#29: Breakdowns to Breakthroughs with Julie Reisler

Michelle: It's time to stop being the victim of your over-scheduled life and become the most powerful version of yourself. Welcome to she's got power. Do you know anyone

Julie: Who hasn't had a breakdown or two, or like three or four during this pandemic come on. Right. But breakdowns and burnout, these things were happening long before Corona virus, chronic stress from any source. It has a way of bringing us down often, quite literally, as you will hear about in today's interview with Julie wrestler, what I love about Julie's story is how breakdowns can become breakthroughs. And if you listen carefully to this episode and also to your body, you can probably avoid that major breakdown entirely. And just skip to the breakthrough part where like Julie, you're the most powerful you've ever been doing more good in the world and energized, like never before. We're going to cut to my conversation with Julie, but first I'll just tell you a little bit about her. Julia is a coach. She's an author, she's a TEDx speaker and podcast host, who is all about helping you tune into your intuition to be your uist you. In fact, she's the author of the get a PhD in you book series and mindfulness teacher on the app insight timer with over 120,000 downloads. And you can check her out@juliereseller.com. What I love about Julie is how she turned things around when she encountered her own breakdown.

Michelle: So let's get into it. Hey, Julie, thanks so much for joining us today.

Julie: Thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you. Thank you. I want to jump right in to like the heart of your story from what you have told me so far. I know this situation very well. Can you please take us back to the moment that you found yourself on the floor at target and what the heck was going on there? Yeah, so I'm a fan of, of Tarjay of target, whatever you want to call it. Obviously this experience is not one that I intended nor remember with fond appreciation, but I was actually with a, I had just gotten divorced and was with the guy that is now my husband. I was dating him. We were in target with a friend in West Palm beach. And the next thing I know, I found myself surrounded by a lot of very attractive EMT nationals. They were very confused. Cause most of the patients, most of the people that they, they come and help her, you know, in their seventies, eighties. And here I am at, uh, in my, in my early mid thirties, um, health, what I thought was healthy and I completely, I had passed out. I, I, my, I felt like a whole, like the whole store was coming in on me and was scared. Honestly, it was really scary. I have to tell you that I had a similar experience on the floor at Marshall's. So we are really

Speaker 3: Taking care of like all the discount stores.

Julie: Oh, I don't even remember. I think I saw a bathing suit. I wanted, I didn't end up getting it. I just, you know, but to the floor, I think they didn't hit my head, but it was, it was not fun.

Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, we're laughing, but of course this is dangerous. It's very scary. And, okay, so you said, I thought I was healthy. Same here. I thought it was healthy. Right. I was eating a very clean diet. I was a health coach

Julie: God's sake. Can you

Speaker 3: Tell us what was really going on there? Like in retrospect?

Julie: Yeah, I think healthy there's a lot of ways to dissect that word. I mean, at the time I was doing what I thought was best and what I knew was best. So I was on the side, teaching fitness and personal training. I mean, I was in decent shape. I, at that time was eating. I remember I was very into the Lake, low sugar, lots of protein. I mean, I eat very differently today, but I was conscious of what I was eating. What I think I had not factored was I did have some signs that I had not paid attention to such as night sweats, just feeling really, really lethargic. I had chalked it up to having two kids under the age of a year and a half apart. And they were, I think under the age of like six at that time, I had also just gone through separation divorce.

Julie: So massive amounts of just stress that I, I wasn't aware of because if you'd asked me, I mean, I felt stressed, but I thought I'm fine. I'm managing it. Full time. Job had just gone back to get a master's degree. So those things I didn't, I didn't realize how much that had, had an impacted my health. And of course my sleep was a major, was off. And I had, I really started to look at that. It would have, there would have been some signs. I also had started to lose a lot of hair and I had not, I just thought it was all about, you know, I thought, okay, even four or five years after pregnancy, I just talked it again up to well I've kids, your body changes. This must be part of what had happens. Yeah.

