In this refreshing and hilarious yet deeply insightful episode, Sarah chats with wellness expert and founder of Reset Wellness Journey, Magda Sommer, to bust myths, decode the truth about chronic illness, and talk about everything from poop and perimenopause to toxic food culture and healing from the inside out. Together, they dive into how listening to your body, embracing community, and ditching the quick-fix mentality can radically transform your life. If you’ve ever felt lost in a sea of health advice or dismissed by mainstream medicine—this one’s for you.
Your body knows—learn how to decode the signals it's giving you.
Wellness is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Food is fuel, not a filler—and gluten & dairy may be the hidden culprits.
Poop matters: What’s in the bowl says more about your health than you think.
Perimenopause is real—and so is the hormonal chaos (and wisdom) it brings.
“You don’t know how bad you feel until you start feeling better.” – Magda Sommer
“Your story doesn’t have to be dramatic to be important—it just needs to be yours.” – Sarah Jordan-Ross
“Your body is not a garbage can. Stop rewarding yourself with things that harm you.” – Magda Sommer
00:01 – Welcome and intro to Magda Sommer
01:32 – Magda’s wellness journey, divorce, fibroids, and the wake-up call
06:00 – Discovering functional medicine and taking ownership of healing
08:00 – Elimination diets, lab work, and body wisdom
10:30 – What “reset” really means (spoiler: it’s not a fad)
14:00 – Why fast food makes you feel terrible (even if it tastes good)
17:10 – The sedentary life epidemic
24:00 – Poop talk: bowel movements as health diagnostics
31:00 – Cholesterol myths and medical gaslighting
39:00 – You need a coach too (yes, even wellness professionals!)
44:20 – Building joyful, playful, supportive health communities
50:00 – Perimenopause, hormones, and kitchen rage 😅
57:30 – Why women’s health topics are still taboo (and why they shouldn’t be)
1:00:00 – Final wisdom: reclaim your power, listen to your body
Magda is the founder of Reset Wellness Journey, a functional medicine nutritionist and wellness mentor focused on helping women heal chronic conditions, reclaim their energy, and rebuild their vitality from the inside out. She is known for her no-nonsense approach to health, her sense of humor, and her unfiltered willingness to talk about the stuff no one else does—like poop.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (00:00) Hey everybody, welcome back to Taboo Talk with Sarah. Podcast where we break the silence, foster hope and talk about the tough stuff so you never feel alone. We like sharing stories of the things we're not supposed to talk about and find hope and healing together. I'm Sarah, I'm mum of three amazing boys. I'm a wellness coach, massage therapist and a fellow traveler on the road of caregiving, chronic illness, grief and resilience. And today,
I'm really excited because I get to talk to somebody who is brilliant in the wellness field. That's Magda Sommer. She's the founder of Reset Wellness Journey, a mentor inside of the Shine Circle. And right now she's doing a really great series on myth busting. And I like that because there is so much information out there and it's sometimes really contradictory. having somebody help guide you through that
process in finding what's real and what's not and finding what works for you is really helpful. So that's why Magda's here today to help us cut through that confusion and find what works for us. So Magda, thank you for being here.
Magda Sommer (01:18)
Thank you, Sarah, for inviting me. It's such an honor to be here with you and welcome everyone. I am so happy to share with you my expertise and have this wonderful conversation.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (01:29)
So let's start with your journey. What led you to starting Reset Wellness Journey? What was that turning point for you when you realised something had to change, that you needed a reset and that people needed better guidance through that minefield of information out there?
Magda Sommer (01:49)
there was absolutely journey to that point as well. I ⁓ was born in Poland and when I come to States, the food was different here. It's like different, like everything was packed, everything was colorful, you know, they have weird stuff in cans, like meatballs in cans. Who on earth put the meatballs into the can, right? But I got really very...
Sarah Jordan-Ross (02:13)
Because we
like everything processed and easy. Quick.
Magda Sommer (02:17)
right? But
it was convenient. So you know, I get busy, life get busy and the convenience kick in. So I start living off those bak serials, microwave dinners, you name it. Those food was delicious. Not so healthy, but delicious. I can gain weight and I didn't know why, but that wasn't like really the big problem. But going fast forward and one of my
There was one of the most difficult times in my life. I was going through the divorce. My best friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She got just a few weeks to live. And I had a car accident ⁓ in the same year. And also on top of that, I was diagnosed with huge uterine fibroids. So trying to help my friend, I learned a lot about the Western medicine.
But it really didn't affect me, you know. I wasn't the one who was sick and we always think it doesn't affect me, right? So I gathered all the knowledge, I had a car accident, a lot of stress. So I was miserable, exhausted, probably depressed, but I literally didn't have time to even think about that. But after ⁓ one of my car accidents, my doctor called me and with dire voice he said,
You have something on your spine? Probably nothing but go to cancer institute. And that moment... Yeah, so that moment life stops. And like everything goes through my eyes and I was like, I'm sorry for my language, like holy fuck, not now. I'm just starting new chapter in my life. I have teenage son. I want to be on his wedding. I want to travel the world. Not now. So...
Sarah Jordan-Ross (03:48)
They're not the words you wanna hear.
Magda Sommer (04:11)
You know, I took everything in my hands. I sent the papers to Poland. I contacted Cancer Institute. And thanks God, it wasn't a cancer. But it was my wake-up call. So it was time to, you know, start paying more attention to my body. Starting to take care of this uterine fibroids, which, you know, it's not terminal thing. But it was sucking life out of me.
