What if your weight loss resistance wasn’t about willpower… but about what’s being missed?

In this episode of the Thyroid Strong Podcast, Dr. Emily Kiberd sits down with her client Donna, who shares her powerful six-month transformation after years of feeling stuck, inflamed, and exhausted.

Donna wasn’t just dealing with Hashimoto’s.

Her case included a layered history of Lyme disease, chronic fatigue, systemic yeast overgrowth, mold sensitivity—and even a recent concussion that required her entire fitness approach to be modified.

And yet… she still lost nearly 40 pounds.

This is what happens when you stop guessing—and start addressing the root cause.

In This Episode, We Cover:

1. Why “eat less, move more” failed Donna for years
2. 
   
3. The hidden root causes keeping weight stuck (including parasites)
4. 
   
5. How high eosinophils can point to deeper immune activation and a parasitic infection
6. 
   
7. The exact shifts that helped her go from 220 → 181 pounds
8. 
   
9. How to rebuild strength when your body can’t tolerate intense workouts
10. 
    
11. Why microdosing movement (instead of long workouts) can be a game-changer
12. 
    
13. The role of sleep, hydration, and macros in thyroid-friendly fat loss
14. 
    
15. How personalized coaching (not cookie-cutter plans) accelerates results
16. 
    

Key Takeaways

Donna’s success wasn’t about doing more.

It was about doing what actually worked for her body.

Her protocol included:

1. Customized macros + consistent food logging
2. 
   
3. Increased daily water intake
4. 
   
5. Earlier bedtime (10 PM) to support recovery + hormones
6. 
   
7. Gradual walking progression up to 45 minutes
8. 
   
9. Strength “microdosing” throughout the day using phone alarms
10. 
    

When her labs revealed elevated eosinophils, we dug deeper—

and uncovered two underlying parasites contributing to inflammation and weight retention.

Once addressed, everything started to shift.

00:00 Welcome and why Donna’s Hashi story might sound like yours

00:39 Years of chronic illness and burnout

01:50 Deciding to invest in herself

02:53 Starting point and weight loss goal

03:44 Concussion-friendly fitness strategy

05:24 Sleep and walking habits that stuck

06:19 Macros tracking and hydration basics

07:13 Parasite clue and deeper testing

08:59 Commitment and paying for tests

09:55 Closet wins and daily life changes

11:49 Family ripple effects and support

12:24 Program structure and extra calls

12:46 Coaching Access and Support

14:04 Accountability Without Shame

14:49 Biggest Wins and Macros

15:49 Locking In for Life

17:36 Payment Options and Testing

20:32 Supplements Made Simple

21:55 Handling Stress and Self-Priority

23:49 Final Encouragement and Wrap Up

What Makes This Story Different

This wasn’t a perfect, linear journey.

Donna navigated:

1. A concussion recovery
2. 
   
3. Winter setbacks
4. 
   
5. Fluctuating energy levels
6. 
   

But with ongoing support—including text access and additional coaching calls—she stayed consistent, adjusted when needed, and built momentum.

Now, she’s not just lighter—she’s stronger, more mobile, and confident in maintaining her results.

If You Feel Stuck…

If you’ve been told your labs are “normal”…

If you’re doing everything right but not seeing results…

If your body feels inflamed, fatigued, and resistant…

This episode will show you what’s possible when you finally address the full picture and look at Hashimoto’s from a root cause approach.

Ready for Your Own Transformation?

If you’re ready to stop guessing and get a personalized plan built for your body:

👉 Apply for 1:1 Functional Medicine Coaching:

https://www.dremilykiberd.com/functional-health-coaching/

👉 Want to figure out what’s driving your Hashi symptoms? Sign up for our Hashi Symptom Audit

https://l.bttr.to/zD2Uu

👉 Or get custom workouts + macros inside Thyroid Strong Elite:

https://www.dremilykiberd.com/elite/

Donna, welcome to Thyroid Strong podcast.

2

I'm so excited to have you here.

3

We worked together in a six

month capacity, and you had.

4

Tremendous shifts and tremendous changes.

5

And I wanted to share your story with

all the listeners because I think

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sometimes when we have Hashimoto's

and we're struggling with energy and

7

brain fog and fatigue and weight,

we feel really alone in our journey.

8

And we're like, our family doesn't get it.

9

Our kids don't get it.

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And I just need someone

to know and to help me.

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And so I'm so excited to bring

you on 'cause you did have

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a tremendous transformation.

