EPI 85 - Why Your DNA Is the Missing Key to Feeling Like Yourself Again

Hi friend — welcome back to The Habit Within! I’m Camille Kinzler, and today we’re diving into something that has completely transformed the way I look at women’s health: your DNA.

If you’ve been feeling like you’ve tried everything — every supplement, every wellness trend, every plan your friend swears by — and still can’t seem to feel like yourself again, this episode is for you. Because the truth is: there is no one-size-fits-all approach to healing. Your energy, your metabolism, your hormone balance — all of it is influenced by your unique genetic blueprint.

When you understand your genes, you stop guessing. You stop chasing what works for everyone else and start focusing on what actually works for you.

In this episode, I share:

• Why understanding your DNA can finally end the trial-and-error cycle of wellness
• How your genes influence everything from detox, inflammation, and hormones to stress and sleep
• Why you might feel worse on certain “healthy” foods or supplements — and how your genes reveal why
• How epigenetics (the way your environment and habits turn genes on or off) puts you back in the driver’s seat
• Real stories from clients who discovered surprising insights that changed everything for their energy and vitality

This episode is all about bringing precision to your wellness journey — not more restriction or rules. Once you understand your body’s blueprint, you can align your habits, nutrition, and rhythms with what your biology actually needs.

 Big Takeaways:

• Your body isn’t broken — you’ve just been following someone else’s map.
• Your genes influence how you detox, metabolize, rest, and recover.
• When you align your habits with your biology, everything gets easier.
• Knowledge is power — but alignment is freedom.

I’d love to hear from you:
Have you ever wondered if your body’s been trying to tell you something specific? Send me a message or tag me on Instagram — I’d love to hear what this episode brings up for you.

If you’re tired of feeling exhausted, irritable, moody, and just not like yourself, schedule a free 30-minute consultation so I can help you feel like YOU again
Fill out this brief form (2 min) to schedule a free 30-minute call.

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Find me on Instagram @camille_kinzler and leave me a DM!

Transcript

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Knowing how our genes respond to the environment is is important because we can put our blinders on and we can focus on the thing that actually works for us. Welcome to The Habit Within. This podcast is for high achieving women 35 and older who seem to have it all together but feel like they're constantly running on fumes, struggling to balance it all and losing sight of the woman they used to be. 

I'm Camille Kenzler, a former physician assistant turned transformational coach, blending science, positive psychology and a metaphysical approach to habits, health and vitality. If you've ever asked yourself, why am I so exhausted even after a full night's sleep or I feel like I'm juggling so much but I'm just barely keeping my head above water, you are in the right place. Each week we'll explore the real reasons behind feeling overwhelmed, trapped in the cycle of overworking and constantly running low on energy and how to break free from the patterns keeping you stuck in survival mode. 

It's time to stop living on autopilot and to start feeling like yourself again. Let's dive in. Hello, welcome back to The Habit Within. 

This is Camille, your host and hi. Today we're gonna talk about why I believe that knowing your genes, knowing your specific DNA and how it affects your health and vitality is the missing key to feeling like yourself again. And if you've been following me or those podcasts for any amount of time, you know that I have been on the search to really find the key, the missing piece that really helps people know the truth about how to feel good in their skin and their bodies. 

And for quite a long time I was focused on the mental spiritual aspect of this and as I still believe that fully and completely that you have to have the right mindset in order to truly have any of these things work and work well and you have to, you know, root yourself in the sun, plant your feet on the ground, get dirty. All of that is still the first step. We are also biological chemical beings that have these things happening to us moment, like millions of millions of interactions and chemical reactions happening in our bodies, whether we like it or not. 

And so I think that knowing how our genes respond to the environment is important because we can put our blinders on and we can focus on the thing that actually works for us. So that means the foods that work for us, the supplements that work for us, the detox pathways that we might need more supportive measures and we need to know that. We need to know what is going to be our quick fix versus looking to the next wellness trend. 

And I say that our next quick fix because typically when we're trying out what our best friend is doing or somebody on the internet is doing, then what we're doing is we are constantly in this trial and error phase, right? Versus if we know, okay, you know what I need to do is I need to cut out this type of food because it just doesn't work for my genes, then we can like start making some progress pretty quickly. It's been really fun. I just wrapped up some beta clients who I was practicing this precision medicine with and it has been really fascinating to see what kind of aha's and awarenesses that is coming from this type of work, but also the needle movers really seeing that there is such significant improvement in health and vitality by knowing your specific genes. 

