EP 4 | Traps to Avoid on Your Healing Journey

SERIES: Everything We Wish We Knew at The Start 

(Part 2)

Healing isn’t always smooth sailing—there are plenty of traps along the way that can slow you down or make you feel stuck. In this episode, we’re uncovering the most common traps people fall into—like obsessing over quick fixes, over-restricting their diet, or falling into the “all-or-nothing” mindset.

We’ll share our personal experiences and stories from clients with these traps (and the messy lessons we learned) and give you practical tips on how to sidestep them. Healing doesn’t have to be harder than it already is, so let’s help you navigate the path with fewer detours. We will talk about how to stay on track and make healing a sustainable, lifelong transformation.

Takeaways:
→ The biggest traps slowing down your progress
→ How to avoid falling into the ‘perfectionism’ trap
→ What to focus on instead of quick fixes

If you loved this episode, it would mean the world if you’d take a moment to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who needs to hear this. Your support helps this podcast reach more people who are ready to take control of their health and start thriving.

You are stronger than you think, healing is possible, and we'll be here every step of the way. Until next time—take care and keep going.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Healing Traps
• 1:23 The Importance of Consistency
• 3:39 The All or Nothing Mindset
• 4:37 Setting Realistic Expectations
• 7:23 The Myth of Quick Fixes
• 10:20 Navigating Medical Advice
• 21:36 The Role of Self-Compassion
• 24:09 The Journey of Lifelong Healing
• 33:38 Summarizing Key Points

Transcript

[00:00:00] Katie: So healing isn't always smooth sailing. There are plenty of traps along the way that can slow you down or make you feel stuck. So in this episode, we're uncovering the most common traps people fall into, like obsessing over quick fixes, maybe overreacting on their diet or falling into the all or nothing mindset.

[00:00:21] Amanda: Healing doesn't have to be harder than it already is, so let's navigate the path with fewer detours.

[00:00:27] Katie: Sounds juicy, so yeah. Biggest healing traps aye.

[00:00:32] Amanda: Mm-hmm. if we're talking about things that can derail you, detour you, really slow your progress on your healing journey… what would you say? Those sneaky traps maybe have been for you along the way.

[00:00:51] Katie: Probably to feel like you're not making progress all the time. , and I found after speaking to so many people that once they face a setback, then they just throw in the towel but setbacks are all part of the journey and we actually learn more from setbacks than we do plain sailing. So it's shifting the mindset so that it's not just about constantly winning and constantly feeling like you're progressing, but learning.

You know, Hey, what did I do this day that set me back? Because whatever you did, whether that be nutritionally or psychologically or you know, working out or whatever, that's a lesson that. You would've learned. So yeah, I'd say probably, not being consistent and giving up too soon.

[00:01:43] Amanda: Hmm. You said the magic word consistency, and this ties into our conversation that we had last week about failure and how you perceive failure, like you said, and whether you let that, , completely derail you or take it as a lesson. I think a lot of people don't realize how far consistency can get you, how it's not about being perfect.

It's not about showing up perfectly every day. It's not about even making steady progress every day, but. Just being consistent and understanding those beneficial habits to build in your life., and then staying consistent with those over a long period of time. I think that's one of the biggest traps to fall into.

[00:02:33] Katie: Yes, yes. Because it's so hard to stay consistent when you don't feel like you're making progress, but it's the strength that you build in those moments that builds your resilience and then enables you to overcome hurdles when they happen because life is always gonna throw stress at you. You know, it's not always gonna be smooth sailing.

So it's learning how to navigate those moments, which are really gonna. Benefit you in terms of keeping you in a stable state, inflammation wise or mentally. Yeah, for sure consistency is king.

[00:03:06] Amanda: Yeah. And as we discussed last week as well, coming from that perfectionist type mindset where you just expect to be good at things and you just expect to do things well or perfectly, I feel like consistency really is the. The opposite of perfectionism. So it it for me, that learning that did not come naturally.

I rejected it as much as as possible because, I did definitely over the years fall victim to all or nothing behaviour in many areas of my life. And that belief system just kind of bleeds into the healing journey. Very much so. So if you're running your life in that way, in that all or nothing mindset, and then you're approaching your health and your healing in that same way I think that you're, preparing for a rude awakening because that's not how we get there…to where we wanna go.

