Stress During Reproductive Years With Tiffany Davis., MSN, RN-BC, CPEN, CPN

When the weight of the world feels like it's squashing your dreams of starting a family, where do you turn for relief? In this week's episode, Tanya is joined by seasoned Nurse Tiffany as they peel back the layers of stress's impact on reproductive health. It's not just about the science. With personal tales of health struggles and the surprising effects of our diets, we're serving up a blend of empathy, expertise, and actionable insights in a space where vulnerability meets validation.

 We explore this phenomenon, the silent inflammation stress causes to the nitty-gritty of hormonal health in our daily grind. We're sipping on stories and solutions that speak to the soul. And with a nod to our healthcare heroes in the trenches with PCOS and endometriosis, we're stirring in gratitude with a dash of real talk on fertility's pressing timelines.

Whether it's navigating the complex shores of Endo or the unpredictable waves of PCOS, we're tossing out the lifebuoys of connection, community, and the power of choice in your health journey.

Tiffany Davis, MSN, RN-BC, CPEN, CPN, is the driving force behind Channeling Qi, a project ignited by her personal journey. As an Endo Warrior and triple-board certified Registered Nurse with extensive experience in pediatric ER, NICU, and nursing informatics, she's weathered job furloughs, a challenging COVID recovery, divorce, and personal losses. These trials propelled her deeper into her spiritual practice. Tiffany's own battle with endometriosis and fertility struggles led her to explore natural healing methods, specializing in women's reproductive health and offering holistic services like Reiki and Health Coaching. Channeling Qi is her mission to balance life energy for holistic well-being, and she's committed to supporting others on their journey. Welcome to Channeling Qi—where Tiffany is here to assist you in finding balance and vitality.

Follow Nurse Tiffany on Instagram.

You can support my nonprofit organization, Scrub Life Cares, here.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Tea with Tanya. I'm your host, tanya Ambrose, an average millennial navigating life as a maternal health professional, non-profit founder and wet student. Join me in the tea tasting mode, where we spill the tea and find and balance and promote a positive living while doing it all. Hey friend, welcome back to another episode of Tea with Tanya. I am happy this time I am really happy to be back here in the tea tasting room with you and I'm excited for today's episode. But you know, last episode I spoke about transitions in life and how we are transforming, and the win-wish podcast also will be transforming. So I hope you guys got a chance to listen to that episode and I hope you are able to hope you are as excited as me for this new upgrade or this transformation that's taking place here in the tea tasting room for us. But I'm excited for today's episode. I have Nurse Tiffany, who's been a nurse for over 17 years. We're going to be talking about stress during the reproductive years, fertility, all these different things we can think about as a young individual going through life, whether you're someone who are trying to have a child or not, but really and truly how stress does impact our reproductive system.

Speaker 1: 1:15

But before we get into today's episode, I want to share something with you. You know, last episode you guys may have heard me sound a little bit, you know, all for a doll. That's because I was. I'm kind of still am, I'm keeping it rare with you. But you know what I realized, and I realized this for a very long time this music really does heals the heart to some extent. Right, it may heal the heart in the moment, then when you're done listening to it, you gotta go back to reality. But what I realized over the last several months, it doesn't matter because, if you don't know, I am a huge, huge, huge Beyoncé fan. That's like I'm one of the little presidents of the Beehive. Okay, maybe I'm a past president now, but you know, because I don't go as hard for my girl Like as far as, like I've gotten blocked or like back in I've been into to the jail on account of Beyoncé and, of course, lebron James, but never do.

Speaker 1: 2:03

I'm realizing that when I'm in a funk, the artist that really gets me out of my funk, and I've noticed this over a while now, but it just dawned on me over this past weekend when I was like crying and I was just whew, girl, your girl was going through it. Okay, when I was going through that, pink, something about my girl. Pink because I've been rolling with pink since you know quote unquote shoes, like an R&B girlie, you know, and something about pink they just never skip. Of course there's some songs that I skip if not in a mood, but something about pink.

Speaker 1: 2:31

Every time I'm having a down moment or I'm in a funky mood and I want to get out, I'm gonna put on some pink, or sometimes I'll put on a little tea in winter, which is so that artists are the vantigas. Shut up the tea in winter, shut up the pink. But I do listen to pink or tea in winter when I need to get out of a funky, funky mood and you know I just start swaying and just start singing and just feeling the vibe and then it lists my spirit up, follow the rhythm, and then you know I can distract myself and go on to something else. But pink really be getting me, like that song.

Speaker 1: 2:58

Who Knew the Sober? The, please Don't Leave Me, the, what is it? Walk Me Home Like a whole catalog is what's getting me through how I'm feeling for the most part. So, yes, I hope, I hope, like I said, music really does get us through some sad times, some funky times. So if there's an artist that you listen to, whatever it could be something that you do as well, because for me, I'm listening to music, I'm a journal, but I'm not always in the journaling mood, or I'll put on a TV show.

Speaker 1: 3:25

Like, right now I am binging the gentleman, is it the gentleman? Let's see, I don't want to quote with him that handsome guy, oh, he's so handsome, theo James. Yes, honey, I know you guys are thinking what is wrong with Tanya. What I am watching is called the Gentleman. It's a UK drama. I think it was produced by Guy Richie, but the handsome, handsome ass, theo James, is in that. Oh, love it. But yes, so I'm listening to my girl, pink.

Speaker 1: 3:49

I'm a guy Tia in winter and I'm also watching the Gentleman on Netflix to try to like, keep me, keep me distracted to some extent. And I'm also, of course, knee deep into planning my nonprofit Scott Blythe Kier's upcoming event. I am going to put a link in the show notes Because if you guys want to support us, donate a pack of pads and two-page tube, whatever it is you can do. I will greatly, greatly appreciate it. So I'm definitely going to put that link here. But I wanted to share that to you. Like, you know, your girl, keep your, keep sending your girls some positive energy. But I have been relying heavily on working out, heavily on Pink, heavily on Tia and Winter, heavily on reading and heavily on the, the Gentleman TV show on Netflix to really get me out of this funk. But anyway, let me start blabbing to you. Let's, let's just get into the episode Featuring my girl nurse, tiffany. Well, hi, tiffany, how are you?

Speaker 2: 4:40

I'm good, how are you I?

Speaker 1: 4:42

am good, a little bit exhausted, but you know, no complaints, no complaints. I am just here in the tea tasting room, as I like to call it, and I'm fine, I'm just being here with you.

Speaker 2: 4:51

I am so happy to be here.

Speaker 1: 4:53

Yes, yes, I'm happy. Guys, you can't see it, but she's looking like a true queen in front of me. Love it. She's giving that energy that I love. So, um well, yes, welcome to the tea tasting room, and we have very nosy people in here, so just tell us a little about yourself. Don't hold anything back, cause, like I said, we're nosies. We want all the tea, all right. All right, what you do everything Okay.

Speaker 2: 5:13

So about me my name is Tiffany. I am a nurse of 17 years. I live with endometriosis. I have lived with that since I was 16. That's a whole other episode. But now, um, after living with endometriosis and going through COVID in 2020 and taking forever ever like more than a year to heal, I started doing holistic nursing. So I healed my body with acupuncture and herbs and all the good things mindset, everything's been such a journey, and so now I help women living with endometriosis, pcos, fibroids, reproductive conditions, fertility challenges.

Speaker 2: 5:54

I help them heal their bodies without painful treatments, toxic hormones, and achieve fertility If that is their desire. And I'm trying to kind of change what fertility means. It doesn't always mean baby, it sometimes means just what are you? What are you birthing? Is it a book? Is it a new job? Is it a business? Is it a bay? Is it? You know? What is your? What are you fertile for? What do you want to get from it? So that's kind of that's a internet shell what I do.

