One Hack and One Doctor Appointment Led To This Newsletter

How I ended up here - Sometimes, all you need is for that first domino to fall.

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Photo of Bradyn Trollip on Unsplash

I used to roll my eyes at the whole “turn your struggles into wins” thing. I thought it was something for Hollywood movie scripts.

Then I started struggling myself.

Not dramatic movie-scene struggles. Just the quiet, everyday kind that comes with adulthood.

After a while, I got sick and tired of it.

So I started doing what I do best: looking for solutions on the internet. That led me to an abundance of Youtube videos, podcasts, and books.

And I became insatiable.

It started with Athena Calderone’s More Than One Thing podcast.
It taught me the noun “multi-hyphenate”.
It taught me I was one.
It taught me that it was a good thing.

Then, during a difficult time in my career, I discovered Brené Brown and her podcast Dare to Lead. It became my refuge.

Through Brené, I found more teachers—Adam Grant, Simon Sinek, Susan David, and so many others. They became the mentors I lacked in real life.

But little did I know that the real turning point would come through Instagram.

The Hack That Made Me Pay Attention

One day, a random post showed up on my feed. It talked about four easy hacks to stop sugar cravings.

I’d been dealing with sugar addiction and poor nutrition my whole life, consistently trying and failing to improve. I was skeptical, but half-heartedly gave one of the hacks a try.

It worked—immediately and spectacularly. That day, I didn’t have a single sugar craving.

I was officially intrigued. I followed the account and started implementing the hacks every day.

Within a week, my sugar cravings had vanished and my energy levels had doubled.

A Check-Up I’ll Never Forget

A couple of months later, I had a medical check-up. I have a chronic health condition, and I’d had to stop its treatment for three months.

I was about to find out how my body had reacted to that medication pause. I doubted things had stayed stable. I just hoped they hadn’t gotten much worse.

So, I sat in the waiting room, my heart racing and my chest tight.

After what felt like forever, my doctor called me in. She ran an ultrasound. A few seconds later, her face lit up. “Congratulations!” she said. “This is an excellent ultrasound.”

Not only had things not worsened—they’d improved. Significantly. Without medication. I couldn’t believe my ears.

Now I was sure: I was onto something.

I told my doctor about the changes in my diet. She agreed that it had likely played a big role.

That moment was a turning point in my life.
If I was able to climb the unclimbable nutrition mountain, what else could I accomplish?

Something in me had clicked; a seed was planted: I had started to believe in myself.
And for that, I’ll be eternally grateful to the work of the Glucose Goddess.

The Climb Continues

Other than a chronic disease and poor nutrition, adulthood still presented me with a few common—but oh-so-difficult—mountains to climb: harsh self-talk, excessive worrying, work issues, and many others.

So I got to work: I kept learning and got a wonderful coach. A series of aha-moments followed. And the crazy part? None of them are rocket science. But boy do they work.

They are simple truths that, once seen, can’t be ignored anymore.
Plus, they compound over time. Looking back at the last few years, my progress has truly been exponential.

As a consequence, I have now become the kind of person who can’t stop talking about personal growth. I am constantly showering my friends and family with new ideas, research findings, and book suggestions.

So much so that my cousin Sofia started calling me “ChatGPT”—and I kind of love that.

Why I’m Here

Today, I feel a strong urge to share my findings with those who, like me, are on a mission. A mission to rock adulthood and suffer less along the way.

In this newsletter, I’ll be unpacking the bite-sized ideas that led to big shifts in my life—drawn from philosophy, psychology and personal experience.

Micro tips. Big impact. And I can’t wait to share them with you.

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