Beyond the Box: Julie's Wellness Transformation

Episode 14: Julie’s Healing Journey — Trauma, Cancer, Nervous System Regulation & Finding Personalized Care

In episode 14, the KK and Jenny welcome Julie – a client of Into the Woods Wellness – to share her healing journey and what changed after finding the team at Into the Woods. 

Julie describes a childhood in foster care, longstanding trauma, and feeling stuck, unheard, and boxed in by traditional medical care after a 2021 lymphoma diagnosis (treated with surgery and follow-ups, no chemo) and later melanoma, alongside insomnia, fatigue, and multiple medications. She explains how individualized, compassionate support at Into the Woods—high-dose vitamin C IV therapy, bloodwork, mindful yoga for nervous system regulation, and a parasite cleanse—helped her sleep, come off medications, and begin feeling safe and “more human.” 

Through the personalized wellness program, she learned how inflammation-triggering foods, caffeine, sugar, gluten, and dairy affected her body, lost significant weight, and gained tools and accountability. 

Julie hopes her story reaches others in dark places and shares there is more healing to come (including EMDR in time) as part of her healing journey.

00:00 Intro & Disclosure
01:21 Welcome Back Episode 14
01:34 Meet Julie Today
02:14 What Fills Your Cup
03:28 This or That Game
04:33 Writing as Healing
08:17 Planning and Social Style
09:51 Feeling Stuck Before Help
10:35 Cancer Diagnosis Spiral
12:16 Finding Into the Woods
13:03 Personalized Care Difference
16:29 Trauma and Mental Health
19:44 Alternative Healing Modalities
22:19 Fight or Flight Breaking Point
25:24 Compassionate Team Support
26:25 Mindful Yoga Release
27:10 Vulnerability and Release
27:32 Breathwork and Nervous System
28:13 Yoga Yin and Connection
29:05 Writing and Not Good Enough
30:22 Parasite Cleanse and Detox
32:00 Sleep Breakthroughs
36:01 Personalized Nutrition Reset
40:01 Weight Loss and Root Causes
41:54 Lifestyle Balance and Consistency
43:53 Owning Your Health
46:35 Healing Next Steps EMDR
48:10 Hope Investment and Closing

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If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available 24/7: 📞 Call or text 988 — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Free, confidential support, any time of day or night. 988lifeline.org

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For more wellness pathway support:

🌲 Visit www.intothewoodsjourney.com
 📞 Call 920-904-8128
 📍 1424 Lynn Ave, Fond du Lac, WI
 ✉️ info@intothewoodsjourney.com

Follow us on social media @intothewoodswellnessfdl for daily inspiration, wellness tips, and community stories.

Transcript

Jenny 0:00

This is a client story episode, one of the most powerful kinds of conversations we can have on this podcast. Julie isn't a practitioner or a coach. She's someone who walked through one of the most difficult health experiences a person can face. Two cancer diagnoses. And through that, found support, strength, and healing.

Kaitlyn (KK) 0:23

Welcome to Rooted in Rising, a podcast by Into the Woods Wellness. I'm Caitlin Keneally, coming to you from our nature-inspired sanctuary in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Grab your tea, get comfortable, and let's dive into real talk that empowers your healing journey.

Jenny 0:43

Before we begin, a quick heads up. This episode includes honest conversation about cancer, medical trauma, childhood trauma, and a moment when our guest experienced thoughts of suicide. Julie is sharing her story because she knows someone listening might need to hear it. If any of this is hard for you today, please take care of yourself. Skip ahead, come back later, or reach out to someone you trust. We've included support resources in the show notes, and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is always available by call or text.

Kaitlyn (KK) 1:21

Well, we are back. It is episode 14, Jenny. Can I believe it? Time flies. We've had a blast, though. I know. What started as a seed, right? Has kind of turned into 14 episodes later. Super excited to have Julie with us today.

Jenny 1:39

Yes. Julie, we've heard a bit of your story. Katie has been sharing little bits and pieces along the way. And obviously we've had a chance to connect along the way. Yes. So I'm really honored. And I mean, the whole team is to have you with us today because it's one thing to have the team here, you know, practitioners, coaches, sharing their experience, whether it be their personal experience or the stories of customers and the clients, but to have you on the on the couch on the podcast today is another level. So yes, this is great. Yes. Well, before we dive into the healing journey that you have been on, I'm wanting to kind of get to know you beyond what we'll dive into as far as you being a client of Into the Woods. I just want to get to know you a bit as a peer on our wellness journeys. So before we get into the details, what's filling your cup lately?

SPEAKER_01 2:38

My children. My grandson. That's awesome. Yeah. Do you get to spend a lot of time with them? Is it something in particular? I do. I I see my youngest son regularly, and I just got back from visiting my oldest son and grandson in California. Okay. I see them three times a year. I try. I that's a long ways away. So that's amazing.

Jenny 3:02

But I just got back a week ago. So my cup is full. Oh, that's amazing. Okay, so outside of wellness, what are you most proud of?

SPEAKER_01 3:16

Children again, but it's perfect. I'm becoming I'm really proud of myself though. Although with this whole journey.

Jenny 3:23

You should be. Yeah. Yeah. That's perfect. Okay. Well. You've listened to the podcast before, so you know we do a this or that. Are you ready? Rest day or movement day when you're going through it?

SPEAKER_01 3:41

Rest.

Kaitlyn (KK) 3:42

Yeah, mine is rest as well. Probably a little. I've had a lot of that lately. I feel like with the weather and different things, my calendar hasn't been stacked. So that's felt really good. And I've really tried to soak it in, knowing that it's not going to be forever. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

I've learned to be okay with it. Yeah. As well. Which you know, a year, two years ago, I might have not felt as good resting, but now it's like my body's telling me to rest.

