Episode 39: A Twist in the Gut w/Swati Patel

The Heart of the Conversation:

     In this episode of That’s Just Human, I’m joined by Swati Patel, a Mind-Gut Transformation Coach who shares her intensive 25-year journey navigating a "plethora of human experiences" including stage four endometriosis, celiac disease, and IBS. We dive deep into the invisible reality of chronic pain and the profound connection between emotional stress and physical health.

The transmission we explore:

• The Long Road to Diagnosis: Swati discusses the decade-long struggle to identify her endometriosis and the later, unexpected discovery of celiac disease at age 35.
• The Psychological Toll: A candid look at the frustration of being told pain might be "psychological" and how that impacts a person’s self-worth and mental clarity.
• The Mind-Gut Connection: Understanding how the gut acts as our "second brain" and why addressing mental stress is a mechanical necessity for physical healing.
• Practical Tools for the Journey: Swati shares her daily practices for managing flare-ups, including morning and evening walks, five-minute grounding meditations, and the power of journaling.
• The Power of Boundaries: Why learning to say "no" and moving away from people-pleasing is a vital component of recovery.

An Invitation from Elisha:
     "We often treat our bodies and our minds as separate entities, but Swati’s story is a powerful reminder that they are deeply interwoven. If you’ve ever felt like your body was working against you, or if you’ve been caught in that perpetual cycle where pain creates anxiety and anxiety creates more pain, this conversation is for you. Swati is a testament to the fact that while we can't always control the obstacles life throws at us, we can take charge of our own healing. I invite you to listen and discover how shifting your internal story can help you navigate the journey of being human with a little more peace and a lot more grace."

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 Introduction to Guest Swati Patel 
• 02:42 Early Symptoms & Medical Dismissal 
• 03:24 Diagnosis & Stage 4 Endometriosis 
• 06:00 Treatment Side Effects 
• 10:18 Bone Density Issues 
• 12:15 Adhesions & Chronic Pain 
• 14:33 Celiac Disease Diagnosis 
• 18:58 Dietary & Mental Struggles 
• 20:15 Mindfulness & Transformation 
• 24:12 IBS & Stress Connection 
• 27:10 Daily Healing Tools 
• 28:44 Setting Boundaries 
• 32:46 Taking Charge of Health 
• 37:12 Coaching & One-to-One Sessions 
• 40:34 Final Wisdom on Growth 

Links to find guests on the  internet or other resources they provide:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Elara-Coaching/61575675575356/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elara.coaching

Link to Transcript of Show:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E2H65fnjsf_CqikRRuDYMhNahVZHFpFK/view?usp=sharing

Apply to be on the Show:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdo3jzeiCYLsDQMnfZbar8GlhJOjWGAFLtMlsZI2L8XwZ_IMw/viewform?usp=sharing

Find Elisha Elsewhere on the web:

https://linktr.ee/elishalightangel

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

And coming back saying celiac. Now I had never heard that word in my life. Same as endometriosis. And we like celiac.

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Celiac. What is this? And my pharmacist was like, celiac, like that.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Hello and welcome to That's Just Human, a podcast that explores all aspects of being human, living in a human body, and dealing with life's obstacles. I'm your host, Elisha Light Angel. My day I'm a massage therapist. Now I'm a podcaster. And like you, I also live in a human body with a plethora of human experiences. And this is the space where I like to chat, but not only about my own, but other people's experiences and just highlight things about being human. Today I have a special guest, and I'm really excited to get into her story and what she does and how she helps people because it's something I think that a lot of people can relate to. And her name is Swatsi Patel, and she is a mind-gut transformation coach. And we'll get into that. It's really cool stuff and work that she's doing. And she has her own personal story of dealing with IBS, endometriosis, and celiac disease. And she's healing her own gut. And so this is her story on that. So please join me in welcoming Swati Patel. Thank you so much for being on my podcast.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Thank you, Alicia, for having me on your podcast. I'm really excited to share my journey and inspire and help a lot of people who have gone who are going through and who have gone through the same conditions or any conditions that they're going through with. So yes, thank you so much for having me on your podcast today.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

