Welcome back to the Endo Belly Girl Podcast! Today I dive into understanding supplements with my friend and mentor Kate Mahoney, a functional practitioner dietary supplement expert. Kate and I share a passion for bioindividuality, and educating people that not all supplements are created equally.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
-Quality is crucial because many supplement nutrients originate from sources like corn, soy, and grains, and are often genetically modified. Since these ingredients can trigger sensitivities in most people, opting for higher-quality supplements is essential.
-Excipients, the inactive ingredients in supplements, can also contain ingredients we don't want in our bodies.
-The quality of Omega 3s and fatty acids hinges on their sourcing and processing. Exposure to heat, oxygen, and light can cause them to go rancid, worsening inflammation instead of reducing it. A simple test for high quality is if it tastes bad when you bite into it, it's likely not good quality.
-Supplements need to be bio-available for the body to absorb and use them.
-Supplements offer temporary relief for symptoms, like hormone imbalances, but often don't tackle the root cause. Consulting a functional practitioner for a personalized protocol is more beneficial than relying solely on advice from others, as it considers your unique bio-individuality and addresses the underlying issue.
-Therapeutic protocols are temporary and not lifelong solutions.
-When evaluating supplements, be wary of marketing claims that boast them as the best or number one. Look for detailed information on ingredient sourcing and ensure there's documentation to support it; transparency is key!
-If the ingredient list isn't clear, it's best to avoid buying the supplement. Check if excipient ingredients are listed, and if so, see if you recognize them.
Understanding supplement quality can be overwhelming, but these basics will help you make informed choices for your body. If you need further guidance, I offer one-off sessions to review your current supplements and determine what's beneficial for you.
Connect w/ Kate:
https://www.thesupplementacademy.com/
www.instagram.com/katemahoneyntp
Book a supplement review call w/ Alyssa
Subscribe to The Endo Belly Girl Podcast:
Apple | Spotify
Connect w/ Alyssa:
Work w/ Alyssa:
Learn more about Alyssa
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. This may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.
Welcome back to the Endo Belly Girl Podcast! Today I dive into understanding supplements with my friend and mentor Kate Mahoney, a functional practitioner dietary supplement expert. Kate and I share a passion for bioindividuality, and educating people that not all supplements are created equally.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
-Quality is crucial because many supplement nutrients originate from sources like corn, soy, and grains, and are often genetically modified. Since these ingredients can trigger sensitivities in most people, opting for higher-quality supplements is essential.
-Excipients, the inactive ingredients in supplements, can also contain ingredients we don't want in our bodies.
-The quality of Omega 3s and fatty acids hinges on their sourcing and processing. Exposure to heat, oxygen, and light can cause them to go rancid, worsening inflammation instead of reducing it. A simple test for high quality is if it tastes bad when you bite into it, it's likely not good quality.
-Supplements need to be bio-available for the body to absorb and use them.
-Supplements offer temporary relief for symptoms, like hormone imbalances, but often don't tackle the root cause. Consulting a functional practitioner for a personalized protocol is more beneficial than relying solely on advice from others, as it considers your unique bio-individuality and addresses the underlying issue.
-Therapeutic protocols are temporary and not lifelong solutions.
-When evaluating supplements, be wary of marketing claims that boast them as the best or number one. Look for detailed information on ingredient sourcing and ensure there's documentation to support it; transparency is key!
-If the ingredient list isn't clear, it's best to avoid buying the supplement. Check if excipient ingredients are listed, and if so, see if you recognize them.
Understanding supplement quality can be overwhelming, but these basics will help you make informed choices for your body. If you need further guidance, I offer one-off sessions to review your current supplements and determine what's beneficial for you.
Connect w/ Kate:
https://www.thesupplementacademy.com/
www.instagram.com/katemahoneyntp
Book a supplement review call w/ Alyssa
Subscribe to The Endo Belly Girl Podcast:
Apple | Spotify
Connect w/ Alyssa:
Work w/ Alyssa:
Learn more about Alyssa
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. This may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.
Alyssa Chavez [00:00:01]:
Hello and welcome back to the Endo Belly Girl podcast. I am looking at the calendar and I can't believe that by the time this episode will be published, it will already be May. That's crazy to me. I feel like 2024 is just flying by and it's gonna be summer here before we know it, which is kind of cool because I have so many exciting plans coming your way in the summertime, so I'm kind of excited for that to come. I'm personally ready for some beach time. I live about 45 minutes drive from the beach, so that's always lovely when it's warm enough to go. Enjoy that. But I just feel like this year is flying by in the blink of an eye.
Alyssa Chavez [00:00:45]:
Anyway, I am excited today because I have a special guest for you all. Her name is Kate Mahoney and she is a friend, a colleague, a mentor of mine. We crossed paths maybe a year or so ago and have just really connected on so many levels. I have so much respect for her and what she does, and I have learned a lot from her myself and just knew that you all could learn a lot from her too. So I asked her if she could come on to the podcast so we could have a little chat about all of this stuff. So Kate is a functional nutrition practitioner and she has nearly 30 years of experience with all of that. And along the way, she accidentally became a dietary supplement expert, which I'll let her tell you the story of that.
Alyssa Chavez [00:01:37]:
Because it's one of those things, right?
Alyssa Chavez [00:01:39]:
When things are meant to be, they're meant to be. And her story is totally one of those. So she accidentally stumbled into becoming a dietary supplement expert, which is what we're here to talk about today. And really what she's all about is empowering people to make well informed choices about their health by providing some evidence based and agenda free dietary supplement education through the supplement Academy, which she started in 2020. And I recently went through the supplement academy myself. I took her supplement quality specialist course and I'm so happy that I did. I feel like I learned so much from that. Supplements is just such a wide, wide world.
Alyssa Chavez [00:02:25]:
There's so much to learn and gosh, just so many different supplement products out there. And honestly, it can be so easy to just feel like you're throwing your money away on supplements that you're just going to urinate right back out, essentially. And finding ones that really are quality can be a bit of a challenge. So, and also, I will say, too, just figuring out what supplements you actually need, what supplements are ready for, your body or right for your unique self is something that's really important as well. And we're going to be unpacking all of that today. We're going to really dig into supplements, supplement quality, why supplement quality is important and why it should matter to you. We're going to talk about bio individuality and why that matters when it comes to supplements. Certain red flags and yellow flags to look for when you're shopping for supplements so that you can start to become a more discerning individual yourself.
Alyssa Chavez [00:03:27]:
Something that is definitely important when you're trying to take care of your body and your health. So I am so excited to dig in and let you all hear from Kate. We really had a fantastic conversation around supplements and all the things that go along with that. Without further ado, I will let Kate take it away.
Alyssa Chavez [00:03:52]:
All right. Well, hello, Kate. Thank you so much for being here today. I am super excited because I know you are a wealth of information and have so much to share with myself and everybody. So thank you for being here.
