Healing From Burnout And Autoimmune Flare-Ups

A swollen knee after a hard workout doesn’t sound like the start of a total life reset, but that’s where Kristen Renee’s story begins. What follows is a raw look at autoimmune flare-ups that bounce from joint to joint, the mental strain of fearing food and workouts, and the lonely grief of being told you may never run again or that you’ll be on medication for life. If you’ve ever looked “fine” on paper while quietly falling apart inside, you’ll recognize the tension Kristen describes.

We dig into what finally moved the needle, and it wasn’t just another gut protocol. Kristen shares how burnout, people-pleasing, chronic stress, and living in constant hustle kept her stuck in survival mode. When she began making bold, values-driven choices like reducing financial pressure, changing her environment, setting boundaries, and eventually leaving a job that drained her, her body started responding in ways that surprised even her. The conversation ties together nervous system regulation, intuition, trauma release, and the idea that symptoms can be communication, not punishment.

We also explore how the same mind-body approach applies to financial wellness. Kristen opens up about money stress, “money wounds,” creating a sense of safety, and shifting out of lack-based thinking so you can make clearer decisions in midlife. If you’re searching for midlife reinvention, autoimmune healing support, burnout recovery, and practical wellness steps that fit real life, this is a powerful listen. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with the biggest choice you’re ready to make next.

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Transcript

Welcome To Midlife Reinvention

Brenda 0:00

Hey everybody, welcome back to Find Your Lady Tribe. This is season four, and it's all about midlife reinvention. And I'm super excited today. I have Kristen Renee with me, and she has gone through the midlife funk, let me tell you. And I can't wait to for her to share her story with you because I know the reason we're we're doing this season and sharing all these fabulous stories of oh gosh, our own hero's journey really is to show everybody and to show you that you're not alone in your struggles. And maybe you can see some of yourself in Kristen's story today. So let me go ahead and start introducing her. Kristen Renee is the author of three wellness books. She's a speaker and the creator of the Healthy Foundation Framework. She combines multiple healing journeys with her corporate career to help people understand the body's communication and how everything is connected. From thoughts and lifestyle patterns to the mind, body, and spirit. Her work focuses on helping others rebuild a healthy foundation with practical practices that support physical and financial wellness. Welcome, Kristen. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Welcome to the Find Your Lady Tribe podcast. I'm your host, Brenda Richley. This is season four, and we are deep diving into the heart of midlife reinvention. That sense that you've mastered your roles, but you've lost your spark. You are exactly where you need to be. This season is inspired by the framework of my upcoming book. Ignite your life's purpose and save the world. We're going to help you from autopilot to on fire by hearing from incredible women who have reclaimed their own life force. It's time to stop just going through the motion and start living your next chapter with intention. Let's ignite that spark. Save the world, sister. I'm so glad

Autoimmune Diagnosis And Early Denial

Speaker 2:01

you're here. Would you just kick us off here by just let's just dive right into your story, your midlife funk.

Speaker 1 2:09

Well, when you're saying, when you're saying I hope maybe people resonate, and like I hope they uh in my mind, I'm like, oh, I hope they don't too much because it was brutal. But um honestly, I'm grateful for it and it it made me understand my purpose, which is being here. So I actually took a long time but realized it was all happening for me. So that took a lot of healing to be able to say that right now.

Speaker 2:35

Did you mention that, ladies? It didn't happen to her.

Speaker 1 2:38

It's guidance. Yeah, it put me back on my path. So um my the short version of my story and multiple healing journeys um started with the diagnosis, which um seemed like out of the blue at the time. Now I realize I was probably heading down that path um probably all of my life. Um so I was an avid, I just I am an avid runner. I was an avid trail runner when this um diagnosis of autoimmune occurred. And I just remember thinking, you know, right there in the doctor's office, like, I'm gonna heal this. This isn't a life thing for me. And um, you know, certainly respected the doctor, took it all in, but I also like started to go out on my own journey and learn and soak up everything I could. So um I all the while, you know, all at the time what you were hearing about is gut protocols, elimination diets, you know, all the just very focused on the food and the gut. And that wasn't it, it would move the needle enough and I would could keep some inflammation at bay, but it would come back and sometimes with a vengeance. And all the while, while I was trying that, I was staying in my corporate San Francisco job, busy lifestyle, busy social life, running every five spare minutes I had. I like never could slow down. I think I knew if I did, I'd have to process stuff. So I was just that girl on the go.

