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I talk with Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner Maddison Sutton about a game-changing wellness strategy most of us overlook: the afternoon break.
Maddison shares how her corporate burnout led to severe health issues, and why slowing down finally helped when pushing harder failed. If you're a high-achieving woman juggling career demands while battling autoimmunity or chronic stress, you'll love her practical approach to self-care that doesn't require hours of your time.
We discuss why perfectionism sabotages healing, how to check in with what your body truly needs each day, and why small acts of self-love (even watching cat videos!) can transform your health journey.
A conversation packed with simple strategies you can implement today, no matter how busy your schedule.
For the complete show notes and links visit inspiredliving.show/183
For the complete show notes and links visit inspiredliving.show/183
Creators and Guests
What is Inspired Living with Autoimmunity?
The podcast for high achievers who want to stay sharp, focused and full of energy despite their diagnoses. Those who know there has got to be something better than simply accepting decline.
Hosted by Julie Howton, a National Board Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach who used to suffer from crippling Rheumatoid Arthritis until she learned the tools and strategies to take her power back from autoimmunity.
In this podcast, Julie brings you interviews with thought leaders in the Functional Health and Wellness space. You will get actionable recommendations to Take Your Power Back and catapult your health. No fluff, just concrete, useful steps to improve your health!
I'll also say a small thing to add in,
like morning routines are really big.
I think a midday pause is sometimes
even more important than having that
established morning wellness time.
Many of us just rush through the day
and don't breathe and walk around
with our shoulders up to our ears.
I will hold my breath, if I stressed out.
Taking a little bit of a pause.
I worked for Salesforce and they
are very good about mindfulness
and wellness, and when I was going
to the office, they actually had
meditation rooms and all of the floors.
Which is amazing.
I got a lot of benefit from
like an afternoon meditation.
Just an afternoon meditation
was so much more powerful for
me like a morning meditation.
Welcome back to the Inspired
Living with Autoimmunity podcast.
I'm your host, Julie Michelson, and today
we're joined by Madison Sutton, Certified
Integrative Health and Wellness Coach
and Functional Diagnostics and Nutrition
Practitioner, dedicated to helping
women take control of their health.
After over a decade in the
corporate world, she saw firsthand
the toll of chronic stress.
Madison specializes in stress
management, hormone health, and
preconception wellness, empowering
busy women to restore balance,
boost energy, and build confidence.
Her mission is to help women align their
health with their ambitions and take
proactive control of their well being.
In today's conversation, perfectionism
impact health and how it's the small
steps of self care that lead to wellness.
Maddison, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
I'm so excited for this conversation
and I know that listeners are
going to get so much value.
Um, I had to make myself just
like, let's jump in and hit record.
Cause I know we could just chat and chat.
So, um, tell us a little bit about how
did you get into integrative wellness
and decide to become a, an FDN functional
diagnostic nutrition practitioner.
For me, this has been
quite a long journey.
I think so many people that are
in this space have come here
because of personal experience.
I was introduced into holistic wellness
because it really was not on my radar,
like not something I grew up with at all.
Um, I'm from the South.
Like, we just, even my family today
is just like, what are you doing?
Like, why do we have to eat this way?
We just don't get it.
So definitely was not raised
to believe the things and like
live the way that I now live.
I was introduced into autoimmunity
when someone I was dating in
my younger years developed.
Um, it was actually never
defined, like what he had.
Um, they were like, maybe
it's Crohn's, maybe it's IBS.
Um, whatever it was, I think
we kind of landed on IBS.
Just really was shockingly,
like, devastating to our lives.
Um, just in an instant, um, I mean, really
it felt like overnight just was so sick.
Um, and that was just such
an eye opening experience.
You know, we tried all of the
Western medicine approaches.
You know, we went and saw allergists,
like we were just constantly
in the doctor or the hospital.
He had to, you know, switch
jobs because of stress.
And we were in our mid twenties, so like
young, healthy, and it got to the point
where They were like, we don't really
know how to make this better for you.
You know, we're going to put you on
this medicine for the rest of your life.
Um, at one point they told us even if the
medicine didn't work, you were never able
to stop taking it because they scare you.
Yeah, they scare you.
Yeah.
