personality and, you know, did all the things that I was supposed to do. Did, like, AP courses in high school, went on to get my bachelor's of science and then my master's of science in speech language pathology. Got the job that's supposed to be really good and reliable, making a good income, And got married, had kids, and I very quickly realized that I had very unrealistic expectations of what motherhood was going to be like. I kinda thought it would just be a continuation of my life as it was. I was always very incompetent and put together and kind of was able to do all of the things, And that was not the case after I had my daughter at all. Physically and mentally, I really struggled after I had her in 2016. Physically, my health just completely kind of tanked. I had debilitating insomnia, like the inability to sleep for days at a time even though I was exhausted. I was super shaky. I had heart palpitations. I had really bad anxiety. And after a couple weeks of that, I definitely my mood was I was so anxious all of the time. I was really depressed. I had no idea what was going on because I was like, I don't understand. This is not how I thought motherhood was going to be for me and really struggled with, you know, breastfeeding and Everything like that and went to my conventional doctor. She was like, you have postpartum anxiety. You know? Here's your medication, and that didn't really work for me. Ended up going through a whole host of of doctors and trying a whole bunch of different medications. None of them actually addressed what my underlying root cause was, which knowing now, I had an undiagnosed thyroid condition postpartum, and I kind of just was like, this is not for me and dove into more of the holistic Health space, and that's kind of what led me here as I realized when I really did start focusing on nutrition and lifestyle and gut health and resting and actually relaxing and things like that that I started really feeling a lot better, and I just I loved it. And I dove all into it and later went on to become certified as a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner, and I help other mamas. That's quite the journey to get there, and it's it's amazing how much motherhood can be like, it can be such a catalyst for such incredible change and, like, really aligning and figuring out what your true values are and what actually makes you happy. And, yeah, it's it's this beautiful kind of unfurling, that it it can provide us as women, which is so neat. But yeah. There's so much there. Okay. So you started as a a speech language pathologist. Are you still doing that work? I am not because I realized again when I went through this journey, how much of that those things that I thought I wanted for myself were not actually mine. And I think when I dove into the holistic functional health space, it just lit me up in a way that that never did. And the whole reason I became a speech language pathologist was because I wanted to help people and, you know, specifically children. And I think I just realized working in the Demes, I know you have that experience probably as a nurse as well. And I ended up just being mostly like a desk jockey, like, just doing the assessment And some writing reports and being in meetings, had very little actual touch time with the kids. I felt like they weren't actually it I felt like the work that I was doing with them wasn't actually getting them the types of improvements that they needed. And so, yeah, I'm no longer doing that anymore. It was kind of like a That was really a catalyst too because I knew probably 3 or 4 years before I quit that job that it was not lighting me up as soon as I had my daughter and really started focusing on me and my health. I don't even wanna be away from her. Like, I don't wanna be at this job, let alone one that I did not love. And when COVID happened, it ended up kinda being like that little shove, I think, from the universe that I needed to be like, okay. This is not for me. This is not going to be a system that is aligned with my values anymore at all, and so that's really when I was like, okay. I love this functional holistic health stuff. Like, what can I do to get me into that realm? And I'd already been a, Certified nutrition coach and, like, certified personal trainer. And so I kinda just went from, more of just like the nutrition, physical health, or fitness Into that functional certification program and was like, alright. This is it. We're just gonna make this make this happen, make it work. And I I it was when I do it, I feel like I'm not working. It's something that I just really enjoy, and I feel like it was kind of naturally something that I was good at. Yeah. That's the ticket right there. When you do the work, it doesn't even feel like work. You know? That's that's true success in my eyes. So you've touched on this idea of, like, the difference between allopathic medicine. So, like, the typical health care system. The it's so reactionary. It's, it's not health care. It's sick care compared to this, yeah, this, like, functional medicine, holistic health that's looking at what is the root cause. Because with with medicine, that's really not the goal. It's not the goal. It's keeping you alive pretty much. Right? It's but it's not looking at at actually healing people. And like you said, what you wanted to do was help people. And I have a very similar story. Right? I mean, I was a nurse for 10 plus years. Just wanted to help people. I loved my job. I, you know, I chose a role that really matched my personality out of the 1,000,000 directions I could have gone with nursing, but still, it was the same the same experience. There's there's no root cause approach. It's all just responding and reacting and trying to, you know, catch up to whatever's happening and, you know, adding more drugs, more medications without ever looking at diet and lifestyle. And then, you know, on a personal level, I also, you know, have some thyroid whatever stuff, and I remember waiting 6 months to go see an endocrinologist. And I show up, and it was the biggest waste of time. I I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe I had to wait 6 months for this. She pretty much looked at me, told me you're not sick enough. Come back when you're sicker. I can't do anything to help you. And then me playing like devil's advocate because I already knew so much about functional health. I was like, oh, like, should you know, are there any, like, diet or lifestyle things I could be changing? And she literally looked me, like, straight in the eyes and was like, no. Don't bother. I was like, okay. Like, you have just lost all credibility. It's out the window. Like, why would any health care provider in any specialty ever look at a person who's asking especially about changing their diet and lifestyle? Why would you say no? Even if it you know, even if you don't believe that that's gonna make a difference, why would you ever do that? Because, again, it's not health Care. Right? It's it's incredible. I just couldn't believe it. So I think it kind of paints the picture of, yeah, like the the huge difference between the 2 types of models like the allopathic versus the more functional. Yeah. So can you tell us a little bit about, a little more about, like, the work that you do do now as a