I believe that success is defined by really stepping into your genius and owning your magic from a bold place, without fears or reservations of being judged. We live in a society that sways our perspective on the path we “should” take to earn success, and that is quick to judge us when we step out of the norm. Being authentic, fierce, and bold about what you want your life to look like and how you want to make an impact in this world is everything. I’ve learned from personal experience that there are no rules on how to get there.
There are so many aspects that I can share about my story that honestly even inspire me when I think about it — because there were many low points. I was a college dropout, I’ve been arrested, I’ve been raped, I had a clinical identity crisis, and I’m an Army wife who faced a combat deployment in 2018. But, I’ve also climbed the ladder in healthcare from a C.N.A. to a multi-specialty ultrasound tech, to management. I was very proud of all of my achievements, but I wasn’t happy, so I made a terrifying decision: I walked away from a six-figure salary to pursue functional medicine. It was like starting over and re-defining myself: it was liberating.
I started to experience a lot of health issues, and my career evolved when I decided to take my health into my own hands. From the nursing world to becoming a fitness competitor, to working as a personal trainer, to starting as a health coach and now as a functional medicine practitioner, it’s been a privilege to be able to take my years of pain, heartache, frustrations, and a lot of f trial-and-error and package them up into a healthy, transformative experience for women. I’ve quite literally turned my pain into my purpose and passion. My practice helps women get to the root cause of their symptoms by examining hormones, the immune system, the nervous system, and digestion, and works with them to establish protocols to help their bodies heal naturally. I also help these women build balanced lifestyles to support optimal health long-term, via functional labs, nutrition, lifestyle, supplements, and mindset. I now have a podcast, “The Balanced Woman Podcast,” where I share my story openly, and provide valuable, science-driven, and actionable support to women, for free. This all came from working on developing myself: discovering who I am, and what my potential is, and learning to have control over my thoughts, feelings, and actions has been my success formula. I share my pivots, failures, challenges, and achievements publicly to motivate, inspire, and uplift those around me, so that they can believe in themselves, too.
I think the most important thing you can do is believe in yourself and know you have limitless potential. There’s proof all around us that we can be whatever we want to be. And on the hard days, where I feel like quitting or questioning everything, I reflect on all the lessons I’ve learned through the journey of my life. I always do what fills my heart, what makes me happy, and what will have a positive impact on this world.
Megan Joy (Shock) Brynock, 2011
Functional and Holistic Practitioner