What We Do Now Matters: Holistic Health Starts at Home
Why do we wait?
Wait for approval?
Wait for someone else to tell us it’s ok?
Wait for the FDA to say yes before we trust our own intuition?
Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped trusting the inner voice that speaks through our gut, our heart, and our brain all at the same time. We’ve been conditioned to listen outwardly, hoping external advice will create internal change. But real change works in the opposite direction: inward listening, outward transformation.
The current shift in women’s health makes this clearer than ever.
On Monday, Nov 10, the FDA removed the black box warning on hormone replacement therapy — a long overdue correction to years of misunderstanding after the Women’s Health Initiative. It’s an important step forward for women suffering from menopausal symptoms and a positive signal that conversations around women’s health are evolving.
Hormone therapy is one tool. But the broader message is bigger: we must advocate for our own holistic health. And that advocacy begins long before you sit in an exam room.
This truth hit me personally last month.
As many of you know, I spent a few weeks with my parents, listening and advocating for them at their appointments. One thing stood out: my mom’s ability to make everything seem “fine” in the doctor’s office when she happens to be having a good day — even though many days at home feel off.
Much of this comes from the lack of routine in their home, especially around nutrition. Without consistent whole-food meals, her clarity and decision-making suffer. Without a kitchen plan, eating becomes reactive instead of supportive. And when the kitchen feels out of control, stacking healthy habits becomes overwhelming.
My mom has also experienced years of UTIs — something we know is strongly linked to low estrogen in menopause. Seeing this up close reminded me of what I can control as her daughter and as a woman in the center of peri/menopause myself. I can keep things tidy in my own home — in my kitchen, in my habits, in my routines — so I am advocating for my hormone health before I even set foot in a doctor’s office.
I can create a plan now that supports longevity, reduces risk of future UTIs, and may include estrogen therapies. I can take care of myself daily so I can better serve and advocate for my mom at 79. What I do for myself strengthens my ability to show up for her.
Each of us is uniquely designed. And each of us benefits when we start at home — noticing our symptoms, reinforcing our habits, and building the foundation that allows our labs and our conversations with our providers to be meaningful.
The questions are simple:
• Am I drinking 6–8 glasses of water a day? Grab the water bottle.
• Am I eating plants with every meal — 9 one-cup servings a day? Prep the fridge.
• Am I resistance training twice a week? Start with 2 min/day here.
• Am I walking a minimum of 7,000 steps a day? Grab a friend & get outside.
These basics prepare your body for accurate, actionable lab results that start to move the needle in your holistic health:
• Plants shift cholesterol markers
• Daily movement improves LDL/HDL and HbA1c
• Hydration supports detoxification and creatinine levels
When those habits are consistent for at least four weeks, then you walk into your doctor’s office confident, with clarity, and fully prepared to advocate for yourself. You can request a full lab panel, describe your symptoms accurately, and communicate when new issues arise — because your daily life supports the data.
This is how holistic health works.
It starts at home.
It strengthens intuition.
It prepares you to advocate.
It supports you now and decades from now.
What we do now matters.
What we do at home matters most.
Start where you have control — and build the confidence that carries you into every appointment, every conversation, and every step of your long-term health journey.
Need a place to start at home? I’ve created a Pantry Reset Guide to help you get started.