Kate Mahoney [00:04:06]:
Absolutely, Alyssa, it is a true honor to be here supporting your community that you are building because what you are doing is so, so important. Supporting Endo warriors. There is so much misinformation and so little support for that community of warriors. So thank you for doing what you're doing and I am very excited to talk about my passion. Love it.
Alyssa Chavez [00:04:35]:
I know it's something that you just love to talk about. So I know that this is going to be great for everybody.
Kate Mahoney [00:04:42]:
I could talk about it for months on end and I. Yeah, it's. It's a topic that you could literally never exhaust because there, there's so much. There's just so much. But what's most important to me is let's try to make sure that your community is provided with some really simple, actionable takeaways so that they can start making better informed supplement choices. That's what's most important to me.
Alyssa Chavez [00:05:12]:
Yeah, absolutely. I totally agree. Well, let's go ahead and dive right in. I would actually love if you can start off before we really get into supplements and quality and everything, if you can just tell us a little bit about you and why you got into this world of supplement quality in the first place and just where this all came from.
Kate Mahoney [00:05:32]:
Oh, my goodness. Well, hmm. How to summarize that in a nutshell is honestly really difficult because my life is kind of a cacophony of moving parts and pieces that didn't really make sense until I went to school to become a functional nutrition practitioner. And that's when everything that happened in my life before that point, when I was almost 40, just kind of naturally came together and seamlessly blended. A lot of people ask me, how did you become a supplement expert? And the truth is it's not something that I cultivated on purpose. It is something that I just kind of accidentally stumbled into. So in the past, I'd say in the early two thousands, if I'm remembering correctly, I managed to stumble upon a supplement education program that was incredibly comprehensive. It sadly no longer exists.
Kate Mahoney [00:06:35]:
And I was in that program for about five years. And during that time we had a professor. He was absolutely amazing. He had a PhD in nutrition. And so he knew a lot about the physiology and biochemistry of the body and how it works. And he would teach us about what supplements were supposed to do in the body, right? Like these different nutrients and nutritional cofactors. And then he would bring a supplement company in after we had learned about what was optimal. And the supplement company would do a presentation about why their company was the best thing since sliced bread and why we should sell their supplements.
Kate Mahoney [00:07:19]:
And, you know, why everyone should take their supplements. And then the presenter would leave. We would all sit around and talk about what was just marketing hype versus what was actually valid and aligned with all of the resources and research and information that was available about nutrients and nutritional cofactors and how to support the body. So it was an incredibly unique opportunity and experience. And I didn't really realize what I had until years later. After I had been utilizing this information as a health and wellness consultant, I became aware that my education, since it was very focused on supplements, did have a few holes. Like, no, I think I want to fill in these holes. I don't just want to look at someone and try to figure out what supplements to give them.
Kate Mahoney [00:08:21]:
I really want to deeply understand the root cause and how we can address the root cause to really support the longevity of someone's health, right? So that's when I did a lot of research into the different programs that were out there. I finally landed on a functional nutrition program that I took and that was when the supplement education that I received in the uniqueness of it really started to become a parent. Because while I went through the program as a student, all of my fellow students and the course mentors who were past graduates that were going through to kind of help the current cohort and the current students and even my instructors came to me regularly throughout the program to ask me for information about supplements. And before I even graduated, both of my instructors came to me and were like, hey, would you like to be an instructor for the program? And I was like, well, tell me more. So, after I graduated, I ended up doing that for five years, and it became very apparent that the main reason why that program hired me as an instructor for five years is because of my expertise in supplements. And I also had a difficult time really owning the fact that I was an expert. It took a group of colleagues that I had high respect and regard for that eventually kind of cornered me and gave me an intervention and was like, Kate, you need to own the fact that you're an expert. And I was very resistant about it.
Kate Mahoney [00:10:04]:
I was like, no, no. You know, all that humility and modesty and. And having difficulty owning a truth about yourself that could benefit others can sometimes be very challenging for some of us, not for everyone, but for me, it definitely was. But I had so much respect and regard for them that I really sat with what they shared with me for a few months, and then I said, okay, they're right. It is time for me to own this. This body of information that I have. It has unexpectedly provided so many wonderful opportunities to me in my life. And I really want to use this information to help people and to support people, because most people aren't even aware, because they don't know enough about supplements and how to discern the quality from the crap that 85% to 90% of the supplements that are available on the market aren't worth taking.
Kate Mahoney [00:11:08]:
And that is. It really pisses me off, to be honest. Alyssa. Whoa. Like the unethical business practices, all for the sake of profit. It really pisses me off. So that is a big reason why I like to come on podcast episode as a guest expert is because the more people who can know this and who can make better informed supplement choices for themselves and their loved ones, the better.
Alyssa Chavez [00:11:44]:
Agreed? Yeah. That's why I've invited you on here. So I have recently completed Kate's supplement quality course, which was fabulous. And I learned so many fantastic things that, you know, just weren't taught to us in my nutrition training. And. And there are, I think, difficult to discern just on your own reading, because I've always been a label reader. That's just something I think I've done intuitively for years, just with food supplements, anything that I pick it up, and I flip it over, and I look at what's in it. For a long time, I had no idea, really, what I was looking at.
Kate Mahoney [00:12:22]:
Yeah, it's like, oh, look, it says b. One. It says b. Two, and. And then there's a whole bunch of gobbledygook afterwards. I guess that's just the chemical name for b one. You are not wrong, but there are different chemical forms of b one. And the question really becomes which ones are bioavailable and which ones are crap.
Kate Mahoney [00:12:44]:
And for all of you who are actually listening to this podcast, I don't know how much you've talked about this, Alyssa, but I just want to speak to the fact right now, very briefly, that Alyssa now is one of the very few and far between practitioners who truly understands at a deep level which supplements are actually worth taking and why. And the supplements that she recommends are things that she has done the research on, that she has done a deep dive on to figure out, is this actually going to be safe, safe for and compatible with most endowarriors and actually be effective? Because, oh, my gosh. When it comes to quality, we also need to address that part of quality is, is this supplement actually effective and most art?
Alyssa Chavez [00:13:42]:
So true. Then you're just throwing money down the drain, right?
Kate Mahoney [00:13:46]:
Exactly. Yes. Oh, my gosh. And potentially, like, causing damage, creating imbalances. Like, there's so many things. There's such a myriad of things which makes me so grateful for practitioners like you, Alyssa, who are well informed and out there doing the work to really support people's best interest and best version of their health as they walk their health journey. So thank you. Thank you for doing what you do and for being a responsible practitioner.
Kate Mahoney [00:14:19]:
Oh, my gosh. Yay.
Alyssa Chavez [00:14:22]:
I do my best.
Kate Mahoney [00:14:23]:
I know we all do our best. That's all we can do.
Alyssa Chavez [00:14:29]:
All right, well, there's a lot to talk about when it comes to supplements, and I'm sure we're going to far from COVID all of it today, but we'll cover what we can within the time that we have here. And of course, my audience is not, most of them, looking to be practitioners themselves. They're just looking to, you know, when they're buying supplements, being able to discern what is best for them, what will actually work and help their body. So that's what we'll focus on for today.
