Cheers to Growth

Plus I went into labor the night I recorded this! So it’s fun to hear my pregnancy update at the beginning of the episode.

But mainly I’m sharing how choosing the less convenient path has delivered higher levels of health and fulfillment.

- How I decide what to make from scratch and when to outsource to a company, & then how to source those small farm, quality brands.

- How my husband reacted when I started refusing to buy certain things he’d always had.

- And how to move your convenience line forward, towards a more beautiful life.

Get all my from-scratch recipes, including this week's less convenient but higher health higher reward small farm Shepard's Pie, at jaclyn-newsletter.beehiiv.com

In a world where women love to bond over the most dramatic experiences, what if you just chose to opt out?

Let pregnancy be normal. Let it be easy.

I've enjoyed pregnancy without experiencing any of the common negative symptoms, and I think it's had nothing to do with luck.

Before I got healthy, I believed I was a victim to genetics and that I’d inevitably be doomed to experience the same type of pregnancies that my mom, aunts, and grandmothers described. 

My biggest fears about pregnancy were that I’d gain a crazy amount of weight and that I’d throw up. Neither of which happened. 

I’ve heard women discuss other supposedly unavoidable pregnancy symptoms like heartburn, food aversions, constipation, arthritis, skin tags, mood swings, brain fog, hating your husband, kidney infection, and crippling anxiety… 

So can all of this really just be the luck of the draw and then BOOM you’re slapped with one or many of these random ailments BECAUSE OF pregnancy??? 

OR was your health already in shambles before you got pregnant, making you more deeply affected by the hormonal changes? 

OR is your body trying SO PERFECTLY to tell you something very important that you’ve been ignoring, like: 

• Stop DoorDashing and consume REAL, homemade food! 

• Stop doing so much and REST! 

• Stop running from your fears and face them! Yes, your life is changing dramatically, and yes, birth trauma likely lives in your body — it’s time to clear that if you haven’t already. 

This conversation is just to share my experience and to kick up some ideas that maybe a lot of people are too scared to be honest about. 

Because I gained NOTHING from everyone coddling me and telling me that all these limiting beliefs are true — I am messed up and doomed with this diagnosis and that genetic fault… 

It was only once I quit with all of those nonsense, validating, excuses that my life became more beautiful than I ever thought possible.

For the most gorgeous hydration and flowing digestion, try my aloe floral lemonade recipe. 🌺🍋

In this episode, we went straight to the comments section of our social media clips to see where people are still confused — or completely misled — when it comes to what “healthy” really means.

Because living in a world where 99% of products are made from synthetic chemicals…

And where nearly all food and necessities are sourced from massive corporate chains…

...may be our current reality, but it is not normal.

And it’s created massive confusion about what actually supports long-term health.

In this conversation, we challenge some common beliefs, like:

• Thinking that cutting out alcohol for a few months will radically transform your health

• Believing lab-manufactured versions of natural ingredients are equal to the real, raw source

• Assuming grocery store organic is the same as food from a local farm or your own garden

• Dismissing the placebo effect while blindly trusting prescription medication

  
  

We’re (trying to) analyze the thought process behind these comments and use them to reinforce what we stand for:

• A small farm diet over grocery store convenience

• A chemical-free lifestyle

• Confidently opting out of social norms that don’t serve your health

  
  

This episode isn’t about arguing with strangers on the internet.

It’s about clarifying the standard we choose to live by and why.

For a cozy, healthy dinner recipe to accompany this chat, join me here.

No settling for the lie that you can no longer expect it to happen right when you're ready for it.

And even if pregnancy isn’t on your radar anytime soon, know this: high fertility is a sign of thriving health.

Fertility is a big topic. A sensitive one.

But if you’ve been here for a while, you already know that Levi and I don't do sensitive.

There are a lot of fear-based conversations right now about how hard it is to get pregnant, even for “healthy” people. And while that topic is highly interesting, I don’t think it’s all that helpful.

Two years before we planned to conceive, I made a clear decision. I left no room for doubt, fear, or “we’ll see what happens.” I paired a strong, open mindset with aligned action — and trusted that my future would reflect a version of what I planned for.

In this episode, we’re sharing every lifestyle change we made over the course of two years to support peak fertility and conceive in the exact month we intended.

We talk about:

• ​Getting off birth control and pharmaceutical medications
• ​How homesteading and a nontoxic lifestyle support fertility
• ​Changing our relationship with alcohol
• ​Ditching nicotine
• ​When and at what frequency I incorporated prenatal supplements
• ​The role of food and nourishment
• ​And why mindset and fear can make or break the entire process

I don’t believe in luck.

I believe in intentional action, personal responsibility, and aligned living.

If fertility (now or in the future) matters to you, sharing how I approached this important life change may guide you in making decisions that lead to your desired outcomes!

Find my fertility supportive no-bake cookie recipe, plus more on this topic in the post associated with this episode here: https://jaclyn-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

Bloating, stomach pain, endless tests, and doctors telling you “nothing’s wrong.” Sound familiar?

That was my gut health journey for years—frustrating, disheartening, and full of dead ends. But here’s the truth: feeling sick and uncomfortable in your body is not normal, and it’s not something you have to settle for.

In this episode of Cheers to Growth, I’m sharing the holistic steps that finally helped me heal my gut and feel truly well. No quick-fix probiotics, no prescriptions — just simple shifts rooted in real food and lifestyle choices.

Most importantly, I’m talking about the missing piece that clicked everything into place for me: incorporating fermented foods daily. 

