Episode Details

What happens when your doctor dismisses your symptoms despite your body screaming that something's wrong? Hilary Tarkington Stowers knows this battle all too well. After nine grueling years of being misdiagnosed while battling chronic Lyme disease, Hilary transformed her personal health nightmare into a mission to help others through an integrative approach to healing both mind and body.

Hilary takes us on a fascinating journey through her evolution from certified holistic health counselor to licensed mental health practitioner. When clients initially sought her help for weight loss, she discovered their struggles were often rooted in unaddressed trauma, toxic relationships, or hormonal imbalances that conventional medicine had overlooked. This revelation led her to pursue mental health counseling, combining it with her nutritional expertise to treat the whole person.

The conversation delves deep into medical gaslighting—how easily women's health concerns get dismissed, especially around conditions like Lyme disease, lipedema, and perimenopause. Hilary passionately advocates for finding healthcare providers who listen and truly understand these issues, rather than telling patients to "white knuckle it" through suffering that could be addressed with proper care.

One of the most powerful metaphors Hilary shares is how she helps clients "reignite their spark" when life has dimmed their inner flame. Whether through toxic relationships, overwhelming responsibilities, or unprocessed grief, many women lose touch with their intuition and desires. Hilary's work involves helping them reclaim agency over their lives and reconnect with what truly matters to them.

The conversation also explores EMDR therapy, a fascinating approach to processing trauma that Hilary has both received and now provides. She explains how this technique helps reprocess painful memories to become "more historical than traumatic," creating distance that allows healing.

Hilary closes with a heartfelt discussion about grief literacy, drawing from her experience losing her mother to cancer and her training as a certified grief educator. She challenges our societal norms around supporting those in grief, emphasizing presence over platitudes and practical help over asking what's needed.

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