Kate Mahoney [00:14:57]:
Okay, now, well, I want your listeners to keep in mind that you did complete a 20 hours continuing education course to truly understand at a deep level how to do that. But we can provide your listeners with some really good key takeaways, maybe to help them discern which supplement companies to stay away from, like how to discern and decipher which supplement companies might not be worth the money. What do you think? Does that sound good?
Alyssa Chavez [00:15:34]:
I love it. I totally agree.
Kate Mahoney [00:15:36]:
Perfect.
Alyssa Chavez [00:15:38]:
Well, let's go ahead and start off kind of at the very beginning here for people who may be kind of brand new to this conversation in general. Might be starting to listen to this, thinking, well, gosh, I've never even thought about the supplements I'm taking. Somebody just told me to take b vitamins, so I went and bought some at the store. Right. Not knowing that there may actually be a difference. So I would love if you can start off just by sharing with us a little bit about why quality even matters. Like, why is that something that we should consider? And you touched on that even a little bit already. But that would be a great starting point, I think, just to kind of bring some clarity around that.
Kate Mahoney [00:16:18]:
Wow. Okay. That is a big rabbit hole. All right, let's see. Let me think of a really good example as far as why quality matters. Well, first of all, one of the examples that I think is a really good one, and I know that I've talked about this on other podcast episodes, but it's so important, and I want more people to know about it. So I'm just going to briefly mention it here. One of the things that a lot of people don't know is that most nutrients in supplements are synthesized.
Kate Mahoney [00:16:55]:
And they are synthesized. There are four common raw materials that they are commonly synthesized from, and those are going to be corn, most of which is GMO soy, most of which is GMO grains, which can or sometimes don't contain gluten. As we know, corn is a grain. It is a gluten free grain, but it is mostly gmo. And then there's going to be the nightshade family, such as potatoes. So if you look at those four things, corn, soy, grains, and nightshades, there are so many people that may not have literal allergies to those things, but they can have intolerances, sensitivities, reactions to those things. There are many, many people. I mean, I know, Alyssa, as a practitioner, as a fellow practitioner, you and I have come across this so many times in our lives.
Kate Mahoney [00:17:52]:
When we meet people who are like, supplements don't work for me. I have a bad reaction to them. And the question that every single practitioner and every consumer, quite frankly, should be asking themselves is why? Part of that answer is the raw materials that a supplement is made from. And it's not just the nutrients. There's also the excipients. For those of you who don't know what an excipient is, it is an inactive ingredient in a supplement. Right. So let's think about a capsule.
Kate Mahoney [00:18:25]:
What's inside the capsule is the supplement, but the capsule, the material that the capsule is made out of, the capsule itself is an excipient. So it might be made out of gelatin, it might be made out of plant cellulose, unfortunately, most of which is GMO. So something to be aware of. If trying to steer clear of GMO's and bioengineered products is something that's important to you, then cellulose might be something that you want to be careful about saying. So those are all things to think about and consider is just like the very basic things that a supplement is made out of. We also can look at things like herbs. So how are the herbs grown? Did they have herbicides and pesticides used on them? If they did, then guess what? You're going to be ingesting that. Right.
Kate Mahoney [00:19:27]:
So the quality of the raw materials that are used to make a supplement, so, so important. So, yeah, that's, those are the main things that really come to me when it comes to quality. I know that you and I have talked about, though, and this is something that you brought up with me in some of the conversations that we've had. One on one, you talked about how a big takeaway for you when you took my course was what you learned about omega three s and fatty acids and why the quality of those matters so, so much. Because a lot of people take them to regulate inflammation issues and things like that. Right. So I would love it. If you're interested, would you like to share some of your key takeaways that you really learned about why quality is so important when it comes to the omega three s and the fatty acids.
Alyssa Chavez [00:20:23]:
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. That was definitely a big takeaway for me because, again, there are so many different sources. Right. If you're looking at go online and Google Omega three supplement, there are hundreds, if not thousands of choices out there. And, you know, I used to understand, at least looking at them, that there's different types of omegas, right? There's different things that we want to look for. But the biggest thing that I learned about the quality of it, which I have learned is very hard to find companies that actually do this correctly.
Kate Mahoney [00:20:59]:
Ain't that the truth?
Alyssa Chavez [00:21:01]:
Yeah. Is that the way that the oils, definitely the sourcing is important to begin with. Like, where are they getting it from? But the big thing that a lot of companies just are not doing correctly is the way that they're processing those fats. And one thing that's really important is that things like heat and oxygen and light can all damage those oils to the point where they basically become rancid. They're no longer those healthy beneficial oils, even if they were from the get go. And so now you're taking these omega three supplements, thinking that they're helping you with inflammation. But if they have been not processed correctly and they actually have been exposed to heat and light and oxygen through that process of putting it into the little capsules that we take, well, now you might actually be taking these rancid oils, which are actually going to contribute to that inflammation that you're trying to reduce, which is a huge thing with endometriosis, for sure. I mean, inflammation is a big piece of the puzzle, especially for people who are in a lot of pain and having a lot of fatigue.
Alyssa Chavez [00:22:14]:
Some of them. And even the GI symptoms, the bloating and discomfort and abdominal pain, a lot of that can point back to inflammation in some fashion or another. And like, yes, we want to get to the. The root of, like, where that inflammation is coming from in the first place. There's a lot of factors with that. But definitely taking something like a high quality omega three can be super beneficial if it's a high quality omega three supplements, if it's actually worth taking.
Kate Mahoney [00:22:44]:
And it's like you spoke to, it's not just the rancidity, but as you said, there's the oxygen exposure exposure. So the oxidization of the oil in combination with the potential rancidity issues because of the heat, and they're so, so fragile. And then let's talk about the fact that most people are swallowing their omega three fatty acids whole. And as you and I both know, as functional practitioners, fat digestion starts in the mouth. Like fat digestion, salivary lipase literally starts to break down the molecules. And I hate to break it to all of your listeners, but if you are taking a fatty acid supplement or even a fat soluble vitamin or a fat soluble phytonutrient, such as phosphatidyl, inositol phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, etcetera, you want to chew those, because fat soluble means needs to be digested like that. Fat needs to start to be broken down and emulsified in the mouth. And if you bite into a soft gel and it doesn't taste good, Alyssa, what does that mean?
Alyssa Chavez [00:24:05]:
It means it's probably not a great quality oil.
Kate Mahoney [00:24:08]:
Yeah, exactly. It means spit it out. It is bad. Don't take it so one of the best takeaways that I can give your listeners is if you are taking a fatty acid or a fat soluble vitamin or a fat soluble nutrient, chew it. That is the clearest indication of quality that you will have. If it does not taste good to you, do not take it.
Alyssa Chavez [00:24:39]:
Yep. Love it. So many good takeaways already.
