From Exhausted and Stuck to Fully Alive Again with Julia Reid

What happens when a woman finally decides to stop dismissing the signs her body has been giving her?

In this episode, Ciara sits down with former client Julia Reid to talk about the transformation that happened when Julia stopped accepting exhaustion, weight gain, and feeling disconnected from herself as “normal.”

At the time, Julia was running a business, raising young children, struggling with her energy, and being told her symptoms were simply part of getting older. But underneath the surface, she knew something wasn’t right.

What followed wasn’t just a physical transformation.

It became a complete shift in how she showed up in her leadership, her family, her confidence, and her vision for her future.

Together, Ciara and Julia explore the deeper ripple effect that happens when women begin supporting their health in a way that actually works with their body instead of against it.

This conversation is honest, empowering, and a reminder that real transformation often begins long before physical results appear.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Why so many women normalize exhaustion, weight gain, and feeling disconnected from themselves
• The emotional impact of feeling like your body is no longer responding the way it used to
• How health influences leadership, confidence, energy, and relationships
• The importance of addressing root causes instead of dismissing symptoms
• Why sustainable transformation requires more than surface-level habits
• How prioritizing your health creates space for bigger goals and deeper fulfillment
• The identity shift that often happens alongside physical healing

CONNECT WITH JULIA

Instagram: @playonpediatric

CONNECT WITH CIARA

Instagram: @ciarafoy
Website: ciarafoy.com

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a woman who’s ready to stop settling for “fine” and start listening to what her body has been trying to tell her.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:20

Welcome back to the Empowered Feminine Podcast. I am your host.

SPEAKER_03 0:29

Welcome to the Empowered Feminine Podcast. I'm your host, Kira Foy, mother, author, nutritionist, and women's health expert. I've designed this podcast to help you discover strategies to tame your hormonal chaos, balance stress, and become unstoppable. We'll explore all the things holistic health, success, mindset, motherhood, and creating rock solid boundaries. Each week, I'll inspire you to level up. Not by always doing more, but by being unapologetically you and stepping into your feminine power. As women, we can't always do, force, and push our way through life. That approach always leads to burnout. Join me on my mission to help high achievers like you do less, feel more, and become unstoppable. Let's dive in.

SPEAKER_02 1:44

Julia and I have been, we worked together for about a year and a half. And Julia is absolutely an amazing transformation story. And the reason why I really wanted to have her on is not even the things that happened and transformed for her on a surface level, but the way that she was able to step into herself, her energy, her power and leadership, both with work and with her family, and really create a body that was able to support her dreams. And what I mean by that is really digging in deep to her health and the absolute trickle effect that has on every aspect of your life. And that is the thing that is most exciting to me. Julia, thank you so much for being here. Julia is also the owner of a pediatric physiotherapy practice or co-owner. And she also has a coaching practice that we are going to talk about that really stemmed from this transformation and the absolute 180 that Julia has been able to accomplish in her life that has given her back excitement and created space for her to really go after her goals. So without further ado, Julia, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Thank you, Kira. It's an absolute pleasure to be here. And I feel like when I first started working with you, I was crushing some of your podcasts, and you would have episodes with past clients. And I think I even said it to you one day where I was like, I'm gonna be on your podcast one day, and over two years later, and here I am. And I just am so happy and I'm excited to share the transformation that you've helped me achieve and just the journey I've been on to becoming a whole new person and all the best ways.

SPEAKER_02 3:51

Absolutely. Okay, so let's I always feel like the best way to start is from the beginning. So tell me where were you at in your life when you decided I need to make a commitment to myself, take my health seriously, and start working with Cura. What was going on for you at that time?

SPEAKER_00 4:13

Yeah, so I was 40 years old, almost 41, and just going through just that cycle that happens after you have kids, and just really in an unhealthy state. So I think I was gaining weight year over year, even though I thought I was doing all the healthy things. I was doing some walking, some working out in my basement to hit videos that you'd see all these little transformations that were not happening for me, exhausted beyond belief. Of course, everybody said it was just chasing young kids and having a business that was doing that. You know, the other thing that had happened is I'd gone to the doctor and she basically said, Oh, you know, like weight gain is you have Hashimoto's, or you're gonna weigh a Hashimoto's, which is obviously my thyroid stopping to work. And I was blown away and I said, Okay, what can we do? She said, Nothing, you're not really bad enough yet to take a pill, but there's nothing you can do, you just have to wait until it's bad enough. We'll give you a pill. I was like, I don't accept that. I've been in healthcare my whole life, and I used to be a trained and personal training and an athletic therapist and ran marathons and half marathons, and I used to be a gym bunny and all the things, and here I was 40 years old, and I was like, I don't accept that. There has to be more. And I thought I was eating healthy and doing all the things, taking different supplements, but nothing was working and just kept you week over week. It felt like month over month, clothes were getting tighter and it was getting puffier and not feeling at all good. And I think I stumbled across you from Renee Warren. I think she had shared some of the work that you guys had done together and what you were doing to support her. And then, of course, started seeing some of your social media that was I'm over 40 and I can do this, and there's this whole hormone piece of it. And I was just blown away. So I started looking at you, looking at the work. Loved the fact that you were so research-based but also practical. And I said, I've got nothing to lose, really. If there's nothing I can do, according to the doctor, let me try this. And here we are two years later, over two years later, and it's worked. And my Hashimoto's it's never gonna go away, but it's definitely stabilized, and my numbers haven't continued to creep up the way that the doctor was expecting for me to be on a pill at this point. So that's where I started, like the bottom of the bottom, if you will, exhausted. I'm five foot two, which is not very tall. It's definitely quite a lot of weight. I was like inching up towards almost 200 pounds, which is a lot to carry on a smaller frame. And even though I'd always been muscular and I was strong, it just still wasn't where my body needed to be.

