September 18, 2024 • 35 mins
Did you know that persistent back pain and vomiting can be symptoms of anxiety? Join us for an incredible episode featuring Melissa Flynt, who courageously shares her journey from debilitating health issues to becoming a passionate wellness advocate. Melissa's story reveals how a holistic approach to health not only uncovered the hidden dangers of everyday toxins but also highlighted the critical connection between gut health and overall well-being. You'll also hear how a general doctor, along with a supportive team including a holistic nutritionist and physical therapist, helped Melissa uncover the root of her ailments.
With the encouragement of a dear friend, she overcame her initial resistance to medication due to spiritual and holistic concerns. This episode delves into the powerful role faith and friendship played in her healing journey, the impact of xenoestrogens, and the benefits of thermograms for early health detection. Melissa's transformation was not instantaneous; it involved gradual, mindful changes that significantly improved her overall well-being.
We also explore the profound importance of rest, community, and spiritual rejuvenation. Listen as we uncover how activities like spending time outdoors, Christian yoga, and maintaining a continuous dialogue with God can replenish the spirit. Vulnerability and community support are highlighted as essential when facing life's challenges. Don’t miss Shannon Martin's heartfelt conclusion, where she invites you to join the wellness community and provides a sneak peek into the next episode featuring special guest Shana Scott Lee.
Melissa's Resources:
Books:
- Keeton, Alisa (2023): The Body Revelation
- https://a.co/d/fCjfMi1
- Dr. Campbell, Natasha (2010): Gut and Psychology Syndrome
- https://a.co/d/4ogxhBA
Behind Her Brand Community: behindherbrand.net
Connect with Melissa: https://form.jotform.com/233450861520046
Thank you for tuning in to today’s episode of This Thing Called Wellness. If it spoke to you, please share it with someone who needs a little encouragement—and don’t forget to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your support helps others find our community and fuels the heart behind every conversation. 💚
Stay connected and join the conversation:
📸 Instagram: @thisthingcalledwellness_
📘 Facebook: @shannondmartin
📧 Email: shannon@thisthingcalledwellness.com
🎙️ Podcast Page: podcast.thisthingcalledwellness.com
💌 Newsletter & Wellness Tools: thisthingcalledwellness.com
💬 Enjoyed the episode or have a question?
Send us a quick text message using the link in the description! I might give you a shoutout or share your question in a future episode. I’d love to hear what’s resonating with you. ✨
Join the newsletter for gentle inspiration, healing support, and tools that help you heal, empower, and connect—right from the heart.
We appreciate you more than you know—let’s keep growing together. 🌿
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Shannon D Martin (00:00):
Hello, beautiful, welcome to today's
conversation where we're goingto talk about anxiety, toxins
and gut health with our guest,Melissa Flynt.
Let's talk about it.
I'm your host, Shannon Martin,and welcome to today's episode
of this Thing Called Wellness.
Today, on this Thing CalledWellness, we're joined by my
(00:22):
very first guest, melissa Flint.
She is a wife, mother of threeand former educator whose
personal health scare revealedthe hidden dangers of toxins in
everyday household products.
After discovering her pain waslinked to anxiety and harmful
xenoestrogen's, Melissa doveinto wellness research.
(00:42):
Now, with a degree inpsychology, she educates others
about safer, naturalalternatives, including
non-toxic cleaning products,healthier foods and supplements,
while raising awareness of thevital role gut health plays in
our overall well-being.
Listen in as Melissa shares herjourney and simple solutions
(01:05):
for living a healthier,toxin-free life.
How are you doing?
Melissa Flynt (01:10):
Hello, I'm doing good.
I'm just so honored to be yourguest, and your first guest at
that.
Shannon D Martin (01:17):
Yes, yay, my first guest at first, so this is
exciting for both of us, isexciting for both of us, and so
we just wanted to talk aboutyour wellness journey and how
you got started in your businesswith wellness and how you
started with your going intohealthy products, and how did
(01:40):
that all get started?
I know that you mentioned thatyou started with some pretty
intense symptoms.
Can you tell us more about whenyou realized that something was
wrong and what led you to seekhelp?
Melissa Flynt (01:54):
Yeah.
So yeah, I had a long healthjourney, different issues, but I
think what we're here to talkabout mostly is anxiety.
And so my story started when Istarted having severe stabbing
back pain I say back, it waskind of on my left flank and
(02:16):
then I would just start to vomitand that's no fun, no fun at
all, and it just wouldn't stop.
And you know, talk about notwanting to be out in public
because you don't know whenthat's going to happen and
nobody wants to be likeembarrassed in front of
everybody.
Shannon D Martin (02:36):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (02:37):
So, yeah, I thankfully had a good support
system already and a goodnutritionist that I saw she was
also my chiropractor, so youknow, she's my first line of
defense.
I went to her because, you know, I was struggling, thinking
maybe it was spine related,Right, and so that led to a long
(03:03):
series of testing.
We were thorough in ourresearch.
I, you know, let's just say,every specialist from top to
bottom.
I had everything checked out.
You know two differenturologists.
My dad has a history of kidneystones.
Was it a kidney stone?
You know.
But it finally culminated justagain, you know, in the ER with
(03:28):
pain, just needing painmanagement and then with no one
able to give me any answers.
Everybody, you're fine, you'refine, you're healthy.
Shannon D Martin (03:39):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (03:40):
And my husband going no, you're not crazy.
I see this, you know, becauseyou do, you think am I crazy?
Shannon D Martin (03:46):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (03:48):
I was listening to the radio one day and they
gave an explanation, and I can'ttell you who the speaker was,
but their example they gave wasevery year, during a
cardiologist convention, all ofthe heart doctors that would
normally perform surgery areinvolved in a conference and
they're busy.
(04:08):
So when someone presents withsymptoms to the ER they're met
with a generalist doctor wholooks, you know, from top to
bottom to find the issue.
So I just took that as like awhisper from the Lord that maybe
I just needed to see a generaldoctor from the Lord that maybe
I just needed to see a generaldoctor, Right that instead of
(04:30):
all these specialists thatlooked at their specialty, I
needed to look at someone thatwould look at me as a whole.
And so then I went to mygeneral doctor that I hadn't
been to in years because Inormally saw my holistic
nutritionist Right, and he saidit's anxiety.
And I said what?
Shannon D Martin (04:50):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (04:51):
What Anxiety can make you have that kind of pain
and vomit?
Shannon D Martin (04:59):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (05:00):
And he said yes, ma'am.
He said he hospitalizes peopleweekly for stress related
illnesses and that was reallysurprising to me.
Shannon D Martin (05:11):
That's really surprising to me too, because
mine came in like it wasn'tvomiting so per se.
It was like a stinging in myshoulder.
I had a pain in my shoulderthat just wouldn't go away and I
had it for like a year and Ikept going to like I said
specialists as well trying tosay what is going on with my
shoulder.
That just wouldn't go away andI had it for like a year and I
kept going to like I saidspecialists as well trying to
say what is going on with myshoulder.
And finally, when I ended up inthe emergency room, the doctor
(05:32):
said no, it was your body sayingit was your pinched nerves
letting you know that somethingwas wrong and it eventually it
turned into this and so it was ageneral doctor.
It was another general doctor Ihad to end up seeing to get
seen.
So that's amazing.
Melissa Flynt (05:49):
There was some other supports there.
I would say I had great care,you know, no complaint about
them.
One was a physical therapist.
I had been to a spine painmanagement doctor thinking okay,
maybe it was something relatedto that and they're all trying
to help me right.
So, physical therapy and aftera long series of you know all
(06:11):
the stretching, all the things,you know that you get there in
the sweetest way because shealso is a believer.
