Laura Wheeler: From Misdiagnosed to Empowered- Healing Her Gut and Reclaiming Her Life

For years, Laura Wheeler battled chronic symptoms, only to be told it was “just allergies” or that her labs looked fine. But deep down, she knew something wasn’t right. In this powerful episode of Raise the Anchor, Laura shares how she uncovered the root cause: her gut and took her healing into her own hands.

From misdiagnosis to full-body restoration, Laura opens up about the steps she took to support her digestive health, the mindset shift that changed everything, and how a product line from the MLM Amare played a key role in her journey. If you've ever felt dismissed or stuck in your health journey, this is a story you don’t want to miss.

We talk about:

• Listening to your body when doctors won’t
• Gut health and emotional well-being
• Healing through natural products and perseverance
• What to look for in gut-supportive supplements
• The power of community in wellness journeys

✨ Tune in and let Laura’s story remind you: you’re not crazy—you’re intuitive.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Welcome to Raise the Anchor, the podcast that explores what happens when we stop drifting and start choosing. I'm your host, Melissa Burbridge, and each week we dive into real, raw stories of transformation, moments when people dared to raise the anchor and change course. Whether you're navigating chronic illness, burnout, big life pivot, or healing from the inside out, you'll find inspiration and truth here on Raise the Anchor. This is your space for honesty, hope, and the courage to begin again. Let's raise the anchor and set your course. This episode is sponsored by Capture Photography, headshots for people who hate having their photos taken. Today on the show, we're going to have Laura Wheeler. She's a mother of two, an inspiration for a lot of women who have gut health issues. She's a teacher, and she's a leader with Amare Global Products. Welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_02: 1:00

Thanks, Melissa. I'm glad to be here.

SPEAKER_01: 1:02

I'm glad to have you here. It's been a few months that I've known you, and you've actually transformed my life a little. So I'm excited to share that journey with other people. So what was the moment you realized something in your life had to change? Well,

SPEAKER_02: 1:18

there's a bit of a backstory there, right? And I think for a lot of us, things build up over time and we're not even really aware that that's what's happening. And I think that's what was happening for me. So if I rewind to my 20s, I was trying to approach my health from a place of like weight loss and working out real hard and changing my body that way. Wasn't really working for me, but that was sort of my approach to health at the time. And then in my early 30s, I was introduced to kind of more a holistic approach to health. And that really spoke to me. It really excited me. And it led me on a journey of trying to improve my energy and my body just, you know, through a more holistic approach with nutrition and lifestyle and that type of thing, which worked for a little while. And I did feel well. But then I started having all of these really weird symptoms coming into my world that I couldn't explain. I couldn't and figure out what was causing them and as you said I've had a transformation in my gut health and it turns out that the root of all of my symptoms and all of my troubles were in my gut and it took me a really long time to realize that so That was the changing moment for me was when I realized there was a root cause to all of the symptoms that I was suffering with. And that's really, yeah, that was the turning point.

SPEAKER_01: 2:45

And for some of those who might not know what those symptoms look like, what was that journey? What was the, were you going to the doctors every week? Were you going for tests? What was that journey for you?

SPEAKER_02: 2:56

Yeah, thanks. So started off, I thought that I could probably just like figure this out on my own with this like nutrition maybe but my symptoms were I was getting like reactive to different foods and I couldn't really figure out why normal healthy foods like apples and peaches and plums and things like that and I was having a lot of like oral cankers and acne and a lot of inflammation in my body and I really couldn't get to the root of it my doctor said oh that's just oral allergy syndrome you can just avoid those foods for the rest of your life basically and And I was like,

SPEAKER_01: 3:35

well. I'm only laughing because working in the health care field, that's a typical doctor response. They tend to diagnose the symptom and not the root cause. Don't shoot me, doctors. But that is what I find because health care in Canada is so overburdened that that's all they really have time for. So going to an alternative doctor is usually like another route for you. So how do you feel with your doctor now?