For sure. Yes, a lot of people, at least I attract a lot of people that have these issues in my life. So I actually know quite a few, um, maybe that not don't have all three, but have at least one of those issues that they're dealing with. And if not that, there's like other gut issues that people are continually dealing with. So before we get into what you do, let's kind of backtrack and hear a little bit about your journey and you know how you discovered that you started having these issues and what that's been like.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

So my journey started when I was about nine. I used to have um I had early periods and I used to have very painful periods. And pain used to be very bad to the point of I couldn't go to school. It used to affect my days before and after. So we thought, okay, mom's it's genetic. Mom's had it, so I'm going through. My sister was a little bit young, she's two years younger than me, and she after she started having hers, and she was in pain. So it went on on. So we saw a doctor, and he was like, Oh, it'll just go through by time as she grows up, it will heal, she'll get married, it will heal like that. So, what happened is about 15 years ago, I had really bad pains, and I mean, I couldn't get up, I was throwing up, I was really bad. So I used to keep on going backwards and forwards to the GP, and he kept on saying to me, it's a cyst and it will come off in your monthly period, it will come out in your monthly period, and it didn't. So I changed my GP. I went to a different doctor. So I work in a pharmacy as a technician, and next door to us, we've got a GP surgery. So I joined them, and so I went to see the woman doctor, and she was like, Love, if this cyst bursts, then you may not be alive, it's a bit dangerous. So let's refer you to a consultant. Now, being 25, never had no operations, never been to hospitals as such, just for like a CT scan ultrasound or a CT scan. And then I had to go to a consultant. So I went to see the consultant and she was like, We'll have to operate you because this seems like it's endometriosis. So before I got diagnosed with endometriosis, my symptoms used to be very, very heavy and very painful periods, which used to make give me headaches, my energy used to be down, and it wouldn't last for like a week. It would last for a couple of weeks. So I would call it like invisible period pain all the time. I would be in constant pain. My back would be hurting, my stomach would be hurting, and I used to have this constipation problem as well. And I used to feel sick all the time. So I would blame it, like, oh, I've eaten something. So I used to be doing yoga as well. So I used to say to myself, okay, yoga's helped me this much, but it didn't actually, because then I got diagnosed with endometriosis. And so I went to the consultant, she put me on these pills, and pills didn't really help me at all. In fact, they made it worse. So she said, we'll have to operate you at a normal hospital. I went there and my oppression was meant to be a day surgery, but literally I was closed back. I was given an estation and I was closed back. And when I came to my senses, my mom was with me and the consultant came to see us, and she said, we can't operate her here because we don't have the equipment. And it's probably stage four endometriosis, and she's got her bowl stuck to her uterus, her ovaries are twisted behind her uterus. So this all makes sense as to why she's having this pain. And so they were like, she will have to refer her to Medway, which is second-level hospital that we have to go to. That's where all our scans and everything happen. So saw a professor there, that took a while. So I was put onto these stripteralin injections, which are basically menopausal injections. So 25, and you're going through hot sweats, you're going through your heart rate going up to 100 miles an hour, and you're thinking, why is my heart going? Why's my heart going? What's going on? What's going on? It's like anxiety, and you don't realize because you just live a normal life. You don't think about things like that. Like, what's happening? What's happening? Kind of thing. Nothing's gone wrong, nothing said anything to me. And then um it carried on like that. So I would have a shower, come out, and be drenched. Then I'd go back for another shower, sleepless nights. So I had to go through all that, which people go through when they're women go through when they're menopausal. I was going through that at that point. So those injections I was on for about a year. And then I had my appointment. They were expecting that my endometriosis would shrink, but it didn't. So I had