Speaker 1: 6:24

No, I love that because a quite a few of my listeners they always sending me a DM or some messages on WhatsApp talking about when you're going to talk about PCOS, when you're going to talk about endometriosis, when you're going to talk about all these different things. So then now, hearing you and you actually living that experience as well, I know they're going to absolutely love this episode I want to talk about when it comes to stress, before I get into even that question, because you know, I think many of us, myself included, at one point in time we forget or we don't even realize that stress can be the silent killer. Because growing up, I often hear that, you know, high blood pressure sometimes was a silent killer. We always heard that. But then, as the way in which our society is going, how the world is going, stress is essentially a silent killer.

Speaker 1: 7:03

Many of our young individuals, some of us, are passing, you know, which is unfortunate, but the stress levels it's high, like for me, every time I think about I'm like girl, I don't even know how you're surviving because I work full time. I've got a grad school, full time, right, that's two, she counting guys. I'm a nonprofit founder trying to build and expand my nonprofit. I'm a podcast host. That's three, four and five. Right, I'm a podcast host, I'm a do-ler, you know, I'm so many different things and the least is endless. And at some point in time sometimes I'm finding myself Because, like I don't think I told you before but I have my migraine, like at this point I have chronic migraines.

Speaker 1: 7:42

I'm having to go to the doctor, I'm having to do different procedures, all these different things to try to even eliminate the migraines. As far as I can remember, I've had headaches since I was probably in high school, but they weren't as severe as they are now. Like I've been to the doctor, you know I've gotten glasses or whatever I could possibly do to figure out what is causing my headaches. And later in my towards in my twenties, I was diagnosed with migraines Again. My doctor at the time. He told me oh, you know you're in school and you're doing XYZ, so you know you're probably stressed. Try to remove some of these things. I'm like okay, that's fair, because at the time I was going to undergrad, working two jobs again, still doing the most in a good way when I say I'm doing the most it's always something good.

Speaker 1: 8:26

It's never like, oh, it's a bad or a taxing thing on my body, but it's always for the betterment of the community. But again, for me, as I've gotten older, since I turned 30, in the middle of the pandemic too, I'm realizing because, let me tell you this, the pandemic 2020, even up until now, like our world as we knew it, completely different. We don't, I can't even like sometimes I try to think back on 2050. I'm like girl, that memory is, I mean, it's there, but it's just, it's like we're in a diff.

Speaker 1: 8:51

I've traveled to a different time zone or time period, you know, and so it was like over a year and a half ago now, tiffany, I'm like you know, okay, I got to do something, because there's no reason for me to be this young one and I'm dealing with migraines, and when I have a migraine it's crippling, if you, if you've ever had a migraine, you know, sometimes all you can do is just lay down. You can't even do anything, and I'm like I can't afford to not be active because, again, I have so many things that I'm doing, so many differences I'm responsible for. And then I remember TMI. But I don't care, you know, I'm always being constipated, right, so I'm just telling the nurse all my business. But you know, this is how I'm trying to help you as well, if you're listening you know?

Speaker 2: 9:26

Yeah, this is a problem because we don't talk. We don't talk, we go through things by ourselves and we don't know, and we just, yeah, we think we're bothering people. Talk about it, talk about it, let's normalize. No, I agree, I agree.

Speaker 1: 9:44

So you know, I've always had constipation, so at one point I think it could be a family tree, because you know, sisters have it sometimes father, whatever the case may be, and we have this thing growing up right Because my grandmother had a guarvetary I love to also be eating guarvors, so the more guarvors we eat, the more constipated you get.

Speaker 1: 9:59

So we're like, you know, we have to balance eating that food with water. Okay, but again, you know, I was younger, we didn't really have the understanding about how our GI system works right, and I'm like, okay, I'm having constipation. I'm going to my doctor and all she's telling me you know, take this medication, take this medication. Again, I'm not opposed, as I'm one of those persons that can know what I feel like holistic health and medication. Sometimes they go hand in hand. We can't do that.

Speaker 2: 10:18

Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 10:19

So I'm one of those individuals who believe that. But again, I don't want. I also am an individual where I don't want to have to just be tied to taking this medication without understanding what exactly is going on in my body. You know, right, and I remember arguing back and forth, trying to tell I need an MRI, I needed something because this, the headaches are getting more and more intense. And then I went to holistic practitioner state. You know, it could be the water that you're cooking your food with. Let's try to heal him, let's try to. You know, do spring water, these different things, try that for a month. It kind of worked, but then again I just think it's internal.

Speaker 1: 10:49

So, long story short, what I'm trying to say, I made, I made an admission last year to really and truly double down when it comes to my health and wellness. And I said that because, again, I have a high stress level job, I'm in school, I am an overachiever. Again, I have big goals for my non-profit organization. There's just so many things. That's just like you Anyone listen what we have. And then you got to think about, okay, my finances. Do I have this? Do I have that? I'm a mom probably going to post bottom depression. I got to find money to buy my kid this football shoe, because you know these kids I don't have kids, but there's all from what I'm seeing and heard there's always some activity that requires money. So there's just so many different stress as individuals in general that we go through.

Speaker 1: 11:28

But when it comes to us as women, the different things that we're facing I've had so many members saying you know what. I'm trying to get to the bottom of this diagnosis XYZ, I'm so stressed so I say a lot to say because I've not been rambling. But can you talk to us about the impact of stress on our reproductive health and the reason why I'm asking you that? Because more and more I'm seeing people my age or even younger are being diagnosed with PCOS. They're being diagnosed with endometriosis, they have their fibroids.

Speaker 1: 11:56

There's so many different things that's affecting them and sometimes I don't think even myself. We realize that our stress level and our body like it goes hand in hand. Like when we talk about physical health, when we talk about mental health. Yes, sometimes we say, see a therapist, that's good as well, don't get me wrong. But sometimes we don't realize how the stress on our immune system or our bodies how it goes hand in hand. So explain to us who are listening, who are you know you are reproductive age or whatever it is. How can stress really and truly impact our reproductive system?

Speaker 2: 12:28

So the first thing I want to start out by saying is, if you do have a condition that and you know it's stress related, give yourself some grace. You know it's not your fault, you know. Just start looking for ways to manage your stress. There are a couple different ways, but If you can imagine that you have a balloon, you put a stone inside of a balloon and then you blow the balloon up. So now you have the stone inside the balloon and then the balloon is all around it.

Speaker 2: 13:00

The balloon is stressed so inside your body. Just think about that pebble or that stone being a receptor on a nerve. Think about it being the things in your stomach that absorb your food and your nutrients.

Speaker 2: 13:14

Think about it that way. You cannot get to the stone unless you deal with the inflammation, if you don't deal with it. So if you don't deal with it, then you can take all the vitamins in the world, you can do all of that, but it's not going to make a difference because you can't get to. You can't get the nutrients and what you need where it needs to go. That's the first thing. So if you can think about it like that and picture it, that's basically what's happening. So when I think of stress, to me stress is inflammation period. Speaking of that, yeah, yeah, it's inflammation period. There are different types of stress, there are different reasons for stress, but it all boils down to inflammation. So we are hella inflamed Like nobody's in this kind of society. And even myself, like I've checked my labs, I can feel now like I've just done so much work, like now I know when I'm inflamed, I'm like, all right, you need to, you need to bring it back in.

Speaker 1: 14:17

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 14:18

Because you know so, if your body is inflamed, then the first thing, our bodies are incredibly, incredibly, incredibly intelligent. So, if you are trying to get pregnant, or you are trying to lose weight, or you are trying to do any of these things like live your life, your body is like no, we are so inflamed. The only thing that I'm going to do, as your body, is protect you and protect me, so your body's in a protection mode.

Speaker 2: 14:48

So if you're trying to get pregnant and you're inflamed, your body's like no, this is not the playground, this is not good soil for that, so it's not going to happen. And if it does happen, then you know there may be some things along the line that you know that can occur. Right, that's one of the you know, unfortunately one of the things. So people are like well, how do I manage stress? How do I do that? You know I encourage people to look at diet. That's the first thing. The number one offender, sugar, follow closely, so number one, and then one B and C dairy and gluten. Ooh, speak on that. Honey. Yeah, am I saying that you can't have dairy or gluten? That's not what I'm saying. But you spoke about balance when you talked about the guava. Everything is a balance and so if you know you have a goal to get pregnant or get rid of these migraines, or it may take some hardcore you know, cutting, cutting up some things to be able to get there, but that's the first thing.

