Healing isn't just a quick fix; it's a journey of listening to your body, learning about your needs, and loving yourself back to wholeness.

In this episode, Nkechi Nwafor-Robinson chats with Kat Ostroumova, who shares her powerful story of reclaiming balance amidst the chaos of hormonal imbalances and health challenges. Together, they explore how tuning into our bodies can lead to profound healing and transformation. Kat’s journey, filled with struggles and triumphs, serves as a reminder that we're not alone in our battles, and that taking the time to nurture ourselves is essential for overall well-being.

Listen in as we dive into the world of healing hormones and self-empowerment.

Takeaways:

• Healing isn't a quick fix; it's a journey of listening and loving yourself.
• Nurturing your body is essential; we must prioritize self-care to thrive.
• Our hormones greatly influence our health, so we need to be aware of them.
• Listening to your body is crucial; it helps us find balance in our lives.
• Empowerment comes from understanding our bodies and taking charge of our health.
• Mindset matters: prioritize yourself and set boundaries to reclaim your well-being.

If this episode resonates with you, then remember... SUBSCRIBE • 5-Star Rate • COMMENT • SHARE this Podcast!! 💚❤️🙌🏾🙏🏾

Book Recommendation: "Rich As F*ck: More Money Than You Know What to Do With" by Amanda Frances

Find Kat Online:

Website: https://katinternationalwellness.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/katostroumova/

Find us online: https://linktr.ee/nkechinwaforrobinson

Great day. Amazing human. Yes. Welcome to Empowered at My Skin podcast where our mission is to help 1 billion people in this world think in more empowering ways.

Empowered humans empower humans. So you are in the right place to become a lead domino for empowerment today. My name is Nkechi Mwaho Robinson.

I'm not only your host, but I am a vibrant optimist obsessed to bring you empowering content with every single episode.

We will bring you weekly content, alternating between longer episodes with featured guests and a shorter episode called Empowering Bites where I will be joined by my co host, Gabby Memone. So if you're ready, let the show begin. Great day. Amazing humans and yes, YouTubers.

I know you're looking at a fabulous guest and she, she has walked through imbalance, fatigue and self doubt and turned every challenge into purpose. Through her story, she reminds women that healing isn't a quick fix. It's a journey of listening, learning and loving yourself. Back to wholeness.

A true embodiment of resilience, wisdom, and radiant wellness. Please welcome and give her a gigantic podcast. Welcome for Kat Austro Nova.

Thank you. What an introduction.

It is great to see you. And I have to say, I was telling her in the B roll, like, which was just like a second ago, I met her at. Oh my gosh. Why is the event. It was.

Oh my gosh. It was Leading Ladies Connect.

Yes. It was a conference, I think.

Yeah. Leading Ladies Connect. And we were on the stage together and it was a panel discussion and I remember her talking.

I was fire.

It was fire. And here's the thing, you were telling your story and I remember hearing myself after a while, like, ink, like, like, come get out of the trance.

Like, you're in a live event. Like, like focus, like. And I was, I. I just knew. And then I asked you if you'd be willing to be a guest. And so really happy that we've happened.

We've been likewise to schedule it. Yeah. So my. As a starting question we ask on the podcast is, what has been your most empowering thought of the day so far?

Oh, that's a good one.

It's a good one for you because I know you're.

It's a good one for me. It actually aligns with what's going on lately.

So as I told you, like, I've been booked and busy with incredible opportunities for networking events, for speaking engagements, keynotes, podcasts, and I'm so grateful because it's exactly what I wish for sometimes, like, be careful what you wish for. But I have the feeling Feeling really overwhelmed with it all because it's.

It's usually like super, super quiet, and then it all comes up once out of nowhere. Right. And so last night, I was just at an event. I was speaking in a panel, I was networking with women, meeting everybody in person from.

From the guests, and I didn't get home till past midnight. Then obviously, I have to get up today, make sure I'm good, focused for this podcast, because I always want to give my best.

And I felt really, really, really overwhelmed. And just today, like, in the kitchen, making my first meal. My oats and egg whites, girl.

Oh, I didn't have today, but yes, I know that meal. The huge pancake pancakes.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. I was like, you know what? Like, you cannot. You cannot break down, and the universe doesn't give you anything that you can't handle.

Oh, that's.

And everything comes at the time when it's supposed to. So just go with it. Ride the waves and trust the process. It's all happening and unfolding for a reason, the way it's supposed to.

And that just brought me right back in. And I was like, the energy appeared. I'm like, you got this. Let's go. Let's do this.

Have you ever heard of the word kairos? So K A I R O S Kairos. So kairos is divine timing. So Kronos, where Kronos is time.

Yes.

Like chronological time.

Yeah.

Chrono Kairos is divine timing when preparation meets purpose.

And so I love that you say that because even sometimes in those moments of overwhelm and we think that we can't handle it, you know, it's really about. In my opinion, like sometimes it's just about pausing for a moment. The same. You know, I have been preparing.

Yes.

Like, everything I need is in me and 100. Right. And I can still pull from it to. To get through it. But that's kind of what I interpreted from what you just said. Like.

Yes, absolutely, Absolutely. I think you're. You're guided and prepared your entire life.

Yeah.

You're tested. You're tested a lot.

Yeah. So you're in your kairos. You're in your kairos timing.

Yes, yes, definitely am. What else is going to happen?

I don't know. But so. So your story was like. Honestly, like when I remember when you were talking that.

That day and you started telling your story, which is in large part what I wanted to really double click and, you know, I said tenderize, like under. Get a little bit with it. It was actually really powerful. And it was, and I remember for me it was very memorizing and mesmerizing. And so.

But for the guests, let's start there. If you could take us back.