SPEAKER_02: 4:03

I mean she would be great if I really needed her for an acute reason but as for like systemic like symptomatic things like she really just was looking very much at the surface level and again just told me to avoid the foods that were causing the issues I pushed it a little bit and she did give me some blood work and it all came back fine so that was case dismissed kind of thing I got some referrals to allergists but I knew that that wasn't really going to be the solution So I did have to go a different route and I ended up seeing a really great practitioner who had an interesting view on things because her background is in nursing and she is a nurse practitioner, but she's also a traditional Chinese medicine doctor because of her own health struggles that she experienced and realized that she wasn't getting to the root of her issues in the traditional system. So seeing her, she helped me realize how closely medicine my gut health was related to all of these symptoms that I was experiencing and led me down a better path.

SPEAKER_01: 5:09

I love that. I love that she dug down to the root. That's one of my strengths too, is going down to the root and going up so that we're not just dealing with your canker sores or your nausea or anything else that's going on. You were probably losing your hair at the time because that's one of our first things that we lose in health situations. So she helped you figure out that it was your gut. So what was your goal from there? And what work did you have to do from there?

SPEAKER_02: 5:39

Yeah, so my goal was really to, you know, heal myself from my symptoms, I really wanted to be able to enjoy foods freely and enjoy social situations. That was becoming a big issue for me, I was feeling like a pain and a pest in a lot of situations with all of these dietary restrictions. So that was something that I really wanted to change for myself.

SPEAKER_01: 6:04

Yeah. So a busy mom of two. Yes. Lots of sports because your kids are in sports. Your son's into like big time soccer. Oh yeah. You're a teacher so you're people facing all the time. And now you have these health issues and you're not wanting to go to social events. Was there a specific fear or belief that held you back before this turning point of healing your gut?

SPEAKER_02: 6:28

Well, there was actually. So part of my health journey, I partnered with a health company and I really thought that I had all the answers and solutions with their really great products. They make excellent vitamins and supplements and I learned a lot about how that nutrition impacts my body. So I had this belief that I was already doing and taking the right things and that, yeah, that it was something kind of outside of what I could do for myself. So I really had to let that one go for sure as the turning point to seeing that there was this root cause. And, you know, I mean... Network marketing, sometimes the mindset in there is that there's only one lane, and if you ever look or stray outside of that lane, that that is a negative in some way. So I think that was a real limiting belief that I had to let go of in order to heal and thrive in a new way.

SPEAKER_01: 7:29

So how did you overcome? So now you're thriving.

SPEAKER_02: 7:33

You're

SPEAKER_01: 7:34

still in network marketing. You're still a teacher. Very busy. I don't know how you do it all. At all. You found another network marketing company that kind of helped you grow outside of the regular limits of your current network marketing at that time. So how did you overcome that?

SPEAKER_02: 7:52

Well, thankfully, I had just recently discovered that the root issue was in my gut, and I was working with a practitioner making some slow progress. And then this company comes into my world, another network marketing company with a focus on gut health, and it just felt like a really excellent match for me. I loved it. love this industry. I love the community and the support, the motivation, the personal development that comes from this. And you say I'm a busy mom who does it all. And I am, but it's also because I've got freedom worked into my life now in network marketing. So I only teach part time. So that's how I do it all. Well,

SPEAKER_01: 8:30

that's kind of nice. Teaching part time is pretty cool. But these products really do work. You set me up for a reboot. Yes. Which was funny because I was like it has to be in my gut if I'm going to start this anti-inflammatory I got to start from the gut up and I only know that from working in the healthcare system that every root cause a lot of times is in your gut so hearing about Amari was quite eye opening and I just posted that I was going to start the anti-inflammatory diet and you said hey why don't you try this and it really was really hard those three days not going to lie I'm a coffee addict so having no coffee and limitation on food being celiac even restricted even more so trying to come up with those ideas was hard but I felt so amazing after those three days and the happy juice it's not alcohol just gonna let that out there because anytime at work I say I'm having happy juice they're like drinking on the job that's not very professional but the products really work so was that helpful in moving you forward or was that just like that pivotal moment that, okay, I'm on the right track. I can be healthy. I can do it all again.

