¶ Recognizing Burnout and Optimal Health
Welcome to how I Built my Small Business . I'm Anne McGinty , your host , and today we have Dr Megan Lyons on the show to talk about recognizing early symptoms of burnout , ways to optimize your health and looking for the root causes of illness . Megan is a Harvard graduate with two master's degrees , two board certifications and a doctorate of clinical nutrition .
In 2014 , megan pivoted from the management consulting business world to follow her passion for wellness by opening the Lion's Share Wellness , a functional nutrition practice .
Since then , megan and her team have amassed over 15,000 hours of one-to-one nutrition consulting with clients internationally , providing personalized guidance to help individuals feel their healthiest and happiest . Megan is the host of a top podcast on health and wellness called Wellness your Way , where she shares insights and tips for living a healthier life .
She also publishes informational articles on the Lion's Share website weekly . She speaks widely at conferences , corporations and organizations . You can find links to connect with Megan in the episode's description .
Before we jump into the interview , don't forget to hit the subscribe button and if you learn something from today's episode , please share it with a friend to help us reach more listeners . Let's get started . Thank you to our listeners for being here today . Megan , I'm thrilled to have you on the show today . Thanks for coming in .
Thank you so much , Anne .
I'm really excited so when and why did you decide to leave business consulting to start a functional nutrition practice ?
Yes . So the when is probably somewhere , realistically , in 2010 . I didn't end up leaving until 2014 . But around 2010 , I felt not a crisis moment . I didn't have any like oh my gosh , this is absolutely terrible , I have to go . I just felt like I don't know if this is it , there must be something more for me out there .
This is fine , but it's not amazing every day . And so around that time I started brainstorming well , what in the world would I do ? And I even got an MBA in that time period , starting in 2010 . And , to be honest , I didn't even take any of the entrepreneurship classes because I totally thought that was not my thing .
I was like no way I'm going to start a business . And I had this huge passion for health and wellness , but even then I didn't think of it as a career . I thought I just was missing , that I wanted to be an architect or who knows what , like an engineer or something else .
I didn't think of ever starting this business until I started asking my friends and family like what do you think I should do if I did something else ? And they were all like duh , you spend all your time going to nutrition conferences , reading nutrition books , helping me with nutrition . They thought it was so obvious .
I was just so closed minded and didn't even think about it . But then , once they planted the seed in my head , it just became finding the right time , which is kind of a misnomer there's never a right time but finding the best time and that was January 2014 . And haven't looked back since . And haven't looked back since Wow .
So you had to go back to school then .
Yes . So what I did as I was asking around with my family and my friends is I completed my first certification program while I was getting my MBA . Just did that on the side . So I was certified as a holistic nutritionist in order to practice when I first opened .
Then , just because I love education and I wanted to go further than being more of a coach , I got a master's in holistic nutrition , a couple of board certifications and a doctorate of clinical nutrition , and hopefully this will be the last education program for at least a couple of years . But I honestly just love school . So who knows what will be next ?
And how hard was it for you to start getting clients Once you had all of your certifications , you had your website up and running and you were officially in business .
I would say , once I figured it out , it was not hard . I have been extremely fortunate and have worked hard to have a full client roster and wait lists for maybe eight or nine of the past years , of the past 11 years .
But when I first left on January 5th 2014 , what I did for literally the very first three weeks was I spent time putting together what I thought was going to be the perfect email .
It was going to personal contacts like my parents , friends , my friends , things like that , and I really put so much effort into this email and I honestly thought , oh , this is going to bring me hundreds of clients , like I thought I was going to be at full capacity .
I sent that email and , of course people can guess the story I got zero clients out of it . I got a lot of like oh , that's really cute , I'm so glad you're following your passion , but zero clients . And so that was like oh , okay , this is different from what I thought .
My next step was I marketed to 50 gyms in the Dallas area and I said I am a new nutritionist and I can talk about anything for free to your clients .
And instead of getting zero this time , I got one offer for a free presentation and there were about three or four people sitting on mats on the gym floor and I presented my heart out to them , but still I was like , okay , that's not it .
I really needed to stop hiding behind , you know , making this one perfect email or creating these perfect client handouts or whatever , and just put myself out there .
So the more and more that I figured out how to go speak , that I was blogging in the day , even before really consistent social media although I did some of that too before my podcast I would go speaking to different places , I would go to networking groups , I would just put myself out there . Once I started doing that , it became more of a constant inflow .
But I didn't want to do that at first . I wanted to just craft that perfect email . It sounds like you had to hustle quite a bit . Oh , I really did . I know that the word hustle gets a lot of hate and it can definitely be done in the wrong way , so that's not what I'm suggesting .
But I think to start a business of the fashion that I did , I think there is some hustle that's required for it and I think that makes you appreciate , or makes me appreciate , the high times a little bit more yeah .
