Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Krista (00:00):
And then I guess, in
terms of people kind of dealing
with digestive issues, I mean,my one thing that I say all the
time, even on, like my socialmedia, is listen to what your
body is telling you, right?
Alyssa (00:11):
Welcome to Brilliant
Ideas, the podcast that takes
you behind the scenes of some ofthe most inspiring digital
products created by solopreneursjust like you.
I'm your host, alyssa, adigital product strategist who
helps subject matter expertsgrow their business with online
courses, memberships, coachingprograms and eBooks.
If you're a solopreneur withdreams of packaging your
expertise into a profitabledigital product, then this is
(00:34):
the podcast for you.
Expect honest conversations ofhow they started, the obstacles
they overcame, lessons learnedthe hard way and who face the
same fears, doubts andchallenges you're experiencing,
from unexpected surprises tobreakthrough moments and
everything in between.
Tune in, get inspired and let'sspark your next big, brilliant
idea.
On this episode of BrilliantIdeas, krista is joining me to
(00:56):
talk about her SIBO program, athree-phase system to help
eliminate SIBO and strengthenyour gut microbiome.
She is a registered holisticnutritionist and founder of
Sprout your Health, where shehelps people struggling with
both mild and chronic digestiveissues, anxiety and burnout to
make the connection between whatthey eat, how they think and
how they feel, both mentally andphysically.
(01:17):
Welcome, krista.
Thank you so much for being onthe show today.
Thanks, alyssa, I'm lookingforward to our discussion today
Me too, and your SIBO programsounds amazing.
I'm excited for our listenersto get an insider look at what
the program is about and how itcame to be.
Now, before we dive into all ofthat, many of our listeners may
(01:37):
be nutritionists or healthcoaches themselves and are
thinking of ways to connect withwhat they create to their own
stories.
So my question to you is whatinspired you to create your own
SIBO program, and was there aspecific moment or experience
that connected your journey towhat you created?
Krista (01:57):
Yeah.
So I mean, I think there's nospecific moment, but there's the
whole experience in itself.
So, for those people who don'tknow what SIBO is, it's small
intestinal bacterial overgrowthand it's an illness that I had
back in 2020, I believe and Idealt with it for about two and
(02:17):
a half years and so I think itwas really going through that
process for that length of time.
That kind of inspired me to dothat.
I was, you know, studyingnutrition at the start of that
and I think most people goingthrough school you don't really
know what you want to do afterthe fact.
There's so many differentoptions, but I think by the time
I had finished school andgotten rid of SIBO, it was kind
(02:38):
of like this is what I know bestand I know I can help people
with.
And I think, again, in goingthrough that process, I
discovered so many things about,you know, both holistic and
conventional medical care systemthat I felt could use some
extra work or support forclients that I felt very alone
(03:01):
with going through it.
So I wanted to provide that tomy clients so that they didn't
have to kind of feel the sameway that I did going through
that.
Alyssa (03:09):
Amazing and for yourself
experiencing these digestive
issues for two years.
That's a really long time, andI can imagine like not everyone
gets these like clues that youknow something is wrong.
They just kind of think it'sjust oh, it's temporary, it'll
go away.
But I feel like, as complex asSIBO is, not every approach is
(03:30):
going to work for everyone, andso when someone does reach out
to you, how do you pre-qualifythem to make sure that they're
the right fit for your programbefore you enroll them?
Or would you say, if there arespecific symptoms or criteria
that you look for?
Now that you've done thisyourself, you've cured yourself
of SIBO, are there specificsymptoms that you look for or
(03:51):
criteria before you decide thatthey're the right fit for your
SIBO program?
Krista (03:57):
yes, of course.
So I do have a bit of anonboarding process.
So I do have an applicationform on my website that people
can complete and that's, youknow, kind of the initial
contact and I review that to seeif it looks like they'd be a
good fit and kind of meet somecriteria, and then I move into
the discovery call process whereyou know we have a chat like
(04:18):
this for 20 minutes and I get tounderstand what they're dealing
with, what their health goalsare and if my program would be a
good fit for them or not.
And it really depends, I thinkat that stage, or I guess after
the initial consultation, I kindof guide them into which
program is a better fit.
So I do have the SIBOturnaround method, which is my
(04:39):
signature program, but I do workwith people with general
digestive issues as well and Ihave my gut transformation
program.
