Create the Courage to be Fearless
Create the Courage to be Fearless Podcast
Diverse, inspiring conversations and solo reflections with people who have faced fear, challenge, and personal transformation — and found their way to courage, freedom, and growth.
From life-changing experiences to breaking silence around taboo, shame, and personal struggle, each episode explores what it really means to step beyond fear.
New episodes every Tuesday, including guest conversations, solo reflections, and masterclasses filled with practical insight and lived wisdom.
This podcast invites you to reconnect with your own courage — and live more freely, honestly, and fully.
Create the Courage to be Fearless
Why Nothing Works For Your Health (The Missing Link in Personalised Health) | Jennell Cook EP 227
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Health advice has never been more accessible — yet many people feel more confused, overwhelmed, and stuck in their wellbeing than ever before.
In this episode, Anita Mattu speaks with Jennell Cook, creator of the Simple Health Test Method, to explore why so many people try the “right” health solutions but still don’t see consistent results.
Jennell shares her personal journey, beginning in her teenage years while watching her mother navigate complex chronic health challenges. That experience led her to develop a practical, personalised approach to health that focuses on what the body actually needs in the present moment — rather than following one-size-fits-all advice.
Together, they explore:
• Why common health advice often doesn’t lead to lasting change
• How fatigue, brain fog, and inflammation can have multiple underlying causes
• The role of body feedback tools, including muscle testing
• Why method matters more than any single supplement or solution
• How to build self-trust when making health decisions
• The difference between fear, intuition, and true body guidance
This conversation is for anyone who has ever thought, “Nothing works for me,” or felt lost in conflicting health information. It offers a grounded, practical perspective on how to reconnect with your body and make clearer, more confident wellness choices.
Subscribe for more honest conversations on health, wellbeing, and personal transformation.
Website: https://www.simplehealthtest.com
Book: Wellness Is Your Business International, Amazon Bestseller.
If you are enjoying my work then you can support me by 'buying me a coffee' at this page
I look forward to connecting with you Anita Mattu https://linktr.ee/AnitaMattu
Health Should Be Simple
Jennell CookAt that time, I remember thinking health should be simple. You know, you aren't well, you go to the doctor, they give you medicine, you get better, and simple. But as we know, it's not always like that. So that began this journey of exploration and discovery, and sometimes going against what was acceptable at that time.
Anita MattuToday's guest is Janelle Cook, creator of the simple health test method. After more than 40 years in wellness, Janelle noticed that smart people, good products, and thoughtful recommendations still didn't always produce consistent results. She now helps practitioners, product sellers, and everyday people identify where to start, what support progress, and what may be interfering so they can make more confident decisions and create more predictable outcomes. Welcome, Janelle.
Jennell CookThank you very much, Anita.
Anita MattuI'm so excited to learn more about this because it's so true, we just trust the practitioners, don't we? And we we're in their hands sometimes. And I'm very much at the idea now that you have to know your own body.
Jennell CookYou absolutely have to know your own body. It's so important. There's no one size fits all, right? Absolutely.
Anita MattuYeah. So with that said, what is one of the most courageous things that you have done?
Jennell CookWell, Anita, courage for me wasn't really found in a singular moment, but repeatedly in the choices I made. Choosing the unknown over the safer options. For instance, I walked away from a successful career in finance. I rebuilt my life as a single mom. Divorce was very hard. And standing up for what I knew, even when it was easier to sit down. So it was, I think, in the many moments that life handed me.
Anita MattuIsn't that for everyone? Yeah. You can't always pick one, but you can roundabout try and get a common denominator. Yes.
Jennell CookYes. And it's what keeps us growing and evolving and just makes us stronger with every obstacle we encounter, every situation we face.
Anita MattuFor those who may not know you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the work you do today?