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I did.

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I did.

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Yeah.

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So when you first came to me,

um, can you paint us a picture

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of what you were struggling with?

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Because it was more than just.

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Hashimoto's autoimmune disease, right?

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There were some other

yes factors in there.

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Yeah, sure, sure.

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So in my, I'm currently 53, so in my

twenties I had my first bout of Lyme

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disease and then being on antibiotics

for so long, I ended up with a systemic

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yeast infection throughout my whole body.

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So as an antibiotics most of my life,

which gave me chronic fatigue issues.

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Mold sensitivity started to be a factor.

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All kinds of issues where if I

would leave my house, my ears

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would feel like they were swollen.

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I couldn't hear.

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I was tired all the time.

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In the midst of trying to homeschool

three kids and run a house and be

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a married mom and work per diem.

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So I had a lot on my plate

and it was very difficult.

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Like I couldn't really schedule too

much out, even like as far as two or

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three days because of the fatigue.

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And I had been to a lot of

different practitioners in the past.

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I went to a metabolic clinic.

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They worked me up with all kinds of

lab work and do this breathing test,

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do that treadmill test and whatnot.

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And they didn't really help me.

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Even lose anything.

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Nobody could really figure

out anything that was wrong.

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And so I actually had watched you

for about two years on Facebook.

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I had, I had joined a couple of your, you

know, little lectures and I don't know,

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for, for some reason I was like, oh, it

just sounds like it's too good to be true.

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I, I don't, I don't really

know if I could trust her.

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I don't know if she's gonna be any

different than, you know, anything

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else I've tried in the past.

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And then it finally got to the point where

I just went all in and I'm like, okay.

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I'm gonna watch one more of her

episodes and I'm just going to

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invest in me for the first time.

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And that's how I ended

up signing up with you.

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Yeah.

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And you had many, many years of

taking care of everyone else.

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Yes.

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Right.

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Like homeschool.

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Yeah.

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Working, teaching, right,

because you also teach, yeah.

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Yes.

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Correct.

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Correct.

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Yeah.

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Um, so I feel like I'm finally

just gonna make this about me.

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I love that.

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And I think that's hard

for a lot of women.

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I think it's, it's a challenge to

like, if we are programmed to do life

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a certain way and to put everyone first

and then to be like, okay, I'm first and

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now someone's holding me accountable.

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Yes, yes, yes.

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Yeah.

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Um, can you share, and I know the goal,

one of the goals was to lose weight and to

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like, feel good and to go shopping in your

closet, but it was also to get your energy

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back and to get your mind really crisp.

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Right.

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Um, can you share.

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Um, do you remember what

your starting weight was?

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Yes, I was at 220 pounds.

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Woo.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And so it was heavy.

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Yeah.

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And do you remember what the

weight was when we finished?

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I was at 180 1.

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Yeah.

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And so I think it's important because I.

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There are some programs or some

styles where it's like, okay, you

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gotta hit 10,000 steps and you

gotta get this many workouts and,

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and it can feel overwhelming.

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And I felt like for you, having

been to clinics, having mm-hmm.

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Seen other people, it was like, let's.

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Let's almost like ease into this, right?

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So it was like, and I forgot

to mention the concussion.

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Yes, yes.

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That was a big part of it.

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I, I received huge, I got, I got

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So we had to really micromanage my plan.

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Yeah.

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Because nothing could elevate my

heart, which would affect my brain.

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Any kind of pressure or

weightlifting would, would

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impact my concussion symptoms.

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So I totally forgot to mention that

'cause that felt like that was a big part

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of how we adapted what you did with me.

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And it was like if you push too hard,

you'd be like, oh my God, I need

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to like sleep the rest of the day.

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Yes.

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But I also wanna like

function for my family.

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Exactly.

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And you were having like a little

bit of vertigo and so we kind

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of like microdosed things in.

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Right.

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It wasn't push, push harder, do more.

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It was like, okay, how can we.

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Build this into your identity.

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It's like I'm someone who gets steps,

but I do it in a way that works for me.

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I'm someone who, for example, we didn't

build you like a hardcore weight program.

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We were like squats, air

squats, and wall pushups.

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Exactly.

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Every couple hours.

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Exactly.

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And I still have my timer set on my

phone to go off at nine eleven, one

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three, and five every single day.

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I love it.

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This way I would always keep

track of, okay, oh my gosh,

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it's already time to exercise.