Speaker 2: 15:52

Diet, the elimination diet, is really good. Some things that you think are good for you are not. For instance, I follow a blood type diet. Ooh, tell us more, go ahead. So my acupuncturist that I see started me on this years ago and I am blood type O and so O positive and so with my blood type I can have lots of meat, I can have lots of vegetables and things. But avocados and cucumbers specifically are on my avoid list. Doesn't mean I can't have them, but they're a void. And when I eat avocado and cucumbers endoflare and I noticed that before I even did the diet I was like I'm eating avocados and it just makes my stuff like just Wow.

Speaker 2: 16:42

This is a blood type diet. Blood type diet. It's called the blood type diet. Dr D'Ammo D Apochv-A-M-O. Dr D'Ammo.

Speaker 1: 16:52

Because I have heard about eating for your blood type, but again I didn't know which is sometimes in my head.

Speaker 1: 16:59

I'm like I'm supposed to know it all but I don't know it all. But I've seen I think I've seen it on you need to be eating food according to your blood type, but I didn't know. It was actually like an actual test you can do for that, because one of the things that I did recently, to be honest, is because I said I'm on this health and wellness journey. I know sometimes I'm an overthinker and when you're overthinking, that equals to being stressed, and when you're overachieving, it's just so many different things. And I again I'm on the journey, because I often say in the podcast that I'm priming my body for pregnancy.

Speaker 1: 17:28

When that's gonna happen I don't know, but I want to get to a place where I'm healthy, I'm living on my best self.

Speaker 1: 17:33

So when that time comes, if it comes, I refer to my body as a car. So if my check engine light is on, if I need tire in my, in my air, in my tires on, if I need the whatever gas light is on, whatever it is, change engine oil. If it's not working, then my body can't. If I'm not getting the rest and we'll talk about that, because me and the rest, I'm telling you about rest, but do I get the rest? That's another story. But again, just trying to, because I often say I've been on this journey I'm just since 2050, but I'm not perfect. You know, in 2050, that was what 25, 25 year old me and 33 year old me are two totally different people in general, the way I think, the way I look, you know, just in general. And so I've fallen on and off, but for the last year and a half I said no, I cannot continue to live my life not being in tune with my body.

Speaker 1: 18:22

I cannot say I'm believing in certain things, but at the same time, I'm going against what that belief is, you know. So I took it upon myself to do an allergy test Cause, like I said, I didn't know that the blood type was not. The blood type test was a thing. I was like you know what? I said okay, I need to. I spoke to him. I said you know what?

Speaker 1: 18:37

I need to figure out what's causing these headaches? Why am I always constipated? Why am I always bloated? I'm like you know, I'm trying to get this body snatched, honey, you know, I just need, I just need to know. I just need to know, because if I'm going to have a little stomach, then I'm okay with that, but I just need to know why. You know at least that If I'm going to have it because one thing about me I'm very I don't care, I'm not the kind of person that, oh, I need to be a hundred pounds or whatever, like no, I'm comfortable in my skin but at the same time, if I'm going to be seeing something that's going to be looking abnormal, I need to know what's the root of that. And I did an allergy test and I think I did it for, like, food Cause. I think I did it after you know I had a conversation about this episode like back in November.

Speaker 2: 19:12

I was like you know, okay, something gotta give because it wasn't making sense.

Speaker 1: 19:16

And I did the test back in January and had to read in a couple of weeks ago and basically they're like oh, you're fine, cause I thought I was allergic to gluten or something. They said you have no allergy to nothing. No, again, I'm still not convinced, to be honest, but that's your opinion, because when I did that allergy test if I can be transparent when I did it, cause I take I forgot the name of that medication, but I take this particular medication for my migraine Cause I got two, and one is your breath.

Speaker 2: 19:43

I'm tripped in.

Speaker 1: 19:44

Huh, do my tripped in. It's called I'm your tripped in. I'm your tripped in. Yes, so I take you breath, for when the headache is actually here and I can't do anything, I take the you breath, which is very expensive. Well, thank the law for insurance and even then. But then the I'm a tripped in, you know I have to take every night. However, again, I have a nine to five.

Speaker 1: 20:04

Pretty much Usually, when I get home from that nine to five, I'm working on my nonprofit, I'm working on me planning something with the podcast, or I'm working on schoolwork, cause I mean that one thing again, that comes first. But however, the I'm a tripped in, it makes me drowsy, so it makes me drowsy. So, which means if I take it at seven o'clock, by seven 15, I'm out. Right, I got homework to do. I can do my nonprofit and podcast, I can always. I can always move around, but I really do not play when it comes to my schoolwork. So so I haven't been consistent. Honestly, we take in that particular medication because, again, I have work to do, but because the migrants has becoming so like every day, at this point, their last thing, I have no resort to one, right, I have no resort to taking the. I'm a tripped in nightly like on prescribed, but also don't judge. But also I'm using it as a sleeping aid because because I promise you me and sleep no we're not, we're not friends anymore, like for some music.

Speaker 1: 20:57

It's not like I don't want to go to sleep. Well, we just, the mind is going to mine, the mind is going to think what we want to think. And then you know you're always stressing about something. But again I set up to say when I did the allergy test, apparently I was supposed to stop taking the amyryptaline 14 days before the allergy test. No one told me that. I wonder what. I wonder Because you know it's an anti-histamine apparently, or something. So there is said it has an effect on right, right, the reaction, right.

Speaker 2: 21:25

But then they didn't tell me that.

Speaker 1: 21:27

So when the lady was doing the skin test and she's like, oh, when did you stop this man? I say huh, Stop what I said. I took it. Well, typically I didn't take it that night, but I took it the night before, consistently, because that night I just ended up falling asleep before any of my alarms went on to take the medication, and so I took it the night before. She said, okay, because your skin is not really reacting, or whatever. So then someone like, okay, do I have to do it or do I need to come back in two weeks time? Because, again, in my mind, it has to be something that's triggering. Right, that might have been on the concept. She's like, no, let me go call the doctor. And he said no.

Speaker 1: 21:56

Anyway, long story short, did the reading then, oh, you know, it turns out I'm fine at this point in time, but I'm still not convinced. So I'm here stressing now, because I'm stressing because, again, I'm too young, I want to be able to live a life that I can. I mean I'm living like I can enjoy, but pain-free, Like I say every morning when I wake up and I'm pain-free, I say thank you, Lord, because I am pain-free, Like right now. My gratitude is just the words being pain-free, Like I'm grateful for life and grateful for food, but any morning I can get up and be gain-free, it's good. So again I'm set on to say, you know, I'm stressing again because I'm trying to minimize or reduce my stress, but then constantly thinking about, okay, what could be causing this migraine?

Speaker 1: 22:38

You know, I went as far as as I was advocating for myself. I went as far as like getting a colonoscopy done when I did my therapy. She's like girl, how will it leave? I say I know, I know, I know. But I said, I said I said that's how far, that's how extreme.

Speaker 1: 22:49

I am right now with my little situation that's going on in my body. I don't think you're extreme.

Speaker 2: 22:54

I think you want answers, right, and that is perfectly within your right. Right, you want answers. So with the gluten, you may not react to it. The dairy, you may not react to it, but what it does inside the body is just inflammation. So you might be able to eat ice cream or cream or butter, or whatever the case may be, and have no issues with it. But it's we call it the silent killer because it's doing something silently on the inside. If somebody take who has lactose intolerance, has dairy, that's not silent.

Speaker 2: 23:30

They're going to get bubble guts. They're going to, you know, be on the toilet. They may vomit. So that's not silent. It's the other stuff that happens on the back end. And I will say this not to knock anybody's process or anything, but when I do, when I eat gluten not in this country that means you have a problem, tiffany.

Speaker 1: 23:53

Listen, I'm sorry, guys, I know we're getting into the episode, but we got to keep it real here. Let me tell you this Listen to me when I say this, and I'm often mindful. I'm like you know what? I'm an immigrant. I'm living in this country.

