Symptoms Are Signals: My Journey from Breakdown to Breakthrough
Hitting Rock Bottom in the Hospital
I never planned to come home from work, walk into the shower fully clothed, and collapse on the floor in tears. But in 2020, as a brand-new nurse on a high-acuity COVID floor, that’s exactly where I found myself.
Every shift began with anxiety gripping my chest. I’d suit up—gown, gloves, PAPR hood humming—and walk into rooms with lives in my hands, not fully knowing what I was doing.
Behind the gown, I was unraveling. The chaos, the bullying among staff on one of the floors, the constant death, the pressure to get everything right—it was too much.
I couldn’t eat, drink, or even find time for the bathroom. At the end of my shift, I’d collapse at home, disconnected and numb.
I began to wonder if I’d made the biggest mistake of my life becoming a nurse.
When My Body Said “Enough”
Then the migraines began.
If you’ve ever had one, you know the unrelenting hammering inside your skull. Some months, I had 25 migraines.
Night shifts only made it worse—I couldn’t sleep, I hallucinated, I shook, and I drove to work feeling drunk with exhaustion.
Still, I kept pushing.
Because that’s what we do. We tell ourselves it’s just stress. That we need to try harder. Until one day, the body says: enough.
Doctors gave me medication after medication, but nothing worked. I felt anxious, exhausted, ashamed—and hopeless.
Then one afternoon, standing outside a chiropractor’s office after yet another appointment, something inside me snapped. My neurologist called with another prescription, and I said: “You know what, nothing’s working. I think I’m going to try celery juice instead.”
That moment cracked something open. I remembered my yoga days in Bali, learning about juicing and holistic health. And then, as if by grace, I saw a Facebook ad about functional nutrition. It promised to get to the root of chronic symptoms. And deep inside, I knew this was it.
Learning to Listen
I invested in a program with the Functional Nutrition Alliance under Andrea Nakayama, and everything I learned was different from what I’d been taught in nursing school. Within a year of implementing what I learned, my migraines decreased.
They didn’t disappear completely—if I ignore my body, they return.
But I finally understood: Your symptoms are not failures. They’re signals. Anxiety, fatigue, migraines, bloating, autoimmune conditions, depression—these are all the body waving a flag.
Most of us are trained to ignore it, suppress it, and keep going. Especially women. But the truth is: healing doesn’t come from ignoring or numbing symptoms. Healing comes from asking: Why is this happening? What is my body trying to tell me?
From Patient to Practitioner
This realization changed my life’s work. I trained as a Functional Nutrition Counselor, became a life coach under Tony Robbins, and studied Internal Family Systems with Dr. Frank Anderson.
Because healing isn’t just about food or supplements—it’s about understanding your whole story, your patterns, and your emotional blocks.
It’s not about bio hacks or quick fixes. It’s about coming home to yourself.
Today, I help women—especially in midlife—untangle what’s going on physically, emotionally, and energetically so they can make sustainable shifts and finally feel like themselves again.
Finding the “Domino”
In my own story, I can trace the cascade of symptoms back to two things: the stress of the COVID unit and the stage of life I was in—my late 30s, with hormones shifting dramatically.
That was the flick of the domino that set everything in motion. For you, it may be something else. But there is always a starting point. And when we trace it back, we can begin to make gentle, intentional changes that restore balance.
This work has become my passion.
Honestly, it makes me cry with gratitude that I get to help women who’ve seen 10, 15—even 17 practitioners without finding relief.
Because it shouldn’t be this hard to feel good in your body.
You Are Not Broken
If you’re exhausted, bloated, moody, anxious—or if you just don’t feel like yourself—you are not broken.
Your symptoms are signals.
Your body is talking to you.
And it already knows what it needs. That’s why I created a free guide called “Exhausted, Bloated, On Edge? This Might Be Why.”
It’s not another protocol or set of rigid rules. It’s a starting point to help you understand what your body is trying to tell you.
Living Inspired
Before I close, I want to share what “Living Inspired” really means.
The word “inspired” means to be breathed into.
Each of us has been breathed into—created on purpose, for a purpose. It’s not an accident you’re here. You matter. You were born for more. There is life on the other side of your fear and your symptoms. And that life is waiting for you.
Living inspired means remembering the miracle that is you—and choosing to live into it.
If you’ve been feeling anxious, moody, fatigued, or like your digestion is off, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
I’d love to invite you to a free Clarity and Relief Session.
In this one-on-one call, we’ll explore what’s really going on, and you’ll walk away with insights and next steps to support your hormones, your nervous system, and your whole self.
👉 Book your free session here.
You only get one life.
Let’s make it one where you feel vibrant, clear, and alive.
With so much love and gratitude,
Rachel
About Rachel Carta, RN
As a Functional Nutrition Counselor & Life Coach, I help women who are tired of feeling off, have low energy, digestive issues, brain fog, and/or mood swings. You can wake up with energy. You can feel good again in your body. You can reconnect to the vibrant, grounded you. You don't have to do this alone.
