I’ll never forget the first time I met Kate. She was love and light personified – so much fire, so much gusto, so much passion – but with a heartbreaking story of 6 years of debilitating fatigue, fainting spells, and anxiety that developed as a result of being told there was simply no treatment they could offer her. She was searching, and I could tell she was at the end of her rope. 

There is nothing more compelling to me than diving into a mysterious health issue and uncovering what’s driving the process. I cannot abide the idea of someone struggling like this – not on my watch! – and so we dove in with the tools I had: gut testing, food sensitivity testing, adrenal testing, and then a myriad of dietary tweaks and supplements based on what those tests told us her body was asking for. 

Here’s the thing: Our bodies are designed to heal and to thrive! When your body is screaming out at you like Kate’s was, it tells us something: either it’s not getting what it needs in order to heal, or there’s something in the way of that healing process. 

So we dove in, and I’m going to let Kate take it from here…

Before I found Margaret, the “best in the field” told me that I had a diagnosable but untreatable chronic health condition called POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), a form of dysautonomia. It shows up differently for everyone, but it’s essentially the dis-regulation of the autonomic nervous system.

The way it typically manifested for me was feeling faint in heat, with stress and dehydration. Despite taking excellent care of myself, I was feeling worse. It got to a point where I felt faint increasingly often, developed debilitating fatigue, and had growing anxiety from not knowing how to help myself. At the worst point, I could only be out of bed for a couple hours a day.

No matter how much I rested, I just couldn’t recharge. I felt like, “Where did I go?”

By the time I called Margaret, I had been dealing with my symptoms for about 6 years. I had already completely overhauled my lifestyle: I got my stress under control, moved to a new home and climate, and re-imagined my career. In terms of food, I cooked for myself, eating what I thought was healthy, according to the sources I had at the time. 

I kept asking my doctors, “What is the mechanism that’s causing this? What else can I try? How about diet?” My doctors told me that diet was irrelevant, and that I had to accept my reality of living with chronic illness. 

But I knew that my body was trying to tell me what it needed. I just didn’t know how to interpret the messages.

Thankfully, I came across Laurel Gallucci’s story, who had healed mysterious health conditions through working with Margaret. Even though we had totally different diagnoses (or lack thereof), I was intrigued by the notion of a new approach and determined to try everything I could to reclaim my health.

I decided to reach out to Margaret. I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought, “Well, even if it doesn’t work, at least I’ll be trying to do everything I can.” 

But I had concerns: I love food. It’s one of the best things about being alive. I didn’t want to have a negative relationship with it. I did not want to cultivate fear around food, or to deprive myself for no good reason. 

That’s not what happened at all! It was a revelation. The first thing we did was testing. I didn’t even know these tests existed – rigorous and detailed data about what was actually going on. It was mind-blowing!

Finally, I had access to someone who wasn’t befuddled or confused by my “complex, mysterious” health issues. At last, I had answers!

Based on my lab results, Margaret crafted a specific, customized protocol for me. It’s incredible to work with someone who can interpret the fundamental messages your body is giving you, who knows the technology, and who looks at the whole picture from a perspective of bio-individuality. I had everything I needed – and nothing I didn’t.

As soon as I implemented Margaret’s recommendations, I immediately felt positive effects. I remember walking down the street and feeling like, “Wow, I feel different!” 

My energy started coming back in a way that felt solid. It didn’t feel up and down. It felt like a true foundation. 

I’ve made sure that I can build my life around my health. It’s hard work. It’s an investment, and it takes time. It’s also undoubtedly one of the most extraordinarily rewarding things I’ve ever done.

Margaret’s steady, reasonable support made it doable. I thought, “Ok! I can do that.” She’s so understanding, available and responsive. I’ve never had a question that put her off. 

I felt safe, understood, and supported holistically. 

Plus, I learned how to eat in new ways that gave me even MORE pleasure in food, not less. 

I’ve been steadily healing and rebuilding after the trauma of the time before working with Margaret, but truthfully, I’m so grateful to be back it’s mostly just exciting. I’m increasing my stamina, and learning how to listen to my body’s abilities, as I heal and change. I’m so much braver, so much more confident, now that I know what’s going on, what to do about it, and feel that true healing has happened at a systemic level.  I can do all the things in life that are important to me again, and now I am at a point where I’m doing more than I’ve done before!

I was able to go back and show the “best of the best” in the medical fields what we had done, and they were completely amazed at both the results and the methods. I was even asked to speak to others in the field about how this kind of recovery is possible.

I knew I was in there somewhere. I’m absolutely overjoyed to be my full self, and I’ve actually never felt better.

This work is not just a game-changer, it’s not just a belief-changer… it’s a reality shift. I didn’t know those tests existed! I can’t tell you how validating it is to know I wasn’t “crazy” or “difficult”, and that my symptoms were treatable, and that healing was possible. Incredible relief and gratitude.

My advice is: run, don’t walk to this work.

If you could project six months into the future, and feel for 5 seconds how you’re going to feel after working with Margaret, I guarantee you would somehow make it happen. Even if you’ve worked with other nutritionists, you have not done this yet. Healing is possible, even if you’ve been told otherwise. Your body is not lying to you. 

Thank you, Margaret!
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A little bit more about Kate:

Kate Conklin is a vocalist, performer and educator, specializing in the field extraordinary performance.

Through thousands of hours of work with elite performers, voice work, professional performing, and research in the fields of performance excellence, human design, coordination, and neurobiology, Kate has developed a coaching process which is creative, collaborative, and empowering. Check out her work here: www.kateconklin.com  

“Whatever it is you do, Kate will help you do it better.”
– Butch Vig, Producer, Drummer & co-leader of the group Garbage; groundbreaking producer