And it doesn't matter what you
eat is my biggest pet peeve in the
autoimmune world is the GI stuff.
No, it doesn't matter what you eat.
It's, it's really kind of horrible.
And I just, I was like, this is not going
to be like, this just doesn't work for me.
Like something does not feel right.
in my gut about this situation.
Yeah.
Um, so I just like scoured the
internet, you know, trying to
find anything that I could.
And we actually stumbled upon
this pretty extreme, um, diet that
he went on for just two weeks.
It's just two weeks and started
meditating every morning.
He was like, I really feel
that this is stress related.
And guess what?
It got better.
Uh huh.
Shocker.
Yeah.
That was my, that was my intro into
this and it has just really evolved
from there, but that was kind of
what got me started on this path.
I,
I, you know, it's.
Typically, there's some outliers, but
for the most part, most of my guests, you
know, if it wasn't your personal medical
journey, it was a loved one, right?
And so I know that that piqued
your interest and kind of got you
opened up to like, okay, maybe
there's some other stuff going on.
But you weren't working in
integrative wellness yet, correct?
No, I, after this would spend
the next eight years in a
career that I really loved.
I was in, um, I worked
in the software world.
I was customer facing, you
know, I was in sales, I was
traveling doing presentations.
It was a lot of fun.
Um, But very, very stressful job.
Sure.
Um, super stressful.
I lived on San Diego, not San Diego.
I lived in San Francisco for three years.
Um, and while I was there supporting
a lot of clients in Europe, a
lot of clients on the East coast.
So sleep.
Yeah.
Sleep wasn't happening.
Regular routine was to wake up at four
and then have a presentation at Ouch.
Yeah.
So it was, it was, um, And
I'm guessing you weren't
going to sleep at eight o'clock.
I wasn't , I was trying,
you know, I was trying.
Yeah, it's hard.
Um,
yeah, I had that, that knowledge, you
know, from this prior experience, like,
sure, well exercise, um, try to get sleep.
But my biggest issue was sleep.
Um, I. I've struggled with
insomnia, or I did struggle with
insomnia for about 15 years.
Um, and that actually started
in high school for me.
I think that there was a lot of stress
for me just from like my parents
getting divorced and, you know,
things like that when I was younger.
So that's a bad habit that I
brought into my adult life.
Um, and work really made that worse.
Um, but what really brought me into
this, so I was enjoying my corporate
career and everything, but very stressed
out, not sleeping well, gained a lot
of weight, um, couldn't really explain
where that weight was coming from
because I was doing everything right.
Um, and then about three years
ago, my father was diagnosed
with cancer and that was it.
Like that was the last straw for me.
I experienced just extreme
burnout almost instantly.
Um, and started experiencing some
really bad, like, nervous system issues.
I was waking up every night, I
couldn't feel my hands and my feet.
You know, I was having
all of these mood issues.
You know, waking up feeling energized.
And then, you know, it's 10 a. m. and
I'm crying, just all over the place.
And that was really when I was like,
okay, I've wanted to go down this path
of holistic wellness for a long time.
Doctors are not able to tell me
what's wrong with me, even though I
was going to a naturopathic doctor.
I am going to take my
healing into my own hands.
I am going to learn how
to fix this on my own.
That a girl.
I'm going to leave my corporate job.
Amazing.
Amazing.
And I am, I'm sorry for
your loss with your dad.
I been there.
So, um, but the rainbow becomes the,
you now are helping other people.
You're empowering other people.
I know that, you know, especially women.
Um, and, and I want to
talk a little bit about.
We'll get into, you know, your process and
how you work and how you're helping women.
Um, but, but I had heard you say something
in another interview that was so aligned
and we, right before we hit record, we
were chatting for a minute, you know,
when I first, I say I didn't used to
be as good of a coach as I thought
I was at the very beginning, right?
Because there's like so much
information you want people to have.
Things you know you need them to do.
Um, and so I know in the beginning
of my career, I had to be on
some level driving stress up.
And clients, because we would get to
stress management and we would get to
self care and, you know, especially
with my focus on autoimmunity, you
know, that we, I went in hard with
diet in the beginning and I'm like you,
I do a lot of testing up front and,
um, and so I have slowed my role and
changed my approach and, um, hopefully,
you know, better, better for it.