SPEAKER_02: 9:45

Yeah, it was kind of a combination of those things. So I started trying the products and I noticed almost, you know, within days like yourself that I was noticing improvements and I did kind of think it was just a placebo and I was like, yeah, yeah, no way. But it's really true that you can like influence your gut healing with the specific types of probiotics. So that's really the science there and that's why you felt so great and that's why i felt so great and i have been able to heal um some of those leaky gut symptoms that i was experiencing that were creating some really you know debilitating problems in my life

SPEAKER_00: 10:24

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SPEAKER_01: 11:22

And how did your support system or lack of support system shape your transformation going forward with this mission?

SPEAKER_02: 11:30

Well thankfully one of the great things about this industry is there's sort of a built-in support system so I've always felt very supported in my health journey outside of the medical system but within my own community and network and I think that's one of the beautiful things that you're doing here with this community that you're growing is providing that space for people because I think that is such And

SPEAKER_01: 11:56

with your typical network marketing, you're supposed to be harassing your family and your friends. Amari is a little different. It's more of a sisterhood. I know there are some men in there, but it's more of a sisterhood. You're not reaching out to... or harassing all of your neighbors. That's the only thing I didn't like about network marketing is I always felt like I was harassing my family. But with Amari, you don't. So tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_02: 12:22

Yeah, it's really different here in that regard as well. So our company and specifically the team that we're part of really leans into attraction marketing and offering a solution for people so that they want that solution from you as opposed to you going out and knocking on your friends' and neighbors' doors because it may not be a solution for your friends and neighbors. It's going to be a solution for some people. You and I didn't even know each other, but that's what the beauty of social media and making friends online and connecting with others who really have something in common. And whether that's a shared success or a shared struggle, I think that there's space to grow without having to market right to our direct friends and family.

SPEAKER_01: 13:06

And having that little seed of commonality gives you more of a support system to grow with, which is nice because then you have something to relate to as you go forward. If you could go back and speak to yourself before this life-changing moment, before your gut healing mission happened, what would you say?

SPEAKER_02: 13:26

I would tell myself to just open my mind a little bit more to some of the things that could be helpful for me. So not be so narrow-minded and thinking that I know the way already. No,

SPEAKER_01: 13:40

I like that. I like that. What habits or mindsets have you let go of since your transformation? Oh,

SPEAKER_02: 13:45

yeah, that's a good one. So habits, I still love coffee, but I have let go of my needing to drink coffee first thing in the morning habit. I know that was really a trigger for me for sure so you don't have to give up your coffee but you just adjust the way that you have it so you know you have it with your breakfast or a little later in the day so that was one habit that I changed and a mindset that I changed was just really in knowing that this is possible for me and for other people too

SPEAKER_01: 14:16

well I think I'm gonna have to take your advice on the coffee thing because I still I wait my 30 to 60 minutes in the morning because I don't want my cortisol to spike because within the first night that's when your cortisol spikes the most. So I do like eat and then have my coffee, but I think I'm gonna switch it up and have the happy juice, especially lately where, Healthcare is so stressful. My work is a little extra. Lately I'm finding I'm having that second and third coffee more frequently. So maybe I'll give your thing a try and I'll report back to you guys on it. What unexpected lessons came from your experience, good or bad?

SPEAKER_02: 14:55

Oh gosh, unexpected lessons. Well, I wasn't expecting it to be rooted in my gut and it to be something like that. So that was really unexpected for me. But I've learned that I truly believe anybody can heal from just about anything. I think the body is really powerful and miraculous. And given the right tools and supports, we can really heal and feel a lot better. I

SPEAKER_01: 15:22

like that. How do you stay anchored now as you even keep moving forward?