She said you know, have youthought about counseling?
Have you thought about, youknow, anxiety medication?
And that was really like ohthat's.
(06:32):
That's a hard one, so so itkind of leads me into that, if
you want to go there and talkabout medication.
Shannon D Martin (06:41):
Right, Because I was going to ask what you
know.
What changes did you starthaving to think about?
How were you processing it?
Melissa Flynt (06:47):
Yeah, so you know , I know you don't have all day.
No, that's okay, go ahead.
I had issues before in the pastwith gut health.
I had a bacterial infectioncalled H pylori years prior, and
(07:07):
so that really already openedmy eyes to again why I had
sought out more doctors withholistic mindsets because I
don't have things againstWestern medicine but for that
condition it did not go well.
It actually made me morephysically ill.
(07:28):
And that was how I got on thepath to, you know, looking more
in the other direction.
And so when you know, I'm toldthat I need anxiety medication,
that was a struggle because Iwas trying to heal myself
already, you know, through dietand through supplementation,
(07:50):
through healthy choices, and soI felt like a failure.
You know, trying and reallytrying and this isn't working.
And then, as a believer, we'lladd a piece on there where I was
like God, I don't get it.
Like why can't you just, youknow, snap and fix this?
Shannon D Martin (08:10):
He didn't even have to snap Right, just heal
me.
Melissa Flynt (08:15):
Yeah, and if I'm real transparent.
This is so vain and so pridefulof me, but I'm like you know,
god, I am leading worship.
I'm like you know God, I amleading worship.
How?
How?
You know I felt like such ahypocrite to go up there in
front of you know other peoplein the congregation to help lead
them to the throne and behindthat, you know, if they knew
(08:37):
that I was struggling withanxiety does that?
Disqualify me from a leadershiprole.
Shannon D Martin (08:46):
So yeah Right, because we all have that,
because you're sitting heresaying, you know, now I have to
take this medication.
I've done all the right thingsand now I'm still having to lean
on something else other than myfaith.
And because we all strugglewith that as believers and I
struggled with that as well andit took me years to say I had to
(09:06):
go back and say Lord, help me,because I know that I need it.
But also with your gut health.
You were kind of saying I don'twant to put that into my body
now because I have to.
It may disrupt what I was doingbefore.
Melissa Flynt (09:21):
Absolutely yeah, and so I ugly cried yeah let's
be honest, I ugly cried and Italked to my sister-in-law.
She's a nerd.
She was trying to encourage meand I don't know if she was the
one that said this to me, butsomewhere in that timeframe it
(09:43):
was said like if I neededglasses, I would put on a
prescription to see better.
Right, right and so this is achemical imbalance that's going
on in my brain and it wassomething that they were saying
you need this.
Shannon D Martin (10:01):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (10:02):
So it was hard.
It was hard to acquiesce, Iguess.
Shannon D Martin (10:06):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (10:07):
I'll tell you pretty quickly.
My family noticed a differencemy husband, really, you know,
and my children just really youknow.
I guess what's the word?
Just confirming that that wassomething that I needed, because
it really what happens isthere's the physical pain that I
was something that I needed,cause it really what happens is
there's the physical pain that Iwas dealing with.
Shannon D Martin (10:29):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (10:30):
But there was also fear.
So such fear, it was so rampedup.
You know, I don't know if thisis what you went through, but
you know, even to talk about it,it's like shortness of breath.
Just you know it, just so,absolutely.
Look over of breath, just youknow it, just so, absolutely,
took over all of me and it wasjust a block to functioning in
(10:50):
society.
Shannon D Martin (10:52):
It was.
Yeah, it's almost crippling toa point to where you know that I
have to.
Now I have to depend on thismedication to function, almost.
And then you know, and then,like you're sitting there,
almost it was crippling to me atone point.
So is that what you werefeeling?
Melissa Flynt (11:12):
Oh yeah, just totally incapacitated.
I thankfully had another friendat church that I knew had dealt
with postpartum depression andshe's a, you know, bivocational
minister at our church, and so Idon't know.
I mean, it was God, I'm sure,just leading me to go to her.
I still remember where we weresitting in a restaurant and I
(11:34):
could hardly get the words out,you know, over ugly crying again
.
I made it such a spiritualcrisis as well, when really I
feel like now, looking back, godwas saying you know, if I asked
you to see all the specialistsin the world, you said yes, but
(11:57):
if I'm asking you just to take asimple medication, you're fine.
And it was you know, at theleast temporarily, something
that he was saying.
This is a help right and I wasfighting him on it right, but it
was a legitimate.
Shannon D Martin (12:16):
It was a legitimate fight because you
were being holistic abouteverything and it was also to
come into.
Was it with you like coming togrips with saying now I have
anxiety, I have this otherailment that I have to deal with
, and you're already battling somany other issues, so now I
have to deal with this as well.
(12:36):
So now you're saying, am Ireally being a true faithful
servant, so to speak?
Am I living up to that?
So now this is another thing Ihave to deal with when I'm being
so faithful?
I think I went through that aswell.
Melissa Flynt (12:53):
Yeah, and I think I have a history of what do you
want to call it, Perfectionismor performantism, type A
firstborn.
But I think you know I'dalready been in the mode of,
like trying to be my ownphysician, trying to.
You know, it's just like, oh,just saying that the enemy wants
(13:13):
to whisper the word failure.
And so that that friend, shehelped me to see that that, yes,
the medication she too had, youknow, and I respect her as
another, you know, strongChristian believer, that she had
been on it as well, that I'mnot the only one, that many
people you know it's notsomething we commonly talk about
(13:34):
, but it is common that a lot ofpeople are on it.
But she, let me see that it wasalso spiritual warfare.
Shannon D Martin (13:44):
Yes, yes, I believe that.
Melissa Flynt (13:55):
I do.
I think there's we're allencompassing, like there's so
many different parts of thehuman body.
Yes, yes I believe that.
But the spiritual warfare partof it it started to play out in
that I didn't want to leadworship because I was dealing
with these anxiety, and so onething that she kind of helped me
(14:19):
in transitioning was that Ineeded something to where I
would not focus on myself somuch.
Shannon D Martin (14:32):
So you needed to have an outlet.
Okay, so when you werediscovering also, too, I know
that we were talking about whenyou were going through all of
your testing you also learnedthat something else was
affecting your health.
What was that?
Melissa Flynt (14:46):
Oh goodness, yeah , I'm going to keep you on here
for hours, that's all the dirton me.
So back to the holistic route.
My nutritionist she advised meto stop getting mammograms, not
(15:06):
as a whole, but just thatthere's a different route to
take, called a thermogram, andthe reason she recommended it is
because it is supposed to haveearlier detection than a
mammogram and then you don'thave the radiation exposure that
you would, you know, with themammogram.
So I'm not saying don't, don'tbe healthy and don't check
(15:27):
anything.
I'm saying this was analternative, right, and so when
I have that done I don't know ifyour listeners are familiar
with that, but you they dotemperature readings and then
they chill you and then theyrepeat those readings again and
they compare them, kind of likea thermal scope that you may
(15:49):
have seen.
You can detect heat when youlook through that kind of camera
.
It gives you a report thatcomes back and shows you hot
spots in your body that are ofconcern.
You know your body's showingsomething's going on, and so
when I received my report back,it showed that I had hot spots.
Report back it showed that Ihad hot spots in my left breast.
(16:13):
So something was going on andshe said you need to get the
xenoestrogens out of your houseand I said the what?
Because you know here I've beenon this, you know very extensive
journey for health issues and Idid not know what that was
Right.