The results people get are faster.
And so one of the things that, that.
I always say with diet,
everybody's focused on, you
know, what should I avoid, right?
And they're not focused on, am
I getting the nutrients I need?
You know, it's, and we have that
opposite, like flip it with healing,
you know, it's, you know, more exercise,
more focus on this, more focus on that.
And I've heard you say,
you know, actually.
Sometimes we need to tap the brakes.
Um, and just even listening to your,
your journey, you know, um, I, I, when
people ask about my healing journey
and I didn't know what I was doing,
it's never one thing, but listening
to the story of like, yeah, diet.
And meditation or whatever.
And we're going to talk about
the possible whatever's, um,
for me, I wasn't scientific.
I didn't do one thing at a time, but that
synergy of like avoiding triggers while
also learning to reset my nervous system
game changer, because then I could sleep.
Then I could heal, you know, and, and,
and then my brain started to work again.
Um, so let's talk a little bit about
that because I think, especially with
you, I work with, with women and men,
um, but being an autoimmune specialist,
I clearly work with more women than men.
Um, and I do think modern society
has kind of done us a disservice.
It's with this whole, we can have it all.
And we can have the career and the
family and the, the, the pressures on
women are so different than they were
a hundred years ago, 50 years ago.
Um, you mentioned, you know,
insomnia in high school, right?
Like it's just different.
And I'm not saying men are
not under a lot of stress.
They are, but there is this
kind of special level for women.
And so I want to talk a little bit
about that because I, it impacts.
You know, my, my audience is autoimmune,
but again, a lot of women, a lot of
women are trying to have a family or have
tried to have a family or had a family.
And I know that was one of the things
that you really focus on is helping
people get ready because you are
young and you're looking around and
seeing friends your age struggling.
So it's not just an autoimmune
thing like these impacts.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I'm, I'm really glad that you kind of
brought up or said that point about how,
you know, it's not just the food, like
it's not just the food and everyone, I,
maybe not everyone, 90 percent of people
that start on a health journey, that's
where they start start with the food.
They start with the exercise.
It's where I started.
Right.
That's where I started to
the longer I'm here, the more.
Like, yes, that's important, right?
And that was like the
easiest thing to change.
Really.
It's I call it the low
hanging fruit, right?
Like it's obvious
that
we need real food.
Yeah, it's, it's obvious.
And it's funny because it's like, that's
the part that people think is hard.
They think changing their diet is hard.
They think changing the way that they
maybe approach exercise or the fact
that they even need to exercise at all
is hard, but that's not the hard part.
Like, really, it is a,
it is a mindset shift.
Um, And, you know, this is
something that I've been thinking
a lot about lately, because
I'm like, do I really want all of
my clients to just quit their job?
You know, like, it's not really what
I actually want out of them, you know,
because I am like such a firm believer.
I mean, I own my own business.
Like, I started my own business.
I did it, you know, on my own.
And I love that.
Like, I love that independence.
I absolutely believe that women
have a place in the workforce.
Yeah,
me
too.
Yeah, like I know that there's
a big movement right now.
You know, people believe
like, you know, maybe.
Maybe women should just go back
to, you know, being in the home.
Like a lot of people believe that right
now because of stuff that's taking place.
I don't, I don't think that way,
you know, I'm like, we have to
figure out a way to make this work.
Um, and for.
Corporate life to not be so stressful
on women and, you know, just
working with only women and like,
you're right with autoimmunity.
I think it was like 80 percent of
autoimmune conditions impact women.
Um, just seeing the amount of stress
that women are under at my age.
Um, I remember probably five years ago, I
was at a wine night with my friends and,
you know, we're in our like late twenties
at this point and everyone is miserable.
Like people haven't even
started trying to have kids yet.
People aren't even married yet,
you know, and they're just.
Talking about how much they don't like
their job and just like we're gonna
push through till we make partner like
we're just gonna keep pushing pushing
pushing that hamster wheel just the
hamster wheel and It's just so unhealthy.
Yeah And I think as women, you know,
we are just wired to always raise our
hand Always say yes always volunteer.
I think because So many of us
are in male dominated fields,
there is an imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome, we feel that we
need to operate as men in order to
climb the corporate ladder, because
that is how people have historically
climbed the corporate ladder.
