My Personal Journey

From Burnout to Breakthrough:How I took my health( and life) back

 This week,I'd like to get personal and tell you a little about my story and why I came to be so passionate about being a label detective. Let's rewind to about seven years ago. I was newly single, 40 years old, and responsible for two kids still at home. Life had just handed me a reset button—and I had no idea how I was going to push it.

I knew I couldn’t make ends meet working retail, so I made a bold move and took a job at a factory. I remember telling my girls, “Mommy's 40. I don’t know if I can do this kind of work.” But I did it anyway. Ten-hour shifts, five,sometimes six days a week, on my feet all day, doing physical labor that would wear anyone out. From the outside, I looked great—toned arms, strong legs, fit frame. But inside? I was a mess.

I was sore. I was tired. My muscles screamed every night. I had carpal tunnel. I lived off energy drinks and stimulants. I’d take a stacker, then wash it down with a Red Bull. There was even an energy shot we all started using on the line—it got banned later because, well, it was basically legal crack.

On top of that, I was a heavy smoker—two cigarettes on a 10-minute break, back-to-back. I couldn’t get enough nicotine. My breathing was terrible. I’d lie down at night and feel like someone was sitting on my chest.

And food? Forget about it. I was working so much that I survived on Taco Bell boxes, pizza, and drive-thru burgers. I had plenty of money for the first time, and eating out felt easy—almost like a reward. But I felt awful. I had no energy. I was running on caffeine, nicotine, and adrenaline. That version of me was functioning, but she wasn’t thriving. She was surviving.

After three years,I was injured on the job. Both of my hands were damaged by a hydraulic machine. It was terrifying and obviously,painful. Then,shortly after,I was hit by a vicious stomach bug. I felt completely defeated,to say the least. 

I was forced to leave the factory life and I made a promise to myself: It’s time to get better.

I pulled my 401k and took a year off to focus on healing. Physically, mentally, spiritually. It was hard—I went from having more money than I’d ever had to living on a tight budget. But I knew I had to rebuild from the inside out.

The first mountain I climbed was quitting smoking. I used the moon phases from the Farmer’s Almanac to find the best day to break a habit. One Friday night, I threw away my last cigarette and said, “Tomorrow, I’m a nonsmoker.” And I stuck to it. I haven’t smoked in almost four years. And I felt so much better, it lit a spark in me.

That’s when I stumbled on a documentary on Netflix—What the Health? It opened my eyes to the reality of our food system in America. So I made a huge shift. I cut out meat. I cut out dairy. I went fully vegan for 6–7 months, hoping it would be the magic answer.

But I didn’t feel great.

I actually gained a few pounds, and I still had blood pressure issues. Why? Because I was eating processed vegan food—frozen Impossible burgers, dairy-free pizzas, pre-packaged meals. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I wasn’t giving my body real nourishment.

Eventually, I eased back into eating meat. And over the last couple of years, I began slowly reworking my diet. Reading. Researching. Watching documentaries. Learning what real food actually is. And what I found shocked me: the ultra-processed stuff on our grocery shelves? It’s not just unhealthy—it’s toxic. It’s designed to addict us, inflame us, and slowly break our bodies down.

I started eating whole foods. I focused on ingredients. I added exercise. I took supplements that actually worked for me. And now—at 47—I feel better than I did at 27. I’ve lost 20 pounds in the past 7 months, my digestion is incredible, I sleep better, I breathe better, I have energy again. I’m more me than I’ve ever been.

This is why I created the Label Detective series. Because so many people are where I used to be—exhausted, addicted to caffeine, not knowing where to turn. And we all deserve better.

I want to help people decode the food system. I want to help you trust yourself, listen to your body, and give your future self the gift of real, healing food. Because this isn’t just about health—it’s about freedom. It’s about flipping the system the bird and saying, “You don’t get to control me with your chemicals and your convenience.”

You can get well. You can take your power back. I’m living proof.