Have you ever wondered how nutrition and holistic health can completely transform your life?
Tune in to another episode of The Sober Living Stories Podcast with Jessica Stipanovic. This week, she sits down with Lizzie Nelson, an integrative nutritionist to discuss the healing powers of food, stress management, sleep hygiene, community, and movement.
Lizzie went from enjoying a happy and healthy childhood growing up on the East Coast to facing severe health issues in her early 20s, driven by prolonged stress and poor diet. She recounts her transformative experience after being hospitalized, revealing how she turned her life around and found her calling in helping others achieve better health through nutrition and wellness.
Discover the critical interplay between nutrition, mental health, and overall well-being as Lizzie introduces her five pillars of wellness: nutrient-dense nutrition, stress management, sleep hygiene, daily movement, and community. Lizzie emphasizes the importance of self-sufficiency and intuition in making health decisions, challenging the reliance on continuous coaching, medications, and traditional practices.
Learn how Lizzie’s holistic approach empowers her clients and underscores the significant impact of sleep quality, environmental factors, and social connections on mental health and happiness. Don't miss this episode filled with transformative insights and the importance of authenticity and personal experience in healthcare.
To sign up for her newsletter, visit Lizzie Nelson: Design emails people love to get. (flodesk.com)
or connect with her throughout the week: IG: Lizzie Nelson I Integrative Nutritionist I Ketamine Advocate (@lizzienelsonwellness) • Instagram photos and videos
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Lizzie grew up on the East Coast as a healthy kid
with no major health problems orcomplaints.
Fast forward 20 years and shefound herself in a hospital bed
with debilitating abdominal pain, hooked up to a feeding tube.
How did this happen?
Well, after prolonged stress,consuming a diet of highly
processed and quick to cookmeals, her body said no more.
(00:22):
As a holistic nutritionist witha focus on functional medicine,
she's eager to help clientsrediscover their relationship to
the healing powers of food asmedicine and also, if applicable
, redefine their relationshipwith alcohol.
Lean in for this episode.
It's one you're not going towant to miss.
It's one you're not going towant to miss.
(00:49):
Welcome to the Sober LivingStories podcast.
This podcast is dedicated tosharing stories of sobriety.
We shine a spotlight onindividuals who have faced the
challenges of alcoholism andaddiction and are today living
out their best lives sober andaddiction, and are today living
out their best lives sober.
Each guest has experiencedincredible transformation and
are here to share their storywith you.
(01:10):
I'm Jessica Stepanovic, yourhost.
Join me each week as guestsfrom all walks of life share
their stories to inspire andprovide hope to those who need
it most.
Welcome to another episode ofthe Sober Living Stories podcast
(01:42):
.
Meet Lizzie.
She's an integrativenutritionist who's been alcohol
free for 14 years.
She works one-on-one withclients, diet, lifestyle and
mental health.
Listen into this episode tohear Lizzie's personal story and
inspiration on how to live ahealthier, happy life.
Welcome, lizzie.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me, Jessica.
I'm so excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Yeah, I'm so excited to hear your personal story.
I know I was reading about youand the work that you do.
I know that you grew up on theEast Coast and you had a
relatively healthy, happychildhood and then in your 20s
you hit a little bit of aroadblock as far as health goes,
and I'd love for you to sharethat and then take us into how
(02:32):
it got you to do what you dotoday.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Absolutely Well.
Thank you again for having me.
I'm definitely very happy to behere and be your guest.
So you're right, as youmentioned, I grew up on the East
Coast.
I'm from Washington DCoriginally and happy, healthy
childhood, no major healthissues, nothing to complain
about.
So fast forward to my early 20sand I'm now living in the Bay
(02:55):
Area, working a fast-paced,corporate kind of startup tech
job, living in a chronic stateof stress.
And I picked up a routinestomach flu that many of us,
unfortunately, have had at times.
But due to living in such afight or flight state of just
not getting enough goodnutrition, not sleeping well,
(03:16):
not prioritizing exercise,commuting really long hours,
long, stressful days, my bodyreally couldn't recover and kick
this bug.
So I basically ended up havingpretty severe nausea and
abdominal gastropain for aboutthree months, so much so that I
mean I was still working fulltime and commuting, but I
basically stopped really eatingand nourishing my body because
(03:38):
anytime I swallowed and tried todigest food it caused so much
pain and nausea.
So fast forward a couple monthsand I had lost so much weight
from not eating and stillworking a full time schedule,
full time demands so I ended upbeing hospitalized for two weeks
in the Bay Area, put on afeeding tube, and doctors were
very perplexed by me.
(03:58):
They did, I mean multiple,multiple, top to bottom and GI
tests I'll spare you thosedetails, but a lot of tests and
ultimately they discharged mewith very vague.
They said that I had severe IBSand they gave me, I think,
eight or nine medications tosuppress the symptoms that I was
dealing with, whether they werepain symptoms or headaches or
(04:20):
anxiety.
I was on a real strong cocktailof medications and one of the
things they told me is that Ihad to stop drinking while I was
taking the medications.
So that's kind of where my firstyear perked up as far as, oh,
changing some things in my dietand lifestyle.
And then I sort of that was theway of life for a few years,
(04:41):
taking a lot of medications, andI really hadn't made many more
dietary lifestyle changes atthat point.
I never really was a big cooker.
I kind of was like a microwavefrozen Trader Joe's dinner kind
of person.
But ultimately I decided I kindof had one of those aha moments
where it was like I am so youngto be so medicated and no one's
(05:02):
really talked about root causesor long-term solutions.
So that's really where I rolledup my own sleeves and really
did some research into diet,anti-inflammatory diets, better
stress management, sleep,exercise, the importance of
community and hobbies.
And so, not overnight, but overa couple of years, I completely
changed my lifestyle.
(05:22):
I changed my diet, learned howto really cook, stopped drinking
alcohol and got better sleepand exercise and managed my
boundaries better and eventuallygot off all the medications
doctors put me on against their.
They were saying if they'reworking, don't break it.