[00:04:05] Katie: I also think that when people expect to heal quicker than they think is also another trap, because I think people underestimate how long it takes to heal depending on obviously the person and how long. They've essentially been building up inflammation in their body. For them to now be in a situation where they have possibly disease within themselves, just really kind of appreciating how long it then takes to get to a, stable point where they feel great.

A lot of people under underestimate that and a lot of people. Underestimate what they can achieve in say, two years and over estimate what they can get done in two months. So I think setting expectations as well with, with yourself when it comes to how long this is gonna take. Because essentially healing is a lifetime endeavour.

You know, you are always gonna be hopefully,, shooting for disease prevention, so. You can class that as, as a lifetime healing journey. If, if you want to, and I certainly do. but just because you feel sick and you feel poorly doesn't mean that you are then shooting for just feeling okay.

You know, you should be shooting for thriving and feeling optimal and looking after yourself so that you don't, get stuck in the same position of being poorly.

[00:05:25] Amanda: Yeah, and I, I very much agree and I think , that outlook. That you just described of, accepting that the healing journey is a lifelong endeavour. Accepting that our personal growth journey is a lifelong endeavour. me, that was really what helped flick the switch from that all or nothing behaviour to where I am now.When I finally accepted that, figured that out. It was like a huge weight had just been lifted from my shoulders because there wasn't that same kind of,, desperation, energy or rushing mentality to get things right, to heal, to be perfect. It was just an acceptance of. This is life. takes time. It happens in stages, and I'm in it for the long haul. And I, I really started applying that to everything in my life and to my relationships, to my business, to my relationship with exercise and my relationship with food. and it just took all the pressure off for me. It was like. This is what I do because this is what I do.

These are the choices I make because I know they're good for me, and they don't have to be perfect. I don't know. It just relieved so much stress for me.

[00:06:51] Katie: Yeah, and we could also bunch this into like this whole marketing ploy of going on a detox or a cleanse or whatever they're trying to sell now. Because essentially if you cleanse your body for six months or whatever what happens after those six months? You know, it's, when it comes to stuff like that, it's not about longevity, unfortunately.

[00:07:16] Amanda: Sustainability.

[00:07:17] Katie: exactly. And aggressive dieting is like something completely different. But when it comes to healing your body, it's not a six month quick fix and then it's, you know, reverting back to how you were before and then it's all okay and I'll be fine. It doesn't work like that. So I think that's a massive trap as well that people unfortunately fall into because in this society that we live in nowadays, it's not really conducive to patients and, really riding it out and taking this as a lifetime endeavour.

It's, it's more like quick fixes and things that are just gonna. Fix you in a, in a short space of time, which doesn't actually work.

[00:08:01] Amanda: And I, I call that, looking for the silver bullet. And I think that's one of the biggest traps that people fall into, myself included in the beginning and you're absolutely right. I think that it probably does. It is mostly driven by our capitalistic culture, where everybody wants to, simplify the problem and then present a solution that they can sell to you in one form or another.

Whether that's, a diet, a pill, a supplement, a protocol, That's one of the biggest things that I start teaching my clients from the get go is it isn't one thing, it wasn't one thing that got you here. wasn't, know, just , one specific thing that made you end up with a chronic illness. It was years of. Multiple things layered on top of each other we're talking chronic stress, maybe trauma,, nervous system regulation stuff,, deficiencies. Like it's, it's a big spectrum. And so if we're looking for that singular fix to, to fix where we are, it, it doesn't exist. And you can go down that rabbit hole. And I know you know this because, you speak about it in your content all the time, that wasn't about just avoiding gluten. It wasn't about that parasite protocol. It wasn't about finding the perfect supplement because it's not one thing.

[00:09:25] Katie: No. Exactly.

[00:09:26] Amanda: And if you just stop, if you just stop looking for the one thing, your life gets a lot easier.

[00:09:31] Katie: Yeah. And it takes a lot of pressure off you and that amount of energy that you're giving to stress and anxiety could actually be putting that back into your, your body. Why do you think we chase quick fixes, even when you know, we probably know that they're not the answer? 