Jennell CookYes, I would love to. Thank you. So I've been in wellness for 42 years now, and it started with my mom's health journey. I was just a teenager and she suffered from multiple health issues. Some were chronic. And it was very fearful for me because I thought, my gosh, like I'm I don't want to lose my mom. And at that time, I remember thinking health should be simple. You know, you you aren't well, you go to the doctor, they give you medicine, you get better, and simple. But as we know, it's not always like that. So that began this journey of exploration and discovery, and sometimes going against what was acceptable at that time. So it was a it was a challenging journey. And it was one that through that we discovered there are other ways, you know, there's not just one way to do something. And my mom's recovery uh allowed us to open up a health food store and a wellness clinic where we were able to help hundreds and thousands of other people, including their pets. And when COVID hit and businesses were shut down, I thought this was a time for me to just sort of take a step back. And I wrote a book. That was another challenge that was a very, very difficult thing to do. And looking back, I'm glad I did because this book outlines the steps of this simple health test method that have helped so many people. I shared a bit about my story. And then off the back of that book, I built an online program where I help people today learn the method that brought us success and let me keep my mom.
Anita MattuThat's so inspiring because that's re in real
Courage, Career Change, Single Mum
Anita Mattutime, you know, you want to do something for your mom. And like you said, keeping light health should be simple and it's not. So I can understand absolutely, you would want to do anything for your parents.
Jennell CookYes, and that I did. Yes. And you know, it helped me navigate my own health challenges. Um, as a single mom, I remember I woke up one morning and it felt like my body just quit me. And what it was was um my thyroid crashed. And it was it was scary. And if I didn't have these skills, if I didn't have at least a little bit of uh knowledge that there was something else I could do at that time, you know, I don't know what what that what would have come of that otherwise. So I was able to navigate through that using this method, and there's just been so many times, and I'm super grateful for that.
Anita MattuSo what inspired you to create simple health tests method after decades in the wellness field? I know you've just spoken about your mom's health and your thyroid. So was it a combination? Do tell us.
Jennell CookYeah, thank you. That's a great question, Anina. Um, so well, it started with my mom, of course, but the more that I experienced the method, the more that I realized what it was able to do, um, the more that it was helping so many people, I realized, wow, like everybody should be doing this. Like, it doesn't matter if you're a single parent like I was at home or a pet parent, you know, it's a way to help our pets. There's always challenges that are going to come up as our bodies change, as we age. We need more resources. And I think in today's world, despite the advancements in technology and science, like people are really struggling, right? We're we're not really understanding specifically where do we start for that body. And I think this is a really necessary uh part that fills in the gap for many people. And I just got very excited to share and let people realize that there is more possible if we just are open to the idea and um just move forward courageously in something different.
Anita MattuSo was there a specific moment when you realize that good advice, good products, and good intentions don't always lead to the same results for everyone? Because let's face it, like you said earlier, um, we all know one does not fit everyone.
Jennell CookThat's true. And I don't think there was a singular moment. I think there was just hundreds of moments because I was, you know, I had uh through my practice the ability to be in front of thousands of people. And it was the repeated idea that, oh my gosh, you know, we're might not making decisions because we don't have a way, uh, a method, a tool to help us decide. Like, where do we start with that particular body? Never mind, you know, the 10 before. It's not always that cut and dry. It's not always that textbook um answer. You know, we have to look at the body as an individual. I I always say it's like a fingerprint, you know, we are unique. And there is no one size fits all in my experience.
Anita MattuAnd it is unique, and I'm glad you gave that example of a fingerprint because we've all got our own fingerprint.
Jennell CookWe do, yes, I believe that. So, as an example, if I may, um, there's a story that comes to mind to sort of bring home when I'm talking about the concept of how do we actually, you know, tap into the wisdom of the body. And I use different tools. Now, a tool could be um any feedback tool, any body feedback tool, such as muscle testing, which happens to be one of my favorite, and it's what I teach, but it it's not limited to that. Some people have really good guided intuition. Um, some people use dousing rods or pendulums, whatever the tool is, it doesn't matter. Um, but a tool with a method can really get the data that we need. So for instance, fatigue. Fatigue is a big one in my business. There was a lot of, especially women that would come in, oh my gosh, I'm so tired. I can't get through
From Mum’s Recovery To Method
Jennell Cookthe day. Like, where do we even start? And they try all these things, and and many of them, years have passed. Now, I couldn't imagine going through years of you know, struggling with trying to get out of bed in the morning. I lived through that with my mom, and thankfully, um, I didn't have to experience that myself, given what I know, and you know, so fatigue was a really big one. But fatigue could mean many things. Fatigue is just a symptom, isn't it? Fatigue could point to a candida or yeast overgrowth in the body, a thyroid that needs support, adrenals, heart like low iron, B12. There's so many things that fatigue could point to. Yet often we just look at fatigue as, oh my gosh, what can I take to give me more energy? Right? And then that's where we get down these paths of all the wrong directions. So this one client in particular, she came in and she she was very fatigued. I mean, she could hardly walk, she was embarrassed. Her friends thought she had a brain injury because she couldn't follow a conversation. She was so tired. So by assessing her body using the simple health test method, we could find exactly where that was originating from. And furthermore, we could test out using the method which products would best support her, which ones would fit her body. So once we knew, in her case, to support the thyroid, there's many solutions to thyroid support. There's a ton of good products out there, right? But which option really fit her best? Now I have a background in clinical nutrition and herbalism and all these different things. But you can't just lean into one solution because for her body, although my educated mind, you know, could have made a good guess, but I would just be guessing. So once we tested her body, found the right fit, the things that were interfering based on her lifestyle that was contributing to the problem. Well, within a couple of weeks, she called me back and she said, Oh my gosh, I'm out riding my bicycle again. Got your bicycle. She was in her 70s. And her friends noticed. And so, yeah, once you can tap into what it is that body needs, it just makes everything so much easier to get a more predictable outcome.
