We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Deanna Kay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Deanna below.
Deanna, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
My mission for my business is to guide people back to their exalted selves through the pathway of the nervous system. Peak performance crumbles when a person is living from a place of chronic stress, exhaustion, fatigue and irritability. These symptoms arise when the nervous system has been dysregulated or imbalanced for too long. I have had my own experience of burnout and having a nervous system that was caught in a state of fight or flight to the point that it made me physically and mentally sick.
Throughout my life, I have had bouts of illness and imbalance from depression, chronic gut pain, migraines, eczema, OCD, an eating disorder and even insomnia. Through the practice of Yoga which directly connects with the nervous system, I was able to combat these symptoms until they barely existed. Addressing my gut health was also an essential factor in healing and reducing chronic stress.
When I was 30, I had an annual checkup only to find out I had a pre-cancerous infection inside of my cervix. The doctors wanted to immediately perform an invasive surgery of cutting out the interior walls of my cervix to remove the mutated cells. I thought to myself, “there must be another way!” After all the years of repairing my other symptoms and ailments, I knew I could do this without surgery. After this diagnoses was when I had my big AHA moment and realized all these symptoms and illnesses through out the years have stemmed from me walking around in a continuous, high arousal state (nervous system dysregulation).
I then spent the next 3 months researching and initiating my own holistic protocol for healing. This entailed nutrition, movement, lifestyle alterations, supplements and practices that all directly worked to support the nervous system and bring it back into a state of resilience and calibration. After 90 days, I returned to the doctors and they did another test to find that there was no longer any infection inside of my cervix. It was completely gone and it only took 90 days.
I knew that the power of the mind, the will and working with the physiological system in a gentle and nourishing way was the key to healing and transformation. I have now worked with several clients who have suffered from burnout and debilitating physical and mental symptoms. Although, my clients have not had the exact same ailment or ailments that I had dealt with, nervous system support has aided in there healing and transformation within their own unique experience.
By addressing the route of negative symptoms by communicating via the nervous system, I have witnessed clients overcome anxiety, depression, burnout, fatigue, vertigo, inflammation, insomnia, dysfunctional metabolism and even chronic injuries. I have witnessed clients return to their inherent wholeness, get their lives back and enhance their performance on all levels.
Deanna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Deanna here, I travelled to India when I was 19 for 3 1/2 months. I did not travel there with any intentions except to get out my comfort zone. I discovered the practice of Yoga and after about a week of being in India, I began practicing Yoga everyday, twice a day. It was the only thing that made it possible to remain in India for as long as I did. I got very ill when I was there and returned to the states severely underweight. When I returned, I was not sure how to support myself so I went to the doctors and they gave me several rounds of antibiotics which I swear to this day played a significant role in destroying my gut microbiome which lead to years of chronic gut pain, migraines, eczema, depression, and infections.
Before I went to India, I was struggling with an eating disorder, so when I got sick, I was down for the count. The dysentery that took me down in India only exacerbated the symptoms I was experiencing before I went there. It took years to recover but mainly because I didn’t have any guidance and had to become my own advocate.
After years of deprivation, hyper vigilance and pushing my physical body over the edge, I became more and more sick. the icing on the cake was when I received a per cancerous diagnoses in my cervix. I knew at this moment that I had not been taking care of myself. I was not leaning into rest and recovery and my body and mind were breaking down. This was an “AHA” moment for me and I knew I had to take my healing into my own hands. The doctors wanted to perform an invasive surgery and intuitively I knew there was another way. I spent the next 90 days researching, exploring and getting curious about what I had been doing to myself and what the missing pieces were in order to be well again. And it all came down to the nervous system.
I spent years living in a state of panic or shutdown (depression). This began when I was a child living through traumatic experiences. My coping tools as I got older were an eating disorder and OCD tendencies. These tools were only feeding my nervous system dysregulation and causing me to become more and more sick. In realizing my body had been feeding off its own supply for too long, the physical symptoms eventually began to arise and I became ill.
With this revelation, I spent those 90 days rewiring my nervous system, restoring my gut microbiome, eating for nourishment, moving as a form of well being and gratitude, consciously breathing and meditating transformed me. I returned to the doctors after 90 days and they performed another check up and came to find that my cervix was completely healed. There was nothing there except healthy, thriving tissue. All the other symptoms I had been experiencing through out the years also vanished. The wildest part is it took 90 days of commitment to my health to change my brain and my body. This is when I knew I was meant to help others.
I started a Nervous System Coaching business names The Zen Path to Radiant Health and began working with clients who struggled with anxiety, depression, chronic stress, chronic illness, inflammation (pain and weight gain), insomnia, chronic high blood pressure, POTS, vertigo and eating issues. What sets this work apart from many other approaches out there is healing through the lens of the nervous system. Oddly, the nervous system seems to get overlooked. Perhaps its because out culture is wired for hustling and grinding. Yet, the only way to ultimate success and peak performance is to cultivate a resilient nervous system that is fluid and flexible. This widens our capacity for stress and experiences that push us outside of our comfort zones.
Have you ever had to pivot?
At the start of COVID I knew I needed to figure out the direction I was suppose to be heading in my career. At the time, I was exploring land flipping merely as something to do and to focus on a project that was far out of my comfort zone and how my brain operates. During this time, I was also trying to figure out what I was going to go back to graduate school for. I became confused and decided to wait as long as I needed to to return to school until I truly knew what I was suppose to do. When I had my scary diagnoses around this time and had the reveal of my dysregulated nervous system and chronic stress, I created my Nervous System Coaching business. This was the start of being guided down my career path. This led me to return to graduate school for Clinical Counseling so that I could work with clients from a more in-depth, trauma informed place. My coaching business is still flourishing and I am simultaneously in school to pursue my Counseling degree. 3-4 years from now, I envision my business expanded and my knowledge of my craft more refined.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Tapping into my local community has been such a source for growing my clientele. I host many events and connect with my community in person so they can truly experience who I am and what it is I do. I offer free strategy sessions and also body work that focuses on nervous system calibration. I love leading wellness retreats around the world that give folks the opportunity to immerse themselves and instill new habit. I also utilize social media to connect with folks on a bigger scale. My intention on social media is to be authentically myself. To share my story and offer ways for people to overcome chronic stress and/or illness. Lastly, referrals have been very helpful in working with new clients. I have current clients who will direct other potential clients my way. I love to connect initially and continue our journey together from there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://deanna-kay.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beetparade/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deanna.kay.31/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanna-kay-3939ab268/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thezenpath88
Image Credits
Deanna Kay