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So this way I had self-accountability.

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Yeah.

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So important.

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And even though we didn't put

you on a hardcore program mm-hmm.

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And we made the program work for you.

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You still lost a tremendous

amount of weight.

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I was really, really shocked and I

wouldn't say that it was easy, but I

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would definitely not say it was hard.

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Mm-hmm.

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It was, it was all about determination

and seriously just prioritizing myself.

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So another big part of what we did was,

you had me go to bed earlier, so there

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were times where my husband's a night

owl, I swear he has like a genetic.

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Issue where he only needs

four hours of sleep and he

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can be on for like three days.

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Whereas me, I'm like, uh,

one eye open, one eye closed.

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So the biggest part for me was getting to

bed by 10 o'clock like you had suggested,

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you know, and, and so, so that was a

little bit hard in the beginning, but then

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I started having more restorative sleep.

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And then it got to the point where my

husband started joining me on walks and

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I'd be like, oh, we're gonna still go.

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He is like, oh, we're still going.

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So I wound up doing very, very.

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Baby steps in the sense that I

only went maybe a block or two

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and then I went to, I, I built

up to about 45 minutes for walks.

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Tremendous.

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And you stayed with it?

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I did.

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I did.

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Until the snow hit New Jersey.

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Yeah.

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You guys had the hardest winter ever,

like in the history of like last 20 years.

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It's been rough.

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Yeah.

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And then it's interesting because

you did go to a metabolic clinic

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and you did get a lot of data.

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Yes.

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But it wasn't necessarily, maybe the

data didn't give you the plan to lose

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the weight or to help, but we were able

to like make a plan that fit for you.

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What was great about your plan that was

different than what I've done before is

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that you tailored my macronutrients to me.

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You have the online log for your

food, so you actually saw like,

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are you going higher or lower?

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Like are you meeting your goals?

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That was one big thing and with them, all

they would do is come up with meal plans.

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They didn't really explain like, how

many calories should I be eating?

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Like even the calculations you did, just

to determine like how sedentary I am, how

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active I am, what should I be consuming.

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The increase in water

was a big thing for me.

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I never really paid attention to that.

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So those were some really big

things and what I really valued

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about our time together is I feel

like you had a lot of insight.

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To look at tests and cross-reference

tests that other practitioners

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had never done before.

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So to remind you, I had a high

eosinophil count, and that's

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where you started thinking like,

Hey, I think you have a parasite.

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And nobody had ever seen that

number as being anything other than,

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okay, you have inflammation because

you've had Lyme disease before.

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You know you've had chronic

fatigue, you've had candida.

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You were the first person

even mentioned parasites.

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In as much that even my primary

doctor, they're like, nobody has

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parasites in, in, in, in America.

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And then lo and behold, I did do the

parasite test and we uncovered two.

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I know.

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Were you a little shocked?

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I was.

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And, and even when I went to get the

medication through my doctor, she's

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like, how the heck did you get these?

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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I just felt like you really

knew how, how to compare and

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contrast the different tests.

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And you, you looked at me more like.

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A jigsaw puzzle that was assembled

versus, okay, here's a piece

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there, here's a piece here.

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But you were able to put them together.

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Yeah.

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And I think the beauty of what you did

is you executed on the plan, right?

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So Yes.

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There wasn't any sort of, like,

sometimes people ruminate or they hem

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and haw and you were like, okay, nope.

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I'm gonna do the parasite test I trust.

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Um, and sure enough, parasites came back.

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You got meds and Yes.

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You know, when we talk about.

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Weight loss.

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And we talk about, um,

like maybe feeling puffy.

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There's the basics, right?

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So it's like steps workout.

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Mm-hmm.

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Calories and macros.

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But then there's also

this inflammatory weight.

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Yes.

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Right?

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And it's like you can't do either

or you kind, you have to do both.

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You have to look at both.

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And I think one of the beautiful

things you did was like, you're like,

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yep, I'm gonna do the basics and

I'm gonna also dive deeper with you.

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You know?

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Yeah.

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And that was a big part because

it's, it's a financial commitment

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to do anything with any kind of

practitioner and to help other people.

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What I decided to do is you had

the opportunity where you can

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use different credit cards for 18

month deferred payment, you know,

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deferred interest and everything.

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So I decided to just lock in and

I'm figuring within 18 months I'm

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gonna be able to pay for everything.