Speaker 3: Yes. I mean, and to a degree that is true. Tell us more about what was going on with

Julie: Your sleep. I've always been a thankfully really, really good sleeper and I was not, you know, I'm still not in that menopause age, so I to have hot flashes or to get sweaty, I just remember waking up like totally covered in sweat. I remember my heart beating faster. I remember it was hard to stay asleep and then there'd be times where I couldn't get up. Like I just, and I would teach morning fitness classes really early. And it was like, I just tapped into this. Like I must get up and I would peel myself out of bed, but it was, it didn't feel I know and understand it now, but I was, I felt like I was running on fumes yet. I would drink extra coffee, workout, extra hard. I was like pushing myself so hard to try to find energy that way I didn't realize there was something going on with it. So.

Speaker 3: Okay. First of all, everything that you just mentioned is just like classic. And if I'm counting correctly or if I'm like listing these things off correctly, my head, you said you had a full time job. Yeah. You're teaching early morning.

Julie: And those classes you had just gone back to

Speaker 3: Your master's degrees in the air in school, you had two kids under the age of six and just got divorced and in a new relationship. Yeah. Oh yeah, no problem.

Julie: Yeah, no. And let's not even add. I also, I mean, I laugh, I'd done these certifications to teach fitness and I was doing my personal training at the same time, thinking that would be a great side gig and way to go to gyms and not have to pay for them. But also I enjoyed it. I really loved teaching yet. I had thought, Oh yeah, I'm just managing it's it's way beyond, too much on my plate. But I, in the thick of it, I just, I was so used to operating at that level of that overachiever, pushing myself, which I've learned massively from that. And I can share more because I've had, I've had setbacks, but we can get to that. But it was, it was a real wake up call. If you're interested. I have a really interesting story that happened at the time, but we can get back to it.

Julie: It's kind of a, I had had a casting audition. I also did a lot of, uh, I was trained on the side. I did a lot of on camera work, hosting commercials, and even, even commercial modeling. I always say this for like normal looking people. They want like a mom or something like that. I had gotten an audition in New York city and I had a ticket to go down there and I ended up being in the hospital. This was two weeks after I passed out and I had to miss it because of what was happening and the crazy amazing miracle story is they ended up asking for a photo and selected me anyhow. It was a big project with Canyon ranch. And it just, it was one of those synchronicity, like something still worked out. Okay. It's kind of my, part of the whole massive breakdown, but there were still a silver lining. Let's just say this at the time around target. And those few weeks following was really, really upsetting and scary. I did not know what was happening

Speaker 3: Now, when you were in the hospital, were they able to, or even the first time you passed out, was anyone able to tell you what was wrong?

Julie: Not in Florida, not with the EMT now, because all of my, I guess the, the vitals, nothing could show them what was going on internally with my thyroid. No, they could not tell that. I mean, I had very low blood pressure and I just remember going and getting, like, I think all I wanted to eat was like French fries, which I don't normally eat. I got like two plain sweet potato, French fries. I'm like, that's, don't remember the diner. It was actually really good, but no, they did not know what it was. That's what made it even more upsetting and frankly, scary to me because I knew something internally was not right. And there was no diagnosis there. And of course, then I had to start seeing doctors and to start to figure out what was going on.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Okay. So what was going on?

Julie: Yeah. So, I mean, look, there's a couple different levels here. I think medically, what I was told is I have literally almost no thyroid function left, thankfully, thankfully it did not have to get removed, but I have what's called Hashimoto's it's underactive. It was basically nonexistent, which, which is attributed to a lot of the, the symptoms I had, like losing hair, being exhausted and fatigued and sluggish and, and all of those things I had mentioned on a different level. I also believe it was connected to, you know, your thyroid is right where your throat is. And I do a lot of work with energy and I had really not been speaking my voice in my former marriage, just in my life. And I really think there's a connection to my voice, to my not speaking my truth and my thyroid that that was not, you know, talked about in the doctor's office, but that came to me intuitively, but gratefully, it was not thyroid cancer and it was not, I didn't have to get my, my thyroid removed, but it was, um, I mean, she was amazed that I was still standing.

