The Alina Edit
Curating your best life, one edit at a time.
Welcome to the Alina Edit. This is your go-to guide to optimize your life for beauty, balance, and becoming your best self. This show touches on topics covering the betterment of your relationships, wellness, habits, and personal style to lead you in actively creating the best version of you, on your terms.
The Alina Edit
the dangers of hustle culture and breaking the chronic stress cycle w/ Lauren Sandquist
Many of us can get caught in a cycle of very stressful lifestyle which can throw off our health and promote disease. Today we're talking about how to assess what the body needs to make its way back to a healthy and balanced state. We dive into how individualistic health is, why its important to advocate for yourself, and the tests you can take to tell you exactly what methods you should prioritize. Our guest today is not only completing her schooling to become a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner, but has personal experience in transforming her life to better her overall health as well.
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Hello everyone and welcome back to the stellar cycles podcast, your hot girl database for all the things that we wish we were taught, but get to learn together now, everything pertaining to your femininity, your cycle and wellness and your walking life as a woman, I'm your host Alina and today we're going to be talking about chronic stress burnout and how to heal with food. The goal of today's episode is to share a thorough yet concise discussion on how many of us can get caught in a cycle of a very stressful lifestyle, how that can throw off our health, leading to disease and how to assess what the body needs in order to make its way back to a healthy and balanced state. We're going to really dive into how individualistic health is why it's important to advocate for yourself and know what questions to ask your doctor, and the tests that can tell you exactly what you should prioritize, especially around the topic of holistic nutrition. As our guest today is completing her schooling and becoming a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner, we're going to be focusing a lot on food. And we will jump right into all of this after some updates. So not very much to talk about. It's spring, that feels really great. It's been super nice out, I've been getting more vitamin D. So that feels really good. We are going on a weekend trip to Arizona for my husband's work. And of course, the weekend that we're coming, it's not going to be hot. So I'm really hoping that the weather makes a turnaround and that the sun and the heat comes through because there's nothing I love more than being in a little summer outfit and having it be really hot and dry outside. That is my favorite climate by far. But aside from that, I have been also focusing on reading more because I don't know if you guys agree, but I feel like my attention span has been absolutely fried because of my tick tock usage. And don't get me wrong, I've found extremely useful and inspiring things on tick tock by the for you page just throws out so many random things. And I just really felt my attention span suffering. So I was like, Okay, how do we fix this, let's just redirect our focus to something that's a little less distracting. So I've been reading a bit more I've been reading a book by Morgan Housel. It's called same as ever. And it focuses especially from an economic perspective, what doesn't change in the world, like what have been the constant throughout history that people tend to forget about as we're always focused on looking for the new exciting thing that's different, but the things that always happen and can help you be prepared for the future. It's really good to look at the past. So that book has been super interesting. And already I feel better. As far as attention span goes, I can sit down and focus. It was hard at first, but it gets a little easier. And you can just focus on one book and read a book like that or read fiction. I really miss reading fiction. So if anyone has any good fictional book recommendations for me, please send them to the DMS I would love to pick up on some of those. Let's get into our conversation today with my friend Lauren sandquist, who is well on her way to becoming a holistic medical professional. So she is going to be talking to us today about her personal health journey and what she hopes to do in the future as a nutrition practitioner so all focused about food and how we can optimize our health through food. Let's welcome Lauren sandquist
Unknown:Hello, guys.
Alina:Welcome to another episode of the stellar cycles podcast. today. My guest who's with me is Lauren Moore's I met her through one of our good friends Susanna Susanna his birthday, and didn't see her for a while until a few weeks ago at the woman's empowerment fundraiser that I told you guys about who Susanna put that together. You really stood out to me because little did I know you were studying to be a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner with the mouth. It is a mouthful and you will explain to the listeners what all that entails what brought you to doing that, but your story really stood out to me because of just the types of things that you went through and what you had to do to recover as a woman. So I'm really excited. You are going to be graduating this summer right and starting your online practice, Ben so I'm really excited to talk to Lauren for today.
Unknown:Thanks for having the answer and Senate to be on here. Yeah,
Alina:thank you. Our topics that we're going to touch on today with Lauren is customer culture and burnout, how women can support their bodies through diet and lifestyle changes specific to female health. and tests that you can get to see what kind of changes you can make and look at the types of foods because everything is so individualized, right? There's no like one take approach. And just also some other lifestyle stuff like sleep workouts and lowering stress. So I'm so glad you're here.
