Sandy K’s Hero’s Journey: Restoring Trust in Wellness and Becoming an Alchemist of Your Own Life - Episode 300

In this episode, host Brenda Farrugia interviews Sandy K (me!) about my hero’s journey through health crises, integrity, and transformation. From the rare tumor my daughter had, to my having thyroid cancer and my husband’s near‑fatal pneumonia, I share how these experiences reshaped my philosophy of wellness, longevity, and health sovereignty.

Together, we explore how turning inward became a practical tool for better decisions around hormones, menopause without a thyroid, and everyday choices that drive longevity. I explain why I believe each of us can become an alchemist in our own lives—transforming crisis into wisdom, blending science with soul, and reclaiming trust in a noisy wellness economy.

This conversation challenges influencer culture and discount‑code marketing, reframes aging as leadership, and offers grounded practices for rebuilding trust with yourself. From energy work and meditation to nutrition, functional labs, and boundaries with technology, I share integrated tools that help midlife women navigate wellness with integrity.

Key Takeaways

• Blending science and soul for midlife wellness
• Critiquing wellness marketing and restoring trust in health advice
• Turning victimhood into purpose after family health crises
• Community building around rare tumors and lived empathy
• Energy work, meditation, and practical spiritual tools
• Returning to college for diploma in holistic nutrition
• Why solo episodes resonate more than celebrity guests
• Redefining aging with integrity and intergenerational value
• Personal agency, boundaries, and tech overload
• How to assess advice through resonance and self‑testing

✨ Follow So Brilliant, rate and review the show, and share this episode with someone who needs a calmer, more honest blueprint for wellness and longevity.  https://www.sobrilliant.ca/

Chapters

• 0:00 Mission And Show Ethos
• 1:27 Holiday Break And Why This Story
• 3:10 The Wellness Industry’s Authenticity Problem
• 6:05 Mixing Science With Soul
• 8:15 Turning Inward And Personal Agency
• 10:07 Introducing Brenda And Sandy
• 12:10 Sandy’s Family Health Crises
• 16:45 From Victimhood To Purpose
• 20:15 Blogging, Community, And Rare Tumors
• 23:00 Energy Work And Spiritual Practices
• 24:45 Returning To School For Nutrition
• 27:10 Creating The Podcast Identity
• 30:00 Doing It Yourself And Staying Ethical
• 33:00 Owning The Mic: More Solo Episodes
• 36:40 Lived Experience Over Credentials
• 40:20 Inspiration From Everyday Moments
• 43:20 Redefining Aging With Grace
• 47:20 Elders, Community, And Blue Zones

