This is how it all started…

Years ago, 17 year old me wondered why I suddenly experienced extreme difficulty doing activities I did easily for years. Tennis, ballet, and swimming became challenging when I had to stop every five minutes due to feeling out of breath, in pain, or extremely dizzy. Little did I know, these weren’t temporary issues, and I would soon embark on a journey that perplexed me for the next 8 years.

My problems followed me through college, where I struggled to keep up in my dance minor, take tests at a regular speed, retain information, stay awake during lectures, and more. In 2021, I finally received my first diagnosis: POTS. From there, I continued to acquire them like infinity stones: EDS, Narcolepsy, and finally FND (Functional Neurological Disorder). These brought my tally up to 4 disorders! Sounds pretty overwhelming, right? It certainly was, especially when all I heard from doctors was “This is just something you’re going to have to learn to live with,” “You’ll need to be on this medication for life,” and “It is chronic, but your symptoms can be managed.” Still, something within me refused to accept these comments as reality. I could still faintly recall what my life was like before chronic illness… and if I was functioning properly before, I could do so again, right? I am so glad I held on to that belief and didn’t give up. Today, I no longer consider myself chronically ill! (Don’t worry, I’ll break all that down later).

That, my friends, is what brings us to the present, the whole reason for this blog: Getting your body back to its prior state is not all that is possible. I’m here to tell you that you can function even better than you did before. Good nutrition, exercise, and sleep habits have their place (and we will definitely talk about them!) but total health optimization starts with harnessing the power of your beautiful brain.

Welcome to the blog! I am so thrilled you’re here.

No matter where you are starting from, get excited: let’s build you a better brain.

Bridget Hooks