Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Blackburn-Dreyer.
Hi Amy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have always been a very active, health-conscious individual. With that being said, I always dealt with stomach issues and anxiety going as far back as my teens. I was actually tested for an ulcer and placed on migraine medication by the age of 15. But life went on and all eventually balanced out again until I was 36 years old. I was coaching elite gymnasts at a very reputable program in the Chicago suburbs. I was always on the go and very busy with our training and traveling schedule. Yet, I always made time for a very regimented workout routine. Years later with much more wisdom and experience, this alone was an issue.
Finally, after months of extreme exhaustion, hair loss, and sudden panic attacks, I went to the doctor with the hope of finding a solution. Instead, I was given 15 minutes of his time and basically noted as a type-A, underweight, anxiety-ridden woman who was just getting older. He placed a prescription in my hand and said, “This will help take the edge off.” I remember that clearly. I got the prescription filled because I was rather desperate. But when I arrived home that afternoon, I researched, and there was NO WAY I was taking that prescription! The side effects were far worse than the anxiety. That was literally the day I began taking my health into my own hands!
Through my research, I discovered it was iron-deficiency anemia causing my anxiety and hair loss problems. Once I began supplementing and increasing my intake of iron-rich foods, I alleviated many of my symptoms and felt like an entirely different person. This then motivated me to enroll in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a certified health coach. This was all back in 2012 when health coaching was not as talked about. I wanted to help other woman silently struggling with the same exact issues regain their hope, their health, and their zest for life!
I continued my studies and doing health coaching on the side as I coached gymnastics full-time. In 2021, I came across this program called Gut Thrive in 5 run by The Whole Journey. I had already participated in two of her online group programs and loved them. This time she was opening up the opportunity to certified health and wellness practitioners, doctors, nurses, etc. to learn this amazing gut healing protocol she had been getting amazing results with her own clients. I had to sit on this because it was quite a bit of money. As I thought about it more and more, my gut (no pun intended) told me this could be my answer to more than just my own on and off again anxiety and hair loss dilemma. I enrolled in the Gut Thrive in 5 Practitioner Program, and the rest is history!
I had to be my very first case study and let me just tell you, this program changed my own health once and for all. I had no clue it was a leaky gut I was experiencing for decades! Yes, decades! It was a leaky gut that left me with malabsorption issues, nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, hair loss, and, worst of all, raging anxiety! For years I just kept telling those around me, “I just want to feel normal.” Finally, that is how I felt once I healed my gut. I was finally anxiety-free and free to go after my dream of building my own business as a virtual health coach.
So, here I am! I walked away from a 25+ career with a stable income to go after this dream of helping other women get their health and sanity back!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Becoming your own boss is quite a rollercoaster ride! Some days you feel on top of the world and other days you feel like a complete failure, and you don’t even recognize your own self. I had worked very hard in my previous career and had built a solid reputation. So, starting at ground zero was quite humbling to say the least. Liberating in some ways but ego-testing in even more ways. I had to learn to be okay with not having a clear path in front of me and okay with asking for employment at low-paying jobs for the first time since my early 20s. That was very hard for me at first. One year into this new way of life, my biggest challenge is working alone. I didn’t realize how much I feed off of the energy of environments, co-workers, etc. Isolation has been difficult in moments, but I know as my business progresses, that may change a bit.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a certified gut, adrenal, and thyroid health coach. Basically, that means I help women heal their gut as the first step toward healing their nervous and immune systems. So many women are experiencing major symptoms of a burned-out central nervous system, which is having a major impact on the energy, focus, and mood! The gut is where so much of this begins. So, if we can address an unhealthy gut, we can begin building the body back up and restoring the body back to life!
What sets me apart is my attention to detail combined with my ability to connect and help people feel safe in my presence. Talking about topics such as constipation and gas can leave a person feeling vulnerable. I have found clients begin to trust and open up to me fairly quickly. I also think the fact that I limit the number of clients I work with at one time allows my clients to feel heard and taken care of throughout the course of the program. This is very important to me, considering I was just a number on that doctor’s schedule back in 2011.
Now with this being said, I expect my clients to show up and give it everything they have along with me. We are in it together. This is a little of my gymnastics coaching background thrown in. I was always known as very fair but required one to show up. Honestly, I have been blessed with super compliant and excited clients so far. They have shown such commitment to their healing journey.
How do you define success?
Success for me is when I am doing work that I feel is meaningful and impactful while making a living doing it. I love having a career and not just a job, meaning I see the potential for growth and constant evolution as I look ahead 5, 10, 30 years! That motivates and inspires me to continue to learn and reach my fullest potential.
Pricing:
- Free 20-Minute Discovery Call
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amyblackburn.net
- Instagram: @amy_blackburn_wellness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.blackburn.3382/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilames51/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdlHtpD6ubSS9yNwXMymUXw
Image Credits
Sarah Brooks @sarahbrookscreative