Transcript

Sandy Kruse: 0:02

Hi everyone, it's me, Sandy Kruse of Sandy K Nutrition Health and Lifestyle Queen. For years now, I've been bringing to you conversations about wellness from incredible guests from all over the world. Discover a fresh take on healthy living for midlife and beyond. One that embraces balance and reason without letting only science dictate every aspect of our wellness. Join me and my guests as we explore ways that we can age gracefully with in-depth conversations about the thyroid, about hormones, and other alternative wellness options for you and your family. True Wellness nurtures a healthy body, mind, spirit, and soul. And we cover all of these essential aspects to help you live a balanced, joyful life. Be sure to follow my show, rate it, review it, and share it. Always remember, my friends, balanced living works. Hi everyone, welcome to Sandy K Nutrition Health and Lifestyle Queen. Today is my last episode before the Christmas holidays or whatever holidays you are celebrating. I decided I'm gonna take a little break until January the 5th, and you guys might find this interesting. It's a little bit of a different twist. I am doing a lot of different things, but I am hosting it's called Coffee Time with Brenda and Mary. And I was actually interviewed by my friend, Brenda Farrugia of So Brilliant. And this is an interview that I'm posting of myself, and you're gonna be like, what the heck? What are you doing that for? I think it's important that I remind everybody of my story and why I do what I do. And so Brenda wanted to interview me on her podcast, which you can find everywhere, Coffee Time with Brenda and Mary. And go to so brilliant.ca because this woman has changed my life. I've met her over a year ago through a mutual friend, and she's changed my life in a lot of ways. And I feel like nowadays people more than ever need to understand or see the authenticity behind a face, behind a voice in this space of health and wellness, because often we don't really get who's talking to us about stuff, what's their background, what what's their purpose? And for me, I always like to look at the why. Why are they doing what they do? What's happened in this industry is that the space of health and wellness has gotten extremely crowded. And interestingly enough, the other day I was just looking at the stories of some people who I used to be very closely connected to in this area. They are in the health and wellness space. They're also podcasters, and every single story on their Instagram was trying to sell you something with a discount code for something, whether it's for their membership group, whether it's to sell, you know, uh an air purifier that, by the way, everybody on Instagram has a code for and is selling. So what I've come to realize is I am trying to turn around as the person who's watching all of this, who's trying to learn. And I do not believe that health and wellness is something that somebody should be unauthentic or inauthentic about. Because you're dealing with somebody's health, which I take very seriously, having come from a place where my health was broken. And now, you know, by the time the new episode comes back on January the 5th, I will be, it'll be the day before my 56th birthday. So I've been in this space for eight and a half years, and in February, it'll be six years since I started my podcast. And I'm a little bit of science and a little bit of soul, probably a lot more soul than I was before, and less science. Because what I've come to realize is that now in the time of Chat GPT AI, anybody can get information, anybody can get research. It's all about deciphering the research, which a lot of people do really well online, because if you're not trained in understanding research articles, it can it can get kind of complicated. So, yes, there are people who do a lot of that and who go only by research, but I strongly assert and believe that going by research alone will never optimize your health and your longevity. You've got to do a little bit of mix of science and soul, spirit, science, soul, all of it together. And then taking their word as gospel that they must do this because so-and-so says this. Only you know you, and that's what we have forgotten in this massive world of wellness influencers who are at every second telling you to do something. It's not their fault, they're doing what they need to do, it's not their fault that they're giving you a discount code at every second turn. Listen, everybody's gotta make money, and the fact is, is that there are ways that you can do it in an ethical manner. There are ways that you can throw discount codes at everybody and just hope that your numbers will help you make some income. You can create groups, you can do all kinds of things, but a lot of it comes from your heart. Why are you doing this? Why are you in this industry? Is it a hero's journey? Because often, when it's a hero's journey, I pay closer attention. And the reason I pay closer attention is because unless that person has forgotten where they come from, they're gonna have some empathy for you as the person who's watching, who's listening, who's trying to learn. And that is the key to everything that I do. And it always has been since I began. It's a sorry, it's not always easy to keep going because I put passion over profit in everything I do with Sandy K Nutrition. So maybe I'm the fool for doing that, but I would almost much rather stop than turn over a new leaf and become that person who's giving you a discount code at every single second that you're listening or watching or looking at my Instagram stories. I'd rather put an end to everything. So the fact is I am always looking at how I can help my family, but I look at how I can do that in an ethical way or maybe outside of Sandy K nutrition, it still could be ethical, but it's just not, it's very difficult to integrate a wellness business with strict ethics of passion over profit. And those are the facts. So you as the watcher, the listener, the learner, it's really important that we all of us start to really decipher resonance and turn inward. I've been saying this for a long time now. And Brenda Farouja has actually helped me turn inward in more ways than I can even speak about publicly. And the reason why I've done way more solo episodes is because I've gained enough confidence to do so. I've always been that person that's like, oh, you know, do I need a big guest? And I have all these big guests who want to be on my podcast. And wow, wow, that's so amazing. That's gonna bring so many more eyes on my content. And then I'm like, hmm. Since I started doing solo episodes more often, I actually got more downloads for one of the episodes that I did about menopause as a solo episode than I did with another doctor with a huge following. So I'm like, hmm, there's something here, and Brenda's the one who saw it. She said to me, Sandy, your platform, your podcast, everything you do is about you. It's not about the research because as I did say, anyone can find that research. It's not about the guest, because clearly you've demonstrated that you can stand on your own two feet. You don't need the guest. It's about you. It's about you mixing the science with the soul and with your life's purpose, integrity, and authenticity, which I believe we're gonna see way more of in 2026. Not like about me, I'm just saying way more of this. So I know of some really amazing podcasts, but they hide behind their guests. If you look at them alone, you know, I don't know, is the personality there? Is the authenticity, is the experience there? I have not had an easy life, so I don't pretend that my life is easy, and I think that people need that. People need to see that no, this person who's on this big wellness platform talking to all these people is not perfect, and I'm a big believer, I'm holding out for some reason. That reason is because there are many of you who can relate to this, and if there's one thing I'm gonna say about Brenda, is follow her, get in touch with her, just even try some of the stuff that she puts out there because this isn't your regular energy healing stuff, it's very unique, and it can help you in a profound way. I have not only known her for over a year, but I've also been doing a lot of the work because she's shown me the way, and I've done a lot of beam therapy sessions and meditations, and you can't really be truly healthy in every way, meaning body, mind, spirit, soul, unless you integrate all the pieces and you do the internal work as well. So, with that, I'm gonna cut on through to this amazing interview led by my really good friend, Brenda Farugia of So Brilliant. Go follow her, follow her podcast, follow her on YouTube, try her meditations. I can almost guarantee you, okay, I can't because I don't know you, and that's the other thing. These people who are speaking on platforms, on podcasts, they don't know you. So you have to decipher resonance. Turn inward, my friends. Turn in. And by the way, I think I did mention it in this recording. Watch the movie Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds. It's not like a high-budget documentary, but it really kind of explains a lot of the stuff that I talk about. You know, we always get ideas and concepts from someone else and somewhere else. And I'm like, I watched this documentary twice, actually, quite a few years ago was the first time I watched it, and I was like, wow, that hits home. And it's so true. So watch that, listen to the rest of the interview. Have a Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, whatever it is that you celebrate. And I will see you back on January the 5th. Follow me on all of my social media platforms, by the way. It's Sandy Knutrition Everywhere. Follow Brenda and wishing you all a wonderful holiday season.

