EPI 88 - The Hidden Genetic Patterns That Shape Your Energy, Weight & Sleep

Hi friend — welcome back to The Habit Within! I’m Camille Kinzler, and today we’re diving into a topic that quite literally changed the way I understand my body, my energy, and the way I move through midlife: genomics.

If you’ve ever wondered why you’re exhausted even when you’re “doing everything right,” why weight feels harder to release than ever, or why your sleep has become unpredictable and shallow — this episode will blow your mind in the most empowering way.

Because here’s the truth:
You’re not broken.
You’re not undisciplined.
And you’re not imagining it.

Your genes hold a living, breathing blueprint — one that shows us exactly what your body needs in this season of your life to feel energized, lighter, clearer, and more grounded.

In this episode, I walk you through:

• The three things almost every midlife woman truly wants (and why your genes can help you get there)
• The major differences between ancestry tests like 23andMe and functional genomics
• Why your genes are not your destiny — and how epigenetics lets you turn certain expressions on or off
• How your genetic profile influences:
  • energy production
  • stubborn weight
  • detox bottlenecks
  • inflammation
  • cortisol patterns
  • sleep rhythm
  • gut repair
  • hormone pathways
  • micronutrient needs
  • and even what kind of workouts your body thrives on
• What it looks like to walk through your results with a guide — instead of staring at a PDF wondering “now what?”
• How I’ve personally changed my own routines, nutrition, and daily rhythms since getting my results back

This is one of those episodes that leaves you thinking: Oh… that explains everything.

Not in a doom-y way — in a deeply liberating way.

Because when you understand your blueprint, you stop fighting your body.
You start supporting it.

I’d love to hear from you

Have you ever taken a genetic test? Did it give you clarity — or just more questions?

Come share with me, I love hearing how these conversations land 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

(0:00 - 29:59)
Today, we're just going to talk a little bit more about what I really feel like most women that I talk with really want in midlife and Beyond all of the things deep deep down inside that we really really want Welcome to the habit within this podcast is for high achieving women 35 and older who seem to have it all together that 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 Kinsler 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. 

Hey Hey, welcome back to the habit within this is Camille Kinsler your host and it has been such a lovely week It's Thanksgiving break for my family and Even though I had some work to do it has been so restful And I've gotten a lot of projects around the house done to that I've been just sitting there waiting for me over the last couple of months after we moved into our new house So I'm so happy that I'm more settled even bought some Furniture that I was going to resist doing because again, this is only a rental and so I didn't want to buy furniture that fit this home if it wasn't going to If we weren't gonna be able to use it in our next place that makes total sense, right? Well, yeah, except for the fact that I have things like my friend Let's is letting me borrow her singing bowls while she's traveling and they're on the floor and those things Need to have a beautiful place to be presented So I needed a cabinet for them. I also hung Art and I was really reluctant to because I didn't want to put any holes in the wall Even tiny ones and as somebody who has rentals I'm really sensitive to having to repaint a room just for a small little blemish on the wall, but Putting up paintings and our art has really transformed the place and it feels way more like home Ah so I would love to know what you guys have been up to this past month what your December looks like and Today, we're just gonna talk a little bit more about what I really feel like most women that I talk with really want in midlife and Beyond all of the things deep deep down inside that we really really want There are three very common things and these common threads are most women in midlife But they really want is more energy They want to feel like they're able to do all of the things on there I Don't I don't even word use the word to-do list because I think that is so boring But all of the things that light them up in life And they want to be able to have the energy to do that The other thing I feel like most all women in midlife Really want is a body that feels like home again that they can look at their body in the mirror and it can feel Really good to them like something that they're familiar with and that's something that's foreign And I also feel like most women in midlife. They want to feel like they are getting Restorative sleep that their sleep counts Sleeping like they're in their 20s again So today what we're going to talk about is really understanding how Your genes how really how how having a DNA test that can look at your specific Genetic profile can actually help with those things by subtle tweaks in The way that you nourish yourself or move your body or rest can actually help you Lose some resistant weight to have more energy and to have better sleep So we'll get into all the details about that But first I want to clear up some difference because I feel like a lot of people when I when I mentioned genetic tests They think of 23andme or the National Geographic test or maybe even a breast cancer screening genetic test and I want to get into the Details about that a little bit more just to clarify what I'm saying when I talk about reading your genetic profile Because really understanding your genes and having somebody walk alongside you and interpret them Around what particular phase that you're in in your life can be so beneficial not just fun facts Not vague, but really clear actionable items to get you where you want to be It can help you not have all these energy leaks in your life. 