So I started slowly researching what are the options because I wasn't ready to get rid of my uterus. And you know, first of all, I was, I think in the early 40s or even something like that. So, and I didn't, I, was multiple reasons behind that. One, I wasn't ready for that because ⁓ I didn't want to have more children, the feminine part, I may feel maybe not like a woman anymore.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (04:46)
You're still so young.
Magda Sommer (05:07)
And the sad part, I just couldn't afford being out of work for 8 weeks. That's sad, but that's really a lot of women forcing every day. So I was looking for alternative treatment, something different, and what I found out that basically every person is treating us as a car. One person will sell what they're doing that will be surgery, another person will do radiation or something.
and no one really had the best interest for me. I flew to Chicago, I live in Florida, just to meet with a doctor and he said, you are a perfect candidate for this radio frequency procedure, which was newest procedure in the United States. I already knew that I am not great candidate for that, but he was keep pushing me into it. So that led me to one thing, that I need to learn what is good for me.
for my body and that led me to functional medicine nutrition and finding the root cause why that's happening to us and since that rest of his history I am you know guiding another other women to do the same teach them you know about the body signals and I am doing this through functional medicine nutrition personalized meal plans lab work there is no guessing this is basically
combining the science with the alternative treatment and it's beautiful.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (06:39)
Yes. And it's treating that person as a whole person and finding out what's going on for them because, yeah, that ill health, it's not usually a one thing has caused it. It's a combination of factors. For you, was that you'd had so much stress in such a short period of time that your body just kind of went.
Magda Sommer (07:04)
It was a of yours.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (07:05)
And that happens a lot because
we, particularly for women, we push through, we ignore the signals that our body's giving us and then as the whole it looks at... we go looking for that one size fits all the magic pill and it's like, my friend, this worked for my friend and that worked for another friend, maybe I'll try them but then it doesn't necessarily work.
for you because what's going on for you comes from a different place. So how do you help people cut through that confusion and find the root cause of what's going on for them? But then also targeting it so that you can help them the most.
Magda Sommer (07:40)
Absolutely.
so-
I always go to the foundation because we are building the house always starting from the ground zero, not from the rooftop, right? And that's how we supposed to approach our own health. Because let's be honest, we do not know our bodies. We don't know nothing about ourself. And this is the first time when we are becoming our best friends. We start understanding what our headache means, what the body symptoms, what they mean, what they meaning.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (08:05)
Yes.
Magda Sommer (08:25)
So we are starting from ⁓ elimination diet, which we learning what your body doesn't love. This is the first step. We need to figure it out what your body doesn't love. We are not the garbage can, but we are stuffing ourselves with everything what is on the shelves. And there is nothing wrong with that because we trust people that anything what will be stored, it will be safe for us. But it's not the case anymore.
So we are starting with the personal nutrition and when I'm working with one-on-one with clients, I always go through the lab work because lab work shows me a lot of things with matching symptoms. And like you mentioned, everyone is different. So I am just guiding you. You will tell me your symptoms and I will guide you what that means. And we are adjusting that constantly.
because you are like an infant in my hands. You don't know what's going on with you. And sometimes like, ⁓ I had headache. My grandma has had a headache or I've had a lot of mucus. My grandfather had that. It's like, but why? Why is that happening to you? And I always encourage people to think, make their own decision because doctors gives always one side of the story. Everything is good. Take it for rest of your life.
I am giving you the right tools, is bad and what is good in this treatment or in this procedure, what we're looking up to for. So health is a journey and I do not expect anyone get better in one week, two weeks, three weeks. Yes, you will feel better. But this is just the beginning of the journey. The understanding that we work our whole life to be in the position where we are right now.
We cannot expect to magically improve our health overnight. So education, understanding, compassion, because it's not just our physical body, it's our stress level, it's our limited beliefs. Every emotion what we have in our life will manifest in some kind of disease if we not deal with that. So there is just combination of body, mind and spirit and the results are amazing.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (10:50)
when we look at what's going on on all those levels and don't just treat the symptoms on a physical level but get to the cause and remember that a problem that's taken 30, 40, 50 years to create isn't going to disappear overnight. Now you called your program Reset Wellness Journey. So what
What does resetting actually mean to you and how's it different from chasing that quick fix? The, just want to be better now. Or the really rigid rules of I've got to do this, this and this to get to feeling better.
Magda Sommer (11:39)
Reset means to me being honest with yourself and taking yourself seriously. Not anymore chasing quick fixes, not bypassing what is for thyroid, what is for that, because this is not... this is quick fix. So reset for me is stopping for a moment and listening what's working, what doesn't working, why I want to be healthy and how I want my rest of the life look like.
And this is the first question when I'm asking my clients, why you are here? Why you want to be healthy? And it sometimes takes even a month to come up with the right answer. It's not the answer that you need specific answer I'm looking for. need you to believe, I need you to go deep because, know, getting beach body or just fit in the dress for a reunion or something like that, it's not a goal. This is quick.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (12:36)
Yeah, that's not what's bad.
Magda Sommer (12:39)
Quick goal to look good on the picture and go back to old habits. Healthy lifestyle is a liberation, it's not limitation. Because when we really enjoy our health, we can do stuff. What other people maybe cannot do this. We can enjoy the bike rides, we can hike, whatever is your dream. Everyone has energy to sit on the couch and watch Netflix, right? But isn't that really life you're dreaming of? So...