to go for an MRI scan, and the professor was like, we can't operate her here. We need to send her to a specialist clinic, which is in London. So the minute my mom came with me, and the minute um we told we were told that my mom was like, I won't lose my daughter, Willai. It's not like cancer, is it? Because we had never heard of endometriosis in our family. No one actually had it. So for us, it was just like a very new word. I didn't even pronounce it to be honest, when I got diagnosed with it. I know I work in a pharmacy and I should have, but I'd never come across anyone who actually went through that. And so he was like, no, no, no, she wouldn't like, we'll look after her. She'll be looked after really well, more than me. And I was like, Oh no, can you not do it here? Because the minute you hear London Hospital specialist, you just think like, why? kind of thing. So he said, No, no, you'll be fine there, you'll be better hands and everything. So reassured us. So I was like, okay, fine. So we went to London Hospital, and we I had to go to through my pre-assessment and everything. And I still remember the endometriosis now saying to me that oh, we've seen so worse cases than this. Don't worry, you'll be fine, kind of thing. And I was like, Yeah, I will be fine. But at that age, to go through that, it was kind of difficult because, yeah, you have seen cases from yourself dealing with it, and you're trying to tell me that it is kind of normal, you know, to do. And I was like, nah, I don't think so. So I remember my operation came through, and before signing in the consent form, my consultant was like, We are operating you, but it may not be as bad as it looks, because still we don't open you, we wouldn't know. And in my head, I was like, the pain I go through, I don't think anyone knows that. So, and then you start thinking, is this psychological? Because if consultants are telling you that, you start thinking, is it me? Like, what's going on? kind of thing. And I was like, No, I think I do know this pain is pain, it's not psychological. I know I've dealt with this pain for a long time, but it is psychological, it's not psychological. I know that. So I had my oppression, it lasted for five hours. My brother and my mom were facing up and down, really worried as to what was going on because it was meant to be like an hour's oppression, but it was it lasted for five hours. So I got operated and everything, and I had to stay there for five days because it was so much work that they had done. I'd lost a lot of blood and everything. So I recovered, but I had a lot of additions, a lot of additions. So I kept on getting the pain, and then I used to think, what is this? What is this? And then carried on. So then to stop, so my period stopped at that point. It was stopped since I started tryptoralin anyway. And then after my operation, I was given options as to what I wanted to use as a precaution for my endometriosis not to come back because where I was a stage four endometriosis, so I said I'll go on the desogester pill, which I found would be a bit safer for me because no, I said about injection. Sorry, first was my injection, which I thought, okay, every three months go and get it done out of the way. I don't have to worry about it. And it's only next-door surgery. So I thought it's convenient. But they told me that in two years you'll have to do a bone density test to see if, because these injections can cause a uh cause uh less bone density. And so you could end up having osteoporosis or osteopenia. So two years later, I said to my GP, can you send me for a bone density test? And came. Results came back. I got called in. Yes, I had osteoporosis and osteopenia. And I kept on thinking, why are my bones like this? You know, why are my muscles like this? Like I kept on feeling it. And I, as they say, like, okay, it might be psychological, you think like that. No, it wasn't. So then send me to other consultant to see her. So I was put on to like other tablets on keep my bones going, which was make sure you walk properly, make sure you don't have a fall, make sure this, make sure that all the precautions were being told to me. And then they changed me to desogester. So I started having endometriosis back because the tablets didn't work that well. And it wasn't just with endometriosis. I was still having bloatingness, I was still having being sick, I was still having, I would call it invisible pain because a period pain.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

So did they take everything out like a hysterectomy, or did they just try to do it? No, no, no. It's happening.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

