Every Symptom Has a Story | Helping You Understand What Your Body Has Been Trying to Tell You

What’s actually hiding in the products you put on your skin every day?
In this episode of Every Symptom Has a Story, I’m sharing five ingredients I personally chose to ditch from my beauty and personal-care routine, why I made those changes, and what I use instead.
This isn’t about fear, perfection, or throwing everything in your bathroom away overnight. It’s about becoming more aware of what you’re using, asking better questions, and making simple swaps that feel right for you.
We’ll talk about ingredients that may show up in everyday skincare and beauty products, why I started paying closer attention to them as part of my own body-listening journey, and some of the alternatives I chose.
Every symptom has a story. Every body leaves clues. Together, we’ll understand.
Products and resources mentioned in this episode can be found in the show notes.
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"Just relax" is the most useless advice anyone can give you about stress — and today we're talking about why. Cortisol, your body's primary stress hormone, is essential in the right amounts but wreaks havoc when chronically elevated: disrupted blood sugar, poor sleep, digestive issues, and even other hormone imbalances. In this episode, I break down what cortisol actually does, what happens when it stays elevated too long, and the real, physiological strategies that help regulate it — because relaxation alone isn't enough.
In this episode:
What cortisol actually does (and why it's not the enemy)
What chronic stress does to your blood sugar, sleep, and hormones
The gut-hormone-stress connection
5 real strategies for regulating cortisol (beyond "just relax")
If you're ready to stop guessing and get real answers about your stress and hormones, book a free discovery call — link in the show notes.
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Ever feel like you're doing everything right — eating clean, exercising, getting enough sleep — and still dealing with afternoon fatigue, brain fog, or bloating you can't quite explain? In this episode, Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner and Health Coach Wendy Handy breaks down why "doing everything right" doesn't always mean feeling right — and why the symptoms you've quietly accepted as normal might actually be your body's way of communicating.
You'll learn: ✔️ Why symptoms like fatigue, bloating, and brain fog are information, not personal failure ✔️ How "normal" quietly gets redefined over time, without you ever deciding it should ✔️ A simple, no-overhaul way to start listening to your body this week
Whether you're navigating unexplained fatigue, digestive issues, or that nagging sense that something's a little off even though your labs came back "normal" — this episode will help you start asking better questions about your health.
🌿 Every symptom has a story. Get curious enough to understand yours.
Wendy Handy is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner & Health Coach helping women understand the story behind their symptoms.
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Magnesium deficiency might be the missing piece behind your fatigue, sleep, and stress — and most people don't even know they have it. In this Supplement Spotlight episode, I'm breaking down everything you need to know about magnesium: why it's one of the most common mineral deficiencies today, the signs your body might be low, and why standard bloodwork often misses it entirely.
We'll also cover the four main types of magnesium — glycinate, citrate, malate, and threonate — and which one actually fits your specific symptoms, whether that's poor sleep, anxiety, muscle cramps, low energy, or brain fog. If you've tried "a magnesium supplement" before and felt nothing, this episode explains exactly why the type matters as much as taking it at all.
In this episode:
Why magnesium deficiency is so widespread, even with a "healthy" diet
The most common signs of low magnesium (sleep issues, anxiety, muscle cramps, fatigue, headaches)
Why blood tests often fail to catch magnesium deficiency
Magnesium glycinate vs. citrate vs. malate vs. threonate — what each is actually best for
How to choose the right type of magnesium for your specific symptoms
If you're ready to stop guessing and get real answers about what's going on with your minerals and hormones, book a free discovery call —or head to wendyhandy.com
 

Ever feel like your gut's trying to communicate with you through rumbles, gurgles, and that "food baby" feeling by 3pm? In this episode, I'm breaking down why chronic bloating isn't random — it's your body's check-engine light. We'll cover the five most common root causes of bloating (from eating too fast to low stomach acid to hormonal fluctuations), plus simple, practical steps you can start today to decode what your gut is actually telling you. If you've normalized bloating as just "what happens when you eat," this episode will change how you think about your symptoms for good.
In this episode:
Why bloating is data, not just an annoyance
The 5 most common causes of chronic bloating
The truth about stomach acid (it's often too LOW, not too high)
How stress and the vagus nerve affect digestion
Simple first steps to start troubleshooting your own symptoms
 