Speaker 4:08

And can we talk just a little bit about what it was that was happening to you? Oh, yeah, sorry.

Speaker 1 4:15

Um the diagnosis was um from a knee that swelled up on a double workout day, of course. And um I just like remember hearing a pop, and then it was like a huge knee. And it only took two doctors' visits to do the clean MRI or whatever it was, and then you're off to rheumatology, which felt like it's like in the basement, and you just have kind of people look at you like we're sorry, you know, and that's the feeling, like it you you would have preferred to have a tear in your knee, sort of thing, right? Like that was the like that's the intensity, and um, it ended up not just being in my knee, but throughout the course of 10 years, um, inflamed elbow, knee, ankle, hands, arm um, fingers, my eye. I ended up going to see so many specialists, specialists for every part, right? I at towards right before I healed my eye, I was going to an ophthalmological ophthalmologist every single week for my eye. It was so irritated. And what I not to get ahead of myself, but I learned later inflammation is stuck anger. And it wasn't until I started to listen to my intuition, which I was very detached from at the time. I was living completely from the neck up. I was completely in burnout in my job, I was running on empty. And it happened to be the entire right side of my body was what was going haywire. I mean, I was walking around with an arm this stuck. And I didn't understand still how everything was connected, which I get it now. And it took having some overnight healing events for me to go, oh, when I changed that, my eye healed. When I did this act of courage, my arm healed when I resigned from a job. Or so I hope I'm not skipping around too much, but it took just a little bit that had to be like crushing.

Burnout, Grief, And The Lonely Middle

unknown 6:22

Yeah.

Speaker 6:23

When when you got the first news. And I I I mean I really want to feel the feels here is okay. Sorry. No, no, no, don't apologize, but because like our stories get so we got we get so excited about them.

Speaker 1 6:35

And I I know I want to like talk about the healing, but no, the journey, you're right. The journey, like it's it's devastating, it's lonely, it's like you think you're you're like, oh, I I healed it. I think I healed it. I eliminated this food. I feel good today. And you know, sometimes it would come back like after a workout, and I was like, is it that? And then start to just come back out of the blue, and that's when I would just be like, I'll cry now, just so devastated, right? Because you're like, I'm trying everything. I'm I'm afraid to eat at this point. I'm afraid to, you know, any false, you just didn't you didn't know.

Speaker 7:14

And um it was heartbreaking. When we uh talked earlier, you I think you mentioned like the doctors were kind of like this is just something you have to live with. Yeah, they weren't accept that, right? Isn't that I didn't, yeah.

Speaker 1 7:30

They and I'm not, you know, they did the great work, but they were kind of like, I don't know if you'll ever run again. I don't know if um, you know, you'll have to be medicative for your life. I the idea was I probably would be. It would probably just be a management of this. And um, and you know, I the dog I have now, he was a puppy, and I couldn't walk my own dog, right? I couldn't, I had to hire someone to walk my own dog. So um, yeah, I mean, I I tried the medication route at first, but I was just like really determined, like, this isn't the path I want to go down. I really wanna, I really wanna heal it. And um yeah, just started to enlist, you know, naturopaths, nutritionists, like squeezing in all these appointments in the midst of work. Um and yeah, trying to keep your corporate job when your mind is on, like, I don't know if this bite of food is gonna impact me, right?

Courageous Changes That Shift Healing

Speaker 1 8:32

So um I finally, you know, quite distraught, made a decision, like I was saying, of starting to follow my own intuition of I just need to make some changes in my life. And I started with like, let me relieve some financial stress and sell my house. And everyone tried to fight me, but I'm like, you're not living my day-to-day. And what, you know, I put on a very brave face for everyone and still was in my pleaser mode and doing everything for everyone. But I'm like, this could be the worst financial decision ever, but it's my decision and it's what I need to do is step one. And um, I I told my company, like, hey, this is either my two weeks' notice or I'm or you can let me work remotely, right? I mean, it wasn't it was it was kind of just like fighting for my health at that point. I didn't, I wasn't trying to put anyone in a corner, but it was like, it was those first moments of actually choosing myself to to be honest, I think ever. And I needed to do that. And um literally the move, moving states, sold my house, didn't have a plan, was just renting an Airbnb, sold all my furniture, just me and the dog move states, no plan, literally. And I didn't even know what state which state I was gonna move to, but I was like, we're changing things. And on the drive, moving states, I healed my eye because I just said, I don't even know the where I'll find another ophthalmologist. I just can't bring this with me. This is not part of my next chapter. I'm not gonna have this again, and I never had it again. So, you know, you later, I later looked into like the eye means I didn't want to see something, right? If you really try to break down what the body is communicating, I just think all along it was like you have to make really big life changes. You're meant for more, you gotta stop playing small and scared and pleaser, and you gotta live for Christie and learn your purpose. And I mean, I have more healing stories, but yeah.

