Episode Transcript
[00:00:06] Welcome to the Women who Work from Home podcast, where we celebrate the power of building a career without sacrificing the life you love.
[00:00:14] I'm your host, Michelle Rivera, and this is a space for women who believe success doesn't have to mean choosing between work and home.
[00:00:22] Every week, we bring you conversations with women who are redefining what it means to have it all. Running businesses from their kitchen tables, leading teams from their home offices, and finding creative ways to blend ambition with authenticity.
[00:00:36] If you've ever dreamed of building a career that works around your life and not the other way around, you are in the right place. Let's explore how to create success on your own terms, right from the comfort of your home.
[00:00:50] Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the show.
[00:00:54] Today's episode is going to be a bit different.
[00:00:58] It is just you and me having a heart to heart about something very personal that I have been going through. And I'm going to share my recent health journey, including my PCOS diagnosis and perimenopause experience and thyroid issues. And more importantly, we will talk about how I'm managing these challenges while juggling, podcasting, homeschooling, running a household. Just life, right?
[00:01:35] So let me start by sharing what led me to seek answers.
[00:01:44] You know those moments when you just know something isn't right with your body?
[00:01:49] That is basically where I found myself.
[00:01:54] So the first signs and symptoms that I noticed was just basic lethargy. Lethargy, lethargy.
[00:02:06] Just kind of having no energy.
[00:02:09] And this is something I've struggled with postpartum pretty much. Yeah. The last 12 years, just postpartum.
[00:02:20] So it wasn't a huge shock. But, I mean, it was basically to the point where it was like, it does not matter how much coffee I drink. It does not seem to be making much of a difference that I go to the gym for 30 minutes. Like, that usually gives me a ton of energy for the day.
[00:02:38] And I certainly did not feel depressed or kind of like the other things in my life, like, that might have caused kind of my energy levels to be this low.
[00:02:52] I also noticed that my cycles were getting weird again.
[00:02:59] So they really normalized back in, like, 2018, and they've been really regular for a long time, which is rare. Like, my whole life, they've been really irregular, but in 2018, they started to normalize, and I've pretty much had normal cycles since then. And just in the last, gosh, six months, since about summer, my cycles have just gotten really irregular again. And so those are the symptoms. Oh, and also, if I ever really tried, like, weight loss has never really been that difficult for me. Um, I just kind of have to make a little bit of an effort to like, you know, really prioritize protein and walk a lot. And like, weight loss has been really easy. Um, the things that usually do that were not working.
[00:03:53] In fact, this scale kind of went up, um, which would have made a lot of sense if I was doing more strength training, but I wasn't.
[00:04:02] So the process of getting diagnosed with PCOS has been long and tedious and frustrating. The first time I was diagnosed with pcos, they actually didn't have a name for it. This was back in 2003 when I was about 17. There was really no name for it back then.
[00:04:23] So they basically just said like, you have cystic ovaries and you're probably not, you know, you're probably going to have a really hard time having children. Um, and then I kind of just eventually they gave a name to this, but I wanted to actually find out. I had massive problems with breastfeeding after I had my daughter. And so we were kind of fearful that one of those reasons was because of pcos, because I had so many other symptoms. But apparently that is like a huge one. So I went to the doctor and had the exam done, the blood drawn done, the ultrasound done, and they, you know, basically just found a lot of cysts on my ovaries. Which is one of the things, funny enough, you actually don't need to have that in order to get a PCOS diagnosis. Um, so I basically went through that again recently, this summer, because I kind of went into my doctor being like, I just want to kind of test everything and see where I'm at and also see like, do I actually have pcos because it is a polycystic ovarian syndrome.
[00:05:46] Right? So a syndrome is kind of difficult to diagnose.
[00:05:51] So I kind of just wanted to check for all of it.
[00:05:55] So I won't go into like the full details of the exact labs. But she also was like, what are the chances you're experiencing perimenopause? And that has a lot to do with your cycle changes. So she did all the labs for those and I tested in the lower but perimenopausal range, which is a little crazy cuz I'm about to turn 40, so it's a little early. But my mom also went through hers a little early, so I wasn't super shocked. Um, my thyroid thing has always kind of been a thing. Like anytime I've ever gotten my thyroid levels checked. Um, once they, they started checking for the T. SH levels, there's like a few. I think there's like three of them.