doo doo doo doo now. Oh my god. I'm a child. That you do now as a functional diagnostic nutritionist. What does that mean? What does that look like? So what makes it really unique and, again, when I say functional and holistic, there are a lot of other, you know, naturopathic Practitioners or, you know, allopathic practitioners or even doctors of functional medicine who just because they have those titles, they still approach health Very differently because a lot of times when they come they come from that background of allopathic medicine first, like most functional doctors of functional medicine were at first doctors of conventional medicine realized there's a huge gap here, kinda like what you just talked about in all of the downfalls of, hey. Like, I'm not actually helping anybody. And so they kinda go over to this, you know, more functional approach where they are looking at some of those root causes. Maybe they are running some of those functional labs, But a lot of times too, they don't have that that true holistic view of health in terms of, like, this is not just a body. Like, you are a A person who has, like, very real experiences, especially in that postpartum gap, like, when we're dealing with really, like, matressants and very specific on, like, Female hormones and physiology and how that changes during pregnancy and after. And so it really is one of those things too where I truly make sure that I am addressing all of the clients that I work with, whole body, like mind, body, spirit. I wanna know about your entire life. I wanna know about how you're living your life, What stresses you have in your life, how your relationships are, all of those things. So the very first thing that I do is I do a very thorough intake. So it's very Sometimes that takes, like, over an hour just getting to know you and, like, asking truly about, like, all of your symptoms in all of these different areas. And then from there, the one of the hallmarks of the training that I received as a FDN is that we are basically like health detectives, and so We test. We don't guess because that is another thing that I see sometimes even when you go to, like, a doctor of functional medicine is maybe they'll run 1 or they'll maybe run 2 labs. And a lot of times too, we get in this, like, well, here's your diagnosis because there's still a doctor. Here's your your Band Aid, except maybe instead of a pharmaceutical, it's a supplement. I'm looking at okay. Yes. We absolutely use supplements, but they truly are a supplement to the nutrition, the lifestyle, The nervous system stuff, which is huge, and then that, you know, mental, emotional, like, reprogramming that you, like, really have to walk everyone through. Because a lot of times, it's Our thoughts and it's these programs we have running in our mind all day that are also keeping us sick. And so the way I approach health is, yes, like, we absolutely wanna know you as a person because your, plan needs to be very individualized. It needs to be something that works for you. I do thorough labs, so when I'm working with My clients who are either, well, first off, like, the people that I usually work with are women who are either trying to conceive or are planning to conceive, women who are pregnant, Who are wanting some more nutritional support, making sure that everything is optimal, not just normal based on, like, conventional OB GYN standards. And then where, like, my heart and my passion really is is those mamas who are already postpartum, who maybe didn't know the things that could have Really supported them better during preconception and prenatal that are just not feeling good, and they really fall through the cracks. Like, At least even in conventional care, like, you know that, like, a woman who is pregnant, she's gonna have regular appointments with an OB GYN if she's going through conventional care or she has options to, like, go see a midwife, but often for that postpartum period, there's really very little, if any, follow-up or support, And very few providers are actually trained, like, specifically in postpartum physiology. And, like, what those, you know, women's bodies are dealing with in terms of all of their systems, and then really that, like, matrescence piece, like, really Navigating the social, emotional, like, psychological, physiological changes, hormonal changes, all of those things. So that is really, like, where I focus. So I look at I do look at hormones, but that's all hormones, not just sex hormones, which is everyone what most people think of in terms of, you know, women's, hormones, but I'm looking at cortisol. I'm looking at thyroid. I'm looking at blood sugar. I always look at minerals. So every single I work with that has any sort of testing. I always look at minerals because you could be doing all of the other things right, but if your minerals aren't balanced, your cells can't actually use any of those good things. And minerals are literally like the foundation of all funk metabolic processes in your body, so how well your Body produces energy, and they are huge for women, especially women who have already had children because with each pregnancy, your minerals are depleted by about 10% if you haven't intentionally tried to make sure that you're replenishing those as you're pregnant. So that is a huge amount of minerals. It's actually about £4 to, like, Give that a little bit more of, like, a quantity. Like, that's a lot of minerals. So always work on those. And then I also do gut testing because you get you know, a lot of people are basically saying, like, the root of all illnesses, like, starts in the gut, and I'm like, I slightly disagree, but, yes, it is very important. Like, our we have that gut brain access that directly communicates with our brain and vice versa. And most your microbiome changes during pregnancy, so a lot of times, you know, and your digestion changes and everything like that. So that's usually something that most people could, do a supporting. And then I also look at functional blood chemistry. So, again, those are just like how's your Your, you know, your blood cell count, like, how is your immune system functioning? Do you have inflammation? Looking at some of like, iron levels are also really huge. So just looking at all of those things, and so it truly is like a a holistic, very thorough approach, which makes it, I feel like is what makes it the most effective for clients getting results. Not I don't wanna say, like, Quickly because it's not a quick fix, but when you actually know what it is that their body needs, you can dial it in so much faster with, like, very specific nutrition, very specific lifestyle strategies for them, and then definitely, like, the supplements. You can kinda dial those in just to give them a boost while they're starting to implement more of the nutrition and lifestyle things. Mhmm. Yeah. That boost is so important. That's kind of where I'm at right now. I somehow, I'm in this place. Like, I just finished weaning, in September. And I think since then is when I've really started to notice, like, okay. Something's kind of off here, which to me in a lot of ways makes a little bit of sense. You know, things are finally, like, kind of leveling out again. All of those, you know, Breastfeeding hormones are settling back down. And I