Speaker 1: 24:05

I don't want to ever, ever, ever come across as ungrateful, but whenever I'm home in Antigua, tiffany, I have no migraine. If I have a migraine, it's on account of me. I'm the reason why I get the migraine. When I'm home in Antigua, I have no migraine. There's no constipation. It's like I'm lighter, I'm just good, my energy is just high.

Speaker 1: 24:26

If I go anywhere else in the world, it's the same thing, but the minute I am back here in the US, living my day, going about my everyday life, it's like the normal, so that I experience back home or wherever else, it lasts for a few days because it's still in my body. Maybe it's like my mind thinks I'm still in Antigua or something, but after a week I am back to being bloated. I am back. It's so crazy, and that's why I decided to do all these tests, because I'm like, okay, something got to get, because it doesn't make sense that when I'm away, I'm free. I'm feeling the way I'm feeling because then, when I'm here eating the food here, that's why I even try to change my diet as well, because something has got to get, because I don't know if it's the food always being prepared here, versus back home, where things are natural, or I can at least know where my food is coming from, because here in the US not everything is regulated.

Speaker 2: 25:13

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:15

I'm just really happy you said that, because I thought I was crazy.

Speaker 2: 25:19

So what I tell people in my program, what I try to tell people, is stress is going to happen. You can't help that. It's inevitable, right. But what you can do is have things in your arsenal to be able to deal with the stress. So if that means setting an alarm on your phone a few times a day to just stop and deep breathe two minutes, two minutes, 60 seconds, whatever you will be surprised how just breathing will reset your whole nervous system.

Speaker 1: 25:54

A simple breath.

Speaker 2: 25:55

Time to do the things that you like to do Go for a walk, take a bath. If you have kids, sit in that bathroom, lock that door and tune them out for just a few minutes. I don't have kids, so I come home, it's just me, so it's easier for me. But I feel like being busy is relative. We're all busy in different ways. So just because I don't necessarily have a family or anything like that, it doesn't mean that I don't experience stress at the same levels as someone else who may have a different situation. So that's the first thing Don't compare your situation to anyone else. If you're stressed out, you're stressed out. If you got a lot going on, you have a lot going on, because you may not have a lot going on physically, but up here. That's another thing, and a lot of us need to heal from all types of things, and if you are a person of color living in this country, you automatically, by default, have something that you need to heal from Listen, hear it.

Speaker 1: 26:57

No, that is so true, because we don't often think, we just think that, oh, like for me, oh, I shouldn't be stressing about what I'm aware of tomorrow, but what I do want to ask, though, just from a general standpoint what are things and I'm not sure, even sure, you can answer that, but what are some things that we can say really, really brings on any sort of stress in our lives? Because, again for me, how I am, I could be stressing about not being able to find a sock. This morning I was getting ready to go to work, I'm like, where's my favorite sock? I only found one foot, and I was up and down, up and down, from the washroom to the bathroom, to the bathroom, trying to find that one. I'm like Chania, you could just simply get another pair and keep it moving, but sometimes something, something's on my mute.

Speaker 2: 27:35

No, I wanted this pair of socks. Now I'm stressed out because I can't find it Now. Where is it Right? Where is the pair?

Speaker 1: 27:42

Well you made a point about. Everybody's situation is different, but what are some common stress factors you think we face, especially as a woman or, you know, even if you're not a woman as a reproductive, during the reproductive years, what are some common stress factors we may tend to face?

Speaker 2: 27:57

And I feel like when I name these, these are perpetuated by the society that we live in. So finances and if that's not an issue for you, great. But body image, finding a potential partner, having children, the aging process itself not having enough, like, feeling like you don't have enough time in the day to get everything done, like we and I am so guilty of this y'all when, when I say things, it's because I do it, I have done it, you know. So no judgment at all, I'm speaking for an experience. It's we don't live in the moment, like, and it's so hard because you know, you know that tomorrow you got this and next week you have this and you've got this and this and this, but that takes us outside of being in the moment and that creates more stress.

Speaker 1: 28:54

I am guilty of that.

Speaker 2: 28:56

You know. And then we think about things that haven't even happened and the way that I try and sometimes they don't even happen Like stress about stuff that haven't even happened yet and a lot of times doesn't happen, nope, no, what I'm trying to do is think about people like, oh, it's in the past, in the past, but no, sometimes you need to bring that past forward and remember. You remember when I stressed about A, b and C? You know what? It didn't even turn out that way. So you know what I'm going to do. I'm going to be more positive about this situation. I'm going to have a backup plan if it does not go the way that I need to go.

Speaker 2: 29:32

I don't know what anybody's faith is or whatever, but whatever higher power you believe in, make that into account and be like, if it didn't happen, that means it either wasn't supposed to or it's not supposed to happen yet. So I went through fertility challenges, a failed IVF cycle, like two failed, one IVF and one IVF in the UISO fertility cycle. So coming to the realization like, okay, it just wasn't meant to be. But that doesn't mean meant to be at all. Maybe he wasn't the right person, but we're no longer married.

Speaker 2: 30:09

So maybe he wasn't the person that I was, and then also coming to terms with okay, if it doesn't happen, then that's just not, that's not my journey, right, you know, seeing everything as a journey, I think, helps me as well.

Speaker 2: 30:27

There's going to be some highs, there's going to be some lows, there's going to be some volume In between, in between, but what I try to do is flow, like, just how can I flow through these situations? And since 2020, life has life. Like I felt like I was being drugged by the gums, by life A lot of times.

Speaker 2: 30:47

And it's kind of like oh my gosh. And I think back and I'm like I made it and my mental and my spiritual and my physical, for the most part, are intact and that is such a blessing. So count your wins. Start by counting your wins. You woke up this morning. You have a roof over your head, you have food on your table, you have a car.

Speaker 2: 31:11

Yeah, you have all your faculties, even if you do have pain. You may have had less pain today than you had yesterday, guess what. That is a win. And some people try to say, well, tomorrow I might know, tomorrow's not here, so we're not going to think about that yet.

Speaker 1: 31:26

I gotta take that advice because I'm talking to you. But today my mind is in me. My mind is not even in the month of March.

Speaker 2: 31:35

I'm saying I just want to be present in March 11. Be present in March, and I have plans. But it's okay to plan. I'm not saying that and I'm not saying that. But when you get to the point where it's stressful, take a step back. And there are also listen, speak anything. There are some things and some bodies that we need to release, that we need to release. I'm talking if it's your mama, speak now, tiffany. Yes, if it's mama, take a step back. I'm not telling anybody to be disrespectful or anything. What I'm telling you to do is take hold of your own peace. Yes, that's it, and I feel like peace is the anecdote to stress.

Speaker 1: 32:21

I feel like we're doing.

Speaker 2: 32:23

So if you need to not talk to this person and send them a voicemail, or just don't answer the phone and send them a text, hey, I'll call you back later. Don't mute them. Don't do it. What mute Block? Look, I went on a blocking vendor like a month ago. No, I went on the mutants.

Speaker 1: 32:38

Sorry, not sorry, you went on a blocking. I went on a mute because I'm not that mature yet to block I'm still a bit nosy sometimes I just did the mutant part of it this is like personal, like on the phone block yeah.

Speaker 1: 32:50

Block. Do you mention about having a failed IVF and IUI? If you want to speak in that briefly but also to those who may not know what is an IVF or IUF, because we hear terms all the time or sometimes we may not understand what that is. So you can talk about that and then we'll get to the activity.

Speaker 2: 33:09

Okay, iui is intrauterine insemination, so that's basically where they don't harvest the egg. You basically go through the period. They give you medication to help you develop a follicle, and then they take the male sperm and basically put it where it needs to go, and then the rest happens on its own. With IVF, the egg like you're giving medicine, your injections, and your belly, the eggs are taken out, they are put with the sperm, they do their thing and then, once they are fertilized, they give you back the egg and hopefully it implants and then turns into a pregnancy. That's what that is.