But I got off everything and Ireally healed my gut through
(05:42):
changing my diet and mylifestyle.
And that's when the seed for mewas planted as far as making
this a business and knowingthere are so many other people
out there who are going throughtheir own health challenges that
are probably overwhelmed,probably confused by just the
Western medical system.
So I went back to school andgot my degree in nutrition from
a small program in Berkeley,california, and then launched my
(06:05):
own business and now I workone-on-one with clients, helping
them go through what I wentthrough.
Whether it's GI or not.
There's a whole plethora ofdifferent kinds of clients I
work with, but really helpingthem figure out how to help
their body in a more sustainable, empowered way than just
medications and just Westernmedicine.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Wow, I love this.
Yeah, I love this.
It's so needed, like when youtalked about chronic stress and
just you know, processed foodand just go, go, go.
I mean, that's like.
You know.
I read a stat, like years andyears ago the 90% of illnesses
are caused by chronic stress.
I don't know if that's a truestatistic or not, but it's
(06:45):
really detrimental.
And so, before we get into allthat, because I'm really
interested and I want listenersto hear everything, so when you
decided to make some changes orwere put on medication, you were
in your early twenties.
So how did that look for you?
Like when you're on medications, you're for you, like when you
know you're you're onmedications, you're stopping
(07:06):
drinking alcohol, you're likejust 21.
I think is that the was thatthe age on the East coast?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Like was that an easy choice for you or did you?
Did your social life like?
How did it affect you?
It was really hard at first.
I mean, I I was, I think I was22.
I was living in California, Iwas young, I was social.
Social life revolved around insome way shape or form, bars and
drinking and socializing inthat capacity, and so I really I
(07:34):
felt like I kind of lost mysocial life initially is how I
interpreted it, and I was justlike I don't know what I'm going
to do.
I don't know a lot of peoplehere that's how I've been
meeting people so I really, youknow, initially my mental health
really took a toll because Ikind of slumped into some
depression and just feelingcompletely overwhelmed and also
feeling kind of victim mindsetof like why me, why did this
(07:56):
happen?
Kind of hopeless in that way.
But what I will say is that Iwent slowly and so you know,
doctors just said you know, trya few months alcohol free, see
how that goes.
So I went slowly and if theyhad said this is going to be 14
years or the rest of your life,I would have been shocked to
(08:17):
hear that.
But going slowly and alsofiguring out the kinds of you
know other activities that couldbring me happiness and whether
they involve movement andexercise.
Or you know other activitiesthat could bring me happiness
and whether they involvemovement and exercise.
Or you know meeting people forcoffee or cooking classes,
cooking groups they're just.
It really pushed me to kind ofredefine and rethink my own
definition of community and offun and the kind of people I
(08:40):
wanted to be around.
So over time it actually becamefun of people who wanted to be
around.
So over time it actually becamefun and I really learned to
cook and started to enjoy goingto farmer's markets bright and
early on a Sunday morning, andso it kind of having this health
issue and then kind of dealingwith the recovery not just like
redefined my body and my GIsystem, but it also redefined my
(09:04):
life and how I spent my timeand who I spent my time with.
And I think that was theblessing in disguise from all of
this is I eventually learned toheal my gut through more
integrative practices and thenpivoted my career.
But I also it changed who I amfor the better and it made me a
much more self-aware, groundedand, yeah, reflective person in
(09:29):
that way.
So I wouldn't wish anyone to gothrough hospitalizations and
serious medical conditions, butI think it really changed my
life and my personal life forthe better, I would say.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So when was the point that you got off of those
medications that you wereprescribed and decided to make
some shifts with food as well?
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yeah, so in the hospital it was interesting.
So I basically had, as Imentioned earlier, pretty much
stopped eating going into thehospitalization because of so
much pain and nausea.
So when I got there and I wasadmitted, they put me on this
feeding tube and then I was notallowed to eat for about 10 days
while they just gave me all mynutrients via liquid.
And then on the last day or twothey said okay, we can try food
(10:15):
again and see how you do.
And the first meal they gave mein the hospital was a plate of
pasta and garlic bread andcookies for desserts.
It was just like a plate ofwhite, highly processed carbs
and I ate it and it tasted good.
But looking back on thatexperience now, there were very
(10:35):
few conversations about okay,when you go home, how are you
going to take care of your body?
How are you going to cook?
How are you going to nourishyourself?
So I really I am sort of proudto say that that focus on food
and nutrition was really not bydoctor's orders, not from the
hospital.
That was my own discovery and,like I said earlier, I sort of
(10:58):
initially started off justfollowing their orders, taking
all the medication, but then myown wheels started turning that
this was the plan.
I was going to be medicated likethis for decades to come.
Nobody was talking aboutgetting off medication or really
getting to a more root cause ofthis stuff.
So then that's really where Iwas like okay, what are
(11:20):
inflammatory foods?
What can I reduce?
So for me at the time I don'tfollow this as strictly now, but
I did remove gluten, I didremove dairy, I cut way back on
sugar and then alcohol.
Those were kind of the fourthings that I really removed and
then increased things like moreleafy greens, a lot more
protein sources, reallyincreased my hydration practices
(11:43):
and then just kind of likelearning to cook, learning to
read ingredient labels, learningto shop, you know more at
farmer's markets, just beingmore proactive in my food
process and more educated inkind of what I was putting in my
body.
And now to this day, like I'mnot.
I'm not fully gluten-free ordairy-free.
I'd say I'm gluten and dairylight and I cook when I'm at
(12:06):
home cooking.
I have very little gluten anddairy in my house, no sugar, but
if I go out to a restaurant andit's like a great Italian place
and it's a celebration I willabsolutely have pasta and enjoy
every bite.
But I would say a lot of thosepractices that I learned in my
early twenties I still follow tothis day.
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Now back to our guest.
You know that a lot of times wedon't have answers for our
health problems and we're asperplexed as everybody else.
But ultimately we do knowourselves because, just in what
(13:33):
you had said about you know,there wasn't any conversations
about how to eat better or evenlook at that part, just a kind
of an open-ended medicationsupply and such.