Speaker 10:40

Yeah, so you've made like crazy, like a 180 in your life. Was there one aha moment that said everything's gotta change, or was it just one little decision at a time about how did that happen?

Speaker 1 10:55

I think it was like I'd make a decision and see an improvement. And so I just I but I was kind of like, we're gonna tackle all parts of your life, right? Like I it all was kind of happening simultaneously that I enlisted a coach to I actually enlisted her to learn more about spirituality, but she ended up guiding me to release a lot of my trauma together safely. Um and you know, I was addressing the job and the burnout, and that's when I decided to resign. And that's when my elbow healed the moment I resigned from the job. Um, I had a plan move to the mountains as my next move. And that's when I think my body recalibrated from living in the hustle to like understanding how to live in the feminine too, and like how wonderful that is to like live learning how to trust and not be in fear, which is the opposite of what how I'd live my whole life, learning how to like be in my body and not think it's like against me and defective. So, no, it was kind of like thing after thing, but they were all kind of happening around the same time, which led to all these like, whoa, when I addressed my mind, my body like took notice and made some positive changes.

Speaker 12:16

So and your friends and family thought you were crazy.

Speaker 1 12:19

Oh, who knows? Yeah. Like, oh yeah. I think all my like I knew I needed to kind of isolate and be away from all the distractions and also create the boundaries that I probably needed for a really long time. Um, that like self-respect and boundaries. And I just dove into it, you know. I didn't know many people where I moved, and I think I needed that because I just, you know, you later read these books, like you can't keep doing the same things in the same place that got you into that same predicament or however Joe Dispenza says it. And I was living it before I ended up reading about it later. I just was like, let's follow this gut instinct over here, even though everyone's like, what are you doing? You blew up a great home, a great, you know, everyone loved my house. My work was a mile from my house, you know, on paper, I had all the trails by me. On paper, I had a great life, but they weren't, they didn't know the internal, right?

Speaker 13:26

So yeah. And

Root Cause Beyond Food And Gut

Speaker 13:28

that's so true for so many of us. We have this picture perfect exterior and everything looks great, but inside something's missing, something's odd. You know, it could be health, it could be anything, and it shows up. So let's talk about this amazing transformation and the and the lessons you learned.

Speaker 1 13:48

Oh, sure. Yeah. Um yeah, I mean, I kept I kept healing different parts with these acts of courage or purpose, and um just decided like, ah, my life is pretty interesting. Like, I think I should write about it. Like I started to think back, like, huh? I used to run away from home. I used to like I led an interesting life. Um there's trauma. We have all the elements, right? And so at the I, you know, was living in the mountains at this point, quit work. Like everyone thought I was probably off my rocker, but I was legit healing, sleeping 12 hours a night and um just rebalancing with nature and writing books. And at the end of this, like what my first book I wrote, I got towards the end and I'm like, well, what was the root cause? Because you always hear root cause, root cause. So, like, like, wait, I thought it was an issue that I had done too many things at once. You know, I addressed my dental work, I did everything. And I'm like, uh-oh, I don't know what healed me. But that's when it was that like light bulb, like changing all these shifts that I had done, including my mindset and trust and connection and lifestyle patterns, environment, mind body, that's where the healing lies. It's like having a healthy lifestyle and day-to-day, right? And it doesn't mean, you know, what does that mean for someone working? Well, I'm back in the workforce too. And it means you can still create these healing moments throughout the day and maintain your health, you know, it's not, it doesn't have to be a perfect practice, but that's why I um I'm a big like how girl, not like, you know, I hear these theories, but I'm I want the homework, I want to dig in, I want to like understand and like I want the steps. And so that's where, you know, I brought in my corporate background too, which is like, well, how do people in these busy life lifestyle and stress, like, how do you maintain it and how do you create the health, right? When you not everyone's gonna just blow up their whole life like I did on my on the path.