Kate Mahoney [00:24:44]:
Well, good. Yay.
Alyssa Chavez [00:24:48]:
All right, now, another thing that I think is really key, definitely just looking at the overall quality of the supplement is huge. And we used a couple of examples there. But of course, that can apply to anything and everything that we may be taking. And there's different considerations for each. As far as, like you said, with certain vitamins, what form is it in? What's the sourcing? There's so many different considerations to look at. But another piece of the puzzle that I want to talk about a little bit today is bio individuality. And this is something that's really important to me in my practice. I would say it's probably the key idea behind my entire practice and when I work with clients, because I hear so much out there about people even looking for wanting to follow a particular diet.
Alyssa Chavez [00:25:48]:
Like, this is the diet you should eat. If you have endometriosis, these are the supplements you should take. If you have endometriosis, these are the things that you should do.
Kate Mahoney [00:25:55]:
And, Alyssa, can I just say, people who say that, chop my hide, and I am so bleeping in alignment with you on that. Oh, my gosh. You are speaking my practitioner language. Please, please.
Alyssa Chavez [00:26:12]:
You can absolutely say that. Yes. Yeah. Because I'm right there with you on that. It drives me crazy. I think there just needs to be a deeper understanding of that. In general, just the idea that we're all unique, right? Even if you may be in the same boat with somebody else, as far as having similar symptoms, you both have a diagnosis of endometriosis or whatever may be going on in your body. It doesn't mean that the same exact things are going to work for the same exact people.
Kate Mahoney [00:26:43]:
Okay. I have a good example for you that is supplement related.
Alyssa Chavez [00:26:46]:
Perfect.
Kate Mahoney [00:26:47]:
Which is, how many people have we seen online that say, if you have bad cramps, take magnesium. If you have constipation, take magnesium. No, it might not be magnesium. I'm sorry, but it might not be. There are four macro minerals which have synergistic and antagonist relationships with each other. Calcium and magnesium. Sodium and potassium. You know what? If your mineral balance is off, taking a single mineral is not going to help you.
Kate Mahoney [00:27:31]:
What you actually, you'd be better off, and I'm just speaking generally, you would be better off taking a multi mineral than a single mineral. But here's the tricky thing, okay? If you don't know enough about supplements and how to discern which multi mineral is best, there are different factors that you want to keep in mind when it comes to picking a multi mineral product. Number one, the minerals need to be in balanced ratios. Most multi minerals that I see, they have way too much calcium and way too little magnesium and potassium. Number two, speaking of bio individuality, let's talk about bioavailability. Right? So this is where the effectiveness of nutrients come in. The mineral forms actually need to be bio available, effective forms of minerals because if they aren't, the body won't be able to utilize them. Citrate is a super cheap, easy form to make.
Kate Mahoney [00:28:42]:
It is not the best form for the body. It is actually a form that is more likely to have been made from GMO raw materials. So just keep that in mind. It is a very cheap, easy form that is not very clean. And if you're familiar enough with looking at nutrient forms, here's a little takeaway for you. Amino acid chelates are some of the most bioavailable mineral forms, but you don't just want it to say when you're looking at a label. I've seen such non transparency with supplement companies who on the label, they'll listen magnesium. And then in parentheses they'll say, amino acid chelate.
Kate Mahoney [00:29:30]:
And I'm like, what bleeping amino acid? You need to tell me which amino acid are you chelating it to? Is it glycinate? Is it taurinate? Like what is it that is not transparent? So that's a huge takeaway for you listeners, non transparency. And is that something that we can talk about a little bit more maybe later on during this podcast? Because those might be some really good key takeaways for your listeners. Is what type of non transparency, yellow and or red flags to look for with some companies?
Alyssa Chavez [00:30:10]:
Yes, definitely. Let's definitely circle back to that. I think that would be a fantastic conversation.
Kate Mahoney [00:30:15]:
Okay. Okay. So you were talking about bio individuality and we were going off on how there are so many practitioners and, well, uninformed, I don't know, practitioners who are making an influencers health, I use that term lightly. Influencers who are making these blanket statements saying, if you have x health condition, you should be doing y therapeutic dietary protocol. If you have x health condition, you should be taking z supplement. And magnesium is such a big one. Magnesium for constipation is a band aid. It's not addressing the root cause.
Kate Mahoney [00:31:02]:
The real question every practitioner, and if you're a consumer, you should be asking yourself, is, why do I have constipation as a practitioner? Alyssa, and I will tell you, there are so many different reasons why people can have constipation. I will say that in my practice, the biggest one is dehydration, chronic dehydration, closely followed by nutrient imbalances and HPA access, dysregulation, and digestion dysfunction. Right. Are those things that you see a lot, too?
Alyssa Chavez [00:31:42]:
I would say the exact same things. Absolutely.
Kate Mahoney [00:31:46]:
Yeah. I mean, there you go.
Alyssa Chavez [00:31:52]:
Right. It's so interesting because we hear a lot, and this is something I certainly speak to as well, we hear a lot about band aid solutions in the conventional medical world. Right. Like, to just take a medication for that, and especially in the United States, like, you turn on the tv and every other commercial is about medications. Like, it's nuts. I don't know if everybody's aware of this, but that is actually illegal in most countries. Like, it's one of the things that's. I don't know if there are other countries that allow that.
Alyssa Chavez [00:32:23]:
I haven't done the research on that, but I know it is not allowed in many other countries. But you turn on the tv in the United States, and, like, every other commercial is about take this medication.
Kate Mahoney [00:32:41]:
And by the way, here's this cacophony of side effects.
Alyssa Chavez [00:32:44]:
Yes, exactly. And I think that that's, you know, it's important to be aware of that. And I think most of the people listening to this podcast are people who are more interested in kind of digging deeper and wanting better solutions for their bodies, which is great. Not to say that, you know, medications aren't sometimes necessary. Sometimes that can work synergistically with what we do, but oftentimes it's a band aid solution. But here's the thing, is that the same thing can happen with supplements. Right? It's just because it's natural and it's a supplement form and you can go and buy it on a grocery store shelf doesn't mean that it's not still a band aid solution. Right.
Alyssa Chavez [00:33:28]:
And sometimes we may need something like that in the short term to get you where you need to go. Like, if you need to poop today, maybe you take some magnesium to help you with that. Cool. You have your. Your, you know, smooth move tea to get things moving.
Kate Mahoney [00:33:43]:
Well, I don't know. Okay, so can I speak to that really quick?
Alyssa Chavez [00:33:47]:
Yeah, please do.
Kate Mahoney [00:33:48]:
Because one of the things I think it's really important for your listeners to be aware of is that things like Senna and Cascara Sagrada, which stimulate peristalsis, they can actually form a dependency.
Alyssa Chavez [00:34:03]:
Right.
Kate Mahoney [00:34:04]:
So they are something you want to take no more than once a week.
Alyssa Chavez [00:34:09]:
Yes. Thank you for speaking to that. Absolutely.