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Yeah. And it's exercise, obviously, like with your background, had been such a huge part of your life. And it still was. And I think that's a frustrating piece for so many women that, like, wait a second, I'm exercising, I'm doing more than what most of the people around me are. Why do I feel this way? Why is my body responding this way? Right. I know that was like there was a big frustration with that.

SPEAKER_00 7:04

Yeah, absolutely. I'd always been bulky, I'd always been strong. I was a competitive swimmer growing up, so I had thunder thighs and I had the big back. And then even when I used to work out at the gym, it was much leaner back then. But also, people would say, Are you entering bodybuilding competitions? So for me, the working out, the being strong wasn't the issue. It was definitely all those other things where it felt like I would go carb free. I would go, I thought I was going carb free. I thought I was doing all the things, but again, I was that anti-weekend warrior, right? So I would do amazing things Monday to Friday, and then Friday night would come and Friday night to Sunday night. It was a free-for-all in a sense. It just would lose all control because the kids are home and all that. Yeah, definitely the exercising, the working out, the walking, it was doing that. But I think I still had that idea of I'm an elite athlete doing this, I'm running marathons. So yeah, for me to eat five or six hundred extra calories, it's not a big deal. I don't need to track where that was the complete opposite, right? I think I was always overestimating my exercise and underestimating truly what I was consuming. And as you know, as well, the alcohol piece was a huge part for me as well, right? That I was in that stuck in that really toxic mummy wine culture and that, oh my gosh, like I can't get through another minute with my kids if I don't have a glass of wine. And sure enough, a glass of wine turns into two or three. And that's just the complete opposite of what you need to do when you're trying to get healthy.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

Yeah, for sure. Or have good energy or patience, right? And be able to effectively manage kids because as soon as alcohol comes into the picture, it's going to impact our sleep, especially when it gets to two or three. And that it impacts your energy the next day, it impacts your mood the next day, it impacts your motivation. So there's so many pieces of that puzzle that it ends up being this really, you feel like you're just slogging through quicksand, really, when that is happening. And you already have so much on your plate. You're a business owner, you're a wife, and you're a mom. Um and tell me a little bit about your kids because this is an important part of this because you have four kids under 10.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

So they're now my oldest is 11 and a half, and my youngest is six and a half. So at the time they were like under 10, because yeah, they basically have four kids five years apart to the exact day, which is cool to think about. All four were C-sections, which again is a big thing that you don't think about, just the trauma that you go through with the four consecutive C-sections. And then we can talk a whole other thing about even the medical system and how nobody had ever told me I had low iron in my entire life because when I would do the tests with the doctor, I was I wasn't at the line that I needed to go get an IV drip or just hardcore anything at the hospital. But when I finally worked with a naturopath, I think this was a little bit before you. My iron was like, she's like 17, Julia, 17 is no wonder you don't want to get into bed, you can't function and a lot of these things. She says, I like to get people to 70 just to be like, oh, look, here's a new day. I can do this. So that was like a whole other piece that was there. It's four kids, and then my kids too, I know everybody thinks their kids can be a lot and all that, but I have four kids, three of which right now are diagnosed with ADHD and some learning disabilities, and they are those extremely busy kids. They are sensory seekers, they are just, I could tell them to sit still, and I couldn't tie them down to make them sit still, right? Which is fine. I'm always chasing and active, right? I was never that active in my life, but there's a lot of extra things too, and carrying a lot of that mental load of how to support them, how to keep them regulated, what do they need, even just from nutrition and food and medication and all that perspective. Yes, my three boys and one girl, and they I love them, I love them dearly, and I'm at a place now where I don't resent them anymore. I have the energy for them, and I can do what they need me to do is show up and build the relationships now so we can have that long-term relationship, which is part of this transformation. Yes, I lost a bunch of weight, but just having that clarity for them and just the energy again for them has been like that. That's what I was saying to everybody. Like, this is why you need to take control of what you're doing for yourself and feed yourself and your soul and your body healthy first so that you can give back to them because it shows that just in their regulation, their calmness, they're just we're just in a really good place with a family right now. And it's not a fluke, it's not, oh my gosh, any minute this can change the work that I've done to be that core that we all need on myself, because I did it for myself first. It's just been amazing.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:31