No, so what they did is they scraped all the endometriosis. So when they scraped it all really much, it caused addhitions. So even now, my bowel and my uterus is covered with addhisions. So that's why I keep on having a lot of pain, which I call it the twisty pain, because my ovaries are still inflamed with all these addhitions, all this trauma that it went through while they were operating pain. So they scraped all my endometriosis so that it doesn't come back. But there were dabs of it. So I used to go for my scans every year, see the consultant every year, and then he would be like, okay, it looks fine. We there's no point of doing another operation if we do there's so much addition, it's not going to work. It's still gonna be as bad as it was. So I was like, okay, fine. So put me on desogester, it didn't work because endometriosis came back. Again, put me on the trypteraline injections to dab those endometriosis, shrink it down. And then I was put onto these new tablets which had come out that consultant sent a couple of years ago. It's called Dynogest. So that's what I'm on now. First year I found it very difficult. It used to make me feel very hungry. And I wasn't a person who used to feel constantly hungry and constantly want to eat. And so that's what started happening. So I said to go back on desogester, but they were like, no, because then because of the history of osteoporosis as well, it's not best to go back on it and let's just stay on dying chest. So I've been on that, but while I was going through all this, my symptoms were also about bloating, about having this pain in my stomach, constant pain. I used to feel sick. Sometimes I would eat something, and I used to have really bad headaches. So I kept on blaming it on endometriosis. So I got so fed up because then they gave me omeprosols, anti acids to stop my acids and stuff, but I wasn't allowed to take them for long because I had osteoporosis. And then I saw this trainee consultant, uh doctor. I booked an appointment because I was so fed up of this pain. And I would be going to work and I would go a whole day without eating or drinking because and I kept on getting the urge of going to the toilet. And I'm not a person who'd want to go in like work toilet or anything. So I used to be like, oh, I don't want to like hold it, hold it kind of thing. So I wouldn't eat anything all day just to get through my day, no drinking, no eating, just because I didn't feel right in myself. And I knew that if I started taking time off work, it was going to become a normal thing for me because every day used to be the same. Waking up, I felt so tired, so drained out. I didn't know what was happening with me. I tried to move, but it just stopped me. So I used to walk, but I used to feel, why am I still like this? You know, you walk, but you don't enjoy that walk. That's how I live. And so I saw this consult, the doctor, and he said to me, Do you want to go to AE? At that point, it was COVID time. So I said, Yes, I'll happily go to AE if you send me. And he's like, Is it that bad? Do you want to come and see me? So I went to see him and he goes, I didn't realize like he worked next door. I said, Yeah. And then he rang the hospital up, but they were like, if it's under 50, they wouldn't see me straight away. I would have to be referred. So he goes to me, while we're waiting for this, let's actually get all the blood tests done. So the next day I went for all my blood tests, he booked me. And a week later, I send my colleague because we're always going backwards and forwards with the surgery for patient queries and everything. So I asked her, Can you go and just have a look if my results have come back? And coming back saying, celiac. Now I had never heard that word in my life. Same as endometriosis, and we like coliac, celiac, what is this? And my pharmacist was like, celiac? Like that. He was like very shocked. And was like, what is that? And the minute he said, like, you are um allergic to wheat and everything, like you can't have that kind of stuff. It's an autoimmune condition. And so I had to go completely off like all the wheat, barley, oats, everything. Now, wheat, as I'm an Indian, is our main food. So then I booked, because then my saw the GP and he said, till we don't have your biopsies done, you continue to eat wheat. So what used to happen towards the end was if I let's say had pizza, I would be literally physically sick. Like half an hour later, I would be sick. My energy would be crashed, I would have