[00:09:48] Amanda: I think it's a multi-dimensional issue. Like we just touched on it a little bit about our capitalist type culture that is trying to sell us solutions and, and they simplify the problem and they ignore nuance. And I think that's one aspect. But I think when it relates to the healing journey, I think it's also about. Understanding the difference between a chronic health condition and an acute health situation. if we go into doctor's office because we twisted our ankle, or had an acute issue, all of a sudden happened to us. We're conditioned into that way of,, here's the problem, and then the doctor comes in, they diagnose the problem and they say, oh, here's the solution.

You need this. And, and we're used to that transactional kind of medicine. And for a young person, if that's all. You've ever experienced? That certainly was my experience before I received my chronic illness diagnosis. It was, oh, there's a problem with my body. I'll go to the doctor. They'll give me something to fix it. that's just what we believe. That's just kind of what we're conditioned to believe. And so I think that that's another common mistake is if we are viewing chronic illness as the, the same way as an acute condition. not the same thing. It's not, oh, just hand me the solution. It, it doesn't work that way.

These are things that have built up over years, if not decades, that require a multifaceted approach to heal.

[00:11:33] Katie: Yeah. And I know you just touched a little bit on the all or nothing mindset,, because I feel like a lot of people think that if they can't do it perfectly, then they might as well not try. And that just ultimately prolongs. Them starting. Right. Why do you think that is? Do you think that's social constructs again, or do you think that's something different?

[00:11:54] Amanda: Yeah, I think a lot of it is, I think if you, if you think about what we're told, When I received my diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, I was told by my doctor, there is no cure and I look at that now, knowing what I know through the lens that I've learned, I take that as we have not figured out a pharmaceutical to fix this problem. That's what there is no cure means...

Because that's the approach that conventional medicine takes is diagnose and prescribe for the most part. So if, if we are told by these people that are in positions of power, like a doctor, someone who is well educated and kind of on a pedestal tells you there is no cure, I would think that the majority of people take that as healing is not possible. There's no way to fix this. I'm going to be stuck with this, can very easily translate to a mindset of, I may as well not even try because that belief is that, this is not going to get better for me and I. That's certainly what I believed for a few years because I didn't know any better until I started walking this path and looking at alternatives and learning, I just kind of recognized that, okay, we're speaking different languages.

If a doctor is saying There is no cure, he means there is no pharmaceutical or way to just flick the switch and, and turn you back to the way you were. that doesn't mean that healing isn't possible. That doesn't mean that we can't improve our quality of life and get to a place gradually where we feel that we're thriving again. And thats exactly why you and I are here on this podcast is to amplify that message.

[00:13:51] Katie: And make people aware. It's really interesting 'cause I went to,, the hospital with my friend the other day. And they were talking about pharmaceutical, drugs that she can take. And I mentioned a few natural, supplements that she could take as well, that have been shown to help the condition.

He just completely like, didn't even consider it, was just outright, no don't bother. But it's like, but there's evidence to show that these natural supplements will help. So why are you pushing pharmaceuticals on her? 

I, went to a different doctor's appointment with my partner who's got like, serious back problems and he actually said no to steroid injections and told him to take like eight different natural supplements,, and prescribed some swimming and things like that. And I just thought that is the kind of practitioner that I respect. But a lot of people would be like, why has he just told me to do that? He's not helping. That's not gonna help me. Well, what a waste of time that appointment was completely pointless.

[00:14:58] Amanda: And I, I think that for that reason, this is something that happens and, medical gaslighting is real. It's, , absolutely real. And I think that it happens all the time

[00:15:10] Amanda: And it's, if we are, if we're talking about that kind of hierarchical system that our medical system is built, especially in older generations, they were very much taught to not question the opinion of your doctor because this was a person who is highly educated and put up on that pedestal, and so you did not question you. You were thankful for those five minutes of their time that they gave you 

[00:15:38] Amanda: and I think that that really needs to change Not to paint all doctors with the same brush, like you just gave two very different, examples of practitioners and people need to understand that ultimately, this is in your hands. This is your choice. The, the doctor that you choose to work with is your guide, if you have one leading you down the path of pharmaceutical only. And is completely has blinders on to any other options. as we've mentioned before, most pharmaceuticals come with side effects. So are you signing up for if you, if you follow that practitioner down that path, versus someone that is maybe a little more open-minded and looks at the alternatives and considers diet and lifestyle changes as. Part of the program, the path that you are going to go down is potentially completely different. And so that really matters, like who you're choosing to be your guide.