Anita MattuAnd that's so fantastic, because that's what you want. I mean, that's beautiful to get someone back on their bike in their 70s. Why not? And I think this day and age, you know, they always say, Oh, you're just getting old, or you're just getting forgettable. And it's played down a lot without actually thinking about it. Yes, yes.
Jennell CookAnd you're right, it does get played down a lot, doesn't it? Especially as we age, you know, I'm gonna be 60 soon. I recognize, you know, if I get up some days and I think, oh, something just doesn't feel quite right, I don't have the zip that I used to, I can test my body and say, oh, you know, I'm gonna support my iron a little bit or whatever it might be. Because when you have a method and some tools to do that, it just makes making decisions easier.
Anita MattuI'm not sure if you've actually answered some of these questions, but I'm gonna ask you the question anyway. For someone hearing about the simple health test method for the first time, can you explain what it is and how it works?
Jennell CookSure. So as I mentioned, I use feedback tools and I'm I'm a fan of muscle testing. So I use muscle testing, and for those people listening who are maybe familiar with feedback tools, you know, where you see the um somebody will hold their arm out as a practitioner and push down on the arm and get these yes-no answers, or maybe you see them, you know, doing the swaying kind of technique. Other people use different types of tools, but that's my favorite. So these yes-no answers, they're they're fantastic because you can say, you know, is this, for instance, is this product good for me? And a strong response would typically mean yes, where weakness would mean no. But with a method, you can take that so much further. You can access the body to find where the weaknesses and imbalances are first, meaning the body's priorities. See, we don't want to start with a solution for fatigue. We want to start with the body and say, but where is that fatigue coming from? Then we can move into, okay, now what's going to support that body best? Maybe a product, maybe food, maybe herbs. There's lots of options. There's so many wonderful things out there. That's the problem sometimes. There's so many things. How do we choose what is best for that body at that time? Because even yesterday's hero could be this year's villain, right? So the body changes, our needs change. So we need that data, that information to say, oh, okay, this is how we make a decision right now for this problem that we're facing. So that's kind of does that answer your question?
Anita MattuYes. You say that health doesn't always mean compatibility compatible. Can you explain what you mean by that?
Jennell CookAbsolutely. So compatibility just really means um going back to the example to keep it simple. Let's say, Anita, you're struggling with fatigue, and I'm struggling with fatigue. But the solution for you might be because your thyroid needs some support. Maybe for me, my thyroid needs some support. But maybe for you, you require ABC supplement, and I require XYZ uh essential oil. Maybe for you, it's coming from stress. Maybe for me, it's coming from having too much caffeine in my daily uh routine. So what's compatible for me doesn't mean it's compatible for you. We are unique bodies and we have unique circumstances. Even where you live
Fatigue Case Study And Root Causes
Jennell Cookversus where I live, we are going to have different quality of foods, different available products. I run into this with my students in my program. They'll say, But you know, you know, what can I use in this situation? Because these things aren't available to me. So without a method to be able to test those out, to say, okay, this is what's available where I am, what's good that fits my body. Because some solutions and remedies, even if it's a home remedy, you might test it out and say, meh, that's okay. Another one might be, wow, this this really gets a result. And another one might be, yeah, but this really lands the plane, it brings it home. And another one might be, no, no, no. Although this might support the thyroid, it's going to cause an upset in my gut health. Or it's going to make my hair fall out. So you don't want those as options and solutions. But maybe for me, that might be the perfect remedy for me. For you, it's going to cause more harm than good. That's compatibility.
