Feeling stuck with chronic symptoms, "normal" test results, and no clear plan?

You have done everything and you still feel lost. You have seen the experts, you have tried the protocols, you have spent the money, and yet you're still carrying your health on your own. That is what fragmented healthcare feels like— overwhelming, not supportive. Today's guest is Chloe Barrett, a functional medicine health coach who works with people stuck in that messy middle of healing, bringing structure and an integrative team approach to whole person care. Welcome, Chloe. So good to have you on the show.

Thank you so much for having me, Rita.

You're welcome. And this is very personal to you, I believe, because, um, you had your own experience with chronic illness, and that I feel now shapes how you help people through this overwhelm of complex health challenges. So that was about 10 years for you, wasn't it?

Yeah, yeah. It's been over a decade now of, um, really implementing everything I've learned, everything I've studied and trialed and errored. And really, the business is such a reflection of me. And it's interesting, the business has evolved and grown as I've evolved and my journey's changed and my healing has changed. And I've come up across different challenges throughout my journey that then I've— has shaped the way I've changed the business to help other people in a more effective way. From what I've learned as I've gone across. So it's really a direct mirror of me and my journey. So it's very personal. Yeah, it's my baby.

Yeah, absolutely. I know how that feels. So tell me, if someone has seen all the practitioners and still feels unwell, what's usually missing?

So I think the really key thing, and I think your listeners will be really familiar with this, is, is treating the root cause, right? And, and I think it's very common now. It's becoming more widely known, the idea of functional medicine and treating the root cause, you know, not treating that surface level. So I think the thing that's missing is when people are treating the surface and not getting really down into the roots and then spreading out and looking at the interrelated factors. So some people might look at one thing, but they might not look at all the integrated parts of that thing that's affecting them and then treating the whole, right? So it's kind of going down through the levels and then spreading out through the roots. And this image of this system, the interrelated And really, um, makes such a difference when you start to treat all those, those pieces of the puzzle.

Absolutely. It is, it is that what we said, mentioned earlier about the whole person approach. And I think, yeah, especially when you have a chronic illness and you're overwhelmed and you're tired, you don't want to be going racing from practitioner to practitioner or by yourself because you don't have the experience or And many times not the knowledge. You don't know who you need until someone tells you. So what can this sort of— we have a very fragmented healthcare system the way it operates at the moment.

Yes.

One person deals with one thing and it doesn't override into another, and the communication isn't necessarily there because everyone specializes. So what, what do you feel that does to a person over time? Does it change the way they make decisions? Uh, do you find that people blame themselves that they haven't been able to get on top of their health or on top of their illness and they've remained the same for years? Yeah.

Oh, I love this question, and I love something you've tapped into that, um, again is something I've had to deal with in my journey, and it's, it's that guilt and that shame piece. And I, I think it's not talked about in health, and I do I think when you've struggled, especially for so long as I have experienced different struggles, you do, you feel, you feel a lot of guilt and a lot of shame around it of, you know, why can't I do this? Why can't I fix myself? You know, when people propose quick fixes, it's like, well, why can't I do it? And I think the thing around, um, health challenges that, yeah, it's, it's not discussed, this sense of guilt you feel for being unwell, for you know, complaining that you're in pain or you're tired, or, you know, for letting people down because you can't, you know, go to an event or meet, you know, see your friends as much. Or there's so many different components of it, and it's so layered, uh, and I think the psychological piece is really, you know, and the emotional, the emotional piece is really important to address.

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's why this whole person functional sort of approach is gaining such appeal because it helps people through everything and it's not leaving them with just, here's this one tiny piece and that's it.

Mm-hmm.

Even if you have to recommend, they recommend someone that's in flow with what they're doing. And that's the beauty about what you're doing is you may be recommending to other people within, but you've created a team Yeah. So someone doesn't have to leave your protocol or your, um, your plan.

I don't—

I'm not sure what to call it that you do or support. You have all these different practitioners within your team, and that's very important, I think, especially around, as you know, you start something and you feel, oh, this is actually working, I feel a change. But then as you're going along, you think, oh, maybe I haven't really selected the right thing. for myself because I'm choosing for myself. And you find yourself in that messy middle, that messy middle. And then on the other side, you start feeling stuck, and that's where people start getting disheartened. So how do you specifically support your clients? Is it through functional testing? Are there specific programs or protocols that you bring them through? Explain the process.