And touching on what you were saying about hustle being sort of a frowned upon concept sometimes . We know that burnout is a significant challenge among workers and entrepreneurs . What do you think is going on ?
I mean , I have definitely been in clinical burnout multiple times in my life , so I'm certainly not immune to it .
It's something that I constantly work on and stay vigilant about for myself , and what I think is going on in people myself included and people like me is that we genuinely love working and I genuinely love serving my clients , and I'm so intrinsically motivated that when I set a goal , I will do anything to get that goal .
But it's almost like I have blinders and I forget when that goal becomes impractical or when I don't even really care about that goal or when that goal is slowly eroding my health or my relationships or whatever . I just get so laser focused on that goal and , to be honest , in small business , there's just always something to do .
I have never , ever in the past 11 years , had a completely blank to-do list where there was nothing I could do . So if we combine that the drive and the passion for your work and the omnipresence of things to do , I think it very easily tips over into burnout .
I know exactly what you're talking about , because I too ran a business for 13 years and I felt like one of those wind up toys that you would just crank up as high as you could go . Only I did that like for such a consecutive number of days and weeks so that my body was buzzing and it needed months actually to kind of calm back down .
So , hearing that story , does it make sense to you that I ended up with thyroid disease ?
So I I will say yes , but there's a workaround to that or a lead up to that , which is , I never think it's anyone's fault when we have a condition , a medical condition , it's not your fault . In hindsight , given what you know now , would you have done it different .
Maybe you were doing the very best you could at that situation , and same thing for myself for other situations that I could say I've created for myself . We were always doing the best
¶ Managing Adrenal Health for Entrepreneurs
. But what you're describing here is what's commonly called stage two adrenal dysregulation , which is that tired but wired . It's high cortisol . You're what I call running on fumes . You're going , going , going .
Your neurotransmitters , your hormones , all this chemical milieu in your body is like pumping out all the energy that you possibly need to get through the day and , like you said , one day of that is fine . We can go through a really stressful day and it's no problem . We all rebound .
But when we do that consistently and our cortisol keeps elevating , that very often tips over into a thyroid condition . There's something called the HPAT axis hypothalamus , pituitary , adrenal , thyroid axis and you notice adrenal which stimulates cortisol , the stress hormone , and thyroid . Those are right connected to each other .
So adrenal issues generally go downstream to thyroid issues .
So , looking back , are there specific signs , like early signs , that I should have been paying more attention to , and how can entrepreneurs in similar situations take proactive steps before reaching that breaking point that I did ?
Yeah , the difficult thing is that everyone's tolerance for stress is different . So I very clearly remember in my management consulting job a guy that I worked with . He could work until like 2 am every night and he genuinely wasn't burned out and I was like that's not fair .
I want to do that too , but I knew if I did that consistent nights in a row , my body just did not feel the same . So there's no number of hours or number of tasks on your to-do list or anything like that , but some signs and symptoms that our body tells us . Number one I think the most obvious is the inability to let down .
So if you go out to dinner with your partner or you go on vacation or something like that and you just can't stop thinking about work , oftentimes you're in that stage two adrenal dysregulation . Your body's just go , go , go , go go and it's making you stay hypervigilant . So that's an interesting sign .
Then we see a lot of things that do start to mimic thyroid issues .
So digestive changes either you're feeling gurgly all the time or potentially you're feeling constipated , or more IBS symptoms , maybe hair loss , skin thinning , nail brittleness , appetite changes I always used to describe it as well as I feel like there's someone in my head that's making me be in a bad mood .
I don't really want to be in a bad mood , but it's just coming out that way . So mood changes like that insomnia , especially those two to 3 am wake-ups . There'sa natural bump in cortisol . That happens , but it's exacerbated or it's felt worse when we have adrenal dysregulation .
So anything that's just kind of like you could brush it off as being normal , but you know deep down inside it's actually not normal . That could be a oh . Menstrual changes as well for people with periods . If those change or the days between cycles become different , any of that could be a clue as well .
So what are people supposed to do if they work in such high stress environments where they are faced with a higher level of stress more often than less often ?
Yeah , so the body is designed to deal with stress . There's something called hormetic stress , which I think of it like if it doesn't kill you , it makes you stronger . So the goal of hormetic stress like think about going for a run that's a hormetic stressor .
It is stressful for the body , it feels hard in the moment , but it's actually making you stronger , as long as you recover . Well , if you went out and you tried to run 300 miles all at once , well , you're either going to really injure yourself or who knows something worse , so that's not a good stress .
The good stress is when you run and then you recover and then you build up your fitness . Same thing with stress .