[00:16:46] Katie: Exactly, and I, I wish more people put more trust in practitioners who don't go down the standard route of, take this, take that almost pushing. Medicine onto you,, and not actually going through the massive list of side effects that could be really, really harmful to you

and I think that it, it's not like,, like a purpose-driven trap, but I feel like a lot of people do get trapped in. In that particular circle, because they're just not made aware of the other half of the information that should actually be discussed with them.

[00:17:25] Amanda: Yeah, and I think the first step is understanding that, how the system is, and your first step to navigating it., I remember reading this brilliant article years ago that described the difference between allopathic medicine or conventional western medicine and naturopathic medicine. And the brilliant analogy that they used was, if you look at your body as a house. And this symptom shows up in the house. So on the floor in the house, there's a wet spot And so you call a professional and say, I've got this wet spot on my floor. Can you come take a look? 

And the, the allopathic medicine doctor comes in and says, yeah, that's, that's wet-floor-itis. And. The solution to that is this drug that dries up the dampness on the rug. Okay, great. If you take the same scenario with a naturopathic doctor or a functional medicine practitioner, someone that is practicing root cause medicine, they're not just looking at that wet spot on the rug They're looking at the whole house. They're looking at the complete picture, and maybe they're climbing up onto the roof and then they notice that there's a hole in in the roof, and that's where the water's getting in, which is causing that damp spot on the rug, and they use their tools to fix that hole on the roof so that that doesn't happen anymore. And I just thought that that analogy was brilliant because if we are not looking at the body as a complete whole system, and we are just assessing the symptom, putting a label or diagnosis on it, and then prescribing something to address the symptoms, we're not addressing the complete picture.

[00:19:32] Katie: Exactly, and I feel like that is a big trap that people fall into. Going back to what we were saying at the beginning thinking that we are failing, and not really giving the healing process a chance to really kick in.

You're always gonna have these hiccups because of the, Inflamed state that you are currently in, you know, and I think that a lot of people just don't give it the chance.

[00:19:57] Amanda: yeah, absolutely. If we're still looking at ourselves and our health from that,, quick fix. All or nothing mentality and we're expecting to change one thing and then our situation to completely resolve in a very short period of time. That's a huge trap because then potentially you could take something that is working, that is helping and dismiss it before it's even had a chance to, start working or making an impact in your life.

[00:20:31] Katie: And I think compassion over control is huge in this situation, and people need to be more kind to essentially the version of who they're trying to be and where they're trying to get to. And , be the best version of themselves and having self-compassion towards that because you are already being super proactive by starting this journey.

And that in itself takes strength., and I don't think people give themselves enough praise,, because that is really difficult, you are having to accept that you are. You are not in a good place with your health. , and a lot of people love to play ignorant towards it. So yeah, I think self-compassion is, is huge.

[00:21:15] Amanda: Yeah, I listen to a lot of. Podcasts on motivation entrepreneur mindset. And I've listened to so many interviews where people talk about the key to success. If we're relating this to the entrepreneurship journey and these people who have built these amazingly successful companies and you ask them what their. Key to success was, and almost all of them say, just not giving up,

[00:21:45] Katie: Oh yeah.

[00:21:46] Amanda: in the beginning of the journey, there were no clues to suggest that they would be successful, but they believed they would be, and they just kept going

[00:21:56] Katie: Yeah.

[00:21:56] Amanda: and they just kept trusting and eventually things started to shift for them.

And I just, I think that applies to, everything our health included. If you're making one small change and then you're looking for evidence that it's working, then if you don't find that evidence, you just say, well, I give up. Then of course you're never going to get where you want to be.

[00:22:18] Katie: And that is the difference between,, motivation and commitment. Because motivation is just so unreliable and it's almost putting your trust in, committing to the journey, and dedicating yourself to the journey that , will eventually lead to results.

Because if you stay committed and you stay. Determined and resilient, which you'll learn along the way, then you will get better. , you just have to trust the process. And I think a lot of that is built on focusing on, long-term alignment as well. Because healing isn't about speed, it's about direction.