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And when you would ask me to do certain

tests, some of them were a little pricey.

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I'll be honest.

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But I felt like if, if I'm gonna

invest in myself for six months, I

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need to do everything Emily said,

otherwise she's missing pieces and

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she can't help me, so why would I

even invest with you from day one?

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Yeah.

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And that's where I, in the

beginning, I was a little hesitant.

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I'm like, why does she

want me to do this test?

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Oh my goodness, that

one's a little expensive.

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What do I do?

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But then I just kind of like dove in.

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I'm like, I'm gonna trust her a hundred

percent with everything she needs to

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help me, and I'll be paid off in 18

months and I'm 40 pounds lighter and I

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know what to do better going forward.

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Yeah.

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And I remember you being like, oh my

God, these pants fit, da, da da, da.

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And I was like, that's right.

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Let's go.

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I empty my entire closet.

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Honest to goodness.

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I washed every single

day in my, in my closet.

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And here's, here's what I ended up doing.

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There were probably about four or

five bags of clothes I was able to

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donate, and I currently have two pile.

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One is my hopeful pile,

maybe by September.

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And my other one's like, wow, if I ever

fit in those, that's gonna be amazing.

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So I may not ever reach that goal

just because I've had three children.

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My rib cage is a little wider,

my hips are a little wider, but

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those are my like, okay, if I fit

into those, that's really golden.

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I love that.

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I love that.

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And.

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What a weight.

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Right.

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To like, give away bags of clothes

that you're like, those clothes

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don't fit, they're too big.

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Yeah.

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And I'm not gonna go back there.

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Exactly.

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It's really like a weight off your chest.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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And especially just

being able to function.

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You know, I, I even said to my

youngest, my youngest is 21, and

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he was really appreciative because.

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He wants me around as

long as I can be here.

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He was really sweet and he said that.

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He goes, I'm glad you're

really taking care of yourself.

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And I don't wanna be a burden

to my children when I'm older.

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You know?

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I wanna be able to get in and out of

the cars and not have them pushing

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me around in wheelchairs or whatever.

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Yeah.

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And just like day-to-day

function, like my knees would

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always hurt, my hips would hurt.

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And to be honest, this is awful to me.

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I was even struggling getting on

and off the toilet at times because

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my knees would hurt so much.

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Because of the extra weight?

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Because all my joints hurt.

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Yeah.

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And for example, it wasn't

like we were like, all right,

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we're gonna go hit the gym.

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It was like, okay, squats.

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Mm-hmm.

299

Well, pushups, let's make it work for you.

300

Exactly, exactly.

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And because you had told me to do it

every two hours, it was very manageable.

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And literally, if I was in the store

and my alarm went off, I can go into

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the bathroom stall and literally do my,

my squats and my wall pushups in the

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bathroom stall, like I was committed.

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I love it.

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I love it.

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I also love how.

308

You taking care of yourself

energetically radiated out to

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the people around you, right?

310

Mm-hmm.

311

So you were like, your husband

started going on walks with you.

312

Yeah.

313

Yeah, exactly.

314

Yeah.

315

I think even, um, if I remember correctly,

like in the middle, like your son gave you

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a hug and he's like, mom, you're smaller.

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Yeah.

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He was able to get his arms

around my chest more tightly.

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Yeah.

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Yeah, I love that.

321

It, it was probably about five inches

I lost from the circumference of

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my chest, so that's pretty sizable.

323

Yeah.

324

One of the things, um, that I know

you had mentioned before we started

325

recording was like, when you join

the program, you're like, oh,

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okay, I get this many calls, right?

327

Mm-hmm.

328

And it's, it's kind of like

one every three weeks, and then

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there's like an initial and an

end and one for lab readings.

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Mm-hmm.

331

And we jumped on more calls because.

332

I feel like when I was really sick.

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I'm first diagnosed with Hashimoto's.

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I had questions and I felt like I had

to like put 'em in my iPhone notes

335

and like save them up for my next

call or my next appointment, right?

336

Versus in the program, I want

women to feel like they're held.

337

I want them to feel like they're guided.

338

If you have a question, you ask me

if we need to jump on a call to work

339

through something, to check, workout

form, whatever it is, I want them.

340

To have access and so mm-hmm.

341

We jumped on calls like every other week.

342

Um, we did.

343

Yeah.

344

And I'm just wondering, like, and we

texted through your program quite often.

345

Yeah.

346

We did a lot of chats and you

were very, very quick to respond.

