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 In this powerful kickoff episode of The Neuro Collective Podcast, Dr. Michael and May Bagnell begin a new series focused on helping you rewrite your health this year by addressing a question they hear every day in clinical practice: Why are you exhausted even when your labs are “normal”? This conversation speaks directly to those who feel chronically fatigued, foggy, unmotivated, or overwhelmed despite being told that everything looks fine on paper. 

The Bagnells unpack why normal labs do not always equal optimal function, and why so many people fall into the gap of being “not sick enough to diagnose, but not well enough to thrive.” Through a brain-based and systems-oriented lens, they explore fatigue through neurological, metabolic, immunological, and stress-related pathways, highlighting the critical role of ATP production, mitochondrial health, inflammation patterns, and insulin resistance. You’ll learn how chronic stress, nervous system dysregulation, and modern life demands silently drain energy, why the brain conserves fuel under threat, and how standard testing often misses the deeper story of resilience, recovery, and regulation. 

This episode lays the foundation for understanding the “why behind the what” of persistent fatigue—and sets the stage for the next episode, where they dive deeper into how the brain heals and how energy can be restored. If you’re tired of being told you’re fine when you don’t feel fine, this episode is for you—or someone you love.