Not just an occasional spoonful of yogurt, but a real, consistent way of eating that nourished my gut long-term.

If you’ve struggled with gut issues that have always been pushed under the rug, this conversation will give you both hope and practical steps to finally start feeling better.

Because supporting your gut isn’t just about digestion — it’s foundational to your whole body health 🥂

🥯🍳 Get the recipe for my everyday homemade bagel breakfast sandwich full of gut-loving fermented ingredients in the post associated with this gut health episode.

“I can be healthy when I’m alone, but the second I go to a party, it’s all over…”

If you’ve ever thought this way, I get it. I used to feel the exact same — that once I stepped into a birthday dinner or backyard gathering, all my values would fly out the window.

But not anymore.

In this episode of Cheers to Growth, we’re talking about hosting and attending parties in alignment with your values. I’m sharing:

• How I got to the place where I’m no longer tempted by food or habits that don’t make me feel good

• Why “pleasing everyone” as a host is the fastest path to throwing an unhealthy, unaligned party

• And how you can create gatherings that are nourishing, joyful, and truly healthy for everyone

  
  

Because here’s the truth: throwing parties full of chips, soda, and fast-food pizza isn’t the only way to host. You can serve food that’s just as delicious (actually, more so), without compromising your values or anyone’s health.

This conversation is an invitation to rethink the way we gather — because the best parties leave us feeling more alive, not more depleted.

For the exact recipe I talk about in the show, check out our latest post at: jaclyn-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

When’s the last time you had a completely free day on your calendar — no plans, no commitments, nothing at all?

And when that rare moment pops up… do you protect it? Or do you fill it right back up with plans you don’t even want to do?

In this episode of Cheers to Growth, Levi and I are unpacking the difference between real joy and “fake fun.” We’re asking the deeper questions:

• Why are you really saying yes to that invite?

• Is it alignment… or obligation?

• Are you going because you’re genuinely excited—or just because you don’t want to disappoint, feel left out, or miss a photo-op?

  
  

We’re sharing our own shift from jam-packed social calendars and shallow activities to living in a way that’s more aligned, fulfilling, and actually enjoyable.

Because here’s the truth: so many of the activities we call “fun” are just manufactured distractions — TopGolf, amusement parks, sporting events, axe throwing, mini golf. Big industries profit while we walk away feeling drained and empty.

The power move? Learning to love your own company and protect your time so you only say yes to what feels deeply right. When you enjoy being with yourself, you’re no longer a victim to fake fun—you’re free to create a life that truly feeds your soul.

Find our most current from-scratch recipes (homemade, real-ingredient chicken strips, fries, and ketchup!) and other healthy lifestyle content on the post associated with this episode.

This week is for the girlies, the ones like younger me who refuse to be social without first:

• ​“The everything shower”
• ​A fresh mani & pedi 💅
• ​Eyebrow appointment
• ​Fresh highlights
• ​Spray tan
• ​Teeth whitened 💎
• ​Ironed hair
• ​Full face of makeup 💄
• ​10 sprays of perfume
• ​New outfit

So much time, effort, and stress went into my appearance, yet, I still struggled with low confidence.

No matter how many treatments I sat through or how much money I spent on beauty products, none of it led to me feeling beautiful.

When I changed my lifestyle, I was shocked to see how many beauty practices became completely obsolete.

If you’re finding yourself rushing to a hair appointment after a full day of work and leaving the salon feeling more drained than refreshed… This conversation is for you.

Outer beauty is a reflection of what you take in so...

If you want my favorite beauty snack (high high antioxidants + minerals), find the recipe in the post associated with this episode.

On the podcast today, we’re talking about how getting a dog can be the catalyst you need to get out of low seasons and prepare you for your highest levels of success.

This conversation gives you a deeper look into our family and how we built it.

It also might help you decide whether you should get a dog if you don’t already have one, and reflect on how your dog has contributed to your growth if you do.

Although it may seem dumb — especially if you’ve never connected with a dog of your own — it’s a big topic because I honestly don’t think I would’ve become the woman I needed to be as quickly as I did to create this life that Levi and I have in such a short time.

For me it was like grinch energy turned motherly love and for Levi, his dog pushed him to purchase a home at only 21 years old. A place for them to call home together.

For every season of life, dogs make it all more magical and rewarding.

For episode resources, including recipes & and my free ebook mentioned in our conversation, check out the post associated with this episode.

To connect with our dogs more and share their powerful life lessons with your family, check out my children’s book on Amazon, Captain and Kodiak: Grooming Day

This week's episode is a little refresh and revisiting of all the health topics we've discussed on the show and where we are with them now.

Including:

• Qualitarian diet update: going beyond reading food labels and now moved to no labels. (Including the biggest change and unpacking my bold statement: “I don’t believe you can get high quality food at the grocery store.”)

• Fasting — a powerful tool available when you need a major shift physically or spiritually and emotionally 

• Supplements and doctors visits don’t lead to health (The supplement industry does not exist without the medical industrial complex and that path does not lead to health) 

• Living in nature still feels the most life-changing 

• Meditative movement VS weight training 

  
  

  Some things have changes and to me, healthy living has become so simple.

  
  

  For episode resources (like the vitamin C packed hibiscus lemonade recipe I mention in the show) & for all our from scratch recipes, check out our most recent blog post.

  
  

  And for access to my free ebook, 6 Pillars of Holistic Well-Being, drop your email here.