That, and that's the part that gets me the most excited, really. Because yes, a lot of women come to me because they want to lose weight or they don't feel like themselves going through their 40s. But at the end of the day, it's about your health and the quality of your life, right? And when we can impact women, and this is why I love women, there's just you impact everybody around you because you impact your family, you impact your friends, you impact your community. And that's really how we change the world, one woman at a time. And I just want to point out for everybody like, if we can really draw a picture around how exhausted Julia was, right? Because everything that you're talking about low iron, like 17, I had mine at 40 once, and I was like, oh my gosh, like absolutely exhausted, right? And it's really interesting because even what it takes, like you are definitely deficient at that point, but the deficiency numbers are based on the population average. And that's one of the reasons why it's so low, right? Like one of my current clients is a hematologist, and we've had a lot of conversations around this. But in any case, so you have low iron, and part of that, what a lot of women didn't know, and I didn't know until a few years ago, actually, was that you lose red blood cells with every heel strike. So the more active you are as a woman, the greater your chance that you're going to be having like low iron, low ferritin levels, right? So that's something that's really important. And you know, getting you up to 70 or 80, like just to feel like, hey, I can get out of bed. Studies have shown that women feel their best when we're like one, 125, 150. And like I almost like, I don't think I've ever seen that on a blood test. Like I've never, like, I've never seen that on a blood test. So there's that, there's the low iron piece, and then on top of that, thyroid. And it's 95% of women who have low thyroid function have Hashimoto's, which is an autoimmune disease. And there's huge lifestyle and nutrition implications with that because we don't want your body working against you. And that is literally what happens with autoimmune disease, is that your body is attacking your thyroid, right? There's many nutritional pieces for that to lower those thyroid numbers or keep those stable. And that was definitely a part of what we are doing. So you have all of those things together on top of the mummy wine culture that were absolutely killing your energy, but like your life force. Like in the testimonial that you gave me, you mentioned something that like really hit me, which was you didn't have goals the way that you do now, right? Because who's setting big goals and going after them when you're looking at that picture where you're exhausted and trying to get through the day?

SPEAKER_00 14:32

That's right. It's like basic survival for myself, let alone like just the basic what do my kids need to survive, pack their lunches, get their schools done, make their meals and all that. And I'm out of that survival state, right? So, like even just this whole like nervous system, like just breath that it feels like I can think like a month, two months, six months, a year, like I'm making bigger goals, bigger plans, and not out of like scarcity, but it's like I want it and I can do it. And my body is like not fighting me on it, right? So, yeah, that's been like just I'm again like just such a big transformation that's been really neat to see, and even just making plans with friends, right? Because it'd be like, Oh, see how I feel, and date nights with my husband, like just different things like that. You've been planning the summer with the kids and it's still a bit behind in planning all their summer camps, but it's just looking for that, like I'm so excited for it, not oh my god, I'm gonna dread it, and it's gonna be all this work and it's gonna be all of this, and like where how am I gonna function? And you're adding a whole other component of being away at the lake for the summer or part of the summer kind of thing, right? So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

And you know, that as women, we are still managing the lion's share of the kids and the activities and the household and all of those things. So it just makes it that there's that much more pressure on us. A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 15:51

And so I think such a big part, and I look back at it, and I was in your program for about a year and a half, like even just over a bit of like over a year and a half. And sometimes I'm like, oh, could I have done that in six months if I had just followed followed the protocol from the beginning and maybe, but I don't think about it that way. I needed that time to really all the Joe Dispenza work, right? I think you had kind of talked about Joe Dispenza at one point, and just again, it's so much mindset work. And not that I fought the mindset work, but I fought the freaking mindset work. For example, one of the things you say is let's start journaling and you have good journal prompts. And I'd be like, for the first, I don't even know how long, but a while I was like, oh, I do the journaling in my head. I talk to myself in my head. And like when I finally started doing the five-minute journal, right? Just a five-minute journal that I was able to get from again, Dan Martell. When I was in Kelowna last year and got to his office, that alone was like, oh my gosh, this works. Like within the month and a half, I was like, whoa, yes, like there is this like feeling of like change and like I am writing, like who I'm becoming. And these are my affirmations of I'm not it physically now, but if my brain goes there, I will get there. And that's just like I haven't stopped that five-minute journal, like for more than maybe like a handful of times, like in this year, this past year coming up in June. And that's been huge with continuing the work. Some of the other things, just building systems around like the food, because it's not the food stuff, it's not complicated, right? What's harder to do is accept that I need to make this a system and make it easy and like literally make it who I am now, not another thing on my to-do list, right? Because even that when we were talking about certain things of it, oh, it's just another thing I have to do on my to-do list. And when I accepted it, like I'm not doing this to get a gold star from Kira, like she cares, she cares deeply, right? But this isn't that I need to prove to her that I'm good and I'm being good and I'm doing all the right things. Like, I want to become this person that does these because this is just my life, it's not a freaking to-do list anymore. And so, again, it took me that long. A to drop the alcohol was such a big part, and again, I'm not like a hundred percent. I can now enjoy a drink because I want to, not because I need to, I feel like I need to. And then with your tips as well, I know how to make sure I don't sabotage my nutrition because of that, and I can still have good sleep. So I'm not creating that vicious cycle that it causes. Um but I needed that time to accept that this was the lifestyle I wanted and to build the systems into my life where it's just what I do now. I don't need a gold star, this isn't for anybody. I think even when we started, I was like, What's your why? And I'm like, I have a nine-year-old, I she was seven at the time. I have a daughter and I want to show her good habits, and a woman can take care of herself. And I feel like that's now transformed. And it's like, yes, we've talked about the kids and the impact me being healthy and giving a shit about myself can do. But it really is I want to be good for me for long term, right? Yes, for her to show her and my boys the healthy habits, but I want to show them what it can feel like to have energy and to live your life and to choose what's good for you for the long run, and so that I can again I think about the grandkids and the kind of grandmother that I want to be long term. One, I don't want to be just sitting on the couch and you just I can't chase my grandkids or do what I need to do with them. So anyway, it took me a while because I fought some of the system. I thought I could just do it my way. And then once I actually was like, oh yeah, it actually works if you just do what she says to us.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