Going back to reset. You need to pause, you need to reset and figure out how you want to live. Is your help allow you to live the life you're dreaming of? If not, there is work to do.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (13:23)
Yep. And it takes actually committing to doing that work and you've got to know exactly why you're doing it or you're not going to make those changes. Yeah, you'll do it for a little bit to get to that, to get the beach body. But then as soon as, as soon as the summer's over and you're back to binge watching Netflix and eating all sorts of rubbish food for one of a better.
way to put it, it's all of that work is just going to get undone but if you keep at it the changes that you'll see are really worth it. I know in my house now because we have been eating really healthily but I have one teenage son and it was interesting he's the one who spotted it. He he felt like
McDonald's and we do not do it very often and he came out with the reason why we no longer do it very often because because of how we have been eating and because we have been listening to those signals that our body gives us it doesn't feel good like yes it tastes really good while you're you're eating it but
Magda Sommer (14:43)
This is an
amazing point what you said. It tastes good but it's not good for you. So one point when people do not understand how the food works for us. ⁓ Because when you're constantly eating this bad food, your body adjusts to it. You don't really know how bad you really feel until you start feeling better. When you start eating clean and this is how I teach you know how to go to that point to recognize the bad sign. When you start eating this
you McDonald's or something your body will react. On the beginning you will be feeling great because all the receptors in your brain will light up like Christmas tree but the next day your energy level will be different, you may have headache. There is a lot of things and no one talks about that. That you know this food sensitivity is felt even a couple days later. So we don't associate us with the food.
Who will think that joint pain can come from food? No one thinks about that. Is everyone, oh you have arthritis or you have headache, take Abu Profan. No one thinks that it may come from food. So that was a very great point.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (15:58)
Or that we're surrounded now by toxins that previous generations haven't had as much of that kind of chemical exposure as we have now. And we've gotten used to ignoring the signals that our body gives us. I know read an interesting study that the amount of time that we spend outside has changed drastically.
in last hundred years where people used to 80 % of their waking hours outside.
And since the advent of electricity on large scale that has changed. And it's now on the average we spend less than 2 % of our waking day outside.
Magda Sommer (16:53)
⁓ wow.
I didn't hear the stuff that you said.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (16:55)
And that's on the whole,
there will be lots of people who are outside all the time and people who are never.
Magda Sommer (17:02)
That's scary statistics. It's scary and like, you know, that's why we have epidemic of diabetes. We have the epidemic of deficiency in vitamin Ds because we are nature and we belong to the nature. We are not supposed to sit at home in concrete walls and sit on the couch or computer all the time. This is this is also toxic life. This is also toxic life. Yes.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (17:30)
Yeah, we don't realize we've got neck pain and shoulder pain. It's like, yes, because you've been sitting in one position for a really long time when your body's not designed to do that. Like movement. No.
Magda Sommer (17:43)
And we don't know how to recognize that this is one
thing what I injured my shoulder last year. And I thought I was doing this on kayak or pulling something in my garden. I was so wrong. It was it came from computer and I didn't notice that until I had my friend on her summit. And I just noticed that I'm constantly shaking my hand and that was on that posture. And I will never connect those dots that is related to
sitting in the wrong position for prolonged time I thought that was for my activities because who will said your injury come from sitting and typing right so this is like another level
Sarah Jordan-Ross (18:24)
Because most of us have
our workspaces set up really, really badly. The massage therapist in me who likes ergonomic setups for workspaces, I sometimes see work setups and just go, no, you're gonna hurt yourself. But you're not even going to realize that that's what it is. then movement-wise, so you've got kids. When they were really little,
Magda Sommer (18:30)
Right?
Sarah Jordan-Ross (18:54)
How long would they actually sit still?
Magda Sommer (18:56)
not long. Kids not meant to be still. We're not meant to be still. Move.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (18:57)
No. No. Neither are we. No. Because the
thing is, like a little kid, movement wise if you ever want to know the right way to do something, watch a small child. Because if they go to pick something up, they get close to it, they get down to it, pull it into their body and then roll back up. Not like us silly grown-ups who we drop a pen on the floor and we just...
Magda Sommer (19:11)
Absolutely
Sarah Jordan-Ross (19:26)
lean over and grab it and then wonder why our back hurts. Or if kids are sitting and like they're focusing on on something but they get uncomfortable they'll wriggle and fidget and go back to doing what they were doing. Where us because we've we've forgotten to listen and we don't know any better anymore. Do the I'll finish this email I'll send that report I'll
Magda Sommer (19:30)
that's
Sarah Jordan-Ross (19:53)
Finish off 20 things on the to-do list and then I'll move. All the while your body is screaming at you.
Magda Sommer (19:56)
think we're doing even worse.
I think we're doing even worse. When we have these aching pains from the sitting, let's say that we pick up on sitting people today. yeah, we can do that. So we have these aching pains, instead of start moving, we're sitting more. Because we are getting older. And if I start moving, I will have more injury. And there is a trick. I used to be athletic.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (20:06)
Yeah, we can do that.
Magda Sommer (20:25)
and my brain still thinks I am in my 20s in the best shape of my life. So if I go to the gym, my brain expect me to be exactly where I start. And we need to, when we lose our movement and we become those couch potato, we need to go a bit slow to our movement, to the stretching. And so, but a lot of people thinks I have a pain, I cannot move because it will get worse.
It's absolutely opposite. We need to move this machine again to operate well.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (20:58)
Yes, because it's supposed to be. It is a moving machine. Yeah, and what we put into us, we need to remember that food is just fuel for that machine and we wouldn't drive our car for huge amounts of miles and put the wrong fuel in it. And we wouldn't have it drive, being driven for years and
Magda Sommer (21:03)
Absolutely.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (21:28)
never have it at the mechanic but we do that to our bodies.