SPEAKER_02: 15:28

Well, I anchor in knowing that the work that I do is making an impact and serving people and helping people feel well. That helps me continue to treat myself well because I know that that's part of how I can help and serve others.

SPEAKER_01: 15:44

And it is so helpful helping people heal. You're not selling them anything that's not going to be of disadvantage to them. You're helping something that's going to help them get their life back that they're currently not being able to enjoy. What advice would you give to someone who knows they need a change, but they feel stuck or afraid in doing that change?

SPEAKER_02: 16:08

Well, you know, it will be good on the other side of that fear. It can feel scary, but I have to recommend just doing it anyway. Feel the fear and do it anyway. I saw Mel Robbins speak in person about 10 years ago, and she taught me the 5-4-3-2-1. And I just love that. And I really think you just have to do it. And that's really going to help you shift that energy and If you can find a community, that's going to be really the golden piece on top.

SPEAKER_01: 16:44

That must have been an amazing experience. We can touch on that another day. Yes,

SPEAKER_02: 16:48

we sure

SPEAKER_01: 16:48

can. Not coffee, over happy juice. Over happy juice. What does a brighter future look like for you today? And how is it different from what you imagined before when you were in that illness?

SPEAKER_02: 17:02

So I just sort of saw my life getting worse and worse. Unfortunately, I was tired, I was stressed. Financially, I wasn't feeling confident. And my health just wasn't getting any better. And I felt like I wasn't going to get a solution. The blood work came back fine, right? The doctor said I was fine. So it looked pretty bleak for me, I have to say. But now I feel really confident and empowered. I'm feeling better every day. Like healing is a journey. You don't just like take a magic product and feel better tomorrow. But it has been a journey that's really led me to feeling really well. And I think my future looks really bright because I have a place and a platform that I can empower women from now to have success and to have true healing in a way that feels really good for me and for them.

SPEAKER_01: 17:54

Yeah, I usually like to say healing is not a linear line. It's more like a squiggle. I also like to say when I hear doctors say that blood work came back normal, that is like nails to the chalkboard for any healthcare provider, especially somebody taking care of somebody because you know that even though those numbers could be in normal range, it doesn't mean that it's normal for that person. So I absolutely hate that there's like Consider it a normal range. Yeah. Because it doesn't always tell the whole truth. And if the health care provider sticks to just that, it can skew a few things. Yeah. So I absolutely hate when people tell me

SPEAKER_02: 18:34

that. It's the worst. And I think so many people hear that.

SPEAKER_01: 18:37

Yeah, they do. And

SPEAKER_02: 18:38

women get their symptoms dismissed so frequently in health care.

SPEAKER_01: 18:41

And then they just feel like, maybe it's in my head. When 90% of the time it's not. And I say 90% of the time because we do have those mental illnesses that it can actually be in your head. But 90% of the time it's not. Where can the Anchor Crew follow or hear more of your journey?

SPEAKER_02: 19:01

Well, I hang out on Instagram mostly where we met. And you can find me by my name, Laura Wheeler Wellness, on

SPEAKER_01: 19:08

Instagram. So a question that most people struggle with, but it's my absolute favorite. Who or what inspires you today? So

SPEAKER_02: 19:17

the women in my community in our Amare community really inspire me today to continue to grow and to empower other people and continue to support my best self as well.

SPEAKER_01: 19:30

Well I want to thank you for coming on today Laura. It's been a pleasure having you. Look forward to following your journey. Anchor Crew definitely check her out on Instagram. She shares so many transformational stories of other people who have gone down the same path as her. thank you thank you Thanks for tuning in to Raise the Anchor. If today's episode spoke to you, share it with a friend or leave a review. It helps more people find their way to healing and hope. Follow along on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube for behind the scenes, extra content and real life moments. And be sure to join the email list at linktree slash raise the anchor so you never miss an episode. Until next time, here's to calm waters, steady winds and the courage to chart your own course.