And for me, you know, in 2002,I was misdiagnosed with a couple
of things and put on a lot ofmedications.
And you know, I lived like thatfor a while.
And then it occurred to me oneday.
(13:56):
I said wait, we're paying himand I thought that means I can
make the decision not to bedoing this anymore Because I
knew it wasn't right because thesymptoms, you know, the side
effects were so heavy and it wasjust keeping me home.
And when I made that shift inmy head I thought wait, I'm in
control, I don't think this wasthe correct diagnosis and stuff
(14:17):
my head.
I thought wait, I'm in control,I don't think this was the
correct diagnosis.
And stuff, disclaimer being ifyou're on medication, take it
properly and get with yourdoctor to get off of it.
However, for me it was thatdecision like wait a minute, I
do know myself.
And that day I went in and weslowly started to wean off and I
went in another direction formy health and healing for that
particular period of my life.
(14:38):
So I applaud you for doing thatand like having the recognition
of that.
And one of the things that Ilove and maybe you can elaborate
on is you had talked aboutpre-recording how you are now
working with like psychiatricclinics and their food, health
and wellbeing and how it's, youknow, kind of intertwined.
(14:59):
And can you talk a little bitabout that, because I I really
think there's so much to thatLike, um, what we eat really
affects us in more ways, andthen you know, yeah, absolutely
so.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
When I first started my practice, you know, I got
this degree in nutrition.
We learned in nutrition schoolhow to set up your practice.
You do meal plans.
You do it was very, very food,food, food.
And I started off doing thatfor about a year, year and a
half.
But the more client experienceI got and the more conversations
I was having with people, itwas always so much more than
(15:36):
just food.
No one was just a hundredpercent talking about food and
what to eat.
Food brings into theconversation so many other
threads in, like the wellness um, you know, kit, and so the the
more I was curious about that,the more I realized we're
talking about and these are nowthe um five pillars of my
practice.
One is nutrition, but the fourothers that I've incorporated
(15:58):
are stress management, sleep,hygiene, daily movement and
community.
And community is there becausethere's so much research that
shows we can't heal whether it'sphysically or mentally in
isolation.
We need relationships, we needcollaboration, we need support,
we need connection to heal.
And so those are the fivepillars of my practice and I
(16:20):
feel like now with my clients westill talk about nutrition
plenty.
I no longer offer meal plans, Ijust do recipe research.
So if someone needs help in thekitchen I'll suggest recipes,
but I don't build full mealplans.
But rather there's a lot morefocus now on those things that
affect mental health, the thingslike the quality of sleep
(16:40):
you're getting.
Are you able to fall asleep andstay asleep?
And I use the word sleephygiene because, sorry, I got
some loud birds outside.
That's okay, because it reallyis hygiene.
It's sort of how do you?
What is your environment, yourbedroom environment?
I mean there's temperature.
There's things like light.
What is your environment, yourbedroom environment?
I mean there's temperature,there's things like light,
(17:02):
there's things like sense, likesmell, sense.
Are you on your phone or not?
So you know the practice nowincorporates these things that
really impact your mental healthand your happiness.
And I think so often whenyou're a patient going through
medical diagnoses or the medicalsystem, there's not enough
conversation about your mentalhealth and how you're feeling
and how you're supported and howis this weighing on you?
And I've seen time and timeagain with clients those other
(17:25):
threads in my practice directlyimpact their mindset and their
mental health and having thatcommunity, having those
connections.
I had a client last month.
He was working remotely fromMexico and he always wanted to
be down there as a big surfer,but he didn't know anyone and so
he was eating all the healthyfood, doing all the right things
, but he was super lonely,really really lonely and
(17:48):
isolated and it was affectinghis body and his sleep, even
though he was eating the rightkinds of foods.
So we shifted our focus toreally help him find like-minded
people and groups in the townthat he was in of surfers and
bikers.
He found a great breathworkclass.
So it really is integrative andthat's why that's part of my
titles integrative nutritionist,because it's so much more than
(18:10):
just your digestion and the foodyou eat.
It really encompasses the wholehuman and the whole body in
healing, and mental health is areally big, big part of that.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Yeah, I'm so glad you clarified that because as I was
researching your work, I wasn'texactly sure about integrative
nutritionist or what thatexactly meant.
But when you speak about it andI think most importantly I lit
up when you said sleep, but theneven more so when you said
community, because kind of likea left bar side note, as a mom
(18:48):
say, you're momming threechildren at home, you're
relatively isolated at the housepreschool age, and then you get
with other moms at the housepreschool age and then you get
with other moms, you're justlike, wow, your brain opens up,
you're just laughing.
All the things that you werehome crying about or upset about
you're now laughing about andit's that communion and that
(19:11):
connection.
You go home lighter.
You're a better parent.
The same for health.
Yeah, yeah, sure, you know a lotof people, I think might think,
well, it's not easy to eat goodor it's not easy to, but I love
that you're talking aboutlifestyle, like farmer's markets
, um, and then healing powers offood, like looking at your meal
, like is this going to help meor hurt me?
(19:33):
Like why would we do that?
Right, like we have to startthinking better of ourselves,
and yeah, so I kind of oftenlook at my kids and I'm like,
wow, if I can only eat, likethem, fresh strawberries and
blueberries, raspberry, you know.
But we often take like secondseat and just because we're
quick, moving and I think thosechanges really build confidence
(20:00):
moving and I think those changesreally build confidence, you
know, the better version of usthat we can bring.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
So yeah, I love it Just hearing you say that.
One thing I was thinking aboutis I just I just left my mind.
Yeah, I'll think about it andI'll bring it up in a minute.
I definitely had another nuggetlike a light bulb went out when
you were just saying that and Iwanted to share it, and then
it's gone, but I'll think aboutit.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Yeah, so do you speak on these things?
Do you have forums, or is thereanywhere that somebody could,
if they wanted to hear you speakabout this?
Do you have anything like that,or do you specifically work
one-on-one?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Yeah, so right now I do work one-on-one with clients.
I have a four-month coachingpractice.