Like, that is the only way that we know.
And I think it is just putting this
massive strain on us that is really
the cause of our health issues.
I really truly believe that
stress is like the root of all
health issues at some level.
Um, even if it's You know,
stress from maybe eating foods or
toxins or something like stress.
There's, yeah, so many different
kinds.
Well, and that's the
thing with food, right?
Like, if you're eating even the perfect
diet for you, but you're not breaking your
food down and assimilating your nutrients.
Yeah.
Like, so you're not going to feel better.
So you know, I, I, I love
shifting that conversation.
Um, and I clearly agree with you.
I not only have this business, I
haven't actually talked about it on
the podcast, but I have a functional
medicine clinic as well, um, that
I've been, been fully running now.
I kind of had pause with the coaching
and not pause, but, um, You know, all
of a sudden I have a staff of 10 and,
and, you know, it's a very different,
even very different from the stressors
of my, you know, solopreneur business.
Um, and, and it's just.
So I, I want women to be in business,
run businesses, I just think, and
I, I'm like, really, you know,
and everybody rolls their eyes.
I'm the health coach, you know, I, when I
had stepped in and, and before the clinic
was mine, but I had been working, I've
been working with the clinic for years.
Um, people weren't taking lunch breaks.
We're not taking lunch breaks and you
know, like there's no gold star for the,
I literally like, I don't care, I don't
care if you eat, I don't care what you
do, but get out of here, go for a walk,
do, you know, um, and luckily my, my
now manager, I, I coached about three
years ago, so she gets it and she's
able to kind of tell people like, no,
no, really, it does make a difference.
I know it's, You know, um, and I think
some of that the I'm hoping and but
I think just like changing health
care is going to take a long time.
Um, corporate wellness.
needs to be a thing, right?
And that approach I know as a business
owner, I get way more out of my
employees when they're rested, they're
nourished, they have breaks, they get
outside, they take care of themselves.
And so I'm hoping that at some point
corporate wellness really does become
a thing where the latter changes.
Right.
That it's not, you know, who can run
on four hours of sleep for how many
years and that's who makes partner, you
know, where we really can understand
that value of like, let's not just
put a gym in a corporation, like
let's actually foster true wellness.
Um, and, and so I just wanted
to, to second the, you know, I,
I do believe that, that women
absolutely have a place in business.
Um, it's just, we, and we are
the one, we are going to need to
help change the dynamic for sure.
Absolutely.
And.
I kind of share a point
about like the lunch breaks.
I feel like so much of my coaching
is It's kind of like unlearning.
Yeah.
It's the unlearning and I mean, I
did it because I had this mindset.
We believe that we have to be
these high achievers in everything,
like high achievers at work.
I also have to push harder to
make sure I'm eating healthy.
I have to push harder to make sure that
I'm going to the gym every single day.
If you're really struggling
with your health.
That's probably not what
you actually need to do.
Anything with the word push.
Yeah.
Stop pushing.
Stop
pushing.
Yeah, but we don't know how.
Nobody taught us how to do that, right?
The whole, like, idea that
truly self care is not selfish.
Just, you know, girls aren't taught that.
Right.
You're taught to like give, give, give.
Um, and so I, you know, I truly do
believe so much of our chronic illness,
fertility challenges, metabolic, like
all of the things really just are
because we've ignored the whispers.
And so eventually you're going to rest,
you know, you're going to get taken out
and,
and really, and that I do believe
that's what happened to me.
And, and I think, um, you know, when
you were talking about the, the, like
your, I'll call it your intro into the
integrative world, um, with your, with
your boyfriend, when you were younger of.
You said, you know, seemingly
sudden onset, right?
Like there, there's,
and that's what happens.
And it's like, well, you know,
but stuff's been brewing.
Um, and so, you know, how,
so where do I like that?
You said unlearning because I do feel.
Like that is that one of our biggest
jobs as a coach is helping people
recognize their patterns that aren't
serving them and unlearn them and replace
them with things that do serve them.
Um, so how do you even, because
I can almost like hear your, your
conversation with clients, right?
You know, you tell people to slow
down, especially women in business.
And it's, I can't, or even, you
know, it's stay at home moms.
Like, I can't, like, I have to.