Brenda Farrugia: 15:12

Welcome everyone to another episode of Coffee Time with Brenda and Mary. As you can see, Mary is not here, but today we have a special guest. Our special guest today is someone who brings wisdom, death, and a beautiful blend of science and heart into everything she does. Her name is Sandy Cruz. She's a registered holistic nutritionist and the creator and host of an acclaimed podcast, Sandy K Nutrition, Health and Lifestyle Queen. She empowers midlife women to redefine aging. She steps, brings us into steps for us to step into vitality, confidence, and purpose through intentional living. After navigating her own health challenges, Sandy acclimized her experience into her mission to educate, inspire, and help others restore balance naturally. She's a perfect fit for our show. She has become a friend. And what I love about Sandy is not just her knowledge, but she is authentic. She is heart. She leads with her heart. And she's going to show us how she brought her journey into what she is today, how she steps into her purpose with wisdom and all the education that she shares with all of us. So welcome, Sandy. Thank you for joining us today.

Sandy Kruse: 16:43

Thank you so much for having me and that wonderful introduction, Brenda.

Brenda Farrugia: 16:48

Yeah, well, I love your podcast. It's out there and it is beautiful because you are so authentic, and there's so much I would love you to share with our guests. It's all about doing the work and becoming more of who we are. But first, before we start, Sandy, I would love for you to talk about your journey because I know you speak very um, you speak a lot about your actual health challenges and what brought you into the position you are today.

Sandy Kruse: 17:18

Sure. I I think that we often can fall into a victim state when things go wrong with our lives, with our health, with our journeys. And I think that that is an important step, but then we need to realize that we can alchemize our journeys and turn that pain into purpose. So when I was 40, my daughter at that time, she was diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma, which is a malignant tumor. She was five, I was 40. And then almost exactly one year after I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. And then one year after that, actually, my husband coded in the hospital from a bacterial pneumonia. So I was like, you know, we're not unhealthy people. Like we're not like, why is this happening? And often there are no explanations. So I searched a lot for explanation in the whys. And sometimes you just can't, you know, you can surmise that maybe this is why this happened, and maybe there's some genetics. And that's where that whole science and soul came about in my journey, where I'm like, okay, well, sometimes science can say this is why this is happening, but it's never the whole picture. And during that time, I needed to do stuff, like I felt like I needed to act, and that's kind of who I am as a person. I'm like, okay, now I've stepped out of this victim state, this why me, why me, why did this happen? And I would never say, don't be a victim, because sometimes that's that's a little piece of your journey that you need to be there for a little while, but then you need to figure out how to pull yourself out. And I'll tell you, I met this woman. I I grew up Catholic, and so yes, me too.