So again for your listenersthat may not know what that is,
it is chemicals that we'reexposed to in our environment
(16:35):
and what we breathe in or whatabsorbs through our bloodstream.
Just 26 seconds is all it takesfor something to absorb.
You know, your skin being yourlargest organ, so I was
instructed to get thosechemicals out of my home.
Shannon D Martin (16:52):
Wow.
So how did you adjust to all ofthis information that you're
receiving at one time?
How did you adjust to all ofthat and make those changes in
your daily life?
Melissa Flynt (17:00):
Well, I wouldn't say all of this hit me at once
you know it's kind of unfoldedlittle by little.
But yeah, so that one wheninitially I thought, okay, let
me try to make homemade cleaners, you know things like that that
that they were warning meagainst.
Let me try.
But, girl, when you don't feelgood and you don't have energy,
(17:25):
it's like no, I don't need onemore thing to do.
Shannon D Martin (17:28):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (17:30):
So yeah, fast forward.
I had a girlfriend from collegeand we would just, you know,
exchange the Christmas card.
One memory is she wouldn'talways be a real rat on time, so
I might get it at Valentine'sand make me love it.
It was that kind of friend, youknow, you just we didn't we
(17:53):
didn't talk, you know, all thetime.
Well, she reached out.
She wanted to show me a storeand I was like, what is this?
Shannon D Martin (18:04):
I love you, but what?
And so you?
Melissa Flynt (18:05):
know what I was dealing with all the different
health things and she was notaware.
So she just would follow upwith me occasionally and it took
about a year before I'm goingto be totally honest and she
knows this.
I was like, if you will shut up, I will hear what you're
selling, you know whatever.
(18:26):
And so now I know she wasn'tselling anything.
She, she just wanted to show mea store that does offer
healthier, cleaner, uh, products, like from head to toe, like so
all the cleaners, as well asall the the things that we
ladies are exposed to every day,all the makeup and skincare and
(18:46):
shampoos and body washes andeverything that are non-toxic,
and so it was the answer toprayer.
I just was again sticking myfeet in the sand.
I guess prideful thinking.
I already knew it all.
Shannon D Martin (18:59):
Right, but that's you know.
You had a great circle aroundyou, so that's a good thing.
Melissa Flynt (19:06):
That's a God thing?
Yes, it is.
Wouldn't you say I'm putting itback on you, but wouldn't you
say that that has been ablessing, that we're not
suffering alone, that he does?
Shannon D Martin (19:18):
bring people Absolutely Because, like when I
was in my darkest times and whenI didn't know that I needed him
, a girlfriend would pop up allof a sudden and just say, hey,
I'm just checking in on you,what are you doing, what's going
on with you, are you on track,or something like that.
So I've been so blessed to havethat.
I call it my sisterhood circleof prayer because I always have
(19:39):
someone that's always checkingon me and always praying for me.
So they've always kept me going, even when they didn't know I
was going through things, likeyou said, they just pop in.
And I was like God just alignedthem, just set them up, so that
from time to time they just popin and say, hey, girl, what you
doing, I'm like oh.
I needed you today, and sothey'll say I haven't heard from
(20:00):
you.
You know you're not acting thesame, or something like that.
So they're always just checkingin on me and I've just been so
blessed to have that circle.
Melissa Flynt (20:09):
Yeah.
My dad taught me when I was agirl that if someone comes to
your mind, you're supposed topray for them.
Man, that has rang true overthe course of my life.
But I want to be that personfor other people too, and I
think sometimes it really it'snot about us but to say hey, god
brought you to mind today.
He's thinking about you.
Shannon D Martin (20:30):
Right, oh, that's good.
Melissa Flynt (20:32):
Yeah, don't you think that that, uh, we just
that is cause things just makeus feel distant from him.
Um, again, spiritual warfarewants us to say you know he's
not on our side, but or he isdistant and removed and it's not
true.
Shannon D Martin (20:47):
Right.
And then your your circle.
Your your circle of trust, yourcircle of friendships.
They are the ones that keep yougoing, and so when she came to
you at that time, you didn'trealize that she was coming to
you to help you out with whatyou needed for your yes, To get
that the xenoestrogens out ofyour house.
So it was just a time that youneeded that the xenoestrogens
(21:09):
out of your house.
So it was just a time that youneeded that.
So, now that, you're, you'reknowing what you need and you're
on your own mission to helpothers do the same thing.
I know that gut health played abig role in your story.
What steps have you taken tocontinue to improve that?
Melissa Flynt (21:27):
Yeah, stay with that yeah, so you know I've
learned a lot.
Um, what I would tell yourlisteners is there is a book
that I've gone back and rereadrecently and discovered over
over this long journey of um ofmy holistic education you know,
(21:47):
not my college one like theschool of hard knocks education,
right, it's called uh, gaps sogut and psychology syndrome by
Dr Natasha Campbell McBride.
Uh, she's a doctor and has anautistic child.
Um, I think that crossed mypath, because not that I had
(22:11):
autistic children, but I havechildren that had just various
allergies and skin conditionslike eczema, and so just more
part of our story and researchand then my gut issues, and so
she just really teaches how ourgut is the hub of everything.
(22:32):
I mean it's like most of whereour immune system is
headquartered.
So I don't know if I'm gettingway off the reservation here in
your answer, but there's a gutbrain connection.
Shannon D Martin (22:44):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (22:45):
So when you're thinking about anxiety, you do
have to look also at your guthealth.
I recommend everybody be on areally powerful probiotic,
because we have so many thingsthat come against us in our
environment, in our food, inthings that we we've just done,
(23:06):
where we have the bad bacteriaoutweigh the good, so it's
really important.
The bad bacteria outweigh thegood, so it's really important.
And so one of the things that Ido, I describe myself as a
connector, so I want to.
You know, it's just neat howGod just takes hardships that we
(23:26):
have and makes us who we are,and so I can't stand for people
to feel left out based on, youknow, past experience.
So I want to connect people tothose, those friends and that
support system, whether that's,you know, in a networking group
or in a church community.
But I think we all needcommunity.
You touched on that.
But if it's like this book Ijust recommended, because I
(23:46):
found some wisdom that somebodyelse needs, or a product that I
found that's amazing.
I want to share that withinformation or just, you know,
just an answer to prayer thathas blessed me.
And so, yes, I have found thatthrough my friend, the online
store, and the probiotic is justamazing and it's very helpful
(24:11):
and I love to share it withother people?
Shannon D Martin (24:15):
Yes, because I realized too that I'm starting
to eat better and I had to starttaking a lot of more
supplements as well because mystomach really, with my anxiety,
my stomach is upset a lot.
I know I have that part.
I'm just like, oh my gosh, whatis going on, but it's my
anxiety, it's really, it's just.
I'm just like, oh my gosh, whatis going on, but it's my
anxiety, it really is just, I'moff balance a lot.
(24:36):
So I've had to use a lot ofsupplements to kind of keep
myself balanced and watch what Ieat and also to try and
exercise.
But I realized I started toresearch it as well, noticing
that it is important what we eatand how we really look at what
we're putting into it the goodbacteria, the bad bacteria and
(24:58):
all the things, trying to justkeep it balanced.
Melissa Flynt (25:09):
Yeah and omegas is another great thing that
people should be on because itfights inflammation.
You know when it's inflamed, Ithink, yeah, I mean we could go
on and on.
I think what you said aboutexercise, man, we fight it right
, I fight it to the nail.
Kindergarten and kindergartnersthat don't want to take a nap,
I'm like right.