If we can learn to recover , we can withstand higher stress states more so , the things that are getting popular these days are like breathing exercises , which are a phenomenal way to tap into your parasympathetic nervous system , which is that rest and digest side that teaches your body . Even in the state of stress , I can relax . I can find that letdown .
Or meditation another amazing tool getting outside for five to 10 minutes it doesn't have to be crazy . Going for a short walk , snuggling a dog or a cat or a kid , like any of these things that just cause that , that momentary letdown .
The more and more we can incorporate these during the day I'm talking like three , four or five times a day optimally then we can withstand the high stress Without that recovery , though it doesn't work so well and usually ends in some adrenal dysregulation .
So what happens if somebody is just not recovering well ? So what are they supposed to do if they were capable of handling a higher level of stress and then it became so chronic that they suffered and they became sort of like quick fuses , yeah , like quick to stress ?
Yep , I see this very often in times of change , so , like perimenopause , that's a big time of change , because your sex hormones are changing . That will make changes in cortisol feel more dramatic , or even a change Like someone changes jobs or has a baby or something like that some big change .
Then people are starting to say my resilience just feels like it fell off a cliff . I don't have the same resilience , and then I say to them it sounds like a joke , but I'm actually quite serious . You can handle this in two to three months .
If you just cancel everything , if we send you to a beach in Bali and you quit your job and you don't have family obligations and you really hardcore , meditate and eat healthy food , like totally , your body can recover . Most people will not do that , myself included . That's not how I healed from burnout .
I did actually have one client one time who I said that kind of flippantly , and she was like , oh yeah , I'll totally quit my job , like let's go . And she did it and she did all of the things , and she recovered faster than I've ever seen anyone recover . Most people , though , will not take that approach .
We'll need to do a more gradual where , okay , I can do three , two minute breathing exercises . I can take that adaptogen . I can make some changes to my diet . I can alter my exercise routine . Maybe even I can prioritize sleep hygiene a little more . I can do these little things .
It will still work but honestly it will take longer if we go the gradual approach .
And take longer . Let's say that somebody again . They've been working for 10 years . They've finally reached this point of burnout . Their stress management is just so low they can't tolerate stress at all . If it took them 10 years to get sick , how long should they expect that it would take them to fully recover ?
Yeah , I wish I could give you a number . I'll give you a couple of guidance points , though . I was my own first patient . It took me two years to recover . So I lost my period for 12 months . I had lower hormones than post-menopausal women . I was like a whole adrenal thyroid sex hormone , absolute mess , and it took me two years to recover .
Now , that was before I knew anything about health . That was what started me on this journey . So we're talking 20 years ago that this was happening . Knowing what I know now , could I have guided myself through it a lot quicker ? Yes , so I see the average person in the situation that you're describing . That comes to me .
We're probably looking at four to six months to feel completely back to normal . It is a gradual process , but will they feel somewhat better after two to three weeks ? Yes , it's just that , like you said , it took 10 years to get into this position . It takes quite a while to fully rebound .
I think that the potential for the body to self-heal if you support it in the ways that it needs to be is pretty incredible . So we keep on talking about adrenal health . It sounds like with cortisol being pumped from there , it's kind of the cause of potentially burnout and more illnesses . How can people preventatively support their adrenal health ?
I know you mentioned adaptogens . Is there anything else ?
into the trap of demonizing cortisol . Cortisol is amazing . We would all be dead if we had zero cortisol . So thank goodness for cortisol and the excess of cortisol without the ability to let down . That's what's causing the problem . So hopefully cortisol doesn't hate me after this . Adaptogens , which you mentioned , are such powerful herbs .
I call adaptogens magic balancers because they are not like a drug . A drug automatically lowers a level or raises a level of something . That's its target . An adaptogen balances the level , so if someone's high in something , it will lower it , if someone's low in something , it will raise it , which is really cool .
And there are very few pharmaceuticals that can do that . But adaptogens are often mushrooms or herbs . People might've heard of ashwagandha , which is an adaptogen , or holy basil , or reishi or cordyceps . There are all kinds of different adaptogens for different functions and different purposes , and those even as a preventative before you get to total burnout .
But ooh , I feel like my body's under a lot of stress and adaptogen can help build your resilience to that . Really prioritizing sleep quality is very important and you'll notice I always say sleep hygiene , sleep quality , because it's usually unrealistic for most people to spend 9 to 10 hours in bed every single night .
So really getting that quality is important , but then also , of course , I'm going to go to diet . So our adrenals are some of the biggest consumers of micronutrients , which are macronutrients our protein , fat and carbs . Those are important too . We'll get there , but micronutrients are vitamins and minerals and all these other things that we need .
In smaller quantities and without a plethora of those coming in through an abundance of vegetables , fruits , other whole foods , your adrenals really suffer , and most of us , when we're in that stressed out phase , what do we do ? We turn to more caffeine .