Anita MattuAnd it's so true, isn't it? Because I've seen colleagues, friends, family members that are having issues, and yeah. You really need to be able to pinpoint what it is your body needs.
Jennell CookYeah, exactly. And I think that's, I mean, that's been my life's work, and I think that's the biggest gap I see today. Everybody is promoting a fantastic product or a treatment or whatever it might be, a home remedy. And while that may be great for some people, that's why some people say, Oh yeah, that worked, and other people say, Well, that didn't do anything for me, or it made me worse. And as a practitioner, or if you sell products, that's kind of a big deal. If you don't have a way to evaluate these things first, I mean, that's some of the things that would keep me up at night as a practitioner. You know, oh my gosh, did I did I recommend the right thing? Like what's the feedback going to be? Did I help this person? Because your whole business is based around achieving results.
Anita MattuYeah. Why doesn't having more information necessarily create more clarity when it comes to our health and well-being?
Jennell CookBecause I think today, and you might agree with this, Anita, that having more um availability to information today with the internet, it just causes more chaos. There's like hundreds and thousands of possibilities with no real way to narrow it down. Sometimes it just creates more confusion, more conflict. If you saw 10 different practitioners for fatigue, they would probably give you 10 different solutions because that's their area of expertise or something they're familiar with or something that worked for them. So it just creates more confusion and chaos. There's too many options today, um, with no real means of narrowing it down. Like what um how do you test it out before you make those decisions or recommendations? And that's what the method is all about.
Anita MattuBrilliant. So, what is the biggest mistake practitioners make before recommending products or protocols?
Jennell CookYeah, that's that's a challenging one because we can sometimes make a lot of different um assumptions based on what we think worked best. I know sometimes for myself, as a very seasoned practitioner over the years, I would say, oh yeah, I know what this is. And maybe sometimes we do. So we just jump to that solution or that remedy quickly because it's like, oh yeah, this is familiar. This is what maybe helped in the majority of situations. But then I would find if I would just stop for a minute, test it out first, and then I would think, uh oh, that could have been a terrible mistake because my testing showed that there was something better. That while that may have been helpful, but this was better, maybe a faster result, um, a quicker outcome, you know, something that's gonna last longer. I think, yeah, we just jump to remedies or solutions a little too fast sometimes.
Anita MattuAnd that's good to know. It's having that slowing down again process, isn't it? Just take a moment here. Yes, yes. In your experience, why do some people see great results from wellness approaches while others don't?
Jennell CookYeah, I think it goes back to what I was saying earlier, Anita, that um, you know, you and I could use the same product for the same thing, and you could have incredible results. And for me, I don't know, maybe I think for a day or two, wow, this seems to be helping, and then suddenly it doesn't, and I'm right back where I started because we didn't find out first where do I start? What is the right fit? And then does it all play nice together? Because sometimes people today, mostly I think people today, we're not just taking one thing, one supplement, one product, one remedy. We we do this concoction of things, you know. I need something for this and this and this and that, right? So do all of those things play nice together, right? And we can test this out using the method, but sometimes it's just that.
Anita MattuSo, what are some of the most common reasons people get stuck in their wellness journey? Because I know people that are stuck and they said, Oh no, it's just me, nothing works, you know.
Jennell CookYeah, I think primarily well, it's the reason I built this method, it's the reason I wrote the book, because we don't have a way to evaluate for ourselves. We're kind of handing over that part to somebody else for them to decide what our bodies need. But I think the reality is, in my experience, it's the body that knows best, it's the body that's always known. And while some of these things may be helpful, um, the body still knows best at the end of the day. And we're not always the information is not always easily available to us. So this is what I'm doing out there, you know, just trying to get this knowledge out to other people to say, hey, there's a way that you can figure that out for yourself or for your clients or your customers. There's an easier way.
Anita MattuYeah. And and that leads nicely on to my next question. How can people become more aware of what their own body is trying to tell them?
