Fear of Not Knowing It All

I don’t have "MD" at the end of my name. I don’t wear a white coat or spend my days in a hospital. And sometimes, that fact weighs heavily on me. As someone who has built a career around supporting others in hormonal health, I often find myself grappling with imposter syndrome—that nagging feeling that I’m not good enough or that I don’t belong.

Imposter syndrome—where you constantly doubt your skills or feel like a fraud—is something many women experience more frequently than men. We’re often taught to undervalue our expertise or question our place, even when we’ve earned it.

I chose Nutritional Therapy over becoming a dietitian because it focuses on what matters most to me—hormonal health. While others were in medical school, I was studying food science and working as a farmer, gaining hands-on experience with food and its impact on health. I was also educating my community about nutrition and the role it plays in overall wellness. It’s a different avenue to the same goal; helping heal ailments.

Nutrition plays a critical role in managing hormonal conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, and menopause, yet many doctors aren’t trained to recognize this. Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) receive less than 25 hours of nutrition training in medical school, with most spending fewer than 5 hours on women’s health-specific nutrition. Even OBGYNs, who specialize in women’s health, receive only 20-30 hours of nutrition education, primarily focused on pregnancy and lactation, while nutrition for non-reproductive women’s health issues, like hormonal imbalances, is barely covered.

This is why I chose to focus on Nutritional Therapy. I’ve spent years studying how nutrition can support hormonal health, and having lived with endometriosis for 16 years, I’ve fought my way through the healthcare system, looking for answers.

Fighting the Fear

Every time I feel that fear rise, I remind myself why I’m here: because I care deeply about helping women+ navigate their hormonal health. It’s not about having a degree or letters behind my name; it’s about the dedication I bring to learning, supporting, and making sure my clients feel heard.

While I’m not a doctor, I’m proud of the space I’ve carved out for myself in this work, filling in the gaps of the medical system. I’ve seen firsthand how much women+ need advocates who will listen, validate their experiences, and guide them toward solutions.