Unknown:I didn't really find in Yay. Okay, so obviously, the
Alina:first question guys know, I always ask my guests is, what was it like when you first got your period? Were you prepared? not prepared? Did it suck from the start? Or was it pretty easy? So
Unknown:I was a late bloomer. So I started my period, I think when I was like, just about to turn 15. And I remember my mom is freaking out. She's like, you're so you're too skinny, like msbu. Because like, You're so skinny, and you're not eating enough. And so when I did finally get it, it was not even existent. It was just spotting. And then yeah, I mean, that could be normal, if you're just starting. But then that continued, where it just never normalized, I felt like, my craziest periods would be like, for one day, and then the most ever lasted would be three days. And I really thought it was great at that point, as I was like, Oh, I don't really have to deal with all the other things that all these other girls are saying. They're dealing with, like the heavy flow, they're dealing with all these crazy like PMS, hams, and everything. For day by day, I had the mood swings, but never had to deal with the cramps or anything. And then yeah, my period would just be like one to three days. And then the only column is later on. And just recently, actually, when I started studying hormones, I've realized that that's actually a huge red flag that you're not supposed to have your period less than three days. And that's a huge sign that of hormonal imbalance, interesting, and not a lot of
Alina:people know that. And I do want to ask you, where you have the kind of athletic body type and lifestyle because when I think back to high school, some of my girlfriends who did have very light periods, and did start pretty late, were very into sports. So I
Unknown:wasn't, I would say athletic, meaning it in the terms of I wasn't playing sports, I was definitely leaner. I definitely had that kind of athletic build men, I really think it was because of stress. So I lived under the chronic stress cycle. And I have for as long as I can remember the stress I was under as like in middle school and beginning of high school, no little girl should be under that much stress. And so I definitely contributed to Okay.
Alina:Yeah, that's, that's a lot, for sure to consider. You mentioned in your notes, you were having IBS and stomach issues. So how did that kind of what were you going through with that? And how did that contribute? Was that part of the stress too?
Unknown:Yeah. So I had, I believe I've had IBS since I was like a little baby. Because my first memories were having stomach pains. So I've dealt with it my whole life. And that's why I advocate so much about like catching these things early but Pez since I put it off, and I kind of normalized that pain. I was like, Do you know what I'm just gonna live with it, this is just going to be a part of my life. And some, I still ate whatever I wanted, I still live whatever lifestyle I wanted. And because of that, it just cycled into just worse and worse and worse until my 20s. It just kind of blew up in my face where I had all these GI issues. But I definitely think, you know, your, your GI system and your hormones, they're all connected, every part of your body is connected. So I definitely think that having gut issues at such an early age probably definitely contributed to hormonal imbalances as well. And in first started,
Alina:totally never really had the same starting line, so to speak, as a lot of other people. Yeah, I could totally see that. So what would you say put you onto the path of what you're pursuing now with the whole functional medicine world?
Unknown:Yeah. So I always wanted to be a doctor growing up just because my parents are Western medicine doctors. So I saw that and I was like, I loved how they were just giving back. They were so passionate about what they're doing. When they started, it just saw the difference they were making. And I was just like, oh my gosh, I'm going to do that. So worked really hard in school was always trying to make sure that I could set myself up to be successful and become a doctor, since it's so competitive. The only thing is, I think that really took away a balanced lifestyle. Even from a young age. I was accelerated through grade school. So I graduated high school when I was 16, which is pretty young, and then started college and just lived in the library. And then of course, I'm competing against you know, a bunch of really smart kids over at UCSD. So I'm now like, I see hauling all nighters to funny I was at bed like living in that library and then adjusting my diet to match that so I literally eat and breathed energy Drinks like that was at night all I had listed as all day energy drinks, I was eating frozen meals, because that was the quickest thing to make. So it was just a recipe for disaster. Yeah, I It's interesting.
Alina:You mentioned that because you look at how Western medicine and health care and we both know that good things can come out of it. But when we look at it overall, today, it's kind of like, okay, something about it doesn't work. And then I hear these stories of med students or even people go to dental school or nursing school, the unhealthiness starts there, they'll live it crazy hours, like you said, studying all night, eating ramen, eating like chips that like just any sort of cheating calories they can get into their body. I mean, I went through ultrasound school, which isn't nearly as hectic or heavy as I would say, medical school or dental school. But still, I could see the toll that it takes on you. So it's just interesting that you mentioned that because the dysfunction starts that early. Yeah, yeah. And not to mention all the drugs that they have to take to be able to keep up. I
Unknown:was literally on drugs to fall asleep. I was on Adderall to stay away on anti anxiety medications, even antidepressants at some point in that crazy period of time.