just stopped at one point. I was like, wait a minute. Like, I actually feel really bad, but but I don't have the energy to do all of these things that I know I should be doing. So, like and I think a lot of the, like, health and wellness advice out there Doesn't make a lot of sense for postpartum women who are already in a little bit of that survival mode. So what's different about your approach? Like, how do you help those women who are, you know, so exhausted and, Yeah. Like, having a hard time just, you know, making themself a meal to begin with. Yeah. Like, what are some of your best kind of That's a Yeah. That's a great question. So the first thing I do is I meet everyone where they are at. So I can give you the best, like, long term, you know, goals for these thing these lifestyle and nutrition factors for your long term goal, but that that is the last thing you wanna do is just info dump on these women who are already really overwhelmed, really Tired to where they just feel so overwhelmed or it feels so hard that they're just like, forget it. So it's almost about doing less, in especially in the beginning, especially for women who are postpartum. And when I say that, like, once you're postpartum, you're forever postpartum, but Especially in, like, that first, like, 3, 6 months to a year, really making sure that they understand the true importance of deep Nourishment and getting enough food. So, like, if you had to focus on, like, 2 things, it would be deeply nourishing yourself with, like, Nutrient dense, warm, really, you know, nourishing foods, specifically minerals, And then also reducing your stress as much as possible. So oftentimes and I see women and moms just like, oh, maybe I'll take, like, a week or maybe 2. Most moms don't even do that. They haven't been told that, you know, you should be in, you know, in the bed. 5 days in the bed, days on the bed, 5 days around the bed minimum. And so many other cultures around the world have, like, at least a 40 day period where the mom is being completely taken care of. She's bring being brought, like, healthy, warm, nourishing meals. All of the household chores are being taken care of for her. There's someone else coming into the home to really help her, And it's all about her recovery and allowing her to be able to bond with baby by taking care of just like those basic needs that support safety and her rest and relaxation. And so when women don't get that, like, their body is in a profoundly more stressed state, especially, like, Most new moms are already dealing with some level of sleep deprivation dealing with a new baby unless you are blessed with the baby who just comes out, like, sleeping. Yeah. You know? And so your body is already under a lot of stress, so adding more stress is not going to help. It's gonna be counterproductive. So as much as you can rest And relax and, like, truly do nonproductive time and really just allow your body to heal, and also the nourishment piece is huge. So for a lot of moms in Western culture, since we typically live in, you know, very, like, nuclear little families, not living with either parents anymore. We don't live with other family or things like that. I always recommend if you can, which I realized, like, it is definitely a thing to be able to access that, but if you can get a doula or if you have, like, a family member or even, like, a trusted friend who you feel comfortable enough who will come into your house and, like, help you do the dishes and do your laundry and take care of your like, you know, be with your other kids while you're resting and relaxing And providing food for you or grocery shopping for you so at least you have the raw materials at home, all of those types of things. But the 2 biggest things are always going to be At the minimum, if you're breastfeeding, this doesn't really apply either because you need so many extra calories. That is such an an energy expensive process on so many levels, but the 2 biggest things are reduce your stress, which mostly means, like, resting and sleeping and allowing your I need to heal as much as possible and deeply nourishing yourself with enough nutrient dense food, specifically minerals. Yeah. I love that. I'm I'm kind of laughing because I just randomly looked at this like thyroid health meal plan and literally every single every single meal was a new, like, a new recipe. I was like, how is this practical at all. Like, you you're you have, you know, poor thyroid function. You're exhausted. You're maybe a new mom. I mean, this wasn't tailored for mothers, but, like, it just doesn't make zero sense. So that's what I mean by these, like, practical ways, like cooking a huge big pot of some kind of warm Yes. Nourishing stew and then eating it for leftovers, freezing it. Mhmm. Yeah. And, like, if you can It's those Call them kiss meals, like keep it simple stupid meals. Yeah. You know, but, like, if you can just do, like, a massive crock pot, you know, Yeah. Bulk of some sort of soup, even if you're getting things like bone broth in. And there are some brands of bone broth you can buy from the store if that's Not something you have capacity for making your own at that point. There's there's always ways around it, but, you know, make yourself some some chicken soup Or have someone make it for you or, you know, some sort of, like, very warm, nourishing, comforting meal that is just going to give your body 1, like, the The nutrients that it needs, something that has, like, really, is has yeah. Just full food nutrition. That is the piece that I feel like is missing because that is where all of the minerals are in the vitamins and things that you need are coming from. But, yeah, if you can bulk Prep that or have someone come in and do it for you or even before if you have that, ability to prep meals before you give birth that can just be frozen, that you can just thaw, like, have some soups that are in bulk that you just stash in your freezer And thaw thaw those out, but that is too why I really recommend if you can getting a postpartum doula or even someone that, you know, get a a meal delivery service or something just so that you have that Access because I know it is hard, especially when you're sleep deprived or you're nursing and you've got other kiddos running around, and it's just it's hard sometimes to even just have the time to cook for yourself. But With my mamas that I know are struggling specifically with their thyroid, I always recommend starting with minerals, which is why I love the hair tissue mineral analysis so much just because, Again, the minerals is if those are imbalanced, like, you could be doing all of the right things. Like, you could be eating all of the right foods. You could be doing all of the, you know, stress reduction techniques. But if your cells can't actually use that because your minerals are imbalanced, you're still gonna struggle, and you're that is one of the thing one of the things of many. That drives me nuts about how conventional medicine approaches thyroid health specifically is you they never assess your minerals other than in the blood, which is the least accurate way to assess minerals. But if your sodium and potassium are low, your thyroid hormone, even if your body's making it, can't get into the cell. So that's a problem. Because even if you're