Magda Sommer (21:31)
I think with our bodies worse than a car so you will never put like you said the wrongful to your car, you will never leave the junk in the middle of your car or even living room and what is interesting when you're going to mechanic they usually replace the parts somehow in humans we just don't need those parts like you don't need gallbladder, don't need your uterus, you don't need this, you don't need that and it's just like there is wrong this is really wrong
And we need to remember that without those extra parts, what they're removing from us, they have a function in our body. So your body needs to pick up, work somewhere harder to make it as, you know, somehow not strive anymore, survive. Because without your body parts, you're just bypassing, you will never be striving. This is the sad, honest truth.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (22:09)
So something else has to.
Magda Sommer (22:30)
because every single thing what we are born with is needed in us.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (22:36)
Yeah, it has a function and if one part of the body isn't carrying out its function, then somewhere else has to pick up that slack.
Magda Sommer (22:46)
Absolutely.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (22:48)
Yeah. So... On that one. What are some of the practical things that you tell people like? So we've said, check your fuel source, check what you're putting into your body, because not everything is actually good for you. And we've said, make sure you keep moving. Is there any other tips and tricks you...
like to give people because I know lots when you are going through health challenges you try the different diets you try the different supplements you all sorts of different programs and get to a point where you feel like you've tried everything and nothing's worked. What do you think one small thing that people could do to start them on that journey to to wellness?
Magda Sommer (23:36)
Just one thing that will be very hard. I would say stop eating gluten and daily for three weeks. You will see how much energy you will have. There is the one thing and another thing which is fun, is intriguing and which I am known for. Shake your bowel movement, how it looks in your toilet. It's your free tool. You get it everywhere and it shows you.
what's going on with your digestion with your body because if you have a constant diarrhea that means that you're not absorbing the vital minerals and vitamins for your body and this is your fuel those minerals those those vitamins is what you make you so delicious like a soup if you do not have enough salt in your soup it's not so good too much it's not so good it's the same with our body so if you have a loose bowel movement you're not digesting
But if you are going once in the blue moon and you're constipating, that means that you are sitting on toxic bomb. And there is much more we can talk about this subject for hours, but it's always going knowing yourself. you know, so do those two tips. Stop eating dairy and gluten for just three weeks. But I mean completely, not just a little bit here and there, because a little bit is still that poison. So...
Sarah Jordan-Ross (24:57)
and see what it does.
Magda Sommer (25:04)
three weeks and see how you will feel and check your bowel movement, check it consistency, check the color. I would love to talk about this more, but you know, maybe you can join my challenge sometimes so we can, there's whole day prepared just for that topic. But it's hard to point one thing, but one thing is stop doing something because you want to new results. You need to stop doing something and start doing something new.
So please, dairy and gluten, just three weeks.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (25:35)
Yep. Because it all starts with the gut. that's new thing that we are learning more and more is that our gut is like our second brain. Although sometimes I think a lot of neurotransmitters, etc. are made in the gut. So that's when your gut's not functioning properly, then it is going to have that knock-on effect on the rest of your system.
Magda Sommer (26:02)
rest of your system not just the brain it's women in perimenopause, menopause you know there is a lot of going on if comes to estrogen in our guts so taking care of your digestions your guts is always step one with anything even if comes to your anxiety level, depression the connection between guts and brain is huge
Sarah Jordan-Ross (26:04)
Yeah.
And I'm so glad that my show is called Taboo Talk. means we can talk about anything we want and that includes bowel movements.
On that one, is there anything specific that we should be looking for that will tell us when we are healthy?
Magda Sommer (26:48)
Oh, yes, there is a seven types of bowel movement and we will not go through all of them. But when we are looking tabu-caplica in my element right now, right? So we are looking for the long sausage shapes, which you don't need to, you know, sit on toilet long. It's not supposed to float. It should sink slowly on the bottom of your toilet. And we need to go to the bathroom daily. And the best is the three times a day.
First, know, shortly after we wake up and after each big meal. There is the idea. But you know, if you're going ⁓ to the bathroom, not that often there is something to do. We need to check what's going on. Can be, you know, your hormonal problems. Can be something what you're eating, can be stress. There is a lot of things. But also one more thing which is very important is the transit time of our bowel movement.
Because believe it or not, even if you're going to the bathroom every day, it doesn't mean this is yesterday dinner. And the ideal transit time is 24 hours. But you know, let's get bit little between 19 and 30. Let's say this one, because let not be in 24 is very strict, right? But this is what we're looking for. And working with ladies, some of them, I have the records even 80 hours.
80 hours of sitting on the toxic bomb. And they didn't know about that because they were going to the bathroom on regular basis. So we check it, we measure it and you know, that's give us a lot of clues. What's going on with your body? It's silly, but somehow everyone enjoy this talk and it's really life saving because when I was a teenager, I used to play basketball.
And my friend complained to his mom that his bowel movement is black. She took him to emergency room and still now he get the bleeding from a finger. He get ulcers in the upper digestive system. It wasn't in stomach. I think it was duodenal. So basically that he share with his mom saved his life. He was so anemic because he lost so much blood and just simple clue staring.
and the Bauer movement, something was up. So it's funny, everyone's intrigued about that, no one wants to talk about that, and everyone is doing that, but it's really ⁓ great information if it comes to our house.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (29:25)
it gives us a very visual sign of what's going on and yeah the when it doesn't look right you should probably get it checked out because it may be nothing but it could be like with your friend it could be very very serious if he hadn't have gotten it checked when he did that could have that story could have had a very very different outcome
Magda Sommer (29:42)
Could be something.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (29:57)
So I suppose that's one little takeaway from today. Pooh's important.