So if they're not necessarilyan exact fit for the SIBO
program, then I'll usually putthem into the other program and
we, you know, use a similarapproach to understanding the
root cause of their symptoms andmaking the necessary you know,
(05:02):
diet and lifestyle changes andusing supplements and food to
overcome the issues that they'redealing with.
But specifically when it comesto SIBO, there are some hallmark
symptoms.
Even for people who arelistening and wondering if this
is you know for them or not,like if you've ever been told
you have IBS, there's a reallygood chance that you have SIBO.
(05:23):
Ibs is not really a diagnosis,it's a syndrome of symptoms and
you know SIBO is somethingthat's actually quite recent.
It was discovered in the last20 years.
So a lot of you know olderpractitioners or doctors may not
even be aware of it, and so Ialways kind of start there, if
(05:43):
you've had that diagnosis, toknow that you know there are
answers and there's a way toovercome this.
You're not going to be stuck ona FODMAP diet forever dealing
with the symptoms that you are,which can really control your
life, and it's just not a niceway to live.
So but I guess kind of the keysymptom would be bloating, and I
(06:05):
know bloating is a very can bevery diverse term used because
there's different types ofbloating.
People feel it differently intheir bodies.
But specifically with SIBO,you're getting pretty constant
bloating.
So most days of the week whichis not normal you're getting
bloating at breakfast, lunch anddinner.
A lot of people may feelbloated, you know, after dinner,
(06:27):
once they've had foodthroughout the day and it's kind
of sitting and fermenting intheir digestive tract.
Um, whereas SIBO is happeningpretty much all the time and
people are very uncomfortable,they feel you know the term, six
months pregnant, because theycan't wear their clothes that
they want to be wearing and itreally starts to harm you know
(06:49):
your mental state and how youview your body as well, but
accompanied with that can be gas, boating gas can, you know, go
hand in hand a lot of the timebecause of the bacterial
fermentation and the other, I'dsay the two other key symptoms
would be irregular bowelmovements.
So with SIBO, there's differenttypes of SIBO and, depending on
(07:11):
the types of bacteria that youhave, that can be indicated of
the types of bowel movementsyou're having.
So either constipation ordiarrhea, or you can even have
both, where one day you'reconstipated and you can't go,
maybe for two or three days, andthen the next day you're having
very watery diarrhea.
So it can be very, you know,all over the place in terms of
(07:34):
like what you're experiencing interms of bowel movements.
So one thing I always say topeople too, is start checking
your the toilet bowl and likeactually understanding what your
bowel movements are telling you?
Um, in our field, is prettynormal, I think.
For some people it's a littleuncomfortable, um, and then the
other one would be abdominalpain.
So, um, not everyoneexperiences abdominal pain but
(07:57):
I'd say a good portion of peopledo, and that kind of connects
that gut brain, um connectionand the stress that people feel
and feel, feel and thehypersensitivity in their
stomach to certain foods thatthey're eating.
But there are some othersymptoms as well.
So heartburn, foodsensitivities, nausea, anxiety,
joint pain, skin issues can allbe fairly common.
(08:20):
However, everyone's body isdifferent, so it really depends
on the unique body I know it'sso interesting.
Alyssa (08:27):
Wow, that's a lot of
symptoms that people might be
experiencing, and you know andthey probably don't even know
that there is a problem.
They might think, though, oh,it's just something that'll go
away in a few weeks.
Or, you know, they try to Ifind that they try to do it
yourself, like there's a lot ofpeople who, you know, don't
reach out.
Or they know they try to, Ifind that they try to do it
yourself, like there's a lot ofpeople who, you know, don't
reach out.
(08:47):
Or they'll just say, oh, I canjust do it myself, I can look
online for a diet and then tryto fix myself.
And then we think that, youknow, we can do it all on our
own, um, and then, when itdoesn't work, then it's like
well, where do we go for?
Where do we go next?
Um, I think the reality is,though, when we're having these
symptoms and when we're feelingunder the weather and there's a
(09:08):
pattern, I think that you know,you, everyone knows their own
bodies, so, um, but I do thinkthat, with the right guidance,
though, we could actually be,you know, going towards a
solution instead of trying amillion different things that
are not working for us.
