Premiere When Doctors Say 'We don't know." | Episode 101

Welcome to the show. My name is Eva Vennari and I'm founder of the Elevate Institute and I'll be your host for this podcast. This is When Doctors Say We Don't Know. This is an inclusive conversation. So many are craving to share their stories and experiences. And today I've brought a guest on the show to help me introduce this new concept in this conversation. So today's honored guest is Camille Miller. She is the founder and chief Visionary. I love that. Of the Natural Life Business Partnership. Camille, welcome to the show.

Thank you, Eva, and thanks for having me on episode 1.

Yeah, yeah, I couldn't, I couldn't think of a better person to talk to about this because I've appeared on your show, The Six Figure Souls, as part of your network and your, and your mission of getting the word out there about alternative healthcare. And I thought, yeah, this— what a great conversation. I thought, a lot of people, they start off their podcast as a monologue, and I'm like, why?

Why do that?

Why, when we can have a little bit more fun? So thank you. Thanks for coming on.

You are welcome. I love the idea that you have, you know, and where it came from. Um, can you share your mission? Like, you've told me the story. Yeah, definitely. Your listeners are going to want to know how this, how this came to be. Because it's just an amazing backstory that kind of brings this all together of why, your why.

Yeah, the lightbulb moment really came from being, being on stage. So I was kind of giving a pitch. I'm just as much of a business person as I am a health coach. And the practitionership, you know, you hear a lot of stories. I hear a lot of individual stories. I don't share those stories. That's private. That's their personal information. So I know that when people come to me, they're knocking on my door as a practitioner. They're knocking on my door as a last resort. I've been from this doctor. I've been to that doctor. And I hear the stories. And they would say things to me like, well, I asked why and they couldn't give me an answer. It was, we don't know. So I knew that that was happening with my own clients. I had no idea what was going on out there with the rest of the world. So I dawned on me. I was at a marketing event for podcasting. Go figure, I love podcasting. So I was learning about, you know, just trying to get myself out onto other podcasts and pitching myself as a guest.

Mm-hmm.

So I'm on stage and expressing my story about how I went from doctor to doctor. And there's about, there's 40 of America's top podcast hosts are in the audience, along with a sea of about 150 or so fellow podcasters.

Wow.

Yeah, so you have a good-sized audience, right? And it's you and a mic and a stage. And then we were also live streaming it, but who I was connecting with were the 400 eyeballs looking back at me while I was on stage. And that's really an eye-opening experience, literally. So I'm expressing, I'm like, I went from doctor to doctor talking about my infertility. I was married at 20, I had a miscarriage at 21, and I was told I was infertile at 22. And this, of course, everybody's eyes popped up.

Really?

22? What is that all about? And I says, when I asked the doctors why, their answer was, we don't know. And there was this moment of a pause where I just, I connected with everybody and I'm looking at their eyes and I go, Wow, there's a lot of nodding heads. Yeah, me too. And then there were others who were in absolute shock. Really? Doctors are saying we don't know? And it put me into a place of compassion for those who were fellow we don't knowers, but also in compassion for the doctors who must be— and I'm just, I'm projecting a little bit— they must be really frustrated around being in that position of having to say we don't know and the pressure that we as patients put on them to know everything.

Right.

So I got back to my seat and I sat down and, you know, we're supposed to be paying attention to all the pitches and I have to admit I was bad. And I just started to craft out this new podcast. I went, there must be others. There must be others. We don't know. Doctors say we don't know. So right then and there, I put together the logo and I prepared the homepage, you know, where it's going to sit, where it's going to live. And I started posting on Facebook, hey, I'm going to start this podcast, When Doctors Say We Don't Know. And I received, at first, a lot of pushback. So that was interesting. And the pushback looked like, well, this seems really disrespectful to doctors. And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. This is an inclusive conversation. They're—

Mm-hmm.

I don't think wanting to give us the answer we don't know. It's maybe what they've been trained to say as a response to give you an out to go look elsewhere, but they're not allowed to say, go continue the search.

Right. Mm-hmm.