[00:06:48] But once they started checking for those, my thyroid levels have always been really low. So that did not surprise me. But now it's kind of combined with a few other things.
[00:07:00] And it was kind of an emotional roller coaster for these multiple hypnoses.
[00:07:09] But I was also like. And I think some people feel this way when they get their lab results back. Like, I was also like, yay, I knew it. I'm not crazy.
[00:07:19] My body is acting super weird right now. And this would be why.
[00:07:26] So as far as the impact on my daily life goes, like, I kind of talked about my energy levels specifically in the morning and around 2pm during the day. So this is not that rare. Um, I've kind of always been like this.
[00:07:47] I really, I have to prioritize my blood sugar levels. So protein is a big thing. And you guys, I have to eat like a hundred to 150 grams of protein a day.
[00:08:02] That is a ton of protein. It does not always happen, but when it doesn't, my energy and my desire for carbohydrates and sugar is pretty intense.
[00:08:18] Those are kind of gonna boost my energy levels to where I need them to be, like, really fast. Like, it's gonna give me like a really fast hit. But it's a lot better for me to, to have the protein.
[00:08:31] And like I said, sometimes that happens and sometimes it doesn't. Just kind of depending on life.
[00:08:37] I've also really had to balance my supplements. There are supplements that I have been on that made things better, some that I've been on that have made things worse, and some that have been on that did absolutely nothing. And so I've gotten kind of clear on what packs the biggest punch.
[00:09:00] I have a few more that I added in after these diagnosis.
[00:09:08] So it was really kind of just getting clear on like, what supplements I need to take and at what time during the day. I am not currently taking medication for any of these things.
[00:09:19] My mom has been, I think my mom, my sister and my aunt have been on Synthroid for, gosh, a really, really, really long time. Um, but my doctor did tell me she was, you know, she's very holistic. And she did tell me, like, if you go on Synthroid, it is going to basically replace those thyroid hormones, but your body will probably stop making them completely. And so you'll have to be on this.
[00:09:49] You'll always have to be on this medication.
[00:09:52] If that comes one day, I will do it. I'm really hoping to avoid that.
[00:10:01] But if, you know, if we get there, we get there.
[00:10:04] I gave it my all.
[00:10:07] I found some supplements that I think are actually more effective than Synthroid. One of the reasons I don't want to get started is because I've seen with my mom and my sister that they started with very low doses, and eventually it had to get really high because it wasn't working the way that it was in the beginning. Does that make sense? So, yeah, but. So as of now, I'm not taking any medication. Not that I'm against medication, but it's just. It doesn't always work. You know, in fact, sometimes it can make things worse.
[00:10:44] So my symptoms really affect my homeschool schedule with my kids because it just does require a lot of brain power, and I use, like, AI, you know, planning.
[00:10:55] I outsource a lot to a lot of different things.
[00:10:59] Like, I work pretty smart with my day, and I use it for my homeschool schedule as well as my, you know, podcasting schedule.
[00:11:08] But, you know, I have to physically be available to take them places. I have to physically have enough energy to get ready to shower and blow dry my hair and all that stuff.
[00:11:21] So really, it's just, man, when your energy levels are low and you have to be at co op or you, you know, have to be at a troop meeting, it can just be a lot.
[00:11:32] And it seems like, you know, it's just kind of everyday life. But it's really easy to start taking that stuff for granted if you have, you know, energy and thyroid issues.
[00:11:45] One of the biggest things, too, that people don't talk about with pcos, like, one of the symptoms. And I already have, like, an ADHD diagnosis, but, like, with my thyroid stuff and then the PCOS stuff, maintaining focus has gotten to be a whole new level of challenge.
[00:12:10] Thank goodness for the systems that I've learned how to put in place.
[00:12:14] But, oh, my goodness, like, there are some days when it is just. It just feels impossible to, like, pull everything off.
[00:12:26] So. And it's the same thing with, like, managing household responsibilities and stuff. So, you know, if, you know, women who have this, give them some grace, they are trying. In fact, my doctor said a lot of the times the women she meets who have, you know, these thyroid issues and polycystic ovarian syndrome are some of the most energetic, driven people who are trying, you know, so hard to kind of like, keep everything together for everyone.
[00:12:55] So, yeah, like, some grace for us.
[00:13:01] So here's. Here's the truth Bomb. And I'm going to just be the first to admit this about myself. And this is part of why I have this podcast and part of why I'm talking to these women and kind of trying to uncover solutions, like, not just for other people, but also for myself. You know, I love to hear people's stories and strategies.
