Welcome

Why I Started Root & Radiance Collective

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After three pregnancies — including two C-sections and one VBAC — I went on Depo-Provera for a period of time. Around 2014, after stopping the injection, I began experiencing pelvic pain that slowly became part of my everyday life. When I became pregnant again in 2017, I hoped the pain would not return after delivery. But less than a year postpartum, the symptoms came back again.

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At first, I did what many women do: I went to my doctors searching for answers.

Over the next several years, I met with multiple OB providers and underwent countless ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, and evaluations trying to understand why I was in pain. Every month around ovulation, I experienced intense pressure and discomfort that felt impossible to explain unless you had lived through it yourself. It often felt like a heavy water balloon sitting in my abdomen with pressure wrapping tightly around my hips. Despite years of imaging, testing, and appointments, I never truly got an answer. No one could clearly explain what was wrong, and I often left feeling frustrated, unheard, and emotionally exhausted.

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I was repeatedly offered more birth control, but deep down, I knew I didn’t want to continue masking symptoms without understanding what was actually happening in my body.

After years of struggling physically and emotionally, I ultimately made the difficult decision to undergo a hysterectomy in September 2023 while keeping my ovaries intact. I was told that because my ovaries remained, I likely would not experience hormone-related issues.

But about a year later, I began noticing new symptoms that didn’t make sense to me.

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I started experiencing recurring vaginal irritation, yeast-like symptoms, urinary discomfort, inflammation, weight fluctuations, and a growing sense that my body was no longer functioning the way it once had. At times, I experienced confirmed UTIs, but even after antibiotics, the symptoms would return again and again. I remember thinking:
“This has never happened before. Something still feels off.” Once again, I started searching for answers.

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I met with multiple providers, completed additional lab work, and was repeatedly told that my hormones and thyroid labs looked “normal.” But despite being told everything looked fine, I still didn’t feel like myself.

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Then in March 2025, another unexpected health discovery shifted my perspective even further.

After becoming sick with a virus, routine lab work revealed elevated calcium levels. Repeat testing continued to show abnormal calcium, and additional labs later revealed significantly elevated parathyroid hormone levels. What started as a routine lab check unexpectedly led to the diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism.

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The difficult part was that multiple scans — including CT imaging, ultrasound, and nuclear imaging — failed to clearly identify the abnormal gland. That uncertainty made the decision for surgery incredibly difficult.

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At the same time, I had also been struggling with chronic neck pain and bone discomfort for years. I tried chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, and other treatments, but nothing ever provided lasting relief.

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Then I underwent a bone density scan, which revealed osteopenia.

At 37 years old, hearing that I had osteopenia was a wake-up call for me.

That moment became a turning point in how I viewed long-term health, aging, bone health, and the importance of truly listening to what the body is trying to communicate.

I realized I could no longer ignore what my body was telling me, and I knew the condition was not sustainable long term.

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In September 2025, I chose to move forward with parathyroid surgery.

About a month and a half after recovery, I noticed something remarkable:
the chronic neck and bone discomfort I had lived with for years had disappeared.

That experience changed the way I viewed health entirely. It reminded me how deeply connected the body truly is — and how easy it can be to normalize symptoms when we’ve lived with them for so long.

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Around that same time, I also began taking a deeper look at my hormone health.

In August 2025, after continuing to struggle with recurring vaginal irritation, urinary symptoms, inflammation, and feeling unlike myself, I finally began hormone replacement therapy.

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Prior to that, I had met with multiple providers and was repeatedly told my labs looked “normal.” At one point, I asked an OB provider if we could trial hormone support to see if my symptoms improved. She hesitated but eventually prescribed estrogen. About a month later, I met with a functional medicine provider who explained that even without a uterus, the body still requires balance and support. That was when I was started on progesterone in addition to estrogen.

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Even then, things didn’t improve overnight. My body had been struggling for years, and it took time for things to stabilize. Along with hormone support, I also used vaginal estrogen therapy and slowly began noticing changes over the following months. The irritation improved. The recurring symptoms became less frequent. My body finally started feeling more balanced again. That experience completely changed the way I viewed women’s health, aging, hormones, and long-term wellness. I stopped focusing on quick fixes, restriction, or extremes and instead started focusing on supporting my body properly.

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Today, I prioritize:

• strength training,

• adequate protein,

• fiber-rich nutrition,

• balanced meals,

• sleep and circadian rhythm support,

• movement,

• hormone health,

• nervous system support,

• and long-term metabolic and bone health.

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I learned that under-eating, chronic stress, poor recovery, and constantly fighting against our bodies can quietly contribute to inflammation, fatigue, hormonal imbalance, and overall poor health over time. I also learned that wellness does not require perfection. It requires awareness, education, consistency, and learning how to support your body for the long term. Through Root & Radiance Collective, my goal is to help women feel more informed, empowered, and supported through education, root-cause wellness, and sustainable lifestyle strategies that help them advocate for their long-term health. Because every woman deserves to feel heard, supported, strong, and well.