Yeah, yeah. So—

I think it's also not just on like the doctor's shoulders, like a doctor saying you don't know, but I think the podcast also opens this up To your listeners that says, hey, me too.

Yeah.

How did you feel about it? How did you get through it? What's on the other side? What did you find out?

Yeah, exactly. And there's a lot of us. It's funny, on, on that note, it's like the stories about— you would think everybody's story about fibromyalgia is going to be the same from inception to, oh, I discovered that I have this pain and it traveled and it's been with me my entire adult life or however long and I can't ever get rid of it. And the doctors say it's not going to go away ever. And it's like, There are people, including myself, who have recovered fully, no longer suffer from fibromyalgia. Does that put me in remission or do I just simply not have it anymore? You know, it's like all these conversations that are worth having and everybody's story around how they recovered from chronic fatigue or recovered from IBS, recovered from— they're all different. You would think one is one, one is the same, but they're not.

Yeah, I love that. So who are some of the people that you'll be interviewing?

Oh my gosh. So people like you and I who are in—

Alternative medicine. Yes.

And here's the crazy part. Alternative medicine, what is considered alternative complementary medicine here in the United States or in Canada or in England, you know, we separate it out. And the cool thing is I've had a number of doctors raise their hand who either were trained in other countries or are in other countries who are like, hey, what you're describing as alternative and complementary is actually part of our medical practice.

Right.

And we're kind of confused, scratching our heads over here wondering why you guys separate it out. You're supposed to be the leaders of the free world. So anyway, yeah, so we're gonna hear from doctors not just here in the United States, although I've been, I've been interviewing folks from all over the world. And you're saying interviewing? Yeah, I started, I started interviewing for this series a couple of weeks ago.

Mm-hmm.

And it was because of the outpouring, the craving people had to be a part of this conversation. So yes, doctors from all over the world, practitioners who were patients and received the question back, you know, why is this happening to me? The answer was, we don't know. And they found their solutions, and some of them are still mid-solution. And, and the conversation around what keeps them going, what continues to give them the faith and the hope, and what has helped them so far. So not everybody is, you know, in the place of completion, like—

Yeah.

Yeah, so, and this is really— it really does speak to the healing journey. And then patients who have moved on from life. I have several people who are in the public eye and are coming forward to say, look, I don't— I'm not a practitioner and nobody knows this backstory, but I'm going to share it with you and with your audience because I feel so passionately about this subject. People need to hear that they're not alone.

Right. Yeah, people— that's what people need. So it's going— so when you say practitioners, is it like acupuncturists and herbalists and energy healers, all sorts of different ways that people have found help?

Oh yeah, name it. Yeah, so I've spoken with, oh my goodness, my brain is collecting all of the list of people down to vaginal steaming. Yes, Reiki practitioners. Yes, I'm looking for someone who is familiar with Rolfing. That was part of my healing journey. It wasn't the end of it, but it was certainly a baton toss and/or passing of the baton. Um, why don't you let me help you find some of these people? Oh yes, I know you can because you— yeah, and, and I do. I want, I want you to talk about that. Like, tell us more. I want to know more. Um, I, I've been a very— I've dipped my toe in the water and attending some of the events, but the Natural Life Business Partnership, tell us more about that.

Yeah, well, we are a global online community for soul-centered entrepreneurs. So it's not what you do, it's who you are as a person. So we have the attorneys and website designers and financial planners and architects. We have actors in New York, you know, all over. But we get a lot of the energy healers or medical doctors, trained medical doctors that are stepping down and trying other things within their practice that insurance doesn't cover. So for an example, we have a psychologist who also does sound healing and gong work and Tibetan chanting along with that. We have a medical doctor that works with dementia, but he does natural, natural medicine, natural herbs, Chinese medicine, that idea. So there's a lot of them among us. So we have— health people that just work on gut health or changing diets or nutrition on all different levels. But it's everybody. It's really about who you are. We believe in abundance and collaboration and helping others. We used to meet in person, but we went online actually in 2018. And now when COVID hit, we were quite established. And that's where our Six Figure Souls came from, because we wanted to highlight people that followed their passion, their authenticity, became who they were in whatever field they're in. And, you know, stayed with their passion and broke that 6-figure ceiling.