Speaker 2: 33:46

So I went through those. Looking back on it, even though I was doing acupuncture, I think I was in a good place I found some of the fact that it just wasn't supposed to happen. The medicine that they gave me flared my endose so bad. So I feel like, even though I was doing all of the things on the outside, I couldn't help what was happening on the inside, because this is the same medicine that gave me to give me what I'm asking for, which is a baby.

Speaker 1: 34:16

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 34:16

So that's why I say we have to be very cognizant of what we ingest, what we put in our bodies, and a lot of times we can't help it. We don't know where our food's coming from.

Speaker 1: 34:27

Uh-huh.

Speaker 2: 34:28

If you can try to buy organic. It's often impossible, which I think is a whole. It should all be organic. Like they don't have organic in other countries. They don't.

Speaker 1: 34:36

Right.

Speaker 2: 34:37

No, that is true, you know. And if not organic, try non-genetically modified and we can get in like if we do another, we can get into all of that. Yeah, I feel like going back to your headaches and the stress. I have seen the miracles that modern medicine, that you know, the health care. I have seen the miracles that they work. So I no doubt that it's here for a reason and it helps people. I just want people to realize how self-sufficient they can be without relying so much on that. Let's teach people how to fish instead of just giving them fish. Uh-huh, mm-hmm. What is the root cause of your headaches?

Speaker 1: 35:18

Right.

Speaker 2: 35:18

So I do comprehensive blood work analysis and I just I just had a client and she was so anemic that I was. I was like you might need a blood transfusion Like your. Why has nobody picked up on it? Like there were other things in her lab work that the doctors just didn't pick up on. Because I'm looking at it from a different lens, not because they did a bad job or not.

Speaker 2: 35:41

Yeah, yeah, just functional medicine looks at things from a different lens and instead of saying, oh, you're constipated, take this stool softener. Why are you constipated? Is it because you've eaten too much dairy? Have you had too much fiber? Are you eating something that your body's just inflamed? Are you drinking enough water? It could be. You know, sometimes it's as simple as that, but I feel like, instead of asking those questions all the time, it's more of okay, well, here, take this, here, take this. And I think, for simple things, we, we need to like teach people how to eat, and let's teach people what things do in their body, what moves to do what you know. And I'm trying to tie this, tie this back into stress. Your body is under stress when you get a cold.

Speaker 2: 36:27

Your body is under stress when you are tired. Your body is under stress when you know you're constantly thinking about things like oh my gosh, I gotta do this, because when our minds run, when our minds are running, that stress and it manifests itself in different ways in the body Period.

Speaker 1: 36:49

No that is true and I'm starting to realize that as well.

Speaker 1: 36:53

When I'm overly stressed, to the point, I'm like you know what, I can't even stress, it's going to happen what I, if I, if I can't control it, then I'm going to have to do a whisper prayer and then keep it moving because putting my like, I put myself under so much stress, sometimes looking back, as you say, for no reason, you know, and then it makes it, makes me wonder if it's having an effect on other parts of my body, when I'm not realized, I'm not learning, because I also can depend on my doctors also to figure everything out.

Speaker 1: 37:17

I have to be able to advocate for myself. I, you know, only I know how I feel in my body, which is why I'm like you know, we're going to have to figure this out. And then when I went to see that specialist for the colonoscopy, she was like you know, okay, you've told me one thing I will say. She was very, very thorough, because I was even surprised she even suggested the colonoscopy. And she's like you know, are you open to that? I'm like girl, I'm like ma'am, I'm just trying to get some answers.

Speaker 2: 37:40

And so, Tony like what if you?

Speaker 1: 37:41

think I need to. Then you go right ahead, because this is the most I've even gotten from any of my head care provider as far as all the other issues else having, and she's like, okay, well, you know, we're going to. She ran her test, she did XYZ and she said, no, this is what we're going to do. Because what again? I felt so validated then because I'm like, wow, for the last, how long though I keep asking what can I do? Because I cannot go through life with, with migrants, I cannot go through life consistently being constipated or all these issues. I can't. You know. Disability, it is, but I want to talk about fertility as it really. I know you mentioned earlier, but it could be broken XYZ, but I want to talk about fertility for us, as it relates to how stress plays a role in fertility, not only in women but men, and the reason why I say that because sometimes, as women, we tend to place the blame for everything on us.

Speaker 1: 38:28

For getting pregnant for for having endometriosis, for having PCOS, for probably taking longer to get pregnant, everything society makes it seem that, as a woman, you know we are. First of all, you want to take your rights. Let's talk about that. That's not a story too. You already want. You already want to take away our rights. Yes, you want to take away our rights, but I'm used to the blame is still on us. Sometimes. When you know, oh, you're married for 10 years, why don't you have a child? Or the minute you get married, oh, you know, when are you having a baby? Or all these questions they keep asking, we don't often think, because I remember, to be honest, just the other day, that's true.

Speaker 1: 39:01

A couple of weeks ago, one of my most bloated days, I was giving like five months pregnant. I'll be honest.

Speaker 2: 39:08

My aunt probably does the same thing.

Speaker 1: 39:09

Okay, I was giving five, six months pregnant, the way I looked, and I was at the gym working out, and I posted a picture from you know, on my Instagram story because I'm trying to black out my old journey on my health and wellness journey and someone replied to my DM is that what I? I think they basically, they basically go. I was pregnant. I can't remember the exact words that they said and they just they alluded to oh, you know, you're pregnant. I say girl, no, it's just, I'm just bloated honey.

Speaker 1: 39:32

But I say, because I mean one thing you know you're not going to let me feel sometimes but I'm not, I'm not, my stomach is big enough. I can do it. I'm trying to figure it out, you know. But it took me back to again when I was younger. Sometimes I will see somebody who may be more heavy set or they may have a little stomach, and we automatically think oh, you know, you're pregnant. Xyz, when I was living in New Jersey and I had to take public transportation, I would I don't know if it's the rule down in the South, where I'm, because I don't take the bus I, you know, I have a car and all but when I was living up in New Jersey and we're on the bus.

Speaker 1: 40:00

The front seats of the bus were always reserved for, you know, the elderly or any individual who pregnant or if you have a kid or whatever.

Speaker 1: 40:07

And this is where I learned my lesson. I say I never get. So. I saw a young lady. She was, she was coming in the bus and her stomach looked like he said she was pregnant. To me being me. I got up and you know to tell her to have a seat. She's like no, I'm fine, I'm not pregnant. Let me tell you the level of embarrassment because, again, I was judging, I'm not just, I'm a little, I can't do, but I was assuming, rather. So I said, I just said that you know, sometimes society plays the blame on women. Oh, you know, you can't get pregnant. It's never the husband or the partner, whatever it is, it's never their fault, it's always us as a woman. So I want to talk about how stress can really affect fertility in both men and women.

Speaker 2: 40:42

Let's start with a cycle. You know we have a cycle and that cycle is governed by a hormone. If your body is inflamed, let's say everything producing the hormones is fine, but when your hormones get to where they need to go, if you are inflamed, remember that balloon with the stone in it, that's it. If you are inflamed, that could completely again. An egg is not like a fertilized egg is not going to implant in an environment that is not ready. It's just not going to happen. Could you go to the desert and think that you are going to plant you know, a crop of tomatoes or corn or what? No, no, because it's not like that. Soil is not nourished. It has a purpose for where it is, but it's not nourishing for the purpose that you want.

Speaker 1: 41:45

I like that.

Speaker 2: 41:48

Oh, it's incredibly important to make sure that you're nourishing the soil and listen, head, heart, pelvic connection is real. So another thing inflammation, grief, not dealing with things, not you know, oh gosh, what's the avoidance? Not dealing with things and just thinking, oh, just pushing it down, not releasing, that is all contributing to inflammation. So when you talk about inflammation, yes, food is one thing, yes, like outside factors or something else, but let's look within as well, like, let's look at the heart, let's look at your mindset, let's look at all those things If you're negative all the time.

Speaker 1: 42:32

Yes, honey.

Speaker 2: 42:33

What do you?