Brenda Farrugia: 19:20

I know, I know what you're talking about.

Sandy Kruse: 19:22

Yeah, and and during this time, Brenda, it religion didn't serve me, it didn't help me to get out of that victim state. And so actually, I saw a shaman, and this is so long ago. So I I'm now almost 56. This would have been when I was, I don't know, I probably was around 41. It was probably before my husband had his health scare and after I was diagnosed with cancer. So my daughter and I each had our surgeries almost exactly one year apart. It was her second surgery where they wanted to just ensure that they got clear margins. Clear margins is basically where they go back in, where the tumor was. This is the specific type of tumor she had to scoop out and make sure there were no cancerous cells left at all in the area. And then that was her second surgery at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. And then I had my first surgery, and it was October 2010, October 2011, and they completely removed my thyroid because of and a couple of lymph nodes. So then I'm like, now what? Like, how do I get out of this? Like, why me state? And I started, I actually built two websites, and I built these websites. So my my background is I'm my background is in sales, but I'm also an English literature graduate. So I I started blogging because I met these amazing women who told me something completely different than what the doctors were telling me because there wasn't enough research, and I'll never forget this one woman. She uh so emotional. She sent a Barbie all the way from Hawaii for my daughter. Like it was just like amazing people. Like, I gotta do more. And so I never expected to get emotional. Why am I so emotional? But well, you know, you know what?

Brenda Farrugia: 21:29

You were when we're when we're talking, sometimes we're releasing, and that's what I'm doing. I'm holding the space as you talk. Yeah, so just keep going. You're doing beautiful, and you know, I know you're more than your story. I know you're more than your story, our, but our stories sometimes are the turning points of our lives, yeah, and that's why you know you sharing this is so important because there are people who are suffering right now, whether physical, mental, emotional challenges. And this is real, like you know, we all have our stuff to let go.

Sandy Kruse: 22:02

And I think this is just like saying, wow, like we as a family have gone through so much, but like, look where we are now, look where I am now, look where she is now. She's in university, she's thriving, you know. So, and it's just more that emotion. So I built these websites, I've had so many people contact me. They're like, oh my God, nobody knows anything about plexiform fibrohistioctic tumor. That's the name of it. And nobody can tell us. And so we built, I I now still to this day, I am an administrator for a Facebook page for this specific tumor. So then I'm like, okay, I'm out of this, I feel we're thriving as a family, we're all doing well. And I started to delve into, like I said, I saw shaman, I really got into feng shui. I started to understand energy and how to clear energy, and really delved into a lot of different spiritual practices just to kind of help keep my head straight. And then I'm like, okay, well, now I want to go back to college. And people thought I was crazy. They're like, wait a minute, what for? You have a beautiful life, you get to be home with your children, you're so blessed, everybody's healthy, and you're going back to college at age 46. So I'm like, yeah, I feel like I need to do more and help more people. So I graduated from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. It's not a certification, it's an actual diploma. It's a college diploma. I just want to specify that because a lot of people will call themselves nutritionists, but it's like a weekend certification. This is a college diploma. It took me three years. I finished and graduated at age 49 and started my practice and then my podcast right before the pandemic in February 2020.

Brenda Farrugia: 24:05

Okay. So that's, you know what? I I always knew that you're very knowledgeable in what you speak of. And I know when there's something I need, I can ask you, and you're like, oh yeah, do this, do that, use this. I'm like, wow, okay, great. You know, so it's great to know that that background was, you know, it was a college diploma. I I didn't actually know myself. So thank you for clarifying that. So, what I love about your story is one, you saw a shaman like that many years ago. So that you know is really neat and how that the synchronicity of things brought you to that person, and they give you a different outlook on life, and then you've got this internal pull to get better, be there for your family, but then to educate others, and I love that about you. So then explain how your podcast, because your podcast has really grown. Uh, how did that happen?