There's something to that. Yeah, there's a reason why we start off with the unstuck program, which is a mindset program. So it's one of those things that's like give like when it comes to marketing, it's like sell somebody what they want and then give them what they need. So that what you want is I want to lose weight and feel better and look better. And then what you need is actually so much deeper than that. And I think it's really let's go back to the trajectory because now we're talking about the things that have really created the changes in your lifelong term, which is always gonna be your beliefs because your beliefs determine your actions, right? And your identity, like who you actually are. Like when you step into the identity, then you're no longer, it's not about, oh, I have to do this because Kira says. It's like getting to a place where I am the woman who takes care of herself, right? I am the woman who deserves this. And it like actually having that identity is what really cements things so that you can make it a lifestyle long term. It's the reason why, you know, when we stop working together after a year and a half, you were like, I'm ready. I'm ready to do this on my own. And then you continued progressing, right? It wasn't like when somebody does just a short program or they're just thinking about wait, it's short term. And the studies show that most people gain it back because of the piece that we're talking about. But let's go back because you were in my group program, my six-month group transformation program. And so in the first six months, I think this is a time where a lot of it really is nutrition and is weight loss. And like really trying to pepper in all of the other things is fine, but it does take time for people to really realize that and get that part. And what I always say in the beginning is that weight loss is a part of that. But what is actually harder for people is maintaining it for life and changing who you are as a person and what what you believe you're worth and what your beliefs are about what you're capable of. So in the first six months, and I should have looked at, I should have looked at your progress tracker, but my mind would say you probably lost 20, 20 pounds in the first six months. Yeah, yeah. About initial 20.

unknown 21:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

20, but what would happen is like Forth right, so it would be like two pounds off, one pound, two pounds, like the sta stagnate. And I think definitely in the first six months, I still hadn't I was still perfect Monday to Friday, and then falling apart on weekends. So there was still a big piece of that, and still the idea around this is good, this is bad, I'm good, or I'm bad, depending on how I do. So yeah, it was about 20 pounds, but it would go go back to fit only 50 and did down to 20 and all that, but still huge, right? And that was still really motivational in kind of seeing that, like when I follow the program, when I can do the thing, it works. Imagine that, because I was like, I before I tried everything and nothing works, it just gained more weight. But having the other thing that was so helpful for me, because you would see something on Instagram or somewhere, somebody would say, Oh, I do this, so I do a piece of this and do a piece of that and a piece of this and a piece of that. And so it was this mosaic of things that are supposed to be good, but it wasn't one coherent solid plan, right? And so when I started to really stick to that, I was like, Oh, yeah, this works, and then understanding for all the research you did are shared around even when you have Hashimoto's, you need to follow the autoimmune protocol because gluten basically impacts the way your body reacts to thyroid or it basically blocks it or whatever it is, right? I don't remember it now, except that I should be money, I should be gluten-free. And so, even just that cycle, sort of tracking my cycle as well to understand, oh, okay, it's a little harder this week, and it makes sense because I'm still ovulating and everything, and so this will make it harder. And even just the sleep piece of it, right? I think that was another one that took me a little bit to really dial in and stop that freaking after the kids go to bed, I need my me time because that's gonna give me the mental clarity. And sure enough, doom scrolling until 11 o'clock doesn't. Um, that's where yes, shocker. So six months I had success, and you know, again, that was really a lot of the nutrition. So, nutrition, I think, was a big piece. Of course, my workouts and everything had always been okay, but dialing those in or understanding hey, you don't need to do HIT is probably not the best thing for you either.