really bad migraines, and my moods used to be so bad. Like I felt so sorry for myself. Like a small something someone must say, a little small thing, used to be a big mountain in my head for me. So very sensitive to what's happening and always be guilty for anything I said, anything. Because that's how it was happening in myself. Because I wasn't happy in, I wasn't happy or I couldn't find answers for why I was feeling like that. And then I went because I've got an insurance with uh with another private hospital. So it came quick. In a month, I had my biopsies done. So before I went for the biopsy, I had to see the gastrologist. When I saw him, he was like, because he was an Asian as well. And he goes, This is very rare in Asians to have this. How did you? And I mean, being diagnosed with celiac at 35 is a bit like, how usually it's like younger children who are born or a few years later they come up with this. I came up with this after endometriosis, it was celiac. And I was like, how? But the amount of stress that I had taken throughout my whole life, that's what had actually put me down to having this. So it got to a point that one thought and my stomach would go. Or my stomach would go and my headaches would come up. So it was just like, how do I deal with this? It was so haywired completely. And then I went for my endoscopy and I had to stop eating wheat. Like I don't have barley, oils I had to stop, and we had to think of all the contamination. It just wasn't about don't eat, it was the slightest of contamination, and I would struggle. And it was very hard with for mom as well because she does the cooking. So it was very hard for her as well to see about contamination, to see how is my food being made. Like, and for me, it was like my main food was like chapatis, and that was gone. That's where I found it very difficult, very, very difficult. So mentally I was shattered in a way. I was very, very shattered. And I used to sit there, I still remember, sit there, tears would just flow out, saying, Why me? Why did this have to happen to me? Like, because you're old enough, so you know if you're young, you grow into that. But when you're old enough, you've had that food and you can't have it, especially being a foodie, it's very difficult. So then I joined this wellness program, and in there I had a life coach, I had a nutritionist. So that helped me in a way to reflect. So if my symptoms flared up, I would reflect. What did I eat? What am I thinking? Where is this coming from? If I've not eaten anything, then what are my thoughts? And that's how I started building myself up. Because being overthinker, sensitive nature, very fragile, may look confident, but inside is like how, when, you know, why me? Why did I do this? Financial struggles in life, because I'm the eldest, so we've been through quite a lot as a family as well. So being there for mom and dad, divorce came in as well. So there was so much that had happened, and then I was like, okay, fine. Now it's one by one, it's transformation time because we've had two issues here, but let's not have a third one come through. And that's how I started transforming myself. And of course, even now, there are days where I feel like, oh, I don't fancy this, you know. What do I eat? What do I eat? But I must say that my family have been the biggest strength for me. Honestly, my mom, my brother, tears used to flow this way. It's okay, it's fine. When I was going through endometriosis, my honestly, my moods would swing and they they would understand where I was coming from. They they could see, they knew that this is not that swati. This is her frustration, her issues, her health. They used to feel florist. For me, like because they couldn't help me. Because I used to go through the pain and they couldn't help me. And so a hot water bottle used to be hot um heat patches, and hot water bottle at home used to be my go-to. I used to have it all the time. Even at work, I kept heat patches because pain used to be abdominal pain used to be so bad. Even after endometriosis, I'd still keep them because I don't know when my stomach is gonna hurt, when my abdomen is gonna hurt. And so I still there are days now also where I would still have to use heat patches, but my flarings have gone very slow. I because of where I reflect as to why this is happening, what has created it, it helps me a lot. It helps me to calm myself down a lot. Yeah, that's what my journey has been.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