The, the key program we have is called our Signature Program, and that is a 3-month program designed to take people through this journey of a very, very comprehensive onboarding process where we go through every little detail and factor in their life. They'll do some functional testing with our functional nutritionist and naturopath, so she'll analyze the onboarding and look at what's worth testing and delving into more. Taking on board already everything they've already had done so that they're not repeating things. And that's the other thing we really care about is communicating as a team so people aren't having to repeat themselves over and over because that's something, you know, I know from my experience, my God, I got so sick of repeating my story. I ended up writing it all down. And then when I went to a new practitioner, I handed them this like 4 pages of paper and said, hey, you can read that. You know, I can't— I cannot go over this spiel again. So I think that's the nice thing is we all have access to the information and and each team member is communicating. So they have their tests. Liam is our PT. He's medically trained to deal with health conditions. And he, sorry, he is trained to deal with medical conditions. He's not medically trained. He's trained at that level that he can manage, you know, if someone has high blood pressure or diabetes, he will adjust the program based on the condition that they're dealing with. Um, he also helps implement any changes to their nutrition that our naturopath or functional nutritionist suggests. And we really break it down. So the protocol is comprehensive. We cover a lot of things because we're looking at everything over this 3-month period, but we really break it down into bite-sized chunks, small steps that doesn't feel overwhelming. And that's the point of— if someone was given this protocol to do on their own, it can feel very overwhelming. But what we're here to do is support them through that. And the piece that I do as well is really looking at the emotional, mental, behavioral side of it to support them through the change so that we're dealing on all the different layers. And then we also have holistic practitioners, so therapists and Reiki masters and sound bowl therapists. So we really have all these tools that we can lean on if someone is really feeling dysregulated and we think that they could benefit from some Reiki or some deeper therapy, then we can pull on all these different practitioners to, to tap into what that individual needs without overwhelming them even more.

As everyone is individual, yeah, is it through like a questionnaire, do you— or is it just by speaking to them? How do you decide who should be involved in someone's care? Is it everybody in your team, or do you just select certain team members depending on the client?

Well, someone might come to us and say, look, I've already got a PT, I'm already really on it with my exercise, I don't need that. Fine, no problem, you know. So we, we really adapt based on what the person has already in place or has experienced or their knowledge, you know. They might already have enough knowledge that really what they want is some functional testing, a nutrition plan, and some coaching from myself. Or they feel like, you know what, I actually just want the protocol and then some check-ins with you. So we can really adapt flex to the person's need, because what we're here to do is to support them and create an environment for them to heal. You know, we're not here to tell them what to do or dictate or make them go through a program that, that they feel like, oh, do you know what, I don't want to do all of that, and that's not where I want to spend my resources. So it's really— and that's the point, right? And what I want people to— a really early message that I felt really compelled to share, um, early on in my journey is the idea of being empowered. to know that you can take charge of your destiny and you can take charge of your healing journey. You know, we're not here to say you can't do it, right? We're just here to say if you want the support, we can do it with you and we can support you, but you're the one in charge.

So someone can tailor— even though that you do have programs, someone can tailor what they want from you?

Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

So this really speaks— this really speaks to, you know, even, even I've said it myself, You know, we have to be our own self-advocate and advocate for ourselves.

And when you think about it, you've got to know what to do.

You've got to know who to see. You've got to know what to say. You've got to have so many things in place to be an efficient advocate for yourself.

Mm-hmm.

And when you're chronically unwell or you don't have the knowledge, that's where a resource like yours It is just an outstanding service really for people who are confused. When someone is, you know, and one of the things we find is that people are usually, when they're chronically ill and they've tried so many things and they've most probably come to you as their very last resort, they want results fast. You know, it's like they're just desperate. They want to be not where they are.

Mm-hmm.

Once when someone is desperate to get better, I know you've talked about pacing. So what does pacing treatments actually mean? And what does fast look like?

That's again, a brilliant question. And really, it comes down to your nervous system and how you feel in your body. So what we really all very— all practitioners, all my team, we're all nervous system driven. So we want people to feel safe, to feel calm, to feel present in their body. And if they feel like they're losing touch with themselves, if they feel more overwhelmed, if they feel, um, things are a bit chaotic in their life, then we're not doing it right. And, and we all need to have a conversation about that. We need to slow it down and, um, and readjust. And that's the point, is finding the pace that works for the client, um, that is going to create this sense of calm, because you can't heal a body that's stuck. in a nervous system that's in fight or flight, you know, it's— that's activated in that, in that sympathetic nervous system because it's not in its healing state. You know, everyone knows the rest, um, digest functions of the parasympathetic nervous system, and those are the— that's the state we're trying to get people into. So if they're feeling more overwhelmed and more, um, frantic, then that's not the goal, and we've missed the mark, and we need to review, and we need to readjust. And that's why We offer constant communication, so, um, not quite 24/7, but, you know, close to 24/7 WhatsApp support so that we're there, you know, so that if they really, you know, have questions, if we need to adjust, then we can do it and we can do it quickly so that they really don't feel like they're on this journey that's just too much for them, because then that's, that's not the point.