on thyroid medication and, like, on paper, they're like, oh, your thyroid hormone levels are up. You should be all good. A lot of women who are on thyroid medications still don't feel good. They're still tired because there's a piece missing. It's either the autoimmune piece, Which I say in quotes because I don't truly believe in autoimmune conditions either. Oh. Yeah. Which is spicy. But, yeah, like, there's that component which Has an immune component that is not addressed by thyroid medication, and they don't they don't care. They don't even delve into it unless you really push them to check your antibodies. And then if they check your antibodies, they're gonna so that's an issue, and they don't check minerals. So I'm like, you cannot have we can't have any Or, like, the your minerals also control hormone sensitivity in your body for all all hormones. So that's just one of the things. I'm like, they just don't check it, and it's not their fault. I don't mean to sound like I'm beating up on conventional medicine because we doctors truly don't have the intention to, like, Me too. Most of them. Right? There are those humans out there in all in all trades. But they have the intention to help their their patients feel better, but they didn't learn this in conventional Medicine, like, in their training, they don't know. So and they don't you know, they only know what they know, and they've been told that this is the way that you treat thyroid conditions, but there's this huge gap missing. And I just look at it especially for women. 1 in 7 women will be diagnosed with a thyroid condition in her lifetime. On average, it takes 6 years with conventional medicine to get diagnosed with a chronic condition. And within the 1st year after birth, women have a 28% increased risk of being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. So this is just showing, like, this is pretty unique to women, to female physiology, to postpartum women, and there is just this massive gap. So that is even on, like, the functional side or the conventional side. Definitely more on the conventional side. They are not looking at these things that are affecting women disproportionately. Mhmm. So do you wanna go there? I wanna know more about your thoughts around autoimmune because that's how I knew that I, I guess, air quotes, like, had a thyroid condition. My TSH is still within normal range. It's on the higher end. But I have, TPO antibodies, and they've been as high as, like I don't know. They won't even show you the result because they're so high. So, yeah, tell me. What Yeah. Tell me more. So I have a couple of different, thoughts about autoimmune. So When I say autoimmune, that's honestly and here's the other thing too. So I don't actually go into the diagnosis either. That is a very conventional medicine paradigm. Right? They have to give it a label So that they can justify the treatment which they bill insurance for. And I know you're in Canada, so you guys don't do the whole insurance thing the way that we do here In the United States, it makes no sense. It's absolutely batty. But, anyways so the way that They are addressing that in terms of, like, autoimmune. They're basically saying, we don't know what's wrong with you. We're just gonna blame your body. Your body is the problem. It's attacking itself. I'm like, the body doesn't make mistakes. It is responding to something it's in its environment. So you just have to figure out what your body uniquely is responding to and address that. Support it. Right? Like, your body is not just out of left field. It goes against Everything that I know to be true about how our body functions. Like, our body goes through that is its number one goal is survival at all costs. Right? Like, that is literally the basis of how all of our hormones work. That cortisol, which is that fight flight stress hormone, either you're running from a bear to survive, you're either gonna outrun it or you're gonna not make it. Right? But if down if your cortisol is constantly pumping because you're under some form of Stress. It's going to down regulate all of your other hormones because the only thing that's important is surviving. So I'm like, that doesn't make sense just knowing The primary function of our entire body is to survive. Why would our body attack itself? Mhmm. It doesn't make sense. So it's just responding to something, and it's being triggered by your immune system is being triggered by something. So whether it's, you know, some sort of food that you're But you're eating that your body is not agreeing with. And, again, we could get into that because it's honestly probably not the foods itself anymore. It's the way that they are Conventionally processed and modified and all of that. It's not something your body recognizes as being natural a lot of the times. So it might not actually be, like, the, you know, the whole food that it once was. Once upon a time, you're reacting to something else. It could be that you have some sort of underlying, you know, infection or something like that that your your body is dealing with. You might be having a lot of toxins coming into your environment, and you're having a hard time detoxing, and so that's triggering your immune system. You could have, you know, what they call leaky gut, meaning that the lining of your gut, your intestinal lining isn't intact, and so things that are supposed to stay in your gut are getting out into your bloodstream, which they're not supposed to be there. So your body's reacting appropriately By producing antibodies to something that's not supposed to be there. Yeah. There's just so many things, and then I'm just now starting to get into German new medicine a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. Which is so so interesting and so fascinating, but they're basically just about all of these different biological conflicts that we That we can have, are just manifesting in body. But yeah. So I don't actually believe that your body is itself. I real truly believe that your body is giving you symptoms because it's communicating to you. That's the only way it can get your attention. And it's just showing you, hey. Like, there's something here. It's an opportunity for healing. We just have to figure out what it is. So that's kinda how I approach it. And that's like the big difference too. Right? It's like in allopathic medicine, there just isn't that, like, investigation to the root cause. It's just like you said, like slapping Band Aids and dealing with symptoms, managing symptoms. That's all it is. It's like, oh, you feel tired? Take this to give you energy. But it's not looking at why are you tired? Why are you feeling tired? Even if your labs all look, air quotes, normal. Yeah. Because well, and that's the thing is being tired is probably completely appropriate for the things that are going on in your life. Your body's trying to tell you by giving you low energy. We're either not getting something that we need or we're getting too much of something that we don't need. This is a problem, so I'm gonna let you know we have a problem by making you really tired. So by just taking something that maybe would make you not tired. I don't know what they include steroid. I don't know. More thyroid hormone. I don't know. That's not addressing the reason, so your body's