Kate Mahoney [00:34:13]:
Yeah.
Alyssa Chavez [00:34:13]:
That is not something you would want to do on the daily, like, emergency situation. I need that today.
Kate Mahoney [00:34:19]:
Absolutely. Yes. It is there for a reason. These herbs can be beneficial and supportive for situations like that. But we also need to recognize when it would be a good idea to maybe work with a functional practitioner who can help us figure out and address the root cause so that we don't have to live with being constipated for the rest of our lives. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Alyssa Chavez [00:34:49]:
That would be the ideal life, yes.
Kate Mahoney [00:34:54]:
And, you know, that's one of the things that I really appreciate about you, Alyssa, is your whole message of everything that other practitioners have tried to tell you that you're going to have to live with for the rest of your life does not have to be your life.
Alyssa Chavez [00:35:09]:
Yeah.
Kate Mahoney [00:35:11]:
So important for people to hear that.
Alyssa Chavez [00:35:13]:
Yeah, absolutely.
Kate Mahoney [00:35:14]:
And to know that. To know that it's actually true. And I am here to back Alyssa up and say it is true. It does not have to be your life.
Alyssa Chavez [00:35:23]:
Right. Absolutely. Yeah. It's that. That's where I come back to that. Bio individuality, right. It's all about figuring out. And when I.
Alyssa Chavez [00:35:31]:
When I say bio individuality, I mean, yeah. Part of that is. Is your body, like, physically, what works for you? What doesn't? But more importantly than that, it's kind of zooming out and looking at the big picture of you as a human being. Right. You as. As a person living your life. Right. And, you know, one thing that I hear a lot of is just super restrictive dieting.
Alyssa Chavez [00:35:54]:
For example, like, you're cutting out gluten and dairy and corn and soy and all nightshades and all grains, and I'm only eating these four vegetables. And, you know, it just. It start, and I'm not eating red meat, and I'm not eating, like, the list just starts to grow. And what I really encourage for people, you know, there may. For many people, and I see this often for my clients, there may be a period of time, for example, where you need to be a little more restrictive while you're healing your body and calming down that inflammation. But really, your goal in the long term is to eat as many foods as possible, assuming they are real whole foods. I'm not saying you go back to eating cheetos. Like, that's not the goal, but going back to eating as many fruits and vegetables and proteins and all those wonderful, healthy foods as you can, right? That's.
Alyssa Chavez [00:36:47]:
That's really where that bio individuality comes in.
Kate Mahoney [00:36:50]:
Oh, my gosh. Alyssa, you are so speaking my practitioner language, and I have someone who I think you would have a lot of fun talking to. Her name is Alexandra Bucco, and she's an amazing practitioner who speaks to regularly how important it is for people to be aware that therapeutic dietary protocols are therapeutic. They are not meant to be long term. They are not meant to be lifelong things. Just because something helps you now. And this goes for therapeutic dietary protocols and supplements and, oh, I've got a story to share you with you about that.
Alyssa Chavez [00:37:34]:
Okay?
Kate Mahoney [00:37:35]:
So just because something helps you now does not mean you should do it for life. Okay? So here is a fun little learning experience that Kate had supplements that changed my life, that I should not have been on long term because it was therapeutic. It was just meant to be there for a period of time during my health journey. So after I graduated from my functional nutrition program, I started exchanging services with one of my former fellow students, now colleagues. And she helped me so, so much. Her name is Sarah Giordano. She specializes in women's menstrual cycles. So, like, adjacent to you, not the same issue, but adjacent to you.
Kate Mahoney [00:38:22]:
And she also specializes in stress management, which, honestly, is really what I needed. But no one had identified that yet before her. So she started doing some work with me, and she identified a supplement that really benefited me. It changed my life. I felt better than I ever had before. I actually had sustained energy. I didn't have the blood sugar spikes and crashes that had been my reality since puberty. I was able to go for longer periods of time between eating.
Kate Mahoney [00:38:57]:
I mean, there were so many ways that this supplement helped me feel better that. You want to know what I did?
Alyssa Chavez [00:39:04]:
Oh, taking it.
Kate Mahoney [00:39:05]:
I did. I. Well, not just that, I ghosted her. I ghosted her for three months and I went and I bought the supplement again. And I was like, I'm going to take this forever. That was a really bad idea. And the reason why is because at first I was feeling better, but then the longer I took the supplement, I started to develop these very strange new symptoms because I was inadvertently creating nutritional imbalances by taking a supplement that was meant to be therapeutic and short term, for longer than I should have. My body's needs changed.
Kate Mahoney [00:39:53]:
I needed something else. And so I had to go to her with my tail between my legs and be like, I was bad. And she's like, it's okay, Kate. Let's figure out what you need now. And, you know, that was ten years ago, back when I was very new, at the beginning of this whole functional practitioner journey. And even though I'm a supplement expert, it doesn't change the fact that no matter where any of us are at in our journey, we don't know what we don't know, and we are all learning all the time.
Alyssa Chavez [00:40:32]:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'll never claim to know everything, right? I actually. My husband laughs at me because I, like, I study for a hobby. Like, it's fun for me.
Kate Mahoney [00:40:44]:
Absolutely.
Alyssa Chavez [00:40:45]:
I love just reading and consuming information and whatnot, but I just. It's one of those things. I feel like the more you learn, the more you realize that there is to learn.
Kate Mahoney [00:40:53]:
Oh, yeah.
Alyssa Chavez [00:40:54]:
Which is a beautiful thing, right? It's. We can. We can take that either way of like, oh, my gosh, I'm an idiot. I don't know anything. Or it's like, okay, well, now I just learned one more thing that can be helpful.
Kate Mahoney [00:41:05]:
That's right. Yes. You know, when I first. When I first graduated from my functional nutrition program, it was so ironic because this kind of speaks to what you were talking about. So many of my classmates, and I'm not saying this immodestly, but they'll even admit I knew more than most of my graduating class. Not all of them. There were some other people that were, like, right up there with me, but most of my graduating class, they were telling me things like, you know, you're one of the smartest people, people I've ever met. And I was like, what the f.
Kate Mahoney [00:41:41]:
Okay. Just because of my supplement knowledge, because I didn't realize what I had at the time. So what's ironic is that those people who knew less than me felt so empowered by the information that they learned from that program that they went out and they started changing the world. I was the opposite. I had gotten to the point where I finally knew enough that I realized just how much I didn't know, and I froze. I froze. I was like, oh, I don't want to hurt anybody, you know? But here's all my classmates going out with their little of knowledge, and they're changing the world. And I'm like.
Alyssa Chavez [00:42:31]:
I hear you.
Kate Mahoney [00:42:32]:
Yeah. So what I did is I actually went and I supported the next graduating class, and that's what helped me realize, kate you do know enough. It's only by really helping people and sharing the information that we have that, for me, really taught me that I know enough. So, Alyssa, I'm so grateful that even though you're one of those people who recognizes that there's always going to be more to know that you're not allowing that to scare you, and instead, you're taking the wealth of empowering knowledge and information that you have, and you're using it to help support people to. To change their lives for the better.
