Meet Amber DeBruin of Wellness With Amber

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber DeBruin.

Hi Amber, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started my nursing career at just 20 years old, bright eyed, and excited for the future of really helping people. I learned pretty early on that there was a significant lack of resources for nurses and healthcare in general, and my excitement quickly faded to stress and fear, pressure to do more with less, constant overtime, and unsafe work environments. I worked 16-20 hour shifts regularly, rotated between day and night shift, worked holidays and weekends and held out hope that one day things would shift.

After 20 years of hospital nursing, I was almost unrecognizable. Physically, it was obvious. I was 55lbs overweight, couldn’t lose a pound despite eating very little calories and working out, was exhausted all day every day despite sleeping, had brain fog so thick I was constantly losing my train of thought or simple words, my joints ached, I was diagnosed with endometriosis, and had absolutely horrific cycles. Mentally, I had hit rock bottom and had become depressed, anxious, I started having panic attacks, and had many days where I just wished I wouldn’t wake up the next day. If this is how I had to feel for the rest of my life, at just 35 years old, I didn’t want it.

After many trips back and forth to doctors, having labs done, being put on 5 different prescriptions to manage my symptoms and still feeling like complete crap everyday I finally decided enough was enough. Like Albert Einstein said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

I started on supplements to repair my gut out of desperation and full of spite. I didn’t believe supplements worked and started them to prove they wouldn’t work. Slowly but surely, everything started to shift. I didn’t change a thing except the supplements and I was very humbled to admit that I was very wrong. This was my turning point. If I was wrong about supplements, maybe I was wrong about this whole “other side” of medicine?!

I went down a rabbit hold learning about Functional Medicine, got root cause testing to figure out WHY I was so physically and mentally unwell at just 35 years old, and since then have completed reversed both my endometriosis and Hashimoto’s, lost and kept off 55lbs, dropped the inflammation, brain fog, join pain, and I wake up without anxiety or depressive thoughts. I’m a completely renewed version of myself at 41 years old and feel (and look) better now than I did in my 30’s.

Now that I know what’s truly possible, I’m beyond passionate about helping other women get to the root of their symptoms, feel heard and understood, and get and stay well. I honestly don’t know where I’d be today if I hadn’t have found Functional Medicine when I did.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, definitely not. My ego and I were completely indoctrinated with the idea that medicine had all the answers and was the only way forward. I did not believe in anything alternative, holistic, or integrative whatsoever and thought I was the expert. I’d roll my eyes and laugh at people who wanted to bring things in like essential oil diffusers or red light therapy devices to complement their healing.

One of the biggest struggles was my ego. Finally admitting that I could be wrong, despite 5 years of schooling and 20 years of experience under my belt. When I finally dropped that and was able to admit I was wrong, a whole new world of opportunity opened up.

I had alot of unlearning to do and dealing with the backlash from my hospital network was really tough emotionally. When you go against the norm, I quickly found myself isolated, ridiculed, and judged for doing something “different.” Despite my rapidly improving physical and mental health, I had zero support from my community and that has been the toughest challenge by far.

We’ve been impressed with Wellness With Amber, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I launched Wellness With Amber to create a space for women to finally feel heard, understood, and not dismiss them or their symptoms. We’re different because we address the root cause and ask WHY the symptoms are there, instead of just managing them with prescriptions, surgeries, or outdated lifestyle advice that doesn’t work. By combining experience, compassion, comprehensive functional lab testing, and personalized protocols based on testing results, we help women understand what’s happening in their body and coach them through their protocol 1:1 for optimal wellness that’s sustainable and actually lasts. Our goal is lifelong wellness over quick fixes and helping women learn how to advocate for their health.

What matters most to you? Why?
That women feel heard and not dismissed. After experiencing that for so many years myself and starting to question my own sanity because of it, I know firsthand the struggles that come with feeling dismissed with nowhere to turn for help. It’s important to me that people know there are alternative options out there if they’re not getting the support or results they deserve with western medicine. Helping women gain the confidence to advocate for their own health is non0negotiable for us!

Pricing:

• Yes, but I will discuss with people on a case by case basis

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wellnesswithamber.co
• Instagram: @amber.debruin & @wellnesswithamber.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amber.debruin.148
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-debruin-rn-bsn-428b8a300/