We fight it and I think theLord calls us a way to rest, and
(25:33):
it's not just physical restlike sleep but, there's other
things that rest, that give usrest and reenergize us.
I think there's something about,for me, being outside,
especially, you know, if thetemperatures are great and you
can write in.
Just there's something about myspirit that just needed it, you
know.
Shannon D Martin (25:53):
So yeah it's so serene because it's like when
you're outside I hear the birdschirping in the morning.
I'm like, oh, they're so happyoutside, but it's hot yeah.
Melissa Flynt (26:03):
And I think there's some controversial
things.
Like you know, yoga is a hottopic.
I'll tell you, I attended aChristian yoga class and you
know, some people think thatthat has eastern roots.
But, um, you know, I think inthe word of God it talks about,
it really makes it about theheart behind something and the
(26:25):
intentions.
And so the class that Iactually attended, uh, the lady,
godly woman, but she led us instretching.
It was stretching and god madeour bodies to stretch yes we
listened.
We listened to praise andworship um she.
She did a bible study and Imean, it was just like while we
(26:47):
were stretching, it wasbeautiful this sounds awesome
yeah, and since then I meanthere are some things.
I'm not.
We're no longer have that classavailable to us, but but there
are things online that you cando in your own home.
Again, you know, presenting it.
God, I totally want to honoryou.
I don't want to get off therails, that's not right, but I
(27:10):
find some things some stretching.
Other people might call itPilates, whatever.
But, I have found some of thatjust releases that pent up
emotion that we're dealing with.
I found some great podcasts.
Thank you, thank you.
That just lead us to you knowhealthy practices.
(27:35):
There's a book that I hadanother friend recommend I'll
mention, if that's okay.
It's called " body revelation.
It's by Alisa Keeton.
Okay, and it's really wonderfulbecause you know she's walking
you through.
She kind of brings us scienceinto what's going on with our
(27:58):
brain and you know physicalconditions, but she's helping us
metabolize those emotions.
And one thing I enjoy about itis after you read the chapter
she's also going to you can goon a walk and listen to her
recorded you know segment thatgoes along with it and she prays
(28:20):
with you through it, and sothat's another thing that I
might just add that yourlisteners would appreciate.
Shannon D Martin (28:28):
Oh, that's awesome, I might look into that
myself.
Oh, that's awesome, I mightlook into that myself.
Melissa Flynt (28:35):
I'm about halfway through finding value in it.
Shannon D Martin (28:38):
That is awesome.
I like that.
I want to check that out, sookay.
So what do you think when youjust started out and you realize
and all the things, what do youthink you know telling someone
who's just realizing all these?
You know that you're just beingdiagnosed what would you tell
someone Just starting out ontheir journey?
(28:59):
What would you?
Melissa Flynt (29:04):
what tips or advice would you give them?
Shannon D Martin (29:07):
I would say even if you're mad at God for
what you're going through.
Melissa Flynt (29:11):
don't ever stop the conversation Like you can
take it.
I think you keep theconversation going and I would
say don't isolate yourself fromcommunity, because he's given
them to you.
Shannon D Martin (29:23):
Absolutely.
Melissa Flynt (29:25):
I feel like the Bible calls us sheep a lot.
And if you think about the wolfand sheep.
Like, when a sheep gets awayfrom the flock, you know they're
susceptible to attack.
Shannon D Martin (29:36):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (29:36):
And I think that's man, I think that's the
enemy strategy and we're justbuilt for sheep.
So, you know, maybe it'sShannon and I, but let us help
you connect to a community.
Yes, you know, you're invitedto our table because we need
each other.
Shannon D Martin (29:54):
We do, we do.
Melissa Flynt (29:56):
No, that answered your question.
Maybe that did.
That was fantastic, maybe youneed to ask me again.
Shannon D Martin (30:03):
No, that was great because it's true.
We all need each other, we allneed a community, because this
is a journey that we have to go.
You know, it's great to havesomeone to go through the
journey with you, because I tryto do it alone and being alone I
felt the reason why I did this,because I felt alone and I
didn't want anyone else to feelalone like I did.
And you can have people thatmay understand it, but they
(30:25):
don't really understand it.
So you have to have otherswho've been through it to really
get it.
You know to kind of say, okay,I've been through it to really
get it.
You know to kind of say, okay,I've been through that.
This is what I can offer to you.
Now, everyone's journey isdifferent because, like, your
symptoms were different thanmine, but it's all the same.
So I'm here for you if you needto talk.
You know that type of thing, soyou do need that.
Melissa Flynt (30:47):
Yeah, I think it requires us being vulnerable
because sometimes in my proud Ididn't want to let that guard
down for somebody to know I hada chink in my armor, you know
right I think we want to bediyers do it yourself, you know
but we do have to humbleourselves and and receive a form
of help.
And you know, looking back, Ifeel like when my kids were
(31:09):
younger too, I didn't want toadmit that I didn't already know
how to be the perfect parent,like why do we?
Why do we?
Shannon D Martin (31:15):
expect ourselves to already know it.
All you know Because you wereused to doing it.
We used to like, say, DIYing it, you know we're going to try to
fix it ourselves.
And then you know, you realizeI can't do it, I have to have
help.
Melissa Flynt (31:27):
Right.
And so, you know, looking back,I feel like God did give me
mentors in the form of, backthen short age.
Maybe it's still a big thing,but bloggers yeah, you know
books, man, there's so many, sosome of that poured into my
spirit.
But I think there's a time for.
(31:47):
You know a physical person toothat God will use, and I've
sought out counseling.
You know my degree person too,that that God will use and I've
sought out counseling.
You know my degree is inpsychology.
Shannon D Martin (32:00):
My husband jokes that.
I'm just, I know just enough tobe psychotic.
Isn't he helpful?
He's very helpful.
Melissa Flynt (32:04):
But you know he's got the gift of humor.
That kind of helps me snap outof it sometimes.
Right, I think there's a placefor that.
Somebody said that with ourendorphins, there's a lot of
things that help us releaseendorphins.
You know exercise I think weall know that but prayer and
praise and worship does too.
Shannon D Martin (32:25):
It does, it really does.
It keeps you going, it keeps mebalanced.
You know it keeps me balancedfrom going too far into that
dark place, because you knowthey always ask you that.
Too far into that dark place,because you know they always ask
you that question.
Do you ever feel like you wantto harm yourself?
I'm like no, and I know it'sbecause I'm in prayer and
because my belief, my faith, haskept me steady, you know, and I
just have not tipped to thatedge.
(32:45):
So my, my faith has kept methere.
It's kept me steady andfaithful.
So my faith has kept me there.
It's kept me steady andfaithful.
So every day, I'm just thankfulthat I have that.
That's my backbone.
And I have those who arepraying for me, and so my circle
that God has perfectly placedaround me has kept me whole.
(33:06):
So I'm really thankful for that.
Melissa Flynt (33:08):
So yeah, that community there Big thumbs.
Shannon D Martin (33:13):
So is there anything else next for you,
ma'am, that you want to talkabout?
Melissa Flynt (33:17):
Next for me again , just let's connect.
I think you'll probably put away to contact me in your show
notes?
I sure will, but it is likeconnecting to the community that
I met Shannon in, which is awonderful group of godly women
that edify each other in theirpursuits.
Yes, it is.
(33:37):
That's local to me, and may notbe my church, but just other
believers.
You know, I'll help you findyour people and if it's
healthier products you know,from head to toe.
I'll help you connect to thoseyou know.
Whatever it is that's, I wantto be used by the Lord to help
(33:59):
people.
I heard a preacher yesterdaysaid you know, God is in the
people business, so we're in thepeople business.
