Andrea Byers is the founder & creator of Chronic & Iconic Coaching. She takes a holistic approach to medicine becoming a certified health & wellness practitioner, that helps her clients not only manage the pain that comes along with chronic illnesses, but also truly lead full lives filled with purpose & joy despite their diagnosis, One of the reasons why she has been able to make such a huge impact is because she has first-hand knowledge of what it’s like to cope with an autoimmune condition, so who better to teach & reach other women how to overcome adversity & succeed than a fellow woman who is walking out her own faith & physical health journey daily themselves. Andrea also has a military background as an Air Force Veteran which gave her the skills of strategic planning & health management, this also gives her a leg up on treating her “Warriors” as she lovingly refers to her patients.
How were you able to find the purpose & strength through your pain of dealing with your own autoimmune Illness to be able to help others find a plan to manage & heal theirs?
My purpose & strength stems from living in chronic pain for more than 30 years of my life. About 10 years ago, I woke up one morning and decided enough was enough and began to turn my pain into purpose. In order to help other warriors, and find a plan to manage & heal I first had to heal. I had to grieve the previous version of myself and the things I used to be able to do & welcome the new version of me. That came with a deep awakening that even though I had to change the way I did things, I could STILL do the things I enjoy, I just had to learn to do them differently. That epiphany allowed me to pour into other warriors by being a walking example that even though we are chronically ill, we can still do hard things!
How did your military background & training come in handy with building your brand & overcoming your obstacles?
My 21 years in the military taught me about structure, planning, and management. It also showed me how to deal with people. Especially people in delicate mental health situations. I learned to navigate difficult situations & self-advocate. My military experience especially during the last 5 years of my career challenged my ability to pivot but also helped me to find my voice.
You were listed as one of the top thirty unstoppable women entrepreneurs in disruptors magazine. How did that make you feel?
That feature was a very surreal feeling. I have spent years hiding my illnesses out of fear that I would not be accepted. I realized that there are a lot of women like me; ill, scared, depressed, unheard, and isolated needed an advocate, and to best advocate, for them, I began to share my story in public. I feel very humbled, grateful, and blessed that I was featured. I was no longer helping people behind the scenes. I am walking in my true purpose and helping other warriors find their happiness through mindset, movement, and nutrition.
How do you go about helping to build a Holistic Health Program for your clients with chronic illnesses? All my programs begin with an incredibly detailed consultation. It is extremely important to me that I really get to know my clients and that they feel safe & heard. Building that bond with them & providing reassurance every step of the way allows me to curate a plan based on their condition/illness and desired results.
What role in your opinion does stress reduction play in our overall health & wellness?
The most important thing to understand is that not all stress is bad. However, managing how you deal with stress is imperative to your overall health & wellness. While small periods of stress will always occur, long-term stress, if gone untreated/managed can produce a domino effect and put you at a much higher risk for heart disease, cancers, high blood pressure, obesity, & depression. I discovered that once I learned how to manage my stress effectively, I had less pain and autoimmune disease flares.
How would you rate your own health as of now?
Although my health will never be perfect, I am in a much more stable place now! I still experience daily chronic pain and my illnesses flare occasionally but my overall quality of life has drastically improved. As I tell my clients, it is truly amazing what shifts begin to happen when you intentionally choose to be happy, healthy and thrive.
You have mentioned in previous articles that you experienced what you term “Medical Gaslighting “. How did this make you feel & what would you advise others that may feel as if their symptoms are not being cared about, or heard to do?
Unfortunately, when you live with a chronic illness, medical gaslighting is a reoccurring theme in your diagnosis and treatment journey. More often than not (and especially true for chronically ill women) providers are dismissive and allude to the issue being a product of the patient’s imagination. They are quick to say that it is just “anxiety” or “depression” or even blame it on your weight. It is an awful feeling as the ill party because we feel unheard but most importantly unsafe. My advice for other warriors is to ADVOCATE for yourself! If you don’t feel safe with a provider express that. Providers are not one size fits all. Take someone with you to your appointments to help you advocate for the best treatment options. In my experience, providers are more receptive when I’m not in the room by myself. Request to have EVERYTHING discussed during your appointment be placed in your encounter notes. Last but not least, my favorite secret weapon, audio record your appointments so that you can refer to what was discussed should something be unclear, or you have any questions.
You have a wellness retreat that you facilitate. Can you elaborate on this & how often are they held? Finding Your Happy wellness retreats center on intentional self-care, self-love, and stress reduction/ management. As a woman with a constant war going on inside my body, I know firsthand how important finding & keeping balance is to the healing journey. These retreats are held quarterly. Women that attend leave feeling lighter, pampered, happier, and most importantly with a toolbox full of useful tools to better manage their stress while choosing a happier, healthier life balance.
In closing, how do we not allow chronic pain to keep us from living the iconic lives we were born to live? Happiness is a choice. It is an intentional action. We all have the same 86,400 seconds in the day. Think about those seconds as bank balance. Be intentional about how you spend the seconds in your day bank. Know that nothing that is ordained by him (God) is designed to fail. Painful things will happen to teach us the lessons we did not think we needed. It forces us to strip down to address the root of our emotions. The growing season is uncomfortable BUT the harvest we reap at the end is plentiful. You are unique & wonderfully made, and I am always rooting for you and your healing! Find joy in all the small victories. Pause, Inhale, Reset, and Repeat no one is perfect & you are not expected to be. Personal revelation is on the other side of fear. There is so much beauty in the storms that we face. The thing about the storm is that you must go through it to truly appreciate the beauty of the sun.
I love & appreciate Andrea’s vulnerability in sharing her personal health journey in order to help set others free. Some of my biggest takeaways from Andrea is that we are only gifted one life to live & one body in which to live it. We must truly become our own advocates & fight for our total life health Mind, Body, & Spirit. She teaches that we must be strategic as warriors to investigate the best health care options for ourselves via modern & holistic medicine combined to reach our optimal health potential. Also, the importance of doing our best to eliminate prolonged stress that could lead to lasting health conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, & cancer to name a few. The goal for all I believe is longevity & not just a long life that is unfulfilled & joyless but the exact opposite. We were not created to sit on the sidelines but to get in the game & play to win instead. My personal thanks go out to Andrea Byers for this insightful & potentially life-changing article if we choose to implement her tips & go forward with courage & strength. Be sure to follow her on Instagram @chronicallyiconiccoach & visit her website https://chronicandiconiccoaching.com/ for more details on her services & updates on her upcoming “Finding Your Happy” wellness Retreats.
