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HI, I’M DANA
I never knew what cortisol was, until my husband died of cancer unexpectedly at age forty.
Prior to that we were your average fairytale love affair. Dated in college, got married, had three beautiful baby boys. We both had successful engineering careers and we started our family. We were both living out our dream. We were both into working out and being fit. Eating healthy was always part of our routine. Even before it was a popular trend, we steered clear of pesticides and ate organic as much as possible. At forty, Jason even received accolades at this annual physical for all the regular bloodwork scans and tests.
Then everything came to a halt.
Shortly after celebrating his 40th birthday, Jason was diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer. He died six weeks later.
We essentially never saw it coming. There were little to no symptoms before he started chasing the root cause of a fever he could not shake. A CT Scan to show a tumor the size of his head wrapped around his kidney.
Six weeks later, I sat there as he took his last breath. I walked out of the hospital, and straight into life where I lived in nonstop fight-or-flight.
What I didn’t know then was how that moment would trigger a stress spiral of epic proportions that would profoundly influence the way I showed up for my kids and the way I navigated my own life… at least until I learned about the gut-brain connection years later.
My state of complete overwhelm quickly turned into high-functioning anxiety, as I tried to keep up the norm, while secretly dying inside. My nervous system was wrecked.
i never meant to be the yelling mom. but after being left to do all the things for kids solo,
I was at the end of my rope mentally and physically. My pants were getting tighter and tighter, which only made me even more stressed.
I was in therapy and the counselor shared a lot of really great tips. But I didn’t have the bandwidth to really practice those because of my skyrocketing cortisol.
Not knowing where to turn, I’d end the day with a glass -or five - of wine to numb the chaos in my mind.
If you know the feeling of needing to numb the chaos in your mind -for whatever reason - then you understand the guilt that comes along with that feeling.
I knew I deserved better, and so did my kids - You probably know you deserve better too! But when you are in the middle of the mess, it’s hard to know where to turn.
From the outside looking in everyone kept telling me how strong I was. I was eating clean, buying expensive probiotic supplements, and teaching all the group fitness classes.
But inside, my cortisol was out of control, and if one more person told me I needed to meditate or just ‘chill’ I was going to lose my mind.
As I searched for answers, every path led me back to unmanaged stress, which created inflammation, as a key factor in the tumor that ended his life.
Then I learned about the gut-brain connection!
The trauma I had been through destroyed my gut, which led to an imbalance in cortisol regulation.
The trauma I had been through destroyed my gut, which led to an imbalance in cortisol regulation. I immediately started on a supplement protocol of Happy Juice. Truthfully, I didn’t know if it would work but the science made sense to me and I was desperate to find a solution so I figured it couldn’t hurt. Within weeks I stopped self-shaming for losing it on my kids when I ‘𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥’ I had handled the chaos better. My friends had all noticed that I was happier and more present Within months the stress weight almost fell off my body with ease. Within the first year, I started helping other women write their story differently.
I had forgotten what life looked like with balanced hormones, natural energy, patience and an EXCITEMENT to live life to the fullest. Here’s the thing: I don’t want you to forget either. Fast forward five years, and I even found love again.
The best part is because this wasn't a quick fix, the results STUCK!
10 years after my tragedy
I am honored to be able to take what began as my pain and share with you– the path back to JOY.
If your stress hormone is out of whack, so is the rest of your life. I would love to help you create a custom protocol so you can start living your best, most joyful life right now.
STOP
the
FAKING
FINE
PODCAST
Welcome to the Stop Faking Fine podcast, where you’ll find tips, tools, strategies and most importantly the encouragement to stop settling!
Hosted by Dana Lewis, a mom who rebuilt her world after the unexpected loss of her husband to cancer, this podcast will empower you to replace unhealthy patterns and build a life you love!
If you’ve ever wondered, "How did I get here?”, then listen and learn from resilient widows, moms, entrepreneurs, health experts and authors who have been where you are now. Dana unpacks their stories with humor, honesty, and a no-nonsense attitude.
Each episode offers simple, sustainable action steps to help you stop faking fine, because you deserve so much more.
Your circumstances may not be 100% your fault, but Your Life is 100% your Responsibility.
Welcome to the Stop Faking Fine podcast, where you’ll find tips, tools, strategies and most importantly the encouragement to stop settling!
Hosted by Dana Lewis, a mom who rebuilt her world after the unexpected loss of her husband to cancer, this podcast will empower you to replace unhealthy patterns and build a life you love!
If you’ve ever wondered, "How did I get here?”, then listen and learn from resilient widows, moms, entrepreneurs, health experts and authors who have been where you are now. Dana unpacks their stories with humor, honesty, and a no-nonsense attitude.
Each episode offers simple, sustainable action steps to help you stop faking fine, because you deserve so much more.
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