It's like the, I don't have time comment.
Right.
So how do you, how do
you wiggle into that?
So, I mean, it's a difficult, if it's
a difficult conversation, it really is.
It's not just one.
Yeah.
It's not just one conversation.
I think so many of us.
And I really didn't, I've always
thought I was like such a type B
person, but after the past few years,
I am learning that it's just not true.
Like I like control.
Um, I like to be perceived
in a certain way.
You know, like these are all
these things that you learn about
yourself and you create a business.
And something that I really
try to work on with clients is.
Stop is like that
perfectionist and that control.
We got to work on easing
up on that a little bit.
Um, and a way that I try to get them
to do that is by realizing they don't
have to do everything perfectly.
Um, if you want to, like, weight
loss is just such a big thing for
so many women, you know, I mean,
we all experience, especially when
we're stressed out and they're like,
I know I need to work out more.
I know I need to work out more, but like
they don't because they don't have time.
They think they need an
hour to go to the gym.
And I'm like, let's take small steps.
Like that my whole approach.
Let's take small steps.
You have to build it in.
You have to start working that
muscle, and I believe self care is a
muscle, and you have to start slow.
Start with those slow things.
Start with going on the walk with your
work friend at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
You know, just do a lap around
the building, or you know,
take 5 to 10 minutes in the
morning to do some stretching.
Let's start slow, because they always come
to me, and they're just So overwhelmed and
they're like, I just can't do anything.
I know I need to do something,
but I'm just so overwhelmed
and I don't know what it is.
And I'm like, well, you don't
need to do anything big.
Like you think you need to do this massive
thing and you don't let's start slow.
Let's start manageable.
Um, so that's kind of where
I like to start with that.
I love it.
And I love the sounds.
Um, it's a familiar journey to me when I
realized that literally in all different
shapes and sizes, everybody that I
was working with was a perfectionist.
I am not type A. You don't have to
be type A in that classic sense.
I did not identify at all.
And again, until I had to like,
take a step back and be like, I
can't be the exception to the rule.
Right.
It is, so it may not look like the
go getter or the, you know, um,
I didn't have a corporate career.
I didn't have, but it's like, Oh shoot.
You know, the, and part of the
gift when I was trying to figure
out how to create a business.
I had a coach, you know, that just
kept saying done is better than
perfect and it's like, Ooh, ouch.
Okay.
You know, and it was a learning curve.
Um, and, and it's almost like that
practice and being imperfect shows
you that the, the world keeps
turning and, and, um, that's,
that's where the gold can be.
So you, I want to talk about small steps.
And self care.
I know we were using exercise as
the example because it's true.
I don't even like the word exercise
because people think, you know, like
CrossFit gym or, you know, it's like,
okay, let's, let's take it in a little.
Um, but I've heard you to,
you know, talk about, um.
To me, the words are interchangeable, but,
um, mindset work, self care, meditation,
and I've heard you share that one of
your favorite tools is journaling.
And this is where I hear that that
same initial, you know, kind of
rebuttal is, I don't have time.
Right.
Because people think they need to go
sit in a cave or I can't meditate.
I'm a bad meditator.
I can't clear my mind.
And it's like, well, that's
actually not what meditation is.
So how do you, you know, I, so I
know we're aligned in the, it doesn't
need to be a huge long thing, but
it does need to be a practice.
Um, what are some of your favorite?
I know I threw a bunch of them out
there already, but, but share with
listeners, some of your favorite tools,
especially, I always say like, Find what
resonates with you, try different stuff
and hopefully it becomes a collection
of things, but where do you have people
kind of start if they really have never
done any kind of introspective work?
Yeah, well, so this is where I start
people and the reason I start people
here is because, again, I think,
you know, everybody's different
and what feels good is different.
I started practicing this on myself.
Bye.
Stop.
I stopped planning ahead.
Like I wouldn't plan.
I know wild.
Like I used to book out all
my exercises for the week so
that I had time to fit them in.
Like I would plan out all the
meals that I was going to have.
I kind of just stopped doing that.
And I would wake up every morning
and just like assess the situation.
You know, what do I need today?
What do I need today?
That's exactly what I tell my clients.
Ask yourself, what do I need today?
Um, especially when I was
struggling with sleep.