I do feel like that's enoughtime for someone to really learn
about the changes they're goingto make, make the changes and
then also start to feel thebenefit and the effects of those
changes in their lifestyle.
(20:59):
And what I wanted to sayearlier is just that my goal
with clients is not to have themneed me forever.
I really want to educate andempower my clients to be able to
not need me and to go on andflourish and feel like they know
what's best for their body,they know how to nourish their
(21:20):
body, and so that's really mygoal is not to like you need
Lizzie for the next 10 years.
It's like no, we have this, youknow.
Four month engagement, You'regoing to learn a lot.
You're going to learn how torethink how to nourish your body
, how to care for yourself, howto sleep, how to prioritize all
these things.
And then I make micro shifts.
So I use the phrase habitstacking.
(21:41):
We go really slow and juststack slowly new habits of
healthy behavior in your life.
So you have this new norm, thisnew way of being that is
created, that isn't sudden, itisn't overnight.
And it's sustainable becauseyou go slowly and intentionally.
And it's sustainable becauseyou go slowly and intentionally,
so it really is aboutempowering people to you know,
(22:04):
know how to care for themselvesand know how to live their best
life without needing me in theirback pocket at all times.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Yeah.
So what did you call thatForeign one Foreign?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
one, what do you?
Speaker 1 (22:13):
mean, oh, I thought you had said it was foreign one,
but I love that.
I went to a chiropractor onceand she was the only one that
said you're not going to need meforever, cause they would
always say come back, come back.
And she said you're not goingto need me forever, this is what
we're going to do, and I wasblown away by that.
So the idea that you do it thatway I think is is such an
(22:39):
excellent way to do it, becauseyou're actually you're teaching
them and then you release them.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
I think it's, it's, it's yeah, and I don't.
I don't want to be in thebusiness of, like you know,
wanting coaching a hundred 110people at once?
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
And to not feel empowered.
And I want people to learn,practice, feel better and then
be able to take that into theirown life and be able to live the
full lives they do and traveland have families and be, have
lots of commitments and stillmaintain these healthy pillars
they've learned with me.
So my focus is reallyempowerment.
It's not to make someone feellike the answers aren't within
(23:12):
them, and I think one thing youmentioned earlier that really
clicked with me as well isoftentimes when we see doctors
who have lots of degrees andcertifications, they're highly
educated.
We outsource our own intuitiontime and time again because
we're paying them and they'rehighly educated, so they must
know what's better for us.
And granted, of course, there'sa certain level of Western
(23:33):
medical care we have to listento, and they do know that we
just don't know.
But there is something to besaid for to listen to and they
do know that we just don't know.
But there is something to besaid for tapping back into your
own intuition that all of ushave within us that is so easy
to override and outsource whenit comes to our care and our
health.
And that's one of my focusestoo is helping people bring that
you know that.
Chair back to the table, takethat seat and listen to
(23:56):
themselves and give themselvescredit for knowing their own
body.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Yeah, outsource your own intuition.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
So yeah, can you tell us the five pillars again that
you work with?
Absolutely so?
One is nutrient, densenutrition.
One is stress management.
One is sleep hygiene, dailymovement, which does not need to
be intense, crossfit or runninga marathon, it truly can be
like walking your dog or dancingmovement that you really enjoy.
And the last one is community,and that really is, you know,
(24:31):
the relationships you have.
Who in your life supports you?
Do you feel aligned with people?
Because that really does affectour mental health and the
mental health can affect ourdigestion and our sleep and all
the other chain reactions.
So I do have community in there, very, very much, intentionally
, for a reason.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Well, yeah, I love that.
That's great.
So if people wanted to connectwith you during the week, where
can they find you?
Where do you hang out duringthe week?
On social media and or yourwebsite?
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Absolutely so.
Website is justlizzie-nelsoncom, and I am one
of those people that spellsLizzie with an IE, not a Y, so
lizzie-nelsoncom.
And then I am on Instagram aswell.
It's just Lizzie Nelson,wellness.
And it's funny with Instagram Idefinitely teach my clients
(25:24):
about boundaries with socialmedia and not living on there.
So sometimes I'm very active onstories, sharing my life,
sharing tips, sharing clientsuccesses, but then there'll be
a day or two where I just need abreak and like today is one of
those days where I'm not gonnabe super active.
So I am on social media andthen LinkedIn.
I do post quite a fair amounton LinkedIn as well, and that's
just Lizzie Nelson.
So those are the three ways tofind me.
(25:47):
I do also have a newsletter thatI send out to clients every or
not just clients community everyweek or two, and that will be
things like my take on varioushealth trends, tips and tricks
and sort of like.
One thing I sent out last weekwas how to shop for yogurt, how
to decipher this very confusingaisle full of marketing, what to
look for in terms of proteinand sugar, flavors, all those
(26:09):
things, and also just likethings I'm seeing with clients
and then shares from my own life, so that's something I send out
consistently.
You can sign up for that on mywebsite.
And then, lastly, is I do somespeaking engagements, and I do
speaking engagements forcorporate groups.
So if someone is listening andthey're interested in bringing
(26:29):
any themes that I've shared hereto their workplace, to their
community groups, I do speakingengagements and the best way to
contact me is through my website.
I have an intake form or justhello at lizzie-nelsoncom.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
It's been.
It's been inspiring time heretalking with you.
I think those five pillars canhit and resonate with any
listener at any stage of theirlife, especially right now when
we're just moving so fast.
So, I really thank you forcoming on and sharing all the
advice and also sharing yourpersonal story, and I'd love to
(27:08):
have you on again sometime inthe future.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
I would love to be back and I think that it's
powerful, as a healthcare worker, to share your story and not be
just a cold.
You know, black and white human.
I think that sharing whatyou've gone through, sharing
your highs and lows, yourstruggles, what you've overcome,
what you're still going throughI think authenticity and
vulnerability are the ultimatemagnets and human connection,
(27:33):
and so there's no good done ifyou're not sharing what's real
and what your story is.