Wow, that sounds like a lot. First of all, like starting to period at nine is really young, and then to have it be painful immediately. I just my heart goes out to you, and to have to deal with all of this, it kind of sounds like you already had some anxiety, and then this pain creates more anxiety, and so it becomes like this perpetual internal cycle. Um so I'm guessing when you went and got like the life coach and the wellness coach, this is when you started learning more about the gut processes. Did you also learn about the vagus nerve and how that plays a role in the gut and all of that?

SPEAKER_01 23:44

Yes, and yeah, and also what happened is while I was on the fourth on the program, I learned that there were various foods, alternatives that I could have. And at that point, those alternatives wouldn't work. So, like fitter breads, gluten-free fitter breads, I couldn't have them because of zhangs and gum. I used to react, so that's how bad and inflamed my gut was. Really, really bad. And so I couldn't have that. So I was stuck to like four or five things: rice, lentils, veg, rice, lentils, wetch. Tried anything different, I'd still struggle. But when we were looking back, so after this as well, I kept on carrying on because I was still having my symptoms, headaches, I used to feel dizzy, I used to be sick. So I went after being celiac. Things didn't really change for me. So then I went back and they were like, oh, cross-contamination, this, that, went for more tests like SIBO test, dairy test, all of those. And then a month ago, I had my consultant's appointment and he said to me that this is IBS as well. So it's celiac with IBS. And that's what really did hit me to say that stress is what causes IBS. Because if I can't eat broccoli, if I can't have peanut butter, if I can't have berry, like certain things at certain times, then there's surely something which is there is a gap that I need to fill. Because broccoli is a healthy, fusiferous food, and if I can't digest it, then surely my gut is so inflamed that I need to work on it. And why is it like that? It's because when my mind goes, my gut goes, and when my gut goes, I have headache, so my mind's definitely gonna die. Brain fog. And then it's like, why am I seeing this? Why is this? You know, all these, why, why, why? But then it's like now it's like, okay, this has happened. What do I do next? How do I get better? How do I come out of it? And that's where I started mindfulness, reflection, journaling. That's where everything started falling in its place. Exercise consistency. And these things have really, really helped me.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

I was just about to ask you what kind of tools that you implemented, and you said journaling and exercise. Are there any other tools that you use, even if for your own self-reflection? Is it a process? Like for me, if I'm reflecting, I'm not as much of a journaler, but I will sit in lots of deep thought for hours, days. Um, for for me, it's good that I'm a massage therapist because I'm quiet a lot just listening to music. So it kind of lets my mind wander, or uh thoughts can go in or out, or if I have something I'm reflecting on, my brain can kind of try to solve the issue. But also at home, sometimes I'm just sitting and being in reflection, and that's what the process looks like for me. So I'm kind of curious what does that process look like for you?

SPEAKER_01 27:10

Yeah, so for me, actually, is when I'm walking, because I walk a lot now, and I've made it morning and evening, and I have noticed because where I've noticed the difference of how consistency can help, I have actually it's like a magnet to me. So after my dinner, in the morning, first thing in the morning, and after my dinner, even if it's a 15-minute walk. So when I get on the treadmill, I reflect. I reflect my thoughts come to me, and that's how I can see things. Then what I also do is I write. I have half an hour before I go to sleep. I have this half an hour of where I will do a meditation. It's not too long, five-minute meditation. First, I'll sit down, ground myself, breathe in, breathe out, and then I will write. I will write everything that's happened, and then I will sit for five minutes, just not doing anything, nothing, just sit in silence, and I notice a lot of difference because then my thoughts have calmed down and I will sleep a lot better as well. So during the day as well, when if like up my stomach goes, I'll be like, why is my stomach hurting? You know, and then I think, okay, so what thought am I having? Why am I feeling like this? Already I've started analyzing in myself, and I'm more mindful now. If someone said something to me, I've started to draw boundaries. Before I never did. Everything was, yeah, I'll do this for you. People pleasing was my nature. And I had to learn this the hard way. Because if I didn't learn cilia came, if I don't learn IBS has come, something else will come. And this is all stressed to my gut. And gut is your second brain, right? So I I mean, if I'm gonna stress that that bad, already my headaches are bad. How much more can a body click? So that's why I'm like, things need to change now. I need to slow down, I can't be for everyone every time and forget myself. So now I've started to say no. If I can't do it, I say I'm so sorry, but it I can't do this at this time. And if people don't like it, then you know that you have to set that boundary. Because then you know that yes, they wanted you to do it for them because then it would have been easier for them. If they don't understand you, then you need to understand it for yourself, because you can't do everything, and you can't please, even regardless how much you're gonna do for people, you can't please anybody because one minute you'll be right, another minute you'll be wrong. So that's how people are, and we need to think of ourselves first, because if we look after ourselves, that's when we can look after other people, because I myself am completely running out of fuel, completely drained out, no energy, brainforked. How am I gonna help anybody else? How am I even gonna be there for anyone? And that's where things started changing for me, and I'm more mindful as to what I'm taking in myself, and it's a journey, it's definitely a journey. So there are days when I'll have a flare-up comes with, but now my flare-ups don't last for a week, they only last for hours, and I'm fine, yeah, because I have there's so many different ways that I have learned, like there are lots of different um tonics that I can make to make my stomach feel better, or because I don't try, I try to not take like paracetamor, ibuprofen, I can't take it anyway. So things like that, because I know they're not gonna work for me. So I'll make this herbal he and I'll have that. That really helps my stomach, and I'll walk, I'll walk it off, then I know that I'll have the energy back and my stomach will feel better. I'll write my thoughts down, or I'll sit and be in silence. I'll pray, I pray a lot. I always think my my visual, God is always there for me, and I always pray like God, show me the right path, God. What am I feeling like this? God help me. Um, it's always like I'm talking to someone else in me, which makes it a lot easier for me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:58