We have coffee for breakfast and then maybe we have like a candy bar for lunch or something like that , and then another coffee after that . We're getting tons of stimulants . We're not getting a ton of nutrition . So we really need to focus on getting in those micronutrients . And then the macronutrients are also important .
In fact , all three of them are important for adrenals . We think protein probably first , because without adequate protein we're not able to recover from exercise stressors , but also from mental , emotional stressors . Fat is very important for any hormone , so we need that good quality , healthy fat . But then carbs we forget about . We are very quick to demonize carbs .
Adrenals need carbs to heal , though Do we need a giant pasta dinner and three donuts every night ? Absolutely not , but we may need some parsnips , some rice , some whole grains , potatoes , something like that , or at minimum we need some vegetables and some fruits .
¶ Managing Adrenal Health With Adaptogens
Going fully no carb is not great if you're in a state of adrenal dysregulation .
That's interesting to me because I think that I also demonize carbs . Yeah , just thinking that , oh , it'll convert to a sugar and then it's just going to dysregulate my whole system . So what is the point of the carbs for adrenals ?
Yeah , so oftentimes I see people with adrenal dysregulation having that two to 3 AM wake up . That I mentioned before . And what's happening here ? There is this natural bump in cortisol . But people with adrenal dysregulation their body's in a state of panic . They're very jumpy , I guess , when their blood sugar goes outside of the normal range .
If you don't have a lot of carbs during the day and then your blood sugar is drifting low as you sleep , it boom , shoots right back up because it's in a panic . It's like , oh my gosh , the blood sugar is getting low . Let's secrete a bunch of adrenaline to get that blood pumping , to get glycogen out of the muscles into the bloodstream .
That raises back up your blood sugar . So it's out of panic . But now you have adrenaline going and you have your mind racing and it's very difficult to get back to sleep .
So actually having a small portion of whole food carbohydrates at night which is even for people who don't vilify carbs they're definitely like , oh , not carbs at night but having some of those carbohydrates at night can help the body not feel panicked , not feel like the blood sugar is going to get so low that I have to turn out this adrenaline .
That is so fascinating . I'm going to have a conversation with my husband later today . So fascinating . I'm going to have a conversation with my husband later today . Amazing , this has become a topic that I guess maybe we were just lacking in a little bit of information .
So , going back a little bit to the adaptogens , because we're starting to see this everywhere in the grocery store now , and our drinks and different supplements , herbs how much do we really need in our diet and for how long to really start showing impact ?
I will be the first to say that we cannot out supplement a poor quality diet , lifestyle , anything like that . So I totally wish adaptogens were the one and only fix . I have never seen anyone in 11 years of practice not change their diet and lifestyle but take an adaptogen and completely heal . I don't think it's possible , unfortunately .
That would be much easier . It might make my job easier too , but that said , if you're going to do what you can , you can't be perfect where you're a human , but you can make a little bit of perfect where you're a human , but you can make a little bit of change in your diet and lifestyle .
Then the question of how much adaptogens or what quantity of adaptogens should you take . It's pretty individual . It's very rare to overdose on adaptogens . Your body's really smart . I'm not suggesting anyone go out and swallow a whole bottle , but you don't need to be as precise as you do with some medications .
So , depending on which herb we're starting with , I'll usually just go with whatever dosage is on the bottle to start out . It's hard to give a number of milligrams because it depends on the herb , it depends on the concentration . So you'll see on the back 95% concentrate or something like that . But I'll just start with one dosage .
As long as you're getting a good , reputable brand , you can trust that dosage for most people and then I'll do some experiments so I'll say , okay , you feel a little better with that , but not too much better or not enough better . So let's try one and a half doses the next week and see how that goes . And sometimes it actually goes the other way .
I just had someone earlier today actually , who I gave an adaptogen blend for calming and I know she really needs it based on her testing and her symptoms and she took the full dosage , which was three capsules , and she was like , oh , that was uncomfortable , like I felt too calm . That was not a normal feeling for her .
Even though physiologically it was normal , it was just like too much for her to handle emotionally . So we're going to go back down to one capsule and then we'll ease her up into three capsules .
That's super interesting and I also have had that experience myself with just trying different adaptogens and feeling like , hmm , that one like doesn't sit right , or maybe I'm not drinking enough water afterwards to fully get it down into my stomach , or something . But this is a wealth of knowledge . It's so interesting .
And again , we know that entrepreneurs really struggle with chronic stress . I think that the percentage is over 80% or something like that
¶ Prioritizing Health and Digestive Wellness
. So if someone came to you who was maybe one of these typical entrepreneurs who is just stretched so thin , wearing a thousand different hats and feeling like they couldn't shut it off , what are the first steps that you would suggest to them to reverse the damage and to start rebuilding their health ?