like, oh, darn it. I'm gonna have to get her attention in another way. Let's give her Migraines or something now instead. Maybe that'll get our attention. Someone will figure it out. Yeah. So, yeah, I just I look at it as your body is your ally, and when you're having symptoms that actually for the way that I view it is it's actually a sign that your body is working correctly because it's responding to its environment. If it wasn't responding to its environment, you would be dead. Right? So that's kind of just how I look at it is they're not good or bad. It's just information and communication from your body. I think that's such a healthy way to look at it too, because we can get so caught up in that identity of like, oh, I'm sick. My body doesn't work. I hate my body. And that just perpetuates it even more. Your body is listening. Your cells are, you know? That's a Yeah. A huge part of why I also and I I felt fell, I guess, victim to this too is when I was struggling Really badly after I had my daughter, I wanted answers. I was like, just tell me what's wrong and fix it. You know? And so they're oh, we could get, like, so existential over that. But it was you know? And that's I think too part of how we're conditioned. Right? You have a problem. You don't feel good. You go to the doctor. They diagnose you. They give you whatever it is, and you get better. But when look at it now yes. But when I look at it now, one of the worst things that I did was I completely bought into, and it kept me really stuck for a really long time when my all these doctors were were like, you have severe postpartum anxiety and depression, or they'd be like, you have Treatment resistant depression. I felt so deeply broken, and I was like, oh my gosh. Like, what is wrong with me? And I pathologized myself. And so it is, you know, like kind of like you said, like, it makes you you feel like, what is wrong with me? And when you have those thoughts, you're right. Like, your cells listen. Like, your that produces stress hormones in your body. It's going to have a chemical response. And so that is one of the things too is When I when I work with women and they're like, well, I have this diagnosis. I have this diagnosis. I have this diagnosis, and I'm like, okay. It's all information. So we just we know we're going to be looking for healing I don't care what it is. The way I approach it is exactly the same. We're gonna do your, you know, lifestyle and medical history form. You're gonna tell me about your life, how you're living your life, what your relationships are looking like and then we're going to test all of these different areas, and we're going to look at what your body is telling us that it needs. And we're gonna put these strategies in place that you can, like, slowly kind of implement to just give your body the support that it's looking for. Like, I literally will I don't diagnose Anything that's not part of my, certification. We don't diagnose. We don't treat. We don't prescribe. We are not medical doctors in any way, Which I look at as, like, a positive thing because I'm like, my job is not to tell you all of the things that's going wrong with your body. Just to tell you all these opportunities to give your body what it's asking for. And I truly believe, like, your body can heal and recover from anything barring that you've had anything maybe, like, physically removed, which is also a whole other other thing. I'm like, that is just it just doesn't make sense to me, and I'm like, I laugh because otherwise, like, I would probably cry. And I have on behalf of a lot of my clients and gotten so angry because it's just not fair. But it's like when, you know, they're maybe they try medication, it doesn't work, or you don't want medication, they're like, let's just cut it out. Yeah. Let's just get it get rid of it and take it out. And I'm like, oh, it makes me so sad. But, yeah, I mean, in terms of just how powerful your thoughts are, you know, going back to some of the cultures that had, like, the witch doctors or the bone doctors, and they would, like, shake that bag of bones and point at somebody and be like, you know, like, you're gonna or something, and that would happen for no apparent reason. Right? Like, it's just going to show that the power of your thoughts and the way that you are approaching it is almost the most important thing. And so approaching it from a place of curiosity and just, you know, deep compassion and gratitude for your body, and it's trusting its ability to heal is so much more important because I do see a lot of times 2 clients who have, you know, gone to functional or doctors of functional medicine, or they've done all these things and they're trying so hard that they're almost, like, obsessed with all of the health things, you know, and so obsessive about the supplements and all of the things. I'm like, that is, in some cases, almost More stressful and keeping you stuck because you're so like, that's all it's consuming all of your thoughts. Like, that's really why I'm always focus on the nutrition and the lifestyle pieces of it because that is, you know, the reducing stress and the deep nourishment. Like, those are the things that really matter. It's not all of the all of the supplements like, you're never going to out Medicaid, out biohack, or out supplement poor nutrition lifestyle in, like, a dysregulated nervous system. So those are the big the big rocks that have to that have to come first because that's what, for the most part, for most of us, got us into Whatever current, you know, health experience we're we're experiencing. Yeah. Yeah. So many things. Oh my gosh. The the one thing that's come to mind is so like, I think it's so easy to start thinking, like, for me, exam for example, I've been doing so much, like, somatic coaching type of work, very focusing on, you know, communicating with my body and, like, healing things emotionally. But you can still get stuck in thinking like, for example, you know, my my nervous I'm doing all this nervous system work, but I'm still feeling dysregulated. I'm still getting so angry, and I've realized it's like, well, I didn't eat breakfast today. Uh-huh. I didn't hydrate today. Like, it's all connected, and we can so easily start to think that things are separate even when we are, like, holistically minded. You can still get caught in thinking like, well, I'm doing all this work in this one area. Why am I still having these symptoms or experiences, in other areas? And I think this is what's so beautiful about actually working with someone else because they can, like, see these little places that you're getting stuck. Like, again, I'm using myself as an example because this is where I'm at right now. It was like such a subtle, journey I can't think of a better word. A subtle, shift to this place where I was finally like, what's going on? Why do I feel so bad? And I realized it's like, well, I'm getting up. I'm drinking coffee first thing. It's the first thing I put in my mouth. Then I'm not eating breakfast for hours. Sometimes if I go straight into working, it's 1 o'clock before I, like, come up for air and realize, oh, I haven't eaten yet. That's why I feel so angry and agitated. But, yeah, I think being able to work with somebody else who can kind of look at the big picture and help