Because I think if what I recall you telling a story is like you got to a point where you just actually realized that something wasn't right. Not that you knew what it was, but something wasn't right. And so I think that happens to a lot of us.

And, and so you could take us through, like when you hit that moment, what did you do? Like not knowing what it was, but what did you do and how did you start to work through it?

Yeah. So my story goes back to my teenage years. When I was 14, I started to feel really crazy.

Symptoms of being super agitated all the time, as if my heart was be in my stomach, I was sweating, I felt like as if I was running a marathon. Although I was doing absolutely nothing. I was very scary. And my parents, like, God love them, but they just don't know better. We as people just.

She's a teenager, she's going through puberty, she's 14, she's, she has anxiety, she's anxious, it's normal, whatever, but it wasn't normal.

And finally at the age of 17, when they couldn't handle me anymore because I was just going wild and I still cannot explain why, they took me to the doctor and got tested and I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, which is an overactive thyroid condition. And they put me on medication. That medication didn't work. Then they had to do radioactive iodide treatment.

And so in St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, I had to do that. You drink it and three weeks later they retest you. And the doctor said, my endocrinologist said that that dose wasn't good enough.

So it didn't lower the production of your thyroid hormones that we need to redo you. And he said there is a risk of overdosing and you have to sign off on that.

I was 17, so my parents signed off of that and which is fine because obviously they wanted the best for their daughter. And sure enough, it was an overdose. And then my condition was morphed into hypothyroidism. So I went on being one end of the spectrum.

So can you explain what thyroid like for. Because you obviously know what it is. And then I love the fact that, you know, there's two, there's other extremities.

So maybe you could say hyper would be in.

Yeah, yeah. So your thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland in the Middle of our necks.

And it's a very tiny gland, but mighty because it's responsible for your entire body systems and the way your body generates energy and, and how your body metabolizes fats. And so if it is an overdrive, which is high per thyroidism, everything is an overdrive.

And you feel very anxious, you feel very frustrated, you feel very agitated, you have. Your heart rate is increased all the time. So you feel like in this crazy overdrive always.

Now, on the flip side, if you have hypothyroidism, the production of the thyroid hormone is lowered, so your entire body system is slowed down. Everything is slowed down. So this one causes depression, this one also causes anxiety. This one causes very sluggish metabolism.

So you're not able to burn anything. And your body stores a lot of fat.

It causes hair loss, dry skin, irregular periods, recurring UTIs, major brain fog, joint pain, muscle weakness, and other symptoms. And so I went from having severe hyperthyroidism symptoms to now having severe hypo. So everything that I just listed and then some happened to me.

In terms of symptoms with hypothyroidism, was.

It drastic for you?

Like, it was, it was drastic because I remember going into our family doctor's office after the treatment and she said, listen, weight gain is inevitable. You're probably going to go through some hair loss and you're going to go through changes in your body that you're not going to like.

I'm just letting you know to, to prepare you for it, but nothing can prepare you for it. And I was 19, I was going into my 20s.

Like, these are the years that you're supposed to shine and thrive and live your best life out or party and meet people, you know, and you're like, hopefully with confidence, right? But I was losing that confidence. I was losing myself.

And because I started to lose confidence in myself, I started to surround myself with not the greatest people, not make the greatest choices. Because my, my self esteem was so low, I became a people pleaser as well. So there were no boundaries being set. So it was that, like, domino.

Yeah, Cycle. And all of my 20s, I really struggled. So from 19 until 29, when hypothyroidism was completely out of control for me, I really, really struggled.

And at 29, I felt long time. 10 years. Yeah, yeah, 29. I went to my doctor, weighing my heaviest, looking at my worst, feeling, my lowest. And I said to her, listen, I'm.

I feel trapped in someone else's body and mind. And like, you've met me in person. Like, I think I'm pretty social, bubbly, positive.

I just wasn't that person, you know, And I was very puffy and inflamed and just sluggish. And I, like, I. I felt and looked like. Like I'm lazy, if that.

Yeah. And in your head you're not.

And I'm not. Right. So. And I said to her, listen, I feel like I'm trapped in someone else's body and mind. I'm in complete disalignment.

I don't know who I am anymore. And she says, well, your blood work's coming back fine.

And so there's nothing we can do except for you to take this one pill a day of Synthroid, or let's try Leopothyroxine. But they. They work the same way.

And.

And she said, it's all in your head, so maybe you should take an antidepressant. So I'll prescribe it for you. And then also, like, go see therapy, because, you know, you just need to deal with this.

And it wasn't good enough for me. I don't know. Something just clicked inside of me and said, there's more. There's more out there for me. I need to do something on my own.

I need to do some research, and I need to figure out what else I could do, because this is like, I'm 29. If this is the path that I'm on right now, what is going to happen to me when I'm in my 30s and my 40s, 50s, that even make it to that?

Because with these conditions, like hypothyroidism, like, let's say pcos, polycystic ovarian syndrome, that's one thing that you're diagnosed with them. But if they go overlooked or they go uncontrolled, there are other health conditions that come with it.

You know, infertility, heart disease, high blood pressure, and even death. So you need to get a hang of it and control it. Right. So I had to. And trial and error, became my own guinea pig. I always say this.

I don't recommend it at all, because at that point I was like, I have nothing to lose. Took myself off the thyroid medication, started taking vitamins and supplements.

The research that I could find, because back then, there was no TikTok, Instagram was just starting. There was an underwhelming amount of information on Google.

So what. What was the. I know that you, like, you had this moment with your doctor, you came back, but really, like, what was it?

Had you already started researching? Did you, like, what Was that what. What flipped it for you?

Because sometimes that's all it is for somebody is like, there's a moment, and then there's the switch.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I stumbled on Michelle Levin's Instagram page, and she's an IPV pro from Columbia. She lives in Miami. I'm pretty sure you've heard of her. She's built this incredible brand. She's absolutely stunning.