Well , I have this button right here on my desk and I pretend it's a magic button . And I ask them if you could press the magic button and then tomorrow you have unlimited resources financial , whatever else and you can't do anything productive . You can't work , you can't take care of the kids , you can't wash the laundry , nothing productive . What would you do ?
And they look at me like this is so dumb . And then they answer , and based on their answer , I know what they need . So , on one extreme , someone might say I want to go to , like , the coolest amusement park or a concert in Paris and I want to wear all this fancy clothes and have 29 of my friends and , like have a crazy night .
Or the other person might say all I want is to go sit on a beach and read a book and not talk to anyone . And those two people need something very different . We can get into a state of adrenal dysregulation , basically based on boredom and overwork and lack of stimulation .
And so that first person they need stimulation , they need excitement , they need change in their life . That second person , they need solace , they need rest , they need more internal reflection time , and so , while I can't make any of their dreams happen , like the beach and or the concert in Paris or whatever .
What we can do is take some clues from that and start building in little things during the day . So for the second person , can they read for 10 minutes per day ? Almost everyone and I work with extremely busy people almost everyone can find 10 minutes a day if they really prioritize it .
For that first person , can they call a friend once a week and just schedule some kind of meal out or walk in the park or something like that . It's starting small with what they know , their gut instinct tells them they need , and then building that into a lifestyle and going further .
And the gut instinct hearing you mention that people say increasingly more so now that health starts in the gut . We know this right . So what recommendations do you have for digestive health , especially for people with very busy schedules ?
Yes , Well , I'll take the busy one in a second and give you some easier tips , but the first thing I'll say is , the more we can shift to whole food , the better .
Our guts are very confused these days because they're having to process so many chemical things that we're not used to , that human DNA and functioning still does not recognize , and we're getting this hyperpalatable food that's low in fiber , which sounds like it would be easier on digestion , but the microbiome , which are the good bacteria in your gut , they need fiber
to thrive . So if you think about your average Cheeto or you name your processed food , it has a lot of chemicals that we're not used to , it doesn't have a lot of those micronutrients and it does not have almost any fiber , which are food for the good bacteria . So the health and the robustness of our gut has dwindled because of that process and packaged food .
So we're in 2025 . I'm under no pretense that someone out there is going to eat zero packaged food for the rest of their life . I certainly don't do that . What I do try to do is get most of my food from whole food , the food that we have to chew , and I can't tell you how many people say to me , oh no , a salad , a salad .
I don't have time to eat food during the day and I'm like , well , that's actually part of the problem . The food that we can just swallow without chewing , that's not really great for our gut . So we really do need to focus on whole food and then some of the things that are maybe quicker . A probiotic is one of the standard go-tos for gut health .
There are some people who do worse on a probiotic , so certainly if you've had a kombucha and you find yourself very burpy , something like that , it could be a sign of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth . Probiotic might not be for you , but in general , because of our over-sanitization and lack of fermented foods , many people do do better on a probiotic .
So that could be some place to start giving yourself breaks between meals . I personally would love to have zero meals and just literally snack like a hundred percent of the day , but that's not good for our gut . So actually getting that . We have something called the migrating motor complex , which only moves after a period of not having food .
So getting a couple hours between incidences of eating during the day , and then even something as simple as staying hydrated Many busy people don't remember to drink water and constipation . I mean I'm not exaggerating when I say 50% of the constipation cases that I see in my office can be fixed by just drinking water . So that's something so huge for gut health .
Yeah , dehydration , as you were saying that , I was thinking back to the number of days where I know my body has been sitting there going drink some water . Drink some water , yeah , and I just ignore it . Yeah , I'm like , no , I'm busy right now , but , yes , we need to prioritize hydration .
Knowing is one and then actually being compliant with what we're supposed to do is another . What do you do about kids who lean towards donuts and treats and Takis and artificially colored slushies and they just gobble , gobble , gobble , gobble up and they say , mom , it's not a big deal , it doesn't matter , I run a ton and I play a lot of sports .
Are they right , or are they ?
wrong From a weight perspective . They're often right . Many kids , their metabolism is so fast that they can have the hyper palatable processed foods and not gain weight . But weight is very much not the whole picture of health . So we're starting to learn more and more things
¶ Nutrition, Health, and Wellness Strategies
Like . Recently we're getting a lot of press coverage about red 40 and other food colorings connected to things like ADHD , hyperactivity , neurodivergence , even down the long , long road , neurodegenerative conditions . So that's just one example , but then there are many others in package and processed food . So do I think kids should never have any of that ?
No , because those kids turn into the ones that then when they go to their friends' homes , they dive into the pantry and they overdo it there and they often can get some emotional relationship with food . That's not the healthiest .
