Empowered Wellness Education
Understanding the deeper systems that influence energy, metabolism, and long-term health




Hormones & Emotional Wellness
Hormones & Emotions
 
Most of us are familiar with serotonin and dopamine, our “happy” hormones.  Serotonin controls our neurotransmitters in the body and brain and helps us regulate and stabilize shifting emotions.  (You know, that roller coaster feeling)
 
About 90% of our serotonin is actually produced in the gut via the peripheral nervous system! In fact, many refer to our gut as our “second brain.” 

In order for the gut to be able to produce and maintain adequate levels of serotonin we must nourish our gut by avoiding foods we may be sensitive to; managing our stress levels; making sure to get ample amounts of prebiotics and probiotics; and trying not to have to take prescription drugs that can wreak havoc on our gut.  (The best way to avoid prescription drugs is to be proactive in your wellness routine)
 
Establishing daily routines that nourish our gut health is the key to establishing and maintaining our “second brain” in tip-top shape.
 
Food cravings can be an indicator of low serotonin levels, such as sugar.  Sugary foods can provide a quick pick-me-up; but the negative effects, like the sugar crash afterwards, or the detrimental effects of sugar to our health, are not worth it.  
 
Here are some guidelines for maintaining good gut health, and consequently, ideal serotonin production for emotional wellness: 
  • Movement (even gentle stretching first thing in the morning)  Moderate, regular exercise is best.
  • Eliminate inflammatory foods (sugar, cooking oils that are commercially produced, like canola oil, sunflower seed oil, etc.)
  • Include ample amounts of prebiotic foods in your diet (garlic, onions, Ningxia wolfberries)
  • Eat whole foods that are nutrient dense
  • Take a premium probiotic like Young Living’s Life 9
  • Include enzymes in your supplements, like Young Living’s Essentialzyme or Essentialzyme-4
  • Get ample fiber with Young Living’s ICP Daily
  • Include supplements that keep things moving – like Digest & Cleanse and ComforTone from Young Living.  
Every little thing you do to improve your wellness can reap huge rewards over time.  Our wellness doesn't usually just fall apart overnight - it's more like an accumulation of bad habits and poor choices that is most often our downfall.  The good news is, by establishing good habits, we can usually turn things around.  There's no time better than TODAY to get started.  
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About Empowered Wellness
Empowered Wellness Education explores the deeper systems that influence how your body functions and adapts over time. This work focuses on understanding first—because when you understand what your body has been doing and why, the path forward becomes clearer, calmer, and more effective.


© Jacque McLaughlin | Empowered Wellness Education









Wellness Clarity Guide

Understand what your body is communicating through symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and stress. Get clarity on your unique situation and discover your next steps—whether that's self-paced learning or personalized guidance.

Understand what your body may be communicating through symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, sleep disruption, or stress.

This guide helps identify the physiological system most likely involved and explain what may be happening beneath the surface.

You can begin by describing what you've been experiencing.
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My Story

 
For decades, I lived and worked in a high-stress environment as a court reporter, balancing demanding 80-hour workweeks while raising my son as a single mother.

From the outside, I was strong and capable. But internally, the chronic pressure was quietly reshaping my body in ways I didn’t yet understand.

Over time, the effects of prolonged stress began to surface—fatigue, imbalance, and eventually an autoimmune diagnosis that forced me to pause and reconsider everything I thought I knew about health.

What I discovered changed the trajectory of my life.

I began to understand that the body is not fragile or broken. It is adaptive, intelligent, and constantly responding to its environment. Symptoms were not random failures. They were signals—evidence of deeper systems working hard to protect and preserve balance under prolonged strain.

This realization shifted my focus completely.

Instead of chasing symptoms or forcing solutions, I began studying the underlying systems that influence energy, metabolism, brain function, hormones, and long-term vitality. As I supported those systems using natural, sustainable approaches, my body began to restore balance in ways I had not thought possible.

That experience became the foundation of my work.

For more than two decades, I have helped others understand their bodies through this same systems-based lens—helping them move from frustration and confusion to clarity and confidence in their wellness journey.

My work is not about quick fixes or temporary solutions. It is about helping you understand what your body has been communicating, so you can support it in restoring balance naturally and sustainably.

When you understand the deeper patterns, everything begins to make more sense.

And from that place of understanding, true healing becomes possible.


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