Why So Many Women “Don’t Feel Like Themselves” Anymore | Sara Stevens

During Women’s Health Awareness Month, Sara Stevens of Women’s Wellness Tampa joins the Business & Personal Podcast to discuss hormones, functional medicine, personalized healthcare, and why so many women are struggling with symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, poor sleep, hot flashes, mood swings, and gut health issues.

Sara explains how her clinic takes a root-cause approach to women’s healthcare by spending more time with patients, focusing on lifestyle, nutrition, exercise, hormone health, and individualized treatment plans. She also shares real success stories from women whose lives were transformed through personalized care.

Topics discussed include:
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Hot flashes & night sweats
• Weight gain & metabolism changes
• Functional medicine for women
• Gut health & inflammation
• Mental health and hormones
• Personalized healthcare for women
• Women’s wellness & preventative care
• Lifestyle changes for long-term health

Learn more about Women’s Wellness Tampa:
Website: https://www.womenswellnesstampa.com

#WomensHealth #Hormones #FunctionalMedicine #WomensWellness #HormoneHealth #Wellness #HealthPodcast #WomenOver40 #RootCauseMedicine #TampaHealth

00:00 Intro & Women’s Health Awareness Month
01:02 Sara Stevens’ Background & Women’s Wellness Tampa
01:51 Why Hormones Are a Major Topic Right Now
02:52 Common Symptoms Women Experience
03:30 What Makes Women’s Wellness Tampa Different
05:21 Why Personalized Care Matters
06:04 Preventative Health for Younger Women
07:11 What Patients Must Commit To
08:37 Success Story: Hormones & Mental Health
10:26 Success Story: Cholesterol & Hormone Health
12:35 How To Contact Women’s Wellness Tampa

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Welcome to another edition of the Business and Personal Podcast where we bring you closer to the people you do business with and uh it's Women's Health Awareness Month. So today we're thrilled to have an expert on with us, Sarah Stevens, the owner of the Women's Wellness Center in Pampa, Florida, doing some awesome things down there. So we're gonna learn more about what she does and just uh women's health in general. So uh you ladies listening uh can hopefully learn a little from her. So, Sarah, first of all, thanks for taking time out of your busy day for joining us.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Thank you for having me. I'm very excited. It's it's a special month, especially for us ladies, but you know, also for the men out there too, um, so that they can know how to support us better.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

100%. 100%. We can all win from this one, right?

SPEAKER_01 0:51

Right.

SPEAKER_00 0:52

So uh it's a business and personal podcast, Sarah. So, first of all, tell people a little bit more about yourself and uh what you're doing with the women's wellness center and what kind of led you to that point.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Awesome, yes. So um again, my name's Sarah Stevens. Um, born and raised in Florida and uh married. I have three kids. Uh, and yes, I'm owner and founder of Women's Wellness Center of Tampa. Um, we've been open for about four years now, um serving women in our area and everywhere in Florida uh through virtual appointments as well. Um, so I have a passion for helping women achieve their potential by way of helping them medically, but also spiritually and emotionally and physically through the work that I do.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

Awesome. And what are some of the things you're seeing right now? Uh are there common threads you're seeing that uh issues women are dealing with that you're treating right now?

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Yeah, so I would definitely say that um hormones are all the rage right now. Um it's a big topic, um, rightfully so. And that's that's partly because the FDA recently just said that they were going to remove the black box warning on estrogen replacement methods for causing an increased risk of breast cancer, dementia, um, and blood clots. And so there's a lot more women who are interested in learning if hormones can be a good option for them. Um so I would say this is a big topic going on right now and something that I'm extremely passionate about and that can affect, you know, not just their health, but their relationships as well and how they show up in life.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

So for the women that are listening, um, give me some maybe bullet point things that, you know, dealing with this, this, this, or this, that those are things that you consistently help treat.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Okay. Um, so from a hormone perspective, I would say most women will come in saying, you know, I just don't feel like myself. Um, I'm having hot flashes, night sweats, maybe just a little bit more moody, I can't sleep, um, gaining weight, doing the same things that I've always done, but gaining weight instead of maintaining or losing weight. Um, and then also, you know, that come along with the hormone um symptoms are things with like gut health. Um, so I just I've got stomach pains, you don't really know what's going on, um, something's just not right.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

So tell our listeners about the Women's Wellness Center, uh, what's unique about it, uh, what's the experience life like for women that go there from beginning to end?

SPEAKER_01 3:40

So we're we're a very special, specialty type um clinic. Um, my my vision when I started was to serve women who have been dismissed in healthcare or maybe haven't gotten the answers that they've been looking for so that they can feel better. Um, so we provide very personalized health care to our patients. So, what that means is that the patients that we serve get access to the providers here in a different way. Our appointments are a lot longer than a traditional appointment with maybe a private practice. Um, so our appointments are anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Uh and you know, us ladies, we like to talk when it's something that's going on with us. You know, we want to be heard and we want to be able to say what we feel like we need to say. Um, and so with those appointments being longer, we're able to really dive deep into what's going on and find out exactly what's causing their issues. And so we we take what's called a functional medicine approach, which is a root cause medicine approach, meaning not just what is the medication that I can give you, but why is this happening? And is there anything we can do naturally, whether that be through supplements, lifestyle, diet, nutrition, exercise to improve your health. So we we incorporate all of those things into all of our appointments, and and what it does is it provides um, I would say more long, long-lasting effects.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

And you know, I think there's a trend, and that's why uh people uh basically are heading towards facilities like yours instead of the hospitals, because they don't mind those one-hour appointments, they don't mind those long appointments. That means they're really getting the root cause, they're getting the personal care they want. So with some of the hospitals, they feel like they're in and out and they're just a number there. So uh I think that personal touch makes all the difference for sure.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

Absolutely, absolutely. I think it's it's um a good thing to be able to have both, right? You know, there's there's a time and a place for hospitals and urgent cares, um, but then there's also a time for being proactive instead of reactive, and that's really what we specialize in.