Magda Sommer (30:00)
That's very
important! Shake your toilet every single day!
Sarah Jordan-Ross (30:06)
Yes. Okay. Now in the Shine Circle you've been doing some work on busting myths. So what's your favourite health myth that you like to bust wide open and go, yeah that's not true?
Magda Sommer (30:25)
All of them. All of them. I think my favorite is the cholesterol. I think, you know... No, we need cholesterol to live, to think, you know, to protect our heart and so definitely more of the meat, which I was speaking yesterday actually about that and lab work that it's normal, but you still not feel good. So there is not just one. There is like...
Sarah Jordan-Ross (30:32)
It's bad, isn't it?
Magda Sommer (30:53)
one after another, another is just wait a minute, one more thing, one more thing. ⁓ So, but I think why cholesterol? Because basically there is no studies showing that the cholesterol caused any heart diseases. Actually they did, they examined the so-called cholesterol plaque, this arteriosclerosis and there they didn't find any cholesterol in it. They found different substances.
but not a cholesterol. So basically the western medicine invented the cholesterol disease. there is no illness. You are sick on cholesterol, which is ridiculous. Holesterol is needed and there is a study which exactly showing that people with the lower level of cholesterol, their lifespan is shorter. The people with lower level of cholesterol were more prone to heart diseases and strokes.
So and they're constantly lowering those levels of cholesterol and without any data. It's just basically to put people on statins which is an entry drug because after that you may develop diabetes, high blood pressure, so it's basically your entry point to the medical system which is not to keep you healthy, it's to you dependable on the medication for rest of your life.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (32:20)
And that's the interesting thing. We don't have a health care system, we have a sick care system. It's all designed on the, you're sick, so we'll give you a pill or we'll do surgery, because we can do that and then create that dependence on the medication or on the system. And, eh, sorry, you go.
Magda Sommer (32:44)
I think the biggest
thing is just make me angry. Let's be honest, makes me angry. When I don't know how it's in Australia, but in the United States, the first thing what the doctors need to ask you is are you sad? It's nothing bring you a joy in life because they want to put you on antidepressants. And a lot of women with that thyroid problems, they're just tired, exhausted.
A lot of women have iron deficiency without knowing that because there is a different lab work to check it and they are put on the antidepressants. There is also, you know, just perimenopausal women. We have problems with hormone havoc, not with depression. And we don't need those medications to block our frontal lobe. It's not...
Sarah Jordan-Ross (33:36)
We need
our hormones taken care of.
Magda Sommer (33:38)
And not you know, and who like nurse will decide even about my mental state? It's not right. They're not even training that and those medications are addictive They are addictive. It's not just like you can go off them all of sudden
Sarah Jordan-Ross (33:55)
the thing with a lot of medications don't get me wrong in some instances they have their place but being on them long term if that's not what's really going on or without looking at other alternatives can be dangerous or if you get to a point where you want to come off those medications because
whatever you went on them for is no longer an issue because you've done other work. You still need to be mindful of getting those things out of your body because your body has adapted to having those on board and if you just suddenly take it away your system gets...
Magda Sommer (34:41)
It's also common sense. Like I said, some of medications are really needed. Some of our chronic diseases are just our lifestyle. And if changing lifestyle, it will reverse that. But common sense is like, you know, sodium intake. Sodium intake has nothing to do with our blood pressure.
we need the first thing when you are dehydrated or you're going you know to the hospital they're giving you ⁓ the sodium in your veins right this physiological ⁓ salt so why all of sudden sodium should kill you so about blood pressure about blood pressure right your body will do everything to keep you alive so obviously the blood needs to pump somewhere for a reason to some organs
and getting those drugs you are lowering this and your body still will fight for it to get this blood to the place that needs to go. And what happens with the blood ⁓ pressure medication? You're getting this one pill, your body lowers this but your body is fighting to survive and get your blood pressure up again.
you're getting another prescription, another prescription. And after you're taking three prescriptions, your chances of getting stroke are higher than not taking any of this medication. So there is a lifestyle, there is stress management, is food, there is a lot of like massage therapy, adjusting your spine. Everything is ⁓ a reason why your blood pressure can be higher.
sedentary lifestyle. The medication is not the answer. It's a bypassing masking the symptoms. And don't get me wrong, if it to acute care with an accident, go to hospital, we are in good hands. But if it comes to our lifestyle and managing that, there is a better way. There is a better way.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (36:55)
I Western medicine is great for acute problems but when it comes to chronic illness they're not as good at that.
Probably because it can't be that one size fits all simple answer because what's going to work for each person is different.
Magda Sommer (37:14)
But there is huge pushback and especially when people get really sick and need chemotherapy, I need to rest, they push to get chemotherapy, radiation and it's scary moment and we as a human, we need to surrender someone. So we are scared at that moment, but also we have pressure from family who are scared to lose us. So they pushing us, doctor pushing us as soon as possible, go to this chemo, go to this radiation, this is prolong your life.
No one's speaking about quality of life, right? No one. So there is a pressure and the journey can be lonely. The journey can be lonely because all of a sudden you believe in the system. I was that one too. I believed in doctors and all of sudden, know, holy crap, this is not true. Everything doesn't make sense anymore. And you feel lonely because you are on the journey alone, trying to find something that works for you.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (37:50)
it's important.
