The Year I Decided My Health Comes First: A Personal Journey into Functional Medicine and Hormone Healing
Jan 23, 2026
Your body whispers before it screams.
Mine was shouting. For years.
And yet, like so many women I know, I kept brushing it off. I chalked up the fatigue, the weight swings, the brain fog, the sudden migraines to "just being busy" or "getting older."
Until one day I realized: this wasn't normal. And this wasn't sustainable.
This is the story of how I hit a health wall at 36, just a few years after leaving my 22-year corporate career to build a flexible, soul-led business, and why functional medicine became the game-changer that helped me rebuild from the inside out.
Hitting Perimenopause After Twins: When Everything Shifted
- I gained and lost 30 pounds multiple times.
- My energy tanked. I couldn't get through the day without crashing.
- Hair loss. Migraines. Blurred vision. Brain fog so thick I forgot what I was saying mid-sentence.
- I walked or worked out 6-7 days a week. I lifted weights. I hired nutritionists. My diet was decent.
Still, something felt off.
Like I was constantly pushing through molasses. Like I was being punished for doing "all the right things."
And then came the final straw: monthly migraines that knocked me out for days, leaving me unable to work, parent, or even think straight.
Something had to change.
Life After Corporate Was Supposed to Be Better
I left a 22-year corporate career to build a business that gave me flexibility, time freedom, and creative autonomy. And I had built that.
But the stress? It didn't disappear.
Sure, I wasn't commuting or in back-to-back meetings anymore. But I was holding up a business, raising a family, and still constantly "on."
We changed the schedule, hired the support, and re-did our entire business to support the most aligned lifestyle we could come up with...but here's the truth.
The life-first business model I designed was only going to work if I put my health first.
So I made a radical decision:
To stop guessing.
To stop googling symptoms.
To stop numbing and powering through.
And instead, get real answers.
Enter: Functional Medicine
I hired a functional medicine specialist at the end of last year and committed to getting full-spectrum labs every quarter.
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Dutch Test
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Bloodwork
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Full physical panels
We weren’t going to play whack-a-mole with symptoms. We were going to get to the root.
And what we found explained everything.
What Was Really Going On (Spoiler: It Was a Lot)
These were the results from my first round of testing:
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High cholesterol (hereditary)
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Extreme inflammation
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Cortisol levels 300% higher than average 30 minutes after waking
That cortisol stat was a wake-up call. My stress response was off the charts, which meant my body was in fight-or-flight before I even got out of bed.
No wonder I was crashing by noon.
Add to that:
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Estrogen dominance
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Low progesterone
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Practically nonexistent testosterone
My hormones were out of whack.
Which explained the migraines. The mood swings. The weight gain. The fatigue. The "I don't feel like myself" feeling I couldn’t put into words.
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The (Massive) Healing Plan We Built
Here’s what recovery looks like for me right now—and yes, it’s a lot. But it’s working, slowly. This is not a quick fix. Which is why we need the business model to support it. It's almost like I spent years building the business to support our life and now the business is supporting me.
Morning Routine, reimagined
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Starting with EMDR-style meditation via the Calm App
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No screens first thing
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Walking outside (when its not freezing) before working out if not, I am on the treadmill
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No more fasted workouts — I now eat breakfast first to avoid stressing my system
Food + Nutrition
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Tracking protein (goal: 150g daily)
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Upping fiber (25g+)
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Managing carb intake (around 155g)
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Prioritizing cruciferous vegetables for hormone support
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Reducing caffeine to almost none
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Hydrating like it's a full-time job
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Following @thebalancednutritionist for easy meal ideas
Yes, I’m logging my food. Yes, I still hate it. But it’s helping.
Movement
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Daily walks (minimum 30 minutes)
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Incline treadmill sessions (3.0 speed, 12 incline)
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Strength training + Pilates (still using @fitwithcocoa)
Supplements (The Natural Pharmacy on My Counter)
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Resveratrol blend
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NAC
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Adrenal support
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Berberine
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Vitamin D3 + K2 (the K2 is key!)
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Magnesium Glycinate (especially for migraines)
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Turmeric
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Fish oil
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Collagen + Creatine
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Goodbye melatonin, hello castor oil packs + lymphatic massage
Hormone Support
We’re working on balancing estrogen, boosting progesterone, and bringing testosterone back online. This is still in progress.
Why I’m Sharing This (It’s Not Just About Me)
I’m not a doctor. I’m not telling you to take 15 supplements or walk on a treadmill you hate.
I’m telling you: your body knows.
If you feel off, you’re not crazy. If the "normal" tests say you're fine, keep digging. If you're tired of hearing "this is just what being a woman feels like," don't settle.
Healing is possible. But it's not passive.
It takes:
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Support
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Data
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Patience
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Unlearning hustle
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Relearning how to listen
And sometimes, it takes a complete health rehaul.
This Is What a Life-First Business Model Actually Means
We talk a lot about time freedom, flexible schedules, aligned strategy.
But here’s the truth: If your body is running on fumes, none of it works.
Running a business while your hormones are crashing is like trying to build an empire in a sandstorm. You’re too foggy to lead. Too tired to create. Too reactive to feel grounded.
My business didn’t need a new funnel. My body needed fuel.
And when I started supporting my biology? Everything else started to shift, too.
Want to hear the full behind-the-scenes story on all the things we are working on this year?
Listen to Episode 603 of the podcast here
Where I Am Now (Still In It, Still Healing)
We’re still in the first quarter of this protocol. But for the first time in years, I feel hopeful.
I’m waking up with more clarity.
I’m not crashing mid-day.
I’m moving with intention instead of pushing through.
I’m rebuilding—from the inside out.
And I’ll keep sharing, not because I have it all figured out, but because I know how lonely this can feel.
You deserve to feel good in your body.
You deserve to thrive in business and in health.
You deserve a model that works for your life—not the other way around.
So here’s your permission slip to pause, dig deeper, and choose your well-being first.
Your future self will thank you.
About the author
Holly Haynes is a female business coach and business strategist who loves a good plan and flow chart. She is crazy passionate about teaching women like you how to build your dream job and scale to 6-figures without sacrificing your weekends or priorities.
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