Jennell CookWell, I think um for anybody who is into kind of feedback, body feedback, I think that's a great place to start. And there's a few Parts to this. So feedback, like I said, could be muscle testing, which just happens to be my favorite, but there could be many other ways. Because those quick yes-no answers can be very, very helpful. But having a method like the simple health test can give you even more data, especially if you're in the business of wellness and helping other people. So I think anything to do with feedback to tap into the body. Now, having said that, there is one key, I'll say pre-check that we were never taught, and that most feedback users were never shown. And sometimes they get different answers. They don't trust the feedback they're getting. And I actually created a free, kind of like a mini training. It's available on my website for people who
How Muscle Testing Guides Choices
Jennell Cookwant to just kind of take that for a test drive, or if they're familiar with feedback already and say, yeah, but I don't really trust it. This is probably why. Because we were never shown this one little check that we would do first.
Anita MattuSo that's having the wisdom about your own body as well and trusting it, like you've just said.
Jennell CookYes. And once you learn to trust that, that wisdom that is inside of us, um, oh, it just opens up a whole new world. You know, I was able to, as a single mom, help my kids, help my pets, and of course turn it into a business, you know, and for my mom, from somebody who struggled so much, just being able to have a life then of purpose. When in the beginning, you know, it started out uh not not really very well for her. So being able to um just have more options and going through life, being able to enjoy life, experiencing life without being limited.
Anita MattuYes. Can you share a story that demonstrates the possibility of the simple health test method?
Jennell CookOh my gosh, there's so many stories. Well, even for myself, you know, I'll tell you a little bit more about my own kind of little crash, my body crash. So even though I was fairly new, even though I'd seen this already for a few years with my mom, and how she was able to, through her own body's feedback, make changes and good changes and changes that would last from you know the proper nutrition and and not only just what you what the body needs that it's lacking, but things that you need to remove. So in my case, when I woke up one morning and my body just quit me and I was so scared because you know, suddenly you're just thrown into the situation that you're not familiar with. And I was like, okay, just take a breath for a minute and calm down and like what is actually going on before I, you know, hit the panic button. And even though I was very new to this, I was able to kind of go through my body and find where the weaknesses or the imbalance was coming from. And for me, it immediately pointed to my thyroid. And I'm doing this because this is one of the tests we would do to access the body and say, okay, this is, you know, my thyroid. I thought, okay, it's my thyroid, I know this. So what does my thyroid need? Because that's the next step. Once we realized, okay, here's all of these possibilities, solutions, remedies. Um, and for me, um, I kind of created this little recipe and I wrote about it in one of my books, and it was basically a bunch of different greens. But in the beginning, I had to do a little bit of supplementation because I was so bad. Um, so I leaned into supplements first, and then I replaced those with better food choices and eliminated the foods. In my case, was you know, caffeine or anything that had caffeine in it. I love coffee, that was my thing. And I had a very high power, high stress corporate job at that time. Um, I was running a finance business. And so these things just was they were very taxing on my thyroid. And as a single mom, I mean, I didn't have time to be sick, I didn't have time to have problems um or to be dealing with this. So within a couple of days, I was able to turn that all around and and feel better faster and not go down some of those um paths that many of us, like my mother, get led down for many, many years. So I was super grateful for that.
Anita MattuAnd that's what a transformation for yourself and through your own work you've witnessed. Absolutely. Yes, yes.
Jennell CookAnd with our pets too. Um, I remember I'm I have a I have a very big passion for pets. And I remember the first puppy I got for my my daughter as a single mom, and we were both so excited. And we got this puppy, and she was only a few months old, and I noticed when we were playing outside, she was kind of struggling to see. I thought, what? Like, you know, we'd throw the ball. She was like a border collie mix, and so they're very, you know, smart and quick. But I noticed when I would throw the ball, she wasn't really watching me, she was more listening. I thought, uh oh. So I tested her and I and it her eyesight was saying that it needed some support. I thought, oh my gosh, I have this puppy and she's losing her eyesight. Again, we you know tested out what would be the the best solutions for her in her case, and in a couple of months we were able to navigate that, and she never did lose her eyesight. So but for a while it was very scary.