SPEAKER_00 6:04

That kind of leads into my next thought, too, is uh, you know, you shouldn't look at your services as waiting until there's a problem, too. There's what are things maybe at a younger age women can start doing to maybe stave off some of these problems that come on uh later in life?

SPEAKER_01 6:20

So definitely um diet and exercise are a big deal. Um I think you know, people who are older than us when we're younger say, you know, it'll catch up to you one day. Um and that really can't be further from the truth. Um what we what we put into our bodies, onto our bodies, even personal care products for the young ladies, um, and how we move our bodies has a direct impact on what our health is going to be later on in life. And so getting on top of that at an earlier age can be so beneficial. Um, it can take a little bit more work, right? Because when you're in a crowd that might be prioritizing the most popular um skincare line that might not be the best skincare line for your health, um, to go outside of that takes a little bit of courage, but it really can be extremely beneficial.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

What is uh kind of a template for success of your patients then? So for those listening, like what should they be prepared for to kind of commit themselves to to you know it's one thing to sit there for an hour and figure out what the problem is, but then there's work that it needs to be put in to solve that problem. So I guess what's general advice for women as they start treatment with you or a place similar to yours?

SPEAKER_01 7:36

Yeah, so I mean, really being determined um to want to make a difference, you know, uh I I rarely get the patient that isn't fully committed, right? You know, for a cash pay practice, which we are, um, you know, insurance isn't covering it. So it takes that step of, no, I'm really ready to put the work in. Um, but I honestly what I think it is, is that during that appointment, really getting the education of why they're having the symptoms they are and why we're choosing the interventions that we are choosing really motivates them. When you understand the why, it makes it so much easier to believe in the recommendations. Um, and so really having a team that that gives you the clear cut, you know, recommendations on this is what you do, this is the diet that I want you to follow, um, and how often I want you to exercise makes it pretty easy.

SPEAKER_00 8:37

On that note, I want to put you on the hot seat a little bit here and uh see if you can pick out a success story that you'd like to share. Obviously, though, given out the personal details, but someone that uh you were really able to help out, they committed themselves to the program and it made a big difference.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Yeah, I would say, I mean, there's so many to choose from, which is so exciting. I love what I do. Um, I would say for one of my younger patients, um, I have a um a woman in her 20s who uh previously was was having some pretty intense mental health issues and was being told that she was bipolar, that she needed to go on all these medications, um, but at the same time had some pretty significant um reproductive type symptoms. Um, and so through the work that we do, um the blood work, um, and then diving into her diet and lifestyle, we found that she was overworking her body. So she was intense in the gym, um, sometimes twice a day working out, um, which really caused hormonal chaos for her. And so by identifying that, giving her tools on how to still stay active but not overdo it, um, and then some dietary protocols to follow, some supplements, um her mental health completely shifted to the point that she was like, There's no way I was, I can actually have bipolar. Um, and and it was so eye-opening for her that she actually brought her story to her her social media and her influencer uh platform that she could help other people know that, you know, sometimes it could look like one thing and be something different. And so to have a provider that actually looks at everything that it could be can be very beneficial. Um, so that was really exciting, you know, someone who is pre-menopausal. Um, but then I also have uh another patient who's in her 60s that um she originally came to me for hormone replacement, and we do a pretty comprehensive lab panel, and I found that she had high cholesterol. And so her husband um works in the pharmaceutical world, and so instinctively she freaked out. Um, my initial recommendation wasn't to jump on a medication, um, but with her husband's experience, she got really nervous and she decided to go on a medication. Um, fast forward to about nine months later, she came back and she's like, I just don't feel like this is this is the right thing for me. Um, I feel like there's something else that, yes, it might be bringing my cholesterol down, but I'm not really lowering my risk. There's something going on. And so we were able to dive deeper into that and get her on a good protocol. And today she is, you know, on hormone replacement, feeling phenomenal. Um, her cholesterol is perfect and she's not on medications. Um, so it was a fulfilling experience for me because um I was able to help her achieve her goals and truly lower her risk of cardiovascular disease, but in a way that she was comfortable with. Um and I think that's, you know, we're known for that, where we're not fully one way. Medicine is is good in certain moments, but then we can also support health in other ways. And so we're we're really like not biased in that every protocol is going to be different, right? Because it's what you feel comfortable with. And so with both of those patients, um they were able to step into who they who they really are and into their full potential.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

We could have it a one-hour podcast and just go uh, you know, one success story after another, but uh that's uh that's great for right now. What awesome stories. Uh can definitely see by the look on your face how much uh thrill you get from helping people out, no doubt. So let's make some more success stories. Uh, whoever's still listening to this is probably interested in the services you have to offer. So what's the best way for them to reach out to you and get started?

SPEAKER_01 13:00

So I would say number one is our website uh where you can check out all of the services that we provide. Um www.women's wellness tampa.com. We also have a social media platform on Instagram and Facebook. And so just type in Women's Wellness Tampa and you'll be able to find us.

SPEAKER_00 13:21

And uh you'll all be able to see all of that in the show notes. So uh for you ladies out there that are looking for some help, uh Sarah can definitely uh point you in the right direction. So uh Sarah, thanks so much for the great knowledge. Uh, best of luck to you going forward.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

You're welcome. Thank you so much for having me on.