Jenny 4:09

We need it, right? Yeah. Yeah. It's all in balance. Yes. I would say sometimes just a good walk to experience nature elements, wind it through my hair, the sun on my face can make a world of a difference. But rest always does a ton for me as well. All right, next one. Talk about it or journal it out. Talk about it. Talk about it. Okay.

Kaitlyn (KK) 4:33

I'm a well, that's how I became an author was journaling it out. So the author journey, I mean, I think I've always known I've had it in me. I've always been a good writer, right? And passionate about it. And I'll even through my first master's degree, I was like, I'm gonna write a book someday. And then I went to the women's fund, the Power of the Purse event, and Jess Eckertstrom was there. And I was like, doing it. Have to write my first book. And so to me, the writing part has been very, very healing. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

That's something I I would like to learn to do. I have a fear of writing it down, makes it more real. So I think I try and then I'm like, okay, let's just we'll talk it out. Let's talk it out now. But I do what I would like to learn. Okay.

Kaitlyn (KK) 5:17

Well, it's a perfect segue because I want to create some workshops that we can do here. Nice writing and healing and how it is a powerful modality. So clearly it's a good thing you're on today. But I think that that could be cool to do a couple workshops on that because I think a lot of people have that within them, but that fear is absolutely valid. And what I will tell you, the second book was the hardest thing I've ever done. It is the my coming of age story through all of my trauma, and there is a ton of it. So it was like re-ripping open those wounds and then processing them and then putting them into a format that hopefully people are going to understand. The first one wasn't as visceral as the second one, but it it is it is very therapeutic. So perfect. I'll I'll keep that noted.

Jenny 5:58

Yeah. Well, building on that, I would say I do like talking it out, but it depends on the the people, right? I have my select people, but I really go to dream journaling it out. So for me, I've been to a degree slightly different. I haven't necessarily had a fear of writing it out, but sometimes I've just been like, what is this? It just doesn't feel like it's as productive as it could be. But when I have dream journaled, it's been kind of a fun way to get out like what has been played through my head throughout the night, and then attempt to connect it to my waking hours. So that's been a really interesting, really fun way to process stuff, you know, that maybe you're aware of, but not wanting to look at. So anyway, that's a whole nothing. Maybe that could be another thing. We can tie it in. Perfect. Tie it in, girl. Okay. Dr. Google or call your wellness team.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

Ooh. Guilty of Dr. Google a lot. We all are in between. But I do, I do have a great team here that if I have questions or any that I can reach out to by you know text or email. So yeah, but yeah, I'm guilty. That's okay. It's hard.

Kaitlyn (KK) 7:12

I I stay away as much as possible because it goes down a rabbit hole. But yeah, and I think because I'm here every day too, that I can just ask those questions. Yeah. I'm asking them before I'm going to Google because otherwise it takes me down a hole.

Jenny 7:24

I know, it totally does. I've done the whole AI thing now too, which right, but I have also like, okay, I've got an appointment on this day, so we're gonna talk to the into the woods team. Quiet morning alone or coffee with a friend?

SPEAKER_01 7:39

I am in the quiet morning alone, but I would like to get to the coffee with a friend. Sure.

unknown 7:47

Perfect.

Kaitlyn (KK) 7:48

Yeah, quiet, and that's how I start my whole every day. So I had like two hours to myself this morning, have the fireplace on, have my coffee, no interruptions. It's kind of how I get my call it getting my head in the game. Yeah. So I do that. But I would love to have coffee with I can do both because I I enjoy that too.

Jenny 8:05

But yeah, definitely the quiet options are good. I would say quiet morning alone is my go-to. But I do mix in coffee with a friend. So Julie, let me know. When you're ready. All right, plan everything ahead or take it one day at a time.

Kaitlyn (KK) 8:21

Take it one day at a time. I wish I was like that. My brain just like automatically goes to like five to seven years down the road. I am like plan. But I could be better at spontaneity and in the moment, that's for sure.

Jenny 8:34

Yeah. I do like to think about the future, but I don't necessarily plan it. Right. I think about well, this could be fun. And what about this and this and this? And then it just kind of unfolds. So I'm a little bit of a one day at a time, maybe like a couple weeks in advance, but nothing to come here.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

I think I'm on that same page. Yeah.

Jenny 8:56

Cool. Well, based on the questions that we've had, I think I know the answer to this one, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. Big group or small circle? Small circle. Yeah.

Kaitlyn (KK) 9:06

Same. Yeah, me too. Yeah, and I but I would say if you would have asked me that six years ago, my answer would have been totally different. So it definitely has changed and evolved, but I'm definitely into keeping it small.

Jenny 9:19

Yeah. I have my moments where I can enjoy the big group gatherings, the social butterfly turns on, and then I'm like, okay, small circle or alone time must be what happens next. Well, thanks for playing along with our little this or that healing journey edition.

Kaitlyn (KK) 9:37

We're just really excited to have you on. We can post and talk about the experience and how awesome this is from a team perspective, but it's invaluable to have you here and be able to speak that journey into us. So thank you for doing that.