Magda Sommer (38:14)
which is difficult because the alternative modalities is a millions of them. You need to find the one which works for you. What may not work for me may not work for you. That's why I think it's very important to know about it. What is telling you? Where is your liver? And you know, we don't know. We know where we have spare tire in our car, but we have no idea where is our liver, right? So there is something wrong with this picture.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (38:37)
Yeah.
Magda Sommer (38:42)
I always said even I need a health coach because I have blind spot too. I'm busy. What I spot in the ladies with what I work with I may not see in myself. So sometimes we need to have this 3D review and check. ⁓ I think that maybe that or something. So I always encourage find someone who you trust have an open conversation because no one knows everything have an open conversation find something work for you.
You need someone who will hold you on this journey, before you and kept you accountable all the time. Because we have all habits for all our lives and we're expecting to be perfect on first get go, right? It doesn't work. I wish it's that way. We have those habits for decades and those who are screwing us up.
So that's why I this journey because you it's not linear you're getting better or ⁓ I feel great I'm going for the old habits and you're going back and back and every time you're getting better and better and my advice is start now when you have nothing to worry about because when you have your label your disease and I hope this is not any serious disease then you have to do this and there is no joke there is serious job
Sarah Jordan-Ross (40:07)
And if you don't make time now for your wellness and to listen to your body and start giving it what it needs because our bodies are really great at healing when they're given what they need to thrive. Yeah and if you don't make the time to pay attention to that
Magda Sommer (40:24)
when we just interfere.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (40:31)
Those little whispers, those little niggly aches and pains, they're going to turn into something bigger that needs attention and then you really will have to make time for it. start listening to the whispers and then your body doesn't have to yell at you.
And I'll definitely agree. Don't walk the road by yourself. Find your tribe, find your community, because we are meant to do life in community and sadly that is something that we have lost a little bit along the way.
So what would you say that community, in terms of health, like you said, you need a coach and you need those people around you. What kind of difference have you seen like community making in that healing journey?
Magda Sommer (41:10)
There is no
Community
is everything. Community is everything. In my inner circle I just noticed this a lot. Like one of my clients last year, she has this great idea to lose 40 pounds by her 70th birthday in four months. It was challenging and what community did to her, we held her accountable constantly. And I always said, there is always someone in your family, in your surrounding who will sabotage you. And...
It's always like that. There is a friend who wants to all of sudden vent and bring the bottle of wine. There is a neighbor who have a cake. There is a spouse. There is always someone. And in her case was always that, you know, everyone ask her how long you will be doing that. Are you probably starving? There was always were questions with negativity. She reached her goal. She wasn't starving. She actually was eating much more than on the regular basis, just different food. And so community is something
what you need to keep yourself on the goal. If you are surrounded by the women ⁓ from different backgrounds but we have the same goal, healthy lifestyle, live the life we dream of with perfect health, with joy, vitality, you becoming that person because we hold each other up and we are the average of five people we are surrender to each other.
So if you are surrendered for five people who are moving and eating healthy, you have no choice. You need to drag your behind and join them. When you have five people who sit and watch Netflix all the time, you have no choice. Either you walk alone or you just sit with them and eat the chips. So community is important and I love, know, health is a serious topic. I like to make it...
Sarah Jordan-Ross (43:07)
You're gonna...
Magda Sommer (43:21)
less serious, more adventurous, more fun. like I said, even with poop, everyone does it, no one talks about it. And everyone laughs at that when I start talking about that. So this is just one example. And keeping that simple. I don't have time learning about technology, all this stuff, all the terminology scares me. I love medicine. Other people have no idea about, ⁓ you know, those ⁓
hard words to pronounce. I cannot pronounce them, so I make it easy. I make it, you know, more easier to understand with different analogy. And we have fun. We're doing like tinctures, we're sharing meals. And my lady always keep me on my toes if they work on some goals because they always send me some shiny guns and to check on me if I'm checking on them, you know, like fun, like I'm just eating.
Just lemon or maybe sending me picture with diet coke and I was like, yes You are prankster and I love it. The community is something will what keep you not just accountable you finding like-minded people and it's easier
Sarah Jordan-Ross (44:35)
And they will see things that you don't. I know as somebody like you who works in this field, it is way easier to see what's going on with somebody else than it is yourself. So if somebody else was to come to you with exactly the same symptoms as you've got, you know exactly what to do for them. But because it's you, it's like, yeah, I can't see that.
Magda Sommer (44:49)
Absolutely.
It's even that if you are not feeling good, you don't think logically, you don't know where to pinpoint. So like I said, the person on the side who can connect those dots when you're not feeling very well is priceless. Because like I said, I need coach as well because sometimes I like when I don't feel good and it's like, maybe that, maybe that or maybe that. So someone needs to stop me because I need to start, you know, spiraling.
So I think everyone needs a not just health coach, someone who, you know, depends what you're working on. And if you're working on your health, you need, I think you need a coach who'll keep you accountable, who will pinpoint your excuses because we have them all.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (45:45)
the... it's raining I don't want to go for a walk so do something inside but yeah sorry
Magda Sommer (45:54)
There is always not today,
tomorrow. I deserve this cake. This is another thing why we need to deserve something.
Why we need to deserve something, It's our right to be healthy. It's our right. You don't need to reward yourself, especially why you want to reward yourself with bad things.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (46:02)
Yes.
Yes. Because yeah, it might feel good in the minute, but the long-term effects aren't worth it.
