We were lucky to catch up with Lindsey Conway recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lindsey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I went to school to study journalism and education. In my first feature writing class, we were told to pick a focus for writing for the remainder of the semester. I wanted to write about healthy food options, and wellness, in general, around campus. It was the first writing beat I got to choose in my journalism career so I was thrilled to finally get to dig into my interests.

A few weeks later, I unexpectedly lost my dad from a massive heart attack, and the shock and trauma led to many twists and turns in the semester. I knew I didn’t want to to continue down the path of news journalism. I barely scraped by and was ready to take a break from school entirely, but pressed on and pursed a degree in education. (I switched majors the spring semester of my senior year and never got to write those food-focused feature stories.)

I ended up graduating a few semesters behind schedule, and decided to move to Seoul, South Korea to teach English and decide what to do with my life. It was there, in Seoul, that the stress of the last few years caught up with me, and I ended up get really sick. While I did my best to navigate my symptoms and health challenges, the language barrier made it too difficult to find any sort of answers or relief. After seeking help through various medical routes — both conventional and integrative — we weren’t finding any clear answers.

The two things that were familiar and available to me during this time was food and journaling — as a life long journaler, I wrote down everything while living overseas, and tried my best to nourish my body as my health was declining. These two practices ended up coming together and led to some of the most pivotal discoveries for my health: Some of my most troubling and problematic symptoms were greatly affected by what I did or did not eat in a day.

Still, I ended up back in Oklahoma, barely able to get off my mom’s couch from fatigue, digestive distress, and body pain.

I continued seeking help from doctors, bringing my newfound insights around food and my body to the exam table. Only, at that point, this information was thoroughly dismissed, and I was encouraged to medicate my pains and troubles.

Yet, I had pages and pages of personal data that connected my food habits and symptoms. More so than any medication I had ever been prescribed.

I left that doctor’s office and knew the path I had to take. Thus began my entry into the field of holistic health and functional nutrition.

Lindsey, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Lindsey Conway. I live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with my husband, Jamie, our daughter, Callie, and two bluetick coonhounds named Maple and June. (Fun side story: Maple was a stray, pregnant dog that needed a home and place to give birth. We said “yes” to that adventure, and she ended up having fourteen puppies in the garage of our home, which is located in a small, residential neighborhood. FOURTEEN hound dogs in a relatively small amount of space. It was a loud, messy, and ridiculously cute summer. We found homes for all of them, and now just have Maple and June, one of her pups.)

I’m a functional nutrition counselor and have been in the field for over ten years now. It was my own personal health crisis, coupled with a strong family history of disease and early death, that landed me in the industry.

After helping people tap into the power of food and lifestyle for better health for over a decade now, I’ve come to understand that health (or a lack thereof) is rooted in the health of the digestive system — you’re not just what you eat, but what your body can do with what you eat.

My practice is geared toward helping clients restore their gut health through a streamlined framework built around the principles of functional medicine and nutrition, and my constant guidance, support, and encouragement along the way.

Navigating food and diet in today’s world is complicated. There are thousands of approaches and you can access all of them with the tap of a button in 0.34 seconds.

Then there’s diet culture and the onslaught of messaging we’re exposed to multiple times per day through social media, our communities…most of these messages promise quick-fixes and magic solutions that just don’t exist.

Not to mention, trying to bring resolution to gut problems, like bloating, pain, or never-ending food reactions, can be overwhelming and stressful for most people, which can actually make gut issues worse.

I help people restore gut health with confidence through my 1:1 coaching program. It’s my goal to really get in there with people and help them feel like they aren’t alone in figuring out how to finally overcome their constant gut pain and discomfort. I place a heavy emphasis on education so my clients can really understand the why behind specific recommendations and feel empowered to make informed decisions for their bodies for the long haul. Plus, the framework we follow together provides a solid sense of direction and certainty that all bases are being covered, so my clients can relax into their process and activate health and healing on a deeper level.

When I look back over the last several years and the transformations some of my clients have experienced, I think I’m most proud of the fact that this work goes so much deeper than simply resolving bloating or eliminating gut pain. My clients report having more clarity of mind, stamina, and energy to do the things that their gut issues kept them from doing. They’re more present and happy parents or grandparents. They have the confidence and resiliency to make life-changing decisions, like leaving a job that kept them stressed and unhappy. They have more energy to do the hobbies that bring them joy…Ultimately, they report being able to live their out their days more fully and with more joy. They can show up in their life the way they want to.

My dad’s death really punctuated how precious and short life can be. My passion to help others with their health is really rooted in the desire to help people make the most of it. So, to see my clients really living this out is truly an honor to get to witness.

My commitment and dedication to the field of functional nutrition is founded on my deep belief that the days we get to live in these bodies of ours are a gift — to us and to others. Eating better, moving your body, drinking more water, managing your stress…it all goes beyond surface-level perks, like weight loss or better digestion, or increased energy— or even “anti-aging…” (We’re all aging.) It’s about adding MORE LIFE TO YOUR DAYS.

It’s about living out your days in your one amazing body to your fullest capacity.

This drives every conversation, recommendation, and piece of content I create for others seeking better health.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Two things:

Without a doubt, having to navigate my own gut and health challenges has helped me develop greater empathy for the people who come to me for help. I know first-hand what it’s like to feel pinned down by constant gut flare ups. And I also know what it’s like to feel relief from those issues. This has led to a fierce commitment to showing up for my clients and encouraging them to show up for themselves and make the necessary changes for resolution or relief.

I also think my tendency to face hard things head on and with curiosity has helped me develop the necessary grit and resiliency to tackle complicated cases and work with the very complex and delicate process of dietary and behavioral change.

Navigating the unexpected loss of a parent at a young age
Moving overseas
Navigating my own health challenges in less conventional ways
Starting my own business
Opening a health-focused restaurant with my husband
Shutting down said restaurant
Taking in a pregnant dog with a one-year-old child underfoot…

All of these situations have required me to dig deep and glean some sort of lesson or nugget of wisdom that has massively impacted how I function in this life. They were their own kind of trainings, of sorts.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When my husband and I first opened our health coaching practice back in 2012, we quickly saw a demand and had lots of requests to open a health-focused food spot in our city. My husband is a trained plant-based chef, so he would prepare meals for my clients — mostly fresh lunches — that we would deliver around the city. In 2013, we were presented an opportunity to open a small cafe. We were the first fully gluten-free, plant-based, allergen-friendly cafe in our city at the time. The demands of owning and operating a food business required me to let go of taking on clients because I found it impossible to split my time and energy between the two. I opted to work in the food bar and further my training and knowledge in functional nutrition on the side.

We owned and operated the cafe for nearly eight years, navigating all of the ups and downs of a food business, PLUS the pandemic.

In 2022, Jamie and I both ended up getting COVID, and were able to have honest, important discussions about future of our restaurant and life. We ultimately decided that keeping the restaurant open wasn’t conducive to our life goals (or our health, really) and opted to shut down food production. We officially shut down the food business in 2023, and I pivoted back into my work as a functional nutrition counselor.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nourishedfood.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourishedco/

Image Credits
Tori Beechum Ramsey Walcher