So I'm a very open book and I'malways happy to share more and
talk about my own experiencewith health and what I'm
currently working on.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
So absolutely, oh, thank you, Lizzie.
If anyone would like to contactLizzie during the week,
everything will be in the shownotes.
If you'd like to have her onfor your speaking engagements at
corporate events or just beinterested in one-on-one
coaching, check her out in theshow notes and thank you so much
for being here.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Thank you for having me, Jessica.
It was a lovely conversation.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Thank you for tuning into the Sober Living Stories
podcast.
If you have been inspired,consider subscribing and sharing
with anyone who could use hopein their lives.
Remember to stay tuned for moreinspiring stories in the
episodes to come.
To view our featured author ofthe month or to become a guest
yourself, visitwwwjessicastepanoviccom.
Lizzie grew up on the East Coast as a healthy kid
with no major health problems orcomplaints.
Fast forward 20 years and shefound herself in a hospital bed
with debilitating abdominal pain, hooked up to a feeding tube.
How did this happen?
Well, after prolonged stress,consuming a diet of highly
processed and quick to cookmeals, her body said no more.
(00:22):
As a holistic nutritionist witha focus on functional medicine,
she's eager to help clientsrediscover their relationship to
the healing powers of food asmedicine and also, if applicable
, redefine their relationshipwith alcohol.
Lean in for this episode.
It's one you're not going towant to miss.
It's one you're not going towant to miss.
(00:49):
Welcome to the Sober LivingStories podcast.
This podcast is dedicated tosharing stories of sobriety.
We shine a spotlight onindividuals who have faced the
challenges of alcoholism andaddiction and are today living
out their best lives sober andaddiction, and are today living
out their best lives sober.
Each guest has experiencedincredible transformation and
are here to share their storywith you.
(01:10):
I'm Jessica Stepanovic, yourhost.
Join me each week as guestsfrom all walks of life share
their stories to inspire andprovide hope to those who need
it most.
Welcome to another episode ofthe Sober Living Stories podcast
(01:42):
.
Meet Lizzie.
She's an integrativenutritionist who's been alcohol
free for 14 years.
She works one-on-one withclients, diet, lifestyle and
mental health.
Listen into this episode tohear Lizzie's personal story and
inspiration on how to live ahealthier, happy life.
Welcome, lizzie.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me, Jessica.
I'm so excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Yeah, I'm so excited to hear your personal story.
I know I was reading about youand the work that you do.
I know that you grew up on theEast Coast and you had a
relatively healthy, happychildhood and then in your 20s
you hit a little bit of aroadblock as far as health goes,
and I'd love for you to sharethat and then take us into how
(02:32):
it got you to do what you dotoday.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Absolutely Well.
Thank you again for having me.
I'm definitely very happy to behere and be your guest.
So you're right, as youmentioned, I grew up on the East
Coast.
I'm from Washington DCoriginally and happy, healthy
childhood, no major healthissues, nothing to complain
about.
So fast forward to my early 20sand I'm now living in the Bay
(02:55):
Area, working a fast-paced,corporate kind of startup tech
job, living in a chronic stateof stress.
And I picked up a routinestomach flu that many of us,
unfortunately, have had at times.
But due to living in such afight or flight state of just
not getting enough goodnutrition, not sleeping well,
(03:16):
not prioritizing exercise,commuting really long hours,
long, stressful days, my bodyreally couldn't recover and kick
this bug.
So I basically ended up havingpretty severe nausea and
abdominal gastropain for aboutthree months, so much so that I
mean I was still working fulltime and commuting, but I
basically stopped really eatingand nourishing my body because
(03:38):
anytime I swallowed and tried todigest food it caused so much
pain and nausea.
So fast forward a couple monthsand I had lost so much weight
from not eating and stillworking a full time schedule,
full time demands so I ended upbeing hospitalized for two weeks
in the Bay Area, put on afeeding tube, and doctors were
very perplexed by me.
(03:58):
They did, I mean multiple,multiple, top to bottom and GI
tests I'll spare you thosedetails, but a lot of tests and
ultimately they discharged mewith very vague.
They said that I had severe IBSand they gave me, I think,
eight or nine medications tosuppress the symptoms that I was
dealing with, whether they werepain symptoms or headaches or
(04:20):
anxiety.
I was on a real strong cocktailof medications and one of the
things they told me is that Ihad to stop drinking while I was
taking the medications.
So that's kind of where my firstyear perked up as far as, oh,
changing some things in my dietand lifestyle.
And then I sort of that was theway of life for a few years,
(04:41):
taking a lot of medications, andI really hadn't made many more
dietary lifestyle changes atthat point.
I never really was a big cooker.
I kind of was like a microwavefrozen Trader Joe's dinner kind
of person.
But ultimately I decided I kindof had one of those aha moments
where it was like I am so youngto be so medicated and no one's
(05:02):
really talked about root causesor long-term solutions.
So that's really where I rolledup my own sleeves and really
did some research into diet,anti-inflammatory diets, better
stress management, sleep,exercise, the importance of
community and hobbies.
And so, not overnight, but overa couple of years, I completely
changed my lifestyle.
(05:22):
I changed my diet, learned howto really cook, stopped drinking
alcohol and got better sleepand exercise and managed my
boundaries better and eventuallygot off all the medications
doctors put me on against their.
They were saying if they'reworking, don't break it.
But I got off everything and Ireally healed my gut through
(05:42):
changing my diet and mylifestyle.
And that's when the seed for mewas planted as far as making
this a business and knowingthere are so many other people
out there who are going throughtheir own health challenges that
are probably overwhelmed,probably confused by just the
Western medical system.
So I went back to school andgot my degree in nutrition from
a small program in Berkeley,california, and then launched my
(06:05):
own business and now I workone-on-one with clients, helping
them go through what I wentthrough.
Whether it's GI or not.
There's a whole plethora ofdifferent kinds of clients I
work with, but really helpingthem figure out how to help
their body in a more sustainable, empowered way than just
medications and just Westernmedicine.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Wow, I love this.
Yeah, I love this.