Sandy Kruse: 25:03

Okay, you're gonna laugh at this one. Um, my husband and I were sitting there in our family room, and he's like, You should start a podcast. Like he's he's, I have to say, he is my biggest supporter in what I do. He never ever kind of said, Oh, what are you doing? Like, that's kind of stupid. Why are you going back to college at 46? Well, four, you know. He he said, You should start a podcast. And he goes, but you're not just a nutritionist. And it's true because a nutritionist, you know, by definition, people would think, oh, it's just about food, but it's not, it's so much more, it's about holistic living, as in W H O L E, whole, holistic. And with that, yes, food is a piece of it, but there's so much more. And even in when I was in college, you know, we were reading um Carolyn Miss, like sacred contracts, and we did do the spiritual and the soul side in college, as well as biology, pathology, symptomatology. So that is a true holistic nutritionist. So he's like, okay, so you know, he goes, Why don't you call yourself something different? And he's like, You're queen, you're not, you know, you're you're you're not 20 years old, you're a woman with wisdom to share and everything. And so we came up with that Sandy K nutrition, health and lifestyle queen, because it's more of the let's share wisdom together, yes, midlife, and and the wisdom encompasses everything body, mind, spirit, soul, science. It's like all of it. How do we become whole when a lot of us around midlife we feel like we're falling apart? And so the first recording, I don't even know if it's still there, Brenda, but I literally picked up my iPhone and started recording on my iPhone. And then I flubbed my way through it. I'm like, I don't even know what I'm doing. I need a podcast host, like a hosting platform, and I need this and I need that because I just started researching. I didn't make enough money in my business to have somebody do all this for me. Now there's people out there that will start your podcast for you. So in February, it'll be six years, and I still do everything myself because I still am passion over profit. So I'm like, well, since I already know how to do this, I'm just gonna roll with it and keep doing it.

Brenda Farrugia: 27:44

That's perfect. Well, it's very interesting because as you need things, don't you find that the universe or you just learn it, but it's also it's uh getting more information. So you're also you're not just learning about everything, but you're also learning how to run a podcast. So what I love about you, and a lot of my clients are like this, I I tend to gather light workers and old souls. And what I love about them is no matter how they are, their lives can be traumatic, the darkest days of the soul, but they have this resilience that I'm gonna learn it. Like we never stop. It's like, yeah, there might be a block, there might be something in our way, but we'll go around it, then we'll face it head on, we'll learn about it. But there's always the information will come to move through that next stage and that next stage, and we're constantly growing. And what I love about your podcast and just about you, is that you'll interview people and you'll promote them. But what I'm starting to really love is the you're starting to promote, not not promote yourself, but you're starting to do more podcasting about you because really you are the energy behind your podcast, and you are so knowledgeable, and you have interviewed and brought so much information to the public, and now I just have this like when I see you, I just see you shining into this beautiful woman, wisdom, queen. Here we go, here I am. So, what do you feel like your next steps are with your podcast, with your growth? And have you come into any recent obstacles that you're like, oh my gosh, maybe I don't want to go to that next level?

Sandy Kruse: 29:30

No, I I feel like, well, having I'm a big believer that everything happens for a reason, and then it's up to you to figure out how to navigate that, like how to how to alchemize it, whether, you know, and we label things good, bad. And you know, I it okay. I mean and my kids, we used to love the movie Stuart Little. Do you remember Stuart Little, the little mouse? Yeah, the little mouse, yes, yeah. He would talk about silver linings, and so often we don't see it, and we're so clouded in our pain that we don't realize that that's that light. And so one of the things that I have learned actually from you is often I would get some really highly, highly, you know, prolific whatever guests, very, very uh well known in the industry, mostly in the US. And these guests were, you know, they had such a name behind them. And I was like hiding behind that. And the one thing that I realized is, and I realize this from you, is like that show is me. I created that and I created the platform for those guests. And a lot of what they speak about, they speak about it from just the science. And I'm like, people want more now. I don't care if this doctor has, you know, 50 published studies behind his name, and neither does anyone else, because I can recite those studies myself in my podcast, but at the same time, speak to it from a perspective of a woman age 55 going through or gone through menopause without a thyroid gland, which adds adds an entirely different twist to menopause, and give my experience an insight, which is like really powerful because people don't want to see perfection anymore. People don't necessarily care about all of these letters behind that doctor's name. They want to hear it from somebody who's speaking from the heart who's saying, Okay, well, here are the published studies, but let me give you a different take on this because there's a whole spiritual connection to why you're feeling this way, you know, and and that's why I love interviewing people who have that that that soul and that that perspective that health is not just what's on paper, and health is not the same for everyone. So if I provide you with all these different, you know, tools, let's just say you can say that resonates, that resonates, that resonates, as opposed to one big scientific study that a lot of these experts will be like, just because it says this, it's for everyone. And it's like, no, that's not true.