Speaker 1: 42:33

think, and I want to see before you continue, because sometimes when we say negative, we just think that you know there's levels to be negative. So if you could be thinking oh yeah, I want to have a baby, so you're trying, you're optimistic and you're positive about that, but if your mind is negative about something else, to me I think it connects, Because I can't be positive about you, Tiffany, and then be negative about somebody else over here and then think that I'm going, it's going to work, it's like no.

Speaker 1: 43:01

So I think you know what that is.

Speaker 2: 43:02

I hate to say it, but that's almost like hypocrisy, Because I apply it over here but not over here. It's the same thing and it's a journey. It's not an overnight process. It's not an over month, over year Like. This is a journey.

Speaker 1: 43:17

It is a journey.

Speaker 2: 43:18

But I would also like to stop and applaud all of the doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, anybody that is working with clients, and you are actually doing your due diligence to get to the problem, thank you. Thank you so much because I know that some of your listeners may be dealing with PCOS or endometriosis, and PCOS is hard to diagnose. Yeah, so you can get lab work and get a diagnosis for PCOS, but with endometriosis it's surgery.

Speaker 2: 43:52

That is the only way that insurance will cover it. If you have had surgery and a surgeon writes that evidence of endometriosis, that is the only way.

Speaker 2: 44:03

So for those practitioners, thank you for the caregivers that are taking care of people who are debilitated by these conditions. Thank you, and I just had to say that, going back to so, like you were saying, why aren't you pregnant? The questions that's stressing itself, and I feel like, even if nobody asks you the questions, the society that we have been brought up in, we are made to think once you get to 30, and you're 30 and you don't have kids, or, oh, you're 30 and you're not married and not one time.

Speaker 1: 44:38

Oh, you're under gerontology or no, you're geriatric pregnancy.

Speaker 2: 44:41

Geriatric pregnancy. Oh, you know what that word needs to be turned Like. I agree that infuriates me to no end, because it is incredibly possible to be well into your forties and have a healthy pregnancy. That is possible. It is no possible. It's not been the norm. Because here's the thing we have evolved as a society, but our thinking has not.

Speaker 1: 45:12

Tiffany, let me tell you this.

Speaker 2: 45:13

I'm sorry, you can sit here and you can tell me IVF, ivf, ivf. Yes, you're telling me, I'm still. You know, you need to get out of the mindset that was made when people weren't doing what we're doing. Women didn't have careers, women, you know and if they did, it was few and far between. So let's come out of that era and put a mindset on where we are right now. We're not getting married at the age that we were. I'm not saying there's something wrong, that.

Speaker 2: 45:46

What I'm saying is we're waiting and we're okay with that, so everybody else does not have to be okay, but as long as you are okay with where you are. This is your message to drown out all of the noise. Drown out the noise, because that is stress. We think about that day in and day out. Oh my gosh y'all. I was so stressed. I remember when I was going through I was so stressed. Why isn't it happening? Or are you going to give him a baby and you take all of that on and it's just stacked on your shoulders.

Speaker 1: 46:19

No, I'm going to be honest. I mentioned on the podcast talking about, you know, preparing everybody for pregnancy. But I'm like, okay, girl, no, you're turning 34 this year. What's going on? We have no prospects, you know. But at the same time, because I know, I'm like you know what, no, again, I'm taking the necessary steps now, intentionally, for what it is I'm 40 or 45, you know until they tell me you know what, tanya, let's just wrap it up. Then that's fine. But again, that's why, again.

Speaker 1: 46:45

So I'm starting from the mind, you know, just say come to the heart. You know everything else, because I'm trying to incorporate or breathe that positive energy in or what I want from my body, Because sometimes we don't realize to me, life in death really, and surely isn't the power of the tongue, the things that we speak, and I've gotten to a point where I would say positive things outwardly, but then my thoughts went always positive, if I can be honest, and I got to a point like almost two years, I say no, I can't, I say I'm being hypocritical right now, like you said. I say I'm over here trying to uplift people, be all these positive persons, and then what I'm saying out is not matching what's in my head. And let me tell you, tiffany, the minute I learn. I knew all this before, but you know, sometimes you got to learn the hard way. But the minute I had to learn that lesson the hard way, when I tell you that if I catch myself saying something also negative, I have to go ahead right away and try to correct it, because I say no, I can't. I say I understand, you know it may not be how I feel sometimes, but I have to really push through, work through that feeling to get to a place where I can have that positive thought, because there's no way, like I really do try to live a life way. You know what? Okay, I'm going to have this baby, like with my clients, when you know we're going to breathe this baby out, we're going to do, oh, you know I'm scared. And again, if you want to be scared when you're giving birth, again I can't tell you not to be scared Because you don't know what you're getting yourself into. You get that.

Speaker 1: 48:06

But again the mindset, like I was at a bread the other day and this young lady and she was a PCOS individual. So I want you to talk about that when we're done. And so she got pregnant, so she was happy. I was like, okay, we went through the stages XYZ and she was like oh no, I can't. I said, see, that's a problem, so we can have an I can't mentality. I say, you said you had, you have PCOS. You didn't even know, because they don't tell you that. Oh, you know what? I can't get pregnant Because you know somebody had to endure PCOS. We had to rewrite them off who, who, Look, that's another thing.

Speaker 2: 48:41

I'm going to interject. No, speak on it, because I want you to listen. No provider, no, no, no person, not, not me, not, not, not, not, tanya. Nobody can tell you what your body is supposed to do. Nobody can tell you what's going to happen on your journey. So, for all the people oh, just get pregnant, you know, it'll cure your endometriosis. Or you can't get pregnant because you have endo, or you can't get pregnant because you have PCOS. That is noise, it is garbage, and I need for, I need for you to know that that is so far from the truth. But if you think it, that's what it is.

Speaker 1: 49:19

You know this is so, so, so I'm I think it's so easy. You know we really have to and I know sometimes it's very cliche, tiffany, for us to say, oh, you know, I think positive stuff, but it really is the truth. You have to, you have to call these good things into your life. You can't expect me to call it in for you. I mean, I'm going to, you're going to, but if you, as an individual that I'm trying to call something good for and you're not believing it, then it's going to be a blockage. You know it is going to be a blockage, but I want to touch briefly again and I guess we can tie it into even in general. But you know, for individuals who are I got to talk to my endo and PCOS girls because they've been harassing me, I love you, I love you. But for individuals who are struggling with you know, I don't want to say struggle, but they're experiencing living with PCOS and endometriosis, or even in our firewalls or the fertility issues.

Speaker 1: 50:10

The first thing they often say is lifestyle change, which, of course, we all know. Anything that we want to do is a lifestyle change. But I know individuals personally Tiffany who are experiencing these things. One, they're not getting enough answers. I know an individual who won their bleeding consistently. Then they're totally going break control and I also know that sometimes, like you know how this comes to show earlier, when the first thing sometimes they want to prescribe is all going break control, especially when you know when it comes to PCOS.

Speaker 1: 50:35

Now, for me personally, again, the choice is yours. Like I totally want time, I say no, I'm on break control because I know. It's like I know what I want for my life. At this point in time, I don't want to be in a position that I didn't plan for. Whatever the case, right, right. So I'm at the point. You know, if I want to be off, I can be off. That's my job. If I want to be on, I'm going to point fingers at somebody because, again, I think medication and holistic help they go hand in hand.

Speaker 1: 50:58

However, what I've found and with the individuals who I know, the first thing is also going break control and that's, that's all they're giving, whatever tests they want. Oh yeah, pcos, let's go and break control. There's nothing else. Some, some books, sprinkle in the lifestyle changes. Don't get me wrong, cause I had a guest on here young, young lady, very beautiful. Into it she had on shoes that would end the mid-shears at one point in time and it turns out it wasn't ending, it was something else and I kind of remember the term that she told me, but also all her life. But she thought they told her that it was end on. So she was trying to do things, essentially to work on curing or whatever she could do.