So I just going to let you guys know right now that I have five slots opened for December, which means that you need to get on the books right now because it takes about four to six weeks to get the test back. So if you want to be one of my five clients for November so you can be completely set up and ready to go come the new year, even before the new new year, then, uh, then hit me up in my email. Um, ASAP because we need to get started on getting this test order delivered to your house. 

It's a simple, simple cheek swab, inner cheek swab that you send into the lab and then the results will be back in four to six weeks and then we can really get started on your exact needs. And this is what we're going to go through today about what your DNA can really look at. So again, before your eyes glaze over and you're like, this does not sound interesting at all. 

I promise I'll make it as interesting as possible. And this is very high level. So we're just going to be looking at this. 

We're not going to be going into the weeds. We're just going to be looking at this in a high level view of how knowing your specific genomics can really help you. And then I want to preface this by saying just because your genes say something doesn't mean that that is the expression of your genes. 

If you do certain things through diet, lifestyle, um, eliminating certain toxins, if that's the issue within your genes, um, making sure that you're eating for your genes, making sure that you have the micronutrients and, um, and other supportive measures for your genes, then you have a less likely chance to turn on the gene. Meaning that even if that you have a potential for an expression of a gene, if you are, um, in awareness of this, then you can either turn on and off these genes as you please, which puts all of the power in your hands, which again is what makes me so excited about this particular type of technology. The other thing about this technology is it's growing. 

Meaning that we're going to have more and more data that's going to be able to really help us. And I hate using the word hack, but really help us be able to read our genetic blueprints and gather more information that can help us again, put our blinders on, find what is right for us, and then just completely put one foot in front of the other to achieve the goals of whatever that might be for you. Um, I love it too, because we're not looking at rare disorders within this, this specific type of tests that I do is really for your health and vitality. 

We can actually even go as deeply as to see if a certain medication, because it's within my wheelhouse, because I'm a licensed medical provider, I can share that information with you too. If certain medications like, um, um, hypertensive medications or, um, antidepressants and things like that, some just based on your genes may not be the best fit. What is also beautiful about this is we can look and see if hormones, if a specific kind of, um, sex hormone, bioidentical replacement hormone is actually going to be beneficial for you, or if you're going to need more support in detoxing certain things like estrogen, or if maybe you need to start in a smaller dose of testosterone, I cannot tell you how many clients that I have had who have had adverse side effects from testosterone. 

And when I look at their genes, it's very apparent that they would, because they do not process testosterone. It builds up in their body. So they have more of the facial hair, weight gain, and other issues because of the way that they process testosterone. 

So to save you a lot of headache, you can get that information through your genes, but not only that, you'll get a heck of a lot more than just that one data point. And this stuff goes with you. Your genes don't change. 

So this test that you're receiving, it's not like you're going to have to take another one in 10 years, right? So you just keep your data. And I promise you, as this technology grows, you'll be able to input your data more and more easily in the future to where you won't have to have a middleman like me, who is helping really break down what your profile means. Because that, my friends, is the hardest part. 

It is so much data. And what I do is I look at the top one to three issues that you might have or concerns that you might have. And we look at how to optimize your health and vitality based on your genes, right? And I do that by a very methodical stepwise process. 

And I do it over a three-month period. You can sometimes get readings for 90 minutes to two hours from people that read your genes, but it is so much dang information that I don't know how anyone could quite, could ever process it. And then it really is, you know, once you know the data, don't you really want to implement it? I do. 

I know I do. And for me, also going through this process myself, I am doing it very, very slowly. Because like I said, there can be a lot of information. 

And so we want to see what the drivers are. What is actually helping us achieve the outcome that we want better? Is it better sleep? Is it increased libido? Is it weight loss? Is it increased energy? I mean, gosh, I pretty much want all of those things. So yeah, so stick with me. 

That's kind of the direction this podcast is going. Really fine tuning what this means, what epigenetics really means. So how we can put the power back to ourselves to say, I really want to turn off this gene that's expressing so and so, you know, outcome that that is less desirable for me. 

How do I shut that off? Or I don't actually want that to ever happen to me. And so how do I maintain the best optimal health in order to not turn on that specific gene? So how do I just live longer, but feel better while I'm doing it? Because who wants to live longer if you feel like crap? If you're exhausted, if you're whacked out, if you're nervous, if you you're just gain more and more weight year after year, you know, who wants to live a really long life in that capacity? I know that I don't, I'm going to live a long life, but feeling my best. So here we go. 

Let's just dive in a little bit into why genetics matters, because we're gonna look at why your DNA and genetic blueprint really may be the key to finally restoring your energy and balancing your hormones and feeling at home in your body again. And we can stop looking at all these stupid fad diets and random supplements and all the one size fits all wellness plans out there that that will never work, right? Because there isn't a one size fits all shirt, clothing, much less wellness plan. So here we go. 