Brenda Farrugia: 32:44

Yeah, that's we're all so unique. So what works for one person doesn't for the other, and that's what I love is you're kind of giving it out there and say, hey people, put it through your heart center, see what works for you, try it, see what works. It's not, it has to be this that you know, we're all so unique, and that's what I love about your work. You come out with that authenticity, you are putting out the information out there in a really great way that's understandable, and you really do. I can tell, you do a lot of research, you know what you're talking about. It's not like you're just sitting out there and you just got something and you're reading it, you know your stuff, and I know my stuff when it comes to what I do, and you know your stuff. And when I need something that you need, I know I can ask you, and it's gonna be there. But what I also really want to bring into the center here is you since I've known you, and I was blessed to be introduced by you, I have seen you just open up, and you're already perfect where you were, but I see you just blossoming into such, it's like everything you've done has brought you to this beautiful person that's ready to just blossom into the next step. And the why I have you on this show today is to show people like that we can all come from a state of victim mentality through our traumas, through our sicknesses. And I understand there's a lot of people suffering right now as we're starting to purge the old traumas and the belief systems, but there are people like you that can help, there are people like me that can help, but it really comes to taking that step, that initiative, saying, I'm not a victim anymore. And I was, and it was okay, but you we can bring back our power, and you show how to do that so authentically, which is just so beautiful.

Sandy Kruse: 34:49

Thank you. And you know, it's kind of neat because one of the things that obviously a lot of this has come with conversations with you, and and I'll be like, one day I'll be driving in my car, and this is you and I talk a lot about inspiration. And it might be that I'm driving at night, and this is one of the podcasts that I'm putting out soon. I'm driving at night and I'm like, oh, ooh, I don't want to drive at night anymore. Oh, right, and then I'll it'll start to go and I'll be like, why am I like this? What happened to me? I never used to care about this stuff, and then that's usually what will dovetail into a new podcast episode where sometimes I'll have uh uh somebody on with me, some, but lately a lot of times I don't because I'm like, okay, let me dive into this because I know I'm not alone. I know people who are 55 who no longer drive if it's raining outside and it's night. And so why is this happening? There's I know there's a physiological scientific explanation, but what else? What else is it that's going on? And so that's usually how I've been coming about new episodes lately, which then I'm inspired and I'm excited because I'm like, okay, we ladies, you are not alone in this. This is common. Let's talk about it and let's see what the scientific reason is and what we can do about it.

Brenda Farrugia: 36:16

Neat, yeah. So you do a lot of work with redefining aging, right? Just kind of doing aging naturally and really owning it and things like that. It's funny because I've never been scared to age, and I personally don't do anything, you know. I just kind of I eat, I eat pretty clean, I exercise moderately and I meditate every day and do my work. But when I a lot of people will be like, we have to do this, this, this, this, and this. And you you kind of give a bunch of information, say, hey, yes, aging, but you're aging gracefully, and you're very, very authentic about your aging and very open about your age. You what'd you say? You're 56? I'm 58.

Sandy Kruse: 36:59

January. Don't don't give it to me yet.