Speaker 1: 51:32

But, I want you to talk. You know you are leaving the experience also, but you work with individuals who are told okay, I have PCOS, I have end on, Let me go and break control to cure this. But then, one, they may not want to go and break control, or two, they get them, break control and then there's just no different, there's no change. So for those listening to my girlies, my people out here who've been harassing T-Rex, tanya, you know you need to talk about PCOS and you need to talk about this. You know I want to put it to brief. You Just tell us again what we can do, as you say, to cure or just to have a life where we don't think that our life is over.

Speaker 1: 52:06

Because you know what, here I am, I can have a baby, I'm married or I have a partner, we're trying and it's just taking long enough. I'm like you know things happen when it's supposed to happen, yes, but you're going into your trying exercise thinking, oh, you know what, I have PCOS, but let's just try and see what happened. I hope for the best. The mindset already is just that you feel like you're defeated or it's already working against you. So for those who are dealing with and Demetriosis PCOS. You may not get the answer. You don't even know what to ask your doctor. Like, let's talk to us so we can know what we're doing. Okay, so I?

Speaker 2: 52:37

know I said a lot Okay. So I like to start with a mind and get me on track If I go after. I like to start with the mind. So you having this is not a curse. I know it sometimes feel like it, but this is a story, this is your story. Make it one where people are going to learn from what you're going through. So just know that just because you are going through this, this does not define you. It does, but it does not. It defines you because you are writing your own story. All of us are different. We all have a unique story and somebody's going to learn something. People watch, people are watching you, people see you and they watch you. People are watching and listening. So that's the first thing.

Speaker 2: 53:21

So don't think of it as, oh gosh, you know, I have endo, or I have this and change the wording. So I used to say I have endo. Now I say I live with it. I don't necessarily personalize it, I live with it, but I don't give it that power. I don't capitalize the E, I don't, you know, I just don't give it that power. So that's the mindset.

Speaker 2: 53:41

Now, as far as the body, diet is huge, and also because we know, especially with PCOS and endometriosis, we can put add no in there too, it's hormonal. Pcos is hormonal. Endo can be fed by hormones. So what I did was I really looked at what I was putting on my body, because a lot of the detergents, emotions, cosmetics they have what we call Xenoestrogens in them. Now hormones aren't bad for you. It's a problem when you can't clear them. It's a problem if you don't have enough of them. So that's the problem. So if you have enough hormone, but now in your cosmetics or your detergent, that now you're being exposed to more hormones than you need to. So that's another thing to watch what you put on your body, put in your body.

Speaker 2: 54:36

I know I do not support one diet versus the other. Whether you're vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, whatever you choose, I do encourage plant-based, so lots of plants. If you choose to eat meat, whatever that is, then that's fine. But just do a diet that works for you. I went vegan for about two months and it was great at first, and then I just got really bad headaches. And then I found out about the blood type diet and meat work. It just works better for me. So that's one example Having allergy tests done to make sure you're not eating something that's not necessarily agreeing with you. Connect, because that can cause a lot of digestive upset, it can cause a lot of headaches. Have your labs checked with your provider and if everything seems fine but you still don't feel, you just don't feel okay. Have another talk with your provider. And I always say date your doctor. If you are dating someone and they're not giving you what you need, then do you think?

Speaker 2: 55:44

that person you don't. So date your doctor. If you're not getting what you need from your provider, find someone else. Get online. There are so many forums and people from all over that, facebook groups and everything that you can you'll be able to find somebody to help you. I am a huge, huge, huge advocate for holistic therapies and I put yoga in there. Yoga meditation, huge acupuncture for all reproductive conditions. It does not matter what you are living with. I don't have acupuncture. I did Chinese herbal medicine, which between that and pelvic floor therapy. This is another thing I had to change how I worked out.

Speaker 2: 56:33

So, I cannot lift as heavy as I used to. I had to drop down my weight and just do more reps. So I used to do body pump and all that stuff. So I can't body pump anymore. But I just had to find workouts that were better for my new me. And your body is going to change. It's going to be different. It may be different from 25 to 30, 30 to 35. After 40, your body will change. So don't think you did something wrong, just readjust. Life is just about readjusting. If something comes at you, ok, let's readjust and hit it head on. So that's another thing. Find the time to take care of you. So what you put in your body, what you put in your mind and what you put in your spirit, I can't. I love crystals, I love, I pray, speak on it.

Speaker 2: 57:29

I love God, I love crystals, so to me you don't have to separate anything. There are lots of crystals that I prescribe to my client. So if you are anything reproductive, rose quartz, get you some rose quartz, put it in your pocket, meditate with it, because that's really really good for the reproductive system. I do a lot of work with essential oils A lot of work.

Speaker 2: 57:56

Sometimes customize a blend for my clients and I'll tell you hey, diffuse some of this, make some, put some of this in some castor oil, or whatever the case may be, and put it on your belly. So there are different modalities that you can use in conjunction with your birth control or whatever you choose. I wholeheartedly believe in our right to choose. So, whatever method you are on, find a practitioner that is willing to say, hey, ok, that's fine. Like one of my doctors, I said after my surgery I don't want to go home. Birth control, that was just my choice Because I knew how it made me feel. And she said OK, no problem, is your right to choose? Yeah, yeah, those are the types of people that you need on your team.

Speaker 2: 58:45

And if you have a doctor who's going to say, well, if you don't, this and this and this, when you read about it, you might be confused. Yeah, another thing if you are in your 20s, if you plan to wait which, first of all, I am so proud of those that have the foresight to be able to say that, especially if you're younger, in your 20s, especially like early to mid 20s, late 20s, before 30s if you have the foresight to know, no, I want to wait. Have that talk with your doctor about fertility preservation. So that might mean you going through something kind of like IVF, but you're just harvesting and freezing your eggs.

Speaker 1: 59:26

I think I did mention that yeah.

Speaker 2: 59:28

I wish someone had given me that option. I really do, but given how my story went, I can see why it was not offered. But for a lot of people that option is not even an option. Yeah, think about preserving your fertility, where that means freezing your eggs or whatever the case may be, and have that conversation with your doctor, because I think it's so important because once your fertility is gone or decreases, a lot of people like to write you off. A lot of people like to write you off to make you feel like it's not going to happen. So if they do, that's fine.

Speaker 2: 1:00:06

And again, it may be your journey. You may be able to produce a child, you may not be able to have a child, it just all depends. But you want a practitioner that is going to help you and encourage you and heal you to the best of their ability so that when that does come if that is your journey you're able to do that and I want to point out because sometimes there are some people in this world who just don't want to even have kids.

Speaker 1: 1:00:36

So when we're talking about stress, or even the lifestyle changes when it comes to our reproductive life, it could just be something that you have a heavy period, you have pain for a period, all these things, essentially they're not normal. So you want to be able to be in tune with your body so you can remove or eliminate that stress or actually find out what's causing me to have a heavy flow for eight days every time, or why am I having all these cramps? Of course, all these things again could lead to underlying issues Again, like the PCOS, the endometria, the fibroids, but again, it's not everyone who is going through the reproductive years may want to produce a child. So sometimes I think we got to make sure we put that out there, because they end up feeling pressured. It's like no, that's your choice.

Speaker 2: 1:01:15

Like she mentioned, that is your choice. You have that right. That makes you abnormal for not wanting, especially as someone who was born female.

Speaker 1: 1:01:27

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:01:28

That does not make you abnormal to not want kids. That is your choice and I don't know if I can cut it, but go ahead. Say what you got to say. Look respectfully. If they can't respect your decision, no matter what it is, fuck them Simple. That's the quickest release that I know Like. Release them, that's fast. It's like we and we don't go together.

Speaker 1: 1:01:53

We can't.

Speaker 2: 1:01:53

One into woman. I am going to always ride for women. That is one thing I am going to always do. Your feelings are valid, your decisions are valid, and don't let anybody anybody, tell you that they're not. The only time that I would question is if it was in harm to you or someone else. Right, and usually that is not even the case.

Speaker 1: 1:02:17

And it's funny you mentioned that because, as we wrap up, because I won't talk about what you do as well, but one of the questions that I want to ask as we get ready to wrap up is we talked about stress during the reproductive years, whether you're choosing to produce or have children, or whether, again, the choice is you're, but how can all partners support us during that time? Because a lot of the time, like I mentioned earlier, everything is always being in the woman. Ok, yes, let's have sex.