Julie: I just remember she was like your numbers. Like I cannot believe you're doing what you're doing because they, you basically are running on almost nothing. And it makes me want to cry. I'll tell you, Michelle. I, I felt so exhausted, but I was so used to just pushing through adrenal fatigue and, and just moving past the discomfort that I just remembered that, that moment when I allowed myself to rest, I mean, I think I slept an entire weekend and was relieved because I had a diagnosis. I was not thrilled about being on medication, but we can talk about that. And I mean, I've, there's a lot that I've learned and done, but yeah, I was grateful to have at least to understand, okay. Could read about it, learn about it. It's actually pretty common. A lot of women are diagnosed with thyroid with a thyroid issue.

Speaker 3: And I just wanted to say for any of our listeners, cause a lot of women that I speak with say, well, my doctor has me on Synthroid or yeah, I have a thyroid issue and I'll say hyperthyroid or hyper. And they're say, ah, I'm not sure. I think hypo, okay, hypothyroidism, is it Hashimoto's and it's amazing to me how many women are diagnosed with low functioning thyroid and not tested for or told if they have Hashimoto's. So just to just new, just for everybody listening Hashimoto's is when your thyroid is not producing enough thyroid hormones because it's being attacked. Right. It's an autoimmune condition. Yeah. So, you know, just like any autoimmune condition, it's your body attacking itself in this case, your body has chosen your thyroid and to your point, Julie, like why the thyroid, you know, maybe there is a connection energetically with why that's where your body sort of chose to Mount this attack. Yeah.

Julie: Yeah. And you know, it's interesting as you're saying that, so I started doing a lot at the same time. I was getting my master's degree in health and wellness coaching at a really special university that had takes an integrative approach. And we were learning about auto-immune. I was in a nutrition minor. I was doing it minor nutrition and mind, body science. And so I'm literally learning about exactly what I'm experiencing. It was really wild. And so I also started to look at my past when had I, you know, and I do believe there's a connection when, when had I abandoned or attacked myself, like not being kind to myself. And I just, I really looked at start to look at this condition from a of angles. And I think that has helped immensely with my healing, but it, this autoimmune condition is, is no joke. And you know, many people are undiagnosed with some sort of autoimmune condition. And I, I can talk more about what has helped and what I've learned and what I today, the way I take care of myself is like night and day from, from the 10 years ago that we're talking about,

Speaker 3: Yes. I want to hear about how you're taking care of yourself differently. But first I wanted to ask you with that thought of like, yeah, why one's body would start attacking itself. And how had you perhaps been attacking yourself? I I'm curious. Why do you think that autoimmune conditions are so much more prevalent among women than men?

Julie: I don't know how much time we have for this, but I will, I will try to say this succinctly. I look, I am a huge believer. I think after reading all of Louise Hay's books and dr. Christian Northrup's books and just the work I've studied, I think we are, you know, integrative energetic beings that can't put emotions in a box away from our body and function. And so women, we tend to, I'll speak for myself. We tend to be givers and put others first. And I certainly could have gotten a master's degree in people pleasing and like making sure, you know, I would do everything to make sure others liked me or were happy taking care of. I mean, I like if you look up codependent and people pleaser in the dictionary, that could have been me. And I spent a lot of time where I just, it became a habit pattern.

Julie: It became a way of operating and being. And so honestly I didn't tune in a lot to myself. I would really like, I was excellent at making sure everyone else was okay and taken care of. And when you do that, you know, I stop listening to your body signals, you stop paying attention. I stopped really honoring what I need. I've learned. I'm not somebody contrary to what I was doing. I need a lot of sleep. I need a lot of downtime. There's a lot more to that list, but I was not listening to any of those signs. I would push myself. And I think we're also in a, in a society that's changing, but for women, you know, it's, um, especially if you're in the career world or I was starting a business, I just think there's this focus on the intellect and over achieving and competition, that's, doesn't resonate as much with me, but this idea of, you know, you have to, you have to work really hard to do well. You have to push yourself. You've got to be the, I know I grew up in that, um, the East coast in the Boston area. I mean, everybody was doing five things after school and every activity you can imagine. So I just, I was, I was really raised and primed for this, this breakdown I really was. And I think women tend to do more, you know, they put a lot on themselves. So there's that added psychological aspect as well?