Brenda Farrugia: 37:02

Yeah, okay, okay, 50. Okay, so I'm a January baby too. So, you know, I I've never been embarrassed about my age. You know, it is what it is. Um, and I just said, you know, I believe age brings wisdom. You know, it's bringing all those life experiences and all the things we've gone through, just you know what, are it's an honor to have gone through them. I always look at my past and I look at your past as it's an honor that we went through that because we wouldn't be who we are today without them, right? And we're gonna continue to grow and evolve as we all are, but it's by taking that life by the horns and just like, you know what? Yes, we're gonna get some bad stuff, some good stuff, and it blends all together, but that's your unique journey, which is so beautiful. This is my unique journey, which is so beautiful. So I love that you own your owning your journey and that you're sharing it with the public.

Sandy Kruse: 37:56

The big thing too, Brenda, is I love that you said that about you're not afraid of aging. So, what's happened in our world is things have kind of changed, right? Like, you know, I know that your uh European background, and like for me, for example, my parents are both old school Croatians, right? And back in the day, the elders held so much wisdom. And if you even look at longevity and the blue zones, the elders are a huge part of that community. Whereas somehow in North America, it's like, unless you're biohacking and doing all this, and then, you know, and I'm not slanting anybody for doing whatever they feel that they resonate with, you do you. But I'm just saying, you know, it's like, okay, well, now we have to be afraid of being thrown into an old age home, or you know, like it's like, let's just put the elders in, you know, a home and forget that they're there, as opposed to being part of the community, which contributes to that longevity and that vitality and that soul, and you inspire the younger people in your life, and so I want to contribute to that. Let's go back. I know we can't go backwards, but let's go back to that a little bit, you know, like having that respect.

Brenda Farrugia: 39:21

Yes, bringing that respect for aging. Hey, to be honest, okay, I don't have a problem with aging, but there's something about gray hair I still have a problem with. I don't know why, but one day I see myself have beautiful gray hair, I'll own it. I just not quite there yet, you know.

Sandy Kruse: 39:36

But but that's okay, and you know what? This is why I'm always like, listen, if if you want to go and get that facelift, do it, but make sure that the inside that's right, is healthy, so you're not doing it for other people, you're doing that's right in for yourself, you're doing the work inside first, and let's say you go, Yeah, I'm gonna go do that, or yeah, like so. For me, sure, I highlight my hair, I ended up taking off my gel nails. Uh it's gonna be two years in March since I did that because I saw that it was contributing to inflammation in my body, and I'm like, oh, you know, it's time to stop that. I don't need that. So it's kind of like pick your poison, right?

Brenda Farrugia: 40:22

Yeah, that's right. And and the thing is, I think as we're moving into this new energy on earth, our we're actually being kind of guided internally, um, what is good and what is not so good for us, and we're just down to naturally navigating. So it's lovely to have your podcast out there, and I really highly suggest people to go and check her out. I you're on all the platforms. I know you're on YouTube, you're on all the platforms out there, you're on Instagram, you're on TikTok. This girl's out there, and I will say something to all of you. I know having a podcast is lots of work. I mean, me and Mary started off is a fun project, and we're, you know, we're getting up there and it's fun. It's and we get to meet new people and we get to talk. But I will say, Sandy, I see how much content you put out, and I know the energy that goes into it. And I have to say, like, my hat's off to you because you are in it, you are in it, it is who you are, and I just keep shining that beautiful, authentic self and keep promoting what you're doing. And I would love to see more of you because you're shining so bright, and it's beautiful to see someone who's gone through so much to really own who they are and shine it so brightly. So, um, I I I I'm speechless right now. So, thank you for joining us today. Is there anything else you want to say about your journey, about what your next steps are, how to contact you?

