A Heart For: Health

A Heart For: Health - Functional, Integrative Nutrition and Wellness

I first “met” Lindsey in 2015 when I signed up for an online accountability group that a college friend had invited me to. Said friend was co-hosting it with Lindsey. That group was a catalyst for me in terms of health and wellness. I was, at that time, the heaviest I had ever been and did not know more than a handful of recipes, what foods aided my fight against inflammation or joint pain, or have any confidence in my kitchen. My joints ached and so exercise was not just the typical sort of uphill climb getting back into shape. It was really painful. I hadn’t experienced that before. I felt stuck. I had never heard someone tie their nutritional choices and physical exercise back into mental health differences like Lindsey did. This all took place in late December 2015 and early January of 2016 while I was still living in Japan. After a few months, I fell off of the bandwagon but continued keeping up with Lindsey on social media. I watched her continue to explore and share health ingredients, cook from home, and advocate for the lifestyle changes that can help heal us. 

Fast forward a few years and the seeds that were planted in me in the last months of 2015 have taken root and are blossoming. There are so many fascinating things I know now that I don’t think I would have if I hadn’t been keeping an eye on Lindsey’s (and others) posts and blog these past three years. There are so many things yet to learn and I’m ready to continue doing so. 

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to a transparent, holistic soul – Lindsey Goodman! She is now a certified integrative health coach and is spending her days helping others navigate holistic health.  The following is from a phone interview we had in mid January. Thank you, Lindsey for a great conversation and for how you share your journey with others. It has meant so much to me. 

Hello and welcome, Lindsey! Tell us a little bit about yourself! 

My name is Lindsey Goodman, I was born and raised in Georgia in a small town of 300 people. I have moved a lot; Charleston, Georgia again, Vegas, North Carolina, and now I’m moving to the Northeast part of the US. I am mom to one! I have a diagnosis of PCOS, Celiac, and IBS. My daughter has Type-1 Diabetes and Celiac disease. I’ve been a single mom since she was less than a year old and she’s now six. I love getting the time with her! 

I attended the Institute of Integrative Nutrition last year and became a certified integrative health coach. I’m also a certified birth doula. I’ve recently been doing research on the correlation between C-sections and the rise in other medical occurrences and issues. What drew me to being a doula was wanting to be a facilitator between mom/family and doctor/healthcare provider. I feel that people are feeling disconnected from their doctors and their health. It’s the same with nutrition; I feel like I’m still standing between individuals and their healthcare providers and helping them feel brave to ask more questions, explore more options, and communicate better.

Let’s find out some other little interesting things about you! What are three things you love most, besides your daughter and wellness, of course?

 1. Thrift shopping! I have an Instagram handle that showcases my finds and re-sales. I pride myself on saving money and having awareness on how I spend my money. I think searching two months for something(clothes) that already had life is rewarding rather than just buying the most expensive and latest trend. 

2. I love good music! My boyfriend is a musician, I grew up in a musical house, my daughter is very musical. 

3. Cross stitching! I have been cross-stitching and love it! I’ve been doing it for about 6 months now.    

It’s been so fun to watch your platform grow and see the difference you’re making for so many people. How does it feel to “be there” and how did you “get here?”

I don’t even feel like I’m there yet. I need to slow down and soak up where I’m at. It’s easy to feel like you have to keep asking “what’s next?” I started out with Beach Body in 2014/2015. I didn’t know how important that it was for me to get where I am now. I wanted to help people on a deeper level but I didn’t know how. It can get really personal when digging into the depths of people’s eating habits. I was into fitness but nutrition was the deeper passion and calling. Coaching was great but there was more I wanted to be able to do for people so I decided to go to nutrition school and decided to go to the school for Integrative Nutrition. I was two months in and sobbing listening to my lectures and doing my school work; it was confirmation that it was where I was supposed to be. It was hard switching gears because people knew me as a BB coach. I am continually having to show people that I’ve stepped into a new role. School was a year long; it was so much information packed into a year! I was battling illness and so was my daughter in that year. Clients started popping up and then just falling into my lap; it was quick and fast and crazy! I graduated September 2018. I didn’t have a marketing plan yet but people started emailing me immediately; it was affirming that I was in the right place and had made the right decision. My daughter’s diagnosis pushed me into the direction of IIN school, too.

The vision I have for my interviews are: advocate for a population, inform the community, and connect people to resources they might need.  That’s the outline I’ll use for our interview today. However, I have had a few friends request a few specific questions for out interview. In addition, I don’t know what I don’t know so I’ll have you share anything we don’t cover that you think needs sharing!

How do you see yourself as an advocate for your clients and others?

When people sign up and work with me, they often call me a life coach in their testimony. My passion is that wellness isn’t just about food. Isn’t just about exercise. There are pillars that we focus on; finances, relationship, home environment, food, movement. People know their bodies more than they give themselves credit for. When it comes to food it’s different for every person. You have to learn to listen to yourself and listen to the cues your body is giving you. I encourage my clients to see therapists, primary doctors, etc. I enjoy getting to the bottom of “why are you binge eating?” etc. My work is so much bigger than just food but it all comes full circle and ties back into nutrition. I want to give people the tools to be intuitive and listen to their bodies. I do free consults for 30 minutes so people can get a feel of if we are a good fit. 