Speaker 3: 100%. Yes. We could probably continue ranting on that for another three or four hours. But why don't we go back to the, where you share with us some of the ways that you changed your life and started taking care of yourself differently, like what's really been working for you.

Julie: Yeah. I think it's important to add this and it's, it's a little vulnerable for me to share, but at this point I'm kind of, I see myself as an open book, if it can serve somebody else. One of the things I had struggled with way before this was for those who struggled with overeating, binge eating and that whole addictive pattern. Um, I had spent a lot of time look what I was saying about people pleasing and the way I would deal with emotions would either be to people, pleaser, or to eat, to use food. And we know, you know, I started to study about how certain foods like sugar can be really addictive and can cause havoc on your, on your immune system, on your nervous system and your body. And so for me, I'd already had that background and then started to get some support around changing my habits and being in recovery from eating that way.

Julie: And so it actually, it came to a head when I, you know, I went to one of the best doctors in the DC area where I am, and I remember asking her about nutrition and she said, Oh, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what you eat. Just take your Synthroid and your T3 before, and you'll be fine. And intuitively, I was like, that makes zero sense. And I actually fired her. I was like, you're not my doctor anymore. I will refuse to see a physician that is not. And look, I don't blame her. A lot of physicians. I've very close physician friends that don't learn nutrition and I that's a whole different subject, but there are physicians that do. And I found one, I found a GP and I found one for endocrine thyroid issues who that are, that are well-researched and read on the impact of food.

Julie: So that was a big one for me. And having had that background was sugar addiction. I did a little bit of testing where I started to, I did the it's called the elimination diet and you take things out that are inflammatory. And I started reading really, really got deep into what's recommended for those with autoimmune illnesses. And I started getting into Sarah Ballantine has a lot on the auto immune friendly protocol. And I gotta tell you, Michelle, it is not fun at first. I mean, it's basically taking out most everything. It's dairy, soy, sugar and gluten. And I was eating all of that. And I remember I took them out. Each of them, I did a two week elimination process and I am not, I'm not a big girl that is into diets. I've never been, but this, you know, this diet, I was like, I'm going to do this and see, and I gotta tell you when I brought every of those items back, it was frightening.

Julie: I, um, had rashes. I was nauseous. And I just realized my body was like, Nope. So what I can tell you is, cause it hasn't been a perfect ride when, and I've eaten those foods. This is just my experience. I often have symptoms connected to Hashimoto's. I start to feel like I have the flu. I get achy. I'm exhausted. I don't feel well. My heart beats fast. I mean, it's really, really fascinating. So for the most part in my life, I have taken those items out because I've just found it to be more loving. So I had to do a major one 80 in my nourishment. You know, how I nourished myself. I chose to that's one of the biggest areas for me. And of course that channels into everything is we eat three meals a day, at least if not more. So that was a big shift and sleep. You know, I'm not perfect at it, but I aim to get at least seven, seven and a half, if not eight to nine hours. And that's a huge change. And then this is the interesting one. You know, I was into fitness. I was doing all of this high intensity movement and yeah,

Speaker 3: Please talk about this.

Julie: Well, this is a big awareness this took years to let go of, and I'm going to, I'm just going to out myself. I really bought into, you have to push herself. You've got to go to the hip method, high intensity interval training and sprinting, and like get in shape. That's the way you do it. And I don't feel well. I've learned over time through many different, many different experiments you could say. And then actually recently worked with a trainer who did this amazing testing, looking at my oxygen consumption. And I realized I actually, my body stops functioning as, as well. And it stops burning all of that when I get too high in intensity. So it's taken years to, to realize this and to be okay with it. But I actually realized my, my body responds to things like yoga and walking late swimming. And that's one of the gifts of this pandemic.

Julie: I actually cannot believe in saying this. I have as a farmer instructor, I have five gym memberships, free memberships that I can go to like really lovely, beautiful gems. And I've actually decided not to go to any of them anymore. I've really found that walking and using lightweights and just doing a little yoga and stretching is like what my body needs and likes to be in nature. And that is a fricking miracle. It's actually from the fitness teacher. It's just, and again, it's debunking. It's rewiring from that belief that we have to push ourselves and I actually don't believe or buy into that anymore. I really don't. I don't have to push myself. It's actually about enjoyable, loving movement and being present and you know, yes, breaking a sweat a little bit, but it's a different, it's a, it's from a different realm.

