i'm going to be a health coach!

issue one // hello world

Today marks the first step in bringing something to life that I’ve been daydreaming about for four years! I’m hitting send on the inaugural issue of a newsletter all about the small changes that you can make to achieve health and wellness in your life.

Here is proof that it’s been years in the making. This is a picture of me when I first vocalized my dream to one of my treasured friends and marathon partner, Elisabeth, while sharing a hard kombucha on a SF beach in 2019. We don’t run marathons anymore, but we do still discuss the meaning of life in marathon-length conversations.

it started in march 2015

I had just wrapped up a two-week trip to India. It was magical. While boarding the plane home, I started to feel a little funky.

I sat down in my seat.

I started to sweat.

I lost my breath.

My stomach started doing twists and turns.

I started to shake.

I had never felt that way before, so naturally, I decided that I was dying. I got off the plane and requested to see the medical team at the New Delhi airport. I was told I was having a panic attack and to fly home the next day.  

Offloaded with a stamp in my passport to prove it! Shout out to another treasured friend, Greg, who sat next to me on the flight from Delhi to JFK the next day and assured me that I would be ok.

Panic attack? Anxiety? No way. Not me. Something “real” had to be going on. I never had anxiety before and had total control of my life!

From there, things got really scary including symptoms like:

• Bloating and stomach pain every time I ate

• Fatigue and insomnia

• Hair loss

• Joint pain

• Excessive weight gain

• Acne, backne, and skin rashes

• Loss of my period

• Anxiety, depression, and moodiness

And the list goes on.

It also included being told:

• I probably had MS, but who knows

• I probably picked up a toxic parasite in India, but who knows

• It was in my head

• I would probably never have kids

• It would get worse over time and there is nothing that I could do

• I didn’t have a thyroid problem (shout out to my Mum who knew I had a thyroid problem from the start)

And that list goes on, too…

I knew there had to be something that I could do to get my life back on track. A client of mine at the time noticed that I wasn’t myself, asked what was going on, and told me about Functional Medicine based on her own positive experience. I watched what she sent me, started Googling, and ultimately found a path to healing.

There is no doubt in my mind that working with a Functional Doctor and learning about Functional Medicine changed the trajectory of my life.

since then…!

• I determined (through testing that I discovered on my own) that I have a very common, reversible autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s

• I learned that anxiety and panic attacks are typically some of the first symptoms of autoimmunity (explaining the New Delhi airplane panic attack!)

• I have regained my health and have none of the symptoms that I used to experience daily

• I have learned how to use data to inform the protocols that I follow and assess how they are working in my body, recognizing that everyone is different

• I am getting better as a result of my new lifestyle and habits!

• I feel energetic, happy, and excited to fulfill my mission on earth!

This graph shows my TPO Antibodies decreasing over time as a result of diet and lifestyle changes.

When I started to get better, I started to dream.

My dream is for all people to know that there are easy ways to live healthy and well so that their precious time on earth can be spent having fun, feeling joy, and spreading love.

My mission is to help people who feel sick, unheard, and stuck transform their lives, with baby steps over time, to feel optimal health, wellness, and joy.

why i’m starting a newsletter

This newsletter is the place where I will share things that I already know and things that I am learning with you (I’m starting Functional Health Coach Training on Monday - more to come in the next newsletter!). My goal, for now, is to start to build a community of people who want to know more about how to be healthy and well to live a vibrant life.

In this newsletter, I will share:

• Products that I love and are alternatives for the many things we use that are toxic and/or bad for our tummies, hormones, etc.

• Tips for sticking to a healthy and well lifestyle – acknowledging that changing old habits is REALLY HARD and learning that you need to change things that you’ve done your entire life is REALLY OVERWHELMING!

• Things that I am learning

• Things that I’m listening to/reading/watching

• How to use data to guide health and wellness decisions, while always following your gut (I’m currently obsessed with the mind/gut connection - more on that in a future newsletter, too)

• Q&A from readers

• Information about easy blood, stool, and saliva tests to understand your genetic composition and key markers to build protocols that work

This newsletter is for you, so I desperately want to know what else you want to read. Let me know at millhouse.health@gmail.com.

That’s it for now. There is SO MUCH MORE TO COME!

Thank you, from my whole heart, for being on this journey with me.

Here we gooooooo!

Love,

Elizabeth 💕