Alyssa Chavez [00:43:24]:
Thank you.
Kate Mahoney [00:43:25]:
It takes a lot of courage to do that sometimes. It really does. I get it.
Alyssa Chavez [00:43:30]:
Yeah, absolutely.
Kate Mahoney [00:43:32]:
We're all human.
Alyssa Chavez [00:43:37]:
All right. I love all of this. I think this is fantastic for everybody to hear. I did want to go on to. I wanted to circle back to what were you talking about with some of the yellow and red flags and things like that. But before we do that, there's one thing that I really wanted to touch base on before we move on from that bio individuality piece, just to kind of use an example there, because it's something that I hear a lot about in the world of endometriosis, in particular, because there are hormones that interplay along with many other factors in your body when it comes to endometriosis. But I think, especially in the conventional medical world, there's a huge focus on that, because that's kind of the big thing in the medical approach besides surgery being kind of the gold standard, the secondary approach, or for some doctors, the primary approach is taking birth control, taking hormone blocking medications. And so what I hear a lot from people is, okay, maybe they don't want to go that conventional route, maybe they don't feel well on birth control, or they're tired of that, or they're actually trying to conceive.
Alyssa Chavez [00:44:43]:
And so birth control isn't going to be very helpful in that process. But one thing that I see, a lot of which I think really relates back to supplements again, and bio individuality is taking natural herbs to work on balancing hormones. And I wanted to touch on that a little bit because, for one, definitely that bio individuality is a factor. For that, the quality is a factor. But also, I think it comes back to that. You know, like, why? Why is that actually happening in the first place? Kind of like we were talking about with constipation.
Kate Mahoney [00:45:20]:
Yes.
Alyssa Chavez [00:45:20]:
I was wondering if you can kind of speak to all of that a little bit. I know, again, that's a big conversation.
Kate Mahoney [00:45:28]:
It is a very big conversation. Honestly. We could do a whole podcast on that. I want to actually reflect this back to you, because I can tell that there is a very particular point or takeaway that you want to make sure that your listeners get from you bringing up this vital and important topic. So I'm going to reflect this back to you and say, Alyssa, what is the takeaway that you really want your listeners to benefit from from in bringing this up?
Alyssa Chavez [00:46:07]:
Yeah, absolutely. I'd be more than happy to. So the biggest things for me, I think, first and foremost, is one thing that I'm really passionate about as well, is that hormone balance or hormone imbalance, however you want to look at it, is not, quote unquote, a root cause in and of itself, right? At the end of the day, your hormones being out of balance, whether you have excess estrogen or estrogen dominance or low progesterone or some combination of these things happening in your body, at the end of the day, that's really a symptom of what's going on in your body, not the cause of your problems.
Kate Mahoney [00:46:48]:
Keep going.
Alyssa Chavez [00:46:49]:
So I think that's really the most important takeaway, but just to bring it back to supplements, because that's something that I hear about a lot. Um, and this.
Kate Mahoney [00:46:59]:
Can I just summarize that really quickly?
Alyssa Chavez [00:47:02]:
Sure.
Kate Mahoney [00:47:03]:
Hormone imbalance is a symptom of a root cause. Okay. So now that we've got that huge takeaway, which is so important, keep going.
Alyssa Chavez [00:47:15]:
Sure. And I'll kind of tie this back to our next topic that we're going to come into as well. I wanted to circle where this is going.
Kate Mahoney [00:47:25]:
I'm like, all right, I'm on the roller coaster. Yes.
Alyssa Chavez [00:47:29]:
I love it. You know, we were going to come back to talking about some of the yellow flags and red flags that you want to look at, and this can definitely relate to that, too, because one of the things that I see a lot of in the world of endometriosis, there are some supplements on the market that I've seen, especially recently, that are very heavily marketed to people who are struggling with endometriosis. And on paper, they sound fantastic because they have all these herbs and vitamins and minerals and different things. A lot of them are like mixed.
Kate Mahoney [00:48:01]:
Multi formulas, and people are thinking, oh, it's natural. Oh, it can't hurt me. And, oh, this marketing is sucking me in. Oh, they're not doing that. I'm sorry. That's subconscious. Okay.
Alyssa Chavez [00:48:19]:
That's what we're thinking, which is why we're having this conversation. And one of the things that I see commonly in these type of products are hormone balancing herbs. Because there are certain herbs out there, and I'm not going to go super in depth on that today because, you know, what I don't want to have happen is people hear this going to be like, oh, there's herbs that can balance my hormones. Let me go out and buy those. That's not the point.
Kate Mahoney [00:48:43]:
That can impact hormones.
Alyssa Chavez [00:48:46]:
Yeah.
Kate Mahoney [00:48:47]:
Yes, yes.
Alyssa Chavez [00:48:48]:
That's a better way to say it. Thank you. Because the wording on that is definitely very important. And I think I really come back to on that just the idea again, that that really is a band aid solution at the end of the day. And not only that, it may not even be the band aid solution that you need. Right.
Kate Mahoney [00:49:07]:
Because it's bio individual.
Alyssa Chavez [00:49:10]:
Exactly.
Kate Mahoney [00:49:10]:
And, okay, can I now add to what it is? Because. Yes, yes, and yes. And just to add to what you were saying, so much of what I know you and I see online is all these people, influencers and health practitioners and even books that are out there saying, if you have XYZ symptoms, this herb or this nutrient will help and benefit you. And I am here to tell you as a side supplement expert, no. Like big fat, no. And the reason why. And Alyssa, I know you and I have, well, there are a lot of practitioners, more, increasingly more, fortunately, who are seeing that just because, like, let's take a row of four people, they are all manifesting the exact same symptoms. They're all going to need different things.
Alyssa Chavez [00:50:15]:
Yeah.
Kate Mahoney [00:50:16]:
Every single one of them. Every single one of them is going to need their own personalized variation of a therapeutic dietary protocol and their own personalized variation of supplements that will support them at each stage of their health journey. Because they're at different places, they got there for different reasons. And just because they're manifesting the same symptoms does not mean that the same thing at the same time. Like these cookie cutter protocols. Please. If you are working with a practitioner who is giving you cookie cutter protocols, that is the biggest sign to please find another practitioner, because they're not dealing with you as an individual, as a unique individual with unique needs. Every single person with health concerns and symptoms needs to be looked at functionally and holistically as the individual that they are, by a practitioner who will actually take the time to figure out what that person's unique needs are.
Kate Mahoney [00:51:29]:
And that is the biggest reason why I'm here on your podcast right now, Lyssa, because you are one of those practitioners who is doing the work, who is being a responsible practitioner. And I want to support every practitioner like you, in every way that I can.
Alyssa Chavez [00:51:46]:
Nice. Thank you. Yeah. It's something I'm, I become very passionate about because I just see a huge need for that, for people who are going to, you know, I think more importantly than anything, just look at you as a whole person because I see that both in the conventional medical model and often in the holistic world as well, where it just becomes these symptoms equals this protocol.