So I don't believe in overt restriction and , just like I said to you with the thyroid condition , I do not believe in blaming for health conditions . But what I do know for sure is that taste buds adapt to what they are given more frequently .
So kids who are not given vegetables , fruits , other whole foods they're correct in saying that it tastes bad for them because their taste buds haven't adjusted . Just like me , in college I drank six Diet Cokes per day . I thought it was delicious , I know yes , your face tells it all Clearly .
I did not know about health then , once I started learning about health and cut that out . That was , however , 20 plus years ago . Diet Coke honestly tastes disgusting to me . Now I don't want to drink it . My taste buds changed based on what they were given , and kids do the same .
Our taste buds can change in as quick as 10 days , depending on the research . So when we are only offering our kids hyper palatable foods , they'll only want that . The answer , then , is to bring it it in in a way that's not punishment .
You don't say you have to eat this food because it's healthy , blah , blah , blah but just offer it more and more and more . And it is so frustrating I know I've seen it over and over and over where the parent produces or creates this delicious broccoli and the kid doesn't eat it .
That's very frustrating , but we need repeated exposure and their taste buds will change . I have , uh and again , no , no shame to anyone in my family or anyone else , but I have , across my spectrum of nieces and nephews , those who are very picky based on what they were given as kids and those who I mean like .
Literally yesterday my sister , my youngest sister , sent me a picture of my niece , who's one and a half , and she refused her waffle for breakfast . She only wanted a cucumber . So there's this picture of her just chomping on a whole cucumber . That's what she has been given and she really does appreciate that taste more that is amazing .
Yeah , I also have noticed what you're saying though I'd never looked into the research with it that when my daughter eats more sweets regularly , she starts craving them so much that we have to cut her off cold turkey to reset . Yep , okay , kids have a really high metabolic rate , but adults don't match that .
So I think the stat is something like 88% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy .
Yes .
What do we need to know about this ? Why does that matter ?
Yeah , it really matters a lot , because metabolic health is connected to all the scary chronic conditions that we think about , from Alzheimer's to cancer , to type 2 diabetes and on and on and on .
Five specific things it's if you have adequate HDL , which is the quote good cholesterol , low enough triglycerides , low enough fasting blood sugar , low enough blood pressure and then a healthy waist circumference .
So these are just many leading indicators of this might be a problem in the future , but basically what it means is our body's not processing food the way we want it . Our blood sugar is dysregulated . We're starting to have things that could turn into liver dysfunction or blood sugar dysregulation , insulin resistance , things like that , and this is totally reversible .
Any of those things that I mentioned , even when it gets so far as fatty liver , non-alcoholic fatty liver disease . These are all reversible . But it does take changing our diets and same thing just shifting gently away from some of that processed food to more whole food .
Thinking about those macronutrients the protein , fat and carbs and really representing each of them in each meal . That's the first step . Carbs and really representing each of them in each meal that's the first step .
Inflammation is also just another one of those buzzwords right now and is a telltale sign right of chronic illness potentially . How can we pay attention to that , how can we notice it , what should we be looking for and how can we proactively reduce it ?
Yes , most people have had the experience of acute inflammation , which is I sprained my ankle , for example , and that ankle gets hot and puffy and swollen and that's great . It's my immune system and repair system going to that tissue and fixing the damage . That's a good , helpful process . The problem is when inflammation becomes systemic .
Now it's not just our ankle but our body thinks it has to fix the whole thing . So then we start getting symptoms like a puffier face , puffier or sore , achy hands or feet , maybe skin issues , brain fog , fatigue , digestive issues like IBS-like symptoms , alternating constipation , diarrhea , bloating , something like that .
It just feels off and oftentimes if I ask people , do you think you feel inflamed ? Even if they don't really know the technical definition , they can tell me yes or no and they're generally right . So what do we do to prevent this ? I have a very simple handout in my practice which I'll describe to you and people will get it .
It's inflammatory foods in one column and anti-inflammatory foods in the other column , and all we need to do is shift the balance gradually like a seesaw . We don't have to take out the inflammatory foods altogether .
We do probably need to add in some more anti-inflammatory foods , but it's not about perfection , it's just realizing your seesaw is tipped a little to one side . Let's tip it gently to the other side . So inflammatory foods are the ultra processed foods that we've talked about alcohol , added sugar , fried food , gluten and dairy are both on a spectrum .
So some people gluten causes a lot of inflammation , like if you have celiac disease you should definitely not have any gluten . Most people are somewhere in the middle where they might not know it or think gluten really affects them anyway , but it actually does create a little inflammation . Same thing with dairy .
And then there are some rare people who are actually genuinely fine with both of those . But those are on a spectrum . And then with exercise , over or under exercise , both create inflammation and our dear friend , stress creates inflammation . So that's all on the inflammatory column . Then the anti-inflammatory column . We think about antioxidants .