So with that said, what helped you shift from short term to long-term thriving?

 If I really try to pinpoint it,, I think just understanding well learning about how the body works, learning about the. The healing mechanisms of the body, learning that this really is not a short term thing. And that,, I think there was a shift that happened in my mindset where I went from focusing on trying to fix myself just learning how to support myself.

[00:23:35] Amanda: And I guess you could, call that the shift between, committing to the

[00:23:41] Katie: Yeah.

[00:23:41] Amanda: really is, is what happened. , because when we look at ourselves through that lens of I need to fix myself or,, fix these broken parts of me that is very shortsighted, you’re looking for just those quick wins, those quick resolutions versus, understanding that there's probably been a lifetime of dysfunction that has led you to this point, and not going to just individually fix all of these issues on their own.

It's, it's really about just creating an environment for healing and learning how to. support your body and learning what the body really requires to thrive. So even, even learning about simple things, well, I call them simple things, but they're profound. Like learning about our, our circadian rhythm and learning how our hormones fluctuate throughout the day. That allowed me to learn how to align my activity and my, diet with the natural rhythms of my body. I. So that I could achieve better sleep and better energy levels. And so every time that you learn something about how the body works, it gives you an opportunity to look at what you have been doing and go, okay, how can I shift that a little bit? And maybe it's something as simple as committing to an earlier bedtime and trying to go to bed at the same time every day. It's, it's just a simple, a simple shift, but it comes with that desire to better support yourself and commit to the long-term process of healing.

[00:25:24] Katie: Isn't it funny how we learn more during messy times?

[00:25:28] Amanda: Yeah, well, because we're uncomfortable

[00:25:30] Katie: Yeah.

[00:25:31] Amanda: and, and maybe it's that desire to relieve that discomfort that causes the growth. That, that brings up a question that I actually was thinking of,, asking you, do you think that. We need to hit rock bottom before we truly make change.

[00:25:52] Katie: I don't think you need to, but I think that most people. Do. I think change only really happens when you've either hit rock bottom or you have a health scare or something pretty catastrophic happens in your life. I think change only really starts to take place when, it's basically round in your face, which is really unfortunate because I try and teach as a practitioner that, you know, disease prevention is massive and.

If you want to live a long, healthy life, then what you do right now really determines how healthy you're gonna be later on in life., and I try and drill this into like the people closest to me too, because I, I want them to live, you know, as long as possible and as healthy as possible too, because being sick sucks.

So yeah, I, think that., people change because they're essentially forced to a lot of the time, and they've hit rock bottom. But I, I really hope that people start to adopt a lifestyle where they don't have to hit rock bottom or have a huge health scare I really hope that there's gonna be like a big.

Shift and a big movement where people start to take longevity seriously and live optimally. Not like to an excessive amount or like be an extremist or anything like that, but, you know, do things in moderation, I think it's, it's really scary as well now because disease is so prevalent in, in so many people. Um. It's just getting worse and worse and worse as time goes on. And it makes me think a lot of the time, why is this, why is this epidemic happening where so many people are getting really, really poorly? And it does boil down to lifestyle and , the things that you choose to put in your mouth. movement, sunshine outside time, how long you're being in nature. Like, all these things add up

[00:27:57] Amanda: Yeah I think that, I think that it's interesting and I remember when I, I first started learning, when I first went back to school, started learning nutrition and you know, you're so excited. You're learning all these things every week. It's something new and I don't like, I know that you geek out on. Nutrition and biology and anatomy and all of that too. And so every time I'd learn something new, I just wanted to tell everybody. I'm sure. I was so annoying to my family at the time because I'm like, oh, did you know this? And at the same time, I also felt this. Desire to bring everybody with me.

[00:28:39] Amanda: Like you said, like all the people I love like to save them from themselves essentially, and be like, learned this piece of information. You need to apply it to your life. You know, like, it's funny now because I don't quite react the same way, although I still get as excited when I learn new things and I want to share them with people, and I freely share the information I learn. But ultimately, I recognize that a person's readiness for change is very personal to themselves and. I know that statistically speaking, like you said, most often,, people are not going to make changes, especially profound changes in how they live their life., unless they have a reason to, unless that discomfort of their current situation outweighs the discomfort of change is kind of the equation that I, I look at it with., so I recognize that. of my excitement can fall on deaf ears if a person is not ready to make those changes, and no amount of excitement in me is going to evoke change in them unless they are ready to start taking those steps. And in that case, if someone reaches out and is like, I'm ready. Like, what, what should I do?