[00:13:23] So I had to learn the hard way that my health is not really negotiable. And I think this ties in really well with women working from home. Because sometimes working from home can be really detrimental to mental and physical health, but sometimes it's the thing that saves you, you know what I mean?
[00:13:46] And I know a lot of women who know that they would do very well working from home. But, you know, for some reason, either they're in retail or they have a certain service or something like that, or, you know, they're in a corporate environment where they're not allowed to work from home.
[00:14:04] You know, they just, gosh, I would say that they really kind of sacrifice their health for something that is not really working well for them until it, like, you know, catches up with you. Right.
[00:14:22] So I had to learn the hard way that health really, my health really isn't a negotiable.
[00:14:30] And the moment that I realized that something had to change was not necessarily getting the diagnoses or seeing the lab results like I had. It had been really kind of ramping up for a really long time. And I'm going to be honest, like, it's not just business, it's also commitments.
[00:14:51] I'm just one of those weirdos who always ends up in a leadership position. I love to lead, I love people, and I love sort of seeing projects and incredible things come together.
[00:15:05] And so I end up in leadership positions and probably, okay, not probably taking on more than I know I should or can.
[00:15:17] I am so similar to lots of mothers who spent a lot of time and still struggle with putting myself last.
[00:15:30] As we all know, unfortunately, this does not end up really serving anyone. Like it might serve in the short term, but in the long term it never ends up being worth it. And it's really, you know, the ripple effect of poor health on our families. Right. So I, like everybody else, am still learning.
[00:15:54] Like, you can understand something on an intellectual level, but to put it into practice in your life, understanding the self care isn't selfish.
[00:16:03] It's so weird because I feel like our generation talks about that all the time, but like, really, really understanding and applying to our lives that self care is not selfish. And also, you know, we are starting to see the cost of ignoring our body's signals. Like, I would not be surprised if that was linked to autoimmune issues, you know, And I. Apparently PCOS is an autoimmune issue. That's something I'm also looking into.
[00:16:37] So I'm going to talk now about my sort of current management strategy. Since I started struggling with these symptoms and now kind of having a diagnosis, something needs to be adjusted in these situations. And this is even if you are on medication, okay? Because a lot of the times people go on medication hoping that nothing is going to have to change in their life. Like, there doesn't need to be any lifestyle changes. I have not actually seen that benefit anyone yet.
[00:17:07] So the first thing for me was the morning routine adjustments. Now I am. I have set my life up in a way where the morning routine is not as heavily prioritized as many people's lives.
[00:17:26] My family and I work. We wake up really slow, except for my husband, who's, like, out of bed at 6am but my family, me and my kids, we wake up really slow. We eat breakfast really slow. We take our time in the morning. And by take our time, I mean generally we're like, ready to work by like, 11, like 10 at the earliest.
[00:17:51] I am constantly saying, like, thank God we homeschool, because this is just how our schedules are. Like, we usually wake up at around 8 or 9 and are ready to start working at, like, 10. Like, we take a long, long time. And I'm not. I'm not saying this is for everybody. I'm just saying, like, this is what we've found to work for our family. That said, we're also kind of night owls, so don't count me too lucky.
[00:18:17] Like, my kids go to bed kind of late.
[00:18:21] So with that morning routine adjustment, it's just really, like, getting clear on, like, you need to have, like, these slow mornings. And breakfast needs to be prioritized.
[00:18:31] So breakfast within, like, the first five minutes. And that's kind of like a pro metabolic concept.
[00:18:36] Meal planning and preparation is a big deal. My meal planning actually has a lot more to do with what I purchase than anything else because we generally want different foods at different times of the week. So I used to have, like, Mondays we ate this, Tuesdays, we ate this. Wednesdays we ate this. Nobody wanted to eat that during those days. So instead what I do is I buy ingredients that I know are going to get eaten. We are a huge fan of the rotisserie chicken. My husband. I'm not even joking. You Just went to Sam's club and bought four of them.
[00:19:11] He's gonna take all the chicken off, he's going to freeze a lot of that and then we're gonna have a lot of it for the week. My family eats chicken. We eat grass fed ground beef.
[00:19:22] We like organic meat as much as possible.
