Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Forness
Hi Kelly, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m from the Midwest and grew up near Milwaukee, WI, but moved to San Diego originally in 2011. My passion for nutrition and fitness started early, mostly because I had a lot of gut issues as a kid and knew food had something to do with it, so when I was 10 years old, I started cooking my own meals instead of eating what my family was having. I also dealt with intense period pain from the start, and by 17, my doctor put me on birth control to manage it. I also started dieting when I was a teenager because I had body image issues.
I originally went to school for Accounting, but after graduating, I realized it wasn’t the right path for me. I went back to school and got my Associate’s in Dietetics, but didn’t love clinical nutrition because it felt too rigid and I didn’t like the quality of the food in institutions. That’s when I discovered health coaching, which allowed me to blend my nutrition background with a more holistic, personalized approach.
While I was in school and before I moved to San Diego, I started having some issues with my health. I gained 50 pounds, had no energy, my gut issues had gotten worse, and struggled with brain fog. I started looking deeper into my symptoms, got off birth control, and worked with a functional medicine practitioner. That’s when I learned I had leaky gut and multiple food intolerances. Once I changed my diet, the inflammation and the 50 pounds I had gained started falling off, my energy came back, and my gut issues improved. But my period pain and PMS had come back since going off birth control.
After years of trial and error and working with practitioners, studying hormone health, and eventually doing a gut cleanse while supporting my nervous system, I finally had my first pain free period. My body also felt more balanced and I felt like myself again. I wasn’t having the same mood swings and cravings that I had been before, so all the changes I made improved my PMS symptoms as well.
Now, I’ve built a program to help other women achieve the same transformation, so they don’t have to go through the same frustrations and pain that I did.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not! But I like to think of all the hurdles as lessons that were put in my path to learn and grow. All the health issues I had made everything challenging. One of the reasons I didn’t end up doing Accounting is because I didn’t do well in class because my brain fog was so bad, but I like to think that it just put me on the right path.
I started dieting when I was young because I had body image issues, but none of the diets worked and I actually ended up gaining weight, but I overcame that by not dieting and focusing on what I was eating and eating right for MY body. And all the hormone struggles I dealt with really forced me to do the research and figure out what I needed to do in order to resolve them. It wasn’t just about what I was eating, but I had to work hard to change my mindset, work on my nervous system, really cut down on alcohol, and I even gave up caffeine this year, but it’s all worth it. That was something I had to learn on my own and that a doctor wasn’t going to tell me.
I learned that there is no easy way of doing anything. you can’t just take a pill or supplement or do a quick fix diet and get the results you want. If you want results you need to put in the work and keep doing it. So, they felt like struggles at the time, but they really were just pushing me to do things the right way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a Holistic Nutritionist and Integrative Health Coach, specializing in Women’s Hormones. I help women fix their hormones and cycles naturally so they have less pain, better moods and relationships, and more confidence. I don’t just focus on diet and exercise and my process is very holistic so incorporates nervous system regulation, gut health, sleep, and cycle syncing in addition to nutrition. I work with my clients to target the root causes of their hormone issues and decrease the inflammation in their body that is contributing to their issues. I also focus on bioindividuality. Everyone is unique so what works for someone may not work for someone else, so we really focus on that in our work together too. It’s not always a one size fits all approach like some of the other programs that are out there.
I currently am offering:
– a 12 week 1:1 program, Cycle Harmony, that gets to the root and gets rid of their PMS symptoms, period pain, or other hormonal issues they’re struggling with, along with losing stubborn weight, and gaining energy.
– a Biohack Your Period guide that will help them learn how to sync their diet, nutrition, and lifestyle with their cycle to help alleviate those symptoms as well
Also, because environmental toxins contribute to hormone issues and a lot of the lotions and Lip balms out there contain hormone disruptors, I also make tallow lotion and lip balm and am currently working on a deodorant. They contain clean, good quality ingredients and are only scented with essential oils. For the body lotions I have Vanilla, Rose, Lavender, Rosemary Mint, and Unscented and I also have a Magnesium foot lotion that you can put on your feet before bed. to help with sleep
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I currently have some spots open for 1:1 clients to go through my 12 week Cycle Harmony program. If anyone is interested, you can reach out to me on Instagram. Or, if you are more of a DIY kind of person, I do have my Biohack Your Period guide.
I am also always looking to collaborate with others, whether it’s doing a workshop or talk together, or referrals.
And, as far as support, I would really appreciate any referrals or follows on Instagram or connections on LinkedIn, or both!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kellysnutritionandwellness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellysnutritionandwellness/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-forness-ms-dtr-nbc-hwc-b1181315/