Shannon D Martin (34:06):
That is exactly right.
Thank you, you're so welcome.
Thank you so much.
Melissa Flynt (34:12):
Melissa forissa for being that huh I said, for
sharing the opportunity to sharemy story.
Shannon D Martin (34:17):
Thank you, you're so welcome.
Thank you for being my veryfirst guest.
I thank you so much.
Thank you, melissa flint, and Iwill see you next time.
Thank, you, Shannon Martin thankyou, bye-bye, bye-bye.
Thank you for joining me.
I hope you found value intoday's conversation.
I'm your host, Shannon Martin.
(34:38):
Be sure to join us on Wednesday, October 2nd, with our special
guest, Shana Scott Lee.
Love you, girl.
If you enjoyed today's episode,let me know what you think by
sending a text.
There's a link in the shownotes at the very top that you
can click on and let me knowwhat you think about today's
episode so far.
(34:59):
I'd love to hear from you.
Also, please take a moment torate and review the show on our
podcast or wherever you listen.
It really helps new listenersfind us and join our wellness
community.
Disclaimer I am not a licensedmental health professional.
The information provided hereis for general informational
(35:20):
purposes only and should not beconsidered a substitute for
professional mental healthadvice, diagnosis or treatment.
If you need help, pleaseconsult a qualified mental
health professional.
Hello, beautiful, welcome to today's
conversation where we're goingto talk about anxiety, toxins
and gut health with our guest,Melissa Flynt.
Let's talk about it.
I'm your host, Shannon Martin,and welcome to today's episode
of this Thing Called Wellness.
Today, on this Thing CalledWellness, we're joined by my
(00:22):
very first guest, melissa Flint.
She is a wife, mother of threeand former educator whose
personal health scare revealedthe hidden dangers of toxins in
everyday household products.
After discovering her pain waslinked to anxiety and harmful
xenoestrogen's, Melissa doveinto wellness research.
(00:42):
Now, with a degree inpsychology, she educates others
about safer, naturalalternatives, including
non-toxic cleaning products,healthier foods and supplements,
while raising awareness of thevital role gut health plays in
our overall well-being.
Listen in as Melissa shares herjourney and simple solutions
(01:05):
for living a healthier,toxin-free life.
How are you doing?
Melissa Flynt (01:10):
Hello, I'm doing good.
I'm just so honored to be yourguest, and your first guest at
that.
Shannon D Martin (01:17):
Yes, yay, my first guest at first, so this is
exciting for both of us, isexciting for both of us, and so
we just wanted to talk aboutyour wellness journey and how
you got started in your businesswith wellness and how you
started with your going intohealthy products, and how did
(01:40):
that all get started?
I know that you mentioned thatyou started with some pretty
intense symptoms.
Can you tell us more about whenyou realized that something was
wrong and what led you to seekhelp?
Melissa Flynt (01:54):
Yeah.
So yeah, I had a long healthjourney, different issues, but I
think what we're here to talkabout mostly is anxiety.
And so my story started when Istarted having severe stabbing
back pain I say back, it waskind of on my left flank and
(02:16):
then I would just start to vomitand that's no fun, no fun at
all, and it just wouldn't stop.
And you know, talk about notwanting to be out in public
because you don't know whenthat's going to happen and
nobody wants to be likeembarrassed in front of
everybody.
Shannon D Martin (02:36):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (02:37):
So, yeah, I thankfully had a good support
system already and a goodnutritionist that I saw she was
also my chiropractor, so youknow, she's my first line of
defense.
I went to her because, you know, I was struggling, thinking
maybe it was spine related,Right, and so that led to a long
(03:03):
series of testing.
We were thorough in ourresearch.
I, you know, let's just say,every specialist from top to
bottom.
I had everything checked out.
You know two differenturologists.
My dad has a history of kidneystones.
Was it a kidney stone?
You know.
But it finally culminated justagain, you know, in the ER with
(03:28):
pain, just needing painmanagement and then with no one
able to give me any answers.
Everybody, you're fine, you'refine, you're healthy.
Shannon D Martin (03:39):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (03:40):
And my husband going no, you're not crazy.
I see this, you know, becauseyou do, you think am I crazy?
Shannon D Martin (03:46):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (03:48):
I was listening to the radio one day and they
gave an explanation, and I can'ttell you who the speaker was,
but their example they gave wasevery year, during a
cardiologist convention, all ofthe heart doctors that would
normally perform surgery areinvolved in a conference and
they're busy.
(04:08):
So when someone presents withsymptoms to the ER they're met
with a generalist doctor wholooks, you know, from top to
bottom to find the issue.
So I just took that as like awhisper from the Lord that maybe
I just needed to see a generaldoctor from the Lord that maybe
I just needed to see a generaldoctor, Right that instead of
(04:30):
all these specialists thatlooked at their specialty, I
needed to look at someone thatwould look at me as a whole.
And so then I went to mygeneral doctor that I hadn't
been to in years because Inormally saw my holistic
nutritionist Right, and he saidit's anxiety.
And I said what?
Shannon D Martin (04:50):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (04:51):
What Anxiety can make you have that kind of pain
and vomit?
Shannon D Martin (04:59):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (05:00):
And he said yes, ma'am.
He said he hospitalizes peopleweekly for stress related
illnesses and that was reallysurprising to me.
Shannon D Martin (05:11):
That's really surprising to me too, because
mine came in like it wasn'tvomiting so per se.
It was like a stinging in myshoulder.
I had a pain in my shoulderthat just wouldn't go away and I
had it for like a year and Ikept going to like I said
specialists as well trying tosay what is going on with my
shoulder.
That just wouldn't go away andI had it for like a year and I
kept going to like I saidspecialists as well trying to
say what is going on with myshoulder.
And finally, when I ended up inthe emergency room, the doctor
(05:32):
said no, it was your body sayingit was your pinched nerves
letting you know that somethingwas wrong and it eventually it
turned into this and so it was ageneral doctor.
It was another general doctor Ihad to end up seeing to get
seen.
So that's amazing.
Melissa Flynt (05:49):
There was some other supports there.
I would say I had great care,you know, no complaint about
them.
One was a physical therapist.
I had been to a spine painmanagement doctor thinking okay,
maybe it was something relatedto that and they're all trying
to help me right.
So, physical therapy and aftera long series of you know all
(06:11):
the stretching, all the things,you know that you get there in
the sweetest way because shealso is a believer.
She said you know, have youthought about counseling?
Have you thought about, youknow, anxiety medication?
And that was really like ohthat's.
(06:32):
That's a hard one, so so itkind of leads me into that, if
you want to go there and talkabout medication.
Shannon D Martin (06:41):
Right, Because I was going to ask what you
know.
What changes did you starthaving to think about?
How were you processing it?
Melissa Flynt (06:47):
Yeah, so you know , I know you don't have all day.
No, that's okay, go ahead.
I had issues before in the pastwith gut health.
I had a bacterial infectioncalled H pylori years prior, and
(07:07):
so that really already openedmy eyes to again why I had
sought out more doctors withholistic mindsets because I
don't have things againstWestern medicine but for that
condition it did not go well.
It actually made me morephysically ill.
(07:28):
And that was how I got on thepath to, you know, looking more
in the other direction.
And so when you know, I'm toldthat I need anxiety medication,
that was a struggle because Iwas trying to heal myself
already, you know, through dietand through supplementation,
(07:50):
through healthy choices, and soI felt like a failure.
You know, trying and reallytrying and this isn't working.
And then, as a believer, we'lladd a piece on there where I was
like God, I don't get it.
Like why can't you just, youknow, snap and fix this?