you figure out what are the little ways, the little tweaks, the little habit changes that you can implement that are going to help you feel so much better. And it's those, like, simple little tweaks like, okay. Wake up and have a glass of water first, then eat something, and then have your coffee. You know? Like Yeah. Exactly. I mean and that's the thing too is, like, even as a functional practitioner, like, I don't treat myself. I go and have someone else help because they do see those gaps. Right. And they point out things that you might be missing. And I think too for when you are really tired and you are really overwhelmed, you could absolutely Try and DIY it yourself. Like, you could like, the Internet is filled with so much information that you could get for free, and you can piece it together And, you know, kinda trial and error it and do that. Or if you work with someone who one understands, especially for women, like, uniquely postpartum physiology and maybe how the changes that happened postpartum led to years down the road other health conditions, and you go back to that starting place of well, this is probably where it came from, so let's check all of these things out and individualize something for you based on data of what your body is saying it needs. Like I said earlier, I don't wanna imply that it's like a quick fix because it's not a Band Aid quick fix. Like, there's it's not just like, here's your 25 pound bag of supplements. Like, let's just mess with the the numbers of or the levels of nutrients. It's okay. Here are these things to give your body a boost, what it's asking for to give you some symptom now while you go back and address the reason that those deficiencies or whatever it was was there in the 1st place. Yeah. So it just it does if you can, it definitely makes sense to seek someone out who Understands and who can who can help you feel better faster. Yeah. Yeah. And so so for the moms listening. I know you've kind of given some little tips and tweaks and things. You've mentioned minerals a lot. Like, what is an easy way for that, like exhausted, overwhelmed mom to start even not just related to minerals, but we're like, what are some really easy ways, like practical tips that they can leave this episode with and go implement in their own life. Yeah. So one of the easiest, yeah, one of the easiest ways to get minerals, and this thing too because a lot of us have been told if you listen to conventional health models that salt is bad. Avoid salt. You're gonna get high blood pressure. Add salt, but when I say salt, I mean real salt. Like, unrefined pure sea salt. So I love, like, Celtic sea salt, that's a brand. Redmond's real salt, something like crucial 4 or, you know, the one that I the other one that I can think of is Jacobson. But add a little pinch of sea salt to your water and have that in the morning when you wake up. You could add a little lemon in it if you want. Bonus points if it's, like, warm or, like, hot, because that's a nice thing to put into your body first thing in the morning. It all also really helps with digestion, but so sea salt is a great way to get some minerals in there for your sodium. And then potassium wise, so you can you can drink them. Coconut water is a great source. And, again, this might not be for everybody kinda depending on your own unique, health health right now or, like, if you're pregnant, some of these things might not work for you. But, like, aloe vera juice has a is a good source of potassium. You know, tropical fruits, that's a great source of potassium. All of those types of things really just loading those in. And then, again, going back to nutrient dense foods. So find and we also want a variety. But if there are foods that you know you really like, so things like grass fed red meat, that has a great amount of, you know, vitamins and also minerals that you need. Things like, oysters or shellfish, if you like them, those are great sources of minerals. Things like, seaweed and other fish and things like that are good source of iodine. You can get things like selenium again from, like, sardines or from Brazil nuts, things like that. So you really do just want to eat full foods even if they're just like, you know, you go to the store and get a a box of good quality bone broth if you don't have the capacity to make your own. But those are all ways that you can add things and just get them your diet. And then you also wanna focus on protein and eating enough food specifically. So every single client I've ever worked with comes to me not eating enough food, And that right there could be the main problem for them, because it's going to slow down your metabolism even as little oh, no. I can't remember exactly, so don't don't quote me here. I think it's even as little as 3 to 500 calories of a reduction, can decrease your thyroid hormone by a pretty significant amount, and I think it was, like, in as little as 6 weeks. So not a lot of time. So if you're looking at where the majority of women are, not always intentionally. Sometimes intentionally, but a lot of times it's completely unintentional. They've been undereating for decades because we just don't realize how much food and energy, our body actually needs to just do its basic things, like breathe and blink and beat your heart and all of those things outside of if you are active and when you are under a lot of stress, whether that's mental, emotional stress, whether it's physical stress, you're going to need even more calories. So that is always where I start is, like, just making sure that you're getting in nutrient dense foods, specifically the minerals, and then making sure that you are eating enough food. So if you are not eating at a minimum 3 full, and I say, like, grown ass woman meals a day. Like, we're not eating, like, toddler portions. We're not eating, like, your kids' left Over PB and jelly crust or, like I'm called out. I feel called out. Very lovingly called out, though. And you're not the only one too. And a lot of times too when women are not feeling great, you know, we go to the Internet. Right? We go to Instagram or see, like, even in the the holistic health space, So many of my clients are like, well, I've been intermittent fasting because I hear it's so good for you, and I'm like, well, you're already stressed. You're already depleted. That is actually not good for your body. And if you're a cycling female, I very rarely if ever recommend intermittent fasting. Definitely not, like, all month long or every single day or anything like that. So yeah. And, you know, keto, all of that. Like, that would be a whole whole other thing or, like, low fat diets, all of those things. It really goes back to moderation and, like, eating enough whole foods, like a variety of whole foods, enough protein, enough fats, enough carbs, all of that. Yeah. What I'm thinking of is, like, for myself, I have a lot of knowledge about nutrition. I I you know, I'm technically a holistic nutritionist as well. Haven't been practicing or anything like that. But it's like, I'm at this place where I almost have too much information in my head where it's like, okay. I need I know I need to eat whole foods, oh, gluten is bad and, oh, meat. Yep. Need that, but don't eat too much dairy. And it's like I I kinda end up just numb and, like, well, I