The Goal Digger Podcast — Episode 937

Episode Title: Tired, Foggy, and Bloated? Your Body Isn't Broken: Here's What It's Telling You
Host: Jenna Kutcher
Guest: Brigid Tigmeier, Functional Medicine Dietitian
Date: December 8, 2025

Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, Jenna Kutcher welcomes back Brigid Tigmeier—her personal functional medicine dietitian and founder of Being Brigid Functional Nutrition—to unpack the real meaning behind symptoms like fatigue, bloating, and brain fog. Jenna and Brigid deep-dive into the root causes of these issues, why our bodies send us these signals, and how to respond with practical, sustainable changes rather than treating ourselves as “broken.” Throughout, the episode’s tone is warm, encouraging, and packed with actionable strategies—especially for women in business and busy entrepreneurs looking to reclaim their energy and health with intention.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Your Body Isn’t Broken: Understanding Symptoms as Signals

Topic: Shifting from a “fix-it” mentality to listening and learning from your symptoms.

• Brigid: Emphasizes that persistent issues like tiredness or brain fog are not flaws to erase, but “often an indicator that something underneath is happening that you want to pay attention to… Our bodies are craving for us to listen and be able to respond to what is happening underneath the surface instead of just… putting band-aids over the things we’re experiencing” (06:16).
• Jenna: Recalls a pivotal mindset shift:

  “You once told me that my symptoms weren’t something I needed to fix. They were something I needed to listen to. That completely flipped how I thought of my body.” (05:49)

2. The Five Biggest Changes from Jenna’s Health Journey

Topic: Real-life, layered changes—not overnight fixes—that gradually transformed Jenna’s energy and well-being.

Brigid outlines five key physiological focus areas:
(12:26)

1. Lowering Inflammation:

   • Jenna’s inflammation markers improved from moderate to optimal.
   • Achieved through nutrition changes, lifestyle tweaks, and targeted supplements.

2. Balancing Blood Sugar:

   • Initial labs revealed insulin resistance (high fasting insulin).
   • Addressed via dietary adjustments, improved sleep, and exercise.
   • “You layered in the sleep and then you layered in the exercise, and that significantly optimized [your] fasting glucose levels…” (12:54)

3. Managing Stress & Hormones:

   • Focused on cortisol and thyroid as foundational to hormone health, rather than just “sexy” sex hormones.
   • Chronic stress can deplete sex and thyroid hormones.

4. Addressing Nutrient Deficiencies:

   • Many women are unknowingly nutrient-depleted.
   • Example: Omega-3s for brain and hormonal health.
   • “Just specific nutrients like omega 3 fatty acids can have an enormous impact on our brain fog and cognitive health, on our mood and mental health...” (13:56)

5. Improving Heart Health:

   • Not just for the elderly—critical for women in their 30s and 40s.
   • Jenna lowered her cholesterol by 50 points and cut triglycerides in half.
   • “Heart disease is still the number one cause of death in women.” (14:25)

3. Rethinking Nutrition: From Processed to Natural

Topic: Unlearning beliefs about “healthy” foods and retraining taste buds.

• Jenna: “I was raised on processed food...I had this belief that good food is made in a lab… How could anything natural taste as good as this?” (23:35)
• Brigid:

  “The foods that you’re eating are hijacking your taste buds...There is a process...to go through a period of time where they’re actually retraining their taste buds.” (24:44)
  “Within just two to three days of changing your diet, your gut microbes start to change.”

• Memorable client story: A man discovering that strawberries are naturally sweet after giving up added sugar. (27:14)

4. Building Sustainable Daily Habits

Topic: Making changes “who you are,” not just what you do.

• Key Habits Developed: (29:36–32:45)

  • Front-loading calories/protein in the morning.
    • Jenna’s new normal: 30g protein by 8 a.m. (29:00)
    • “That was a hill I was gonna try to die on and you didn’t let me die there.” — Jenna (31:02)
  • Avoiding meal skipping:
    • Planning ahead reduced mid-day cravings and “grazing” at night.
  • Increasing fiber (minimum 30 grams/day):
    • Aids hormone balance, satiety, emotional stability, and detoxification.
  • Aiming for 25g protein per meal.
  • Getting the right supplements for optimal—not just baseline—micronutrients.

