Andrew and two members of his family came to Well Taken Care Of® with very different health concerns—from persistent leg pain and loss of strength to ulcerative colitis, PCOS, ovarian cysts, fatigue, weight challenges, bone health concerns and chronic pain.
They had already sought care through leading medical institutions and specialists. Important conditions had been evaluated and ruled out, and they had access to excellent medical care. But they were still searching for someone who could step back, look at the whole person, connect patterns across different systems, and help them actually implement a plan.
Today, Andrew describes his leg problem as “essentially gone.” His younger family member lost approximately 30 pounds, regained her energy, successfully completed her final year of college, and continues following what she learned more than a year later. Another family member became stronger, improved her everyday function and resolved chronic shoulder pain.
Real family. Different needs. Personalized care.
Andrew’s journey began with persistent problems in his legs.
He had always been able to walk without limitation, but over time his legs became increasingly tight and painful, particularly when walking uphill. He described the sensation as trying to run through water.
His physician appropriately referred him to multiple specialists to rule out serious causes. The evaluations provided reassurance, but Andrew was still left without an explanation that resolved what he was experiencing. The symptoms continued to worsen.
Interestingly, Andrew initially contacted me about someone else in his family. As we talked about my approach, he decided to lead by example and begin working with me himself.
We looked beyond the symptom itself and incorporated movement, strength, nutrition and relevant metabolic factors into his plan. Vitamin D was one of the areas identified for attention, and Andrew also worked with his medical providers regarding his medications.
Over time, combined with progressive strength training and lifestyle changes, his function improved significantly.
“I feel much better today. The problem is essentially gone.”
But his story didn’t stop with him.
A younger member of Andrew’s family was in her early 20s and dealing with ulcerative colitis alongside other complex health concerns.
She was also finishing college, working part-time and living on campus.
By the time we began working together, simply getting through everyday life required tremendous energy. Adding another health program could easily have become one more overwhelming responsibility.
That meant the plan couldn’t just look good on paper. It had to be something she could actually implement.
We used extensive testing and a personalized approach to investigate patterns involving nutrition, food sensitivities, gut health, metabolic health and other factors rather than viewing each concern as an isolated problem.
Just as importantly, the coaching helped translate that information into daily action.
Andrew said she felt heard as a whole person and that I was willing to get into the “nitty-gritty” rather than simply looking at individual findings.
Over the course of the work and beyond, she:
The disappearance of ovarian cysts on later imaging is an important outcome in her story, but it should not be interpreted as establishing that the program caused their resolution. Her medical care continued alongside our work.
“It’s changed her life. It’s absolutely changed her life.”
This wasn’t about giving three members of one family the same diet, supplement list or exercise program. Their needs were completely different.
The common thread was looking at each person as a whole.
My role is to look for connections among symptoms, history, nutrition, metabolic health, gut health, hormones, movement, muscle, nervous-system regulation, laboratory findings and everyday life—and then help the client turn that information into something they can consistently implement.
For Andrew, that included restoring strength and addressing factors that could be contributing to his physical symptoms.
For his younger family member, it meant extensive investigation paired with 90 days of implementation support during an already demanding period of her life.
For another member of the family, the focus included strength, function, bone health and becoming a more informed advocate within her existing medical care.
The third family member came to me in her late 50s with a history that included prior spine surgery, bone-density concerns, reduced strength and chronic shoulder pain.
Our work focused on building strength and improving everyday function while helping her take a more proactive role in conversations with her healthcare providers.
Her chronic shoulder pain resolved, and everyday activities became easier—including something as simple and meaningful as being able to move heavy pots in the garden.
We also worked on helping her organize information and questions so she could better advocate for herself with her medical team.
That collaboration matters. Well Taken Care Of® is not a replacement for medical care. It can help bridge a gap that often exists between medical evaluation, lifestyle recommendations and what happens in a person’s life every day.
Andrew described one of the differences this way:
“There’s no one tying everyone together…looking at the person as a whole. And I think that’s one of the things that you do so well.”
That is at the heart of The Well Taken Care Of® Method.
When someone has multiple concerns, they can end up moving between specialists, tests and recommendations—each appropriately focused on a particular area.
My work provides another lens. I look for the grid within what can feel like metabolic chaos.
Then we work on implementation.
Because identifying a possible pattern is only the beginning. A plan has to work in the context of someone’s schedule, stress, family, work, school, preferences and capacity.
Information alone rarely creates transformation. Implementation does.
For Andrew’s younger family member, coaching was especially important.
She didn’t need someone simply telling her what she “should” do. She needed to understand why recommendations were being made and have support implementing them while finishing college and working.
We adapted the process to how she learned, what she could realistically manage, and what the testing showed.
That is the difference between handing someone a protocol and helping someone build a new way of caring for their health.
More than a year later, she was still using what she learned.
That is the outcome I want: not dependency, but understanding, implementation and the ability to keep moving forward.
Perhaps one of the strongest parts of Andrew’s story is that he didn’t only continue working with me himself. He trusted me with two of the most important people in his life.
“Bringing two additional people from my family who are some of the most important people in my world—that says something.”
After years of working together, he describes the experience as highly personalized, supportive and grounded in advocacy.
There is serious work involved, but there is also humor, flexibility and an understanding that people have to start where they actually are.
One lesson from our earliest sessions stayed with Andrew:
“Do what you have if it’s available to you.”
For someone accustomed to pushing himself, he said learning to accept where his body was in that moment was “mind-blowing.”
Three people. Three different stages of life. Three different sets of concerns.
No cookie-cutter protocol.
The common denominator was having someone look across the entire picture, identify patterns, collaborate with existing healthcare providers where appropriate, and provide the coaching needed to turn information into consistent action.
If you’re dealing with persistent symptoms, multiple overlapping health concerns, or you have plenty of information but still don’t know how the pieces fit together, you may not need another isolated recommendation.
You may need someone to help you connect the dots.