Jenny 9:50

You're welcome. Yeah. Yeah. Well, in our conversations along the way, you've you've shared a bit about feeling stuck, feeling unheard. And of course, we'll talk about when you found into the woods and everything that unfolded. But can you take us back a bit before finding the team here and what was going on for you? Sure.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

I grew up in foster care. So that's a little bit of background. Wasn't the greatest experiences when I was young, but I did find some great families that I'm still connected to in my teenage years. Yeah, lots of trauma. Um, and I'm learning now that that trauma I've stuffed it away and probably is part of the big reason why I did get sick. Sure. I was completely thrown for a loop in I believe it was September of 2021 with a cancer diagnosis. You know, where did this come from? What is happening? And during this time, I'm seeing counselors, I'm trying to figure out how to get past the trauma, how to live, how to be happy. But I was kind of an autopilot, just surviving each day, just getting through the day. Like, oh, okay, I got through the day. I'm okay the next day. Um, so I'm okay, but man, I was really not okay. And I still am, I'm still working on it, but got through the cancer, uh, lymphoma, and didn't do chemo, had surgery, did all the follow-ups, appointments, appointments. It just the medical loop, it was crazy. I asked questions about diet, nutrition, kind of was pushed to the side. And then I got melanoma. And there's something wrong. There's some, you know, and yeah, the the questions I was asking weren't getting answered. I was told I'm in this box, so I do this, this, and this. And there's things about me. I don't have a spleen. I was in a pretty bad accident when I was 10.

Jenny 11:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

The doctor didn't know that. I'm like, well, doesn't that change things? Nope, you're here, you're here, you're here. Again, I didn't want to do the chemo or radiation. I was told it was kind of a just in case to do. And I'm like, well, we don't have to, I don't want to. Things were spinning. I wasn't sleeping, it was hard to stay awake during the day. So I was on something to sleep, I was on medication to stay awake, I was on high blood pressure medicine, and it was like just a loop spinning and spinning. And I knew Katie was uh opening up into the woods. I knew that uh there was options. I was terrified, just terrified. Stopped in one day, she wasn't here, left her a note, she called me back, I came in the second day, and yeah, uh my life changed. I felt uh safe, which is huge.

Jenny 12:39

Yeah. And I listening to you talk, it sounds like the the traditional medical system didn't really A, answer your questions like you said, and B really just laid one pathway forward. Correct. Like there weren't many options that might fit your specific needs emotionally, physically, all of that. Right. So what felt different after talking to Katie?

SPEAKER_01 13:08

I felt like she heard me and it was about me. It wasn't about cancer, it wasn't about the sickness. Yeah, it was about how are you feeling, Julia? Are you sleeping? Are you eating? What you know, what's going on in your day-to-day life? It was it was different. The conversation was different. Yeah, I can't really explain it, but I even every time I would come in, we decided to hit do the high dose C aggressive for the cancer part. And that was IV therapy. Yes. Right. And I was coming in two, three times a week for for months. It was pretty aggressive. Yeah. But each time I came in, it was how are you doing? How are you feeling? What's going on in your life? Yeah. And things were changed, tweaked, you know, okay, you're not sleeping, you're you're not feeling well today. You know, we did blood work. It was just so individualized. Yeah. That it made me feel comfortable. Um Freder's a great hospital. And I had great oncologists. The doctors that I saw were great, but immediately I'd have a question and they would pull up these charts from the American Medical Association. This is what we do. This is this is where you fit, and this is what we do. The prescribed, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And and it it works for some, but I just felt like I wasn't in that box. Yeah. I was maybe in the box above, below, and in the middle. So it was sure all over the place. And I didn't really realize that like my diet, the sleep, all of the different things that contributed to how I was, how I got to where I was. Yeah. And I learned that here, yeah, lifestyle change. I needed to change my life. And I I couldn't do it without into the woods. Yeah.

Kaitlyn (KK) 14:59

Well, and I think for you to have that intuition and listen to it, like you've said, I didn't, I don't think I fit into this box, right? And a lot of us have that or that sense potentially when it comes to certain things, but we might not advocate for ourselves. So that shows that you're a very strong individual and you're like, there has to be something more, or right, that there has to be those things.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

And so that that's pretty cool to be able to hear that. I am very stubborn, and my family would agree and second that that I don't I don't listen. Well, you're doing good today. You know, I I do tend to take the path less traveled. And again, I mean, I I wasn't given a stage four doom death sentence. I I had hope, and I just knew that there were things out there. And then and given how I was raised and things that happened in my past, I just had this feeling I needed to dig deep and I needed to not just go with the flow, roll up my sleeve and say, okay, if you say so. Right. You know, and I did, I am the type of person I want answers and something I don't something deep inside me just kept saying, Go talk to Katie, go talk to Katie. Sure. I knew she was doing something big here, and it was just the beginning stages, but yeah, she scooped me right up.

Jenny 16:26

What's so great? Yeah. I know you've mentioned too, obviously, there was a lot physically going on, but there was the mental health side, which we've had plenty of episodes where we say it's all connected. Yes. Can you speak to that a little bit?

SPEAKER_01 16:42

For sure. And I know I I'm I've talked a little bit, Caitlin, to you about the EMDR. That's something that I'm kind of I'm here for you whenever it's all good trying to prepare myself for, but yeah, that was that was big. That was a big part of my journey. I'd probably been in counseling since I was a little girl, six, seven years old. A lot of talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. My early teens started medications. Probably was on just about, to my knowledge, all of the antidepressants you can imagine, and none of them worked for me. So they did do some testing where they swapped my cheek, sent it in to find out what medication would work for me.

Jenny 17:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:24

And it came back that they all would work for me.

Jenny 17:26

But they're not. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

So the psychiatrist suggested that I do, and I I don't remember what it was called, but it was basically where they they do this in Appleton, they cause you to have a seizure, they shock your brain. And that was just before I came in to see Katie too. Because and that again, that was something that set me for a loop, too. And I'm like, am I really gonna go to that extreme?

Jenny 17:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Like, if that's what's gonna help me, I knew it wasn't right. I knew that it was not right, so I didn't do it.

Jenny 17:57

Sure.