So why genetics matters. You don't struggle with fatigue and weight, inflammation, cravings, anxiety, sleep, hormone chaos, because you lack willpower. I mean, granted, there is moments where you have to choose the right food, you have to choose something that might be more nutrient dense than fast food. 

So there is that piece in it. But you struggle mainly because you are trying to apply all these generic solutions to your very specific biology. Your genes influence how you detox, so how you detox not only hormones within your body, but also how you detox heavy metals, how you detox mold, how you detox different types of food, how you detox detox stress, how you detox these hormones that are within your body, and then the external things that we put in our bodies as well. 

Your genes influence how you burn or store fat, and how you respond to gluten and grains and histamines and dairy, how you handle stress and inflammation, how you metabolize hormones, like we spoke about how you sleep or recover from sleep, how you regulate your nervous system, how you tolerate exercise and build muscle. So it can specifically the your genes can tell you what types of exercise works best for you. And many times what I hear is, Oh my gosh, no wonder I've always gravitated towards X, Y, and Z. Or no wonder I feel so exhausted when I do an extended run. 

Your genes also show you how blood sugar, your blood sugar rises and crashes and stabilize. So how insulin plays a role in this. So this is not a cookie cutter, you know, cookie cutter program or technology at all. 

This is specific to you. And so you can say finally goodbye to the keto and paleo and Whole30 and intermittent fasting, low carb, high carb, low fat, whatever it is, you can actually ditch it because you'll know the type of macros that works best for you. I mean, I don't do macro counting. 

So I'm not the person for you to go to to say like, great, then you this is the breakdown of fats, carbs, and proteins that you need. But this is something that you could take to somebody or plug into chat GPT to figure out where you best would fit within a macros program based on what works best for you. Interestingly, in my profile, I'm pretty moderate across the board, moderate protein intake, moderate carb intake, and a moderate fat intake, which feels really pretty good. 

Because I've definitely been told in the past to go low carb, or I have been told in the past in the past to go low fat, when in reality, I can handle saturated fats pretty well. Now, it's just all moderately and consuming these things instead of one being a larger area than the other. Adversely, I have a client who works best with a lower fat and this isn't low fat diet, like of the 80s guys, this is just a lower fat content diet, meaning maybe not eat, not eating a, you know, a marbled steak, every night of the week, maybe that's just a couple nights of the week, right? So, and she actually deals with, she would actually benefit more from a higher carb diet, which is very interesting. 

So yeah, I mean, wouldn't it be really great to know that? And so some people who might be on these low, very low carb diets, might actually recognize that it's actually hurting themselves, and they would actually have more weight loss and more energy benefit from a higher carb diet. I mean, who wouldn't want to be told that, especially if you've been restrictive. So let's dive into some more like real examples. 

So we're going to start with when I open up somebody's profile, we are looking first at nutrients, so the gut brain access. And when we look at this, we're looking at some of these nutrients that people can have sensitivities to. So some people might say that they're gluten sensitive.

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They are, gluten actually causes them to have certain gut like issues. And so they might say that gluten isn't their jam. However, when I pull up their profile, their genes for processing gluten actually might be totally fine.

(17:00 - 23:18)
But what might not be great is their glutamate sensitivity. They actually might be more sensitive to grains than gluten. And the grains are the things that might express themselves as irritability, anxiety, poor sleep, brain fog, cravings, and they can actually handle some gluten. 

Or what I've also noticed is some people who say that they have some sensitivity with foods is they actually have more of an issue with breaking down histamines. So we know if histamines or the symptoms of a histamine response more as runny nose, itchy eyes, congestion, but the less known side effects of histamines can be bloating, abdominal pain, sleep disruption, anxiety, rashes, right? Huge difference, totally able to tolerate dairy and gluten. But histamine is where the money's at, if you will, that is the area of focus that needs to be really looked at. 

And so somebody who maybe is drinking, you know, kombucha to for their gut health and eating loads of fermented foods, like sauerkraut, really actually might be pouring gasoline on the fire because those are high histamine producing foods. So we think that the thing that's the best for our gut, because all of the influencers out there are telling us this, or even our doctors are telling us this, yet it actually is the worst thing for our gut. And this is why knowing your genes simplifies everything and removes the guesswork. 

You want to know some other high histamine foods, which is a very interesting, you probably know red wine, fermented foods, because I just mentioned it, avocado, spinach, leftovers. People who have a really, really high sensitivity to histamine shouldn't eat leftovers if they've been in the fridge for over a couple of days. Some other things are aged cheese and meats. 