So you know if we're on thewrong diet or we're taking
(09:31):
advice that you know it doesn'talign with what we actually need
or we're missing the root cause.
We're just treating thesymptoms but not the root cause.
That could just prolong ourhealing and recovery from the
conditions that you have.
And so I feel like when peopleinvest in a program like this,
(09:51):
they're looking for more thanjust information and they want
solutions, guidance, realoutcomes, which I find when I
was looking through the SIBOturnaround method program.
It's so comprehensive, like you, go into so much detail, but I
want to ask you what would yousay is the biggest difference
between trying to figure outthings by yourself versus
(10:14):
working with an expert like youwho can provide that one-to-one
personalized support andstructure?
Krista (10:21):
I mean, there's probably
a couple of things with this.
I mean, time is probably one ofthe biggest ones and, like I
had mentioned earlier, I spenttwo and a half years of my life
dealing with digestive issuesbecause I couldn't find the
right person, you know, for meto help me with what I was
dealing with.
So, like you said, a hundredpercent, there's so much
information online.
A lot of people are trying tolike self heal themselves, which
(10:46):
you know.
If, if you have a complexcondition like SIBO, the average
person really can't understandand identify what the root
issues to that cause their SIBOare.
And that's really what needs tobe corrected right, like we can
eliminate the bacteria, all wewant, which is what we often see
(11:07):
with conventional care, butthen it comes back.
So you need to have a trainedpractitioner who can identify
those things.
So it's going to save you time.
It's also going to save youmoney because, again, when we,
you know, take lots of differentsupplements to try and do it on
our own, oftentimes they're thewrong supplements or done in
(11:27):
the wrong order.
Right, there's an order of howwe do things in holistic
medicine to get the best resultsand you can kind of spin your
wheels for months or yearstrying to figure it out on your
own.
And I think that's where a lotof people kind of come to me as
like I've tried this, I've triedthis, I've tried this, what can
I do now?
And then you know, having thatpractitioner who can guide you
(11:50):
through that will get you themost effective and quickest
results.
But I think think, specificallyin terms of SIBO, a really
important thing is reducing therisk of relapse, because I think
the rates are quite high it'sup to about 40% within the first
year can relapse.
So if the root issue of why youhave it is not addressed, you
(12:16):
have a good chance of it comingback.
And that, I think, is reallywhere working with a
practitioner, generally inholistic care, who is trained in
SIBO makes a big difference.
And I want to reiterate,trained in SIBO as well, because
there is a very specific way tohave an effective protocol that
(12:39):
a lot of even holisticpractitioners are not trained in
, like, for example.
I didn't learn about it inschool.
I went and then got furthercertification on it.
So you know, I think part ofthe reason that I struggled for
two and a half years as well wasbecause the people I was
working with were not trained init, so they weren't putting me
on the right protocol, whichtook time, and so finding
(13:03):
someone, I think, whospecializes in whatever your
health condition is is reallyimportant, and oftentimes
they've gone through itthemselves and they can relate,
which makes, I think, a betterprocess for you to go through as
a client makes a, I think, abetter process for you to go
through as a client.
Alyssa (13:17):
I love that and I think
it's so important just for
people to just know that ifyou're you know, if you've been
diagnosed with SIBO or you knowa digestive condition, that you
seek out the right support whenit comes to their health and
there's no such thing as a quickfix like a overnight result
either.
Right, you know, for myself I'veaudited many nutrition type
(13:37):
programs, like their sales pages, where they've over-promised
that people will see results inlike a week and then the person
who purchases feels reallydisappointed about it and I was
saying to them, I was justthinking to myself, what I find,
what I love about your programis that there's just so much
more than just coaching and it'sone-to-one, personalized, and
(14:00):
everybody is different.
They have different needs,different things that they, you
know, different types of foodthat they need to eat, and I
just feel like you in relationto other, maybe similar SIBO
programs out there, your programit's not just the coaching they
get, you know, the meal plans,they get the root cause analysis
(14:21):
that I was looking at and theylook at the action plan.
You know it's very, verytailored and I love that,
whereas I feel like there's alot of nutrition programs out
there who are more of like aone-size-fits-all solution and
it doesn't really work foreveryone.
A one size fits all solutionand it doesn't really work for
everyone.
And so I want you know how doyou tailor your SIBO turnaround
(14:45):
program to meet those needs ofyour clients and why do you
think that personalized approachmakes such a difference
compared to other SIBO programsout there?