SPEAKER_02 24:01

Especially when you have the Hashimoto. So that's a lot of my thyroid clients, they're the ones that are pushing themselves super hard. And that's that's ongoing stress on the body and that pressure is one of the reasons that's created the underlying core reasons that's created this tissue in the first place. So doing more and pushing harder for somebody in that place where you are at is not the answer. And it's really hard for somebody like yourself, especially when you've been a lifelong athlete, to be like, oh, I have to change this or this isn't working for me, right? Because, and that doesn't mean that you can't do intense stuff. I'm sure you're doing that now, but it's really meeting your body where you're at that time and building the resilience so that you can do more. But we can't, when you are absolutely exhausted on the floor and you're pushing yourself too hard, you are just making it worse. So yeah, absolutely. And I I think it's important to say that there is frustration there because I think, especially in the beginning before the mindset stuff, because I think when we are younger, it was just so much easier. And as we get older, we are fighting against age, right? We are walking uphill just to maintain our health. And so that that feeling, I feel like I'm doing everything. Why does it feel so hard? That is valid. That is valid. And also we have to change the way that we are thinking because a lot of the times it comes from the fact that a lot of women didn't have to really think that much about their sleep and their nutrition. And they were more getting away with it. It's not that it was so great and now what they were doing before isn't working, is that their body is changing. What kind of was a past earlier or you could get away with becomes something that can really hold you back. So I know for you that frustration was there. The overwhelm, the being a business owner, the being a mom, having so much on your plate. And I think this is so important because you can still feel frustrated. And you need somebody to be like, I know that you're frustrated. And can we look at this a different way? Because at the end of the day, at everything that you were saying all comes down to your mindset, your beliefs, and those are the things that have to shift. And the journaling, like how many times I asked you about journaling or asked you about making choices, you know, you don't feel good on the weekend when things are off the rails, or you know what happens when you have a few drinks, and then it sets you back nutritionally, but with your sleep, with your patience, with your energy. And even knowing that, our brain is so interesting. And like you said, I know these things in my head, right? But we can create stories in our head, and we're really good at rationalizing anything, right? So that's why writing things out, and you really do have to write it out. And studies have shown actually, like pen to paper is really important for that brain connection. It does start to change everything. And the reason it feels so uncomfortable is that we don't like to look at the things that we promise ourselves and that we don't do. We don't like to look where we are responsible. And the truth is that that's why people don't like to do food diaries. And it's also why people don't like to do just journaling. What kind of promises are you making to yourself? Who are you becoming? What are you saying? Are you in alignment? All of those things are fucking uncomfortable. Because then you have to look at what is actually happening in black and white versus the story you're telling yourself. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

And that's such a huge part of it. So again, then going back to the beginning. So starting your program, I'd never done a detox, a proper detox in my life because I was like, I could never, but that was like the first 10 days of your program was a detox. And oh my freaking God, A, have I never eaten so much food in my life? And I think I lost five or six pounds in that first 10 days just off the bat of inflammation and junk and no coffee. Oh my God. I used to drink a pot of coffee. How could I survive running a business with like 20 employees and four children and all the sports they're in? And a husband who's an entrepreneur and is like all over the place and pets and then not drink coffee. And let me tell you, within a week, it was amazing. I wouldn't have the afternoon crashes and the afternoon snacking that you want to do, sleep was better. But anyway, that detox alone was huge, right? And then again, trying to stick to that and get back to that. That that's always been the goal. But even tracking the macros, right? Because you're like, oh yeah, I'm eating healthy. And then when you actually start to quantify and objectively see what you are and are not putting in your body, you're like, ooh, okay. So what I thought was a healthy low-calorie snack, that was like 300 extra calories at the end of the night. But did I really need that? Was that actually my body needed this nutrition, or that's just a habit because I'm sitting on the couch now or whatever, and it's just that bad habit. And you're right to look at that and be like, oof, that's not Kira's fault that she gave me a bad program. That's not whatever it is. Like it's literally that is a choice I am making. And like, why am I making that choice when I know it's not contributing to where I want to be, right? But it just, and maybe some people can come to it faster. It took me that long to really just set myself in in gear and really just be like, I want to feel good. And like when you start to see that evidence that, oh yeah, you can feel so good. Let's keep going for that and chasing that, right? And yeah, it's like you said, you need to have the just have the proof that it's going to work. But then also, I think one of the things we did a book study, right, with a small group, and I loved having the group. It just was amazing because yes, you could educate and you can talk and everything about my 20 years experience and I've had clients, but it was so powerful when somebody would come in and say, Yes, I had this win, and here's what I did. You can be like, Okay, yeah, I can implement that, or when somebody was struggling and we could brainstorm in here, okay. I had that struggle before, and this is how I got around it. That group was so powerful for me. I just love the women that came and went in that group. It was so good. But oh gosh, I lost my train of thought on what I was saying. But uh, the group was great and yeah, it's I lost my train of thought.

SPEAKER_02 30:28

It's one of those things. Uh, that's what we do. Happens to me all the time. Yeah. But yeah, and then the funny thing is like even with the detox, like you saying, oh, I was eating so much more food, I don't give macros, I don't give calories, I don't give anything like that when people first start with that detox. It's all about cleaning up the quality of your food, right? Actually taking out the things that cause inflammation, that cause bloating, that can slow down motility, really working on digestion, having more fiber, having a lot more food, as in vegetables and fruit. It's not low carb or anything. It's just taking out the things that are processed and that are sugars that really impact our blood sugar and stabilizing everything, right? So that you actually, your body is like, wow, your cells are actually getting what they need. And it's from that perspective, I keep thinking, like, do I change the name of it? Because sometimes people are like, oh, should I go back to the detox? I'm like, you should always be doing the detox. Okay. Because it's a blueprint for this is the quality of food and how I should be eating. And then the macros are the how much and like how often, right? A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 31:44