Yeah, and that's how we met.

That's how we met. Like, we were talking. I just meet these really amazing people like yourselves, and I did an interview series called Six Figure Souls, and it comes out every few months. We'll probably have one in the new year where I take 10 people at a time with all different backgrounds and stories and highlight them.

So, and I have to say, and I'm going to say it again, I know I said it to you, uh, in, in messaging, and I can't remember if it was in the Facebook message that was shared or if it was in an email, but I said this is the probably the best interview I've ever had, I've ever received from somebody.

So— Oh, thank you so much.

Oh, absolutely. Because the, the information is not the pat question of, you know, tell us what you do. It was more getting underneath the not just why you do it, but the difference between you and somebody else who's just doing it for money. Like All of this stuff aligns, you know, if you're doing something out of a passion purpose or you're driven to do it because of an event that happened in your life, there's a big difference between you and the person who's just doing it to bring home the bacon, which there's nothing wrong with that because I had to do that for years. I was a single mom raising 2 kids on my own and I chose to put my health business on the side while I continued to be bringing in that regular paycheck with insurance and all the benefits for my kids until they reached 18 because I didn't feel it was— I didn't feel it was okay to put my kids' welfare in jeopardy while I raised a business. I knew that it would be risky. I believed in it and continued to do it on the side, but I also wanted to make sure that I was responsible.

Right.

And so, yeah, I didn't get to go full-time until 4 years ago, but boy, once I did, I was so happy to hang my hat for the corporate America positions that I had and say goodbye and be able to help people more fully. And so this has been way more enjoyable and was able to not only replace my income in short order, within 3 months I replaced my income, within a year I extended it. And so I was able to make more. And it's that period of time where you've got to calculate the risk and make it a go.

Yeah.

And that was really big. So yeah, that was, I remember that being part of the conversation.

Yeah, a lot of people feel that way. The people we attract are usually like walking 2 paths, I say.

Yes, yes.

And it's bringing your worlds together.

Yeah.

Right? They have this, um, and they don't want that woo-woo stigma around it, right?

Yes.

They want to be a professional. They're coming out of corporate, a professional world, but it's not feeling good or authentic. So that's how we help them create a business around who they are. And like you, most finders can turn it around in about 90 days, 6 months. And actually make just as much money because when your passion is around it, and for me, I believe that it's less risk to believe in yourself than it is on a corporate job when that paycheck could be your last paycheck at any moment. You never know. And to have to go back to that corporate job all the time, right? So.

Yeah, well, it's not really a well that's worth dipping in when you're— it's like, so I mean, I've calculated the number of jobs I've had and I'm including Including even, oh my gosh, I've been in corporate America. I was in there for 25 years. I had just as many jobs because of hostile takeovers, layoffs. I know. And then there was the period of time where I burnt myself out doing a job trying to raise 2 kids by myself, you know, like not getting child support. That's the level of how bad it was.

Yeah.

Like, that was me and it burnt me out and that's what made me sick. Yeah, just as many jobs and having to start over and over and over. And I thought, oh my gosh, I have never had so much stability since I worked for myself. So I think it's a beautiful mission to be able to help others do this, do this kind of work. I think that's so important.

Thank you. Thank you. And I think when people are working in their passion, they just naturally serve others, right? It's, it's, it's— you get money, but it's not about the money. Yeah, you know, we teach people to definitely be mindful of the money because it's not a hobby. It's a— it's your business. It's a business. It's your livelihood too. But, um, there's a lot of good stuff in it. And I'm, I'm so happy to hear this podcast that you're starting because you're bringing what people believe is that woo-based healing really out into the open to say, hey, people do it. It helps. You know, and it's more than just positive thinking, but it's, you know, it's actually a science behind it all.

