Bonus Episode: I Thought It Would Last Forever—Then I Took a Walk

In this bonus episode, our founder Bettina says what most people won’t: sometimes depression hits like a truck—and all you can do is let it. But then? You get up. You go outside. And somehow, the weight starts to lift. This is a no-filter convo about mental health, shame, and the tiny things that bring us back to life. It doesn’t last forever.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Fortify Wellness
• 2:04 Jenny Dwork: Finding Personal Balance
• 6:47 The Founding Story of BUMD
• 11:05 Healthcare's Stigma Problem
• 15:20 Building Trust in Digital Health
• 25:35 Overcoming Self-Doubt as a Founder
• 30:31 Advice for Your Younger Self
• 36:56 Episode Closing and Resources

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

You're listening to the Fortify Wellness Podcast. I'm Bettina, founder and survivor, and this season we're not holding back. This is for anyone who's been through the fire, sat in the dark, questioned everything, and still chose to get up. We talk healing that hits mind, body, and soul, raw stories, expert gems, and the real stuff that helps you rebuild. Just so you know, this podcast isn't therapy or medical advice. It's real talk, lived experience, and tools to help you find your way back. Season eight starts now. Subscribe, log in, and let's get fortified. Okay, fortifiers, this episode wasn't planned. I'm just feeling heavy today, and I wanted to really be honest about that. I just have been feeling a little disconnected the last couple of days, not broken, not even spiraling. I just felt off and I figured maybe I'm not the only one. I almost didn't record, but it felt important to talk in real time. Like life is technically fine, but emotionally something just felt off today and I'm not even here to fix it. I'm just here to be honest about it. Because it felt like today that like I was dragging a blanket of like static around my body. And I've been doing the rituals, you know, still waking up, but feeling really sad. You know, this feeling like started, honestly, I think it was like Sunday night. You know, so I started to feel like, Oh man, I took on a lot, like a lot of responsibility. It felt like I was going seven, I did seven days straight of work. I'm just straight through nonstop of work. I've been ignoring my body and not listening to what it needs. And I have to. And there's this weird shame around feeling low when you're building a wellness app, because you're thinking like, why, why should I build it? You know, I should have it all together 24 seven, but that's just not the reality. No one has it together 24 seven, you know? And I You know, today I hate using the word, but today I feel depressed. Not clinically maybe, but energetically I feel collapsed and disconnected. Like my body is here, but my soul's curled in a corner. And I've realized like I've been trying to manage my feelings like a task list, but the sadness isn't asking for management today. It's asking for permission. Healing isn't linear. And I'll tell you, I literally sat at my desk today and I could not get anything done. I'm just like, this is useless. All I'm doing is staring at my laptop and I'm doing nothing. I can't be sitting here all day static like this. I need to get up and I need to walk outside my apartment and just go for a walk or something. This is ridiculous. So I had to listen to my body. And quite literally, I got up from my desk, I threw on my shoes, and I went outside for a walk. And I felt so much better. And then I got home and I'm thinking like, you know what? I spent such a long time thinking, do I want a coffee? Do I want to get a sweet tea? Those things make me happy. Like, you know, a little treat, you know, like what should I do? And I ended up getting a coffee, coming back, making some chicken nuggets. And I threw on the new Alex Cooper Hulu documentary and it made me feel so good. I'm like, wow, like who knew a break could be so helpful. I felt like the world just lifted off of my shoulders. And it was like so crazy to me because it's like that simple, just taking a break and can do so much for your soul. And my body is so wise and it was asking for me to rest. And even though I'm so hard on myself, you know, it's so, it's such a beautiful thing that I had the self-love to go, no, like I need to take a break today and it's okay.

UNKNOWN: 5:08

And

SPEAKER_00: 5:09

And I have to say to myself, I'm not lazy. I am in control. It's okay to take a break. I had to say those affirmations to myself because I'm like judging myself. Like it's Tuesday. What are you doing? Get to work, like get it done. You have so much to do. But I think even in a quote unquote wellness career as an entrepreneur, building a wellness app, you're allowed to to take a break. You're allowed to like make some chicken nuggets and sit on the couch for a couple of hours and life will go on. Healing isn't a straight line. It's a cycle. And right now I'm back in the part where I just need to cry and not explain it. What's helping right now for me isn't advice. It's like, Tiny, anchoring moments, like cleaning the floor with, like, lavender Swiffer. You know, the wet wipes. I'm obsessed with those. Like, anything lavender, throwing on a candle, making my bed, just breathing. And honestly, like, talking to you. Let yourself not be productive. throw in a candle, take a walk. And this doesn't mean it's forever. Like I can't tell you how empowering it was to just leave my desk and go for a walk and make a quick lunch and just sit on the couch. And it took a couple of hours, not even, and I was feeling so much better. And I know we think like we, I had this notion about what productivity meant. And it was not productive to sit feeling awful at my desk doing nothing as opposed to stepping away, getting some fresh air, cleaning the apartment, watching a show, feeling better to then be more productive for tomorrow and the days that will follow. So if you're in this space too, please don't have to earn rest. You don't have to fake peace to be lovable. So is this hit for you? DM me or share this with someone who like needs to hear it. I'm thinking about doing a whole mini series on this season of sadness. Well, I, I shouldn't say season of sadness. We don't want a season of sadness, but you know, I think it could be cool to do more like solo episodes like this, because I think the part of healing is that no one talks about are like the in-between moments. I know that this won't last forever. And there was a time in my life where I felt like it was going to last forever. So this isn't me being a mess. It's me being honest. And that's what Fortify was built for. So if this resonated with you, comment, follow, subscribe. Like, let me know what you're thinking. DM me. Because I think we really need community. We need each other to get through this because life can be hard. 2025 is a tough world to live in. And we really deserve to live a good life and to listen to our bodies. So if you're listening to this and you felt like me, Like you're stuck in bed or staring at your laptop in a fog. I hope this reminds you that you're not broken and that honesty, that's a part of healing too. This is fortify. And this is what it sounds like when we stop pretending and start listening to ourselves. Today, I woke up depressed and couldn't do anything. So I stopped trying. I sat at my desk. I felt like a failure. And I said, you know what? Screw it. I need air. I need a walk. I need to not be productive today. And I think that saved me. Thank you for listening to the Fortify Wellness Pod, where we empower mind, body, and soul to reach new heights. Your wellbeing is your greatest dream. Nurture it, honor it, and watch yourself thrive. If today's episode inspired you, subscribe, share your thoughts in the comments, and come back next week for more insights to elevate your journey. Stay empowered, stay true, and remember, you're not alone. This is a Fortify Wellness production. All rights reserved, 2025.