It can really help your body Release weight it can help Us figure out exactly what your hormones are trying to tell you Even if you're in postmenopause and you're taking hormone therapy or you're thinking about taking hormone therapy It can really help us figure out how best to How best to optimize the hormone replacement therapy that you are taking regardless of the stage that you're in and It can show us how your nervous system really needs to be cared for for you specifically in order for you to be able to decrease the cortisol and Reno rest your nervous system in order for you to release weight and have more energy as well. So These are some really cool things that your genetic profile can tell you about and first and foremost I really want you to recognize that your genes are not your destiny. So just because you'll see You'll like let's say that you just ordered a genetic test and you received the results and it had Some information about your genes The thing is is that just because it says certain things on your genes does not mean that's your destiny That's called epigenetics and we'll get into that a little bit later on on in this episode The other thing I really want you to understand is that your genes are there's a living breathing blueprint and what that means is that it depends on what stage in your life that you're in how you want to interpret your genes and Recognizing that if you have what I like to call a health expression So something that's expressing itself through your genes that we can turn that on and off so we can use that data to say Okay, so how can we optimize? By real actionable step-by-step process to help you Turn off or on some of these gene expressions So again, if you've ever taken anything like the 23andme ancestry or National Geographic Genomic project this episode will really help you finally understand the differences between all of those tests and why? The type of genetic tests that I specifically do for women will help you really have more Steady reliable energy a body that just feels Amazing to be in and that sleep that you are absolutely craving. 

So let's go ahead and get into this first Let me just go ahead and break down some of these tests the 23andme Ancestry and National Geographic. These are amazing for I think personally for Ancestry like to really figure out your lineage and I think that there are lots of fun facts in there like, huh? Am I a person who is adverse to cilantro because it tastes like soap You'll figure that out in some of these tests or if you are a person who's prone to more of the wet wax in your Ear. Yep. 

You'll also learn that through one of those fun DNA tests, but let's be honest about that. They don't tell you why you're exhausted They don't tell you why your body is holding on to weight They don't tell you how to sleep better and they don't tell you what your body needs right now To support your hormones and your metabolism and your brain those tests weren't designed to give you these actionable insights And that I don't know for me That's the most important and actually way more fun part is when I can see things that actually can move The needle for to make me feel better not just more information because I've got a lot of that on the computer but actually how to transform So, let's see some other things that I don't think that these tests really share is they don't tell you about The inflammation that's in your body and so often we actually have this resistant Weight loss because of the inflammation that is in our body they don't tell us where our detox pathways are stuck and for For those of you who are familiar with detox pathways there's a phase one and a phase two and you can get kind of clogged up in one of those areas and then that can cause increased inflammation stubborn weight loss and and actually a lot of Illness, and I didn't really talk a lot about how these really relate to Immune function and other types of illnesses because I'm really wanting to focus on how to optimize your health and vitality By just tweaking what your DNA is actually sharing with us this these tests also don't really tell you much about your cortisol rhythm and it is so important that we figure out how to Relax and distress and De-stress excuse me. And so quite often we can tell that, you know for me I know that I can't work later on in the evening because it just gives me hyped up and I can't sleep So this is something that I learned several years ago just intuitively that that doesn't work for me However, a lot of people feel this wired or tired and so they keep pushing and they keep grinding and they're up Sending emails at 3 in the morning when they wake up in the middle of the night and they feel like that's just because You know, they're this type a super productive Grinder right. 

