How I Changed My Lifestyle to Support My Mental Health (and Why It Had Nothing to Do With Hustling More)

There’s a version of me you wouldn’t recognize.
The woman who got the grades, climbed the ladder, said yes to everything, and held it all together while quietly falling apart.
The woman who changed careers five times in search of “the thing,” who ran three businesses, pushed through burnout several times, and still wondered why life looked successful—but didn’t feel good.

That woman was me.
And while that journey is a story for another day, what it gave me was a deep understanding of the exact woman I now work with—the one who’s burnt out but high-functioning, emotionally intelligent but secretly stuck, craving change but scared to shake the status quo.

If that’s you, I want to share what changed everything for me—not in the form of another productivity hack or self-help strategy, but through a real lifestyle shift rooted in healing.

1. Waking Without an Alarm: Learning to Trust My Body’s Natural Rhythm

After leaving the corporate world, one of the first things I gave myself was the gift of waking up naturally.
No more alarms jolting me out of sleep.
No more 4AM starts just because “that’s what successful people do.”
Just rest. And presence.
This shift dramatically improved my energy and mental clarity. I started going to bed earlier, waking up when my body was ready, and feeling like I could actually enjoy my mornings instead of just surviving them.

2. Cleaning Up My Diet (No Gluten, Sugar or Seed Oils)

I first cut gluten in 2013 to deal with constant bloating and gut issues—and to my surprise, it didn’t just change my digestion. It changed my brain.
Mental clarity. Better moods. Less reactivity.
Eventually I let go of sugar and inflammatory oils too (like seed oils), and what I got in return was consistent energy and a sense of calm I didn’t know was possible.

These changes weren’t about restriction—they were about reclaiming my capacity to feel well.
To think clearly.
To lead with intention instead of pushing through another foggy day.

3. Letting Go of Alcohol (and All the Ways I Used It to Cope)

I used to wind down with wine.
Enough to take the edge off the pressure I felt.
Letting go of alcohol was a game-changer. My anxiety dropped. My mornings felt easier. My emotional regulation improved.
Sure, it meant re-evaluating some relationships—but the clarity and confidence I gained far outweighed what I left behind.

4. Nutrition That Works With My Body (Not Against It)

These days, I live by what feels nourishing—not what’s trendy.
I still enjoy things like gluten-free pizza or a matcha with coconut milk, even if the ingredients aren’t “perfect.”
It’s about choosing flexibility over perfectionism.
Listening to my body.
Letting food be a source of energy and joy, not shame or control.

I also incorporate simple things like pink Himalayan salt and apple cider vinegar to support digestion, hydration, and blood sugar. These aren’t gimmicks—they’re grounding rituals that help me feel connected to my body.

5. High-Quality Support from Professionals Who Get It

I don’t try to do it all myself anymore.
I regularly work with a naturopath, run functional testing, and take targeted supplements to support my mental and physical health.
This isn’t about chasing optimal health as a perfectionist project—it’s about making sure my nervous system has what it needs to regulate and recover, especially after years of burnout.

6. Healing the Emotional Roots (Because No Lifestyle Shift Works Without This)

The truth?
I could’ve eaten the cleanest diet, taken the best supplements, and still stayed stuck—if I hadn’t also addressed the emotional roots of my burnout.

What changed everything was Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.
It gave me a way to connect with the younger parts of me that had been performing, people-pleasing, and proving for decades.
The part that said, “Don’t be too much.”
The part that believed, “You have to be responsible for everyone else.”
The part that thought rest = failure.
Through IFS, I started to heal the beliefs that kept me stuck in survival mode. And with that healing came something I hadn’t felt in a long time: peace.

7. Community and Nervous System Support (AKA The Magic Combo)

The final piece of the puzzle?
Doing the work in safe spaces. With other women. With community. With support.
That’s what helped me really come home to myself.
Through breathwork, IFS, and psychedelic-assisted healing (done ethically and professionally), I no longer just manage my life—I lead it. With calm. With clarity. With joy. This one is a large part of my inspiration to create Magnetic, my group program.

Your Reminder, If You Need It

You don’t need to do more.
You don’t need another course or green smoothie to “fix” you.
You just need to feel safe enough to stop performing and start healing.
And if you’ve been living life in your head, disconnected from your body, your truth, and your voice—I want you to know: that’s not your fault. But it can change.

And you don’t have to figure it out alone.