Every other month, I showcase a business owner making a difference in their field. I hope this gives you a bit of inspiration—I know it keeps me inspired to work hard! Here’s my Q+A with Jess Williams of Jess Williams Health Coaching. She’s an expert in all things gut health.
Jess is an integrative nutrition health coach focused on gut and hormonal health. After struggling with an eating disorder, viewing food as the enemy, and years of neglecting her body, she was diagnosed with Endometriosis and PCOS. This left her with debilitating pain and the options of surgery or more birth control pills.
She decided to take things into her own hands and figure out a holistic way to heal herself. Her research led her to gut health and the idea that food can either be medicine, or the slowest form of poison. This ignited a passion and Jess knew she would dedicate her life to this field and coach others looking for answers.
Why are you passionate about living a healthy lifestyle?
I used to eat fast food on the regular, loaves of bread a week, and enjoy a nightly bowl of ice cream with milk and Hershey’s chocolate syrup. I remember how disgusting I felt, how much energy I didn’t have, and how I was in a constant battle when it came to my mental health.
After I changed my lifestyle and experienced how good I could feel, I never wanted to go back. I always thought living a healthy life meant salads and foods that tasted like cardboard. I had no idea that I could eat healthily and enjoy the foods I ate, while not missing all the junk I so very much craved before. It’s my mission to be a role model for others and teach them it’s possible, it just takes time.
What motivated you to start your business?
Years of struggling with my own health journey, diagnoses of Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), and being in so much pain I could barely carry out day-to-day functions led me to dive in and find my own answers. When I realized there were so many people out there like me that didn’t know there were other ways than medications and surgeries, I made it my mission to change health one microbiome at a time.
What is unique about the services you offer?
I focus on the gut microbiome and root cause healing. In the game of health, gut health is first base. We are more microbial than we are human and those microbes can literally turn genes on and off. It’s only when we are living in harmony with these microbes that we are truly healthy. I work with people to restore their gut microbiome and re-educate their immune systems. From there we can heal hormones, thyroid, adrenals, etc. I meet people where they are and am their biggest cheerleader until they become empowered to be their own.
Tell us about the clients you work with and the type of transformation they achieve.
Those that I work with are typically enduring some kind of distress whether it be in the form of gas, bloating, and fatigue, or more prominent issues like depression, anxiety, heartburn, food sensitivities, celiac, or an autoimmune issue. When we heal the microbiome, we restore our health, so I get to see some pretty awesome transformations.
One client was suffering from celiac disease. He’d wake up nauseous every morning and he could barely carry out his job duties. After we gave his gut a makeover, he left feeling so good that he decided to move to Chicago with his sons—something he gave up on because of his health. He is now eating things he hasn’t been able to eat in years, has no nausea, and has the energy to walk miles a day and even go rollerblading at 65 years old!
Another client came to me with heartburn, severe anxiety, and depression. She is now medication-free, her anxiety has been reduced, and her heartburn is no longer an issue.
I also helped a woman heal herself to the point where she began having a regular menstrual cycle for the first time in 15 years.
What has changed in your life since you started your business?
My health has continued to improve as I continue to learn about the microbiome. Assisting and coaching people in their gut health journey is my purpose and passion and since starting my business it’s only grown deeper. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to share my message with those who do not know this life-changing information.
If someone wants to learn more, what is the best way to get in contact with you?
Email: jess@jesswilliamshealthcoaching.com
Phone: 740-817-1938
What is your favorite thing to do that automatically puts you in a good mood?
That is easy! Jasper snuggles (my rescue pup).