Shannon D Martin (08:10):
He didn't even have to snap Right, just heal
me.
Melissa Flynt (08:15):
Yeah, and if I'm real transparent.
This is so vain and so pridefulof me, but I'm like you know,
god, I am leading worship.
I'm like you know God, I amleading worship.
How?
How?
You know I felt like such ahypocrite to go up there in
front of you know other peoplein the congregation to help lead
them to the throne and behindthat, you know, if they knew
(08:37):
that I was struggling withanxiety does that?
Disqualify me from a leadershiprole.
Shannon D Martin (08:46):
So yeah Right, because we all have that,
because you're sitting heresaying, you know, now I have to
take this medication.
I've done all the right thingsand now I'm still having to lean
on something else other than myfaith.
And because we all strugglewith that as believers and I
struggled with that as well andit took me years to say I had to
(09:06):
go back and say Lord, help me,because I know that I need it.
But also with your gut health.
You were kind of saying I don'twant to put that into my body
now because I have to.
It may disrupt what I was doingbefore.
Melissa Flynt (09:21):
Absolutely yeah, and so I ugly cried yeah let's
be honest, I ugly cried and Italked to my sister-in-law.
She's a nerd.
She was trying to encourage meand I don't know if she was the
one that said this to me, butsomewhere in that timeframe it
(09:43):
was said like if I neededglasses, I would put on a
prescription to see better.
Right, right and so this is achemical imbalance that's going
on in my brain and it wassomething that they were saying
you need this.
Shannon D Martin (10:01):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (10:02):
So it was hard.
It was hard to acquiesce, Iguess.
Shannon D Martin (10:06):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (10:07):
I'll tell you pretty quickly.
My family noticed a differencemy husband, really, you know,
and my children just really youknow.
I guess what's the word?
Just confirming that that wassomething that I needed, because
it really what happens isthere's the physical pain that I
was something that I needed,cause it really what happens is
there's the physical pain that Iwas dealing with.
Shannon D Martin (10:29):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (10:30):
But there was also fear.
So such fear, it was so rampedup.
You know, I don't know if thisis what you went through, but
you know, even to talk about it,it's like shortness of breath.
Just you know it, just so,absolutely.
Look over of breath, just youknow it, just so, absolutely,
took over all of me and it wasjust a block to functioning in
(10:50):
society.
Shannon D Martin (10:52):
It was.
Yeah, it's almost crippling toa point to where you know that I
have to.
Now I have to depend on thismedication to function, almost.
And then you know, and then,like you're sitting there,
almost it was crippling to me atone point.
So is that what you werefeeling?
Melissa Flynt (11:12):
Oh yeah, just totally incapacitated.
I thankfully had another friendat church that I knew had dealt
with postpartum depression andshe's a, you know, bivocational
minister at our church, and so Idon't know.
I mean, it was God, I'm sure,just leading me to go to her.
I still remember where we weresitting in a restaurant and I
(11:34):
could hardly get the words out,you know, over ugly crying again
.
I made it such a spiritualcrisis as well, when really I
feel like now, looking back, godwas saying you know, if I asked
you to see all the specialistsin the world, you said yes, but
(11:57):
if I'm asking you just to take asimple medication, you're fine.
And it was you know, at theleast temporarily, something
that he was saying.
This is a help right and I wasfighting him on it right, but it
was a legitimate.
Shannon D Martin (12:16):
It was a legitimate fight because you
were being holistic abouteverything and it was also to
come into.
Was it with you like coming togrips with saying now I have
anxiety, I have this otherailment that I have to deal with
, and you're already battling somany other issues, so now I
have to deal with this as well.
(12:36):
So now you're saying, am Ireally being a true faithful
servant, so to speak?
Am I living up to that?
So now this is another thing Ihave to deal with when I'm being
so faithful?
I think I went through that aswell.
Melissa Flynt (12:53):
Yeah, and I think I have a history of what do you
want to call it, Perfectionismor performantism, type A
firstborn.
But I think you know I'dalready been in the mode of,
like trying to be my ownphysician, trying to.
You know, it's just like, oh,just saying that the enemy wants
(13:13):
to whisper the word failure.
And so that that friend, shehelped me to see that that, yes,
the medication she too had, youknow, and I respect her as
another, you know, strongChristian believer, that she had
been on it as well, that I'mnot the only one, that many
people you know it's notsomething we commonly talk about
(13:34):
, but it is common that a lot ofpeople are on it.
But she, let me see that it wasalso spiritual warfare.
Shannon D Martin (13:44):
Yes, yes, I believe that.
Melissa Flynt (13:55):
I do.
I think there's we're allencompassing, like there's so
many different parts of thehuman body.
Yes, yes I believe that.
But the spiritual warfare partof it it started to play out in
that I didn't want to leadworship because I was dealing
with these anxiety, and so onething that she kind of helped me
(14:19):
in transitioning was that Ineeded something to where I
would not focus on myself somuch.
Shannon D Martin (14:32):
So you needed to have an outlet.
Okay, so when you werediscovering also, too, I know
that we were talking about whenyou were going through all of
your testing you also learnedthat something else was
affecting your health.
What was that?
Melissa Flynt (14:46):
Oh goodness, yeah , I'm going to keep you on here
for hours, that's all the dirton me.
So back to the holistic route.
My nutritionist she advised meto stop getting mammograms, not
(15:06):
as a whole, but just thatthere's a different route to
take, called a thermogram, andthe reason she recommended it is
because it is supposed to haveearlier detection than a
mammogram and then you don'thave the radiation exposure that
you would, you know, with themammogram.
So I'm not saying don't, don'tbe healthy and don't check
(15:27):
anything.
I'm saying this was analternative, right, and so when
I have that done I don't know ifyour listeners are familiar
with that, but you they dotemperature readings and then
they chill you and then theyrepeat those readings again and
they compare them, kind of likea thermal scope that you may
(15:49):
have seen.
You can detect heat when youlook through that kind of camera
.
It gives you a report thatcomes back and shows you hot
spots in your body that are ofconcern.
You know your body's showingsomething's going on, and so
when I received my report back,it showed that I had hot spots.
Report back it showed that Ihad hot spots in my left breast.
(16:13):
So something was going on andshe said you need to get the
xenoestrogens out of your houseand I said the what?
Because you know here I've beenon this, you know very extensive
journey for health issues and Idid not know what that was
Right.
So again for your listenersthat may not know what that is,
it is chemicals that we'reexposed to in our environment
(16:35):
and what we breathe in or whatabsorbs through our bloodstream.
Just 26 seconds is all it takesfor something to absorb.
You know, your skin being yourlargest organ, so I was
instructed to get thosechemicals out of my home.
Shannon D Martin (16:52):
Wow.
So how did you adjust to all ofthis information that you're
receiving at one time?
How did you adjust to all ofthat and make those changes in
your daily life?
Melissa Flynt (17:00):
Well, I wouldn't say all of this hit me at once
you know it's kind of unfoldedlittle by little.
But yeah, so that one wheninitially I thought, okay, let
me try to make homemade cleaners, you know things like that that
that they were warning meagainst.
Let me try.
But, girl, when you don't feelgood and you don't have energy,
(17:25):
it's like no, I don't need onemore thing to do.
Shannon D Martin (17:28):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (17:30):
So yeah, fast forward.
I had a girlfriend from collegeand we would just, you know,
exchange the Christmas card.
One memory is she wouldn'talways be a real rat on time, so
I might get it at Valentine'sand make me love it.
It was that kind of friend, youknow, you just we didn't we
(17:53):
didn't talk, you know, all thetime.
Well, she reached out.
She wanted to show me a storeand I was like, what is this?