Krista (14:50):
Yeah.
So just before I get into that,I want to actually share
something that happened recentlywhere I have one of my best
friends who's a nutritionist andshe showed me an email that she
received from a wellnessbusiness coach and they had,
essentially they're selling nowprograms to practitioners to
(15:11):
then run clients through.
So people aren't even creatingtheir own programs anymore,
which to me I don't know.
It removes the personalizationaspect and, who's to say, you
even understand how to correctthe issue if you're just
following someone else'sguideline.
So I guess it's maybe not agood way that the industry is
(15:35):
going, but I think that's whatsets people like who do
personalize strategies apart.
And so, specifically with myprogram, like you had mentioned,
I do have the root causeanalysis and that is very
tailored to the person.
I mean, SIBO has many differentcauses and it depends on every
(15:56):
individual what their root causeis, and so that's done after
the initial health intake and weuse that action plan to kind of
work through it throughout theremainder of the program.
I mean, most protocols do havea general guideline, you know.
So SIBO turnaround method has ageneral guideline, but each
(16:18):
aspect of it is tailored.
So the root cause analysis istailored the diet.
Again, there's a SIBO diet thatwe follow.
However, some people havespecific food sensitivities or
they may not feel good oncertain foods, so I tailor the
meal plans to them so that youknow they feel like they're
being heard and listened to andnot just given a general
(16:39):
template, which somepractitioners do as well.
And I think, specifically withSIBO, like meal planning can be
very stressful for people whoaren't used to eating the way
that you need to, which removesa lot of standard foods, let's
say, so it can kind of take thestress out of that process.
And then another thing that Iam a huge advocate of is like
(17:06):
mindfulness and mindset andstress reduction techniques in
order to overcome an illness.
I think you know we hear a lotnow about the mind-gut
connection and I think it's aterm that's used a lot and
people are familiar with it now.
But you know, with SIBOspecifically, the mind piece
(17:28):
plays such an important role andso each session that I have
with a client, I usually givethem some kind of mindfulness or
mindset exercise to work on.
Give them some kind ofmindfulness or mindset exercise
to work on, and that's, you know, again, tailored to what
specific emotions or strugglesthe client is going through,
like at that session, for themto then work through until we
meet again.
So I do think that having acustomized program is very
(17:51):
beneficial to the client in thesense that they feel understood
and can have their specificconcerns addressed.
Versus a lot of, you know,things are kind of shifting
towards group programs.
Even the one that I did thatdid get me my results was a SIBO
group program, which you knowit worked.
But there was definitelyaspects and times when I was
(18:12):
like I really wish I could have,like, talked to the
practitioner and that wasn't anoption.
So, um, yeah, I think that's.
That's really Just a bit yeah.
Alyssa (18:24):
Yeah, no, I love that.
I love that that's so.
I love that your program isdesigned to meet people where
they are.
And, yeah, I feel like a groupprogram wouldn't work in this
situation with SIVO, becauseeverybody's needs are a little
bit different.
Everybody is, you know, goingto vary in terms of their
results and how they progress inhealing their digestive tract.
(18:47):
So I feel like that, you know,this is exactly what people need
when they're dealing withsomething as complex as gut
health.
They need someone whospecializes in SIBO and not just
a general practitioner.
That is crazy what you saidabout that.
I can't believe that that'sactually going on.
(19:08):
And so now we've come to a pointin the show where, if you are
listening right now and you'regoing to get an actionable
takeaway, I like to call thembrilliant bites of the week.
So, krista, what is one pieceof wisdom that you can share?
Well, this is twofold.
So what is one thing you canshare with nutritionist,
(19:36):
dietitians or other gut healthexperts who want to make an
impact with their own clientscurious or looking for more
support?
What two things you could shareto help them take the next
action or progress in their ownjourney?
Krista (19:57):
Yeah.
So I think, in terms of otherpractitioners, something that
I've really noticed in mypractice is by giving people the
time.
Noticed in my practice is bygiving people the time, like in
terms of like session length andnot rushing through through a
session, really gives people thefeeling that they're being
(20:21):
heard, which I think is a reallykey thing, especially coming
from our conventional medicalsystem where people maybe get
five or 10 minutes with a doctor, which is seems crazy to me
that you know a diagnosis or orprotocol can be given in that
length of time.