However, the thing is is that it's actually the way that your genes are set up And so when you recognize that like, oh that's part of This pattern that I have then I feel like then we can really, you know Take the foot off the accelerator and then really figure out The things that you need to do to start relaxing and unwinding before you get to that word and tired state So genomics really takes us to this next level So the type of genomics testing that it's built for action items that are precise to you for real interventions that match your biology and a road map for vitality that just isn't Random traits and random facts, although they can really be fun We really just don't want more information. So instead of focusing on Ancestry we focus on hormone pathways detox pathways inflammation neurotransmitters insulin and metabolism your circadian rhythm mitochondrial energy production nutrition gut repair nervous system regulation aging and cellular Resilience and this is what we really are trying to figure out is why are you tired? Why does the weight just stick on you? Why is your sleep disturbed? Why can't you calm your mind? Why are your hormones feeling out of whack? Why do you crash at 3 p.m? Why does your body feel inflamed and best of all we figure out how to fix it in a step-by-step Wise approach this isn't just receiving your results and then you have to interpret what next step you're gonna do we walk hand in hand side by side with each other for around three months typically longer for some and Our genes can really show us all of this Show us the protocol that you need for you and this is what's really cool about it since your genes are these living Is a living breathing story not this fixed state then We get to like play around with epigenetics and epigenetics is really how your lifestyle interferes or in interacts with your genes and so if you've never heard of this word epigenetics before this is your moment where Everything is gonna change because I think so often We're afraid to look at our genetic profile because we don't want to know what's to come It's like reading, you know, it's like looking into a crystal ball or something but the thing is is that it's not epigenetics really is how your lifestyle your environment and your Habits turn on and off these genes So your genes are really your blueprint and epigenetics is the contractor who's doing the work your genes don't change But your gene expression does and guess what epigenetics can shift in days Not decades and this is actually really beautiful. There's a lot of research that shows that so obese Women who get pregnant and have kids they have this epigenetic Predisposition for obesity however, if women lose the weight prior to getting pregnant even if they gain the weight before even if they had been obese all of their life prior then that Transmission or Transition from gene to gene is actually it's turned off so I think that just Realizing that so quickly we can turn off and on these expressions and it doesn't take decades It can take just days is so important and the science has been around for over 20 20 years or more and it's been studied in how Meditation and breath work and trauma and sleep nutrition stress movement all of the things respond to your genes Respond to epigenetics can turn on and off these gene expressions So when your genes are this living and breathing thing when I say that I mean that You're in control that you are empowered. 

They change based on your season of life Change based on your stress your hormones your environment your habits and They tell your body what you need today. The cool thing is is that you only need one genetic test to read You know every you know season of your lives every three to five years So you don't need to repeat the test over and over and over again However, it will look different when you look at your genes How you read them and interpret them today versus in 20 years, I hope that makes sense It's so important for you to understand and I think that's what makes it so Invaluable to have somebody walk alongside of you and help you analyze how your genes Fit with the season of the life of your life that you're in right now so two women can have the same genetic variant and Completely different support that they might need it all depends on what perimenopausal stage they're in or menopausal stage They're in their stress load their health history their symptoms or lifestyle Most importantly goals. You cannot look at a genetic profile Without having these specific goals that you're looking for. 

It's too much information You have to view it through a certain lens and that's what I'm saying Certain seasons of your life. You're gonna look at your genes differently. So let's say that you are actually looking at Fertility you are going to look at the you're going to interpret the genes through that lens versus somebody who is in Post menopause, right? So I think that's also very important for you to understand So let's get into this practical part. 

So here's what most midlife women want. They want more energy They want to feel lighter and stronger. They want to feel better in their body. 