And I was just following all of her workout videos, and I was like, I just. I want to be like that girl. Like, I want to walk into the gym and know what I'm doing. Because I used to hate working out. I was like, y.

Never catch me at the gym. Like, I love the way she's meal prepping. And like, what are all these foods that she's prepping?

And it looks so aesthetically pleasing on the counter with all these containers and everything's divided. How does she do it? She has so much energy, and she's just. She's so. She seems so authentic. Like, it's not fake. She just.

She feels that and she exudes that. And I really wanted that for myself so, so, so, so bad. And I was out with some of my girlfriends one night, and we were on.

Drinking.

Back then, I drank a lot.

We were having pizza and wine, and one of them used to work for WBFF World Beauty Fashion, and she was in the beauty services, and she said, you know, we're having shows coming up, and she says, it would be so cool if you would ever, like, want to do a show, like, one day, whatever, blah, blah. We're always looking for new people.

Can I just.

I don't know what happened, babe. I swear to you, something clicks and I'm like, I'm gonna do it. I literally sat there in the same. I'm like, you know what? I'm gonna do it.

I'm gonna sign up for this show, and I'm gonna do the transformation division. And that was in November. And in January, I started my prep. In January, I started prep for the transformation division for WBFF in Manhattan.

And in July, I stepped on stage. They also threw me in into bikini division because they're like, just do it. Who cares? And, like, you guys are crazy. I almost puked on stage.

But I took transformation, and I ended up taking first place in bikini Crazy. And my. Since then, my life has completely changed. That just took right off.

It was that moment in the restaurant when she just said, yeah, we have women from all walks of life, and you should do it, too. Like, why not try It. I don't know. You know what?

You know, I think it's like you said yes to the moment. It's that like what we talked about the Kairos moment. Right? Yeah.

Not knowing anything. Not knowing what it's going to entail. Not knowing that I'm going to have to stop drinking. Not knowing that I.

Right.

Not knowing that I have to bring my pink fridge of six pack meal prep bags everywhere I go. Not knowing that I need to drink four liters of water every day. When I drink one glass. Barely just. I know I had no idea what it entailed. Zero.

But for some reason I caught on to that Transformation division step on stage, you get to wear a gown. I was like you know what I want to do.

But looking back do you think that like you must. You said yes to something like you. There was something like they call it your why you must have like what kept you.

Because being a competitor, it's not easy. You know how many people, you know there's more people that strive to start to get to a show.

Yeah.

Than actually end up right. So.

Yeah.

So what?

Yeah. And I've done I believe three or four after that. So it's.

Yeah.

But I fell in love with it the wise hypothyroidism because I, I connected the dots of like I want to make this transformation for my well being but I need a certain goal to work towards and I don't know what prep entails but I know it's going to be hard and I know I need to be dedicated.

So if I'm giving myself six months to get to the stage and it's a friend of mine, I also don't want to let her down and the organization because she works for them. I'm going to make that my goal. The why behind it always is hypothyroidism and that is my why every single day.

I've been on the journey now for eight years, years and every single day I make a conscious effort to get up in the morning to remember why I do this. And that's hypothyroidism because I never want to go back to that girl in her twenties that felt so low, so lost, so sad all the time.

And like living in that victim mentality that I really had to get out of a break too. Once I flipped that switch to everything started to change. And so that why drives me every single day. It's behind everything life now.

Wow. I love it. And I also, I'm going to double click a little bit because I think you, you look like someone who sets up your day for success.

And so because I heard you say like every single morning you get up, you get up.

Yeah.

Going because of hypothyroidism. So like what does your, what does that look like? So your eyes open the morning. Yeah.

Such a big believer in the way your morning's gonna go is how your entire day is gonna go. And having a really strong mindful morning ritual and routine is key for me. And it is a non negot.

Everybody knows I have a very small circle of people now because I was able to set some pretty strong boundaries. But my circle knows that like Cat has rewarding routine.

No matter where we are in the world, business, pleasure, whatever, I'm not booked and no one touches me until that is done. And that's blocked off in my calendar. So I do like my sleep. Women in general need more sleep than men.

But if you're having hormonal imbalance, such as hypothyroidism, sleep is the key to hormonal balance and recovery.

What does that look like for you? Like you're talking about seven, nine hours.

I need 10 billion bucks and I prioritize that now. And I really feel the difference. And yeah, I do everything possible to get that. It doesn't happen always.

For example, like last night, came home really late and I was so wired from the event and the speaking engagement, I just couldn't fall asleep. And I had to get up early today to prep for this. But then tonight I'm going to go to bed earlier to make sure that recovering. So sleep first of all.

Second of all, once I wake up, I have my 1 liter of water on waking, before coffee, before tea, before any dose, ginger shots or pre workout, even water first, one liter, non negotiable. And I don't allow myself anything until that's done. Some morning it's super easy, I chunk the entire leader. And some morning it's tough.

But nothing goes in here until that's done. And then of course, I take time to do my positive affirmations for the day. Sometimes I do write them down, other times I just say them out loud.

And if it's not too cold outside, I do that on my balcony while just getting some fresh air, enjoying the sunrise. And other times I just sit on my couch and look out the window.

I have a beautiful view of the lake and, and beautiful fall scenery now with the in the woods. So it's just nice to just reflect and be grateful and do those affirmations. 1 2, 3 affirmations.

However, you know, I feel fit and then I go upstairs to the gym or if I'm away, it's outside or just my hotel or wherever I am and I move my body. Movement is non negotiable.

First thing too, because our cortisol levels are the highest morning, especially with your hormonal imbalances, you got to balance that cortisol and it also gives endorphins. And as they say, endorphins make you happy.