Anita MattuYeah. And that's so beautiful because this day and age a lot of us have pets, don't we? And we, you know, part of the family and you do want to look after them as much as your children.
Jennell CookThat's right, that's right. And it and it's hard because people don't realize that there is a way to help them figure these things out, you know. Argue that, well, it was obvious that she was losing her eyesight, of course, but then what do you do with that? You know, I see so many things today on the internet, and people do try to be helpful, I believe, uh, in the best way possible. Oh, try this, try that, and they bring all of this information forward, and then it just gets so overwhelming, right? Weeks pass, months pass, you're trying all these things, and sometimes you're spending, you know, hundreds, thousands even in trying to find the right fit solution.
Anita MattuYeah. And it does, it goes
Compatibility And Information Overload
Anita Mattuback to taking uh courage to trust ourselves when there is so much conflict in evidence. What have you learned about self-trust through your work?
Jennell CookWell, I've learned that if we remove the panic from the situation and just quiet ourselves, now I have the luxury of having this method that I use that helps me, that directs and guides me, which really does come from within, but it helps me understand what is actually in here to say, okay, this is the right next step for you. And that sort of helps me calm maybe my busy mind or a busy nervous system that's firing in all these directions because we're panicking and just having the courage to just quiet ourselves and listen to that. Like, I got this, you know, I my body's got me, my intuition known, my wisdom, whatever you want to call it, whether you're a spiritual person, you know, maybe it's whatever it is for you, to and just to just trust that. And the more you do it, the more you lean into that, the more it just okay, I got this.
Anita MattuAllah.
Jennell CookThank you. Well, it's like anything, it's it's practice, right? Yes, practice. We learn through these experiences to trust ourselves, to be more courageous because we come up with all of these ideas, I think, initially, all the scary things. Oh my gosh, if I do this and that, and what could happen? But we have to let go of that part and just come back to here because our body knows. We do know.
Anita MattuAnd I think you've just answered my next question, which was how do we know the difference between fear and intuition when making decisions about our health and well-being?
Jennell CookYes. Well, again, for me, you know, I have the luxury of having a method that helps reassure and guide me, but it still comes back to we just need to quiet the busy mind, come back to the the center of the heart, whatever you want to call it, your guidance, whatever it is you that you believe in, and quiet all the other noise and come to that place that you just you feel it. You feel it.
Anita MattuIf there was one key takeaway you want every listener to walk away with today, what would that be?
Jennell CookWhen in doubt, test it out. The body knows. It just knows. We just need a way to hear it, to listen to it, and verify what we think and uh trust that.
Anita MattuI love that.
Jennell CookThank you.
Anita MattuSimple, short, and straight to the point. Yes, yes.
Jennell CookSimple Health Test method has three simple steps. Find it, fix it, feel it.
Anita MattuSo where can the listeners find you online, your website, your book?
Jennell CookAbsolutely. Um, at my website, simplehealthtest.com. There is uh some information about what we just talked about, a little more information on what it is I do and who I am. In addition to the free training that I mentioned earlier, um, it's just a quick mini, you know, five, six-minute free training for those who have not yet experienced any sort of feedback, body feedback testing, or even those who are familiar with feedback testing and love those yes-no tools and want to trust those answers easier. There's usually a pre-check that most of us were never taught. So that is also available uh on my website and my book, One List is your business. Yep, is also available on my website on Amazon.
Anita MattuSo, listeners, all the links will be in the show notes. Do please go ahead and connect with Janelle.
Jennell CookI would love that. Yes, thank you.
Anita MattuThank you so much for sharing your insights, your wisdom,
Self-Trust, Fear Versus Intuition
Anita Mattuand your stories with us today. By doing so, you have impacted so many people and truly made a difference. I'd really like to acknowledge you for that, Janelle Cook.
Jennell CookThank you, Anita. It was my pleasure to be here, and if we've helped one person listening today, it was definitely worth it.
Anita MattuYes. Can't echo that enough.
Jennell CookYes. Thank you so much.
Anita MattuSo we are all about create the courage to be fearless podcast here. What is your definition of courage?
Jennell CookTo me, it's um having the courage to take the path that feels right, right? Not the path that's easiest. It's not always the path that people expect you to take. And that's I think part of that intuition that guides us to recognize which path we need to be on. Not the easy one, but it's taking the path that you have the courage to take.