[00:19:26] So it's kind of like having those ingredients all the time. You know, the big things are like wheat tortillas, avocados, chicken, but basically just like getting foods that I know are going to be nourishing, that are high in fiber and protein. And yes, I do get protein shakes. I have to eat a hundred to 150 grams of protein a day. So you can only imagine, like, if I don't have a protein shake, how hard that is to get all that food in. It's a lot of food, it really is. But it's like the way I kind of like keep, you know, the cravings at bay and my blood sugar regulated.
[00:20:05] Also scheduling rest periods.
[00:20:09] This sucks. Like, this sucks for me. I am like a super energetic, want to take it all on kind of person.
[00:20:16] I get bored really easily. I cannot sit in movie theaters and watch movies unless I'm super into it, which is very rare. My husband is like, dude, what the heck? Why are you getting up? And I'm like, just have to walk around.
[00:20:32] I just don't do great with rest. Generally when I have time to rest, what I want to do is research.
[00:20:39] I read a lot, I work a lot, I talk to a lot of people. I research all the things.
[00:20:48] Rest periods are hard for me. I'm not gonna lie.
[00:20:53] Yeah, we're in the middle of, like scheduling a sort of like anniversary thing for my husband and I to just go do while my mom stays here with the kiddos.
[00:21:06] And we're not bringing our laptops and we're not going to be working and I'm not even going to be researching anything. And I'm not going to lie. Like, this sounds really.
[00:21:15] This sounds really hard.
[00:21:18] Another thing is delegating household tasks. This is also a really big deal, but really important.
[00:21:26] Does my husband fill the dishwasher the way I want him to? No. The answer is no. The answer is never. He never ever does, however, do my dishes end up clean?
[00:21:39] Mostly, yes. So I have to be okay with that. If I ask him to help me with the dishwasher and he does, I gotta let it go. If I, you know, my kids, I give them chores. If I ask them to vacuum, I'm gonna let that go. I'm not gonna go back through there that day. Delegating household tasks has been a really big deal. And let's face it, if you are not delegating some household tasks scheduling to AI yet, you are super missing out. Okay. The setting boundaries part. Woo.
[00:22:13] A lot of my healing journey, when things started to really kind of regulate around 2018, before I had my son, I. I'm gonna be this person. I had to cut out a lot of people from my life and I had to minimize exposure to others.
[00:22:34] I had to get really, really, really purposeful with my time, and I had to get really honest about who was draining me, whether their intentions were good or not.
[00:22:51] So, yeah, I know that that had a huge impact on my health when everything was starting to regulate again. And so I'm actually in the process of doing that again right now.
[00:23:07] Yeah, I'm not sure what else to say about that.
[00:23:11] Saying no also means, like, next year, some of the things that I'm signed up for and helping with in my kids with their homeschool stuff or with our life stuff is going to be a pass.
[00:23:26] I never thought of myself as somebody with fomo. I think I might have it more than I think, especially when it comes to my kids. Like, I think it's really easy as a homeschool mom to be like, I don't want my kids to miss out on that. Like, what kind of parent would I be if I let my kids miss out on that? The problem is, is that, I mean, it is so many hours of carpooling, volunteering, not to mention, like, the money you spend on stuff. Look, I'm not saying don't do anything. I had to be really smart about this. I'm super introverted. My kids, if it was up to me, you know, we live kind of in the middle of nowhere, I would just stay here for like two weeks and not see it.
[00:24:07] I did not do that to my children. They do need people. They do, you know, need to be around other kids and other adults. And so, you know, I make time for that. But, man, did I overdo it this year. I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna lie. Like, I'm not even surprised that these diagnosis are coming when they are. Like, sometimes I just look at my life and I'm like, why? Why? Why did you do that to yourself?
[00:24:34] And like I said too, like, using AI and using tools, using apps to stay organized and to, you know, like, schedule things for me or, you know, delegate tasks for me has been really cool and really important.
[00:24:47] I've also really modified my homeschool approach. So if you are a mom, a homeschool mom, and you are listening, you are going to know what I'm talking about. And if you're not a homeschool mom, you're probably still going to know what I'm talking about because it's really not that complicated. But excuse me, when I first started homeschooling, it was like 2020 and it was so funny because we were going to homeschool anyway and then everybody got sent home because of the pandemic. And so when I started homeschooling, gosh, so that was like five years ago. So I started and I really tried to bring school home. I was trying to do everything that like teachers were in the classroom.
[00:25:30] And I was also buying all the things and doing all the curriculum.