Kaitlyn (KK) 17:58

Makes sense.

unknown 18:00

Yeah.

Kaitlyn (KK) 18:00

And mental health is such a big component of it, and that trauma piece that you have alluded to, like that really rocks our nervous system. And we store so the cool thing, I'm gonna plug EMDR because it is fast. And when you're ready, right? It's all about when you're ready. So I'll be here with EMDR. They talk about how we trap, like we store the emotions in our body. And the only way it gets out is typically through symptoms, right? So this is where a lot of the root of illnesses come from and all of that, but we haven't been trained that way in this Western way of thinking. And so, yes, in my opinion, trauma, and this is what I try to teach people trauma is anything that dysregulates your nervous system. Yeah. And how often every day do we feel dysregulated, right? In the way we live, what we're doing, all of that. And so then when we don't know how to heal it, right, we typically bury, distract, and avoid. And where does that go? Back in. And so then how does it come out in symptoms and typically illnesses and stuff like that? So a selfless plug for EMDR because when we pick that memory, we process it. People walk out of here with an instant relief, and that's really getting to the core of it. So yeah, I love it. It's been so great to be trained in it and to watch people become who they want to be. Freer, I would imagine, lighter.

Jenny 19:24

Yeah. And I'm sure it doesn't happen. I mean, my experience with brain spotting, which is similar to EMDR. Yeah, but even in chatting with you, it's like, I mean, you can walk away feeling a ton lighter. Yeah. And it's a spiral. It's not a circle, it's a spiral. So, like every session, you kind of come at it differently. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:45

I've learned a lot about the trauma, and I've done Reiki, done that, had some great results, and then emotion code healing as well, which I've learned. I actually learned a couple traumas. I had some shared traumas stuck inside me. Heart wall emotions. It's what was your heart?

Kaitlyn (KK) 20:03

I did emotion code too. My heart wall was iron. They said this six feet of iron around my heart. Oh wow. So then they did the sessions to eliminate that. But I loved emotion code healing too.

SPEAKER_01 20:16

I I had a stored shared trauma around my heart from when I was three. And I didn't remember it, but they she did the release with the magnet. And I had to ask an aunt, you know, what happened? And something very significant happened in my life. And I I wouldn't have known it, but I witnessed it and shared with my birth mother. It was pretty traumatic, pretty big emotion. I don't know. I mean, I think I felt better after the session, but some other testing, muscle testing for emotion code revealed that I had like 300 trapped emotions. So that's a lot, a lot that I need to work through. But I do believe that uh the amount of trauma that I had definitely contributed to my health. Absolutely. The cancer to everything. Yeah. Because man, I know that I stuffed it in and packed it down.

Kaitlyn (KK) 21:12

And that's your brain's way of protecting you, especially when you're so young. Like it makes sense that we sort of forget because right? That's our brain saying, I'm gonna protect you, but then we also don't know how to process it, so it stays within us. Um I talk about it in my second book. I'll just send you home with it today because I think a lot of what we're talking about is really relevant. But I talk about how that energy workpiece is so significant for people that want to explore it. If you don't feel comfortable with it, don't do it, right? But it is significant, and it was a major part of my healing journey too.

SPEAKER_01 21:45

Oh, and I I think I have talked to you about that. I'm just very scared of bringing it's packed away. So bringing that out scares me.

Kaitlyn (KK) 21:55

But but again, you're having the insight and the foresight to be like, I might not be ready. For that. I might not be ready to open that drawer or that dresser, but you're listening to yourself and you're saying, I'm interested, and you'll feel it out. And then when you're ready, it will work. So that to me, again, is just showing that when you're ready, you know where to go and you know you can come here.

unknown 22:16

Yeah.

Jenny 22:17

Okay. Absolutely. Yeah, I know you've shared along the way that it became very apparent that your nervous system was stuck in fight or flight. Was that before or after coming to into the woods?

SPEAKER_01 22:29

It was just before. I was going up to visit some friends that had they were having a fourth, no, it was Memorial Day get together. And I was Googling on YouTube so I could listen to it as I was driving. Is would I go to heaven if I committed suicide? I listened to uh a few, and somebody had asked me, Did I ever find the answer to that? And I didn't. There was there was no answer. So after about the third or fourth YouTube that I listened to, I thought, what is wrong? Like Julie. So that was another reason push to get in here. I'm like, I need help. I need help. I can't do this. So you don't need to do it alone, right? And you didn't have yeah, yeah. I was just so fearful because I'm 49. So at that time I was 47. I'm thinking, I've gone 47 years and no one's been able to help me. I was overwhelmed and I cannot believe today where I'm at now, thinking that I was in that bad of a spot. And I have a wonderful family, children, grandson, friends. It's like, but then again, I mean, then I wasn't living. I'm living today. You're surviving, right?

Kaitlyn (KK) 23:44

But the weight of it, I mean, when it comes to suicide ideation, there's thoughts, plan, and intent, right? And springtime is actually the highest rate of suicide. And so even right now, things are heavy. Almost every other session, I'm talking about those things and making sure checking in with people or making safety plans and things like that. And I just think that we don't talk about suicide enough in the way that, like, the I don't want to say it's normal to have thoughts, but it's normal to think about some of those things in a fleeting sort of way. But then when it comes to now, I'm moving towards plan or intent, that's when you know it starts to become alarming. And as somebody, my brother killed himself, it'll be five years ago this year. And that's made a lot of what my book is about is that how that grief cracked me open and made me in some ways heal more. And now what I do is to try to honor him and keep as many people around as possible because of how detrimental it is, and that it's nothing that we can come back from. So, again, being vulnerable and saying that and talking about it and putting it out there will make a bigger impact than we know right now, right? Because a lot of people have the thoughts, they may not have the plan or intent, but that's why connecting with professionals that know how to deal with that.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

Yeah, it was so important. It was terrifying, but I was thankful that I turned it off and I rode in silence for a little while, pulled myself together, put on some music, and and joined my family and thought I need help. And I I found it. I found the help.