Magda Sommer (46:18)
But we all humans,
we all humans once in a while, I don't have any problem with that. But you need to be honest with yourself. Why are you doing this? What is your goal doing that? Because sometimes, especially women, we are going through eating our emotions. Because we're looking for this dopamine fix, the serotonin fix. And when we are upset or tired, it's easier to literally...
grab some starchy food or candy. It doesn't need to be really candy, can be the pasta. It can be the pasta who just raise your glucose level and your brain will be happy for a second. You will get this comfort. So this is all about knowing the body, but it is. And we women making these mistakes a lot, we deserve it. We deserve wine, we deserve ice cream, we deserve that. And this is just exclusive.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (47:12)
We deserve to feel
good.
Magda Sommer (47:14)
We deserve to feel good, exactly. And there is the question, is the stuff what you're putting in your precious house in the body is worth it? You're not a trash can. You're not enough.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (47:26)
And we need to remember as we get older that some of those things are going to affect us much more than they did once upon a time because we've got that cumulative effect of having been putting rubbish in our bodies for a long time or you might notice it more like I know for myself way back in my 20s and 30s
I could go out dancing and drinking till 3 o'clock in the morning and still be fine for work the next day.
I haven't been able to do that for a while now and even if I do go somewhere I might have one glass of wine but I'm not going to have any more than that because I now know the recovery time simply isn't worth it.
Magda Sommer (48:16)
This is absolutely fantastic topic and usually it hits us after four years and because then our hormones start fluctuating and all the mini traumas, all the traumas from our life is showing in perimenopausal age. It's like we don't have this buffer anymore, our estrogen doesn't protect us anymore and we have the smooth swings, we don't give a...
Sarah Jordan-Ross (48:26)
Yes.
Nope.
Magda Sommer (48:44)
damn if you know what I mean because we don't we're basically turning into men which is super weird but it's serious transition and I am almost 50 and for a long time I just couldn't pick up that I have perimenopausal symptoms I had a bad practitioner because you know I checked my hormones and she assured me that I'm fine so I was like yeah but connecting that as backward
I already back six years ago, I already start having those symptoms which I didn't connect. And I was preparing some class and I was reading and reading something about the menopause and perimenopause and I start laughing like really hard and like, ⁓ my God, just the knowledge from book hit me in my face. I was like, how I couldn't connect those dots, right?
Sarah Jordan-Ross (49:34)
Yep. See?
Magda Sommer (49:38)
So there's the recovery time. I was beating myself up and I cannot keep up with the stuff. It was easy for me. Why all of sudden everything is so overwhelming? Why all of sudden I'm starting World War III about the trash can? Why I'm crying over the spilled coffee? It was like, what's going on? And...
Sarah Jordan-Ross (50:01)
Yes, why
are those little things that normally wouldn't bother me annoying the crap out of me? Or you ask something, it's just like... ⁓
Magda Sommer (50:04)
Yes, why I cannot learn? Why
I need to recover two days when I can do this in one hour? ⁓
Sarah Jordan-Ross (50:15)
Perimenopause sucks by the way if you aren't there yet. Be prepared, it's not fun.
Magda Sommer (50:20)
it's sad.
It's not fun and you know, train your men really well before so he knows because it's not easy for them as well. And sometimes it's like we don't recognize who we are anymore because it's crazy, right? Sometimes. But it is and it is we because society tell us keep going, keep going, keep going.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (50:27)
Yeah.
No.
Magda Sommer (50:44)
And in my case was, you know, my son grew up and all of sudden I wake up, I want something different in my life. Now what? But I want to do this with the same speed and stamina when I was younger. And I was beating myself up. When I finally connect the dots, I just relax and said, OK, this is new. This is new chapter in my life. I will never be 20. I need to adjust.
I need to adjust and make it easy. This is time to be wise. We have our time, reproductive years to have a children and be active and caring for everyone else. Now it's time to be wise and do it differently because you cannot outsmart your body. If your body telling you stop, you just cannot keep going because you crash completely.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (51:37)
Such a great conversation that one. The wisdom that perimenopause can bring and the clarity that it can bring as well when we learn those lessons.
Magda Sommer (51:53)
Absolutely, like I always said, PMS is a little sister of perimenophiles.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (51:58)
I had perimenopo- I
can't remember where I saw it, but it's great thing that it's like, yeah, you've gotta be- it was this little boy talking about it. He says, you've gotta be nice to my mum at the minute because she's going through cougar puberty. It's like, I had to stop- it's like, yep, so all of those things that we went through at puberty, and now we're doing them.
again so please be kind to us we don't mean to fly off the handle we don't mean to be mean we're also having the yeah right now i've got enough of my own issues i really don't care about yours
Magda Sommer (52:37)
So I think every woman who is doing any crime during Perina Pass should be clear all of the charges. Period.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (52:48)
I cannot be held responsible for
Magda Sommer (52:50)
Absolutely not!
Sarah Jordan-Ross (52:52)
At the moment I cannot be held responsible for what comes out of my mouth because I used to think it was just my my childhood doesn't have a sensitivity filter. I'm beginning to realize mine's a bit on the fritz at the minute too.
Magda Sommer (52:57)
Absolutely.
No, we
are losing this bumper between our tongue and brain at that age. But we are just laughing at that because I know not everyone talks about that, but we are going through it. And if anyone hear this and think if you're not getting angry during perimenopause, I want to know your secret because we have those. We have those. We go.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (53:09)
Yes.
Yes.
And if you're not getting that sudden, I'm really angry about something and I want to do something about it.