Have you ever felt like your body has betrayed you?
If you've ever struggled with chronic symptoms, an autoimmune condition, digestive issues, or unexplained fatigue, you've probably wondered why your body seems to be working against you.
But what if that's not the whole story?
In this episode of Every Symptom Has A Story, Wendy Handy explores one of the most transformative mindset shifts in her own health journey: moving from fighting her body to working with it.
You'll discover:
✨ Why your body may be trying to protect you instead of betray you
✨ How changing your perspective can change your health journey
✨ Why curiosity often creates more progress than fear
✨ One simple practice to help you reconnect with your body
Whether you're navigating autoimmune disease, digestive challenges, hormonal changes, chronic inflammation, or simply feel disconnected from your health, this episode will encourage you to approach your body with compassion, curiosity, and hope.
Because every symptom has a story... and every story deserves to be understood.

Have you ever stopped to wonder if your symptoms are actually trying to tell you something?
Most of us have been taught to view symptoms as problems to eliminate as quickly as possible. But what if they're something more? What if they're your body's way of asking for your attention?
In this episode of Every Symptom Has A Story, Wendy Handy shares the mindset shift that transformed her own journey with ulcerative colitis and explains why learning to listen to your body can change the way you approach your health.
You'll discover:
✨ Why symptoms are often clues—not inconveniences
✨ How curiosity can replace fear
✨ Why looking for patterns matters more than chasing individual symptoms
✨ One simple exercise to begin understanding your own health story
Whether you're struggling with digestive issues, fatigue, brain fog, hormone imbalances, inflammation, or simply know something doesn't feel right, this episode will encourage you to slow down, ask better questions, and begin seeing your body in a whole new way.
Because every symptom has a story... and every story deserves to be understood.

Can a diagnosis change your life without defining who you are?
When we're diagnosed with a chronic health condition, it's easy to let that diagnosis become part of our identity. We begin making decisions through the lens of fear instead of hope, and sometimes we forget the person we were before our symptoms began.
In this episode, I share my own journey with ulcerative colitis and the mindset shift that completely changed the way I viewed my health. We'll talk about why a diagnosis is an important piece of information—but it's never the whole story.
You'll learn:
✨ Why a diagnosis doesn't define your future
✨ How curiosity can replace fear
✨ The question that changed my own healing journey
✨ A simple exercise to help you reconnect with who you are beyond your symptoms
Whether you're navigating autoimmune disease, digestive issues, hormone imbalances, fatigue, or another chronic condition, I hope this episode reminds you that your story is still being written.
Because every symptom has a story... and every story deserves to be understood.

What if your symptoms aren't the problem...
What if they're the message?
For years, I believed my ulcerative colitis diagnosis meant my body had failed me. Like so many others, I was told what I had—but not why my body had reached that point.
Everything changed when I stopped asking, "What's wrong with me?" and started asking, "What is my body trying to tell me?"
That single question transformed not only my own health journey, but the way I help others today.
In this very first episode of Every Symptom Has a Story, I share the philosophy that has become the foundation of my work and why I believe your diagnosis does not have to define your future.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• Why I refuse to believe your body is broken
• How symptoms can become valuable clues instead of something to fear
• The life-changing lesson ulcerative colitis taught me
• Why understanding your body is more powerful than simply chasing symptoms
• The one question I hope you'll begin asking every time your body gives you a clue
Whether you're dealing with digestive issues, fatigue, inflammation, hormone imbalances, brain fog, autoimmune challenges, or simply searching for answers, this podcast is designed to help you become a more confident advocate for your own health.
Detective Note
This week, instead of asking...
"How do I make this symptom go away?"
Try asking...
"What might my body be trying to tell me?"
You don't have to know the answer today.
Just begin asking the question.
Because every symptom has a story.
Every body leaves clues.
And together...
We'll understand.
Wendy 💖 
 
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Wendy Handy announces her podcast's refreshed name and purpose: to treat symptoms as communication from the body rather than problems to be silenced. Each episode will explore how gut health, hormones, metabolism, inflammation, blood sugar, stress, sleep, brain health, and aging connect to the signals your body gives.She invites listeners to become confident advocates by learning to read those clues, offering practical insight and hope for anyone confused by conflicting advice or facing a diagnosis. Subscribe and join weekly conversations that help you understand what your body has been trying to tell you.