Jenny 25:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

Yeah.

Jenny 25:24

And it sounds like Katie and the team here. I mean, there it sounds like there was a lot going on, but they didn't just come at you with everything at once. They really met you where you were at with compassionate care, listening versus prescribing.

SPEAKER_01 25:41

A hundred percent. You just said it. A hundred percent. It was she met me. And even now when I come in, like Ginger was my health coach. If she's out front, she comes around the desk, you get hugs, you get eye contact. It's it's different here.

Jenny 25:59

Yeah, that's great.

Kaitlyn (KK) 26:00

And that's what when I came on board too. To me, it was that everybody knew everybody's name when they walked in the door. It was that compassionate care, and it still is, right? And that listening and being able to personalize or customize treatment based upon what the clients are telling us, not what we foresee. And so, so yeah, that is a core value of ours. And I'm glad that it has continued throughout the years.

SPEAKER_01 26:24

Yeah, yeah. It was so I wasn't when I came in, I was on medication to help me sleep, to help me stay awake, the blood pressure. I wasn't sleeping, wasn't eating. I was a mess. And one of the first things I did was mindful yoga with Mary. And yeah, I'm still doing it, it was two years now. Um, that was amazing. She does a lot with the nervous system and helping you to regulate that to come down. She helped me figure out why I wasn't sleeping. And actually, during one of her sessions, and I've heard about this and didn't think it was possible, but during Shavasana, I balled. Balled my eyes out, and I'm like, what is going on? It just the tears just fell. I couldn't control it. It was great. And then I was probably two, three weeks later, the person next to me, she thanked me because all of a sudden the tears started flowing out of her eye. And I'm like, this is amazing. So because I was vulnerable, you know, I let it go. I think the song that was playing was Be Still and No. And I just lost it. And so she was able to release two. So that was great. But that really helped me with the nervous system part as far as being able to sleep, grounding myself, breathing. I wasn't breathing. Yeah.

Jenny 27:41

Mary will be the first to say that many of us are not breathing, right?

SPEAKER_01 27:45

So it's been two years, and I still have some struggles with the breathing. I have to tell myself to take the deep breath in, deep breath out, because you get in a situation, and I've I just learned this that not to say that I have anxiety, but I have I get in a situation that gets me anxious. Um, and I start shallow breathing. And it's like, okay, take a deep breath, and that'll really, really help. So I I learned how to breathe. Yeah, that was wonderful. Yeah.

Kaitlyn (KK) 28:10

Yeah, I love Mary's awesome. So good to hear that. And our member of the month, similar, the yoga piece with Mary has been super helpful. When Kelly does yin on Mondays, to me, I struggle with letting go, right? So you're in these positions for like five minutes, but I am so tense and I have to remind myself to breathe. So basically, the whole class I'm learning to unwind because I'm so tight and gripping myself. But it's definitely more of like a trauma response type thing, which is why I love the classes that we have. It's come as you are. And also your story of once I was vulnerable, then somebody said thank you for that, because now I can be vulnerable. And to me, this is what a podcast is it's sharing our stories and it's about connection and connecting in a different way. Because then it's like, oh my goodness, I have that too, or I've experienced that too. And now I know where to go. So there's power in our stories. And so to me, that's what writing has been too, is that there's power in it. And once I started getting the feedback, it was like, oh, because like for almost four years, you work on something. I wanted to quit more than anything. I mean, it was super difficult, re-ripping open, putting it on paper, reliving it, then making a story out of it and trying to make a story so that people can understand and are they gonna like it? You know, it brings up all of those negative cognitions and all of those feelings. And I think still, probably my biggest negative cognition is that like I'm not good enough. And it's like, how much more proof do you need, Caitlin? You know, but I need to give that to myself. Once people started to read the book and gave me that feedback and it hit on every single thing that I had hoped they would gain out of it, then I was like, okay, this then I did the right thing. But that to me is the power also of what we do.

Jenny 30:02

Yeah, the community that is developed. That's fantastic. So layer by layer, you started to feel more human, I think is what you had shared in the text when we were talking. You started to feel more human, more like yourself. So you had you'd gone through IV therapy. You also mentioned parasite cleanse, which I don't know much about. So is there anything high level to speak to your experience on that?

SPEAKER_01 30:35

Well, I was shocked when I did that. It was pretty wild experience. Didn't realize what was living inside me. Yeah. I'd been, you know, for years and years and years taking top of the line supplements, not feeling any better. I'm like, I should be walking on water. So part of once we got through the high dose C, my blood work coming back normal or close to, it was like, okay, we need to figure out what's going on. It's how we need to heal your gut. We need to, you need to detox. But let's look at this parasite cleanse. It was pretty easy. It was drops. Um, I believe I ate pumpkin seeds. I guess they're toxic to parasites and a binder, and then one other thing, again, with the guidance here into the woods. But as soon as I got rid of the parasites, yeah, my D shot up. My body started absorbing the nutrients, even the IVs. I was doing a lot of infusions and I was not feeling better. I was still like in a fog, exhausted, tired. It's like so there, we were missing something. So we did the parasite cleanse, the ivermectin. I did that for probably four or five months. And that was, I think primarily the cancer part, but it also helped with parasites.

Jenny 31:48

Okay. And that was before you had done the personalized wellness program too, or was that simultaneous?