Kate Mahoney [00:52:14]:
I know.
Alyssa Chavez [00:52:15]:
It's just so much more than that. Right. You're a person.
Kate Mahoney [00:52:18]:
Some of the horror stories that I hear about that people have experienced at the hands of, I hate to say it, naturopathic doctors and people who are calling themselves functional medicine practitioners because they're just using these cookie cutter protocols and these cookie cutter approaches and they're not dealing with the whole person. And I honestly, I honestly don't know how much of that has to do with their schooling, how they were taught. I really don't know. We don't know. Like, we don't know their backstory. We really don't. But, oh, it just, it, it's heart and gut wrenching to me to see what is happening to so many people who spend thousands and thousands of dollars out of pocket to work with these people who aren't even looking at them as a unique person.
Alyssa Chavez [00:53:20]:
Yeah, it's just great.
Kate Mahoney [00:53:23]:
Heavy sigh. But we did want to leave your listeners with some big takeaways on how to help themselves identify the supplement companies that are not necessarily as trustworthy. Is that right?
Alyssa Chavez [00:53:42]:
Yes, that would be. That would be fantastic. Yeah. I think that's one of the biggest big things that I'm hoping people can walk away with is like, okay, I've heard that not all supplements are created equal. I've heard that I might not need all the supplements, but I think that's one of the big things. And, of course, there's a lot more than we can talk about in this amount of time that we have today, right?
Kate Mahoney [00:54:03]:
Absolutely.
Alyssa Chavez [00:54:03]:
Like you said, I went through a 20 hours really probably more than that if you count the time outside of our actual classroom time studying all of this stuff. But I know there are some key takeaways that people can take with them just to help when you do pick up that supplement bottle to know if it's something that can be beneficial or not. So what are the kinds of things that you would recommend people looking for? What are some of those yellow flags or red flags that you would want people to know about and maybe stop and think a little bit?
Kate Mahoney [00:54:35]:
Well, how about, I've got an idea. What if we were to go back and forth based on the things that we can think of.
Alyssa Chavez [00:54:42]:
Okay.
Kate Mahoney [00:54:43]:
And we can be like, here's a takeaway and then I'll pass it back over to you. What do you think? Sure.
Alyssa Chavez [00:54:49]:
That sounds like fun.
Kate Mahoney [00:54:50]:
Okay. So one of the things that occurs to me is whenever you get to a website where the marketing on the website is like making promises, because I am telling you, those are empty promises. So some of the promises that I'm talking about are when a company is claiming best, only number one. Right. So if you see that my suggestion is please don't trust that company. Ask questions.
Alyssa Chavez [00:55:26]:
Absolutely agreed.
Kate Mahoney [00:55:29]:
What occurs to you?
Alyssa Chavez [00:55:30]:
The first thing that pops into my mind really is just especially if you're looking on a website, I think this can be a little bit harder to discern, although some of it you can still see on a supplement label as well. But just how much information is really there, like how much information are they giving you about the sourcing and things like that, depending on the type of supplement that you're taking. Is it non gmo? Is it organic? Usually if that stuff is true, they're going to want to talk about it because those are wonderful things. Or like the omegas that we were talking about, they're going to want to talk about the sourcing and, and not.
Kate Mahoney [00:56:09]:
Just talk about it, but actually have the documentation to back it up. So if I were to summarize what I hear you saying, in a nutshell, you're talking about transparency versus non transparency.
Alyssa Chavez [00:56:22]:
Yep.
Kate Mahoney [00:56:23]:
So I 100% agree. Look for the companies that are transparent.
Alyssa Chavez [00:56:30]:
Yep.
Kate Mahoney [00:56:30]:
And if a company is non transparent, like let's say they're making a bunch of claims but they're not backing up their claims with documentation that you can look at, you know, like click here to view this lab test result from a third party standardized lab showing that the claims that we're making are actually true.
Alyssa Chavez [00:56:55]:
Yep.
Kate Mahoney [00:56:58]:
Absolutely. Okay. So I've got something. Okay. Which is actually in keeping with that. So I, I love this. This is a great conversation. Okay, so the supplement facts of a supplement label, that's where they're like listing.
Kate Mahoney [00:57:13]:
You know, this is how many capsules is a dose and these are the nutrients and herbs and blah, blah, blah that is in here. And this is how much is in here. If you are looking at a website and they are not showing a crystal clear image of the supplement facts label, including the other ingredients, you know, the excipients, the other inactive ingredients that are in that product. So if you look at a product and the website does not show a clear image of the supplement fact label that you can very easily read. Run away.
Alyssa Chavez [00:57:52]:
Yes.
Kate Mahoney [00:57:53]:
That is non transparent.
Alyssa Chavez [00:57:56]:
Yes.
Kate Mahoney [00:57:58]:
Okay. Anything else for you?
Alyssa Chavez [00:58:00]:
I think just tagging onto that same idea, you know, and you touched on this earlier, but under, underneath the actual, the main supplement. Right. What's in it on the bottom where it has other ingredients? Those are those excipients that you talked about. Like, what else is the supplement made of? And first of all, is that there? Because in the United States, it's required to be there. But I know I have listeners who are outside of the United States. So I think it's important to know, too, that in certain countries, like I think it was Australia, if I remember correctly, was one of them, that they actually don't require the excipients to even be listed. So that's something to be aware of. You may not see that other ingredients portion if you're outside of the United States.
Alyssa Chavez [00:58:45]:
But look, you know, even if that is, they're looking at what are the other ingredients? Have you heard of them before? Does it sound like it's something that came from nature? Is it, is it one of those things that maybe was sourced from GMO ingredients?
Kate Mahoney [00:59:01]:
Do you recognize it?
Alyssa Chavez [00:59:03]:
Do you recognize it? Yeah, absolutely.
Kate Mahoney [00:59:08]:
That is a great one. You know, I feel like that's a really good list. So look for the websites that are making empty promises using language like best only. Number one, right? Transparency versus non transparency. So look for the companies that actually are sharing verifiable documentation to back up their quality claims, whether or not the supplement facts of the label is even legible on the website. And when it comes to the other ingredients down below, the supplement facts label the excipients the inactive ingredients. Look at them. What are they? Do you recognize them? Oh, and to add to that, how many are there? How many are there? Is a really good indicator, the quality of a supplement.
Kate Mahoney [01:00:08]:
One of the things that, and you may remember this, Alyssa, I like to call it the two step quality check. And this is one of the things that goes with that, is look at the excipients. Are there more than two? If there is more than two and you don't know how the excipients are used, why they're in there, it's probably a lower quality supplement. And you should just put it back on the shelf.
Alyssa Chavez [01:00:34]:
Yeah.
Kate Mahoney [01:00:35]:
Yep.
Alyssa Chavez [01:00:36]:
Perfect.