I like that. I like all the things that you've learned and incorporated to help this journey of healing your body. And from everyone that I've talked to, whether on this podcast or just in real life, it is like this whole journey. And I hear a lot of stories similar to yours, like even here in the US with our doctors and stuff, it's like the runaround that people get, and it's doctor after doctor saying, Well, we don't know what's wrong with you, or um, you know, and they're not saying it's in your head. Well, sometimes they do, but um but everybody feels after visiting so many doctors, am I crazy? Like, am I having phantom pains? Am I making this stuff up because it's not confirmed by somebody else?

SPEAKER_01 32:46

Told by an endometriosis nurse that it might be psychological. When she said that to me, I was like, talk about pain be psychological. Like, you don't live in me, you don't know me. How it's easy for you to say this, you know. First, it takes years for endometriosis to be diagnosed. Symptoms, even of celiac, if with my age that I was going through. Dr. Gastros could not with gastroid for two years before I got diagnosed with celiac, but none of them actually said that it could be celiac. They were all like, it could be it could be an ulcer, it's an ulcer, that kind of stuff. Stop eating this, stop eating that. But they couldn't diagnose it because it can be misled in a lot of ways. So that's where I was like, I need, I know myself, you know, and I'm gonna take charge of myself. And it's an autoimmune condition. So it's my own body which is gonna affect me basically. So I know when people, and I'm very grateful as well. This is another practice that I do is gratefulness. I thank God for it, could have been worse, you know. I mean, I'm lucky. I've seen people have endometriosis and they're in and out, in and out surgeries, in and out surgeries, you know. It comes that I've been lucky that okay, yeah, I've been through, but it hasn't been to that. You know, it could have been worse. Celiac, it could have been worse. Even after being after cutting down everything, I could have still struggled. So it could have been something really bad. So at least this I'm managing it, and yes, flare-ups will come because it's life. I I know that this is an accepting. I have accepted it before. I found it very hard to accept that how, why me, kind of thing. But now I'm like, it's okay. I know that this is it now. I cannot have it till I die. So it's better to accept it than to be sad all your life, right? Like you only have one life, you've got to live it. But why do I want to be so sad and just carry on being why me? Because I could be either in that or I could say, fine, this is it. What's my what's my options now? What's my solution? I've got it. What am I doing now next? And that's the approach I've taken. And that's where I want to come in to help everyone. Because I myself have been through it, and that's what I want to do. Is what I have been through, people with autoimmune conditions, I understand where they come from. I really do. When your own body, and I work in a pharmacy, so I see a lot of diseases, a lot. I'm dealing with medication, I'm dealing with sick people, I know how it feels. And that's where I want to come in, and where I have been through, I know I can resonate. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 35:54

I really love that you're taking all of this and you can help people. And um, you've put together some really good information. I just visited your Facebook page that you gave me, and there's so much. I mean, for anyone listening, I highly recommend going and checking it out if you do have gut issues or autoimmune issues. I think um most of the autoimmune issues can go to the gut. It is responsible for so much in our body, and it's our second brain. And um it just if your gut is not working, nothing else in your body can work. So it literally compounds the negative effects that you can feel in your physical being. But all of that started with a thought and an emotion that then settled in later in the body. And so even the fact that you're you can recognize that, so then you can take other people to help them to recognize what is going on in them internally so that the story can shift and change, and then it can at least get better living in the body. Um, definitely. So, what is your process like if somebody would want to work with you?