Oxidative stress is not exactly the same as inflammation , but it's basically the same for our purposes . So antioxidant rich foods are those dark colored vegetables and fruits . People have heard oh , berries have antioxidants . That's right , they're darkly colored vegetables and fruits .
Other ones might be broccoli or Brussels sprouts or kale or spinach or anything that's that deep color in its flesh . Also , healthy fats can be anti-inflammatory , being adequately hydrated , some herbs like turmeric , ginger these are anti-inflammatory and then stress relief , sleep , meditation , all that good stuff .
So again , not about totally staying in one column , but just shifting the balance gradually to get a little more to that anti-inflammatory side . And this document is downloadable where On your website just shifting the balance gradually to get a little more to that anti-inflammatory side . And this document is downloadable where on your website .
It's technically just for my clients , but I'm happy to send it if we . I'll find some way to get it to you . If you want to put it in the show notes for anyone listening , yeah that sounds great .
And , circling back just a little bit more to your practice , it sounds like you've had a full roster of clients for eight or nine years . What are you hoping to achieve ? What are you trying to do with the practice ? Do you want to grow ? Do you want to sustain ? Just get your message out there . Are you writing a book Like ? What are you hoping for ?
Oh , it's such a great question and and as we're coming up on the end of the year , this is always when I focus most on goal setting , so I will have a better answer for you , hopefully in a couple of weeks , but I'll tell you my current answer . We have a team of four right now , so still a small practice .
I don't ever anticipate having 200 functional nutritionists on my team . That's not the kind of business that I'm going for . I do anticipate expanding that a little bit more broadly , so maybe doubling or tripling that size , and that's only been in the last couple of years that I've hired anyone outside .
Well , I always had some help with other things , like the newsletter and social media and stuff , but never actually doing the nutrition work . So I do see some expansion there . I definitely see more expansion for myself in terms of speaking at conferences and things like that , and then I did write a book in 2016 .
It's still fine information , it's not wrong , but I just have evolved so much since then , so there definitely needs to be another book somewhere on my horizon . That sounds amazing .
And the growth .
¶ Entrepreneurial Insights and Growth Strategies
Can you give us a little peekaboo into your mind ? What is the motivator for you wanting to double or triple the size of your business ?
I know that there are so many amazing practitioners out there who have so much to share and just don't want to start a business for whatever reason , or don't have the business acumen . And I know even stronger that there are so many people out there who need real help .
They've been gaslit by practitioners or they're confused by all the conflicting information and I know , based on our success rate with other clients , that we can help and somehow in me that overachiever is like . If I know that there are people who need help and I know I can enable them to get help , I just can't rest until their help .
So will I ever help everyone in the world ? Absolutely not . But I know I can help a lot more people than I am right now and that's what motivates me .
How do you handle the juggle as a business owner , knowing that you need to produce a level of cashflow in order to make increasing the size of your team sustainable ?
Yeah , I mean I actually don't have a ton , uh , like I have an office . But frankly I have a really good deal on my office because I've been there for so many years and I have tons of software , like you know client management systems and podcasting and all that kind of stuff . But aside from that I really don't have that many expenditures .
So cashflow has never been an issue for us , thankfully , because we just have so many clients coming in . It's a rotating cycle . I know I'm able to pay my people and pay myself . It's worked out pretty well .
And increasing your brick and mortar location ? Is this something that would need to happen ?
No , so I don't see that happening . I'm not necessarily opposed to it , but if we take me back to I think I first got my office in 2015 . So a year in everyone wanted to be in the office . My client base was primarily Dallas . It was very rare that I would do telehealth , and now I'm not exaggerating when I say 92 plus percent is virtual .
So I'm really only in the office for the rare people who want to have touch bases . But most of what we do , even some physical exam stuff , can be done virtually . My nutrition team is not all in Dallas . We operate very virtually . So I mean , who knows what the future will bring ? But at least in the next couple of years I think our one office is fine .
Who knows what the future will bring ? But at least in the next couple of years I think our one office is fine .
That's amazing , the low overhead and also all the remote workers that you were able to establish that team , that's a whole , nother conversation . So from your entrepreneurial journey , just wrapping up here , what key lessons have you learned that could serve as valuable advice for anyone who is aspiring to become an entrepreneur ?
Get faster at failing . This is not new advice . I'm sure people have heard it , but I really spent that whole first six months being slow at failing Some of the examples I told you and many others as well , and one of my greatest strengths now is , if something doesn't work , I know when to move on .
I also know when to not give up If I know in my gut like something's going to work . I just got it wrong the first time . Cool , well , pivot , try something new , but fail quickly has been really , really helpful for me .
