A Gut & Nervous System Focus

Nine years ago, a school was launched to train coaches and wellness professionals in gut health. At the time, gut health was just beginning to gain mainstream awareness, and many professionals in nutrition, health coaching, mental health, counseling, fitness, and even skincare were largely unfamiliar with the profound role the gut plays in overall wellness.

In many ways, it was considered “new”—but it really wasn’t. Ancient healing traditions such as Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda have long recognized the center of the body as foundational to health. A quote often attributed to Hippocrates suggests that “all disease begins in the gut,” though its origin is debated. Regardless, by 2017, society was beginning to rediscover what many traditional systems of medicine had understood for centuries, and we were here for it.

Where It All Began

When I first wrote Buddha Belly: A Mind, Body & Soul Approach to Health, Starting with the Gut, I had no idea what it would become. That book, as simple as it is, sparked an international journey.

The book became a course for coaches and wellness professionals who wanted to better understand gut health. That course soon evolved into an international academy that has now trained hundreds of coaches across more than 26 countries—and we’re just getting started.

When Gut Health Wasn’t Enough

Fast forward to 2024.

Gut health alone was no longer enough.

It wasn’t enough for me personally, and it could no longer be enough for our school.

After experiencing severe nervous system burnout brought on by prolonged environmental stress—despite everything I knew and practiced in wellness—I found myself climbing out of the lowest mental and physical health season of my life.

What I originally believed was “anxiety” was later understood to be complex trauma (C-PTSD). Alongside that came chronic iron deficiency, an autoimmune thyroid condition, and a nervous system that had become so reactive that I struggled to leave my home.

The somatic responses in my body were debilitating. My sleep disappeared. I lived in a constant state of being exhausted but wired, desperately wanting to heal while feeling trapped inside my own body.

Without calming my nervous system, I couldn’t see a path forward.

Healing the Whole System

I immersed myself in every evidence-informed, non-pharmaceutical approach I could find to better understand nervous system regulation and trauma recovery.

I became trained in Trauma-Informed Breathwork and NLP, while applying these tools in real time to my own healing. I completed comprehensive functional lab testing to better understand how nutrient status, hormones, and other biological factors were contributing to my symptoms. This helped me begin separating the biological contributors from the emotional and neurological ones.

At one point, my somatic responses were so intense that I was genuinely afraid of my own body.

Healing didn’t happen overnight.

I also believe my body will probably always alert me when I’m living in an environment that isn’t healthy or sustainable. But gradually, things began moving in the right direction.

For the first time in six years, my iron levels began improving. My thyroid antibodies were reduced by roughly half with each round of labs. Most importantly, my nervous system slowly began finding safety again.

Why the Nervous System Changes Everything

One thing people don’t always understand is that when the nervous system is chronically overwhelmed, even “good” stimulation can feel like too much.

Imagine carrying a bucket of water that’s always filled within an inch of overflowing. It doesn’t take much—good or bad—to spill over.

That’s what nervous system dysregulation can feel like.

When your brain perceives danger, digestion becomes a lower priority. Resources are shifted toward survival rather than rest, repair, and healthy gut function.

Imagine trying to sleep in the middle of a war zone. Your body wouldn’t fully relax because it would be trying to protect you.

That’s what my nervous system was doing.

Like so many others I’ve worked with, I couldn’t simply “turn it off.”

I had to teach my body what safety felt like again.

The Birth of the Hybrid Health Coach

My own healing journey ultimately transformed HWCA.

We evolved from being a Gut Health school into a Gut Health & Nervous System school.

The response has been unlike anything we’ve experienced since the early days of gut health education nearly a decade ago.

Why?

Because I wasn’t the only one experiencing this.

Coaches were living it.

Their clients were living it.

Trauma histories, chronic stress, burnout, grief, difficult relationships, demanding careers, and overwhelming life experiences had become part of so many people’s stories. And with those stories often came digestive complaints, nervous system dysregulation, fatigue, sleep disruption, and a desire to finally understand the connection.

It became clear that health coaching itself needed to evolve.

Ignoring the nervous system would have meant ignoring one of the most important pieces of the wellness puzzle.

A Moment I’ll Never Forget

One of my worst days became one of my clearest moments.

I remember being unable to pick up my car from the repair shop because my somatic symptoms were so intense that I was convinced my legs would give out if I walked inside.

I made it home and still had a client call scheduled.

She desperately wanted help for her daughter, who was struggling with significant anxiety and digestive concerns.

As she shared her story, and as I asked deeper questions, I realized parts of her daughter’s experience closely mirrored my own.

In that moment, I understood something I’ll never forget.

None of my journey had been wasted.

Every difficult step had prepared me to better understand and support others.

Like so many of the coaches who come through HWCA, painful experiences often become purposeful ones.

Many build coaching practices from their own healing journeys, using their unique gifts to create meaningful businesses that serve others while supporting the life they want to build.

The Coach of the Future

Today, we’re leading a new conversation—not just in coaching, but in hope.

Through our combined Gut Health & Nervous System coaching education, our coaches are developing a more complete understanding of human wellness and equipping themselves to support clients from a more holistic perspective.

The Gut-Brain-Life model reflects that evolution.

We’re also seeing professionals from diverse backgrounds recognizing these connections. Estheticians are increasingly interested in the relationship between skin, gut health, and the nervous system. Performance-minded individuals, including athletes and biohackers, are exploring how these foundational systems influence resilience, recovery, and overall wellness.

Health awareness has evolved dramatically over the past several years.

I believe the Hybrid Health Coach is uniquely positioned to help lead the future of wellness by understanding not only the gut, but also the nervous system, behavior, lifestyle, and the interconnected nature of human health.

Our motto since day one has remained the same:

“Heal yourself and empower others to do the same.“

We’re ready for what’s next.

Coach Britt