It's so needed, like when youtalked about chronic stress and
just you know, processed foodand just go, go, go.
I mean, that's like.
You know.
I read a stat, like years andyears ago the 90% of illnesses
are caused by chronic stress.
I don't know if that's a truestatistic or not, but it's
(06:45):
really detrimental.
And so, before we get into allthat, because I'm really
interested and I want listenersto hear everything, so when you
decided to make some changes orwere put on medication, you were
in your early twenties.
So how did that look for you?
Like when you're on medications, you're for you, like when you
know you're you're onmedications, you're stopping
(07:06):
drinking alcohol, you're likejust 21.
I think is that the was thatthe age on the East coast?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Like was that an easy choice for you or did you?
Did your social life like?
How did it affect you?
It was really hard at first.
I mean, I I was, I think I was22.
I was living in California, Iwas young, I was social.
Social life revolved around insome way shape or form, bars and
drinking and socializing inthat capacity, and so I really I
(07:34):
felt like I kind of lost mysocial life initially is how I
interpreted it, and I was justlike I don't know what I'm going
to do.
I don't know a lot of peoplehere that's how I've been
meeting people so I really, youknow, initially my mental health
really took a toll because Ikind of slumped into some
depression and just feelingcompletely overwhelmed and also
feeling kind of victim mindsetof like why me, why did this
(07:56):
happen?
Kind of hopeless in that way.
But what I will say is that Iwent slowly and so you know,
doctors just said you know, trya few months alcohol free, see
how that goes.
So I went slowly and if theyhad said this is going to be 14
years or the rest of your life,I would have been shocked to
(08:17):
hear that.
But going slowly and alsofiguring out the kinds of you
know other activities that couldbring me happiness and whether
they involve movement andexercise.
Or you know other activitiesthat could bring me happiness
and whether they involvemovement and exercise.
Or you know meeting people forcoffee or cooking classes,
cooking groups they're just.
It really pushed me to kind ofredefine and rethink my own
definition of community and offun and the kind of people I
(08:40):
wanted to be around.
So over time it actually becamefun of people who wanted to be
around.
So over time it actually becamefun and I really learned to
cook and started to enjoy goingto farmer's markets bright and
early on a Sunday morning, andso it kind of having this health
issue and then kind of dealingwith the recovery not just like
redefined my body and my GIsystem, but it also redefined my
(09:04):
life and how I spent my timeand who I spent my time with.
And I think that was theblessing in disguise from all of
this is I eventually learned toheal my gut through more
integrative practices and thenpivoted my career.
But I also it changed who I amfor the better and it made me a
much more self-aware, groundedand, yeah, reflective person in
(09:29):
that way.
So I wouldn't wish anyone to gothrough hospitalizations and
serious medical conditions, butI think it really changed my
life and my personal life forthe better, I would say.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So when was the point that you got off of those
medications that you wereprescribed and decided to make
some shifts with food as well?
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yeah, so in the hospital it was interesting.
So I basically had, as Imentioned earlier, pretty much
stopped eating going into thehospitalization because of so
much pain and nausea.
So when I got there and I wasadmitted, they put me on this
feeding tube and then I was notallowed to eat for about 10 days
while they just gave me all mynutrients via liquid.
And then on the last day or twothey said okay, we can try food
(10:15):
again and see how you do.
And the first meal they gave mein the hospital was a plate of
pasta and garlic bread andcookies for desserts.
It was just like a plate ofwhite, highly processed carbs
and I ate it and it tasted good.
But looking back on thatexperience now, there were very
(10:35):
few conversations about okay,when you go home, how are you
going to take care of your body?
How are you going to cook?
How are you going to nourishyourself?
So I really I am sort of proudto say that that focus on food
and nutrition was really not bydoctor's orders, not from the
hospital.
That was my own discovery and,like I said earlier, I sort of
(10:58):
initially started off justfollowing their orders, taking
all the medication, but then myown wheels started turning that
this was the plan.
I was going to be medicated likethis for decades to come.
Nobody was talking aboutgetting off medication or really
getting to a more root cause ofthis stuff.
So then that's really where Iwas like okay, what are
(11:20):
inflammatory foods?
What can I reduce?
So for me at the time I don'tfollow this as strictly now, but
I did remove gluten, I didremove dairy, I cut way back on
sugar and then alcohol.
Those were kind of the fourthings that I really removed and
then increased things like moreleafy greens, a lot more
protein sources, reallyincreased my hydration practices
(11:43):
and then just kind of likelearning to cook, learning to
read ingredient labels, learningto shop, you know more at
farmer's markets, just beingmore proactive in my food
process and more educated inkind of what I was putting in my
body.
And now to this day, like I'mnot.
I'm not fully gluten-free ordairy-free.
I'd say I'm gluten and dairylight and I cook when I'm at
(12:06):
home cooking.
I have very little gluten anddairy in my house, no sugar, but
if I go out to a restaurant andit's like a great Italian place
and it's a celebration I willabsolutely have pasta and enjoy
every bite.
But I would say a lot of thosepractices that I learned in my
early twenties I still follow tothis day.
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Now back to our guest.
You know that a lot of times wedon't have answers for our
health problems and we're asperplexed as everybody else.
But ultimately we do knowourselves because, just in what
(13:33):
you had said about you know,there wasn't any conversations
about how to eat better or evenlook at that part, just a kind
of an open-ended medicationsupply and such.
And for me, you know, in 2002,I was misdiagnosed with a couple
of things and put on a lot ofmedications.
And you know, I lived like thatfor a while.
And then it occurred to me oneday.
(13:56):
I said wait, we're paying himand I thought that means I can
make the decision not to bedoing this anymore Because I
knew it wasn't right because thesymptoms, you know, the side
effects were so heavy and it wasjust keeping me home.
And when I made that shift inmy head I thought wait, I'm in
control, I don't think this wasthe correct diagnosis and stuff
(14:17):
my head.
I thought wait, I'm in control,I don't think this was the
correct diagnosis.
And stuff, disclaimer being ifyou're on medication, take it
properly and get with yourdoctor to get off of it.