SPEAKER_01 31:56

Before. Okay. Right before. That was probably key to then okay, then start the program. Okay. But backing up, when I first came in, I think it was in December, by February, just with starting the IVs, the infusions, and the yoga, I was off all medications. Oh wow. And I was sleeping.

Jenny 32:15

Oh it was huge.

SPEAKER_01 32:16

I can make a huge difference.

Jenny 32:17

I know the episode with Rachel, we talked a lot about how important sleep is to immune health, but just to and I was deathly afraid that if I did not take, I think it was ambient.

SPEAKER_01 32:28

If I did not take that pill when I went to bed, I was not gonna sleep. I was so scared. But every time I do leave yoga on Monday nights, I'm tired. And it just I let myself be tired. I did get some room darkening curtains. I realized that I have big windows, so the moon would actually kind of be shining in on me. And I didn't realize what that was doing, but I liked the open concept. So changing, putting curtains on, the yoga, the beamer. But yeah, February, it was like mid-February. I was off everything.

Jenny 33:03

That's a pretty fast track to being able to get back to sleep. And then so much more can continue to happen once that's uh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

The sleeping, I think, was was huge. And then I started to feel more and more like I'm alive, you know, taking a walk. I I felt better. I felt the movement. I started tasting foods differently. It was huge.

Kaitlyn (KK) 33:27

Yeah, that's great. I love that. I love my sleep, just so you know. I do, I take it very seriously. I mean, I bring my phone in at night, but I turn it over. There's no electronics in the bedroom. It is dark. People make fun of me, but I go to bed around like 7:38 every night, but I'm up at like 4:35 too. So I can get my head in the game and yep, you know, have that quiet time in the morning. But yeah, when I work with patients, I talk about well, let's get back to the basics, right? How is your water intake? How is your food intake? And are you sleeping? And so to be able, it's been a year now, Jenny, uh, that I came on board. So to be able to come on board and to see that holistic piece and how it is all connected, but be able to work with the clients through that whole life cycle is something that I didn't experience before, right? Because you probably get one piece of it. So yeah, when I say the outcomes are phenomenal, I just can't say enough, but sleep is huge. Yeah. How are you? How do you sleep, Jenny?

Jenny 34:30

That's another conversation. I have uh a bit of a night owl issue where that's my time when like the world is asleep. I can I don't know.

Kaitlyn (KK) 34:40

Does the creativity flow then?

Jenny 34:42

It can. Okay. Sometimes it's just a space for me to do the things that I want to do.

Kaitlyn (KK) 34:50

Yeah.

Jenny 34:50

Right. Or I don't know. Just be and not have to worry about anything else. But I I also really do enjoy sleep and I'm trying to get more consistent with the schedule because I know that can do a lot for your system and energy and all of that. So my I'm a work in progress. We all honored. But yeah, I never had problems sleeping. I sometimes just don't get to bed until late into the evening.

Kaitlyn (KK) 35:20

Literally, my eyes start to close, like they get dry. Like my head starts to like go. I'm like, my head gets heavy, and it's like, I just gotta go to bed. Yeah. It is literally calling my name. But yes, my room is set up in that.

Jenny 35:35

So yeah, there's something about creating the space. And what I'm hearing too is you know, you were starting to feel safe in your body, not stuck in fight or flight, and then you had more tools to be able to rest without the brain going and everything else happening. So that's that's really awesome that the team here and the the offerings helped get you to that point. So then it was from there you started the personalized wellness program. Yes, which really dove into nutrition and ginger as the health mentor. What was a big takeaway or a piece of that that you might highlight?

SPEAKER_01 36:15

I didn't realize how much inflammation certain foods caused. Sure. And I didn't think I could live without caffeine. Oh. That was I've been a coffee drinker forever. I thought, how am I gonna survive not having a cup of coffee? Yeah. I didn't really realize there were options, great options. I found a mushroom coffee that I enjoy, and it's wild. Got rid of the sugar. Just I think the caffeine and the sugar were adding to that fight flight, and I didn't realize it. I thought I needed that to stay awake.

Jenny 36:51

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 36:52

But now I drink it and I I'm drinking it because I want to drink it. I enjoy to drink, you know, like the I do the bone broth, protein, collagen as my creamer, no sugar. Sure. And I love it. But the inflammation probably within the first month, I saw my ankles. Like, wow. It was the fluid buildup, you know, from the inflammation. I I couldn't believe it. And I also was given tools to help my lymphatic strain. Sure. That was huge. But cheese and gluten. I eat would eat cheese all the time and it tastes great. And I didn't feel sick. I didn't sure, I didn't feel anything different. I didn't have upset stomach. I didn't, but those two were huge with the inflammation. Yeah. And now I I have a little cheese here and there, like if it's sprinkled on something and it doesn't bother me, but I just know that it's a slippery slope. So just stay away, just avoid it. And the gluten, my family's big spaghetti eaters. We do gluten-free noodles, and they don't even you can't tell. Yeah. Yeah. So it the options are there, and I was given so many of them. It's it's great. Like the recipes that I was given. I have favorites egg roll in a bowl. Just yeah, the foods, learning how to eat for me. And I heard someone say, Oh, the you know, just eating meat and vegetables is so boring, and the you know, boring taste, but they're good for you. I actually taste them now. Yeah. Where two years ago they didn't taste good. Yeah, you know, broccoli was there was no taste, but now to taste the broccoli, it's it's good. Yeah. And the carrots, they're sweeter. Yeah, yeah. And I think that just detoxing my body, yeah, getting rid of the inflammation is I guess awakened my taste buds.