But to really kind of empathizeand relate to what clients are
(20:42):
going through when you havethose sessions, because I think
that really allows the client togain respect and kind of build
a connection with a practitionerwhich in the long run is going
to benefit your business becausethey feel comfortable with you
and want to refer you to otherpeople.
(21:02):
And then I guess, in terms ofpeople kind of dealing with
digestive issues, I mean my onething that I say all the time,
even on, like my social media,is listen to what your body is
telling you right, like ifsymptoms are warning signals
that something is not not right,and when we, you know, ignore
them or just, you know, say,deem them normal, right, what's
(21:26):
normal these days?
Because so many people dealwith things.
That doesn't mean that that'sright.
Right, bloating, everyone hasbloating this day and age
doesn't mean that it's not asymptom because everyone else
has it right.
It just means that we have alot of good issues as a society.
So really like tuning into whatyour body is telling you and
(21:48):
addressing it, because thelonger you leave it it can
develop into more seriouscondition which can then take
more time, more energy, moremoney to address it.
So I would encourage people whoyou know, especially with
bloating, let's say, sincethat's a big part of SIBO, if
you're dealing with bloatingregularly or have irregular
(22:11):
bowel movements, reach out tosomeone.
I mean, again, I offer a free20-minute consult.
A lot of practitioners in theholistic space do have those
free consults just to get anidea from someone who is trained
in this space on like, if it'ssomething that should be
addressed or not for them thoseare such great insights.
Alyssa (22:34):
Thank you so much,
krista.
That's I love that you'veshared both the nutritionist if
you're a nutritionist or healthcoach and then also if you're
suffering from digestivesymptoms as well.
Just to reach out.
Yeah, exactly, just reach out.
You know, a 20-minute consultdoesn't mean that it's a
commitment, it's just means thatyou're reaching out to find a
potential solution, which Ithink is um, it's great.
(22:57):
And then, even if you, you know, are not ready at that time, at
least you know what to do onceyou are ready.
And so I know our listeners aregoing to want to find you
online.
So where, would you say, is thebest place for them to connect
with you?
Krista (23:11):
My website is
wwwsproutyourhealthca, but I am
a little bit more active onInstagram If people do want to
like have a conversation with meand reach out.
My Instagram handle is atsprout period, your period,
health.
And what was I going to say too?
(23:32):
I also have a pretty activenewsletter for you know, people
who are just maybe new to thisspace and wanting to learn a
little bit more.
I send out, you know, recipesand gut health tips on a weekly
basis, and I did also want toshare with you my free, complete
guide to understanding andovercoming your bloating so I
(23:52):
can send you the link to connectthat for listeners as well.
But it's a really great guide,if bloating is something that
you're struggling with, tounderstand the key reasons it
could be happening.
So I have the 10 main reasonswhy you could be bloating and
some suggestions to improve it.
Also, a little bit informationon what you're bloating and the
(24:14):
timing of your bloating can tellyou right.
So if it's more in your stomachor your small intestine or your
large intestine, those can beindicative of different
illnesses, as well as some of mytips for managing the bloating.
But I do want to kind ofreiterate with this that this
helps you identify and deal with, but it's maybe not correcting,
(24:36):
which is when you kind of cometo me to help correct that.
Alyssa (24:41):
Amazing.
Thank you so much, krista, forjoining me today on the show and
sharing so much wisdom andinsight into your SIBO
turnaround program, and I'llmake sure that that link is in
the show notes for people toaccess.
I learned a lot from you.
You put out some really greatinformation, and I'm sure my
listeners did too as well.
You can also find me onInstagram, where I show you how
(25:04):
to increase your monthly incomeby creating and selling courses,
group programs, memberships andeBooks.
If this is you, head to mywebsite, elissabelserucom, to
find out more.
Thank you for listening andI'll catch you next time on
another brilliant idea.
Thanks for tuning in to thisepisode of Brilliant Ideas.
If you love the show, be sureto leave a review and follow me
on Instagram for even moreinsider tips and inspiration.
(25:26):
Ready and follow me onInstagram for even more insider
tips and inspiration.
Ready to bring your next big,brilliant idea to life?
Visit AlyssaVelsercom forresources, guidance and
everything you need to startcreating something amazing.