Sandy and her Superpower

Sandy and her superpower. That’s the title of this blog and I’m sticking to it. Why?

Sandy Kruse (@Sandyknutrition) has shared her words of wisdom in Get Up, which really shook my world. I had to learn more.

When we exchanged emails, I sensed that there was something more going on. Almost like she had a deeper understanding of what I was trying to say. When we were on Zoom and she interviewed me on her podcast, she made me cry. Heck, she cried too.

There’s something about Sandy that allows her to feel and speak from her gut, and as a result, has helped her in many more ways than she ever imagined.

Hence, Sandy and her superpower.

As for the quote that she shared in Get Up. We will get to that; because that my darlings, is a beauty.

First and foremost – let’s find out all about this sensational woman named Sandy Kruse and her superpower that I felt in her presence.

Tell me a little about yourself

I’m a 51-year-old mom of two kids and a wife for over 21 years. I began my own practice and podcast at 49.  

Share your favourite things with us 

I absolutely LOVE pasta.  While some professionals in my industry might claim it to be the devil, I enjoy a homemade pasta dish now and again.

As for my favourite book, all I ever read these days are books to learn BUT I loved the book Get Up.   Eckhart Tolle (@eckharttolle) and Yung Pueblo (@yung_pueblo) are also my favourite authors.

I also really loved the Twilight series from back in the day when I used to read just for pleasure.

I do have a guilty pleasure! Potato chips! I am not a nutritionist who claims to be perfect so I enjoy little indulgences now and again, being fully aware that eating these foods out of habit is not a good thing.

How do you spend your days?

I’m a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Podcaster for all things aging well. In particular, biohacking, and alternative wellness.  I work one-on-one mostly with female clients in midlife who need help to address their midlife symptoms and feel like themselves again.

Why did you decide to go into nutrition?

Back in 2010, my daughter was diagnosed with a malignant tumor. One year after her illness, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  While the medical intervention was necessary, I still didn’t feel well and I would constantly seek help that the medical community couldn’t help with.  

I looked to natural resources to bring myself back to feeling well and I believe I helped my daughter, who has fully recovered, feel well again too.  

My daughter was never really “sick” so I don’t think this is a fair statement.  While I experienced many issues and symptoms after I had my thyroid removed, she did not.  I was the overall family change in eating out less, eating more whole, real organic foods, clean personal care products, “clean” cleaning products, etc were all great steps to take in overall wellness.

Going back to school to become a naturopath doctor would have taken too long so I went back to college in my mid-40’s to become a holistic nutritionist.  Now I have the ability to educate others and I help my family as well.

Why produce a podcast?

While I love to work one-on-one with clients, my biggest passion lies in spreading the word on a larger scale to the masses.  I wished I had this type of advocacy when I was diagnosed with cancer – even identifying signs and symptoms and gaining knowledge of how stress can impact your health. All of this is so important to educate others on a larger scale.

Can you share a meaningful lesson from your professional life?

The longer you ignore symptoms that don’t feel quite right, the more difficult it is to get back to feeling yourself.

What is the difference between an R.D and a Nutritionist?  

A Registered Dietitian (RD) has a 4-year university degree, whereas Nutritionists like myself typically complete a 2-year college diploma.  

The field of nutrition can be somewhat confusing, so it’s important to find out the training and qualifications because the word “nutritionist” is thrown around quite a bit.  

Many RDs are practicing in a conventional manner. More recently, some have adopted a more holistic manner of practicing.  Many RD occupations include the following:

  • Large food companies where they make food formulations such as baby formula.
  • Grocers will be RDs so they can develop their own labels.
  • General physicians might work alongside an RD to help their patients with diet and nutrition.  

Holistic Nutritionists like myself would be more aligned with Naturopath Doctors and always believe in whole, real foods.  A step further is a functional nutritionist – which is what I am.

Holistic health isn’t just about food.  It’s about the balancing and alignment of all body systems.  I look at the root cause or causes of the symptoms clients have. Rebalancing the body using food as medicine, therapeutic-grade supplements, and homeopathic lifestyle modifications are my areas of expertise. 

I am an educator of preventative health. it’s so much easier for us to address our symptoms versus waiting until the illness manifests and medical intervention is necessary.

Let’s unpack your quote!

“Took me a while, but my advice is nothing. You must go through all the bumps and bruises yourself to learn and grow from your own journey. So no advice. Go through it. Learn from it.

As a parent, it’s really difficult not to give advice.  I’m 100% great at giving nutrition and wellness advice and do it all the time with my kids (and of course in my practice).  It’s the LIFE stuff that is different.  While I do give advice when asked, I try not to do so if not asked.  We all have such different journeys and experiences in life and often if we do listen to others TOO much, we might miss out on valuable clues that life experiences are bringing forth for us to learn from.  I would not be who I am or where I am today if I listened to all the advice I was given.

💫

Are you crying like me right now? The intuition to allow things to happen on their own, yet taking charge of what you can control. What an incredible gift that only a few can master. It is truly an honour to have the wise words of Sandy Kruse in Get Up. Sandy and her superpower!