And it almost like brings that shield to the day and all the stress of the day that are going to be thrown at you. I'm like, I'm good, I'm balanced. Come at me like, what else can I.

Right.

I'm now prepped and I'm resilient to all of this because I'm okay with it.

Yeah.

And I'm gonna be able to handle anything and everything you throw at me today. And so that morning routine is key and it has been a game changer for so many of the women that I worked with.

If you follow some really successful women out there, everybody has a very, very strong morning routine.

Yeah. The results are in the routine. And I believe morning morning routines set you up. And I think you're very, so very much like.

I almost feel like our routines are the same like they are because you.

Mentioned yours on the panel. This girl gets it. She knows what it's about and it's non.

And I do it before all the humans get up. It's non negotiable. And. And I do believe that. Yeah. Routines. The results are in the routines. Routines set you up and they have to be non negotiable.

And one of the things that. Because I sleep is sleep. And I'm probably asking this for more personal questions. So with your experience in this any other like.

And I like the fact that you say maybe not every night because. But. But you will prioritize it the next time that you don't get it, do you? What? How do you value waking up at the same time? Like, do you. Does that.

Like, what were your thoughts around that?

Or do I. I don't like, I don't. I don't like that. Because what if you didn't get enough sleep and your body wants to sleep more? I'm more of. Listen to your body.

It's always going to tell you what it needs.

I don't like the whole thing of like, oh, I have hypothyroidism, but I want to start waking up at 5 in the morning and even if it's me getting six hours of sleep a night, I need that five morning, 5am morning routine. The hustle culture. Hustle is not sexy. Wellness is sexy. Feeling good. Feeling good is sexy, right? Burnt out is not sexy.

You've gone through a burnout, I've gone through a burnout. A lot of people that we know have gone through burnouts. So they don't look sexy, they don't feel sexy.

That's a good point. Yeah, I like that. I haven't heard it like that. Hustle is not sexy.

Rest is nice. Sleep is nice. Listening to your body is key. You're living in this vessel and it's gonna tell you exactly what it needs.

So if you need to sleep in a little bit longer, do that.

And actually with my clients that have hormonal balance and myself too, I actually recommend for you to take sleep over working because if you are again, running on low sleep, you're super stressed out, your alarm is going off, let's say 6am for a morning workout and you're exhausted and you're on a verge of a burnout. But you're like, I gotta go to the gym, I need to pump the iron hustle for that muscle. That's great.

But on the flip side, it's only gonna do more harm and your cortisol is gonna elevate, you're gonna feel puffy, inflamed, and you're gonna hit a burnout eventually.

So why not take the day to rest, catch up on sleep, do something mindful for yourself, Go on a walk and then tomorrow wake up nice, refreshed, powerful, and go and do a workout.

I think you're speaking to me. I know there's millions of people listening, but that I think you just, and actually really proud to speak.

That's the show culture.

Yeah.

Now we're tapped with you. And like I, I had to get out of the mentality too because there is lifestyle and off stage living versus prep living.

Yeah, yeah, right.

Can't always live a prep life.

No, you're right. And this morning I did choose to sleep. I did, I did choose to sleep in. And I, I feel good for it. I hear my head though.

And so what you just said that I think resonated with me is take a walk. Like, like, yeah, it doesn't. Like there's still the rest of the day. You can find something in the day to invite some type of movement in.

And that's, I have not done that today, but I do hear the voice in the back of my head that says you should have worked.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, but that's the thing. And so if you're feeling guilty about it, that's. That's not a bad thing either.

I do like that too, that guilt, because you tap into that because that will still drive you to show up on the other days when you actually have that energy. But then movement can be in so many different ways. Going outside on a walk, enjoying the fresh air, enjoying the scenery.

Right.

Just stretching a little bit or just doing some core at home. That's still movement.

Yeah. You make me want more of you in my life. So I want to now say like, I think there's one thing about you shared your journey.

You've gone yourself and you got yourself onto stage. What I now want to move is you didn't just leave it there.

And I think that some of the best of us that we that inspire and doing things in this world start to serve. And so you've been serving from what, your pain? Right? You've. Can you talk to.

When you recognize that you turn this pain into purpose and then what, what, what happened from there?

Yeah.

So stepping on that stage for the first time in the transformation division ignited a fire inside because I felt so empowered and I felt so unstoppable because I was just like, look, they, they play your photos like in the background if you're before. And I was like, this is insane.

Like looking back after when my friends were like videotaping it and I'm like, that is so I can recognize myself for the longest time. And there's been times when I would still look in the mirror and see that girl. But I, but I felt so good at the same time. It's like a weird.

It was like that weird connection that was like trying to happen and that fire. I was like, everybody needs to feel this. Like every woman needs to feel this good.

The grass is greener on the other side when you feel good, when you show up, when you feel healthy, when you're balanced, mind, body and soul. I'm like, I want to give this feeling and share this feeling with someone else. Like, I just want to tell people this is great. Come join me.

And I'm so grateful for the organization because the have a huge platform online and so they always share their athletes and competitors online and they shared my transformation as well. And it was kind of cross promoted.

And so because they have shows all over the world, women internationally would start to reach out to me on Instagram and they were like, I seen myself in Year before. And they also shared their story on stage.

And so I started making posts of like, my workouts a little bit and how like I'm eat my food that I'm eating. Sharing more of my story with hypothyroidism.

I felt empowered to do so because at first, like, I, I kind of felt ashamed that I had, but that empowered me to do that. And so women started to ask, can you help me too? I could really relate to your symptoms. And my doctor said the same thing.

And so very quickly I'm like, same doctor.

By the way, did you keep your doctor? I was wondering. No. No. Okay. No.

I have a new doctor. She's incredible. But unfortunately she's 50 years this year in practice, so I think she's going to retire. You find the best doctor.