[00:25:34] So this is my son's first year of kindergarten. He had like pre K last year.
[00:25:41] Technically, like that's the place that he's in. And so I've modified my homeschool approach in this way where like, if we're in a workbook and we're working on something and my kids get that concept, and I know they get that concept, we're moving on. Like, I'm not, I'm not going to try to reinforce things that they already understand. And it's really kind of changing things for us.
[00:26:05] We're getting through books like a lot faster. We're getting through curriculum a lot faster.
[00:26:11] I'm not saying this is for everybody. I'm just saying, like, for example, like my daughter hit a certain age and she was reading a lot better. And so there wasn't a lot of point on like staying in places where she wasn't benefiting anymore. Even though the curriculum was like, go over this again and go over this again and go over this again. It's like at a certain point she's like, mom, I get it. And I really remember that when I was in school too, like, we spent a lot longer on things than I really needed to. Like, once I got it, I got it. And then we have other things where we need to spend a little bit longer on them.
[00:26:46] But I'm just not playing by the rules anymore with like, this is the amount of time that you spend on this. It's like, if she gets it, we're moving on.
[00:26:56] And that's really helped my homeschool approach because before it felt like we were just kind of dragging ourselves through things. And that actually has really helped with my kids attitude. And if they're in a better mood and they're enjoying it more then I'm enjoying it more. So next year we're going to be dropping a lot more stuff with homeschool.
[00:27:20] Our schedule is going to be a little bit more streamlined and really more focused on, like, if we are going somewhere, it's going to be for, like, that socialization aspect.
[00:27:31] So as far as podcast scheduling goes, it's not too bad. You know, the podcast is like, really starting to go. I started in November and did my first interview that I still have not gotten out.
[00:27:49] So with adaptations, like, I want to have like a day where I release podcasts, but for right now, I'm just interviewing who I can and getting those out in a functional way.
[00:28:02] But the big news on that actually is that I'm not doing social media management anymore. I was on the fence about offering kind of like, coaching services for people who needed a little bit more clarity in what it is that they're offering in their businesses and how to balance that, you know, sort of like personal and work life, you know, especially with moms. I was going to offer some coaching on that and I just decided not to. I just, you know, like, if I had to choose between the two, podcasting is so rewarding.
[00:28:37] It's such a fantastic chance to really, like, get to know people and get. Get people's. Get women's stories out there. And I just. My soul kind of sings for it a lot more than it does the coaching.
[00:28:52] And strangely enough, it takes a lot less time than the coaching. So I'm just gonna really put my work efforts into that.
[00:29:03] And I say that as if it was some simple decision, but it really did take a lot of introspection and conversations with my husband, who also does podcasting, but just kind of getting clear on my priorities and on, like, what is. I was. I was doing a lot of things that were generating income, but there were some things that were taking a lot more effort, that we're creating a lot less income. And so it was just kind of getting clear on, like, where are you going to put your energy and effort?
[00:29:39] So that's really been my big adaptation in my business as I'm just going to be focusing on the podcasting. I mean, I'm sure I'll be posting on my personal account on Instagram, because that is, like, fun for me. That's just, like, fun. I just. That's just fun. I like social media, but, you know, I'm not going to be taking it so seriously as like, you know, having to use it to monetize anything, you know. So, yeah, I hope that was helpful. I know I have a tendency to kind of go off sometimes, but before we wrap up today's episode, I really want to speak directly to anyone who is struggling with similar challenges. And I'm finding out more and more that women are really struggling with autoimmune pcos, adhd, autism, diagnosis, you know, like, health, health stuff, you know, I just want to say that your. Your health matters.
[00:30:43] Like, your well being matters. And sometimes the strongest thing we can do is acknowledge that we need to make big changes or little changes over time that amount to big changes, depending on who you are. Right.
[00:31:06] So thank you so much for letting me share this personal journey with you. If you are going through something similar, please know that you're not alone, like, at all. Please drop me a message on social media or leave a comment. I would really love to hear your story and continue this conversation, because I think this conversation is for a lot of us.
[00:31:34] Until next time, take care of yourself. And I mean, like, really take care of yourself, even if it's just having curiosity about what's going on with you. You know, like, sometimes that's just the first step is to realize, like, something's a little off.
[00:31:53] I might want to kind of examine that. Like, sometimes that can be really hard for us. So take care of yourself. I will talk to you guys soon.
