S2 E33: My Menopause Story: What Worked, What Didn’t, and How I Got My Life Back
Release Date: 08/19/2025
The Clinical Entrepreneur
A former competitive athlete came to me barely able to function. He had severe nausea, almost constant stomach pain, a known ulcer, crushing anxiety, and unrelenting fatigue. After looking at his intake forms, it seemed obvious that his digestive system was screaming for help so I did what any practitioner would do - I started by supporting optimal upper digestion. And everything made him worse. Bitters? Made him worse. Gallbladder support? Worse. Aloe? Also worse. The PPI worked, then didn't. The DGL helped a little, then stopped. I kept adjusting the protocol, thinking I just...
info_outlineThe Clinical Entrepreneur
What causes relentless belching that can clear a room - even after four rounds of H. pylori treatment? A 55-year-old retired dental hygienist had been treated for H. pylori four times. Two rounds of medical intervention and two different functional medicine practitioners tried to help - without success. The infection kept coming back, along with the belching so severe she could clear a room. The problem? Everyone missed the most important thing: the biofilm. In this episode, Ronda walks you through the exact three-phase protocol that finally worked: Prep & Prime (biofilm disruption +...
info_outlineThe Clinical Entrepreneur
Twenty years of restless legs. Two failed attempts. One patient who kept coming back anyway. In this episode, I finally figured out what was missing - and it had nothing to do with magnesium, valerian, or sleep hygiene before bed. This case humbled me. I'd treated her twice before with all the "right" things - minerals, adaptogens, calming herbs, etc., and nothing worked. When she came back a third time, desperate and hardly sleeping, I knew I had to dig deeper. What I found changed how I think about restless leg syndrome entirely. RLS isn't a muscle problem. It's not a simple mineral...
info_outlineThe Clinical Entrepreneur
She was convinced it was her thyroid. After years of panic attacks, chronic anxiety, and a body that felt like it was "fighting something," she came to Ronda certain the answer was in her thyroid labs. It wasn't. In this Clinical Thinking case study, Ronda traces the real root cause back to compromised digestion and a nervous system running on stress hormones. This 28-year-old executive assistant had all the classic signs practitioners often miss: fasting glucose of 71 (a red flag for metabolic instability), light-colored stools, fatty food intolerance, and that telltale mid-back pain at the...
info_outlineThe Clinical Entrepreneur
She looked perfect on paper. Impeccable diet. Physically fit. Emotionally stable. Then she walked into my office and said, "I can't stop crying. I can't think. Something is wrong, and I don't know what it is." Her labs told part of the story: CRP at 87, neutrophils through the roof, lymphocytes bottomed out. But there was no fever. No illness. No obvious source. Until she dropped one sentence that changed everything. This is the first episode of my new Clinical Thinking series where I walk you through real patient cases, step by step, so you can see how I actually think through complex...
info_outlineThe Clinical Entrepreneur
I'm going to be honest with you: 2025 humbled me. It wasn't my year. I didn't hit the goals I set. I didn't finish the projects I planned. I spent more time putting out fires than building anything meaningful. I went from a team of five down to two plus a virtual assistant and I ended up picking up way more work than a business owner should be doing. I was so scattered, so mentally fatigued, that some days I couldn't focus on anything for more than 10 minutes. There's a joke in my world: 'How many rabbit holes can Ronda go down in one day?' And this year, the answer was... too many. So this...
info_outlineThe Clinical Entrepreneur
Those “quick questions” your patients sneak into chats, emails, and hallway drive-bys are quietly draining your time, profit, and clinical excellence. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on boundary creep; what it looks like, why it happens, and the exact phrases you can use to redirect those questions into paid appointments so you can protect your schedule, your sanity, and your bottom line. So if you’ve ever given out your cell number, answered a Practice Better chat at night, or tried to handle a full clinical case in your DMs, friend… this one is for you. I’m walking...
info_outlineThe Clinical Entrepreneur
Big pharma has officially crossed the line: 30-something women are being told they’re in ‘perimenopause,’ and the recommendation (of course) is to start HRT. The truth is that they are tired, stressed, skipping meals, and feeling overwhelmed. In this ultra-sassy episode, Ronda breaks down the manufactured narrative driving this trend, the physiology that proves it wrong, and a real case from her clinic that highlights how widespread the misinformation has become. Younger women don’t need hormone therapy - they need blood sugar support, a well-regulated nervous system, and a meal...
info_outlineThe Clinical Entrepreneur
In this episode of The Clinical Entrepreneur, I walk you through a real case study of a high-stress, high-anxiety patient who turned things around - no labs, no overwhelm, and no complicated protocol. Instead, I focused on what I call “the low-hanging fruit”: stress, sleep, digestion, and diet. You’ll hear the exact questions I asked, the protocols I recommended, and the surprising symptom he revealed weeks later. Want help building clinical confidence like this? 🎯 What you’ll learn: My 4 “low-hanging fruit” focus areas Why Calm Restore and digestive...
info_outlineThe Clinical Entrepreneur
As the year wraps up, it’s time to do more than just “plan for the next.” This episode is a clear walk-through to help you celebrate the wins, identify the lessons, and set your business up for a powerful new year. Inside this episode: ✅ How to reflect on what worked (and what didn’t) ✅ Where most practitioners get stuck when planning the next year ✅ The 4-step framework I use to refocus with intention ✅ Two free downloads to help you map out what’s next 🔗 : The Year-End Reflection Workbook and Next-Year Vision Planner 🎧 Get accountability and support for...
info_outlineHey friends, can I get real with you for a minute? If you've ever wondered what perimenopause actually looks like for someone who's supposed to have it all figured out — spoiler alert: I definitely didn't — this episode is me pulling back the curtain on the messy, vulnerable truth of my own menopause journey.
I'm sharing everything, and I mean everything. The early warning signs I completely ignored (hello, three cups of ice daily from Starbucks!), the transfusion-level anemia that finally woke me up to what was really happening in my body, and the moment I stood crying in my closet because I knew I'd never wear my favorite sweaters again.
This isn't your typical clinical discussion about hormones. This is the raw, honest truth about what it's like to navigate perimenopause when you're so busy taking care of everyone else that you miss your own red flags. I'm talking about the supplements that failed me for months, the protocols I tried that didn't work, and the one thing that finally gave me my life back (hint: it wasn't what I expected).
I also dive deep into why I chose to go through menopause without HRT — and trust me, I know this might ruffle some feathers, but I'm sharing my clinical experience and personal reasoning. Plus, I'm breaking down my current approach to supporting women through this transition, including my go-to protocols with herbs like Tribulus for hot flashes and Chaste Tree for perimenopause support.
Whether you're in the thick of your own menopause journey or you're a practitioner looking to better support your patients through this season, I'm hoping this episode gives you both the clinical insights and the real-world wisdom that only comes from actually living through it.
We're covering perimenopause symptoms beyond just hot flashes, natural hormone balancing strategies, the crucial role of liver detoxification and gut health in hormone production, and why self-care and boundaries become absolutely non-negotiable during this transition.
Here's what you'll walk away with:
-
The real symptoms of perimenopause that nobody talks about
-
Natural protocols for managing menopause symptoms effectively
-
How liver health and hormone balance work together
-
Why this season requires extra self-care (not less!)
-
My clinical approach for supporting women through menopause
This conversation is my gift to every woman who's ever felt like she was drowning in her own body and every practitioner who wants to show up better for the women they serve. You're not broken, you're not alone, and there absolutely is hope on the other side.
The Surprising Risks of Bioidentical Hormones No One is Talking About - Don't forget to check out the interesting episode I mentioned in today's podcast!