What information do you think is important for people to know about nutrition and wellness?

When you receive a diagnosis and are offered a plan of action it’s usually not the only plan available to you; just know that. My doctor offered me medication and I was interested in knowing all of the other options before making a decision. There are doctors who will work through it with you and there are some that don’t hear you, don’t holistically approach you, and won’t investigate or give more options. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and don’t be afraid to find a different doctor. I know it’s difficult with insurance, money, etc. For the first time in forever I like the doctors I’m seeing. I know how it feels to sit across from a healthcare provider and feel like they’re disconnected and not really in the boat with you. Don’t feel like you cannot ask more questions, ask for another way, or ask for a new doctor. There are often many options! Be brave enough to ask questions! I once walked into a clinic covered in hives and they said “here’s cream.” I had to push and ask for someone to test what it was I was eating/doing that was causing it. 

I recently had a similar experience so it is so encouraging to know that I’m not alone! It’s nice to be reminded that sometimes, even with a doctor, you have to be brave enough to keep asking questions, ask for more help, or find someone new. I’m in the process of switching to a new doctor whose reputation is one for digging deeper for answers. I’m so excited to meet him and understand whether or not thyroid medication really is or isn’t necessary for me. In the meantime, I’ve been implementing some strategies for my, according to blood tests, underactive thyroid.

So how can people who are looking for nutrition and wellness consultations connect with you?

I have a blog at Kitchenwitchlinds.com.
My email is lindswellness@gmail.com.

My Instagram is kitchenwitchlinds

I also do 30 minute free consultations so we can decide if we are a good match to work together. 

Questions from some friends:

What would you say to those who have been implementing a healty lifestyle but don’t see changes or don’t feel better and believe there may be more going on in their bodies? Can it be hard to get to the bottom of what more may be going on?

Yes, it can be hard to get a diagnosis. Again – see above and advocate for yourself. Just because you haven’t gotten a stamp from your doctor you can try things at home such as eliminating _____ if it makes you feel badly, you can eat to help your thyroid production, etc. You can start taking steps to start healing at home, too. 

What would you say about gut health? I’m seeing more and more research about the connection between gut and brain health. I work with children on the Autism Spectrum and there is more and more research being done that connects nutrition to the brain. I am so intrigued with digging deeper into this!Gut health - it’s so much more important than we give it credit for! I’m actually making a gut-healing course now that should be available in a few months. It’s a crash course in gut-health. Clearing things out, integrating things back in that are helpful. Outside of nutrition there are other things to implement like meditation, stress management, deep breathing, etc.

Where do you see yourself in five years and in ten years? 
In 5 years – so by age 30 - I want to do a TED talk so I have about five years left to get that done! I’m guessing it will be on gut health and autoimmune or just how broad wellness is and that we have to treat it as such. We have to step away from leaning on calories in/calories out. AH! I have five years! 

In 10 years- I would love to go to school to be a naturopath. I would love to have a practice. If not, I would love to be on the team of a naturopath and continue helping more people. I want to have more opportunities to continue speaking. 

What is a naturopath?
A naturopath is an MD leaning more towards dietary changes, chiropractor, Chinese medicine, etc. 

What starter tips would you give someone just starting out on the journey to making small and healthy habit changes each day? 

I would encourage a mindset of “more of this ____ and less of this ____.”  Crowd out the non-nutritious things with the nutritious choices. Start incorporating healthy fats, lean meat, whole grains, dark leafy greens, less sugar, less processed foods, get some lab work done, decode that lab work, and find a doctor that listens to you. 

As a single mom of a child with a medical diagnosis and specific nutritional and medical needs, what would you share with those in the same boat looking to navigate those challenges?

Balancing single motherhood when your child has an autoimmune disease that takes such tedious attention and care was - and still is - really tough. It’s probably the hardest job I have. 

A lot of people are unaware of how much it takes to manage Type 1 Diabetes, especially in a young child. I know I was completely oblivious until it was dropped in my lap.

Our days revolve around food and insulin injections. I have to measure and calculate every piece of food she puts in her mouth and give the correct amount of insulin for it. I try my best to make it a healthy, empowering environment for her because it is so daunting.  I try to educate her and empower her, especially now that there are several things she can't have. Meal times are very structured. I talk to her about her body and foods and involve her in the shopping and cooking process as much as possible. I let her choose her fruits and vegetables which equals her feeling in charge and happy about foods! We talk about the foods we eat and why we eat them. Kids are so much smarter than we think

What is your favorite “kitchenwitchlinds” recipe?

This is a tough one! Probably my vegetable curry or my double chocolate maple GF cookies, I have that recipe coming to the blog this week :) 

Thank you for your time today, Lindsey! You have been a huge resource for me. 

Friends, go follow Lindsey’s blog and Instagram for lots of yummy recipes and nutritious learning experiences!