don't know what to eat. Even out of all these, like, whole healthy whole options, whatever you wanna call them, it's like I get kind of frozen. I'm like, well, I don't know what to eat. And I I've lost all creativity with food, and now I'm literally eating 3 things. Yep. Been there, done that. Yeah. And it is hard too, especially because, like you said, like, information can is a good thing, but too much information can give you that analysis paralysis, you get, like, overload. Yeah. And so that, like, triggers your nervous system. Right? We don't think very clearly with our brain when we're in, like, fight or flight mode, and that is something too that I really do believe in, like, nutrition being very highly individualized because when you look at it too from, like, an ancestral perspective, like, based on your your heritage, you might have a better response to different types of foods. Some people do better with more protein and fat, and they don't do very well with carbs. That doesn't mean don't ever eat carbs at all because thyroid will hate you. You know, but and some people do better with more carbs and more fat and not so well with protein. They have a hard time digesting it. So I always approach it As one, like, you know your body best, and your body knows. Like, it will tell you what it does and does not like. And so that is the other thing because, like, usually, by the time I've gotten Clients come to me. They're like, I've tried all the elimination diets. I'm already gluten free. I'm already dairy free, and those types of things. And they're like, well, now now do I need to how about all like, do I need to not eat rice? Do I need to not eat potatoes? Do I not need What's left? Right? And so I always approach it as, well, let's just start with first, getting enough food. Like, let's just give your body enough calories, and then we can talk about you know, let's make sure we're getting enough protein. Let's make sure we're getting enough fat. Let's make sure we're getting enough carbs. After those things, it's like, let's talk about the qualities of food. And I'm always like, you keep track of what your body is telling you, Which, you know, I know now that my body the only grain that my body likes and tolerates without giving me bloating or without giving me any digestive issues is quinoa. And so that's fine. So I just know and I that doesn't mean I don't ever eat, you know, rice or something like that, but I just know if I have too much of this, my body doesn't love it. You know, some people truly are dairy intolerant or don't handle dairy well. And, again, you could argue maybe it's because it's conventional dairy, and it's been heated to all the Jesus and doesn't have the enzymes to help you digest it. But some people truly don't do well with dairy, so I do not do well with a one dairy, which is, like, typical cow's milk dairy, but I can tolerate a 2 dairy. So things from, like, cows or or not cows, Sheep or goats or, a very specific type of cow, I think it's Jersey cows, I'm pretty sure it's Jersey cows, make a 2 dairy. Yeah. So it's like you know your body best. You just have to learn to listen to it, but I really want people to get out of this paradigm of, like, good versus bad foods, when it comes to whole foods and, again, like, I'm not saying completely, restrict yourself from having any sort of, you know, quote, unquote, like, fun food. Like, I still make cookies for my kids all the time, but the ingredients I'm using are, you know, whole food ingredients, and they're they don't have the added chemicals or preservatives and things like that in it. And, again, too, at some point, like, if you wanna go out to a holiday party and enjoy that, do that. Just, you know, you gotta as long as you're the majority of the time eating food that is actually nourishing your body and giving it what it needs in terms of vitamins and minerals And eating enough calories. The stuff like, you know, going out and just eating whatever's there and just enjoying yourself, like, that's also important for Yeah. Enjoyment and pleasure. Like, that is also really important. It's just the majority of the time. Oh, wait. Well, always, every single time, listen to your body and, know, just learn learn what your body's communication is. Like, how do you know when, you know, your body is responding to a certain food? Do you get bloating. Do you get you know? Are you constipated? Do you have diarrhea? Do you get a headache? Like, whatever it is, those are are the ways that your body's communicating to you. Hey. Like, we might have eaten something that is not is not serving us. Yeah. And what's coming up for me is like, well, sure. My body will tell me, but what if it's just those antibodies and then I have no symptoms? Like, what if it could still not be agreeing with me, and I think that's where some of my, like, paralysis comes from. It's like, well, what if my body still doesn't like it? And I don't know. Yeah. I should eat it. No. Definitely not. Definitely eat it. Yeah. That's just the thing too. And so usually for, if you have thyroid antibodies specifically like the TPO, that would be what conventional medicine would say is Hashimoto's thyroiditis. And so 2 of the main things are reducing your stress, and, also, healing your gut is huge, but usually for that, they recommend gluten free. So that is one of the things that in the research is pretty thoroughly, inclusive is that typically if you have Hashimoto's, they recommend being gluten free. So outside of that, that is pretty much the only recommendation where I'm telling a client, you should probably try this for at least, like, 30 to 60 days and at least just see how you feel. Yeah. You know? But other than that, it's very highly individual. Mhmm. Yeah. Yeah. So for everybody listening, 2 things you're gonna do. You're gonna eat grown ass woman size portions, 3 meals a day at least, and we're gonna start our days with a nice mineral drink. That is for sure what I'm gonna add for myself because, yeah, I really need to break this habit of, like, literally walking out of the bedroom and making a it's a half calf coffee. So I've reduce the caffeine for sure, but it's still the first thing I put in my mouth in the morning. So that's my big, like, habit I'm trying to break. So yeah. Starting with a nice warm, maybe, mineral drink. Any other what's your biggest, like, stress reduction? Because I can feel people, like, rolling their eyes. Yes. I know. I'm always stress. I'm always like and I feel like is a little bit of a loaded question too, but and I'm always like, moms are probably gonna wanna punch me in the face when I say reduce your stress, because a lot of the times, what we What we consider to be normal stress or unavoidable stress, we really do just need to take a look at our priorities and realize that the vast majority of us are Trying to do too much. So there's a little bit of Yeah. Soul searching that needs to happen there. So really looking at, like, how how many things are you doing out of obligation instead of out of desire. If it's not for the immediate benefit of someone that is so incredibly important to you in your life or that you really love or is not immediately responsible for keeping a roof over your head and food on the table, what can you let go? What can you take