So bye bye charcuterie. And so let's talk a little bit about micronutrients and supplementation. Your genes determine how well you absorb B vitamins, that you activate folate, your use of magnesium, how you convert beta carotene to vitamin A, all the things. 

How you clear estrogen with the support of B vitamins or the glutathione pathways. So instead of just having this cabinet full of supplements, you get a really targeted protocol for what works with your body. And if you work with me specifically, then I am not a person who's like, let's throw you on supplements and you're on supplements forever. 

No, it's all about being attuned with your body, being aligned with your body, understanding what your body is saying. So, you know, like, oh, you know what? I need to add back in that magnesium. I was feeling really great on it for a while. 

I stopped taking it because I didn't need it. And now I need it again. And you'll know exactly why you need to take magnesium if that's supportive for your genes, because that's what we're going to be doing. 

That's what we'll do together. And then let's talk a little bit about the detox and hormones. So if your detox pathways are slow or congested, so you have two phases. 

You have phase one and phase two as it's processed through your liver. Because if you have a congested pathway, then it's harder for you to process estrogen, alcohol, environmental toxins, frequencies, pesticides, even your hormone medications that you might be taking or other types of medications you might be taking, even stress. And this can show up as having estrogen dominance, right? That's where we have a little bit more weight gain around the waist and hips and the thighs, fibrocystic breast, heavier periods, PMS, mood swings, and, you know, that time in your life where the weight just won't move. 

Fun times, fun times. But this is all about if we can get these detox pathways less congested, then we will see that we have improvement in the way that we feel overall. So no 30-day cleanse or macros apps are gonna fix a congested detox pathway. 

I mean, maybe if you do a cleanse of all things, and yeah, that might be supportive, but supporting the exact way your pathway needs help will just help having to white knuckle it through 30-day cleanse, right? So if you know exactly what your body needs to improve these detox pathways, why not do it, right? And then let's look at blood sugar and exercise. Some women are genetically built for higher intensity trainings, shorter exercise windows, and low-carb cycling, while others are way more genetically built for low-impact training, strength for cardio, higher protein to stabilize your appetite. I mean, all of this stuff is set in your genes, which is just crazy to me. 

So your genes can literally help you figure out what your exercise tolerance is and your blood sugar stability and, like, how to stable your blood sugar through certain types of exercises. And this is why some women lose inches while strength training, and others need more of metabolic support first before they're able to start losing inches. So here is the thing. 

Just like everything, if there's a stepwise approach, you still have to put one foot in front of the other. You still have to carry your own water and chop your own wood, right? So it's not like you just read a profile and bang, you're, like, an optimal shape, right, and conditioning. No, I mean, we still have to do the thing.

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We still have to get the water, the good, you know, the high-quality water. We still have to get the sunlight. We still have to get the earth beneath our feet.

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Like, we still have to do those things. But your habits only work when they're aligned with your biology, and your biology is written in your DNA. And once you understand your blueprint, your unique blueprint, everything gets easier.

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And instead of restriction or punishment, it becomes precision, support, alignment, and results that last, and results that you can, and support that you can keep coming back to, because you know exactly what your DNA needs. And again, this technology is, and these data points are even going to get better and better at letting you know what works for your DNA. And so having this information now, I think, is really going to be not only transformational for now, but for the future, for the years to come, as this gets even better and better. 

So like I mentioned at the beginning, I have five spots available for December, which means you would want to hop on now so we can get your test ordered. It will be sent to you within a few days, and then we get that sent off. So I will have those results back in December, and then we can start working together then. 

I only have five spots because it takes me a lot of, well, I shouldn't say it takes me. I like to put a lot of intention and integrity in reading your profile as it relates to your goals. And then occasionally that means that I'm looking at labs and medication lists and all of the things. 

So it takes time for me to then get the report and then read it and then produce something that I feel like is worthy of your time and money. So if this interests you at all, please reach out to me ASAP because once those five slots are gone, then we're going to be looking at January. So let me know if that interests you. 

There is a link in the show notes. There should be. Or head over onto Instagram and DM me there if this is something that sounds great. 

And I'll keep unpacking this. This is very high level. There are so many more aspects to the profile that we would read and understand. 

So if you have any questions about that too, then reach out to me. And I hope you enjoyed this podcast as much as I loved making it for you, and I will see you soon. The world needs the vibrance and wisdom of a woman's intuition to help heal the world. 

When we learn to trust ourselves through leaning into and through discomfort, we learn to trust ourselves if in that space is our power and clarity.