They want consistent sleep I mentioned this in the beginning and your genes help us understand all of that They help us figure out what movement right? What type of Exercise is going to be best for your energy and weight loss. I mean, huh? I Think it is so wild. I was reading One of my clients results recently and she's like this hardcore endurance person Her genes actually say that she should be the one who's like a running Marathons and not doing these like hit burst class classes, which I think is really interesting because she is because based on Her exercise profile. 

She likes really hard High intensity high endurance type of classes and what she can do She's like a superwoman, but the HIT classes not so much So anyway I think it's really wild that you can figure out if you burn out with HIT or if HIT is your type of class Which is mine I am my my genetic profile says I really will have more energy and reduced weight with HIT classes And I've been avoiding those things like the plug They will show if you need if you're a person who who Who will love in your body would love to lift these heavier weights or if you need more lower intensity movement to stabilize your cortisol Your genetics can show how your mitochondria create energy and how you relate to stress but it's really amazing that you can look at the type of Movement that your body loves and if you're not doing it, right it can explain why your body will hold on to weight or Why you might lose more weight in certain areas or why certain workouts might leave you feel more inflamed or others more energetic I definitely can see that in my life where I do certain exercises and It just drains me and then other ones I just feel more energized and I really you know Just thought it was like where I am in my cycle or this than the other and now I know that it's just like this Genetic propensity for one rather than the other the other is looking at your detox bottleneck So this really can cause you to feel brain fog and and sleep disturbances and weight resistance Along with many other things even medications that you're taking and that you're not like feeling that they are working that well You have more side effects to certain medications all of this can be due to this detox bottleneck or mold like let's say that you're That you're on some Some mold protocols to reduce the amount of mold or metals in your body and you're just not feeling like it's working well, you could actually not be supporting one of your phases of Your detox pathways if one detox pathway is congested you can feel exhausted Puffy and wired at night and unable to lose weight and anxious and irritable but if you support your genetic pathways and your your hormones feel more balanced your have reduced inflammation you have reduced Immune response your or that you have increased immune response your improved sleep that your liver clears estrogen and testosterone better that your Thyroid is supported you have reduced cravings and all of this again can help you Release lose some of that stubborn weight And your genes can also look at how you metabolize estrogen and this is so important And this really reveals You know a lot of things so like how you make estrogen how you break estrogen down how your body hears estrogen based on your receptor sensitivity how you convert estrogen sometimes into Stronger forms that you need to make sure that you're more diligent to That your detox pathways are more Prepared to get rid of some of that Stronger estrogen forms the more negative estrogen forms and this impacts belly fat and bloating and irritability Hot flashes motivation sleep cravings and your energy reserves So it's really about how your body is really communicating with estrogen And as you can probably tell Knowing that when you're premenopausal or if you're taking estrogen is so important your ideal Nutrition is also think something that we can see through your genes. And I think this is really cool And this is you know, everything from micronutrients to macronutrients, but not everyone needs Magnesium or the same B vitamins But your genes will show you it what you're kind of like if your body needs more vitamin D or normal vitamin D or if You get a really good Synthesis from vitamin D from the Sun if your body really would respond well to magnesium I'm not only for sleep, but for just detox pathway support If you need choline or what electrolytes work better for you if it's a high salt Electrolyte or if it's a lower salt higher potassium electrolyte what kind of Antioxidants that your body needs or what kind of antioxidants support your body needs and when you match all of this to your blueprint Then you will feel clear and more energized and less reactive and more grounded and more Metabolically stable. I have been living based on my genes for the past month or two I think is when I got my results back and I have to tell you it is like it is so fun because it's like It's easy. 

I recognize like okay, if you don't do that, that's fine. I can absolutely make the choice however, it's this like slow and steady and changing one thing at a time and recognizing how I feel when I eat towards my genes and I Supply myself with the nutrients needed I mean just taking the correct nutrients alone that the correct micronutrients alone has Changed the way that I am sleeping and that I am moving. I am Have definitely released bloat I'm less bloated. 

