Qiana Thomason has dedicated her career to the improvement of health and wellbeing across the region. As the CEO of Health Forward, she focuses on communities over-represented in health injustice and those living in marginalized conditions.

While Qiana has an impressive career repertoire, it's her health journey that is the highlight of her story.

After years of suffering from intense skin issues, self-isolation, and joint and gut pain, Qiana found the answer. It took stepping away from conventional medicine and discovering the root cause of her symptoms through a functional approach.

The problem? An overgrowth of Candida albicans in her gut created an autoimmune response in the rest of her body.

Through listening to her body, building relationships with her healthcare providers, and relentlessly pursuing wellbeing Qiana was able to find healing.

Memorable Quotes:

• "There's the food you get through what you eat, and the food you put on your body, and the food you put in your mind and your soul."
• "I've always eaten healthy, I eat well. She goes, according to whom? That's when it clicked. My body is the source of truth."
• "Slow down, check on your people, and check-in with yourself."
• "God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved." Psalm 46:5
• "Keep your head above the crowd."

What You'll Learn:

Why you should listen to your body to pursue optimal health & the importance of food and relationships to that journey.

This Episode Includes:

• Well-being is critical to our ability to create connections with others.
• Well-being starts by listening to your own body first.
• A nutritarian is someone who focuses on nutrition and how your personal body experiences it.
• The difference between conventional food advice and a functional medicine perspective.
• Qiana's health crisis with skin, joint, and gut pain and how she overcame those symptoms by addressing the root cause.
• Poor health causes you to self-isolate and can lead to anxiety and depression.
• You can't be your best self and live out your purpose when you don't feel well.
• Listening to the people who are speaking into your life is critical to finding healing.
• It's important to find a practitioner with cultural proximity and form relationships with your medical providers.
• The inequality created by an insurance model that doesn't pay for functional medicine.
• How to be present and intentional in order to form connections that support mental health and overall wellbeing.
• Living Vitality and the upcoming LIV Conference Oct. 1st on Empowering Women.

Three Takeaways From Today's Episode:

1. Create margin in your life by taking time to slow down and practice self-care. For example, invest in intentional conversations that bring you joy.
2. Consider what you can do to listen to yourself more and what it is that your body is telling you.
3. Think of three ways you can pursue greater wellbeing and put your health first this week.

Mentioned In The Episode:

• "People need People" by Maddie & Tae
• Big Shifts Foundation
• Small Changes Big Shifts
• "Out of the Rat Race: A Practical Guide to Taking Control of Your Time" By Susan Gregory
• Advent Health
• Living Vitality Liv Conference
• HealthForward

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