Yeah. Because I think, like, again, like you see it, like, oh, just have like your protein. Everybody's so on this protein, but the protein, it's have a protein shake and have a protein bar and have this protein coffee and all that. And it's again, like when you look at it, it's I know there can be good protein powders and this and that if it works for you, but like it's all just junk. You read the label, it's like chemical, that's not doing anything good for our body, right? So, like you said, with the detox, it's like re-nourishing your food, like renourishing your body from the inside outwards. Like, as much as I was eating salads before, I'm sure I was having other stuff that was blocking the nutrients actually getting into my body, and it wasn't working for me, right? So whole processed colorful food, and that's so much of exactly what I do now, right? It's exactly that. And then, like, I generally know where my macros are. I don't have to track them unless I have a goal I want to get to. I'm not tracking them. But again, like you would say that 80% of the time, like you're just eating on the detox, and maybe it shouldn't be called detox. I don't know, like renourishment. It's like the very plan or something.

SPEAKER_02 32:41

I will notice it, yeah. Sorry, I will own that because people like to do that. And it's like my goal is to have you feel as good as possible as quickly as possible, right? Yeah. Like it works, like it works. Yeah, whole foods do that, and there's no supplements or anything. It's literally just let's remove the junk and give your body what it actually needs and let's see how you feel, because that alone can be life-changing. So, okay, so in the first six months, you lose 20 pounds, and then in the group, you have the option of you can go month to month, no long-term commitment, but stay. And it was in that period of time that things really started to shift for you. And the big shift was the things that you spoke about, which was starting to write things down, starting to really look at where there was self-sabotage happening, right? Because you'd you'd hear it from me. And sometimes I remember being in the group call with you, and I could see the tears welling up. And it was just from being like, oh my gosh, I know. Like, and I'm so frustrated because I feel like I'm doing it. So, you know, that can be really hard because as a coach, it's my job to be like, I care about you and I know that you can do this. And also I'm not going to pretend that you're not doing the things that are making you feel like shit. That's right. A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

Yeah. And it was exactly it's that mirror that it's, you know, like it's up to you to execute on the plan and take the actions. And remembered what I had the brain fart about before, but we did as part of it. And I think this was after the six months. So again, this is where I'm so glad I stayed on longer than just six months. But we did that book book club on Jamie Carnina's uh worthy. And that to me, like I think I listened to that, I do most of my books on audiobook, like three or four times because I was like, this needs to sink in, like, I am worthy, I am worthy, and just starting to be like, I deserve this. I can plan my own stuff first, right? And that's been such a big shift for me where it's like putting my oxygen tank on myself first. Yes, I have four kids, I have a husband, they all need me, but I need myself first, right? So little shifts that I was able to start doing. I would pre-pack my own breakfast and lunch every day before I started doing theirs, right? Because then at the end of the day, if things went sideways or a kid had a little meltdown before the bus, it didn't matter. I was still ready to go, right? And I wasn't then I'm scrambling or I'm not eating or I'm not following on the plan and just taking the time, even like daily walks, like that's like a non-negotiable for me. And I'm an early morning person. I know it's not for everybody, but I love getting up at five and you know that I go to bed before nine. Yeah, I can do that and feel good, and it's not sabotaging me, right? But it just sat along that feeling of I am worthy of this, right? And again, like there was that shift where like I started and I was like, I'm gonna do this for my daughter. No, I'm doing this for me because I I deserve it. I am a good person and I want this and I need this, and then seeing all the benefits, right? So that was just yeah, like that was huge. And that was as a coach, like I appreciated that so much where you were still, you're never mean about it. You were just like, Well, you did this for three weeks and you felt amazing, and you did it for two days and didn't feel good. What do you choose? It's up to you, right? So, like that, make you pick your own path, right? You want to feel amazing or you don't, and if you choose not to, I can't help you with that. You're making that, and then just live with that, and that's okay, right? Because that was the other piece of it. It was around that the good and bad, right? You want to get to choose, and it doesn't make you good or bad. Like, even if there is a day that I'm like, I'm gonna have dessert with my dinner, like that doesn't make me good or bad, it's just freaking dessert and let it go and move on and then enjoy it, right? It's not this that we're putting this is gold and this is awful, and you can't ever do this because you're just like an awful person, right? It's no, you make the choices you want for how you want to feel, and and that's just what it comes down to, right? Are you living the kind of lifestyle that you want to be because of the woman that you are and or are becoming?