Alina:And those things were all just fighting in your body against each other. Exactly. Yeah, just
Unknown:creating the perfect storm, which is what it did. And so I graduated, and I was just like, I am so burnt out. And I'm only like fighting when and why now? Oh, yeah, I think that's crazy.
Alina:What did you do for your pre med major,
Unknown:I was neuroscience, okay. Kind of like how I'm studying functional nutrition Navy on my body. I was actually studying neuroscience because I was so passionate about mental health, I was dealing with so much mental health. During that time, I've struggled with anxiety and depression, he was a little kid. So I was like, You know what I'm gonna study neuroscience, I'm gonna figure out why this happens. And so that's why I was so passionate about it. When I was studying it. I was like, I want to figure out everything that goes into mental health and how I can heal myself.
Alina:Can I ask you is like you chose the medical career path or the pre med path? Because you saw your parents and you were inspired by your parents. I want to ask what was it about their career in particular, that didn't turn you off from being a doctor? Because a lot of people do see their parents doing a certain career and being like, well, I don't want to do that out burnt them out so much. And I just wanted to ask you, the second question is, do you think any of your stress and anxiety and depression did any of that stem from what your parents did as a living or other factors in your life? Yeah,
Unknown:I would say, as a kid growing up saving them, I was inspired, you know, because you don't really see the other side of it, and all that young. And so I was like, Oh, I see them doing all this good in the world. I'm like, literally seeing the patients just raving about them, and just be like, Oh, they'd helped me so much in this area. And so I had this lens of like, Oh, why wouldn't I want to do that? And you know, especially as you know, a little kid, and then it wasn't until I started seeing the other side of Western medicine when I went to college and then started in my 20s. I was like, Oh, wait, this is actually not everything I thought it was. And what I thought was a lot of healing, not with them, particularly because then I started seeing other doctors, I started going to a GI doctor, I went to a few different OBGYN, and I started realizing, Oh, they're actually not really helping me. In fact, they're just treating the symptoms. And not even that, well. In fact, they're just giving me a bunch of antibiotics. And so I was on a different cycles of antibiotics. I felt like for everything. So that's just the answer to that question. And then I think things xiety and depression, when I was younger stemmed from, I think, I believe in like generational traumas. And I think that they are passed down through the lines. And I think our generation is really waking up to that and kind of standing and breaking those off. So I definitely think that there is a lot of generational trauma with like anxiety and depression that hadn't been fixed in prior lines so or even addressed in drug war and not even in math. Right. Oh, so it just kind of came down to me breaking those income.
Alina:Yeah, we'll talk about that a little bit more, because that's super interesting topic. Did you ever end up going to medical school and getting in and all of that
Unknown:so I, like I say got burnt out by graduation. And so, of course, when you're a high performer, obviously you're kind of addicted to that high lifestyle or so of course I go into sales. So you know, okay, I'm gonna take a break. I'm gonna go into sales before I apply to med school. And then I just kind of became addicted to sales. So it's like this is the adrenaline you now is trying to be a top performer there too. And just I really crave that validation of being feeling like the best. I really feel like I was taught a lot you can be as good as a man but you should be better. So I was like very competitive, very driven. I wanted to beat out all the guys. And I felt like sales really gave me that atmosphere to do that. Yeah. But then that further contributed to the chaos that was going on my body because I live that work hard party hard kind of lifestyle.
Alina:Okay, what were you selling?
Unknown:I was selling aesthetic services. Okay. Yeah. Cool.
Alina:Yeah, I mean, I could totally see, because you go from school, which in school, it's very outlined. And it's very regimented. And you know exactly what you need to do to be a top performer in school I that's where I found comfort in being a student. And then yeah, you're in kind of you go out into the real world. And some people do do really well in sales, because it's kind of like you get that dopamine hit of like closing a deal and hitting your quota or whatever. But yeah, school is hard, and it burns you out. But I believe what's easy about school is the fact that everything is outlined for you. It's like, you have to hit these marks. And you have to write these essays and do these things. And you'll have your degree, but real life isn't like that. Right? Right. So what was like a turning point for you, when you were in the sales job and just kind of continuing to pummel your body?