Jenny 38:44

Yeah. I've heard that from other uh clients that have gone through the program too. That they've said their palate changes when you kind of step away from all the preservative, sugar-packed stuff. And I I think it is something about coming back to the basics, clearing your system and maybe even slowing down a little bit.

Kaitlyn (KK) 39:04

I was gonna say the mindful eating. And like, so to be a mindful eater, I mean, you can count, but it's sitting with the flavors, right? And when you cook it, that's also an experience, right? Compared to if you're getting fast food or something like that, too. So, yeah, all of that. I think for me in the program, I was like, oh, like really reading the labels. I feel like that sounds a little trivial now, but like that was my biggest impact. I was like, why does this have this in it? You know, like what? Well, hold on a second. And we really promote that like this is a lifestyle change, it's not a quick fix. It can happen if you follow the process, you do what you were supposed to do within a couple months, but we really want you to have that education around it why you're doing it. Exactly. And then the outcomes are just a natural part of that. And then when you go back to potentially trying different things, it doesn't even taste the same. Correct. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

So I think that that's always an indicator too. The education part was great. I learned a lot and have taken a lot away. It's been a year. I did the program April last year. Okay. The first three months I had a goal. I wanted to lose 25 pounds and I ended up losing 50. Oh, wow. Yes. But the first three months, 17, and I kind of stayed plateaued for a little while. And then I think movement, I was doing just two walks a day, 20 minutes, not a lot of exercise. I need to do a little more, but yeah, and the weight came off. Oh wow. Yeah.

Kaitlyn (KK) 40:32

I think what we've seen statistically throughout the program is like you average 10 to 25 just by doing the program. And then anything after that, our goal is to not. I mean, obviously, people want to lose weight if that's their goal, but like if that is your goal, typically you will have that outcome if you follow the program.

Jenny 40:52

Yeah. Well, it's getting to the root cause, right? Like it's not coming at it with yet another diet mindset. Right. It's it's understanding just how critical what we put in our body is to all of the systems.

SPEAKER_01 41:06

It's so different from a diet. I picture a diet, all the diets I've failed in the past, where you're gonna eat salads every day for you know 30 days and then you get sick of it. Or you're starving. You're starving, so you're you're done. But and that's the thing too, is I I never was starving. Um I'm fulfilled in the food tastes great. Yeah. And I didn't realize that before that I could eat the way I eat now and and feel that way. Right.

Kaitlyn (KK) 41:32

Right. And I think people think we're gonna have them like throw out every single thing, you know, but the recipes like you're alluding to, people still utilize them. They talk about which ones are their favorite. And that to me, again, is part of that wraparound service and that you have someone that is weekly checking in with you or multiple people, right? That that accountability piece that we take really seriously too.

SPEAKER_01 41:55

And I've learned I can eat anywhere. I I was afraid, oh, when am I gonna eat? What am I? But any family gathering, there are options I can eat and I eat the food that I want to eat, and I make the better choices now because of what I've learned.

SPEAKER_02 42:09

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 42:09

Um, in going out to eat to the restaurants, most of them have the gluten-free options. Just ask, yeah. Or you ask not to have cheese. Yep. I've learned you know, the gluten-free the cauliflower crust pizzas, no cheese. You just load it with toppings and you don't even miss the cheese.

Jenny 42:26

Sure. You might have to try that. Yeah. I've been I've done the program, and then I was like, all right, I'm going back to the dairy. Especially when it comes to cheese. I mean, I've I've done the alternative milks and stuff like that without a problem. But oh man.

Kaitlyn (KK) 42:43

I'm really stuck with the program. I mean, I want to say I'm like 85 to 90 percent still follow it. Sure. Yeah. But yeah, I'll sneak in a little bit of cheese here and there. But we also want you to live your life. Yeah, yes, for sure. That's it's a it's a little bit of a balance, but that's where kind of the lifestyle change comes into play, and that now you have the skills and the education around it, and you have the people. So you know, like if you need that accountability that you can always sign up in. Absolutely.

Jenny 43:09

So, Jenny, enjoy the cheese. I know, but it is one of those things where similar to what you shared, Julie, I feel better. I'm not as bloated, right? You can I can just tell. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 43:20

So there are other options. I don't know if you've tried goat cheese.

Jenny 43:23

I have, but not consistently. So might have to give it a shot. It's a little easier to digest. Okay. Okay. Yeah. I but I also really appreciate, and Ginger said it too. It's not about perfection, it's about consistency, right? And and if we want to have those days where we have the cheese on the pizza or try a little bit of this or that, it it's okay. Just know that coming back to that lifestyle is supporting and nourishing your body and your mind and your soul around that. So awesome. What other, if any, habits or mindsets have you picked up from your time with the team here? Whether it's been the program or other yoga classes or other services. Anything you'd highlight?

SPEAKER_01 44:06

Well, taking responsibility for my health. Me, not not leaning on that space in that space of, oh, I have cancer or I had cancer or I had a rough childhood. So I I can be in that space. No, I've learned the choices that I make put me in the space that I'm in, and I'm responsible for that. No one else. So yeah, just being responsible for my health. Yeah. Owning it, right? Owning it. Because you want to live.

Kaitlyn (KK) 44:36

And it sounds like you are. And and I think the majority of people, again, want that, but they may not have the autonomy or know where to go to even do that. But really, I think as you start the healing journey, listening to ourselves more is always going to be key with that. So I think that's great. What would you say to people that are curious, I guess, about into the woods but are afraid?

SPEAKER_01 45:02

Oh goodness. Afraid. Well, I was afraid. I was. I was afraid. But I was in a dark place. So I pushed myself and so glad that I did because I've learned so much. But just take the leap. Take the leap. They're here to catch you. There's so many great people here. You'll connect and you'll find someone that can walk the journey with you.

unknown 45:33

Okay.