SPEAKER_02 36:41

Yeah, it's really holding the choices that you make with food don't mean anything about you at all. That's the thing, like holding it at arm's length. It's a choice. How does it make you feel? You have goals, does this line up? But it has nothing to do with who you are. And really separating that is the difference between guilt and shame. Because when we make it about who we are, that's what creates the shame. And it's the shame that creates the spirals, the shame that's oh, I had some potato chips, I may as well eat the whole bag and then I'll start again tomorrow or Monday or whatever, right? But that pivoting, learning to pivot, like how do I feel? And okay, I had a few things and I'm good and I'm gonna put it away and I haven't ruined the day, that is so important, right? Because I always say, I'm no different than anybody else. I have days where I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm you know, didn't plan and I'm grabbing whatever is there. The only difference is that I just pivot faster and I don't make it about who I am. And so that makes it, it puts you in a place where you can you can be like, okay, I feel a little overfull. Like, why don't we get all the kids out and go for a walk after dinner? That's gonna help me feel better. But there's no shame. That's the big thing. And so why don't we also talk about like when you started doing the journaling, when you started making it about you, when you started in that journaling, being able to look at and take responsibility. Cause this is the this is a hard part, right? Is like we create our own life. The choices that we make today is exactly what is going to make us feel good or not so great tomorrow. And so in doing that, the there's always that resistance that you talked about because it's so much easier. And let's be honest, we live in a world where people want to point outside of themselves and blame something. And that could be the outside world, it could be the government, it could be the economy, it could be the weather, stress, work, this person. It doesn't really matter. No matter what, if you are pointing outside of yourself, then what you are saying is that you don't have the power and you can't change. And that is the worst place that we can be, right? Because we want to look at we can't control anything outside of ourselves, but we can control ourselves and how we treat ourselves. And that's the only thing we do get to control, right? Even with your kids, you don't get to control your kids, right? But you you can start treating yourself in a way that allows you to regulate yourself, which is gonna have a massive impact on your kids being able to do the same.

SPEAKER_00 39:28

A hundred percent. And that's been such a massive part of this, too, is that as I was able to just take accountability for myself, right? Stop self-abandoning myself, hold promises to myself, just the mental strength that would build, right? That was it too, right? I said I was gonna do this and I'm doing this. Holy frid, no one can stop me, right? The only person that's gonna stop me is me when I'm like, oh, I'm not gonna do this. So you start to feel not unstoppable, but really you do have that power and that control. And so can I control my kids' outbursts? No, I can try to set the environment, but there might still have an outburst. But what I can't control is how I now get to respond to them as opposed to react, right? Because if I'm just all over the place and not calm, not settled, I don't have myself in check, I'm not responding, I'm reacting. And then if you have like a grown woman reacting to a little child who's outside of their mind because their brains haven't just made those connections yet, that's just disaster and disaster and continues to breed this awful cycle. So now that I can take that breath, they're having a moment of okay, this is not about me, this is about them. Take a breath, stay calm. I it's not that I never ever yell or raise my voice at the kids, or there's never moments where you're just like, oh my gosh, I'm human. Yeah. But more often than not now, I can respond to them in the way that they need, whether that's co-regulation, just sitting with them, or it is whatever the steps are that we need to take, right? And that alone has been huge. Even with my husband, right? I'm not as angry with him, I'm not as resentful of him because again, I am managing my life, managing what I need, asking for what I need, setting the boundaries just with myself, even that's huge, right? And again, I'm not reacting to him, I can respond to him, and we've just been able to get to a new level of just calmness in a sense it's good. But moving forward, we're not complacent zombies by any means, but we're just we're curating that life that we want as opposed to just putting out fires and reacting every five seconds. So that's like just huge. And again, it comes from that worthiness and holding yourself accountable. But again, I'm gonna take it back because I thought you gave that plan and you said this is let's look. We did the Dutch test, which I think was huge, gave even more clues to some of the things that were going on. And it was here's your plan, and you don't need 17 different plans. I don't take my plan and then go friggin' see some influencer online doing something and add that in. Like, you don't need that, like the steps you need are simple, but what is hard is holding the promises to yourself on how you want to feel and continuously executing. But you brought in the research that was so cool because it was like for women, not based on 20-year-old gym bunnies or men. So it's like women over 40. You're going whether it's hormones or it's this, and so you pulled it all together, and just that's what was so huge is having that plan to then be able to execute. And then now I've got systems built where I fail my meal prep place in Ottaway here where I can pick up meals through the week for me, which again is that cheating? Why is that cheating? It's healthy, it's whole food, it's on my macros, and it's something that I do for myself, right? Where I would have been two, three bottles of wine a week. Guess what? Now I can put that to meal prep, right? And you know, like I said, oxygen tank on myself first, make my own food first. I have a few things just on repeat that I know are within my macros. I feel good. They avoid the gluten and different grains and stuff that don't work for me. And I can now just have more capacity because I'm not always thinking, is this right? Is this what I need? So your plan was definitely such a huge part of that and still is like daily.

SPEAKER_02 42:45

Yeah, it's it's whole foods. It's not there's no like paleo vegetarian, this or that. It's like really understanding what your body needs, and that's gonna be different for every woman. That's why every single woman in my practice has their own protocol because you have to take those things into consideration. And I think what we should also, before we wrap up, is where are you now? Because in the first six months, there was the 20 pounds and the kind of back and forth, and then the journaling and the accountability, and really stepping into I am worthy and I deserve this. And something that's really important, and then I think we could have a whole other podcast episode on this, is you've mentioned resentment a couple of times. And I think that's really important because what women don't realize is that when you are self-sacrificing for your family or for your kids, for your husband, and not taking care of yourself, it builds resentment. And resentment kills love. So it's just like how you respond. You can be so much more present in how you respond because there's not this underlying anger because you're not getting any of your needs met. So that's Such a huge thing, but so once you started journaling, that's when things really started clicking and moving faster. So tell me about that because now you're down how many pounds? 45 pounds from when I started two January's ago.