Sandy Kruse: 41:56

Um, yeah, sure. Uh I I just the one thing I do want to say is, and this is probably the most important thing for anyone midlife, women, men, we often are finding that we are kind of giving our energy all away all over the place because of social media. So with technology, there's definitely pros and then there's cons to it. And what I have found is that we will often put celebrity or large podcasts or voices on a platform, and we think, oh, because they say that it must be right for me, because they say that the science says it must be right for me. So if there's the one biggest takeaway, I'm gonna say we must learn to tap into ourselves, and Brenda helps a lot of that because a lot of times things will cloud that and we just don't know. So we're like, I'm gonna get this from this person, this from this person, this from this person. It's like you haven't even taken a moment to tap into what does my body think about that? How do I feel intermittent fasting? Does it make me feel better or do I feel really anxious and worse? So if there's anything you take away, don't listen to what Brenda is saying, don't listen to what Sandy's saying, don't listen to what this giant podcaster is saying, or this person with all these letters. Listen to me first, turn inward first. And I always say that, even like I remember hearing this one guy talk about this, just relating to marriage. You know, often even when you're having problems with your relationship and everything, people will turn out, right? You're looking outside for all these answers instead of turning in. So turn into yourself, turn into your partner, turn into the people that are closest to you. And there's nothing wrong with getting that information because obviously I want you to listen to my podcast. I want you to listen to my podcast, right? Like I want you to do that, but don't forget that you hold the most power, not absolutely anybody else, right? Yeah, and I actually learned that so much from meeting you, and and I was also doing the same thing that a lot of other people were doing, trying to get all these answers from everyone else. I'm like, darn it, I forgot about myself.

Brenda Farrugia: 44:36

I'm the one that has to see the answers are within, the answers are within. Yeah, and and and I do notice a huge change in in you from doing that, you know, it's communing communication from within, it's listening to your intuition, taking time to self-reflect, doing the work, learning about yourself, you know. I and I see you you put that into play beautifully, and it's such a pleasure to watch you just move into really own who you are. It's beautiful.

Sandy Kruse: 45:08

Thank you. Thank you. So thank you so much for having me. I kind of went off on a tangent. That's all right. That's all right. It's a nice little um it's Sandy Knutrition everywhere. So you can find me on YouTube, you can find me on Rumble. I don't know, somebody told me to put my stuff on Rumble. I don't even know what Rumble is. Um, but LinkedIn, you can connect with me there. If you know you want to talk more business, um, I'm there, I'm on TikTok, Instagram, threads, so just Sandy Knutrition everywhere. And my podcast is on all platforms. And you know, if if it resonates with you, you can share it with a friend because that's a big reason how we grow, right? We share with other people what resonates with us.

Brenda Farrugia: 45:53

Yeah, I'm actually curious. It just came to my mind. Do you offer a discovery call? Like if someone wanted to talk to you directly, is there an email? Do you do that?

Sandy Kruse: 46:03

Um, you know what? I do very selectively. Okay. And I am a practitioner. I actually just renewed my insurance and my association. So technically, I am a practitioner. I'm just very selective. What happened was I was working with women for three months at a time, and it became extremely you know intrusive on my personal life. I would get texts at 10 o'clock at night, and and I found that I needed to put boundaries around that. So, and then I found that working with people on a shorter term, it wasn't helping them deep enough. Got it.

Brenda Farrugia: 46:39

Okay, I understand.

Sandy Kruse: 46:40

Yeah, but but by all means, you know, I am I am certified in functional lab testing. So I understand labs. I never give medical advice. Um, I'm certified in endocrinology and hormones, functional nutrition, peptides, and anti-aging. So I have a lot of extra certifications that I've done. So you can get in touch with me, Sandy at sandyknutrition.ca, and we can see if it's a match. Okay.

Brenda Farrugia: 47:07

Because I was just like, we just put you on this beautiful, and then I'm thinking, say someone says I want to work with Sandy, what do I do? So you just answered the question. So thank you. It's a it's a possibility, but I understand it's a lot of time and investment getting the information out there. So I'll say, watch her, watch her, watch her. She's got so many episodes about so many different things. And I you've been doing this for six years, so there's a lot of content out there.

unknown: 47:33

Yes, thank you.

Brenda Farrugia: 47:34

Beautiful.

Sandy Kruse: 47:34

Thank you so much, Brenda. Thank you for having me.

Brenda Farrugia: 47:37

Thank you for showing up and joining us on Coffee Time. All right, everyone. Hope you really enjoyed Sandy. She's so lovely. Really check her out. You'll love her.

Sandy Kruse: 47:49

I hope you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to share it with someone you know might benefit. And always remember when you rate, review, subscribe, you help to support my content and help me to keep going and bring these conversations to you each and every week. Join me next week for a new topic, new guest, new exciting conversation to help you live your best life.