Unknown:Well, it really came down to not even being able to function anymore. It was the chronic pain I started living in, it really all stemmed with my stomach, and it got so bad to where I was getting this acid reflux into my lungs. And so I would literally not be able to breathe at points, I was choking on my own breath, I was suffocating. I was dealing with the stomach issues. And then I started just drinking a bunch trying to like just numb the pain to doing a lot of actually started doing hard drugs drinking a bunch, I was like, well, since I can't figure out how to fix this, I might as well just go disassociate. And so I was not even in tune with my body anymore. So it's crazy how amazing the body is that it can last one that long under so much abuse, but also I was functioning still so highly in my job that I was like, I can keep this going. Because I'm able to go disassociate after work. And like, that was the self care, right where that was the self care. And it's like, but I was still functional in my job. And so I was able to continue that for three years because of that I was still able to perform when I needed to and then could just, you know, do other things after the race, try to erotically just what is your
Alina:opinion of why a lot of people in high performance, high stress jobs like that, where you think that they're doing well, you know, like, they're making their money there, whatever, whatever successful corporate good reputation? Why do a lot of these people trying to numbing substances and drugs like that? Because like, I hear this a lot, where they're like, they get into sales, or they get into like, a job that like, makes a lot of money, but then they're literally on the weekends. Just try not wipe out. And I'm like, if life was so great, why are you why are you having to do that? Yeah, exactly.
Unknown:It doesn't make any logical sense isn't I mean, I think a lot of it has to be with the dopamine, hence, like you were saying, people get addicted to the pie. And so they just don't want to come down. And so when you're on such a high all week, and you're performing and you're just all every dunking, yeah, bring at that high level, then the only way to balance that out is just to, you know, keep that high going. And for me, it was through lots and lots of partying.
Alina:Like just San Diego allergies. Yeah, I mean, this is, this is quite the environment, because there is so much financial opportunity here. But there's also so much opportunity for people to go off the deep end. But that's not what we're talking about today. At some point, you had probably realized that you've had enough and you didn't want to feel the sweat anymore. So what were kind of the steps that you started to take to change your life. Yeah. So
Unknown:there came that breaking point where, like I said, chronic pain couldn't deal with the pain anymore. And so I actually went back to church, that was my first step. I just felt like I needed to get grounded in something because I felt like this was during COVID When this happened, and of course COVID Many people hit rock bottom. So I hit my rock bottom and COVID and I was like, you know, I just need to feel centered. I need to like find myself again. And so going back to church really created that safety for me to start healing because women need to feel safe for our bodies to start healing our bodies need to have a safe environment to heal. And so I really found that safety in church and in that community, and then through that safe spaces when I was like Do you know what I'm going to take charge of my health I have neglected it my entire life. I've just been kind of evicted then to doctors prescribing intensive medications and just trusting them with that. And I'm not going to do that anymore because it's gotten me to this place. And I just stopped playing victim as well, because they think when you're in a victim mindset, then you keep saying, oh, all this stuff is happening to me and it keeps you trapped in that cycle. And when you're able to come in and be like, do not know, I'm going to take control of my life and take responsibility for what I've done, and then do better. It's very empowering. And that's kind of what launched me into what I'm doing now. Okay,
Alina:I think every single person, you can give them all the advice you can give them all the pointers be like, you know, you really need to do this, but they have to be sick of the pain. And I want to do things differently. Right? What would you say? Was the hardest aspect for you, when you first started out doing things differently? Churches, obviously, probably a nice place to go. But what things did you struggle with having to change about your lifestyle,
Unknown:I would say the hardest thing was initially actually cutting out the people involved with my lifestyle, and because who you surround yourself with is who you become. And so having so many deep relationships in that kind of chaos, the people that were doing the exact same thing as me, I had to end those in order for me to grow and get out of it. And that was I think the hardest thing was ending all those relationships that I really needed at that time, but it didn't serve my future. So
Alina:do you feel like when you're hanging out with them, do your propensity to do the bad things for you? Why not? If you weren't around them, then you didn't really do them?
Unknown:I would say, yes, the temptation wasn't there anymore, really. And then also, a big thing was actually just kind of cleaning my social media. So I didn't see it. And yeah, it's just wiping it out of out of sight, out of mind. Yeah. So creating that environment where I, I could grow and make good decisions for myself. And it was really important. And
Alina:what were those conversations like that you straight up, break up with some of your friends and sit them down and be like, Hey, I'm making a lifestyle change. But I can't do this sorted out with you? Or did you just kind of go to them and let it taper out?
Unknown:It's actually, it was really sad for me to realize, but all it took was just continuously saying no to invites, and then people just genuinely started not inviting anymore. And I realized that those relationships that I cultivated in those environments, that's where they ended the you know, like, I didn't want to have a relationship really outside of that. So as it continued, just to say no to things it, it just kind of dropped off. Naturally. Yeah,
Alina:there's just no environment to foster that chaos. Yeah, more. Yeah, totally. What helped you the most, when you kind of started to take care of your health again, what was your biggest help?