347

And I remember saying to you, oh

my gosh, I have to get a crown.

348

And then you even gave me advice

on asking for the zirconia crowns

349

because they were healthier, quote

unquote for people our issue.

350

So I felt like you helped me

even beyond the scope of what

351

we originally were trying to do.

352

Yeah.

353

Uh, you've worked with other

practitioners, so I'm just wondering.

354

Going through an experience where

you're like, wow, I can actually

355

like have a di open dialogue and

communication and drop a message

356

and m responds that day, or, mm-hmm.

357

Oh my God.

358

I, I need an extra call.

359

I have this question about this, um, even

though we reviewed this test, maybe I

360

have more questions like, how does that

compare to maybe previous experiences

361

in terms of how the process felt?

362

So the process felt a little

bit smoother for sure.

363

That's good.

364

And I felt like you, you

were accountable to me.

365

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

366

And you were never like,

disparaging and you were always very

367

encouraging if I, I, I still can't

get my fat where you want them.

368

And you, you, you never really are

like, okay, tomorrow's another day.

369

What are we gonna do differently?

370

So it was always like, looking

ahead, not being berated because

371

you failed up to this point.

372

It's like, okay, how are

we gonna improve for later?

373

Yeah.

374

Yeah.

375

And I think it's so important to

meet the person where they're at.

376

So there's definitely some

people where I'm like.

377

More tough love and then more love,

love, just depending on the person's

378

personality and nervous system

and nervous system regulation.

379

Um, what would you say is like the

biggest takeaway or the biggest win

380

from going through the program for you?

381

I can't even just say

there's one number one.

382

I would say is just learning what

macronutrients are because I deal with

383

an integrative health practitioner who's

helped me with the mold toxicities and

384

things like that, and, and I would ask her

like, what do I do about losing weight?

385

And she's like, oh, you just

have to count your macros.

386

And it was just like one sentence.

387

I'm like, well, I don't

even know what macros are.

388

How do I even do that?

389

So that was definitely one.

390

Number two, the idea of doing a little

bit throughout the day where that was

391

something my husband had said years

ago, but I never had a practice.

392

Way to I to implement that.

393

So the idea of saying, okay, do

squats, you know, certain things

394

I couldn't do because of my brain.

395

So I felt like you were able to

adapt things well for me and for

396

my limitations so I could succeed.

397

Yeah.

398

I love that.

399

Anything else since you, since

you're like, there's more than one?

400

I guess just lifestyle, right?

401

Like, now I know what to do.

402

For example, I, I shared with you before

we came on, I definitely did gain a couple

403

pounds because I haven't been walking

because of the winters that we had.

404

Now I'm not frustrated or scared.

405

I'm gonna go back up to two 20.

406

I'm like, alright, let's lock in.

407

I just told you I just went

to ShopRite, so like $400.

408

I'm like, I need to amp up my protein

and I need to start drinking just

409

water because I've been so lax.

410

Like I've had soda a little bit

and like sweets here and there.

411

And for me, I just can't go back that

way because I'll just keep going.

412

Yeah, I think it's really important in

the process for women to be educated.

413

So you're like, now I know

what a macronutrient is.

414

Now I know exactly what

I need to do to lock in.

415

Yes.

416

And I think it's important not just to

take someone on their healing journey,

417

but to give them tools in their toolbox.

418

So for example, if you travel to a hotel

and you're like, oh, it smells musty.

419

Maybe it's moldy.

420

Like, you know what to take

with you, or you know, yes.

421

Oh, I gained a little bit of weight

over the winter because it was

422

the worst winter ever in Jersey,

but I know what to do to lock in.

423

It's like giddy up steps, water, you know?

424

Yeah.

425

Calories, macros.

426

Um, and so I love, I love that

you remember that and have really

427

like, instilled it and embodied it.

428

That's what it is.

429

You internalize it.

430

Like in the beginning you're just like,

oh my gosh, what, what do I have to do?

431

What do I have to log?

432

And, and like I said, I

feel like I was ready.

433

To just dive in and

completely listen to you.

434

Mm.

435

And I wasn't ready to do that for

the two years I was following you.

436

You know, it, it's definitely an

investment in yourself, and if

437

you're not ready to just go all in.

438

Then don't.

439

Mm.

440

Yeah.

441

Yeah.

442

I think that's important.

443

You know, it's like you've gotta

promise yourself you're gonna do it.