You know what, even in like traditional care and also functional medicine, sometimes you don't have that access to a practitioner outside of your appointment. And they can say, you know, come back in 6 weeks. But in that 6 weeks, you've had symptoms, you don't feel well, maybe you've abandoned what they've said. And, you know, sometimes people don't feel like they can say, you know what, I have a right to ring this doctor and find out what's happening. They just wait for the next appointment. I do find that the discouragement to keep going and giving up on your health happens, and that's where the stuckness happens. As we've, as we've said, so many do the trial and error. They've seen something on social media, they've tried it, it's been an error. And they've gone to a practitioner and realized that doesn't— they're not speaking to me, or it doesn't work for me. From your integrated approach, once it starts working, people see the change. What do you feel, or what have you noticed, that they stop chasing?

One thing I would say is the quick fix. That's the immediate— I love mine because I know I was— oh my gosh, in my— in my— before I was diagnosed, um, so I was 20 and it took me 2 years to get diagnosed with fibromyalgia. all these other things. And I remember just desperately wanting a quick fix, and I was like, please, I want to find out what's wrong with me so we can fix it. You know, we spoke about this before, um, when, when we caught up before, and it's that idea of in an ideal world where, you know, you didn't have to work, or we didn't have external pressures, we didn't have, you know, kids and financial pressures, or the, the normal things that are part of life that people go through, then healing might be more, more in quote marks, simple. Um, and it's, it's just, you know, life, life is messy. Life, life can be hard. And I think that's the, um, inconvenient truth that we have to come to terms with, that there is no quick fix, um, that, you know, we have to put the work in and we have to stay consistent with it, you know, and that, that we can get there. But you have to be patient. I think that's one of the biggest things I've learned on my journey is to be patient. Because again, if you slip out of patience and you slip into that push mode, you're back in your fight or flight. You're back in your, you know, that masculine-driven energy that's going to take away from your body's ability to heal itself, you know. And what we're trying to do is create an environment where people can heal, you know. And if you're chasing quick fixes, I just personally, I don't believe that that is the way. I know there are amazing things that can really help people in so many different ways and make huge progress. But I do think there are some underlying foundational principles around lifestyle and behavior change that need to be addressed and adapted, you know, to make those big leaps forward.

Yes. And I know for myself, who was always looking for how to fix my digestive issues, I would be doing the quick fix. I would be chasing supplements. And it's not like I don't take supplements now. I do. But I was thinking this supplement is the answer. So I just kept chasing the next supplement and the next supplement, hoping that that will do it without realizing back then that, like you just mentioned, which I wouldn't mind tapping into, the lifestyle, the type of diet you eat, the amount of exercise you get, all of it. It's not— I do wonder whether we're so conditioned around, you know, Lose weight, take this diet pill. Oh, you're chronically ill, take this, you know, and this will be your answer, as opposed to looking at it holistically. Why would someone who's chronically ill— why do you think someone who's chronically ill would resist coming to use this sort of concierge supportive, um, service that you have?

Often it's when people just aren't ready.

Mm-hmm.

And they say they're still in that processing phase. If it's, if it's, you know, it might be quite early on in their journey and they're still adjusting and getting their head around the idea of having a diagnosis, you know, or having, um, this condition that they need to— they feel like they need to adjust to. And I think sometimes people— and I, I went through this phase, so I think it's a very normal phase— is, you know, I would call it the acceptance phase, and you have to accept anything before you can move beyond it. So that resistance often comes when people are in that early stage and they're not ready to do the work because they haven't even accepted they have this in the first place.

Everyone races to the solution, and when you see a lot online, it's all the solution. And people, when they're looking, like you say, most people don't even know they have it. They might have pain, but they don't know they have fibromyalgia. They might have a tummy ache, but they don't know they've got IBS. You know, if you don't even know that you have something or that you want to accept that you have something, that takes you down a completely different route. How much do you think lifestyle plays in, in this sort of healing with what you do?

Oh, 90%.

Don't chase the next protocol that you think is going to do it. Don't chase the next supplement. It's the lifestyle. So when we're looking at lifestyle, looking at nutritious food, even something simply as walking, drinking, getting good sleep. Are these the sort of foundations that you try to put in place within what you do to help people?