Who, by the way, I went to for a checkup. Totally deviating from the question. For a checkup last March. I always do my checkup for my thyroid levels. She says they are excellent.

And you're no longer even registered as a hypothyroidism patient. But I also, I know it's crazy eight years in and I'm like so blessed.

But I also asked her for opinion on medication and just what's been going trending with. I don't even want to get into that because that's a whole different podcast. JLP ones and everything.

And so I asked her her opinion on all of that and she says the longer I am in practice, the more reluctant I am to prescribe any kind of medication. I urge people to tap into nutrition first. Movement, supplementation and vitamins naturally.

And then if that doesn't work, then let's explore other other things. But to really give it a try. So that speaks volumes for somebody that's been in practice and is. Is won numerous awards for 15 years.

But yeah, so back to. Back to that.

So.

So yeah, I just, I just realized that there's a gap in the fitness industry. The word wellness wasn't popular then. Now it's blown up. But in the fitness industry because we've been told for so long.

Even myself, when I started my journey with this, initially I had a coach who would give me hit style workouts and put me in a. A crazy calorie deficit. Calories in versus calories out. The more you kill yourself at the gym, the better.

But that wasn't it for someone that has a hormonal imbalance.

So I'm like, there's this gap that I want to bridge and also realizing that every case is different Because I was treated at the gym as just a woman who is overweight and needs to lose weight and that's it.

But nothing was looked into my actual lifestyle, my eating habits, maybe food sensitivities, fact that I have hypothyroidism and there's certain foods and exercises I shouldn't be doing at all because they're going to make me bedridden with muscle, joint muscle and joint pain. So none of that that was completely overlooked. And not to knock anyone's hustle, we just didn't know it back then. It was just never talked about.

Right.

So I really wanted to tap into that and went studied hormonal nutrition and hormonal health coaching. So I got certified in and then I also got certified as a cat personal trainer.

Yeah.

And when I did all that, I started taking on my one on one clients. I just announced it on Instagram on my stories. And some of my clients since then have still are still to this day. My clients, my OGs.

And they've been so incredible throughout the journey. And I always laugh with them because the very first plan that these girls received were black and white word documents.

My first plant came out at a word doc. I didn't get it. Crazy. Crazy. And now it's grown into this global business. We have our own app.

Yeah, I was gonna say you probably have an app now.

We have an app now and they get their very professional ebooks with everything and everything's automated and yeah, it's crazy how far.

Congratulations. And when did this is more something that just came to mind?

Because now that you have this community and you're building this community and women are coming to you and they're asking and you're able to now lend yourself. At what point did you realize that you weren't alone?

Because you know, sometimes like you have sounded like between 19 and 29, you might have felt alone. Like you were the only person kind of going through this.

So at what point did you realize there was this whole world of women that potentially suffering once they started to.

Reach out to me after my competition.

Yeah.

So they like these women who have reached out, they inspired me to start my business business. They are my driving horse. Right.

My clients are driving me to keep going with this as well because they're my biggest inspiration to realize, wow, you're not alone.

Like even in Canada, just to give you some stats, like one out of three Canadians has a thyroid condition and 70 of those women have no clue that they have it.

Right.

Because we are so all the Time we're told, oh, it's just stress. It's nothing. It's okay. It's gonna pass. I feel so burnt out. You're working too hard. Or my hair is starting to thin.

Oh, maybe you're just, you know, just had a baby and you're too stressed out or whatever. There's something off hormonally, but we're always putting it past us completely. Right? We just.

Because women, we carry so much on our shoulders, we don't want to ask for help, but you got to start getting into it with your body and listening to your body. You have to. And. And knowing that you're not alone, because so many of us suffer from something. 1.4 million women in Canada have PCOS.

Yes.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Right.

But again, it's like one in six. You said one.

No, 1.4 million.

1.4 women. Okay.

One for 4 million women in Canada have it. And same situation. They go to the doctor. They're not being. They're being tested, but if they don't match all the symptoms, it can't be diagnosed.

But that doesn't mean that you yourself cannot support your body naturally to help balance it before it's completely down in the dumps. And I don't want to say it's too late. It's never too late to start, but it's just harder to get out of it.

That's another thing I can't emphasize enough. As I already said with hypothyroidism, with pcos, having that diagnosis is one thing, but leaving it uncontrolled is another. Because the.

The scary thing is that it leads to horrible medical conditions after.

Right.

And it's sad because it's so preventable because it's 100 controllable with lifestyle.

There's one thing that you mentioned, but I don't. When you were explaining, like, some of the symptoms that you had, you. I think I recall you talked about joint and. Yes, like, joint pain.

Like, I remember joint pain and muscle. Yeah, yes. Joint pain and muscle weakness. And that's from. That's just a symptom of hypothyroidism.

But I went into mitosis secondary, which is an inflammation of your joints. I was diagnosed with that when I hired my personal trainer initially and we went to hit style workouts. My joints were giving out on me.

I remember, like, walking and, like, my knees were buckling. I was falling down.

Wow.

It was crazy. I can't even explain that feeling.

It's still up there. It's still up there.

Still up there. Men are now talking about adrenal fatigue.

Yeah.

Thyroid issues. Those are like slower progression. We're doing with crazy training and, and not. Not listening to our bodies and not resting. More, more, more.

Less is more.

So do you recommend hit or in moderation or there's other. You don't recommend it at all?

I, again, it depends on each person and what the symptoms are. Somebody that has muscle weakness and joint pain. I would definitely not recommend it. Also somebody that has high cortisol levels. Absolutely not.

Because hiit raises your cortisol levels in a normal person when cortisol is normal and stable. And if it raises it a little bit, we tap into Faber.