Speaker 3: So I hope everybody heard that. Sometimes your hit classes, sometimes those morning bootcamps that y'all been doing, those can be counter productive. Is that what I'm hearing you say, Julie?

Julie: Yes. And I'll tell you, I started wearing a heart rate monitor just to see. Cause I'm so stubborn. I'm so sad. I'm so willful. And I was like, no, no, no, no, no. I'm going to keep doing. And I would actually watch my heart rate would go up and I could see it. Cause I was part of this. You could like chart it. And it was like, you're not even, you're not even if you want to burn calories, we, you want, I mean, I've kind of let go of that piece, but it was like, I'm not even, it's not even helping my body. And the one thing I'll tell you, because I grew up dancing. I love dancing so much. I mean, put me in a hip hop class or Zumba, surely we have so much

Speaker 3: Or myself go on. I love it. I love it.

Julie: Actually. It's a whole other conversation, but I had stopped dancing for a long time. I was told that was too big to be a dancer. I did a Ted talk on this actually. And I got back into dancing and I was like, you know what? I love dancing. I love moving to music. So like that is something, if there's a great class, I will go and get my heart rate up. And that's just fun for me. If it's joyful and fun, you know? And I find dancing to be, as you get so fun, but I stopped all the spinning classes and I'm not telling people, I'm not telling anyone to do anything. You gotta check your body out. But I just, it's bizarre. It's crazy to me, but I can tell you my energy. Oh my gosh, I'm in my mid forties. I actually feel more energetic and vital and alive and well than I've probably ever felt in my life and probably at my healthiest and um, you know, healthy, normal size. I don't, it's just, I don't weigh myself. I don't really get into that piece, but I'm, I've been a healthy weight for, you know, size for a long time. And it's just, it's so amazing to me. I love that. I'm not pushing myself like that. It feels so much more loving and I'm still working on the people pleasing that is going to be the rest of my life. I think

Speaker 3: Just harder. That's harder than any elimination. Yeah.

Julie: Yeah. That is, that is, that is harder for me, but this is a gift and I will say it, it just, it seeps everywhere. The other thing I did not mention that has been a game changer is I still don't love the word meditating. It brings up this like, Oh my God, I've got to sit a certain way, but it is meditating. It's being still. I do that every morning. I do it. Whether it's three minutes or 10 or 20 stillness and I do in journaling, just connecting these four pillars for me have been a game changer. And you know, we know them. They can seem so like trade and of course, but they're not always easy to implement, but, but they're doable. I think when you start to feel the difference. Yeah.

Speaker 3: It's not as sexy as well. I take this supplement or right now this protein powder or whatever. And it's like, you can't Mark it like journaling and time in nature. But like that's what makes the biggest difference.

Julie: Yeah. I love it.

Speaker 3: Good with like the industry pushing a lot of products and no, you have to sign up for this kind of workout class or you have to do this kind of dieting that requires this powder and that thing. And it's not, it's, it's much more basic. And just sort of, like you said, like just listening and noticing what's working for your body. That's really hard.

Julie: I love what you said. It is so true. There is nothing sexy about what I'm doing. In fact, there's nothing sexy about what I'm doing at all. I actually, for me, it's interesting, the more that I've tuned in and I really do feel there's a deep connection to nature. And to just the way I eat even today, you know, I started to feel like certain foods, meats were heavy and didn't work well, everyone in my family eats me, but it started. And I do not like condone. We all eat what's everybody is different, but I started to feel different. So I took out, I took out me and I tell, you know, I've already took out dairy. I took out eggs and I got to tell you, it's just, it's about listening. It just works for me to do plant-based right now. But, but if it felt different and I needed to, to flax, I could do that too.