Unknown:I would say, there's a few things that really helped. And that is kind of web and learning. And what I'm going to help women with a lot is, there's actually five things that are really important, it's going to be changing your diet, for me was the first big one and finding out what the right diet was for me. And we all have metabolic types. And so there's a specific diet and test you can take called the metabolic diet typing test, and it can tell you exactly what diet you should be on for your genetics and your body should stay that that game changer. And so yeah.
Alina:So it'll, it'll tell you based on your absorption, how your body processes things, like if you shouldn't be keto, or if you do better on carnivore if you do better completely plant based, right, exactly. That's so interesting. Did you take one of those times? I did. And what did it tell you? I'm a fast
Unknown:oxidizer. So there's four different types of people. There's the parasympathetic, sympathetic, slow oxidizer, so it's nice and fast oxidizer, and it goes into a more I don't have to go into them super deep. But essentially, I'm a fast oxidizer, which means my body burns cellular energy at a really rapid rate. So I have to eat constant protein, lots of protein, lots of fat, and if I even eat a lot of carbs or veggies or fruit, and that burns too quickly, and it makes me just not feel as great. It's typically a functional practitioner, that I would be able to help them out with that. It's gonna help your hormones your gut, your energy levels, every Hara. Okay,
Alina:so that diet, obviously, it put you on the right path, probably and saved you a lot of time. So you don't have to try all these different things. Right. So what did you start eating?
Unknown:I started eating a lot of Oh, and then to pair that you want to do a food sensitivity touts of Graz, things that you're sensitive to will lead to constant inflammation in your body. And so that actually was a huge contributor to all my issues wasn't and I was eating a lot of foods that I was sensitive to, and most people think oh, If you're allergic, that's bad about LSVT sensitivities, that's fine. It's like all kinds of no sweets of these, if you're eating all those foods, then it's just wrecking your GI system.
Alina:Because I was always gonna stay inflamed, right, because it's just like, I'll,
Unknown:I'll just keep staying in Chile and I'll probably get more sensitivities. And the only way to actually heal it is to do an elimination diet where you eliminate those foods for start with three months, and then you can start trying to reintroduce them one at a time,
Alina:I would you have to help would you have to test every single time you introduce a new food,
Unknown:so the if you reverse you, you wouldn't have to do that. So they have food journals, and you can write down how the food is making you feel. Because it will be pretty obvious at that point, if that food is still making you flare up more, if you're feeling fine off of it, and so on food journals are really important during any kind of introductions to new diets, because our bodies can tell us what it needs. And
Alina:so What other things did you incorporate from the female wellness side as you tried to change your, your state, your condition your disease? How did you know that women needed a different approach than men did with health? Yeah,
Unknown:so just studying our hormonal cycle was the first thing just understanding what our hormones are doing. And then tracking that even. And it's, it's pretty simple. At the end of the day, we just do not have as much testosterone. And so we physically can't handle the same amount of stress that men can. And so therefore, we shouldn't be trying to do the same things. As men, we are completely different. We've been created differently, our body runs differently. And it's super empowering. Once you start being able to track your cycles and start planning your entire life based on your cycles. Because then you're just embracing the true uniqueness of your own body. I can't even stress enough how important it is to be in tune with your body. And how empowering that is. Yeah, I can totally attest
Alina:to that. It might seem a little alien, or whatever to trial cycle thinking at first, but then after you do it for a couple of weeks, it's like, no, it's the least alien thing. Your body actually literally does sync up to it, and wants to go in that in that pattern. Did the people in your life Well, I know we kind of touched on this with the friends and you said eventually they just stopped inviting you. But did any of the other people in your life having a sort of reaction to what you were doing? Were they mostly supportive,
Unknown:I would say once i i really did kind of lose an entire group of friends during that time and then created an entirely new friends. So now I have a bunch of amazing relationships with really strong women who I just really admire and respect they are the reason I will huge reason why I'm doing all the things I'm doing because they've been so supportive that me and just speak so much life into me. And I have to give a lot of credit to my husband first. But then this group of women having them as long side of me as I've made all these changes and become this new person has been so incredible for my healing journey. I love that.