Speaker 2: 1:02:40

You're pregnant.

Speaker 1: 1:02:41

Ok fine, let's just have sex. You're not getting pregnant Partner over here, whether a guy or whatever, the choice is, your spouse is a partner, is that's your choice. Again, but how can they support? Because sometimes what I'm realizing is that let's say, for me, I may understand something one way, my partner may not. So we're not on the same page. Because I could be expected to my partner to understand. Oh, you know what? This is why I have all these periods, and sometimes they're not coming to appointments with us either. Given some of our work, just never a thing. Oh, why am I coming with you? It's like go by yourself, or is that like a norm then? Right? So how can a partner or a couple support each other on this journey? Because again, I've seen or I've heard like marriages or relationships, or this unions, are just falling apart Because, again, we're not on the same page, we're not even the same book, right?

Speaker 2: 1:03:30

Let alone page. So the first part is with partners. I'm sure that a lot of what you're going through is new to you and if it's not, first give your partner some grace. If they don't understand and this will be an opportunity to number one either learn together or just pull them in and sit them down to let them know hey, this is what's going on. This goes back to the. We don't talk about it enough. Some of us are brought up. This is women's business. You just keep it to yourself. You just keep it, no, like is it?

Speaker 2: 1:04:06

women's business when we're in the process of making a baby. No, that is two people, so get ready to sit down and you're going to learn and you're going to know exactly what I'm going through right now. And if it is your choice or your desire and you have no interest, red flag, red flag. So again, to all of the partners that are there and are stepping up, and some of these partners, no more than the person going.

Speaker 1: 1:04:32

Yeah, I love, when that happens.

Speaker 2: 1:04:36

Yeah, just get them involved. Let them be involved as much as they want to. Some of our partners want to be involved and we don't let them because we're ashamed.

Speaker 1: 1:04:47

We didn't have a conversation.

Speaker 2: 1:04:49

Women's. We're exactly so. Let them. When I do awareness brunches, when I do events I like for it to be co-ed I invite the men, our partners and everyone's aware that men will be there just because we need to start inviting them into our spaces and letting them know that, hey, yeah, it's okay if you know about a period, it's okay if you know about the entire cycle. Why? Because it's very crucial for them to know that in order to be able to help us, because if you're late and a lot of times your partner's gonna know you're late because they'll be like hey, you know, but let them in, let them help and let them just be there for you, because this journey is it's not easy. It's not easy at all.

Speaker 2: 1:05:46

We underestimate that Initially, when the goal is having a baby, it's definitely tough. So let them in, let them do, let them come to the appointments, read books together. Listen, we're gonna step into the 2020s. Watch a TikTok, okay. Watch a YouTube video. Reach out to somebody that you trust. We have so many birth workers, so many doers who work, so many midwives doing amazing work and even OBGYNs doing amazing work nurses. So reach out to somebody and, if it's a class or if it's whatever you feel like you need, then do that, so involve them as much as possible.

Speaker 1: 1:06:30

No, I agree, and I have no better way to end that episode on that note. But before we go, I need for you to tell us about the programs. Of course we'll put everything in the show notes, but where people can find you, what is it that you do? Because I know people listening. I can already see at least three people in my head that I know who are consistent listeners, who could use your help or just reaching out to you. It could be a question, that's all.

Speaker 2: 1:06:51

Okay. So, like I said, I help women heal their bodies without toxic hormones or expensive or painful treatments to preserve your fertility. Whatever fertility is for you, fertility could mean baby, fertility could mean a book, fertility could mean landing this new job, fertility could mean moving to an island, whatever. Whatever your journey is preparing you to be fertile, for that is what I help you do. I help you heal to be able to bring that about. There's a mental, physical, emotional and spiritual component. So I address all three. That's what makes it really holistic.

Speaker 2: 1:07:27

I also do functional medicine, blood work analysis. So I'm looking at your lab work. So there's that traditional medicine piece. It's really like an intersection of traditional medicine nursing as well as holistic medicine, and I bridge the two. I'll bridge three and I have programs. Some people just want the blood work analysis and I give it to you and you can take it back to your doctor and say, hey, these things are happening and I need you to check. That's one service. You can couple that with programs. I have six month programs, I have one year programs, and so, whatever your goal is, you talk about your goals and then we just move into the program. And so I think it's really important to address mental and emotional and spiritual because a lot of times let's say you are eating what you need, let's say your diet is where it needs to be and you're losing and working out or whatever the case may be, those other three things mental, emotional, spiritual could be your roadblocks.

Speaker 1: 1:08:27

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:08:28

So that's what I do. I love what I do. I also help individuals. So if you're not in that demographic of identifying as female with reproductive challenges or reproductive conditions, if you just want to decrease your stress, I work with individuals on that as well. So if you have headaches or something, then I'll probably start with your labs to look at that. But you can find me on Instagram channeling underscore chi. My business is channeling chi health and wellness, and so you can find me on Instagram at channeling underscore chi. For Facebook, I have a channeling chi health and wellness page. Tiffany Davis is the page that I mostly post to because I am, like you, trying and trying to incorporate my journey and be very transparent with people and let you know I'm living it right along with you.

Speaker 2: 1:09:24

So some days I'm trying to just figure it out, just like everybody else. And then I have a website, it's wwwchannelingchicom.

Speaker 1: 1:09:35

Well, thank you, tiffany. I'll be sure to put those in the show notes for sure, for sure, for sure, before you go. I want you to tell us, because usually I do an affirmation of the week or whatever in the podcast, but I want you to tell me what is like one mantra or affirmation that you're relying on in this season, or just in general, because I have two that I follow, like well they're consistently moved. So what is one mantra affirmation?

Speaker 2: 1:09:56

OK. One that I definitely use is I am grateful for waking up in a safe place in gratitude, with all my faculties and all my basic needs met. I love that one. That is the one I start my day with that one, and I find that if I say that then it's kind of like I have everything I need. I have everything I need. So whatever comes up in the day, at the end of the day you have your basic needs. So look it in the face and be like let's go.

Speaker 1: 1:10:30

Say it again, say it again. Let's go Like I'm ready. Tell us again.

Speaker 2: 1:10:37

I am grateful for waking up in a safe space in gratitude, with all my faculties and all my basic needs met.

Speaker 1: 1:10:47

I say hey, but I feel like you have another one you can give us too. I feel like there's another one inside. I just feel it.

Speaker 2: 1:10:56

OK, so this one is just encompasses everything. I release my limiting beliefs and step into my inner purpose. Oh Tiffany, now honey talk to me Guys.

Speaker 1: 1:11:10

On that note, there's no other way. Listen, I wish you guys could see me, but there's no other way for me to end this episode. Tiffany, I thank you so much. It's been a long time coming. The same energy that I had when we first met.

Speaker 1: 1:11:24

Shout out to my editor, rue, for putting us in contact. We got to give Rue a big shout out for that. But your energy then is the same and even more known. I really, really am grateful and, of course, a lot of blessings you all win. We're going to be in contact because, I mean, we got to get rid of this head situation. So we definitely, we definitely, we are definitely going to talk, but I just I can't wait for my listeners to hear this episode. I've been waiting, honestly, to record this episode. I'm going to be honest, coming into this episode, my mindset, my energy, my mood it wasn't the greatest because I'm not going through some going through, but again, like I said, your energy is just so powerful and so it just it transferred to me. So I really want to thank you for boosting that energy because I think I'm going to take it into the week now, honestly speaking. So I have you to credit for that. So definitely want to thank you. Yeah, hope to have you back soon.

Speaker 2: 1:12:15

Of course, anytime. Thank you, everyone and happy healing to everybody. Yes.

Speaker 1: 1:12:23

Thank you for joining me for another episode of Tea with Tanya. If you liked this episode, be sure to share it with a friend. Don't forget to follow on Instagram at teawithtanyapodcast. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Tea Talk newsletter and, of course, rate on Apple or Spotify and subscribe wherever you listen. See you next time. I love you for listening.