Last year, when my 10-year-old daughter got very sick with severe stomach pain and bloody diarrhea, she had tons of medical tests and visits with medical professionals (pediatric immunologists, gastrologists), none of which could tell us what was wrong let alone how to fix it.

After months of dead-end roads, I saw a post on facebook from Sara Stratton for her new company, Purposely Rooted. I was inspired by Sara’s personal story and by her passion for helping people be purposeful in how they achieve wellness, so I reached out.

Before doing anything with my daughter, I decided to try Sara’s services for myself since I, too, have experienced chronic diarrhea my entire life due to a hereditary immune system disorder. I’ve tried many times in the past to change my diet to address this and failed. Most “dieticians” I’ve worked with either just told me what not to eat or tried to sell me on supplements without any real education. My experience with Sara was completely the opposite.

First of all, she’s not a “dietician;” she’s a “nutritional therapist” and that’s a key distinction. Like other therapists, she started our work together by just talking to me about myself and my goals. Like other therapists, she did a *very* comprehensive assessment that included, among other things, a food journal and a suite of surveys on topics that went way beyond nutrition. Like other therapists, her evaluation included an exploration of my current medical issues, treatments, and medications. She learned about my life in general and my goals. She took the time to get to know me and truly “did her homework” before even recommending *anything* to me.

The recommendations she provided were tailored to me and my specific needs/habits, they were very thorough, and included a great deal of educational material so I understood the changes I needed to make, but also why I was making them, and most importantly how to make them. She gave me sample recipes that were close to things I already liked to eat (but much healthier!) and even provided links of places to buy the ingredients for them. She made it so easy for me to take the next step and change my everyday routine so I had time to do meal planning, grocery shopping, and meal preparation. She helped me slow down my life so I had time for the things that were important to me, and helped me make time for self-care, which is essential for the health of my entire family. When I withdrew some of the foods that were causing problems, she offered easy alternatives that were satisfying and I found that my “cravings” quickly changed. She was so open and supportive that I never felt uncomfortable being totally honest with her on days when I was really struggling with the changes, and she was always quick to provide fact-based material to explain what I was going through and how I could address it.

The changes were almost immediate. Within less than a week of implementing Sara’s recommendations, I had my first fully formed stool in over forty years. The chronic gas and stomach pain I had just lived with for most of my life was gone. I experienced a mental clarity that is difficult to explain – it was like I had been “living in a mental fog” and didn’t even realize it. I lost 12 pounds in two weeks and have lost over 25 pounds to date. But more importantly, I’m not on the hamster wheel anymore, rushing from one thing to the next. I now take time to enjoy things like cooking (which I used to hate), spending “present-focused” time with my husband and children, and have also started to see a change in my daughter’s eating habits too. Her stomach pain has significantly decreased and she is definitely on a path to better health. I was so impressed with Sara that I recommended her to my 75-year-old mother, who is a breast cancer survivor with Stage 3 Kidney disease and high blood pressure, and my mom is already reaping the rewards of Sara’s talent and skill. She is riding a bike every day when she couldn’t even walk before and has lost over 25 pounds.

Sara is so much more than a nutritional therapist; she’s a life-changer. I am a better all-around person today because of Sara Stratton and I can’t thank her enough for the positive impact she has had on all the key women in my life. Thank you, Sara!!