However, for me it was thatdecision like wait a minute, I
do know myself.
And that day I went in and weslowly started to wean off and I
went in another direction formy health and healing for that
particular period of my life.
(14:38):
So I applaud you for doing thatand like having the recognition
of that.
And one of the things that Ilove and maybe you can elaborate
on is you had talked aboutpre-recording how you are now
working with like psychiatricclinics and their food, health
and wellbeing and how it's, youknow, kind of intertwined.
(14:59):
And can you talk a little bitabout that, because I I really
think there's so much to thatLike, um, what we eat really
affects us in more ways, andthen you know, yeah, absolutely
so.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
When I first started my practice, you know, I got
this degree in nutrition.
We learned in nutrition schoolhow to set up your practice.
You do meal plans.
You do it was very, very food,food, food.
And I started off doing thatfor about a year, year and a
half.
But the more client experienceI got and the more conversations
I was having with people, itwas always so much more than
(15:36):
just food.
No one was just a hundredpercent talking about food and
what to eat.
Food brings into theconversation so many other
threads in, like the wellness um, you know, kit, and so the the
more I was curious about that,the more I realized we're
talking about and these are nowthe um five pillars of my
practice.
One is nutrition, but the fourothers that I've incorporated
(15:58):
are stress management, sleep,hygiene, daily movement and
community.
And community is there becausethere's so much research that
shows we can't heal whether it'sphysically or mentally in
isolation.
We need relationships, we needcollaboration, we need support,
we need connection to heal.
And so those are the fivepillars of my practice and I
(16:20):
feel like now with my clients westill talk about nutrition
plenty.
I no longer offer meal plans, Ijust do recipe research.
So if someone needs help in thekitchen I'll suggest recipes,
but I don't build full mealplans.
But rather there's a lot morefocus now on those things that
affect mental health, the thingslike the quality of sleep
(16:40):
you're getting.
Are you able to fall asleep andstay asleep?
And I use the word sleephygiene because, sorry, I got
some loud birds outside.
That's okay, because it reallyis hygiene.
It's sort of how do you?
What is your environment, yourbedroom environment?
I mean there's temperature.
There's things like light.
What is your environment, yourbedroom environment?
I mean there's temperature,there's things like light,
(17:02):
there's things like sense, likesmell, sense.
Are you on your phone or not?
So you know the practice nowincorporates these things that
really impact your mental healthand your happiness.
And I think so often whenyou're a patient going through
medical diagnoses or the medicalsystem, there's not enough
conversation about your mentalhealth and how you're feeling
and how you're supported and howis this weighing on you?
And I've seen time and timeagain with clients those other
(17:25):
threads in my practice directlyimpact their mindset and their
mental health and having thatcommunity, having those
connections.
I had a client last month.
He was working remotely fromMexico and he always wanted to
be down there as a big surfer,but he didn't know anyone and so
he was eating all the healthyfood, doing all the right things
, but he was super lonely,really really lonely and
(17:48):
isolated and it was affectinghis body and his sleep, even
though he was eating the rightkinds of foods.
So we shifted our focus toreally help him find like-minded
people and groups in the townthat he was in of surfers and
bikers.
He found a great breathworkclass.
So it really is integrative andthat's why that's part of my
titles integrative nutritionist,because it's so much more than
(18:10):
just your digestion and the foodyou eat.
It really encompasses the wholehuman and the whole body in
healing, and mental health is areally big, big part of that.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Yeah, I'm so glad you clarified that because as I was
researching your work, I wasn'texactly sure about integrative
nutritionist or what thatexactly meant.
But when you speak about it andI think most importantly I lit
up when you said sleep, but theneven more so when you said
community, because kind of likea left bar side note, as a mom
(18:48):
say, you're momming threechildren at home, you're
relatively isolated at the housepreschool age, and then you get
with other moms at the housepreschool age and then you get
with other moms, you're justlike, wow, your brain opens up,
you're just laughing.
All the things that you werehome crying about or upset about
you're now laughing about andit's that communion and that
(19:11):
connection.
You go home lighter.
You're a better parent.
The same for health.
Yeah, yeah, sure, you know a lotof people, I think might think,
well, it's not easy to eat goodor it's not easy to, but I love
that you're talking aboutlifestyle, like farmer's markets
, um, and then healing powers offood, like looking at your meal
, like is this going to help meor hurt me?
(19:33):
Like why would we do that?
Right, like we have to startthinking better of ourselves,
and yeah, so I kind of oftenlook at my kids and I'm like,
wow, if I can only eat, likethem, fresh strawberries and
blueberries, raspberry, you know.
But we often take like secondseat and just because we're
quick, moving and I think thosechanges really build confidence
(20:00):
moving and I think those changesreally build confidence, you
know, the better version of usthat we can bring.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
So yeah, I love it Just hearing you say that.
One thing I was thinking aboutis I just I just left my mind.
Yeah, I'll think about it andI'll bring it up in a minute.
I definitely had another nuggetlike a light bulb went out when
you were just saying that and Iwanted to share it, and then
it's gone, but I'll think aboutit.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Yeah, so do you speak on these things?
Do you have forums, or is thereanywhere that somebody could,
if they wanted to hear you speakabout this?
Do you have anything like that,or do you specifically work
one-on-one?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Yeah, so right now I do work one-on-one with clients.
I have a four-month coachingpractice.
I do feel like that's enoughtime for someone to really learn
about the changes they're goingto make, make the changes and
then also start to feel thebenefit and the effects of those
changes in their lifestyle.
(20:59):
And what I wanted to sayearlier is just that my goal
with clients is not to have themneed me forever.
I really want to educate andempower my clients to be able to
not need me and to go on andflourish and feel like they know
what's best for their body,they know how to nourish their
(21:20):
body, and so that's really mygoal is not to like you need
Lizzie for the next 10 years.
It's like no, we have this, youknow.
Four month engagement, You'regoing to learn a lot.
You're going to learn how torethink how to nourish your body
, how to care for yourself, howto sleep, how to prioritize all
these things.
And then I make micro shifts.