Julie: I've really what I, the way I see it as I just kind of bow down to my sacred temple that I live in, I just bat onto my body in a way of like, you tell me girl, like I'm listening, I will nourish you. However you need. I am done running the show from my head. It does not work. And I just, I don't know. There's been a lot of releasing of having to look a certain way having to push myself. Like I just, I don't do life like that anymore. And honestly, it's a huge gift to kind of move out of that stress and to listen and to just follow it's it's, um, it's something I practice every day and it's not, it's not perfect, but it has helped me to stay my medicine. I still do take, I've tried. I went off once and it didn't work. And so I take a very low dose. I'm on the same dose as when I started just about 10 years ago. But you know, I've decided there's a lot I can do. And it's okay. You know, for me that, that medicine piece I've kind of made peace. I've kind of made peace with it for now. Maybe someday I won't need it, but today it does help me. And so I do everything else I can do to take care of myself and every other way.

Speaker 3: Sure. It's one thing to be taking Synthroid and feeling great. Like you're describing it's another to be taking it and still feeling like,

Julie: Yes, exactly. If I didn't feel what right. It just, it just helps. And yeah, I, who knows. There's a part of me. That's like, I would love to heal this from within and maybe someday I'll, but I've tried different, fast and juicing. And that, that works to a degree. I've just, for me, it's like, my body does not want to be pushed. She does not want to be overworked. She doesn't like to be pushed. And I really, I think this goes for probably many, many women. I think we are so used to, to that addictive rush of pushing ourselves of the overachievement. I'm assuming you get that in others listening to, and 100%. Yeah, it doesn't work for me. I had a really and have had to pull myself out of certain things and love certain friends, but there's certain communities I'm like, I've got to take a step back because I can't be in that kind of, I can't be surrounded by that energy. It's not helpful or healthy for me. And um, that's just the way it is. It's the way I roll, you know? And I've accepted it because I'll tell you what, I I've had enough breakdowns throughout these 10 years where I got off track or stopped eating well or, and it's just, it's not worth it. I can't function. To be honest if I'm not doing these things, no, none at all. No, I'm curious.

Speaker 3: Um, if you could go back in, right, cause you talk about breakdowns turning into breakthroughs and I feel that so hard, but if you could go back in time to like, you know, a month or so before you passed out at target and you could talk to yourself before the big breakdown started to happen, what would you tell her?

Julie: I just got the chills. Cause I'm picturing myself. I had bought a kit to have my hair grow back. It was like a mushroom, like natural, organic. Oh my gosh. Yeah. And I was like, makes me wanna cry. I lost a lot, a lot of hair. And it was really scary and I was exhausted and sweating and I would, God, I just got an image of like pulling myself aside, putting a big hug around her and just saying like, this is not working like whatever, like slow down and you need to really find some support and look, get some help and get some medical attention. Like this is not normal. It is not related to pregnancy at this point. Or if it's connected to it, it's now not, you know, six years later is not postpartum anymore. And I would have gotten myself to a doctor stat and seen probably a functional nutritionist, medical doctor as well, and just started to study and learn. But I would give her a lot of love and ask her to get some help. I wish I could have done that, but I can't, you know, I could only,

Speaker 3: I think that's important because so many women are in that sort of earlier stage. They haven't actually found themselves passed out on the floor yet, but they're experiencing this myriad of strange symptoms kind of blowing it off kind of thinking, Oh, it's probably just related to whatever. And you know, there's the doctor who goes, you're fine. Your blood work looks fine or no, you don't need to be doing anything differently. And I think that's how we end up in the breakdown point because we don't know how to slow down before our body kind of slows us down for us.

Julie: Exactly. I wish I had taken myself my symptoms seriously. I'm very good. Like most women I'm really good at just, Oh, it's fine. I'm fine. There's something wrong. I'm in my low thirties, I work out like, I'm fine. It's all good. I mean, that was like my, I had a little tagline and be like, Oh, I'm doing great. I'm fine. Yeah, no problem. I just have like, like a third less hair and you know, I'm sweating through my pajamas at night and, and having rapid heartbeat. But you know, other than that, I'm great. But of course I'm fine. Oh, I'm so busy. And um, life is so full. Yeah. I've got things going on. Yeah. I just, right. I think that tuning in and listening and taking it seriously and not blowing it off, like you said, I wish it's something I've learned since then, but I wish I could have done that. Then

Speaker 3: I have one more question for you, Julie. Cause I think that sometimes when you are living a very fast paced, high powered, I do all the things kind of life. And you hear someone talk about how she slowed down. That sounds like the pits, you know, that sounds like the exact opposite of who I want to be kind of thing. Can you say something about this change in how you live your life has actually made you more of a force and more powerful?