Exactly that. Exactly that. So what we're doing and the reason why we spread over 3 months, and I mean, it might even take longer for some people, the reason why we do things the way we do them is to create sustainable change. So I bang on about sustainable change all the time because, you know, we're not here to It's not, you know, a quick fix or a quick change that isn't integrated into your life in a way that works is not going to last. So I have my key principles, and I do believe they are integral to building sustainable change. That is balance, individuality, intuition, and relationship to self. And I think if we are, and we are as a team, leaning into these principles when we're helping someone and supporting them to make change, then we can do it in a way that's going to last and it's going to become integral to who they are and the way they listen to their body, you know, and they're in touch with who they are and how they want to live. And then those things are the things that create those, those really integrated lifestyles that just become natural. And then it's not something they're consciously having to think, oh, I need to do this, oh, I need to do that, oh, it's another thing. We do it in a way that we integrate it into their life, and then it's just a habit. It's, it's a subconscious thing they do every day, and it's something they enjoy and they want to do because they see how good it makes them feel.

Yes, and that's something that goes back to what we were saying about pacing, that you will put these things in place, but you will pace them like tiny steps if someone's feeling overwhelmed. Because I've spoken to many people with any form of chronic illness, whether it's from pain to obesity, and the one thing that stops them is the feeling that this is another thing on my to-do list, just one more thing to do. Is this the kind of whole-person guided support— is it mainly for the chronically ill, or is it for people at any stage? And even if they're looking for prevention, Do you do anything around that?

Absolutely. Yeah, I would say that, you know, I, I would separate our market into 2. You know, you've got the wellness-forward focus, you know, the wellness-focused, forward-thinking, um, individuals that just really want to take care of themselves. They're quite well informed already, um, you know, they know their stuff and they just— they're busy, they know what they need to do, they just want that extra bit of support and guidance to implement it to their life and, um, just want to take care of themselves because they're aware of the importance of lifestyle and, uh, and, and they want to prevent. And I think, you know, prevention is, is, is, you know, the most important thing going forward because if you don't have it in the first place, then, you know, so hindsight is a wonderful thing. And then, and then the other, the other category of our market are those people who have a diagnosis, who have tried multiple things, and they just really need that deeper support. that just can hold them and, and help them feel like they're not alone anymore. Because I think that sense of loneliness is another big one when you're an individual struggling with this. As you might know, you know, you can feel really isolated and really, you know, challenged as to where to go next and what to do. And someone help me, and someone help me hold this because it's just too much. You know, it's really such a challenging thing to go through when you're dealing with the chronic illness itself. And then you're trying to heal. You know, I always say it's like a part-time, full-time job, you know, in itself.

When we talk about advocating for ourselves is being believed.

Oh my gosh.

Because invisible illness is exactly that. A chronic illness, sometimes you can see it, but when it's things like chronic pain or other type of illnesses like that, it Invisible. They're the ones that people go, oh yeah, you just, you know, want attention, you know.

Oh yeah, I've heard that one before.

Yeah, or you're just putting this on, or it's just in your head, or, you know. And one of what I find also, and even for myself, and I'm sure you've experienced this as well, Chloe, is finding the appropriate words that match how the practitioner is going to hear it or how the doctor is going to hear it and accept it. You may say, it feels like this to me, and this, this, and that, but they don't hear it like that. They need it in specific type of language. Then that becomes another minefield for them. You can see and you can understand why so many do give up and turn to those quick fixes.

Yeah.

So when healing does start to work, and like when you see it with your clients, what does that— what do you actually see, and what does that feel like for them day to day?

I want to say inner peace. And I don't know if that sounds a bit fluffy because I try and stay away from fluffy stuff, but I think like a sense of peace, of, of they're not chasing anymore. This bit, we, you know, I think we touched on this earlier a little bit, that sense of I'm starting to notice a difference in my body. I'm starting to feel a difference and have a sense of connection again to themselves and a sense of, I can tap into my body. And I think true healing comes with wisdom and intuition of what your body needs and being able to kind of slow down and come back to yourself. And that's something I talk about a lot.

Mm-hmm.

is this sense of relationship to self. And for me, healing, whether it's a physical condition or a mental condition or, or, um, anything, uh, you know, it requires a very strong sense of relationship to self in order to stop doing the things that are contributing to that illness, you know, through— in, in lifestyle or mindset or things like that that, you know, you might not even be aware of until you've sat down and connected with yourself long enough.