Like, there is no way it is good
for your body to go wake up at 5
in the morning to do a HIIT workout
if you struggle with insomnia.
Um, so, I stopped planning ahead and I
started waking up, just kind of walking
through my morning, while I'm taking
a shower, while I'm washing my face.
What do I need today?
You know, I've got maybe a big
presentation or maybe two big
presentations that I'm preparing for.
So I'm going to, it's a stressful day.
Like I need to think about that.
Um, you know, I've got, I didn't
sleep well last night because I
was stressed about my presentation.
Um, where am I at in my cycle?
Like that's a big thing
that I think is important.
It is for me.
Um, so I kind of just like examine
myself and this is what I try
to educate my clients on doing.
What do you really need that day?
And for me, it's personally
always having like some sort of
care practice in the morning.
I need to get my mind in a good place.
Um, and that was when I
was in the corporate world.
And as I start my business, like
I know that I mentally need to be
in a good place in the morning.
So I try to always get clients.
To make sure they reserve a little
bit of time in the morning for
that Um, i'm not a strict like your
morning routine needs to be the same
every day kind of person because i'm
just like not into Routines at all.
I know so many people are but
again, like what do you need today?
Um,
and to be fair, you got to that
part of your journey after holding
those routines so tightly, right?
Um, so there are times and places
where to create a new habit, a
routine, you know, can help that,
get that muscle memory going.
Um, but I do believe, especially for
chronically ill, Well, it's chicken
or egg, probably for everybody.
Um, you know, we lose touch with our body.
Nobody teaches us to ask,
what do I need today?
Right?
To check in, to feel, to So I love
that that's, like, what a beautiful
What could be more impactful than
actually learning that skill?
Yeah.
Um, cause it goes back to, you
know, back to the, the, the
female thing of, you know, I can
show up better for other people.
When I've met my needs, right?
So yeah,
I love that.
Yeah.
And I'll say, I think a really
great thing is journaling.
Um, I think that's a really good
way because you don't always know
what you need, you know, I, I
don't always know what I need.
Um, and I feel like I'm
very in tune with my body.
So I do think a journaling practice,
um, like the, you know, morning pages,
if anybody's familiar with that, just
the practice of writing down, you know,
the three things that you need that day.
Um, I think that that can be really,
really powerful for a lot of women.
Um, I'll also say a small thing to add
in, like morning routines are really big.
I think a midday pause is sometimes
even more important than having that
established, like, morning wellness time.
I mean, I think you really need both.
But I think so many of us just
rush through the day and don't
breathe and, you know, walk around
with our shoulders up to our ears.
And I, I will hold my breath.
Me too if I stressed out.
Mm-hmm . Um, so just taking
a little bit of a pause.
I know at my, um,
something I actually loved.
I, so I worked for Salesforce and
they are very good about mindfulness
and wellness, or at least they really
try to be, and when I was going
to the office, they actually had
meditation rooms and all of the floors.
Oh wow.
Um, which, yeah.
Which is amazing.
Yeah.
And I got a lot of benefit from like.
An afternoon meditation.
Yes.
Just an afternoon meditation was
so much more powerful for me than
a mid, like a morning meditation.
Right.
That can be like fuel,
creativity, productivity.
I mean, it just, that's the
beauty of playing, right?
And not just saying like, okay, I
know morning routines are important.
I'm going to do all these things
that are good for me in the morning.
And then I don't think about
myself the whole rest of the day.
You know, um, so I love the, we're
talking about it like it's easy
that checking in and what do I need?
I'm playing with different things
and I want to highlight every, every
thing you mentioned, none of those
things have to take a long time.
Right.
And then as coaches, we talk about
stacking once we, you know, play, play
with the different stuff and, and.
Um, I, I call it tools in the toolbox.
You know, I don't do the same.
I have certain things.
I am a creature of habit, you
know, certain routines, but my
practices are not the same every day.
And, and, you know, because
sometimes I need more of something
and less of something else.
Um, But, but giving yourself
permission to explore different things.
I love breathing exercises for clients
that are, you know, just really new at any
kind of meditation, mindfulness, because
That they can usually feel pretty quickly.
Right.
And it's like, wow.