SPEAKER_00 44:15

So January 2024. So yeah, and maintain it. And like I can go for a weekend. Like we were just at the trailer for a weekend, and 90% of the time maintained what I do at home without it being like, oh my god, my weekend is ruined because I can't do this, I can't do that. And it's it's awesome. I was to say it just feels so good and empowering. And I did the work, and like I said, some of the work I wish I had started sooner, but I think that's just what I needed to experience was like, man, I needed to keep becoming and that identity shift, it doesn't happen overnight. And I'm still working on it, like I'm still buffaloing through like another identity change that's happening here. That's from Heather. Our friend Heather in Shavana. So I, you know, I flipped into her coaching program for a few other kind of like business and life things and all that, but yeah, and so that's but it feels good again just to have reclaimed that one reclaimed who I am and who I want to be, and then I can now like work on that. And it's not just this, oh my gosh, I'm doing this because I have to, right? Like I want to.

SPEAKER_02 45:13

Yeah, it's a choice because you see how great your life is. Your life again, yes, you came in with a weight loss goal and you've lost 45 pounds. And that first six months felt way harder than it has since then, right? Because there is like mindset, the identity, the beliefs, the all the things. But the truth is that what you got back was like joy and presence and feeling good about how you're mothering, feeling good about how you're showing up and who you are. And those are things that the most exciting things for me because at the end of the day, there's no difference between our physical health and our emotional and spiritual well-being, our mental health as well. They're all connected and you can't have one without the other. It's not like in Western medicine where things are in silos, they are not in silos, they are all connected. And when you start this work and you get healthy, and like you said, you feel unstoppable because there's actual energy, life force coursing through you like it should be. You're young. So that's the amazing part. And the other amazing part is the paying it forward part, right? Because I would love to hear before we wrap up about what you are doing now, because all of this has changed you so much that you really want to be that lifeline and that coach for other women who are feeling like they're underwater, just the same way that you were when you first started, and giving them a lifeline when they have kids who are challenging them in all of the ways. So tell me a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_00 47:04

Yeah, so I have launched a coaching program called Reclaim You, which is meant for high-achieving moms of neurodivergent kids. So kids with ADHD or autism, they don't even have to have a diagnosis, just a mom who might be like, I am struggling with my kiddo. And there is that kind of like dysbiosis, or there is like just a lack of herself being able to take care of herself because just pour into her kids right now. It's a 16-week program that is really meant to cook holistically. You talk about, we talk about neurodivergence and what is that and how does that manifest differently and because the respond versus react and a few things like that. But then a lot of it really is it's let's get you back to reclaiming a piece of you, right? Whether that is the sleep or the nutrition, just this energy around who is it that you want to become, right? So walk through the different pillars, again, being a coach that's going to hold you accountable to what it is that you want to achieve to get to that relationship with yourself so that you can have the relationship now and in the long run with your kiddos.

SPEAKER_02 48:03

Yeah, and that is amazing. And this is my favorite part about impacting women because now you've completely turned around your own life, your own health, and your trajectory, and you're reaching your hand out to help other women because it really is an epidemic, right? There was so much on our plates, and it doesn't get easier as we get older into our 40s because there's so many changes with us. And perimenopause and menopause is not just our ovaries not being fertile anymore. It has to do with the changes in our microbiome and there's the gut-brain connection. It has to do with the changes in our brain, and there's so much there. And we actually become less stress resilient. And that's why we need to put more time and effort into ourselves. So I'm so excited to see you doing this and wishing you all of this success. I love hearing your updates. I'm grateful for the relationship that we've built, but I'm just grateful for you with the big smile on your face and the joy in your life actually just living your life the way that you want and having these goals and doing big things. So anyway, it's I'm and I'm grateful for you, Kira.

SPEAKER_00 49:22

It's I'm so glad our paths crossed. And like I saw that first reel Renee talked about you, and I'm just so glad that you held me to where I could get to. So thank you.

SPEAKER_02 49:32

Yeah. And that's in the testimonial you mentioned like borrowing my belief in you until you had that belief in yourself. And I go to bat for you, for my clients. And that is why I want people to dig really deep. And when we get out of the stories that we've created and we create these new beliefs, anything is possible for us. And that's why it is a big part of my job to hold that belief that you can create exactly what you want. Yep, exactly. So thank you, Julia. And we will link your Instagram account in the show notes. And if you want to just tell us where people can find you on Instagram.

SPEAKER_00 50:17

Yep, for my ReclaimE program, you can find me at JulesK Reed, R-E-I-D. And then if you want to check out what my awesome clinic is doing for kids therapy in Ottawa, it's at Play on Pediatric.

SPEAKER_02 50:28

Amazing. Thank you so much for being here. I know that this is going to impact so many women. And if for the those listening, if this is impacting you, do a screenshot of this podcast, share it on Instagram, tag me, tag Julia, because the impact that we can have on each other as women is it cannot be contained. And this is how we change the world is just one woman taking back her life and then giving back to others. So thanks so much for being here, Julia. Thank you.

unknown 51:06

Welcome.