Shannon D Martin (18:04):
I love you, but what?
And so you?
Melissa Flynt (18:05):
know what I was dealing with all the different
health things and she was notaware.
So she just would follow upwith me occasionally and it took
about a year before I'm goingto be totally honest and she
knows this.
I was like, if you will shut up, I will hear what you're
selling, you know whatever.
(18:26):
And so now I know she wasn'tselling anything.
She, she just wanted to show mea store that does offer
healthier, cleaner, uh, products, like from head to toe, like so
all the cleaners, as well asall the the things that we
ladies are exposed to every day,all the makeup and skincare and
(18:46):
shampoos and body washes andeverything that are non-toxic,
and so it was the answer toprayer.
I just was again sticking myfeet in the sand.
I guess prideful thinking.
I already knew it all.
Shannon D Martin (18:59):
Right, but that's you know.
You had a great circle aroundyou, so that's a good thing.
Melissa Flynt (19:06):
That's a God thing?
Yes, it is.
Wouldn't you say I'm putting itback on you, but wouldn't you
say that that has been ablessing, that we're not
suffering alone, that he does?
Shannon D Martin (19:18):
bring people Absolutely Because, like when I
was in my darkest times and whenI didn't know that I needed him
, a girlfriend would pop up allof a sudden and just say, hey,
I'm just checking in on you,what are you doing, what's going
on with you, are you on track,or something like that.
So I've been so blessed to havethat.
I call it my sisterhood circleof prayer because I always have
(19:39):
someone that's always checkingon me and always praying for me.
So they've always kept me going, even when they didn't know I
was going through things, likeyou said, they just pop in.
And I was like God just alignedthem, just set them up, so that
from time to time they just popin and say, hey, girl, what you
doing, I'm like oh.
I needed you today, and sothey'll say I haven't heard from
(20:00):
you.
You know you're not acting thesame, or something like that.
So they're always just checkingin on me and I've just been so
blessed to have that circle.
Melissa Flynt (20:09):
Yeah.
My dad taught me when I was agirl that if someone comes to
your mind, you're supposed topray for them.
Man, that has rang true overthe course of my life.
But I want to be that personfor other people too, and I
think sometimes it really it'snot about us but to say hey, god
brought you to mind today.
He's thinking about you.
Shannon D Martin (20:30):
Right, oh, that's good.
Melissa Flynt (20:32):
Yeah, don't you think that that, uh, we just
that is cause things just makeus feel distant from him.
Um, again, spiritual warfarewants us to say you know he's
not on our side, but or he isdistant and removed and it's not
true.
Shannon D Martin (20:47):
Right.
And then your your circle.
Your your circle of trust, yourcircle of friendships.
They are the ones that keep yougoing, and so when she came to
you at that time, you didn'trealize that she was coming to
you to help you out with whatyou needed for your yes, To get
that the xenoestrogens out ofyour house.
So it was just a time that youneeded that the xenoestrogens
(21:09):
out of your house.
So it was just a time that youneeded that.
So, now that, you're, you'reknowing what you need and you're
on your own mission to helpothers do the same thing.
I know that gut health played abig role in your story.
What steps have you taken tocontinue to improve that?
Melissa Flynt (21:27):
Yeah, stay with that yeah, so you know I've
learned a lot.
Um, what I would tell yourlisteners is there is a book
that I've gone back and rereadrecently and discovered over
over this long journey of um ofmy holistic education you know,
(21:47):
not my college one like theschool of hard knocks education,
right, it's called uh, gaps sogut and psychology syndrome by
Dr Natasha Campbell McBride.
Uh, she's a doctor and has anautistic child.
Um, I think that crossed mypath, because not that I had
(22:11):
autistic children, but I havechildren that had just various
allergies and skin conditionslike eczema, and so just more
part of our story and researchand then my gut issues, and so
she just really teaches how ourgut is the hub of everything.
(22:32):
I mean it's like most of whereour immune system is
headquartered.
So I don't know if I'm gettingway off the reservation here in
your answer, but there's a gutbrain connection.
Shannon D Martin (22:44):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (22:45):
So when you're thinking about anxiety, you do
have to look also at your guthealth.
I recommend everybody be on areally powerful probiotic,
because we have so many thingsthat come against us in our
environment, in our food, inthings that we we've just done,
(23:06):
where we have the bad bacteriaoutweigh the good, so it's
really important.
The bad bacteria outweigh thegood, so it's really important.
And so one of the things that Ido, I describe myself as a
connector, so I want to.
You know, it's just neat howGod just takes hardships that we
(23:26):
have and makes us who we are,and so I can't stand for people
to feel left out based on, youknow, past experience.
So I want to connect people tothose, those friends and that
support system, whether that's,you know, in a networking group
or in a church community.
But I think we all needcommunity.
You touched on that.
But if it's like this book Ijust recommended, because I
(23:46):
found some wisdom that somebodyelse needs, or a product that I
found that's amazing.
I want to share that withinformation or just, you know,
just an answer to prayer thathas blessed me.
And so, yes, I have found thatthrough my friend, the online
store, and the probiotic is justamazing and it's very helpful
(24:11):
and I love to share it withother people?
Shannon D Martin (24:15):
Yes, because I realized too that I'm starting
to eat better and I had to starttaking a lot of more
supplements as well because mystomach really, with my anxiety,
my stomach is upset a lot.
I know I have that part.
I'm just like, oh my gosh, whatis going on, but it's my
anxiety, it's really, it's just.
I'm just like, oh my gosh, whatis going on, but it's my
anxiety, it really is just, I'moff balance a lot.
(24:36):
So I've had to use a lot ofsupplements to kind of keep
myself balanced and watch what Ieat and also to try and
exercise.
But I realized I started toresearch it as well, noticing
that it is important what we eatand how we really look at what
we're putting into it the goodbacteria, the bad bacteria and
(24:58):
all the things, trying to justkeep it balanced.
Melissa Flynt (25:09):
Yeah and omegas is another great thing that
people should be on because itfights inflammation.
You know when it's inflamed, Ithink, yeah, I mean we could go
on and on.
I think what you said aboutexercise, man, we fight it right
, I fight it to the nail.
Kindergarten and kindergartnersthat don't want to take a nap,
I'm like right.
We fight it and I think theLord calls us a way to rest, and
(25:33):
it's not just physical restlike sleep but, there's other
things that rest, that give usrest and reenergize us.
I think there's something about,for me, being outside,
especially, you know, if thetemperatures are great and you
can write in.
Just there's something about myspirit that just needed it, you
know.
Shannon D Martin (25:53):
So yeah it's so serene because it's like when
you're outside I hear the birdschirping in the morning.
I'm like, oh, they're so happyoutside, but it's hot yeah.
Melissa Flynt (26:03):
And I think there's some controversial
things.
Like you know, yoga is a hottopic.
I'll tell you, I attended aChristian yoga class and you
know, some people think thatthat has eastern roots.
But, um, you know, I think inthe word of God it talks about,
it really makes it about theheart behind something and the
(26:25):
intentions.
And so the class that Iactually attended, uh, the lady,
godly woman, but she led us instretching.
It was stretching and god madeour bodies to stretch yes we
listened.
We listened to praise andworship um she.
She did a bible study and Imean, it was just like while we
(26:47):
were stretching, it wasbeautiful this sounds awesome
yeah, and since then I meanthere are some things.
I'm not.
We're no longer have that classavailable to us, but but there
are things online that you cando in your own home.
Again, you know, presenting it.
God, I totally want to honoryou.
I don't want to get off therails, that's not right, but I
(27:10):
find some things some stretching.