Jenny 45:33

Cool. Thank you. Love it. Yeah. So true. I think oftentimes we can get in our own head and feel stuck in that not being heard, not knowing, and feeling like we are isolated when there really are people out there.

SPEAKER_01 45:49

There are answers. Yeah. I know I felt for a while too that maybe there weren't answers, and maybe I was asking for too much because I had been to great hospitals, great clinics, seen great doctors, but I just didn't give up and I kept searching for those answers. So don't give up.

Jenny 46:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:06

And fight. If you feel that inside you, that little bit like, oh, you know, there is an answer for me. There's a place, there is, there is. Just keep going.

Jenny 46:14

Yeah. I was going to ask you, what's the one thing you wish you could go back and tell yourself when you were at your lowest point? And I think part of it might be just know there are answers. Just keep going. But is there anything else? It's going to be okay. You're going to be all right, Julie.

SPEAKER_01 46:31

You're going to be all right.

Jenny 46:32

That's beautiful. Really beautiful. Where are you in your healing now? Like what's next on your journey, Julie?

SPEAKER_01 46:39

EMDR. No, that that is that's that's it right there. Healing, healing those, get getting that out, unpacking, unpacking that and getting rid of it. Um, I want it gone because that I feel is what is still holding me back from completely living, because I do have certain triggers and I shut down. And that's I don't want to do that anymore. So EMDR is at the top of the list. I have looked at other the brain tapping, I've heard of it.

Jenny 47:14

Tap yeah, tapping is a thing, and then brain spotting, which is very closely connected.

SPEAKER_01 47:18

And uh, Mary has kind of given me some tools to to to kind of help me in the meantime till I get to where I need to be, but with the tapping above the eyes, that's you know, like and I my nervous system is great. I'm able to sleep, I'm able to be awake, you know. That's so that's great. But just unpacking all that past trauma, oof. I'm kind of terrified for that, but that's gonna be that's gonna put me leaps and bounds. And I'm already feeling great and feeling alive and and enjoying life. But if I can get rid of that, oh I don't know. Yeah, yeah.

Jenny 47:56

What is in store for me? We'll have to have you on this couch here again. I'm excited for you. I really am because you've been on a journey and you've come so far. I can only imagine where you'll go from here. When you think about why you said yes to sharing your story today, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

SPEAKER_01 48:18

There's someone else out there like me. Yeah, there's someone sitting in their car looking up what I was looking up. Yeah, there's someone that is losing hope. Yes. So hopefully they hear this and they reach out. Yeah.

Jenny 48:39

Thank you so much, Julie.

Kaitlyn (KK) 48:40

Yeah, so much for being on board. It's really just about connecting. And I know your story will resonate with other people, and I think what you're doing today is very brave. The clinical side of me will say if you've gotten this far, the trauma piece, not that it'll be a breeze, but you'll be able to work through it.

SPEAKER_01 48:59

Yeah, and and also with anyone being afraid of the financial part about it, I don't know. I know that was something that that bothered me as well. It's like, okay, I just I have a mountain of debt from cancer treatments and sure. But make that commitment and it'll be worth it because if you don't a year from now, you're gonna be in the same position. So it's worth it. It is an investment, but here at Into the Woods, too, the compassion, I mean, they'll work with we work with everybody. Yeah, and so it's yeah, that just they'll make it happen and don't be afraid.

Jenny 49:34

That's a really important thing because I know there can be fear and then there can be other barriers to people taking actions. And I do think financially that that is a barrier for money.

Kaitlyn (KK) 49:46

And so and it is an investment, but it is an investment in yourself, and we are dedicated and we work with everybody too. So that's kind of that customization piece.

SPEAKER_01 49:55

I think that helped me as well with the commitment part of it for sure. Yeah. I mean, I I went all in.

Jenny 50:02

Absolutely. Well, I really feel like you shared some beautiful moments, some hard things today. But and I didn't cry. You didn't, you got me to tear up a little bit. But it it just shows how powerful your story is. I'm confident somebody is gonna hear this and it's going to help them. So if you are one of those people that are hearing this, if it's resonating, if you're feeling tired, feeling stuck, not knowing what to do, we want you to know that there's always another path. You don't have to fit into the boxes that Julie felt like she was being pushed into. And you definitely don't have to do it alone. So, Julie, I am so grateful you found into the woods. And we're gonna have to have you back at some point to hear, you know, what's next and where you're going.

Kaitlyn (KK) 50:51

She's back on that green.

Jenny 50:53

Yeah, yeah, spin back.

SPEAKER_01 50:55

I do feel like I have a lot to say and a lot, a lot more to say as well. You know, it starts with one phone call or or one visit in here.

Jenny 51:02

Yeah, yeah. The free discovery call, it's no pressure, right? Just a conversation, just like today's podcast was. Don't worry, the discovery call will not put you on the podcast. There's no correlation.

Kaitlyn (KK) 51:14

KK, I want that.

Jenny 51:15

Yes, exactly. Well, as Caitlin has said, your courage, your honesty, your willingness to show up vulnerably here has been beautiful. So thank you again.

SPEAKER_01 51:26

Yes, you're welcome.

Jenny 51:28

Until next time.

SPEAKER_01 51:30

Be well, be still, be calm.

Jenny 51:33

Healing is rarely a straight path, and sometimes the weight of what we carry feels like too much. If today's episode stirred something in you, we want you to know you are not alone. Support is always available through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988 anytime. Our team at Into the Woods can support you with non emergency integrative wellness care. Visit Inthewoodsjourney.com or call 920 904 8128. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for listening.