Alina:I love that I the right group of friends always finds you at the right time. But maybe there was something right about your old group of friends to it for that certain time. But I truly do believe that God does send people to support you on whatever action or change you're wanting to make in your life. That's just how I see it happening for me, too. And then what put you on the path to studying naturopathic nutrition. How did you get into school for that? How did you decide to apply
Unknown:all of that? Yeah, so I just started researching it. And I was like, Well, I've always wanted to go to med school. So they started looking up naturopathic med schools, I did find one in San Diego, and I was going to apply for it. And it's a little bit shorter than med school, but it's still a significant amount of time. And then I met Max and we decided to get married and all these things. And so I decided that med school wasn't the route I wanted to go. But I wanted to focus more on a nutrition program than just because I saw the value in it. I have seen women actually in my friend group that have graduated from it and be able to completely shield their own bodies and are now helping other women. And I'm like, I want to do that. That's exactly what I want to do. So I went into it when already seeing the success with other people and already believing in it that way. And yeah, too. I was just kind of desperate for healing in my own body. And I honestly didn't really trust anyone else. At that point. I was like, I really do want to take it into my hands at this point. They're being let down so many times the amount of tests I've done like I was literally stuck in that cycle of trial and error for So long chasing symptoms, and I'm like, No, I'm gonna figure it out. It's yeah, which you have the power within you to do that, right? And then there's gonna be people who help you will post the journey. And actually, that highs and lows that come along with that. And because it is such an emotional process, I mean, yeah, when you're, when I study every day and learn about what it could potentially be going wrong with my body and learning about all the systems, you know, you have to have some sort of support, like, Max has been the most amazing support when I start panicking. And I'm like, Do you know what this all these things could be wrong with being you know, one night? And then I'm just feeling those emotions? Like it's a very emotional process of being like, waiting for the test results? Not sure what's going on still feeling the symptoms, like not being able to pin it down? Not Yes, exactly. And like, there were times where I was literally doing everything right. I felt like, like I was on the right diet, I was doing all the right lifestyle things. And yet, I was still experiencing symptoms here and there. And I was like, Oh, my gosh, you know, like, what is going on with this? And it's just truly navigating this on my own? Well, you know, going through school, and I would say, it's not the easiest thing to do. You know, like, I would say, if you can go to a functional nutritionist, like, get someone that knows what they're doing, and speak into it. Again, I'm so excited to become that person. I've learned so much through my journey. And I know that because of my testimony, I'm going to help so many people, because I watched through it. And but it's definitely not been easy. No,
Alina:and I think too, I think that's really awesome that you're going into the nutrition sphere, specifically, because I think, along with so many of the other things that women get let down by in modern medicine, and just the whole Dr. Scene, Nutrition has not touched on at all, not even just baseline healthy nutrition, but nutrition for females, specifically, which we pretty much need something different every week, you know? Yeah. Are there any challenges in your journey now and in your schooling that maybe you didn't anticipate running into
Unknown:challenges have been everything that goes along with choosing to heal yourself. And now I feel like on social media, you see the highs, where people post about their achievements, like, oh, I healed myself from this autoimmune disease, or I'm doing this diet, and I really feel myself but very few people post the journey. And actually, that highs and lows that come along with that. And because it is such an emotional process, I mean, yeah, when I study every day and learn about what it could potentially be going wrong with my body and learning about all the systems, you know, you have to have some sort of support, like, Max has been the most amazing support when I start panicking. And I'm like, You know what, there's all these things could be wrong with being you know, one night, and then feeling those emotions. It's a very emotional process of waiting for the test results. Not sure what's going on still feeling the symptoms, like not being able to pin it down. Not Yes, exactly. And there were times where I was literally doing everything right, I felt like I was on the right diet, I was doing all the right lifestyle things. And yet, I was still experiencing symptoms here and there. And I was like, Oh, my gosh, what is going on with this? And it's just truly navigating this on my own? Well, you know, going through school, and I would say, that's not the easiest thing to do. You know, I would say if you can go to a functional nutritious, get someone that knows what they're doing, and speak into it again, I'm so excited to become that person. I've learned so much through my journey. And I know that because of my testimony, I'm gonna help so many people because I walked through it and but it's definitely not been easy. No, and I
Alina:think too, even if he's find a really good professional, and I'm young, he will be a really good professional. My dad always told me and I definitely need to apply it a little bit better. But he always told me that Alina, nobody's going to take care of you the way that you take care of yourself, not your parents, not your partner, all those your friends, your partner, your parents, that your family can all be really great support, but no one is going to give more of a darn about your health than you do. I'm sure you have felt this firsthand and just going through the rounds and rounds and rounds of tests and antibiotics and be like I'm literally having to push for them to care, you know, and then you get into maybe a different area of medicine. Then, but it's still entirely on you to ask for what you need. Hey, can we check this? I'm not entirely sure about that. So at the end of the day, you're gonna care the most about your health. And if you don't, nobody's gonna yell at you.