Other people might call itPilates, whatever.
But, I have found some of thatjust releases that pent up
emotion that we're dealing with.
I found some great podcasts.
Thank you, thank you.
That just lead us to you knowhealthy practices.
(27:35):
There's a book that I hadanother friend recommend I'll
mention, if that's okay.
It's called " body revelation.
It's by Alisa Keeton.
Okay, and it's really wonderfulbecause you know she's walking
you through.
She kind of brings us scienceinto what's going on with our
(27:58):
brain and you know physicalconditions, but she's helping us
metabolize those emotions.
And one thing I enjoy about itis after you read the chapter
she's also going to you can goon a walk and listen to her
recorded you know segment thatgoes along with it and she prays
(28:20):
with you through it, and sothat's another thing that I
might just add that yourlisteners would appreciate.
Shannon D Martin (28:28):
Oh, that's awesome, I might look into that
myself.
Oh, that's awesome, I mightlook into that myself.
Melissa Flynt (28:35):
I'm about halfway through finding value in it.
Shannon D Martin (28:38):
That is awesome.
I like that.
I want to check that out, sookay.
So what do you think when youjust started out and you realize
and all the things, what do youthink you know telling someone
who's just realizing all these?
You know that you're just beingdiagnosed what would you tell
someone Just starting out ontheir journey?
(28:59):
What would you?
Melissa Flynt (29:04):
what tips or advice would you give them?
Shannon D Martin (29:07):
I would say even if you're mad at God for
what you're going through.
Melissa Flynt (29:11):
don't ever stop the conversation Like you can
take it.
I think you keep theconversation going and I would
say don't isolate yourself fromcommunity, because he's given
them to you.
Shannon D Martin (29:23):
Absolutely.
Melissa Flynt (29:25):
I feel like the Bible calls us sheep a lot.
And if you think about the wolfand sheep.
Like, when a sheep gets awayfrom the flock, you know they're
susceptible to attack.
Shannon D Martin (29:36):
Right.
Melissa Flynt (29:36):
And I think that's man, I think that's the
enemy strategy and we're justbuilt for sheep.
So, you know, maybe it'sShannon and I, but let us help
you connect to a community.
Yes, you know, you're invitedto our table because we need
each other.
Shannon D Martin (29:54):
We do, we do.
Melissa Flynt (29:56):
No, that answered your question.
Maybe that did.
That was fantastic, maybe youneed to ask me again.
Shannon D Martin (30:03):
No, that was great because it's true.
We all need each other, we allneed a community, because this
is a journey that we have to go.
You know, it's great to havesomeone to go through the
journey with you, because I tryto do it alone and being alone I
felt the reason why I did this,because I felt alone and I
didn't want anyone else to feelalone like I did.
And you can have people thatmay understand it, but they
(30:25):
don't really understand it.
So you have to have otherswho've been through it to really
get it.
You know to kind of say, okay,I've been through it to really
get it.
You know to kind of say, okay,I've been through that.
This is what I can offer to you.
Now, everyone's journey isdifferent because, like, your
symptoms were different thanmine, but it's all the same.
So I'm here for you if you needto talk.
You know that type of thing, soyou do need that.
Melissa Flynt (30:47):
Yeah, I think it requires us being vulnerable
because sometimes in my proud Ididn't want to let that guard
down for somebody to know I hada chink in my armor, you know
right I think we want to bediyers do it yourself, you know
but we do have to humbleourselves and and receive a form
of help.
And you know, looking back, Ifeel like when my kids were
(31:09):
younger too, I didn't want toadmit that I didn't already know
how to be the perfect parent,like why do we?
Why do we?
Shannon D Martin (31:15):
expect ourselves to already know it.
All you know Because you wereused to doing it.
We used to like, say, DIYing it, you know we're going to try to
fix it ourselves.
And then you know, you realizeI can't do it, I have to have
help.
Melissa Flynt (31:27):
Right.
And so, you know, looking back,I feel like God did give me
mentors in the form of, backthen short age.
Maybe it's still a big thing,but bloggers yeah, you know
books, man, there's so many, sosome of that poured into my
spirit.
But I think there's a time for.
(31:47):
You know a physical person toothat God will use, and I've
sought out counseling.
You know my degree person too,that that God will use and I've
sought out counseling.
You know my degree is inpsychology.
Shannon D Martin (32:00):
My husband jokes that.
I'm just, I know just enough tobe psychotic.
Isn't he helpful?
He's very helpful.
Melissa Flynt (32:04):
But you know he's got the gift of humor.
That kind of helps me snap outof it sometimes.
Right, I think there's a placefor that.
Somebody said that with ourendorphins, there's a lot of
things that help us releaseendorphins.
You know exercise I think weall know that but prayer and
praise and worship does too.
Shannon D Martin (32:25):
It does, it really does.
It keeps you going, it keeps mebalanced.
You know it keeps me balancedfrom going too far into that
dark place, because you knowthey always ask you that.
Too far into that dark place,because you know they always ask
you that question.
Do you ever feel like you wantto harm yourself?
I'm like no, and I know it'sbecause I'm in prayer and
because my belief, my faith, haskept me steady, you know, and I
just have not tipped to thatedge.
(32:45):
So my, my faith has kept methere.
It's kept me steady andfaithful.
So my faith has kept me there.
It's kept me steady andfaithful.
So every day, I'm just thankfulthat I have that.
That's my backbone.
And I have those who arepraying for me, and so my circle
that God has perfectly placedaround me has kept me whole.
(33:06):
So I'm really thankful for that.
Melissa Flynt (33:08):
So yeah, that community there Big thumbs.
Shannon D Martin (33:13):
So is there anything else next for you,
ma'am, that you want to talkabout?
Melissa Flynt (33:17):
Next for me again , just let's connect.
I think you'll probably put away to contact me in your show
notes?
I sure will, but it is likeconnecting to the community that
I met Shannon in, which is awonderful group of godly women
that edify each other in theirpursuits.
Yes, it is.
(33:37):
That's local to me, and may notbe my church, but just other
believers.
You know, I'll help you findyour people and if it's
healthier products you know,from head to toe.
I'll help you connect to thoseyou know.
Whatever it is that's, I wantto be used by the Lord to help
(33:59):
people.
I heard a preacher yesterdaysaid you know, God is in the
people business, so we're in thepeople business.
Shannon D Martin (34:06):
That is exactly right.
Thank you, you're so welcome.
Thank you so much.
Melissa Flynt (34:12):
Melissa forissa for being that huh I said, for
sharing the opportunity to sharemy story.
Shannon D Martin (34:17):
Thank you, you're so welcome.
Thank you for being my veryfirst guest.
I thank you so much.
Thank you, melissa flint, and Iwill see you next time.
Thank, you, Shannon Martin thankyou, bye-bye, bye-bye.
Thank you for joining me.
I hope you found value intoday's conversation.
I'm your host, Shannon Martin.
(34:38):
Be sure to join us on Wednesday, October 2nd, with our special
guest, Shana Scott Lee.
Love you, girl.
If you enjoyed today's episode,let me know what you think by
sending a text.
There's a link in the shownotes at the very top that you
can click on and let me knowwhat you think about today's
episode so far.
(34:59):
I'd love to hear from you.
Also, please take a moment torate and review the show on our
podcast or wherever you listen.
It really helps new listenersfind us and join our wellness
community.
Disclaimer I am not a licensedmental health professional.
The information provided hereis for general informational
(35:20):
purposes only and should not beconsidered a substitute for
professional mental healthadvice, diagnosis or treatment.
If you need help, pleaseconsult a qualified mental
health professional.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!