No one ever told me that health was about more than food and exercise — that sleep, stress, mindset, and the way I moved through daily life could shape my wellbeing just as much. It took me years of frustration to figure that out.

I’m Dana Silver, a Certified Health Coach who believes true wellness is about more than food and exercise — it’s about our choices, beliefs, and alignment with what our body needs in each moment. It’s about reconnecting to our authentic selves and finding clarity in what feels right for us.

In my early 30s, as a young mom, I wanted the energy to keep up with life, so I started exercising regularly and educating myself on healthier food choices. I jumped into diet culture — low-fat, low-sugar foods, calorie counting, and tracking my weight obsessively. I believed that if I just followed every “rule” and did everything “right,” I’d be healthy.

I studied advice from doctors and nutrition experts in health magazines. I learned about integrative medicine and whole foods. I started noticing my body — I felt physically stronger, but my anxiety and stress levels were high, and my body felt imbalanced, bloated, and physically exhausted — the opposite of what I was working toward.

I turned to mainstream medicine, expecting answers, but instead, I found frustration, confusion, and no real solutions. Doctors ran tests that came back “normal,” and I was offered prescriptions that left me feeling depressed. What no one told me is that modern medicine was missing the mark when it came to my gut health and overall wellbeing.

I decided I needed to take a different approach, and found some answers through elimination diets that revealed numerous food sensitivities. While I found some relief, I was still dealing with severe gut pain that left me irritable, and ongoing anxiety and daily stress.

Eventually, life gave me the space to pause and take an honest look at what wasn’t working. I realized my health wasn’t just about food and exhausting cardio — it was about where I was putting my energy, the relationships I was holding onto, and the pressure I was putting on myself to get everything “right.” For the first time, I made the choice to truly put myself first.

I slowed down. I prioritized my mental health. I started listening to my body in a truly intentional way. I stopped weighing myself, began eating whole, real foods without guilt, and chose habits that felt supportive rather than punishing. And slowly, things began to shift.

I realized that my health and wellbeing wasn’t just about my food choices — it was about my relationships, my environment, how I managed stress, and caring for myself on every level. Even after all my research, experimentation, and professional advice, no one told me that true health includes all of these layers — and it’s what I want other women to know too.

After years of efforting, I was inspired to embrace conscious living and deepen my own practice through meditation teacher training. Later, I decided to turn my experience into something I could share by becoming a Certified Primal Health Coach. Each step in my training felt like fitting puzzle pieces together — nutrition, movement, rest, conscious choices, and mindfulness — woven with self-compassion and curiosity.

What I came to understand is that Western medicine doesn’t always tell the whole story, or address all of our needs as whole beings. What no one told me about health is that healing isn’t only about tests or protocols, it’s also about listening to your body, trusting your intuition, and honouring the signals that only you can feel.

For me, whole health came when I stopped chasing answers outside myself and began choosing what felt right for me. That choice gave me the freedom I had been searching for — freedom from confusion, from diet culture that didn’t serve me, and from the pressure to get it “right.”

I know how exhausting it is to try everything and still feel stuck. That’s why I’ve taken what I’ve learned and turned it into a simpler, more supportive path forward through my one-to-one coaching program. If you’re ready to see what freedom could look like for you, I’d love to connect for a free Clarity Call.