Unknown:That sounds good. I think
Alina:it'll be really good. Either way, it can bring a lot of information to people about what they can change, you know, and that's just that takes so much of the helplessness out of it. What would you say has been the best part of this redirection in your life so far, kind
Unknown:of what we've touched on just the empowering feeling that you not being able to take control of your body and as a woman, you know, I just feel like growing up I was always trying to chase succeeding like a man and treating my body like men treat Thurs just always pushing it and never really giving it time to just relax and I was in my masculine energy for so long. And so this process has helped me realize what feminine energy is who I am means to like really be a woman and just like love myself has been a huge self love Journey. At the end of the day, loving myself through the process. Yeah,
Alina:because it seems like you're in a really good relationship. Now. You're married? You're planning your wedding? Because you're gonna have it somewhere else.
Unknown:Yeah, I was still weighing your see the ceremony? Yeah, you
Alina:just seem like obviously, I don't know you that well, but just from the seem of it is you seem to be in a really good relationship. And would you say that before you heal to your body and your mineral is healing, but before you delve more into feminine energy, would you say that living in your masculine and always trying to be a top achiever? Did that affect your relationships that you had, or the relationships that you were trying to have?
Unknown:Yeah, I think when women go into masculine energy, it's because of a lot of fear. It's because they don't feel safe. They feel like they have to be in control. They feel like they have to do everything themselves. And so when I was in that masculine energy space, and I was that high achiever, I was super controlling I dated men that were in their feminine energy for the most part, because there has to be about Xena. No, you can't both be super masculine, it just won't wear out. And so I was attracting men that I actually, at the end of the day, didn't really want to date, but it was who I was attracting, and I had a lot of fear. And so when I met my husband now, can you tell him to me a lot, but what he really did was create a safe space for me to then go into that feminine energy and just feel safe to change real safe tissue. And then at the same time, though, if he didn't let me be a victim, he really challenged me. He was like, No, when I was feeling super emotional, or wanting to give up or dealing with anxiety, he pulled the gold out of me and he was like, No, I see you, You're a strong woman, you're gonna get through this and he would just continue to speak life into me, which is exactly what I needed.
Alina:That's amazing. That's definitely a lot more helpful than just, just maybe someone satiating you and helping you write the excuses for yourself. So that's really amazing. I'm sure that that contributes a lot. Having a partner who they're aware of your journey. They're supportive on your journey. So I'm really glad for that for you.
Unknown:Yeah, as a foodie, I know that I probably could have done amazing things by myself, but I don't know what I would have done without you
Alina:as a man. Ya know, God makes us for partner the apps. What are your goals for the future? Once you're done with schooling you want to open an online practice? Or what are you thinking you want to do? Yeah,
Unknown:I want to do online coaching, he is actually a fitness and nutrition coach as well. So we want to combine efforts, he's doing it just for men, and then I'll probably be focusing on just women for a while and we would actually love to do even coaching for couples. Yeah, and that's perfect. And so that is definitely a dream of ours. And at the end of the day, my full goal is just to help women that have walked through or walking through what I went through that are stuck in that cycle of trial and error that you know, have gone to the western medicine doctors or other doctors and just feel like they either get told there's nothing wrong with you because their blood tests show normal or normal Yeah, normal route or they're given drugs that are making them worse and I just want women to feel like they're heard and that there's someone out there that has been through it and that sees them and actually has a game plan based on their test results because testing is super important. And
Alina:that is not a like a one cut approach number one can't like
Unknown:it drives me crazy when I'm on Instagram and I see these nutrition or health influencer Westbay. Yeah. And it's like you have to do this. It worked for me. So it's gonna work for you. It's like that's not how it works. We're all so different. So you have to test and then and then creating the lifestyle pan and identifying the healing opportunities based on that. Yeah,
Alina:absolutely. Would you have any tangible tips or takeaways for any of our listeners who can apply to their lives today? If they're struggling with the same thing? Like, let's say they're in the same situation as you were a few years ago? What are the things that you would tell them to do today, right now, then change direction?
Unknown:Yeah, some practical tips specifically for hormone balancing is one, you really want to check your stress levels. So your stress can influence your hormones in such a drastic way. And I have an aura ring, which I really like that helps. It's a little bit powerless, it was Silverback it during the day, but there's actual tests you can take to track your stress levels, which I'd highly recommend, just see where you're at. And then you can have someone help you create a lifestyle plan to lower that stress, because that's going to throw off your gut that's going to draft your hormones, your energy, everything. And would
Alina:you say getting a cortisol test is sufficient to test your stress?