444

Yeah.

445

100%.

446

For someone who is maybe like you mm-hmm.

447

Who is like, I'm listening to

m I'm two years in, I'm doing

448

all her little micro trainings.

449

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

450

Um, but maybe they're hesitant

to invest in themselves, like.

451

What little golden nugget would

you give them since you've

452

gotten to the other side?

453

Like I said, the whole credit

card issue was a huge thing for me

454

because I can invest in myself and

not worry about finances right now.

455

Mm-hmm.

456

I was able to do the deferred payment.

457

I'm paying a monthly fee.

458

And for me that was great.

459

And it, it was a credit card that even

had perks, like, you get money back.

460

So I was like, this,

this, this is perfect.

461

Yeah.

462

So just for people who are

listening, there's a company

463

called Advanced Care Card.

464

Mm-hmm.

465

And you.

466

I think it's like you fill out and you

share your credit score and you can

467

get up to like 15 months, no interest

to use towards medical expenses.

468

So when we think about the nervous system

and we think about women with Hashimoto's,

469

like being a little more maybe

dysregulated 'cause life and they have

470

an autoimmune disease and they're like,

oh my god, what's going on with my body?

471

Mm-hmm.

472

We don't necessarily

want to layer on more.

473

That would create dysregulation.

474

Like I want women to move through

this process and be like, oh my

475

God, this is exactly what I need.

476

This is so healing.

477

I'm grounded, I'm steady.

478

I can follow the plan.

479

And so this option that

we're talking about, yeah.

480

Gives you that.

481

Like you don't have to move through.

482

That was a deal breaker for me.

483

I mean, deal.

484

A deal changer.

485

Deal breaker.

486

How do I, yeah, but that, that's what made

me, that's what made me, I'm like, okay.

487

You know, I wasn't really sure how I was

gonna do it until that option came up

488

and then I filled out everything I got.

489

I ended up with a Discover card and I

was like, okay, this, this, this works.

490

And the other thing I would say,

you also encourage people to use

491

function health for their blood work.

492

Mm.

493

Yeah.

494

I, I, I was a little bit reluctant in the

beginning to do that because again, it

495

was an out-of-pocket cost because I'm in

New Jersey and they charge her lab fees.

496

In addition to the, the function health,

but I was really glad I did that.

497

Hmm.

498

'cause it uncovered so many things

that normal blood tests don't do.

499

Yeah.

500

It gives you your biologic age and

it, and I did find that it was very

501

comprehensive and I've even shared

that with my primary doctor because

502

I thought it was that advantageous.

503

Yeah.

504

So you don't.

505

Suggest things willy-nilly.

506

Like you have a purpose for when you,

when you order something or when you're

507

trying to guide somebody toward it.

508

And I never felt pressured with you.

509

Even when I didn't do the parasite test in

the beginning, I had to come full circle

510

and and say to myself, okay, why would

you not say yes to that if you've said

511

yes to everything else that Emily's done?

512

Like, she's missing a piece

and unless I do that, she can't

513

help me as much as she could.

514

Yeah, I think that's a great way.

515

I mean, that's, that's

how I think about it.

516

I'm like, I'm trying to help you.

517

I'm trying to do the best you can.

518

I know, I know.

519

Like I need all the pieces.

520

Yeah, exactly.

521

Um, part of the program not only is like

calories, macros, workouts using testing,

522

but then it's also using supplements.

523

Yes.

524

Um, how did you find that part to be?

525

Because some people are like.

526

Gimme 50 supplements, and then

some people are like, I'll do two.

527

So I have to tell you, when I first

was very sick with a candida mm-hmm.

528

I was probably swallowing

about 25 pills a day.

529

Mm-hmm.

530

And my gag reflex had gotten so

sensitized, like just my normal

531

everyday vitamin was 10 pills a day.

532

Wow.

533

What you recommended wasn't, wasn't

ridiculous, but if it was ridiculous,

534

I would've known I would've needed it.

535

So I would've just sucked it up, honestly.

536

But everything was easy.

537

Uh, you know, where you, where you,

where you order the, the supplements

538

from that was always very simple.

539

Yep.

540

There's a discount code that comes off.

541

I automatically, and I got them.

542

You know what a nice.

543

Maybe like a week, not even.

544

Yeah.

545

So that's super easy.

546

Um, I'm looking at them right now.

547

And then, oh, here's another thing

that I, that I think is great.