In a person with hypothyroidism or pcos, that cortisol is already high and we elevate it more with hit style workouts. Now we're in overdrive and instead of tapping into fat loss, we're inflamed and so we become puffy. And your body holds on to everything.

So let me ask you, because you found. Sounds like you found a really great doctor and hopefully mine doesn't. Listen to this because I'm about to say something. But so you know, you.

I, I think very much we're similar. I know when I don't feel right, I just. I know it.

Yes.

And so one of the things I, I think very similar to, I just, I don't ignore it. And so I've been on. I haven't been feeling right for almost like the last two years, but I've been.

I was on it and on it and on it and on it and on it. And you could just.

And I think it's also because the daily routines, you just know that you're not waking up and you're feeling like you're just not feeling yourself. But my question for you is. And so I went to my doctor and I'm like, like, she must be like, how many times you have to come and see me?

But I'm coming because I know that something's up. Yeah.

I'm good for you for doing that because many women go once and stop. Good for you for advocating for yourself.

Right. But I also want to Know, doctors I don't know are the right. Like, sometimes how do you find a right doctor? Or how do you find, how do you.

When you know something's not right? Like, how do you find help? Right. Like I, and I was a very, very, very big question.

It's a very tough one too, because our health care is free here in, in Ontario, in Canada. Right. And so if we're really like, I've been blessed now with my doctor, she does the entire thyroid panel for me.

I don't even have to advocate for it, unfortunately, like with my other clients. I say, make sure you get your TSH, T3, T4. And they come back to me. My doctor only wanted to do tsh.

And so, like your thyroid levels, your thyroid hormone. And it's like, why. I don't know. They're just telling me I'm too young, I don't need it. Like, come again? Do you know what I mean?

So it's very, very difficult to get that. And unfortunately, not many of us can afford private health care and go to a naturopath and go get blood work.

But, but you got to look at it as an investment into your future, into your future self and in your longevity. Right?

So if your doctor is refusing and you can get a new one because it's very tough now to also switch your do and find one that's taking on new patients, you need to go private and get your entire hormone panel done and advocate for yourself because that one time payment could bring wonders into your life and your quality.

Right. I have found by just, and not necessarily being untrue, but I have gone to my doctor when she said, well, I don't know why you need.

And I just said, you know, because I'm working with somebody natural, like, and they want my full panel. And so I can, I, I can only come to you do to get a full panel. Right. Requisition. And so that's how you tend to get it.

But yeah, and I just don't understand.

What is that reluctance? Like, what, why.

I don't know why they care.

Who cares why? I need it. I need it.

Yeah, that's true.

You know, I'm not doing anything, like, wrong. This is my, my body, that's my blood work. It's like, it's like pulling teeth. And it's really unfortunate. It's really unfortunate.

I think it's also the way they, doctors get paid too, in Ontario. So there's, there's a lot of things that are tied to it.

So you've Talked about some of this and I.

And, and so for women right now before I want to get into rapid thriver soon but I just want to have a last question because I do feel like like we are, we are in the age of like. Like information is everywhere now. You have AI so you can just kind of put stuff in and it can be actually really, really overwhelming.

And so how do you guide women?

Like what can you say right now to women to say like, like these are like the just the top things that you should do when you don't feel well to start really reclaiming your, your health back your well. Like to get to a well place. Like what would be sort of your top three or five suggestions without overwhelming them? Them?

Yeah. First I would say is mindset.

You have to rewire the brain that you are not selfish by making yourself a priority, by setting a boundary to tell your work, your family, whoever it is that I need my time first thing in the morning or whatever, one hour a day for myself. That's the first thing. Wiring that brain that self care and self love is necessity and it's a non negotiable. That's the first part.

The second part, obviously if you're not feeling well and if you're having symptoms of, of whatever your, your body tells you, you know your body more than anyone.

So I really respect and appreciate the fact that you're going to the doctor and you're advocating and you're pushing and pushing and pushing and I urge women to do the same.

Track everything, write down your symptoms, have a little diary of what's going on after maybe certain foods that you're eating, maybe you feel bloated, write that down. If you're waking up in the morning and you have brain fog wr down, right.

If you're having all of a sudden irregular periods or people, write it down and then keep going to your doctor and present that information to your doctor once, twice, three times. Keep pushing for testing. Obviously seek help from the outside as well. Like health coaches. And I'm not saying myself like whoever.

It is, I'm saying you. Thank you.

But whoever it is, make sure you have a reputable coach who knows what they're doing, who's also gone through it. It's also very important to get yourself somebody who has gone through something similar so that you feel and validated and understood.

And because it is very frustrating when you're dealing with a hormonal imbalance and you're getting on a well, deserty results don't happen overnight. It's very slow. It's a very slow road, as opposed to somebody that's really healthy. And the body reacts great to workouts and nutrition.

And all of a sudden you're getting muscles and places that you didn't know you have. It happens, it will happen, but it takes longer. Right.

So the really getting yourself a coach whose patient was understanding as well, and, and, and setting boundaries.

Boundaries with, with the people that you're with, the environments that you're in, places that you go with yourself as well, you gotta set those boundaries. Because we're in this like state of like a rat race and a burnout.

A lot of the times, symptoms that could be masks of hormonal imbalance is also a burnout coming on. So resting, prioritizing, rest is also key. And a lot of the times women will say, I don't have time, I don't have time to rest.

Ask yourself, is you don't have time or is it because it's not a priority?

I think it's the latter, you know.

Because how much are you scrolling on TikTok or maybe watching Netflix? And in your mind it's unresting. You're not resting. You're not letting your brain rest. You're not really. Your eyes rest, actually rest for real.

Tap into that.

Yeah. You know, it's funny that you say that. Last year I listened to this Bible app.

