Finding Vital Balance | Jess Trone on Hormones, Extremism, and Trusting Your Own Body

Mel and Jenn kick off a brand new chapter of the show, the first episode of their Community of Coaches series, spotlighting the local women already doing good work in the High Country. Their guest is Jess Trone, a former attorney who spent a decade practicing law before walking away to build something entirely different, a career born out of her own ten year health journey and the moment she healed herself of three endocrine conditions using nothing but research, trial, and error. Jess now runs Vital Balance with Jess, coaching women through hormone health, and she walks Mel and Jenn through the real hormone hierarchy, why cortisol and insulin usually matter more than the reproductive hormones everyone blames first, and why blood work can look normal while you still feel off. That leads straight into the wellness extremism flooding social media right now, the carnivore only rules, the influencers with a million followers claiming vegetables are poisonous, the all or nothing approaches that leave women more overwhelmed than informed. Jess even owns up to her own recent stumble into extremism after a knee surgery, cutting carbs cold turkey and landing in a mood her husband had to call out, proof that even the expert falls for it sometimes, and that awareness beats rigidity every time. In this episode: • Why Jess left a decade of practicing law to become a hormone health coach, and the health crisis that started it all • The hormone hierarchy nobody talks about, and why cortisol and insulin usually explain more than estrogen or progesterone ever will • What health extremism actually looks like online right now, and why carnivore diets and gurus with a million followers keep gaining traction • Why intermittent fasting and skipping meals can backfire on your sleep, energy, and hormones • Jess's own honest story of overcorrecting after knee surgery, and the moment her husband told her to knock it off • What to actually ask your doctor for when your blood work comes back normal but you still don't feel like yourself You'll walk away with: • A clearer filter for sorting real hormone science from the extremism flooding your feed • A working understanding of cortisol and insulin, and why they often matter more than the hormones women blame first • Permission to stop chasing the six pack and start asking what your body actually needs instead • Specific questions to bring to your next doctor's visit if your blood work says normal but you still don't feel right Our Favorite Things This Episode: Jess's favorite thing: https://creeksongfarm.com/index.html, a family run CSA in Ash County she's belonged to for years, plus the Watauga County Farmers Market where they set up every Saturday Learn more about Jess at http://jessicatrone.com and listen to the Vital Balance with Jess podcast at Vital Balance With Jess 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @mindsmovingmountains 📧 Get in touch: mailto:mindsmovingmountainspod@gmail.com