548

I ended up getting this, this little

container where it helps, you know,

549

like what do you take it in the morning?

550

What do you take it at night?

551

So the little pill organizers, so

that makes it even easier for people.

552

You can just focus one day a week

and just do your whole week's worth

553

of pills and then every day you

just open the little compartment

554

on when you're supposed to take it.

555

Yeah.

556

Yeah.

557

That's another way to make

it easy for busy moms.

558

Yeah.

559

I love that.

560

Yeah.

561

Life was busy before you joined, and

life sounds probably even busier now.

562

Do you feel like you can handle the

busyness or the stress or, you know,

563

life is lifeing in a different capacity

now having gone through the program?

564

I think I know when I'm

about to be triggered better.

565

And then I know to just,

okay, I'm gonna lie down.

566

And what I'm also doing, I told my

kids I'm going to prioritize myself.

567

Like tonight I'm going to the

library to play a game called Bunco.

568

And I wouldn't normally

do that in the past.

569

So now I said to my kids, okay,

I've, I've raised you guys.

570

I said to my husband, I've

taken care of you for 30 years.

571

I said, now, this year is about me.

572

And they're, they're a

little bit twitching.

573

I, I gotta be honest.

574

But then, but then I said to

my son earlier, I'm like, okay.

575

I go, you, you do have

dinner in, in the fridge.

576

I, I'm not gonna leave you like, you

know, penniless homeless food list.

577

And he's like, why, where are you going?

578

I'm like, I'm gonna the library.

579

And he's like, well, that's good mom.

580

So now they're kind of rallying behind me.

581

I love that.

582

I love that.

583

I also feel like just watching

you through the program.

584

You've like, you're, you've expanded

your capacity like you always

585

could hold a lot, but I feel like

through the process of putting

586

yourself first, nourishing yourself.

587

Yeah.

588

Doing hard things like, you

know, like taking parasite meds

589

is not like a walk in the park.

590

Like you kind of feel growth, like not

the great on them, just being consistent

591

with regular training and workouts.

592

Mm-hmm.

593

Like it expands your capacity so to hold.

594

More challenges that life brings

and, and my body's stronger

595

too, so that's a big part of it.

596

You know, like your body's hardier.

597

Yeah.

598

I'm assuming it doesn't hurt to get

off the toilet now in your knees.

599

Hopefully.

600

No, no.

601

Praise God.

602

No, it's good.

603

Yeah, it's good.

604

Yeah.

605

Is there anything that we haven't talked

about that you really wanna share or

606

that you wanna leave the listener with?

607

Well, it, it's, I, I've

said it a couple times.

608

It's like, now is the time.

609

Like if you've watched Emily

and you've looked at Emily, you

610

know that you need something.

611

Mm.

612

And Emily's the right person for you

because she'll help you where you're at

613

and she'll get you to a different place.

614

It may not be where you wanna

be in your mind, but it's

615

gonna be different and better.

616

And just to trust her.

617

I love that.

618

I know.

619

I really feel like.

620

My, my being on earth is like,

I think if the women and the

621

moms of the world feel better.

622

Yeah.

623

That radiates out to your kids, to your,

to your family, your to community, and

624

like the whole world is just better

when the moms of the world feel better.

625

Oh, for sure.

626

For sure.

627

Yeah.

628

That whole happy wife, happy life

thing is also happy mom, happy life.

629

Yeah, totally.

630

Totally.

631

There's like a reason why

that, uh, saying exists.

632

Yes.

633

Donna, thank you so much for

sharing your journey and just

634

being like sharing it all Right.

635

Like being vulnerable, being like, I had

a concussion and this and this and this.

636

Yeah.

637

Yeah.

638

Um, I think it really.

639

Inspires a lot of women who have felt

stuck or haven't felt heard or feel

640

really alone To hear your story and

be like, oh my God, I'm not so alone.

641

There's other women who have experienced

this and there is like, there's hope.

642

There's hope.

643

Getting to the other side of it, for sure.

644

Yeah, so thank you so much.

645

It was so welcome.

646

Wonderful to have you on.

647

It was, and I recommend Youi

when I run into people in like

648

doctor's offices and stuff.

649

I write your name down for people

honestly, because you know,

650

we have to help each other.

651

100%.

652

That's so sweet.

653

I love that.

654

I love that so much.

655

My heart just exploded.

656

Um, Donna, thank you.

657

You're welcome.

658

Thanks for having me.