Speaker 16:09

Um, so that's I just want to commend you for doing whatever it took. I mean, do whatever it took for your wholeness, yeah, well-being, mind, body, soul.

Speaker 1 16:21

Well, and I I kind of, you know, I want this info to be accessible. I spent uh unimaginable amounts of money on my healing because I made those financial decisions to like, I gotta try this and this. And so, you know, the way I see it, I I want to like help people with like all the late nights of research and all these things that I've done. Um, you know, just kind of put it into a package of like, here's a way to fold it into your day. And, you know, I'm not, I'm not a nutritionist per se, but here's like the type of food, you know, eating this like whole real foods is what I found was the least harmful for my body, right? My body, I'm very, very, very sensitive. So people can have the that benefit of a very sensitive person and just what's good or not good, maybe for others too. So I had a coach call me um a canary in a coal mine that I was like speaking up for like, okay, that impacted my body. Um yeah, so that whole journey honestly just brought me back to where I think I always was supposed to be, which is like I've I always was in nature as a child. I had a lot of trauma as a child, and I was always in nature. I just like knew to be out there, and it was probably always helping me. And to kind of return to that as an adult, to like what I always knew was just such a cool and such a weird, roundabout, painful way to like come back to that, like knowing is like one of the greatest gifts ever, you know. Um, and maybe I could say it's all worth it, you know. I'm I know where I I know I'm supposed to be here now, so it is worth it. Yeah.

Speaker 18:15

Absolutely. Well, yes, 100%. You're supposed to be here now, and thank goodness

Subscribe Break And Practical Tips

Speaker 18:21

for us. Hey lady, just wanted to take a moment and interrupt right now in the middle of the show to ask you to subscribe. Yes, press that button right now. This show is all about you, the midlife woman. Let's do this thing together. So join us, subscribe now. Would you um talk a little bit or share? Give us some our listeners some maybe a few tips because you talk about physical and financial wellness and how everything's connected. Yeah. Can you um outline just a few steps that if someone could implement today or this week or soon to actually make some movement towards whatever it is

Money Wounds, Safety, And Abundance

Speaker 19:05

they want?

Speaker 1 19:05

Totally. Um, well, the the financial one came in because I had what I call another dark night of the soul financially. Like I had the physical one. And I last summer realized like, wait, even though I did all this healing, I'm still drawing in all these negative, like somehow I'm like energetically, just thing after thing after thing happened to me in a course of a month and a half, like unbelievable events. And I'm like, okay, I got what what is what am I supposed to learn with this? And and I realized like I'm drawing it in, so I need to change my energy. Okay, well, how do I change my energy and change what I'm drawing in? Because if if like attracts like and I'm in like a low vibe, call it whatever you believe in. But if I'm believing I'm in lack and then I'm bringing it in. So how do I get out of that? Right. So it made me realize that even though I address so many limiting beliefs for my healing, like my worthiness and not living small anymore and fearful and um just all the survival stuff, um, staying quiet, um, not empowered. I realized I needed to address that again from my financial wellness. So what I did was apply the same framework. Like, how do I, you know, connect with my body and eat healthier and have a healthier environment and have, you know, address these limiting beliefs, what I call money wounds. Um, so I kind of did step by step applying the same framework. Like, if I'm gonna talk the talk, let's walk the walk and let's apply it, not just for physical but financial. And it was really cool because it's, you know, there's a lot about learning to be in trust and safety, right? So you can't be fearful of like be in worst case scenario thinking and be drawing in abundance. You just can't. So, how do you get out of that? And how do you think expansively rather than limiting? Um, so yeah, so some of the things that I talk about is like creating safety in your life, like in all areas, like really reviewing where where you may not feel safe. Um, I'm a big believer in like feng shuiing your environment. Like if you're living in chaos and paperwork, that's probably happening in your brain too. And, you know, addressing those maybe remaining limiting beliefs, like writing them out. Try to, if it's shadow work or whatever it is that resonates with you, try to understand where they came from and unravel them to like just start practicing to think the opposite, right? If you had been in lack, you can also just think about being in abundance. I know it's Not quite so simple, but like at least you catch yourself if you're over here, like, okay, no more. I want to think the opposite.