Yeah, and the holistic part, if people are very— and more and more people are attracted to the holistic idea of wellness— if you're truly incorporating not just the physical but the mental and the spiritual and the emotional, you know, it's Emotion has a physical space in the physical body. It's like we can clear— I mean, in my business, it's all about mineral balancing. So we can clear minerals and toxic metals out of the body all day long, but if you don't address what's going on between your ears— There's monsters there. No, I mean, we can make it a much less scary place, but I mean, the idea is if you don't address The woo space is what can— in not addressing it, guess what? Your physical symptoms return, and I see it all. Exactly, it manifests. So your emotional— we're going to talk about that for sure. So it's— I call it grounding woo. We're grounding the woo with here's how to make it practical, because you can think positively all day long, but there's a method to it.

Absolutely. It's a lifestyle.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's more than just doing this because the doctor said do it, or take this little red pill, or You know, and I've seen— so I used to work in medicine too, and I've seen, you know, just say— I don't want to give examples, but it's like for people that need to just eat better.

Yeah.

Their symptoms go away, right? But they're like, but I could just take a pill.

Right.

Well, it's one, it's temporary. Two, you have to be on that pill for the rest of your life.

Mm-hmm.

You know, but if you just changed your lifestyle, you could live free of all of it forever, for as long as you chose to.

Yeah, yeah, it definitely is a choice, but you know, this points back to my why in business is, you know, talking about taking a pill. So the ex-husband who didn't pay child support, he passed away and he's the reason I hung my shingle as a service. I said, okay, I'm going to start my business now. So I'm on the phone with him and Right after— this was in June of 2011— I'm on the phone with him and we're settling things with the girls. And afterwards, you know, people continue to talk. And so we had developed a friendship by then. And he's telling me, he's like, oh, I've got heart prolapse now and hepatitis C. And he was as big round as he was tall, and he was a short man, so he was not in a good place. And he goes, yeah, doctor says now I've got iron toxicity and What was the last? Oh, just diagnosed with diabetes.

Hmm.

And I'm raising my hand for this and my red flags go up in my head and I'm like, you know, I just became certified practitioner in mineral balancing. I says, why don't you send me some of your hair? He was living in Vegas at the time.

I'm—

we're here in LA. And I says, you can send me some of your hair and we'll figure this out. And I'll never, ever, ever, ever forget his response. He laughed at me. And said, my doctors have me, I'm fine, I'm on medications.

Oh.

Okay, so 2 weeks later I get a phone call telling me that he'd passed away in the hospital of a massive heart attack. They were trying to help him relieve the kidney stones, they were going to break it, break it up, so they'd given him something intravenously. His body went over the edge and he was done done and they couldn't revive him. So put his affairs in order and, you know, and had to go through those motions. And after that phone call, after that set of the series of events, it dawned on me, this history, the story of me getting better and him even coming to, you know, having this conversation with me, it's meant. It's meant to be because I'm the messenger. I'm somebody who's supposed to get out there and talk about how we have options other than prescription drugs. Okay, I had to go to the house, his house, and clean it out. And as I was going through the closet, and we opened up the— it was a hall closet— the whole shelf— and this is, we're talking about a double-door French door closet— the whole top shelf where you would normally put like pillows and your comforters, all medications, 17 different medications, and he had several fillings of them. I'm like, what the heck? He was taking all— no wonder his body is that way. And it was all prescriptions from the same doctor.

Oh my goodness.

So these conversations weren't having— they weren't happening. And I'm like, what could have improved this? And part of what we're going to talk about on the show is how to have improved conversation with your physicians. If you want to come off of medications, or if you want to go on one for a short period of time, have the deeper conversation. And here's how to do it, as opposed to just hook, line, and sinker. You know, doing whatever the doctor says. You must be involved in your healthcare, and I'm so passionate about that. That's what drives me every day. People need to know they have an option.

Yeah. So are you worried at all about the taboo of the subject a little bit?