So I use the phrase habitstacking.
(21:41):
We go really slow and juststack slowly new habits of
healthy behavior in your life.
So you have this new norm, thisnew way of being that is
created, that isn't sudden, itisn't overnight.
And it's sustainable becauseyou go slowly and intentionally.
And it's sustainable becauseyou go slowly and intentionally,
so it really is aboutempowering people to you know,
(22:04):
know how to care for themselvesand know how to live their best
life without needing me in theirback pocket at all times.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Yeah.
So what did you call thatForeign one Foreign?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
one, what do you?
Speaker 1 (22:13):
mean, oh, I thought you had said it was foreign one,
but I love that.
I went to a chiropractor onceand she was the only one that
said you're not going to need meforever, cause they would
always say come back, come back.
And she said you're not goingto need me forever, this is what
we're going to do, and I wasblown away by that.
So the idea that you do it thatway I think is is such an
(22:39):
excellent way to do it, becauseyou're actually you're teaching
them and then you release them.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
I think it's, it's, it's yeah, and I don't.
I don't want to be in thebusiness of, like you know,
wanting coaching a hundred 110people at once?
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
And to not feel empowered.
And I want people to learn,practice, feel better and then
be able to take that into theirown life and be able to live the
full lives they do and traveland have families and be, have
lots of commitments and stillmaintain these healthy pillars
they've learned with me.
So my focus is reallyempowerment.
It's not to make someone feellike the answers aren't within
(23:12):
them, and I think one thing youmentioned earlier that really
clicked with me as well isoftentimes when we see doctors
who have lots of degrees andcertifications, they're highly
educated.
We outsource our own intuitiontime and time again because
we're paying them and they'rehighly educated, so they must
know what's better for us.
And granted, of course, there'sa certain level of Western
(23:33):
medical care we have to listento, and they do know that we
just don't know.
But there is something to besaid for to listen to and they
do know that we just don't know.
But there is something to besaid for tapping back into your
own intuition that all of ushave within us that is so easy
to override and outsource whenit comes to our care and our
health.
And that's one of my focusestoo is helping people bring that
you know that.
Chair back to the table, takethat seat and listen to
(23:56):
themselves and give themselvescredit for knowing their own
body.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Yeah, outsource your own intuition.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
So yeah, can you tell us the five pillars again that
you work with?
Absolutely so?
One is nutrient, densenutrition.
One is stress management.
One is sleep hygiene, dailymovement, which does not need to
be intense, crossfit or runninga marathon, it truly can be
like walking your dog or dancingmovement that you really enjoy.
And the last one is community,and that really is, you know,
(24:31):
the relationships you have.
Who in your life supports you?
Do you feel aligned with people?
Because that really does affectour mental health and the
mental health can affect ourdigestion and our sleep and all
the other chain reactions.
So I do have community in there, very, very much, intentionally
, for a reason.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Well, yeah, I love that.
That's great.
So if people wanted to connectwith you during the week, where
can they find you?
Where do you hang out duringthe week?
On social media and or yourwebsite?
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Absolutely so.
Website is justlizzie-nelsoncom, and I am one
of those people that spellsLizzie with an IE, not a Y, so
lizzie-nelsoncom.
And then I am on Instagram aswell.
It's just Lizzie Nelson,wellness.
And it's funny with Instagram Idefinitely teach my clients
(25:24):
about boundaries with socialmedia and not living on there.
So sometimes I'm very active onstories, sharing my life,
sharing tips, sharing clientsuccesses, but then there'll be
a day or two where I just need abreak and like today is one of
those days where I'm not gonnabe super active.
So I am on social media andthen LinkedIn.
I do post quite a fair amounton LinkedIn as well, and that's
just Lizzie Nelson.
So those are the three ways tofind me.
(25:47):
I do also have a newsletter thatI send out to clients every or
not just clients community everyweek or two, and that will be
things like my take on varioushealth trends, tips and tricks
and sort of like.
One thing I sent out last weekwas how to shop for yogurt, how
to decipher this very confusingaisle full of marketing, what to
look for in terms of proteinand sugar, flavors, all those
(26:09):
things, and also just likethings I'm seeing with clients
and then shares from my own life, so that's something I send out
consistently.
You can sign up for that on mywebsite.
And then, lastly, is I do somespeaking engagements, and I do
speaking engagements forcorporate groups.
So if someone is listening andthey're interested in bringing
(26:29):
any themes that I've shared hereto their workplace, to their
community groups, I do speakingengagements and the best way to
contact me is through my website.
I have an intake form or justhello at lizzie-nelsoncom.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
It's been.
It's been inspiring time heretalking with you.
I think those five pillars canhit and resonate with any
listener at any stage of theirlife, especially right now when
we're just moving so fast.
So, I really thank you forcoming on and sharing all the
advice and also sharing yourpersonal story, and I'd love to
(27:08):
have you on again sometime inthe future.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
I would love to be back and I think that it's
powerful, as a healthcare worker, to share your story and not be
just a cold.
You know, black and white human.
I think that sharing whatyou've gone through, sharing
your highs and lows, yourstruggles, what you've overcome,
what you're still going throughI think authenticity and
vulnerability are the ultimatemagnets and human connection,
(27:33):
and so there's no good done ifyou're not sharing what's real
and what your story is.
So I'm a very open book and I'malways happy to share more and
talk about my own experiencewith health and what I'm
currently working on.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
So absolutely, oh, thank you, Lizzie.
If anyone would like to contactLizzie during the week,
everything will be in the shownotes.
If you'd like to have her onfor your speaking engagements at
corporate events or just beinterested in one-on-one
coaching, check her out in theshow notes and thank you so much
for being here.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Thank you for having me, Jessica.
It was a lovely conversation.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Thank you for tuning into the Sober Living Stories
podcast.
If you have been inspired,consider subscribing and sharing
with anyone who could use hopein their lives.
Remember to stay tuned for moreinspiring stories in the
episodes to come.
To view our featured author ofthe month or to become a guest
yourself, visitwwwjessicastepanoviccom.
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