Finding Healing Beyond Weight Loss

Joanne’s Inspiring Journey with CCN

This is a real-life testimonial of how one of our clients took her suffering and decided to do something about it. She was the first client I’ve ever had who was completely compliant following 8 weeks of AIP, incorporating lymphatic work and working through spiritual healing all at the same time. I’ve since been blessed with a dozen more miracle stories and compliant clients with challenging mountains to climb!

So often, people come to me with vanity issues, like weight and hair loss, but we encounter so much hope and healing along the way! I never judge how or why you come to me because I also trust God’s plan for you! This story is meant to give you hope in your journey and in your struggles. Unlocking health on this level ensures that this isn’t a yo-yo cycle anymore but a sustainable change that your body, mind, and spirit made.

Joanne’s Story

I first joined CCN with a challenge in 2018 and continued to do challenges off and on for a few years. My main goal was always weight loss, and while I would lose weight during a challenge, I would gain it back and then some since I didn’t adhere to what I learned. Eventually, my health began to fail. I gained weight despite eating very little and working out 7 days weekly – 4 days strength, 3 days hard cardio. In addition to the weight gain, my joints hurt, and I had horrible brain fog, hair loss, constipation, depression, and anxiety. I kept getting colds, and allergy seasons kept me indoors with closed windows. Doctor after doctor told me that it was due to my age and menopause. I was offered all sorts of medication that I wasn’t comfortable taking and never filled.  

Finally, in March 2023, I was desperate. A friend told me about her gynecologist who practices functional medicine, and I decided to meet with her, believing that menopause was the root cause. Bloodwork revealed that I had Hashimoto thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, and insulin resistance. I was prescribed a natural thyroid medication and was told to eliminate gluten.

I began doing tons of research and found resources that said to follow a paleo diet, but the more I looked into Paleo menu plans, the more it looked like the first two weeks of the CCN challenges that I did. So, I pulled out my old challenges and taught myself how to change some of my family recipes. I changed how I was working out, too—4 days of lifting and only one day of a light run, because I discovered that my workouts were likely contributing to my condition by adding a stressor I couldn’t handle. 

While I lost 25 pounds in 7 months and eliminated my joint pain almost entirely, I knew that I still had healing to do. I still had anxiety, my digestion was unpredictable, and my antibodies were still relatively high. Afraid of relapsing and never getting into remission, I brought my worries to God. While attending mass, I asked Him what I was supposed to do next.

The next day, I received an email from CCN informing me that membership was open and a challenge was starting soon. It seemed like divine intervention, but I wasn’t sure if I could do a complete challenge. I replied to the email asking if this way of life was even for me anymore since I was now dealing with an autoimmune disorder. Cara answered, and I was so overcome. She was kind and encouraging and offered to work with me individually once I became a member. I joined the membership and signed up for the fall challenge with the intent that I would eventually work with Cara when I was ready. 

The membership was one of the best things that I did. Before becoming an individual client of Cara’s, I felt that I needed to continue to educate myself and see if I could follow through with the basic tenets of CCN. The membership offered me a wealth of easily understandable education through current and previous calls and topics presented by Cara. The members themselves proved to be informative and supportive, too.

In January 2024, I finally began my one-on-one work with Cara. I learned how food could eliminate the inflammatory response my body was experiencing. Even more surprising, I realized that my root cause was emotionally based, much of which was generational emotion. Healing emotionally and spiritually was more challenging than all of my other work.

Food and supplementation made me feel like I was in charge when what I needed was to give up control and give it all to God. Cara and I worked on lymphatic drainage, breath work for the nervous system, and trying to eliminate toxins in my life. Once I was able to unlock these pathways, I continued to heal. I lost another 11 pounds in just four months, my rings fit again, I lost half of a shoe size, my anxiety is gone, and my digestion has never been better. My hair and eyebrows are also growing back. For the first time, I am not suffering from seasonal allergies. I feel happy and whole again.

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I know many of our Substack subscribers are also members, but if you aren’t we’d love for you to join us inside our membership!

For our current members, we know it can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. Whether you want to start your health journey or just need a reset, we have the perfect places to dive in.

If you’re new to CCN and not too familiar with our approach, we recommend starting with:

Getting Started with the CCN Mini Course
This introductory course will guide you through the core principles of the CCN philosophy. By the end of it, you’ll understand:

• The critical role of nutrition and exercise in overall health

• How balanced macros can keep your blood sugar stable

• The importance of mindful, sustainable exercise

• Five simple lifestyle changes you can make right now for better health

This is the perfect way to ease into our philosophy and start making small but powerful changes right away.

Looking for a reset or a deeper dive?

For a full transformation, we suggest the CCN Foundations of Health 90-Day Challenge. Whether you’re brand new to CCN or already familiar with our programs, this challenge lays a rock-solid nutritional foundation to support your long-term health goals.

So, where should YOU start?

If you're new, jump into the Mini Course to familiarize yourself with our approach.

Ready to make a significant change? The CCN Foundations of Health 90-Day Challenge is the ultimate way to take things to the next level.

We can’t wait to see how you grow and thrive with CCN! Let’s get started on this amazing journey together.