I'm like, great, let's get started. But you can't unfortunately force anyone to change. You can't just take someone along for the ride with you to, to save them that discomfort because everybody's journey is so unique to themselves.

[00:30:22] Katie: And a lot of the time people don't even realize that they're in an environment that is conducive to making them poorly. So they don't even have that awareness to start with until something bad happens. 

[00:30:37] Amanda: Yeah.

[00:30:37] Katie: and self-reflection isn't really a thing that a lot of people do.

[00:30:42] Amanda: Mm-hmm. Yeah, making yourself a priority is a huge one, and something that I come across with my clients all the time because like I said, I work with a lot of mothers and I find that the. Kind of martyrdom syndrome that mothers often have where they have to put everybody else before themselves and, they end up trying to pour from an empty cup for years and it just leads to further depletion, further depletion on all fronts So it's, it's interesting because I notice that there's kind of an age group where a lot of women will reach out to work with me, and it's right when their kids are going away to university or leaving the house. When they're getting to that empty nest stage of life, is when they're all of a sudden ready to make changes and they don't usually even recognize that. That's because everybody else has come first for years, that's another thing that you don't have to wait.

[00:31:50] Amanda: You don't have to wait for your kids to move out to start looking after yourself and making yourself a priority. But so many of them do because they just, they don't recognize that that, that they need to put themselves first.

[00:32:02] Katie: Even just learning really small little habits or new rituals that they can then implement into their current routine that will benefit them massively is just so overlooked. People find it quite overwhelming and they think it's huge implementing healthier shifts into their life when it, it doesn't have to be that way.

It can be actually like super simple and really, really effective too. , but , we're not taught any of this, especially in school.

[00:32:32] Amanda: Yeah, exactly.

[00:32:33] Katie: Yeah.

[00:32:33] Amanda: So if we were to sum up , what we've talked about today, if we were to sum up the main traps that people should try to avoid, what did we say?

[00:32:44] Katie: So we said about consistency, staying consistent. Yeah.

[00:32:50] Amanda: Yeah, understanding consistency over perfection

[00:32:54] Katie: Yeah,

[00:32:54] Amanda: That’s huge.

[00:32:55] Katie: All or nothing mindset bunched into that.

[00:32:58] Amanda: Mm-hmm.

[00:32:58] Katie: We spoke about letting go of perfectionism. We spoke about not getting sucked into the trap of, you know, going on a five day detox and thinking that it's gonna, solve all your problems. Um, don't fall. Yeah.

[00:33:15] Amanda: Stop looking for the silver bullet because it doesn't exist.

[00:33:19] Katie: And, yeah, just try not to fall in, not just don't waste your money and just try not to fall into the marketing toxic culture that is now, unfortunately in, in our faces every day.

[00:33:30] Amanda: Yeah. And then ultimately recognizing that you don't have to wait for rock bottom to make changes. You don't have to wait until your children move out to make changes.

You can start with just small, actionable steps, little baby steps.

[00:33:46] Katie: And you know, if you are interested in learning about longevity, then reach out because. We don't just work with people that have chronic illness. If you want to, if you genuinely want to learn more about your body and how it works optimally, then you know you this is a safe space for you and you can always reach out and.

Just from you know, a learning perspective and start implementing these healthier habits that will essentially allow you to thrive. Even if you're not like super poorly right now, but you just feel like something isn't quite right, then there's only a, few small little shifts that you'll have to make in order to feel great.

[00:34:26] Amanda: You don't have to wait until you get sick to start thinking about healing or to start learning about longevity. I believe that thriving and living in a way that is in, excellent health and. Extending not only our lifespan, but our health span. I think that's available to everybody and it can be tricky because there's more people talking about that now than there ever has been. But with that comes a lot of these traps that we discussed today. 

So, you have to kind of do your due diligence and, learn, not to trust all of the salesman that are out there trying to sell you some quick fix, detox, diet, it may be.