Magda Sommer (53:40)
You know the funny story. There is a kitchen behind this wall and I was preparing some class and doing something and I find myself getting really aggravated because my partner was making coffee too loud and I just start observing myself and say why I'm getting so angry and I start laughing. I was this is crazy. This is really crazy what the hormones can do with us and it's like literally he's making coffee too loud.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (54:09)
Where if you weren't in that hormone induced craziness you'd be like He's just making coffee while you're there make me one
Magda Sommer (54:22)
Yes, but you know, I just catch myself as like I feel that the tensions coming and was like what's going on? What aggravates me? I pause for a second and I was just like he's making coffee too loud. That's silly. Why does it even bother me, right? But this is what the hormones doing to us. It was just way out of work. And we are when we adding sugar on top of this we are making this even worse.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (54:48)
And usually my last question for everyone, but I think we've already covered it, the conversation that we really should be having. And I'm thinking we've covered a couple of them today in the, we really should be talking about perimenopause because it's something that a lot of us are struggling with and it is something that doesn't get spoken about enough. talking about poop is never a bad thing.
Magda Sommer (55:15)
No, absolutely not. I am delighted to speak about that.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (55:17)
you
We talk about our kids bowel movements when when they're babies. ⁓
Magda Sommer (55:27)
And if they not, we are running to the doctor.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (55:30)
Yeah, it's that, ⁓ something's not right. Why do we forget along the way that that's how it works?
Magda Sommer (55:39)
Actually, I'm trying to get to the bottom of this taboo and I don't know because everyone laughs at joke about the poop. Everyone pretends to be disgusted. But we all have animals, well, most of us, and we clean after them. I hope so, we pick up after them. We clean our own butt, but we don't want to talk about that. it's weird. It's like we are talking about stuff we shouldn't talk because they're supposed to be inappropriate, they're not anymore.
But we are afraid to talk about how much menstruation is too much, what is heavy period, what is our bowel movement. And those are stuff we really need to know.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (56:19)
because if we don't talk about them we don't know what's what's normal what's not we don't and we end up in that fear space of ⁓ what's going on is that how it should be whereas if we had those conversations and like we've done today the getting angry for no no good reason yeah your perimenopausal there's a very good reason
Magda Sommer (56:47)
Absolutely
Sarah Jordan-Ross (56:49)
So yeah, and.
Magda Sommer (56:50)
But Sarah the one thing what I really want to make big highlight on it that Learning about your body and about the symptoms is your power because when you're going to the doctor You're not clueless anymore. You're not scared They're really the worst part is going to the doctor and finding out and I know that fear
And a lot of people have this fear. I know people who said, I will not go to the doctor because they will find something. This is the fear. And we destroy what we do not understand because we don't value something we don't understand. We don't understand our bodies. And then we are scared. Because you're scared because you don't know nothing about yourself. Literally nothing. Besides that you have 10 fingers, 10 toes, and heart and a few body parts.
We have no idea what they're doing to us, how we work together in synchrony, because if your thyroid is sick, rest of your body is sick as well, because your thyroid is not separate organ. It's connected to your brain, it's connected to everything. So educate yourself, find someone who makes it easy. I would love to have you in my community, but education...
And knowing what's going on is a big key because you are more empowered. You are not scared. You're not running to the doctor with little booboo because you know how to help yourself.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (58:24)
And that I think is the perfect note for us to close on. the arm yourself with not just knowledge but with wisdom and learning to understand your body and what it's trying to tell you. And have those conversations with other people so you can...
Yes, gain that knowledge, but also have that connection that can hold you accountable to taking care of your health and to living that best life that you can. yet that education too, there is so much information out there. Do your own research and find
Find those solutions that work for you.
Magda Sommer (59:18)
Exactly for you because we are unique you have different DNA. I have the different DNA. So why all the sudden the same? Therapy the same modality will work for you We are unique and we need to know what is work for us There is only way with this toxic world to keep your body in optimal level Keep your detoxification pathways open that you can control. You cannot control air you cannot
control the food supply what is in the store. You cannot control that but you can control what you're putting into your mouth, how you're thinking, how you're moving. This is your power. Do not outsource this to someone else.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (59:58)
So hold on to your power. Now if you've ever been in that situation where you've been lost with all of the different health advice and you've doubted your body or felt like you'll never get it right, I hope that this conversation has been a breath of fresh air and reminds you that progress over perfection and yeah, have those conversations.
Learn what it is that your body is telling you. Reach out to a health coach who will help you. Now, I will put Magda's contact details in the show notes, but she's pretty easy to find on Facebook and several other places. Just look up Reset Wellness.
Magda Sommer (1:00:46)
Have a nice day!
Sarah Jordan-Ross (1:00:48)
And I want to thank you so much for being here with us today and for the work that you're doing.
Magda Sommer (1:00:51)
you, guys.
Thank you so much, Sarah, for having me. That was an honor, an absolutely amazing conversation, and I hope everyone finds some nuggets in that.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (1:01:05)
Yes.
I am loving that I just get to hang out with my friends who say all sorts of amazing things and that we're starting to have those conversations about the things that we're told we shouldn't talk about because really those conversations, those stories, they're the things that move us forward that help to cut through all the noise and the confusion.
and help us to feel a little less alone on our journey. It's a hard enough road to walk, you don't need to do it alone. So find those people that will help you on your journey.
This has been Taboo Talk with Sarah and I want everyone to remember until next time that your story matters so share it because you never know your story might be the thing that changes somebody else's. Magda thank you again for having been with us and for sharing all your golden gems of wisdom.
giving me an excuse to gross out my kids with the... Yep, I spent a whole hour talking about poop.
Magda Sommer (1:02:27)
Thank you one more time for having me.