And then another one that's maybe a little bit trite or oversaid , but it's helped me so much is to keep a folder , physical or digital , of the successes , because there are hard days , and none of my clients ever have meant to be mean . I am confident , but people don't appreciate you some days .
Some days they're very demanding , some days you lose a client , some days whatever , and it always helps me to have that record of wow . I've helped so many thousands of people just to turn back to and lift up my spirits . On that note , the last thing I'll say is we've got to have some way to take care of ourselves .
So for me , the number one thing that has changed my health and my business is my morning routine . I do literally 100% of days I do my morning routine . Sometimes it's more elaborate , sometimes it's less elaborate . But I don't feel like myself , I don't feel really well able to serve my clients well if I don't do that .
So for someone else listening , it might be evening routine or golf once a week or whatever it is for them . Find that way that really feels like restoring yourself .
Your morning routine . Can you give us a peek ?
Sure , so I have an acronym called wake up and go . It stands for water , first thing before coffee . Affirmations which , for me , are just reading my goals . I don't do some of like the more hokey affirmations , although that's cool if you like it . Knowledge is K I read for just a few pages . E is for exercise , so I love exercising in the morning .
If someone doesn't like exercising in the morning , just like a minute of walking around stretching , jumping jacks , something . U is for unwind , for me that's meditation . It could be journaling , prayer , anything else that slows you down . P is positivity Listen to a positive quote or positive song . G is for gratitude , three things you're grateful for .
And then last one , o , one goal for the day . Because , just like me , I'm sure the audience listening has a thousand things on their to-do list and we tend to focus on the ones we don't get done at the end of the day . Setting one main goal for the day helps us be laser focused and then feel accomplished when we get to the end of the day .
I really love that . I actually was just imagining it on a poster that just sits there , where you see it , first thing as a reminder for yourself , but also , in my circumstance , my kids too . That's really beautiful , really amazing that you figured that out .
So for a final question if you could go back and talk with yourself when you were in your early twenties , what life wisdom would you give yourself ?
Trust yourself , try to take the bigger picture . Each day doesn't have to feel like you changed the world , but as the days add up , you are changing the world and that's all I've ever wanted to do is make a difference . I didn't do that every single day , but I have done that over the years and I believe everyone listening has done the same .
So try to zoom out , trust yourself , keep on going because it's working . That's what I would say to myself .
That's amazing , megan . Thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing all of your knowledge and insights with us , and your story too .
Thank you so much . It's been such a blast .
Today's key takeaways . If you're starting a new business , your network can provide initial momentum and support , but it won't be enough to fully sustain your business . You need strategies beyond your immediate circle . Offer free presentations , speak at events , join community gatherings and networking groups . Put yourself out there .
Visibility is everything when building trust and awareness . Passion and drive are fantastic , but too much hyperfocus can lead to burnout . Know your stress limits and watch for early signs of overdoing it . For example , are you tired but wired ? This could be staged to adrenal dysregulation or high cortisol levels .
Common signs could be that you can't relax or stop thinking about work , even in personal time . Digestive changes , hair loss , skin thinning , brittle nails , appetite and mood shifts and insomnia . This is different from hormetic stress , which is the good type of stress . If you allow for recovery .
To build stress resilience , consider these preventative measures Breathing exercises to activate the parasympathetic nervous system , meditation and mindfulness practices . Adaptogens like ashwagandha , holy basil , reishi and cordyceps to balance stress hormones .
Prioritize quality sleep and have a balanced diet with the right macronutrients proteins , fats , carbs and micronutrients , vitamins and minerals . If you're wondering about burnout , you can ask yourself this reflection question If you had unlimited resources but couldn't be productive , what would you do Think about your answer .
It could reveal what's missing in your life and where you need balance In regards to health and metabolism . Your weight is just one small piece of your overall health . Chronic inflammation can lead to visible and invisible symptoms puffy face , skin issues , brain fog , fatigue and digestive problems or chronic illness .
Gradually shift toward anti-inflammatory habits for lasting benefits . Allow two to four hours between meals for a healthy migrating motor complex . Stay hydrated it's foundational for everything . And remember taste buds . Adapt within 10 days . Repeated exposure to healthy foods will shift your cravings over time . I'll include a link to Megan's worksheet in the show notes .
When it comes to mindset for growth , fail faster . Recognize when to pivot and when to persevere , but also celebrate successes . Keep a folder of wins to boost your spirits on tough days . Consider a morning , evening or weekly routine to recharge .
Try Megan's wake up and go approach water affirmations , knowledge , exercise , meditation , positivity , gratitude and one goal Finally trust yourself . Zoom out when things get overwhelming , take a step back and look at the bigger picture . Keep going and remember that every step forward , no matter how small , matters . That's it for today .
I release episodes once a week , so come back and check it out . Have a great day .