SPEAKER_01 37:12

Yes, I do one-to-one sessions. So I do half an hour free discovery call so we can meet, we can discuss if the person's the right fit, client, or if I'm the right fit for the client as well. Because is am I the right coach for them who can help? So we can have a wonderful discussion about it, talk through it, and then we can start our sessions. It's one-to-one sessions that I do because that's what I find more helpful, because every person is different, and every person's goals are different. So we make it tailored as to how the client wants to take it.

SPEAKER_02 37:50

I love that. So, where if people want to find you on the internet, are you available?

SPEAKER_01 37:58

So I'm on Facebook, I'm on Instagram, and I'm on LinkedIn. So it's ilara.coaching on Facebook and Instagram, and so on LinkedIn as well. So, yes, everyone can follow me on there.

SPEAKER_02 38:13

And Ilara is spelled E-L-A-R-A for anyone listening. And I will also put the links in the show notes. That way, people you can go on there, click, get in contact with her if you need some coaching and help figuring out what your body's doing and feeling better in your own body. And I just really have a heart for everybody going through something. And I wish I just had a magic wand and be like, boop, you're fixed, but unfortunately it's not like that. Hence, I do this podcast because we're all on a journey and we all we all have different things that come up for us in our journey that we have to deal with, that we have to navigate. So getting through all of that is part of it, and then like what you're doing, taking all these years of that navigation, figuring something out, and then now you can help somebody else who's in you know, the process where you used to be trying to figure it out. Definitely, yeah. So, is there anything else that of your story that you wanted to touch on that we have not?

SPEAKER_01 39:18

I think I've got um my main points, I have got them across my my health issues, how I got diagnosed, and what I do to help myself, and that's how I want to help others, but also while um all this goes on, there's so much other aspects that come in. Like your mind would go when there's like career issues, financial issues, and that's when your mind goes, then your gut goes. So um, I understand these as well, and I understand like when you don't have your self-worth, all the thought processes that we go through, how important they are for us, and that's where it's goes in your gut and your mind, and that's how the whole connection gets haywired. So that's all the aspects do actually come to your gut and your mind, and that's where I stand as a transformation coach for mind-gut transformation.

SPEAKER_02 40:16

Yes, I love it. So I have one last question for you. Um if you could leave the listeners with a bit of just wisdom, it could be anything you tapped on today, something that somebody's left you with in your life, just your your little bloop.

SPEAKER_01 40:34

Okay, so for me, it would be that whatever comes through your way, don't stop growing because journey is always in life to grow. So keep on going, find your ways out, and you will move forward. Don't look back as to what has happened. You know what has happened, so just carry on moving forward, and you will always find your answers while you're moving forward. That's something that I really did learn today, actually. I was listening to a podcast, and it came up that you always need to move forward in life because if you keep on looking back, you will never move forward. So that's something that I learned, yes.

SPEAKER_02 41:17

I love it, and it's so true. Well, thank you so much for coming and sharing your story with me and whoever this comes across their ears so that they can hear it as well. And I really appreciate everything.

SPEAKER_01 41:33

Thanks, Alicia.

SPEAKER_02 41:34

You're welcome. So, for those of you out there still listening, if you're just listening, you can rate my show five stars on Spotify, five stars on Apple. You can even like leave a little review on Apple. If you want to see what we look like, you can hop over to YouTube and see our faces, like, subscribe, comment, share this with anybody that you know that might have some gut issues or autoimmune issues or endometriosis, and they're looking for some answers, anyone that it would help. And as you embrace your humanness, be kind, be you, and remember everything is part of the journey.