So I'm, I'm an avid Bible app user and there was a devotional and I think it was, I want to say it was Pastor Rick Warren who wrote Purpose Driven Life. But he introduced me to work from a place of rest versus rest from work. And so transparently, I took a 10 minute nap before this podcast. What?

Because I was feeling like I was sitting and I, I was feeling like kind of like drowsy. Drowsy.

Yeah.

Rather than fight the drowsy, I said, yes, let me just give myself. And to your point, it's like I don't have to. Let me not open up my laptop, let me not sit in front of my computer yet.

Let me just lay on the couch and get a 10 minute power nap, little reset.

And look at you now. You're glowing.

You're good.

You're good to go.

Yeah.

Yeah. And that's your indication that you shouldn't have worked out this morning. Right. So that's validating.

There you go. Even though I got more sleep, I got seven hours sleep, but I was like, oh, I'm trying to.

You're a woman.

Yeah, I'm trying to do More of that.

I don't know if you do it but I used to fight the drowsy like I used to fight through the drowsiness versus why don't I just take a 10 minute power nap or 20 minute power.

Yeah, absolutely. I used to do that too. And it's very tough for women who are, who don't have the, you know, the luxury of working from home or have kids as well.

Right. So it's tougher but there's definitely doable. There's other times in the day to do this.

There's times at night too like it's again everyone is so different when it comes to. Right.

And so as of because one I'm just so I can keep going. I want to know like in your journey of getting to where you are right now, first of all, I'm just like I lean.

I'm not sure if you've noticed by lean into you like really, really, really excited you pulled me in. But you know what are some. And I, and I, I also because I want to talk about as much as, as much as it seems like a breeze for you. I know it hasn't.

It's been really no way.

And it's still challenging to. And I know that there's still challenges that you have to.

So what would you say are some of the biggest things that you constantly have to like Cat like Cat like let me like you're talking to Cat about like what are some of those.

I would say in business like I'm pretty good now in controlling my hypothyroidism. It's become so engraved into my everyday routine that I don't even think twice about it. Again, it's non negotiable.

It's like brushing your teeth every day. It's like no, no brainer. It's the business aspect of it.

Because being an entrepreneur I'm not only just a women's wellness coach and I work with clients.

I'm also running an entire business behind the scenes and, and a team and automations and events, speaking engagements and sometimes it just gets, gets too much and there are times that you're tested by people and things don't go your way. And when you are an entrepreneur you have to be somewhat of a control freak.

And I'm not afraid to admit that I do like perfection and I do like to have that control and I had to learn to let go of that control sometimes because you cannot control people, you cannot control outcomes and circumstances but you can definitely control your emotions and how you React to things.

Things.

And so that has been a challenge for the entire five years of this business that it's been running, because there's always something new. There's always. There's always something coming up. There's always barriers, hurdles, people that don't want. Don't want to see you succeed.

But on the flip side, it has been such an incredible blessing, and there are people that are cheering for you, and there are people that mention your name in the room when you're not there. And I have the most supportive support system.

Again, it's a very small circle, and I love it that way, and I'm so blessed to help the clients that I have. So, yeah, it's. It's always like, cat, like, get yourself together. Don't give up. That's literally that.

Because there are many times even in, like, one week that I'm like, f this, I don't know if I want to do this.

And something keeps you going.

But also, I always know that these are just moments. Like, I'm not saying I don't want to stop. There's so much more that I want to accomplish, and. And so many more women that I want to help and touch.

And so, yeah, cannot stop. But there's definitely moments of, like, I don't know if I want to do this anymore.

You know what? I'm gonna just tell you something. Like, you have so much value. And I. And I think what.

What I feel from just two or three experiences, because I think I've. I've seen you before. I knew you. I've seen you before, ladies. You have.

And I keep trying to figure out where, but. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

And. And so what I wanted to say is, like, because you know yourself so well, and I. And I love that when you walk into.

When you walk into the spaces that you occupy, like, the. The shift that happens. But I think what I love is the. The. The. The invitation that you then invite people to say, like, I'm not doing this for myself.

I'm. I'm. I'm in this room because I want to actually help, and it's very palpable. And I just want to let you know, like, it's.

Thank you.

Yeah, I really appreciate. You have a really beautiful and Spirit. Inviting spirit. So, yeah, you.

Thank you. And I really appreciate that. And it's. It's.

It's so nice to hear that because again, like, running the business, like, I work from home, I live at home, I eat at home.

You know, it's tough sometimes, right because everything the business is online and yeah, like I do these speaking engagements and events, but majority of the business is run online.

So it's nice to hear that and, and to be validated because those are the things that, you know, keep you going and that what you're doing is working and helping others.

It is definitely. So I'm going to take you through some rapid thrivers when you.

Oh boy.

Yeah, no, they're fun. When you, when you think of someone who inspires you, who comes first to mind.

My grandmother.

Oh, wow. Okay. Can you tell us more? I was.

Oh, you want to know more?

You want to know about Granny? Yeah, let's. I know it's supposed to be. But we have to hear about Granny. Come on. Okay.

So my mom's mom, a lot of you that follow me on Instagram. You saw my trip to Russia. I'm Russian and I go once a year and I stay for months. My grandmother is 87 years old.

She is a university professor of German language and she raised my mom all on her own during the communist era. She was born in 37, so she's lived through the war a few times now because we have her going on right now.

And she's just my biggest inspiration and role model because she's so, she's a true survivor. She survived cancer. Her, she's many times including now that just, just got cleared up at 87, had numerous surgeries. She's incredible.

And she's, she's so independent, knock on wood. And she's so clear minded and clear headed and she gives the best advice. She's so supportive. She's just wonderful.

Oh, I'm so glad we got to. Yeah, I had to. You can't just say grab. Like if you said like Michelle Obama, I've been like on the next question.

But when you said Granny, I'm like, oh no, no, we need to hear.