Julie: Yeah. Well, I think that's kind of the breakthrough that happens from that breakdown is the breakthrough for me, has been learning to slow down to really go within and tap into our natural inner wisdom, inner guidance. And I got to tell you, I mean, you know, it's only been six years, but I left my day job at a great corporate cushy day job, left it to start my own business. And through this experience of slowing down, I mean, I am really gratefully operating a beautiful heart centered six figure business today. That's helping a lot of big hearted them soul seekers of mainly women. And in a few good men learn how to tap into their inner wisdom so that they can not do what I did and really have a fulfilling life and maximize their potential. And you know, whether it's running a coaching certification program or writing my third book or I mean, all of that's been happening from slowing down.

Julie: I'm still inaction. I'm still in service and, and, and doing things. But I gotta tell you like having more time and it's not perfect. I'm working on it. I'm not the best at this. And I've gotten support for this. But the breakthrough has been actually when I have, when I slowed down, when I take a breath, when I can go within and get really, really grounded and take enough time for rest and to eat properly, what I'm able to serve and what I'm able to bring to the world is way, way, way higher quality and frankly, greater, I think service because it's coming from a whole different place. And so that has been a huge breakthrough for me. I would never believe that. And look, I gotta be honest. There are times where I'm like, Oh gosh, I'm overdoing. I'm over. 'em I can feel it.

Julie: Like I can feel myself. And so, you know, you learn, it's not a perfect linear journey, but, um, that breakthrough of slowing down and tuning in and daily walks instead of going to the gym, I mean, Michelle, I was like gym for three hours every day. Even recently I started to shift and I'm like, Nope, I'm just my daily walks is perfect for me. So it's just a lot less anxiety and energy spent. That's wasted on feeling overwhelmed and anxious and uh, sleep better. I mean, it's just, it's changed everything. And it's allowed me to grow in my business with my business and able to serve at a way higher level, be more impactful. And to me, that's the most important thing. Like I really want to help as many people as I can. And so to do that, I've got to do that for myself first. I just now know that boom,

Speaker 3: There you have it. You're more powerful. You're a bigger force in this world because you actually take the time to take care of yourself and slow down, get out of that sort of manic energy that I feel so many women are stuck.

Julie: Yes. You said it perfectly. And I have to watch because there's, I can slip into that, but it's, it's becoming less and less of a pattern. The more you practice of course, like anything, thank you to neuroplasticity. Thank you to our brains that can rewire. It's becoming a different pattern, which is awesome. It is awesome. Oh my gosh, Julie, thank you so much for sharing your story with us today. I think so many women need to hear this. Thank you for having me. This is such a gift and I, I just want to say anyone who's got any symptoms or anything I mentioned are feeling not themselves or exhausted beyond what feels normal. Like please, please, please listen to your body. Listen to yourself. You are not making it up. Like really before you get to pass it out in the interject with the EMT around you, like listen and, and trust yourself. That's the only thing I would just add is trust your, your, your body trust your inner wisdom. Fantastic. Thanks to you.

Michelle: [inaudible]

Julie: I'm always fascinated when yet another woman is told she's fine when she's absolutely not fine. When she has a litany of health issues that send up warning signs that she and everyone else ignores. And when, like, I can't even tell you how many women I've spoken to one day, she finds herself on the floor at target or wherever it is that your body finally says no more. What you can do is pay attention, pay exquisite attention to the signals that your body is giving you because there are many, there are many different signs that you could be heading towards your local target floor. Let's try to avoid that. Okay. Take the quiz available for free on my website. It's going to show you how your symptoms add up. Like, are they normal? Are you fine? Or are you headed for big time burnout? So you can get that at, she's got power.com/free, and it's going to take you all of five minutes to complete. So go get it. Now it could be your very first step towards your big breakthrough.

Michelle: [inaudible].