I mean, I had one client who was wound so
tight that when she first started doing
just short, like four, seven breathing,
nothing fancy, she would get a stressor.
So the second she, her body would
try to get into a parasympathetic
state, she'd get a stress response.
Cause it was just that foreign to her.
She stuck with it.
I was really proud of her.
Only took a few days, but
it was really interesting.
I mean, her heart was raised.
I'm like, this is, this is really needed.
Um, but any, you know, the journaling,
the, um, I love gratitude journaling,
you know, for, for people that are.
journaling, um, or aren't there yet
to be in touch with what are the three
things I need today, start with what
are three things you're grateful for.
Yeah,
that's simple, like really,
again, as an exercise.
Um, so I love that, that, you know,
you're not talking about these like
big complicated routines, and it,
you know, It really doesn't take away
from career to take care of yourself.
Yeah, absolutely not.
And, you know, you made the comment
that we're talking about it like
this is easy and something I hear
all the time is like, Oh, Maddison,
you've always been so good at that.
Like you're so good.
You've always eaten so healthy.
And I'm like, well,
actually, that's not true.
Um, you know, I think there's so
much on social media, you know, eat
this way, do this avoid all toxins,
you know, and I'm guilty of that.
Right.
Well, we wanna
educate people to empower them.
Yeah.
You, you wanna educate people.
But at the same time, I do think, like
I go back and forth on this so much
because I'm like, I think I might be
doing more harm than good at times.
I hear you because.
People are made to think like if
you don't do it this way, if you
don't eat everything organic, if
you don't do these things that like,
it's not going to work and getting
healthy and being well is a practice.
It is something you have to build.
It is, it is something you
have to try at like meditation.
I don't feel that I am good at meditation.
And I've been working on
it for like seven years.
I'm like, I'm reading a book
right now on meditation to
deepen my meditation practice.
I don't do it every single day.
There have been months where I've
stopped, but I keep going back to it
because I know that I typically feel
better when it's something that I try.
Yeah.
It's, it's a practice.
It's, it's, um, You know, it's,
I know that I know that I want to
be well, I know that I do not want
to develop some of the things that
I've seen my loved ones go through.
And so it's a practice and it's
something I play with and my
health today doesn't look like it
did last year or the year before.
It's evolving.
Yeah.
Always.
You're not, you're never going to be done.
Yeah, and that carrying
that perfectionism.
And again, I know it's, you know,
I'm saying it as if it's simple,
you know, you're using the word
pushing earlier in the conversation
and and we don't heal that way.
It's not a checklist, right?
We cannot.
create wellness and maintain wellness by
handling our, our health like a checklist.
And it used to drive me crazy.
My fiance used to say like years ago,
and he's a functional medicine physician
and thank God Knockwood has never had
his own chronic health challenges.
And he used to say better is better.
And I was still in that like, no, it's
gotta be, you know, and it, you know what?
Better is better.
Like, we can't avoid all toxins
and we can't always eat organic
and we can, and nor do we need to.
Like, and better really is better
if we do better in all these
little pieces and allow wellness.
That's how we get there.
And so I love, I love that you said that.
And I love, and thank you for
admitting I too, um, I don't identify
as a bad meditator anymore, but
I sure did for the longest time.
Um, and so I love that.
And I too will step away from my practice.
You know, and do other things and, and get
that same, like, you know, I really do.
I literally just had this conversation.
We were on vacation last week and
I was like, I know I am my best
self when I am really consistent
with my meditation routine.
And so I need to bring that back in.
And so I'm, I'm back
on it for like a week.
But we're human too.
Right?
Like I know.
I, I know how to do it.
I know what I like.
I know it makes me feel better.
And yet I drift away from it sometimes
and it's like, Oh, what needs an up level?
What do I need today?
I love that you share that
genuine part of your journey.
You know, I grew up eating double
stuffed Oreos and drinking Coke.
Like I wasn't born a health coach.
Yeah.
You know.
It didn't just come to me.
I wasn't just like this way one day.
Um, it's something I believe in and
I, and I try at and, um, yeah, I
mean it's, and it, it was a lot of
unlearning for me, like a lot of not
worrying about like, okay, schedule this
workout, workout, check off the box.
Like I swear those scheduled
workouts like made me gain weight.