Yeah, she's just, she's, she's just so independent and so she never asked for help from anybody.

Yeah, never.

And so that's another thing too. It's like on the days when I'm so overwhelmed and so this and so that. Now just like, like what would grandma do at this point? Like she had no money.

Like she had to stay in line for like a, a bag of sugar during the communist era in Siberia, minus 50 degrees in the winter. Like with my mom in toll, like a small little baby.

Like, like, yeah, she did it.

I can do what I'm going through right now.

Yeah, I could do it, get through.

This if she got some thoughts, Wasn't that it?

We stand on the shoulders of these giants that we are in our lives. It's beautiful. Yeah. So a day like a daily activity helps you with your thrive. You named a couple. What's the one? What's the biggest one for you?

Movement.

Yeah.

Movement. Yeah. It's mental. It's just so good when I'm stressed, I go to the gym when I have too much energy or. The gym.

Yeah. A book that has helped you to thrive.

Sorry?

A book.

Oh, Rich as Fuck by Amanda Francis.

No one has said that one yet.

Oh, she.

She.

That book has transformed my view on my business and my value.

Okay.

And after that book, I changed a few things in my business, and I.

So it's a good read. Okay, Good read. I'm gonna. I'm. Well, we put it in a be in the show notes, but I. Oh, I have some books to read, but I'm gonna look at that one. Yeah.

What is an app that helps you to thrive? Like an app on your phone?

Can I say my own?

Yes, of course.

Of course you can chat. International fitness app. And only because, like, it's. Everything's in there for me. I don't have to think through twice. My workouts are in there.

My meals are in there, My water trackers in there. My daily steps tracker. I just, you know, track, track, track everything, and. And I'm good to go.

Another one that I do absolutely love is called Third Eye Thoughts, and that's my positive affirmations app that I open up every single morning, and I actually share an affirmation every single morning.

This is your app or this is another.

No, it's another app.

It's called Third Eye Thoughts. Okay, I'm gonna look that one up, too. I'm gonna look up Cat international fitness app, y'. All. Okay. Get that one. When.

What is one misconception that people have of you as they see you, like, on the stage speaking or working out? They're gonna listen. Yeah. What's one misconception?

I have two.

Okay.

What? I get a lot.

At first, they feel very intimidating, but then when they come up and talk to me, they're like, oh, my God, you're like, the nicest person. Like, I just want to keep talking to you. Can I hug you?

Yes. Well, that's the invite in. That's what I was telling you, right? Y.

Because at first they're like, I felt so intimidated, but then you're actually, like, so nice, and. Oh, my God. And then the second is That I have it all together, that they just feel like my life is so perfect, that I have it all together, but.

But I don't. I don't. Nobody does, guys. Nobody does.

Seems some people do, but. Yeah.

No, you wouldn't be human. Like. Well, not AI.

Yeah.

You know what I mean? There are still hurdles. I just think the difference with some people is the way. The way you handle things and how you react to things. Right.

Like, that takes a lot of work and training your brain.

Are you still hard on yourself? Right. Are you still hard on yourself at times? Okay. Do you give yourself a lot of grace?

I do give myself a lot of grace. I'm very hard on myself when it comes to my family. That's one thing that I'm hard on because they, like, live far away in Russia.

So if I can't be there for certain things or. Or can't call them every single time that I want to call them or I have something going on, I'm hard on myself for that. I feel for that, but for.

For other things. No, it's just life. Like, you have to let it go. I used to be very hard on myself. Oh, my God. I would cry. I couldn't handle it. I would have anxiety.

I would really care about what people thought.

I.

And I'm like, listen, we're all human. It's like, this is life. This is life. Is life.

Yes. Yes. Right?

What it is. And that's.

Let it go, Let it go, let it go. That is.

Yeah, Yeah. I don't have it all together.

Right.

Like, it's.

It's.

It's a. It's an image. Like, obviously, like, I like. I like fashion, I like makeup. And I don't do it for anybody. I do it for myself.

That's how I've been brought up with my. My Russian grandmother, my mother. It's like you do it for you to feel good in your skin. And that's. That stayed with me forever. So I think from the.

From the image, yes. Like, I. I look together and yes, that's definitely it. But in terms of my life and business and everything, you learn as you go, you know.

Yeah. Yeah. So where do we find more of you online?

So my Instagram is Kat Ostroumova. I post my entire life and lifestyle there. It's like my little journal, my daily journal, and my. My website is Kat International Wellness Dot com.

And we'll put all the. We put all of the show notes in there. I like actually how you just described Instagram. It's like My daily journal. That's kind of cool.

Yeah, I like that. Yeah. I display everything, obviously. Like, I do like to keep some of my aspects of my personal life personal.

A lot of people ask, why don't you ever post your relationship? Because I post so much of everything else in my life. Like, I want to keep.

Yeah.

Super sacred and close to me, you know, mine.

Yeah. Yeah. So as a parting question, finish this sentence for us. I am empowered in my skin when. Oh.

When I am reminded and remember of all of the hurdles and barriers that I have overcome in my personal life, my health journey and my business. And I'm still here, still breathing, still living.

Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much. I have loved sharing energy with you. You are likewise.

I could talk to you for hours.

Yeah, no, you are. You are. You are. As much as I wanted to be and more. So thank you so much.

Thank you so much, babe. Virtual hug.

And to everyone is listening, this is Sally, where I have to say, we're out. Bye. Bye. There you have it. I trust that you are feeling more empowered in your skin. As the late Dr. Maya Angelou said, when you get, you give.

When you learn, you teach. So it would mean so much for us at Empower to my skin, Inc.

If you share this episode and tag us or teach an insight that you took from today's episode on your social and and tag us. Feel free to leave us a review over at itunes and follow us on social media. Powered in my skin.

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