Oh, I mean, you know, I've already got a target on my back by being a holistic practitioner, so I'm scrutinized, and I just have to have a thick skin. The interesting thing is the number of people who are raising their hands, the craving there is to have this conversation. Yeah, it is a little bit taboo, but you know what, if we're not transparent and we don't come forward— I'm not trying to make a MeToo movement, this is different, but kind of the same. We need to stop talking to our sisters and, and mothers about these problems. We need to be finding solutions, not just looking for a sounding board. And that's what I'm hopeful, that bringing a taboo subject onto the table and talking about it in a way that's meaningful can do. Because we're not just here to complain. We're not here to say, here's my story and here's why I'm always going to be sick. We're here to find answers.

Right. I love it. I think it's going to be awesome. I can't wait to hear the episodes.

Oh, me too. So on that note, we're going to be, uh, starting. So we're going to what I call drop the first episode November of 2020. So we're in October now. And, um, we're going to start this, a weekly conversation. I believe I'm going to start releasing these on Sunday mornings. So when you get out of church, it'll be there waiting for you.

Love it. Yes.

Um, yeah. And I'd love— I can't wait to hear the feedback. And I'd love to have listeners come forward and say, can I share my story? So I invite that. Wholeheartedly. And then for you, I would love for people, if you have a way to connect, that they hear what you're talking about, want to be a part of this network, how can they get a hold of you?

They can go to our website, thenaturallife.org, and read all about us. And if it sounds like you, you can, you can fill out an Are We a Good Fit form, and I most likely will call you personally. We don't know, maybe someone else will, but And just see if you're a good fit for the community because we talk to everyone. So just to make sure that they fit within our community because we are so collaborative and work so closely. But that's the best way to get in touch, thenaturallife.org and Are We a Good Fit form. If you think you are a good fit, we'll have that conversation.

Awesome. And every time that I have been a part of one of your community functions, you have a community monthly meeting, I meet the most Amazing people. And so, very, yeah, very like-minded in the way that we're looking for the holistic solution and the conversations roll, you know, it's like finding a best friend again and again and again and again. So it's really cool.

Aww.

But yeah, absolutely. And when, uh, if you're listening to this in the car and you just, you're not able to, you know, write it down, don't worry. I'm going to have the link to Camille's website, thenaturallife.org, on our show page. So you'll be able to see it there. But I'm going to ask you a question. This is going to be the final question for the entire series. So you're going to get it too. You ready? I think it's going to be easy to answer, but I just want to get your input. What do you feel is the most important thing to remember when searching for answers?

To follow your heart. Yeah, I think when there's an answer— I just had this conversation with someone who asked If I move in faith or in fear, and is it fast and is it slow? I said, I always move in faith and I do it slowly. And then they brought up, then that's not faith, because if you had all the faith, you'd be fast. And I said, well, that's not actually true. I believe in allowing and being very intentional and giving space because, because of my faith, I know it will be true. So I move very slowly and deliberately because I believe when you move quickly, it's out of ego and not from your soul. So I think it's just a feeling, if that makes a lot of sense. I just, just allow it and be curious about all opportunities that are coming your way.

Yeah, no, that's— I'm on board with that. I'll take it, thank you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love it. So, um, I'm hopeful that, uh, this has been an engaging conversation for you as much as it has been for me. So thank you for being a guest, Camille.

You are welcome. Thank you so much for thinking about me.

Absolutely.

Episode 1, I'm very excited.

Yeah, I can't wait to see where this goes. So this is it, this is the end of our show. I want to say thank you for Thank you for listening and being here with us on the first episode of When Doctors Say We Don't Know. And it's going to be an inclusive conversation, engaging for sure, and bringing hope to those of you who are listening out there. I'm wanting to bring a message of hope so you too can turn your experience of pain into triumph. If you're driving and can't click on the links to the show notes, remember you can always hop onto my website, which is theelevateinstitute.com.

Thank you.

And follow the podcast links for today's show. There's more to talk about, absolutely, and I've got a whole year lined up for you already. Seriously, we've got a lot to talk about, so it's going to be weekly. Tune in next week for our episode of When Doctors Say We Don't Know. For now, this is Eva Vennari reminding you to question everything.