Speaker 22:08

Yeah, catching yourself is the first step in all of the first, yeah. And that's that's a you've come a long way once you start doing that.

Speaker 1 22:15

So that's yeah, it's huge. Just redirecting, like just noticing you're over there and a redirect, and you'll just it'll help.

Speaker 22:24

Yeah,

Where To Find Kristen And Her Books

Speaker 22:25

so thank you for that. So, Kristen, how do we all find you out there in the World Wide Web? And anything you want to share here with with our listeners?

Speaker 1 22:34

Oh, sure. Well, thank you so much. Um my website is great. Um, I'm launching um been working on my newsletter to make that more powerful and um maybe once a week. So Kristen Renee Rebuilding is my website um because I'm all about rebuilding your healthy foundation. Um, and I've been rebuilding everything. So yeah, I think that's that's a great place to start. And you know, I have more books on the way. I'm writing another one now, and um, so you can hear about fun things there.

Speaker 23:09

So and your books can be you can that we can find your books on your website also.

Speaker 1 23:13

They're um they're on the website or all on Amazon. Um, there's three of them now, but you know, I've gotten really great feedback from them. So it's truly from the heart, and just like I it may sound cliche, but I am here to be of service. Like I believe I went through this to help others. So um yeah, I can tell.

Speaker 23:34

I can tell. Well, Kristen, I always wrap up our time together

Building Your Tribe From Afar

Speaker 23:40

with my question. And it's about your tribe. And and a tribe is from my perspective, is not this click of women who go clubbing, it is your two to five besties, the the women who will show up for you, pick up the phone, come pick you up. They live their lives alongside of you. And as we know, these relationships don't just happen on their own organically. You actually have to put in systems and and do things, maybe rituals. So, my question to you, Kristen, is how do you thrive?

Speaker 1 24:10

Um, well, I move states, like I was saying, for to live an adventurous life. So some of the people that were the closest to me are no longer in close proximity. And it's been fun because like to watch us to support each other, even though we're far away. You almost need to check in a bit more to really be like, what's going on? But I'm a big voice note girl, so I'm the girl driving voice noting, and and uh some voice note back, some just text back. But they're like one friend, I was like, is this okay? And she's like, don't ever change, just keep doing it. It's so great to hear like your voice when you say it. And you know, I just like that check-in. So I hear about what's happening with my friends skiing or whatever. Like it just feels we just stay connected, even though I've it's been like two years since I've moved away from some of my close friends. Um it just still, we just still feel so connected. So yeah, I'm I'm the girl always sending you voice notes.

unknown 25:19

I love it.

Speaker 25:19

Voice notes are great. I mean, I think anytime you can hear a real voice, um, gosh, we just don't pick up the phone anymore. But I the voice note is is almost as good. And then, you know, it's just there's a whole scale, a whole whole spectrum of how you can communicate.

Speaker 1 25:34

I love the long catch-ups on the phone too. Absolutely. Like those are so fun, and you end up getting lost for like hours too and laughing. Like, I actually recently scheduled a Zoom call with um three of my girlfriends. Like, we had it weeks in advance, we had three different time zones, and we got our long, giggly Zoom call on, and it was like so fun.

Speaker 25:58

It makes the world such a small place, so it is wonderful. You can grab anywhere.

Share, Join The Group, Closing

Speaker 26:04

Yes. Well, hey, Kristen, thank you so much for being so vulnerable and sharing your story with um all of our wonderful listeners and listeners. Thank you for being here. Um, please share if this resonated with you at all, share it with someone who you know might need to hear what Kristen had to say. And definitely give us a like and and follow, find your lady tribe if you haven't done so already. But thank you for being here. And I always like to wrap up with when three or more gather, we are tribe. Thank you so much for being here.

Speaker 1 26:36

Thank you. That's beautiful.

Speaker 26:38

Thank you for spending this time with your lady tribe. I always say that when three or more gather, we are tribe. And today, with my guests, myself, and you listening in, that circle is complete. I hope this story reminded you that your purpose is worth the pursuit. If this episode stirs something in you, please take a moment to subscribe, like, and leave a comment. Your engagement helps other sisters find their way to our circle. If you're ready to take the next step in your own transformation, I invite you to join our gathering place, the Save the World Sisters Facebook group. It's where we unmask, connect, and cheer each other on as we ignite our lives together. Until next time, I'm Brenda Ridgley, Save the World Sister.