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And Here's My Story

My health problems began in the summer of 2005 when I was just shy of 32 years old. I had been living in Brussels for several years and was managing a department of around 30 people at a market research agency. My health issues ranged from spontaneous allergic reactions and chronic urinary tract infections to fatigue, brain fog, migraines, and muscle pain. I consulted many specialists, and most attributed my health problems to the stress of my job. Yet, I loved my job!

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In the fall of 2007, I started working for the European Institutions, and, much to my own surprise, I was deemed fit for service. I passed the medical exams with flying colors, except for a tiny issue with my thyroid. Later that month, I saw an endocrinologist who reassured me that I had no thyroid problems.

 

About a month later, I started having trouble walking and decided to consult a doctor specializing in ME/CFS and fibromyalgia. The doctor had a rather controversial approach, but I was desperate. At that time, I had already compiled a detailed health file: tables and charts of my symptoms, their severity, and copies of all the medical tests I had undergone. The doctor studied my file and compared my health to a bucket slowly filling with water; the discomforts (dis-eases) emerge once the bucket starts to overflow. He prescribed several food supplements and referred me to a nutritionist. After just a few weeks on the diet, I had lost a third of the weight I had gained due to my health problems and felt better than I ever had before.

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I wanted to understand how a diet could change my life so dramatically. How was it possible that what I ate had such an impact on how I felt, and why hadn’t Western medicine been able to help me heal?

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In 2013, I began my coaching journey with a life coaching certification from CVA in Antwerp, Belgium. In 2016, I discovered the film Forks Over Knives, which inspired me to study Whole-Foods, Plant-Based nutrition (WFPB) at the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. I continued my studies at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), graduating in 2018 as an integrative health coach.

 

In 2018, I finally discovered that I had Hashimoto's disease. That tiny issue with my thyroid had, in fact, been the culprit all along.

 

During the COVID-19 health crisis, I realized that the cause of my autoimmune disease could be linked to the narcissistic abuse I had experienced in my childhood. This insight led me to delve deeper into the effects of narcissistic abuse.

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Where Am I Now?

Most of the time, Hashimoto's doesn’t have a major impact on my life—but every now and then, it resurfaces. When it does, I need to reassess my diet and lifestyle choices. Right now, at 51 and navigating menopause, I’m in one of those phases. Bringing Hashimoto’s back into balance takes time, often involving some trial and error to figure out what still works for me and what no longer does.

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I continue to read, study, and learn from the experiences my clients generously share with me. The power of sharing our journeys makes us stronger, and it constantly inspires me to work with people from all walks of life. At the moment, I'm also diving deeper into the topic of self-care after toxic relationships.

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