Kate Mahoney [01:00:37]:
All right.
Alyssa Chavez [01:00:40]:
All right, Kate. Well, I think that covers it pretty well. I mean, of course, there's always going to be more to dive into. Like, this is a huge topic supplement quality, as I am now well aware. And I'm excited for people to be able to listen to this and, you know, have a little bit better understanding, be able to be more discerning about the supplements that they're taking. I think that's something that's really important because how many people are spending, you know, a lot of money and, and just time, energy and effort on taking these supplements, trying to figure out what's best for your body. And I hope that everyone's able to have some nice takeaways from that.
Kate Mahoney [01:01:20]:
Absolute friggin lutely. My hope is that every single one of you who is listening to this, if you are someone who takes supplements, maybe go through, listen again, and just make note of the key takeaways, the little pearls of wisdom that Alyssa and I shared. Like, let's see, what are some of them? If you have fatty acids or fat soluble nutrients, chew them, because that will help to inform you about their taste, the important importance of bio individuality. So what is right for one person or some people is not going to be right for everyone. So just because you read somewhere online that your symptoms line up with what someone is recommending, that does not mean take it. And then all the fabulous little takeaways that we shared about how to identify what might not be worthwhile supplement companies, I'm sure that there were more. I just can't think of them right now.
Alyssa Chavez [01:02:27]:
I think that covers the gist of it. Yeah. And for anybody out there who, you know, is looking at your supplements and, you know, wanting, you know, maybe having some more understanding, but wanting a little help and guidance on that, of course, that's something that I am happy to help my one on one clients with. It's also something that we can definitely chat about in my up and coming membership, the endowarriors circle, that's going to be coming up in June for people to join, which you can join the waitlist in the show notes here, there's a link. But I'm also because this is something I've become really passionate about. It's something that I love, obviously, talking about and having conversations with people about. And I want to be able to help people just in the moment if you need that as well. So I'm also going to be offering kind of a one off session, which isn't something I do a whole lot of in my practice.
Alyssa Chavez [01:03:21]:
But this wouldn't be client work, really. This wouldn't be like digging into your health. But what I am able to do is if you have certain supplements that you want to take a look at and have some help discerning the label and figure out what in the world you're taking. I have an offering where I'm going to be having sessions for that, where you can sign up for a short session with me, where we can look at that together, kind of talk through it, look at that label, and that can help you both with that supplement that you're looking at, but also, as you're moving forward, to have a little bit better understanding. So I'm going to put a link to that in the show notes as well, if you're interested in that.
Kate Mahoney [01:04:01]:
Alyssa, can I just say, yeah. I am so excited to hear that you are doing that, because you are one of only a few graduates that are doing that. I'm trying to encourage more graduates to do it because the truth is, the reason why you would be such an amazing person for people from your community to go to the Endo warriors is that Endo warriors have some very specific needs which you are aware of, that you specialize in. Right? Like this is literally your area of expertise. So if you are an endowarrior and you are looking. You take supplements and you are looking for a practitioner who specializes in being an endowarrior herself and being aware of some of the unique needs that you have and special considerations. Alyssa is your practitioner that you have been looking for. So please do yourself a favor.
Kate Mahoney [01:05:04]:
What she is offering, it's going to be something that is more affordable than working with her one on one. But I've got to say that if you are an endo warrior, and she did not ask me to do this, I'm just doing this because I love her so much. I'm telling you that the best way that you can spend your money is to be part of the Endo warrior circle. Because not only will you have access to her, perhaps deciphering a supplement label during one of her. Are they. They're going to be weekly calls or bi weekly calls? Like, how often are you.
Alyssa Chavez [01:05:40]:
Yeah, we're going to be doing weekly Q and a calls. And it won't be. It won't be focused just on, you.
Kate Mahoney [01:05:49]:
Know, but that is something that can be covered. Exactly. So if you want direct access to her wealth of knowledge and information and expertise, I am just telling you that if I were an endowarrier, I would be there. I would seriously be there. Because you are amazing, Alyssa. You really are.
Alyssa Chavez [01:06:13]:
Thank you.
Kate Mahoney [01:06:13]:
And you, all of you listening, you can so benefit from having her in your corner, and it's not just going to be her. It's like she's creating a whole support system, a network, and a community of fellow people. You all understand each other, right? You are on this journey together. You don't have to be alone. I'm getting goosebumps when I say that, but it's true. That's the whole reason why Alyssa is doing this, is because she understands the power of community, and she wants to make sure that none of you are alone.
Alyssa Chavez [01:06:51]:
Yes.
Kate Mahoney [01:06:52]:
On this warrior journey anymore. Yeah. Okay. That's all I got to say.
Alyssa Chavez [01:07:00]:
I think that's a perfect note to end on. Thank you, Kate, for being here today and sharing your wealth of information. You know, whether. Whether you like to hear it or not, you definitely are one of the, you know, leading experts on supplements these days. You know, that you have. Not only do you have so much to share, but I think we can all just feel your. Your passion behind it, how much you care about this, how much it means to you to get the good word out to practitioners and people who are working on their own health, you know, anybody who is interested in knowing more about supplements. So I know, of course, keeping it.
Kate Mahoney [01:07:38]:
Real, because none of us are perfect. We are all works in progress. Right? That's really important to me, keeping it real. I'm a human just like everybody else.
Alyssa Chavez [01:07:49]:
Absolutely. Now, I know, of course, Kate, at this point, you primarily work with practitioners, right. In the supplement academy, I believe there are some practitioners who listen to this podcast as well. So just in case somebody may want to just connect with you and find out more about you and what you do, where would be the best places to find you?
Kate Mahoney [01:08:10]:
That's a good question. Okay. Well, my social media handle on all the platforms that I'm on, which I believe is TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I think that's all of them is. Kate Mahoney, NTP. That's it. That's it. Everywhere.
Kate Mahoney [01:08:31]:
So if you'd like to connect with me, please feel free. I share a lot of. Well, it's kind of a mixed bag of me sharing my quirky sense of humor. For example, my most recent post was a picture of this great little rhyme and ditty that someone came up with about sweet dreams are made of cheese, which, of course, is a play on the eurythmics sweet dream song. So I put the sweet dream song in the background and posted that picture, and that's just an idea of what I find humorous in life.
Alyssa Chavez [01:09:09]:
I love it.
Kate Mahoney [01:09:10]:
I share little things like that along with little tidbits and takeaways and pieces of information about how to make better informed supplement choices. Quick little videos that are anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes long. And if you want to learn more about the courses that I take, you can find that information at www.thesupplementacademy.com. Perfect.
Alyssa Chavez [01:09:38]:
And I will link to that in the show notes as well. So those of you who are multitasking like I always am when I listen to podcasts, you can go back and find that.
Kate Mahoney [01:09:47]:
There you go.
Alyssa Chavez [01:09:48]:
All right, well, thank you, Kate, for being here today. Thank you to all my indo warriors for listening in, and I hope you all have a wonderful day.