off of your plate? Because without exception, there is always something that can go. So, basically, like, do get rid of what does not need to be there, and especially if it's something that you just dread doing or does not bring you joy, That would be one of the first things, but also learning how to just truly rest. And when I say rest, I mean nonproductive rest. A lot of times, I'm just like, oh, yeah. Like, I'll sit and I'll listen to a podcast. And I'm like, well, is it a self development podcast? Is it an educational podcast? Is it something really thought provoking? Because if it is, your brain is still going. It is not resting. You know, so it's always about connecting to, like, joy and pleasure in your daily life. So I always say, like, you could reduce stress just by being more immersed and making everything an experience. So what can you what can you see what can you hear, what can you feel, what can you smell, what can you taste, like, really being in the moment and just That is very soothing for your brain and your nervous system. So just literally orienting to your environment and being a little bit more mindful, it does not require any extra time. You could do it while you're washing dishes. You could do it while you're doing laundry. You could do it while you're driving. You can do it while you're doing anything. So just having that that mindfulness of being in the present moment instead of the alternative being maybe you're washing dishes and you're like, oh my gosh. I have to go to grocery store after this. Have to go pick up my kid at, you know, this, and then we have to get to soccer. What am I gonna make for dinner? Like, very different than, oh, like, I'm washing the dishes. Like, Feel the warm water on my hands. Like, I can smell maybe, like, the lavender dish soap that I'm using. Like, maybe you can light a clean candle or something and just smell that or play Play a playlist that you love while you're doing that and really just make it an experience. Take 0 extra time. You're already doing the thing, But your your your mind is more calm, and it's in that present moment. So those are usually the 2 things that I recommend. And 2, I know moms get so upset because it's part of, like, their, a lot of you know, it's part of their, like, self care in a lot of ways. That is a way that you soothe your nervous system is by doom scrolling or, like, be when you do get a free minute, you plop on the couch, right, and you pop up Instagram or, you know, TikTok or whatever your flavor is. And I'm not saying that doesn't have a place, but the time where it is the least serving to your overall health and goals is late at night when you really should be sleeping for so many reasons. So the other thing would be prioritizing your sleep because, again, sleep is almost arguably more important than nutrition because sleep impacts how your, you know, your hormones and things function too. And, yeah, your circadian pattern runs runs everything, and that is tied to consistent sleep. So Mhmm. Not getting enough sleep, not eating enough food. Those are, like, the 2 the 2 biggie things, and, you know, again, prioritizing sleep goes along with Stress. That is stress reduction. That's your body needs to to sleep. Yeah. And I think for mothers too, it's like, you know, putting yourself first a little bit. Like you, you have to take care of yourself first. So giving yourself the space. And I don't even mean that you have to leave your baby or go out and do something. It it just means, like, I need a minute to sit here in silence. And even if a baby's crawling all over you, you know, you can take a few moments to just breathe for 5 minutes and and and have that time frame. Minutes. Yes. Yeah. Minutes. Yeah. If if moms can do breath work, even, like, 3 minutes of and I when I say breath work, it doesn't have to be anything fancy. Like, even 3 minutes before you get up in the morning, before you even get out of bed, just close your eyes and really breathe into your body. Feel it. Check it out. Maybe set intentions for the day or say gratitudes or pray if that's, you know, what what makes you feel good. But, like, just starting your day from more of that grounded place And really breathing into your body is also really, soothing for your nervous system. It would be a great way to kind of de stress before you start your day instead of immediately just thinking of all the hundreds of things you need to do. Mhmm. Yeah. But the the putting yourself first really is is essential. Like, there is no getting around it, and I know that's something that our society is just conditioned into moms that, like, you should be able to do it all and be selfless and put yourself last. That's what makes you a good mom, but it doesn't really actually in the long run make you good for anyone because you're gonna be so tired and so depleted, And that's where a lot of that call. Yelling? Yes. Yeah. That's what I mean. So we can argue and, like, convince ourselves that basically having that, you know, martyred motherhood Aspective. I do everything for all for everybody else, and I put myself last, but it's kind of like, well, how's that working for you? Like, you're irritable, then you feel terrible about it. It's like not actually Helping your relationships, and I think as moms, the best the biggest gift that we can give to our children is our own health. Right. Because I wanna be there for my babies as long as I possibly can, and I wanna have a good quality of life so that I can be that mom that's not too tired to go play or, You know, like, I wanna enjoy myself. I don't wanna only be paying attention to my body when it hurts or something's wrong. Like, I wanna feel good. And for moms too, like, we are our kids' role models. So they see us. Like, they're gonna have this this idea in their heads of what it means to be a mom. Like, what is what does a mom do? Are mom's always tired? Are they always grouchy? Are they always, you know Drinking wine in the corner. Yeah. Drinking right? Like, coffee to get going in the morning and wind the wind down at night, you know, and that that is Something that I think moms really can benefit from is learning to set boundaries with their own kids too. So like you said, being like, mommy just needs a minute Just sit here and rest. This is how I take care of my body so that I can, you know, not be not be grumpy mommy or whatever you wanna say or, nope. Mommy needs to eat food right now. Like, I'll play with you when I'm finished eating my meal. You know? So that way they understand, like, oh, mom's setting a boundary. She's taking care of herself. And so they know when they get older, like, oh, I'm gonna be able to take care of myself too. Yeah. That's beautiful. So I'm starving. So did not eat a proper breakfast. I shoved, like, a hard boiled egg in my mouth so I'm on Instagram mostly right now. My handle is at kate n galvin, g a l v I n. So I mostly hang out there, and, I work mostly with clients 1 to 1. I have both 3 6 month programs, and I'm working on a hybrid group program, which is gonna be really exciting, that is coming out in January. So those are the 2 the 2 main ways that that you can work with me. Just send me a DM on Instagram, and we can connect and make sure it's a good fit and We vibe with each other. Awesome. Thank you so much.