Unknown:Yeah, I was telling you I've heard is all tests can definitely how there's so many different types that you can take to check your stress levels. I personally did a cortisol test. And I saw those results. And it's really helped me. Yeah,
Alina:I think I think 100% Because we often forget, and in this post feminism world, we're constantly taught that like, oh, the bar is up here. But truly, our bodies are not meant to take on the stress that men do. And we're out here literally competing with them every now and then be like, Oh, why is my body protesting this? Well, because it's not meant to do all that. I know.
Unknown:It's crazy. And it's just like, we're just making ourselves sick at the end of the day, not giving ourselves time to relax, and especially during our menstrual phase, and our luteal phase, taking
Alina:no time to slow down for that whatsoever.
Unknown:It's so damaging. Yeah,
Alina:I was a different beast in the hospital when I had to go in on my luteal phase. And I didn't know this at the time, right, I just knew that my period is coming. It's PMS time. And I'm sorry to admit this, but the level of I don't care that I had, and I worked in a hospital, you know. So it's not the best time for me to be like attending till sick people and really giving them that empathy. And I was just like, let me get through this shift. And I didn't know. And then when I started learning about this, it's becoming more aware of it. And now when I'm in the despair, and the dumps of the two to three days before the period, I'm just like, let me feel this, I can sit on my couch and cry for a couple of hours. But guess what, in three days, this will be no more rice. So it's nice just having the knowledge one time my husband because like he's actually catching on to this more and more. It's it was never instant, don't expect it to be. It's a lot of terminology for them to to learn. But one time I was talking about and I was like, just let me rage. I'm sensitive right now my period is in three days. And he's like, Alina, that's not an excuse is that I know, it's not an excuse. It's a self awareness tool into self awareness tool. For me. It's a self awareness tool for you. And when I set it that way, he's like,
Unknown:oh, okay, I could see that, you know, so it helps
Alina:us it helps them. Let me rage, I'll be fine. And a couple of days
Unknown:had I mean, at the end of the day, it does help them when they want to know what to expect. And they can be proactive. Exactly. Is
Alina:there anything that you'd like to promote, at this time, anything you're working on anything you'd want to draw some attention to,
Unknown:I just want people to test I have been seeing so many friends of mine, just take random supplements and try random diets and try random workout routines and kill themselves and hit workouts and just do everything that's falling for their body because of social media. I just implore the people listening to test to get your tests done, test all the areas, then create plans based on your results. Just remember, you're not that person that you're looking at on social media, you're completely different person. And so you're gonna need things individualized to you. Yeah,
Alina:yeah, once you can get your little blueprint of what you need, then you can go in and pick and choose all the little wellness things that you want to apply if it's going to help, right. I'm sure that it saves a lot of time and nerves too, because it is very frustrating when you're trying these certain things. And you're like this has promised to work and it's not working. It's very discouraging. So you mentioned that the Metabolic Typing tests that one will tell you what kind of foods you should eat. The food sensitivity test is really good too. What about the Dutch test because I Here the Dutch test is a really good comprehensive looks at everything right? Yeah,
Unknown:the Dutch list is great. Most women think we just have one estrogen, which is estradiol. That's the main one that we have many estrogens. So we want to try to test as many as possible to getting a urine and a blood test. And then I was going to cover as many as I think that you need, but definitely getting multiple hormonal tests and is an amazing option. And
Alina:okay, if people want to follow you and follow along with your journey, where can they find you online?
Unknown:On Instagram, it's Lauren. La, you're e n with another n. And then sandquist sa n DQI S T.
Alina:All right, well, we will link that for you guys in the show notes. So you can go ahead and follow Lauren, thank you so much for coming on today. And for sharing so much good information with us. It really opened up my eyes to what's really happening out here to women, and just the fact that you will never really lose when you make the choice to change things about your life, even when it's really drastic, and you're having to change friend groups. But then you gain a great friend group you gain a life partner that you can do this with, you know, and peace and joy and all these things. And I'm sure you feel just so much better now. Right? Yeah. And I mean, you look fantastic. So I'm so excited to see what you're going to do for women in the future, especially helping them learn what to eat to support their bodies and their hormones. So thank you so much, Lauren,
Unknown:and Maria, thanks for having me. RCPT that will make this a
Alina:two part. So when you're when you're out of school and practicing, we can talk about it some more because I'm sure that all they'll just be more stuff. So thank you guys for tuning in. We will see you next week. Don't forget to follow on Instagram at stellar cycles pod. You will see clips of the podcast on there, especially with other information that you can grab. You can download the free grocery guide for example, in the link in the bio. I would love to see ratings and reviews for you on this show. And if it helps you perhaps it could help a friend so don't forget to spread the good word about stellar cycles to your fellow women and let's all elevate our lives together. Till next time stellar cycles out