I swear they did.
Like they made me more stressed out.
Yeah.
I'm, I'm not, you know, I, I'm very much
believe in movement and exercise, but.
I would almost say like I'm, I'm
not an exercise person anymore
because it feels, I mean, I do, I
walk, I do strength training, but
like, um, I don't like pushing that.
Cause I just, I don't, I, I feel
that you need to be a little
bit more intentional with it.
Yeah.
Well, and I, I love that
you bring that up too.
One of the, one of the things that I see,
especially with my autoimmune clients
is it's, it's almost like one end of the
spectrum or the other, and they don't
realize they're driving inflammation.
So I get a lot of, and I was
this way, way back in the day.
As my health was declining and my pain was
increasing, I, it's almost like a, um, you
know, I'm not going to lose this thing.
Right.
And so that over exercising just driving
chronic inflammation and stress, or.
holding it to like, this is so important.
And then when I miss, I fail.
And so why, you know, like the all
or nothing that all or nothing,
um, is I think the biggest thing
for most of us to unlearn so
that we can actually just listen.
Um, you've given us so many, I'm excited
to ask you this next question, but
I know a lot of people struggle with
it, but guests know to listen for it.
What is one step?
Listeners can take starting
today to improve their health.
What is one step they can take
today to improve their health?
I don't know.
It's so hard.
It is hard.
Honestly, this one's going
to sound cheesy probably.
I really think
it's probably
I mean, I don't know that this is a step.
I really think people have to stop
thinking they need to be perfect.
I think, I think it, you really
have to try acts of love.
Like I think trying one act of love
a day, even if it is really small,
like something that is just for you,
something that nobody knows about,
something that makes you happy.
Um, For me, honestly, like if I'm having
a bad day, my father passed a year ago.
So, you know, it's been a hard year and
self love has looked differently for me.
And so something that I know
that I've needed is to laugh.
Yes.
So like an act of self care for me
and the way that I've showed myself
love is like I'll look up like
I'll watch videos of cats because I
have a couple of clients that
some of their homework was
literally one was it was puppies.
One was like old sitcoms.
Um, because to activate that laughter
muscle and, you know, and, but I love
that you said, you know, don't tell it
like, again, this isn't about getting
a gold star or achieving something.
Um, and I love that you shared yours
because it doesn't have to be, you
know, it, it can be cat videos.
It can be whatever.
Um, and so It can be
cheesy.
It can be silly.
Do something to make
yourself laugh and smile.
Do something that is
just for you every day.
And it can literally take three minutes.
Right.
Start small and like the more you do those
things and the more you realize like how
much better you feel after putting in
that small amount of time to think of
yourself, the more you will do it more.
Yeah, that's really important.
Oh, that was such a good that was so good.
I'm excited for listeners who needed,
you know, I always feel like, and I
love that you really just allowed your
one, one thing to come up because,
um, you know, more than one, somebody
definitely needs to hear that one.
And, and I think it,
it like, just imagine.
What a better place the world would
be if everybody just took a couple
minutes to do, you know, show
themselves some love every day.
So, that was beautiful.
For people that are listening on
the go, and, and this is a good
time too to share a little bit about
how you work with your clients, um,
where's the best place to find you?
Go to my website.
Um, you know, all of my
information is there.
It's really easy to get in touch with
me.
Awesome.
And your website is, if they're
not going to click the show notes?
It
is well with Maddison.com and
it's Maddison with two D's.
Yes.
I love it.
I know, I always say, you know,
Michelson spelled wrong and I've heard
you say the Maddison with two D's.
Yeah.
Um, and you've got lots of goodies
on your website and I know you've
got, you know, one-on-one coaching.
We didn't even get into the, you know, the
testing you do and, and, um, we're very.
Similarly aligned to that way, but you
also have group coaching for people
that are just looking more for some
accountability and they're not necessarily
ready to, to deep dive with you yet.
So, um, can't encourage listeners
enough, like check out Maddison's
work, um, and, and take some action
on the things she said today.
Thank you so much.
So appreciate all the gold you've
given us for everyone listening.
Remember you can get those show
notes and transcripts, including
all the links at inspiredliving.
show.
I hope you had a great time and
enjoyed this episode as much as I did.
I'll see you next week.