My Personal Story of Finding Health, Healing, and Medical Copywriting
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis six weeks before college graduation.
In honor of thyroid awareness month, I thought I might share how my thyroid led me to copywriting.
While these two things seem completely disconnected, my personal story of finding health and healing has played a significant part in my becoming a copywriter. I want to give insight into the woman behind the words.
How My Thyroid Led Me to Copywriting
We have to go back a few years to get the full picture.
I was a senior in college, which was more years ago than I’d care to admit when I started showing signs that I now recognize as thyroid dysfunction.
I was exhausted, but I chalked that up to being a senior in college and searching for a job with very little sleep.
My hair was coming out in clumps, but I chalked that up to it being winter and living in an apartment with basically no heat and terribly hard water.
My period and PMS symptoms were a mess, but again, I chalked that up to changing my birth control pill and stress.
I think you get it – I had an excuse for everything.
For a brief time in college, I worked as a student receptionist at the College of Nursing (I promise this is relevant).
While working for the college, I got to know one of the nurse practitioner students. I talked with her about how I was feeling and shared some of my concerns that had been nibbling at the back of my brain – “Was there something else going on with my health?”
She listened and encouraged me to talk with her family practice physician.
But that doctor saw me coming from a mile away! I think she had me figured out and diagnosed within minutes of walking into her office. She was amazing!
She listened, asked thoughtful and kind questions, and never made me feel rushed – she was all of the things no physician had really ever been to me before.
And perhaps most importantly, she figured out that my thyroid was out of whack! And that’s putting it mildly!
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis six weeks before my college graduation.
Following most traditional medical protocols, I was put on Synthroid and told to retest my thyroid levels in six weeks. Yep, six weeks…as in when I graduated and moved halfway across the country for a new job.
Now, to cut the story down a bit and prove that I have a point, I’ll share that I was able to get established with a great physician in my new town and stabilized my thyroid medication for years! But that entire time, something felt off.
For the most part, I put my health concerns out of my mind. I was diligent about having my thyroid levels checked regularly, but I never worried too much about it until my husband and I tried to get pregnant.
After multiple miscarriages and a lot of “we can’t find anything wrong” conversations, I realized that the nagging thoughts I had about my health were not going to be solved unless I did something about them myself.
My Personal Story of Finding Better Health and Healing
As I write this, my oldest is 9 years old, and I’ve been on a personal crusade toward health and healing ever since.
Yes, it started with understanding why I couldn’t stay pregnant, but it turned into so much more!
It morphed from pregnancy to trying to figure out why I couldn’t lose any weight postpartum to why I felt incredibly anxious all of the time. Finally, it came to a full-on meltdown and episode of depression for me to finally say enough was enough.
This is where I give my sister all the credit she deserves! Not only was she endlessly supportive during all of these health struggles, but she was also training to be a naturopathic physician and trying hard to help me see that there were other paths to finding the healing I so desperately wanted.
One of the first things I did was get some mental health support. At the time, admitting that I needed mental health care was incredibly difficult. I worked in a high-stress corporate job within the healthcare industry, but it still felt like a dirty secret.
Thankfully, my fabulous therapist helped me to see the light! I was burned out, and my body was rebelling in all the ways it knew how. I needed to make major changes if I expected to feel better mentally, physically, or emotionally.
I’ll always remember the day that I looked across the room at him and said, “I need to leave my job.”
Copywriting to the Rescue
It was a breakthrough to finally admit out loud that in order to make my health a priority, I had to make some really big changes in my life. Thankfully, my husband, family, and friends were endlessly supportive.
But they couldn’t tell me what to do or where to work.
It took a LOT of soul-searching and one late night on Instagram for me to discover something I had been struggling to put into words.
I wanted to stay in the healthcare industry, but couldn’t become a healthcare provider. It wasn’t in me to be a nurse or doctor. I had to find a way to contribute to the health and healing of my community using the skills I had learned in my 15 years in corporate America.
That’s where Instagram came into play. That darn algorithm understood my search patterns and presented me with (what I now know to be) one of the most well-written, best-placed ads ever!
An ad for a free introduction to copywriting from a medical copywriter.
“A what?” I asked.
It was free. What could it hurt?
I signed up that night, laying in bed, and proceeded to meticulously take each section of the free class. I took notes, did the suggested activities, and realized by the end of the free program that I had a path forward!
While continuing to work my corporate job, I took classes at night and on weekends through the Write Your Way to Freedom copywriting program. I learned skills and techniques, tapped into my energies and desires, and started forming a business that felt real.
So, What Does This Mean For You?
Well, here I sit 5 years later with a business I’m so proud of.
It has not been all sunshine and roses, but it is mine!
I have taken the time to learn the skills, put in the work, and engage with some of the brightest, most engaging naturopathic and functional medicine providers out there!
Sadly, I must report that I’m still working on my thyroid and always looking for a naturopath or functional medicine provider in my state that I click with. But in all reality, this has actually helped my business.
You see, in retrospect, I understand that so many of my health issues have stemmed from my thyroid. My fertility issues, weight loss challenges, anxiety, you name it, they are all connected. By tapping into naturopathic and functional medicine and embracing a different way of thinking, I’m able to work every day to take care of myself. Find better health and heal both my body and mind.
My health successes, setbacks, and personal drive for more lead me to believe in and support the practitioners I write for.
So what does that mean for you, my naturopathic and functional medicine readers?
It means that for most of you, I represent your ideal patient.
I’m a 40-something-year-old woman with long-term health challenges who has felt the failures and struggles of the traditional medical system. And I’m open and ready to make lasting changes.
The downside is that I often find myself convinced by the end of every blog I write that I have whatever I’m writing about. But that’s a small price to pay because I can also sit back and read each blog or website and think, “Would I want to read this?” Or “Is this too heavy for someone new to this topic?”
It’s personal to me.
The copy I write for your business is personal because it’s for me. It’s for my friends.
It’s copy that may lead someone else just like me to find the health and healing that they so desperately want. And I’m here for that!
Medical Copywriting for Functional and Naturopathic Providers
If you’re just embarking on your journey with copywriting, searching for a copywriter to help elevate your practice, or are one of my long-term clients, I hope this small glimpse into how my thyroid led me to copywriting provides you with a sense of connection.
A sense of understanding and appreciation for everything that we do together.
But if you feel overwhelmed with all things copywriting, I’m here to help!
As a medical copywriter, I can help you identify where to start, enhance your SEO with personalized solutions, and help ensure that women like me find your practice so that they, too, can achieve the health and healing they desperately want.
Schedule a free consultation to learn more about me and how I can help enhance your functional or naturopathic practice!
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