And have you seen with your clients that even something like they couldn't touch their toes before and now they can gives them such joy and encouragement to keep moving forward? Something as simple as that.

Yeah, I think that's the best bit actually, is, um, is actually another thing that brings to my mind is, is when clients start seeing results that they get, they get hooked on it, but in a really positive way that they just, they are so thrilled because I think everyone goes through that point of thinking like, is this possible? And then they see it is possible and then they want more of it, um, but in, in a more healthy way of like, okay, yeah, what's next? You know how, and they, they start to take on more ownership and more responsibility and, and feel more capable And it's that sense of like, yeah, I can do this, and yeah, I can take charge. And that's what we want, is we don't want people relying on us, you know. We want to empower people with the information and the tools they need to go off and, um, live the rest of their lives in a healthy way and thrive. And that doesn't come from being dependent on us. And that's what I think makes what we do really important, is we're not tying people into a long-term program. We're really trying to make people— like I said before— empower people people and give them the tools and information they need and the guidance to implement, um, you know, the, the information and the tools and, you know, create that sustainable change.

Yes, because it's hard to make change or even understand if you are not aware of what you have, or the testing like you must do, you know, comprehensive testing that lets them know you've got ABCD, and then you— for that you need to do, you know, ABCD of something else and this type of supplement. Until you actually know that, you become informed, it's very hard to know where to start. And that's what I was going to ask, like, if someone does feel overwhelmed right now, what is one step that they could possibly do this week to then start encouraging them to move forward and hopefully then take that bigger step and come to you?

I'm gonna come back to what I said about relationship to self and slowing down, because I think one of the easiest things someone can do on their health journey is just slow down. Slow down, meditate, take a walk, do some journaling, sit with themselves, just maybe have a coffee, a mindful coffee, just something small and simple that brings them back to themselves. Because you are your best guidance system. A coach will support you, but a coach is not there to tell you what to do. We're not there to tell you what to do. We're there to help you figure out what to do next as a team and empower you to do it. So you're the one doing the work. And in order to do that, you need to, you need to be connected to yourself and slowing down. Because again, I think, you know, when people are in that overwhelmed state and they feel stuck, you can't think clearly.

Mm-hmm.

It's like our previous conversation, actually, before we jumped on here, about, um, I mentioned about your logical brain and your executive functioning. And if you are in that state of overwhelm and stress and you're, you're in your sympathetic drive, you know, that, that fight or flight state of, of, oh my gosh, what do I do? I don't know what to do. Then you can't make decisions.

You can't, you can't execute.

logically. So that's why slowing down, activating your parasympathetic nervous system, you know, your rest-digest, helps you tap into your executive function and your ability to think clearly and to make clear decisions. And how do you do that? You slow down, you come back to yourself, you, you know, you, you take one of the many tools I'm sure people have heard before— a mindful walk, Um, you know, journaling, reading those different things that I mentioned, and just, and just really taking a beat and just slowing down, coming back to yourself, and then, and then seeing, okay, what's the, what's the right next step, and taking it one step at a time, not thinking 10 steps ahead. That's the other big one.

You are a physical business in Thailand and you've got your team there. Can you help people outside of Thailand?

Yes, absolutely. Yeah, we actually built Um, at first to just function online, and then we realized we love working in person with people too. So we, um, we, we created a physical presence here as well, so we can do both.

So even though you've got a PT and there's maybe movement or adjustments, or that can all be delivered to somebody online?

Yeah, so we can do, um, so the PT would work slightly differently. Obviously it's not in person. Uh, it would be done virtually through video support. And, um, we have an app where we have all the exercises uploaded. And, um, and Liam's amazing with checking in with people every day and supporting them through their workouts. If they, you know, we always make sure people's posture and form is correct through video. So we're very meticulous about everything that way. Obviously, I mean, energy healing can be done online as well. Obviously, physical adjustments, we would support the person in finding someone locally if we felt like that was necessary. But that would, that would be the only thing that we would have to outsource, obviously. We can't physically adjust people online. Absolutely.

Anyone listening to this who does have a chronic illness, or it doesn't have to even be chronic, has an illness, or maybe is into prevention. Yeah, into prevention. And you could benefit from a care team concierge type of support where everyone's there and your hand is held and you have to— can stop stressing about where to go to. Honestly, go to the show notes. All of Chloe's details will be there. So I do urge you, this is something that I wish I had many years ago. Chloe wished she had. It's a fantastic service. Chloe, thank you so much for coming on and talking about it.

Thank you so much for having me, Rita. It's really been wonderful.

Thank you.