I can see more definition in my body I haven't been weighing myself regularly because I don't love that as a form of tracking my progress But I've been you know putting on jeans that weren't fitting and I'm going down that right Going down that route and so I'll continue to do that and I'll keep you guys updated But just this alone has been hugely important with just feeling more energized Another one is inflammation triggers So this is huge chronic inflammation where when we're in midlife It's really common for us to have this chronic low-grade inflammation It's one of the biggest midlife disruptors and genes can help us really reveal if you have a higher tendency towards Inflammation and what to do about it And where inflammation is actually starting it isn't is it in your gut or your liver or your hormones or your mitochondria? How your immune system really reacts to all of this. So if you have You know these higher inflammatory Tendencies then and you have a higher immune System response then we really need to make sure that we stay on top of getting the inflammation down in your body This is also like looks at how well you clear oxidative stress So reducing inflammation is just easier. You can release weight easier you can sleep better your joints don't feel as achy or puffy you have steady your mood and energy and Just a few more guys I just feel like it's so important to just share all of the amazing things that this particular test can Can do for you because I get this question a lot from women who say well I've taken all of these other genetic tests. 

How is this different for me? And here are all the ways that's different. We can really Look and see how you are. What kind of What kind of repair your gut may need so your gut affects your serotonin melatonin inflammation cravings blood sugar mood detoxification so many things and your genes can show you if you need more gut lining support if Your immune response is heightened if you're prone to certain sensitivities This is beyond like gluten and dairy we look at histamine responses and we look at um Glutamate responses like how your body produces and then processes glutamate actually had a client recently and I was so jealous of her jeans because She does not have like a gluten or glutamate sensitivity or at all There's a little bit of a histamine reaction, but oh my lord. 

I was like, I would love to have your gut genes Yeah, so that's really Really fun to be able to look and see how you repair your gut what sorts of Micronutrients you need because of how your body and your gut absorbs nutrients Another thing it looks at is stress tolerance and neurotransmitters. And this one is one of my favorites Because it looks at how quickly you can clear your stress hormones your capacity for stimulation Why you can feel overwhelmed and more easily in midlife why you wake up at 3 a.m. Which tools? Help you regularly regulate best Yeah, it's just like it's really fun to be able to check in with that and and be able to relate it to your life You're gonna be like, oh, yeah, I know that how come I didn't actually do anything about that Sooner they can look at your circadian rhythm and your sleep blueprint It can really reveal your natural sleep timing your melatonin efficiencies how caffeine affects you which is everybody's favorite Especially if you're a caffeine drinker and you find that you have no problem consuming caffeine You can stop feeling guilty about loving your caffeine How cortisol shifts at night and how your body processes light and I know that one of the big things is Leptin the leptin diet which you can see that all over the internet. This is one of my yeah I mean, it's so great knowing your genes because then you can just put on these blinders and and We can actually look at your leptin gene to see if that's something that needs a little bit more Attention or not, but really leptin you just get some morning sunlight you guys know how much I love that on a regular basis and that can really help that and Lastly your long-term vitality blueprint and this is basically everything that supports Your metabolic health hormonal clarity glowing skin strong bones sharp cognition steady energy emotional resilience and longevity and This is like way more than just feeling good for a week, babes This is like feeling good and vibrant at every single stage and age of your life So truly the magic is in the interpretation. 

The magic is is in partnering with somebody who can help you analyze your test that best fits this stage in your life and and The magic is really brought in how you bring your report to life, right? the living breathing and blueprint and How it's layered with your medical history your symptoms your goals your hormone patterns your lifestyle your nervous system your preferences and also your lived experiences Because anybody can run a test you can get on line and you can order all the tests that you want But interpretation is what turns your genes from just this PDF that you receive into Into a personalized roadmap and that is where the transformation happens loves. So your genes are not here