• Jenna on habit formation:

  “Everything is so natural...It’s actually simpler than it all sounds when it just becomes part of who you are and the way you move through the world.” (35:56)

5. Identity & Mindset Shifts

Topic: Emotional and psychological transformation is as essential as nutrition.

• Jenna:

  “There was a huge chasm closing for me of my identity around all of this...Not that it was getting on a high horse, but just having this awareness of, ‘Wow, I’m awake to all of this’... I know what is going to make this experience mean the most for me.” (38:01)

• Brigid:

  “80% of it is about continuously being able to change your mindset…there’s a level of being able to surrender and lean into what you’re fully capable of. And embracing the science of neuroplasticity…” (39:57)

6. Strength, Not Just Thinness: Muscle Mass & Long-Term Health

Topic: Why building muscle is crucial for women’s health through the decades.

• Brigid:

  “Muscle helps with decreasing insulin resistance...Your muscles actually release anti-inflammatory messages throughout your body...Muscle is really a large indicator of our overall health—so much more than the number on the scale.” (42:48)

• Benefits:

  • Better brain health, lower risk of dementia, osteoporosis, and heart disease.
  • Supports gut health and hormone balance, especially during perimenopause and menopause.

• Jenna:

  “I am so committed to entering my 40s in the best shape of my life...in terms of health and mindset and nutrition and all of the different things.” (45:29)

7. Practical New Year/New Era Advice

Topic: Moving away from rigid resolutions toward holistic, sustainable change.

• Brigid:

  “Think about your nutrition and your health holistically by addressing the factors that contribute to health or aging as women…Incorporate 30 grams of fiber per day, a minimum of 25 grams of protein per meal…Think about doing this in a way that is so much greater than just calories.” (46:25)

Most Memorable Quotes

• “Symptoms aren’t something I needed to fix—they were something I needed to listen to.” — Jenna (05:49)
• “Our bodies are craving for us to listen… instead of just constantly putting band aids over things or feeling like we’re obsessed with having to fix ourselves.” — Brigid (06:16)
• “Your taste buds crave what you feed them.” — Brigid (24:44)
• “Breakfast sets the tone for the rest of your day and the preferences that you have later on in the day.” — Brigid (32:04)
• “I didn’t know how good, good could feel until I met Brigid.” — Jenna (51:44)
• “It’s a natural process that women’s bodies go through…The more that we can prepare ourselves with building muscle and supporting our bone density… we’re setting ourselves up for long term health and success.” — Brigid (45:03)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:19 – Brigid’s intro quote and overall approach
• 05:49 – The radical idea that symptoms are information, not flaws
• 12:26 – Five health pillars that changed Jenna’s journey
• 16:59 – Jenna’s struggle understanding blood sugar and insulin resistance
• 23:35 – Jenna unlearning processed food beliefs; retraining taste buds
• 29:36 – Developing sustainable habits: front-loading protein, not skipping meals
• 38:01 – Identity transformation through healthier habits
• 42:48 – The importance of muscle mass for lifelong health
• 46:25 – Brigid’s advice for the new year or new life phase
• 51:18 – Where to find Brigid and resources for listeners

Additional Resources & How to Connect

• Learn about the Being Collective Kickstarter: jennacutcher.com/being — 4-week meal planning and coaching program.
• Find Brigid online: @BeingBrigid on Instagram, BeingBrigid.com, and her new podcast, The Being Brigid Show.

In Summary

This episode is a masterclass in reframing wellness: moving from chasing symptoms and weight loss to listening to your body, nourishing yourself deeply, and building habits, mindset, and muscle for a vibrant life—especially as a busy woman and entrepreneur. Brigid’s expert insights and Jenna’s candid storytelling make it both practical and inspiring for anyone ready to trade exhaustion for energy and confidence.