Podcast | Habits
Episode 21| October 29, 2023

Thrive with High Blood Pressure w/ Donna Williams

A Cough She Couldn’t Shake for Nine Months Sent Her Looking for Another Way.

Donna Williams found out she had high blood pressure at the worst possible time, in the grief after her mother died.

The medication was supposed to help. Instead it gave her a dry, hacking cough that lasted nine months. She could not sleep. She could not finish a sentence. She carried a rag and a cup of water to client meetings at the bank.

Then a coworker pulled her into a cubicle and pressed two points on her arms.

For the first time in nine months, she stopped coughing.

In this episode of the Happy Healthy Hustle Podcast, certified health coach Donna Williams shares how she took charge of her own health, why diet is the foundation of managing blood pressure, and the four elements she teaches for lasting well-being.

She turned her own scare into a mission.

This is how she helps people become their own health warriors.

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“I listen to what people are not saying.”

– Donna Williams

Fast Skim & Timestamps

0:00 Meet Donna: Health Coach for High Blood Pressure
3:18 Her Superpower: Hearing What Isn’t Said
6:49 The Diagnosis After Her Mother’s Death
7:44 Nine Months of a Cough No One Could Fix
8:25 The Coworker Who Changed Everything
11:39 Getting Certified and Going All In
14:17 The Four Elements of Managing Blood Pressure
18:48 Become Your Own Health Warrior

Key Takeaways

Many people do not know they have high blood pressure until something forces a doctor’s visit.
Ask questions and educate yourself. Every body reacts differently to the same medication.
Diet is the foundation of managing blood pressure, and it does not have to mean tasteless food.
Four elements support well-being: nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and mindfulness.
Plant-based meals can be filling and delicious. You do not have to go fully vegan to benefit.
A single honest friend can push you toward the training and confidence you need.

Three Petite Practice® Questions

1. When did I last actually check in on a number my body has been trying to tell me about?

2. Where am I depending on one solution when a fuller approach might serve me better?

3. Which of the four elements, nutrition, movement, stress, mindfulness, needs my attention most right now?

Transcript Chapters

0:00 Meet Donna: Health Coach for High Blood Pressure

[00:01:26] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: I am thrilled to welcome Donna Williams. She is a certified health coach with her own podcast, the High Blood Pressure Wellness Lifestyle with Donna Williams. It is all about how diet profoundly influences long-term wellness and how eating delicious, satisfying foods is part of the foundation in reversing high blood pressure numbers. [00:02:19] Donna Williams: Thank you so much for the opportunity. The name of my podcast is High Blood Pressure Wellness Lifestyle with Donna Williams.

3:18 Her Superpower: Hearing What Isn’t Said

[00:03:18] Donna Williams: My superpower is listening well, listening to what people are not saying. I try to tune in to hear what is not being said outwardly. When someone is discussing a health issue, I listen intuitively and try to guide them. I cannot diagnose because I am not a medical doctor, but with experience you get to know what issues might be creating a problem in someone’s body.

6:49 The Diagnosis After Her Mother’s Death

[00:06:49] Donna Williams: Most people are not even aware they have high blood pressure. I was not. How I found out was that my mother died from ovarian cancer, and I was overcome with grief. I had headaches, so I went to my doctor, and he said, you have high blood pressure. I was scared, because I had heard how it damages organs and leads to strokes and heart attacks. I asked if it could be cured. He said no, that I had to take medication for the rest of my life and eat less salt.

7:44 Nine Months of a Cough No One Could Fix

[00:07:44] Donna Williams: The medications were awful to me. I became so ill. I had a dry hacking cough that would not go away for the first year. I could not sleep, and it got so bad I could not even speak a full sentence. I was a business banker visiting clients, and I had to travel with a rag and water because I would start to cough when I tried to say a sentence. Think how embarrassing that was, and it went on for nine months.

8:25 The Coworker Who Changed Everything

[00:08:25] Donna Williams: My girlfriend Maria was a student at acupuncture school. One day I was passing her cubicle at the bank, and she grabbed me and massaged both my arms, where the lung points are. That was the first time in nine months I did not cough for an hour. The following day I was at the school getting my acupuncture treatment. That was how I started to take charge of my health, and I knew other people would want to know how to take charge of theirs too.

11:39 Getting Certified and Going All In

[00:11:39] Donna Williams: The biggest influence was that same person, Maria. We have been friends since 1994 and always speak the truth to each other with love. She said, how can you speak about high blood pressure when you are not a doctor or even a health coach? You have to go to school. So she referred me to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and I got certified. I learned about nutrition and could create menus and step fully into helping people. [00:13:16] Donna Williams: When I got laid off from the bank, I decided to step into it fully. I did not want to work for someone else again. That was the birth of my business.

14:17 The Four Elements of Managing Blood Pressure

[00:14:17] Donna Williams: If you have been recently diagnosed, ask questions and educate yourself. Your doctor is doing their best, but every one of us is unique, and our bodies react differently to medication. There are four vital elements of well-being: nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and mindfulness. When we integrate them along with diet, everything flows. And be open to plant-based meals. I am not saying go vegan, but change up some of the meat and fish. Plant-based food can be filling and delicious, and your family and kids will like it too.

18:48 Become Your Own Health Warrior

[00:18:48] Donna Williams: My website is infohighbloodpressure.com, where you will find information on how to maintain and control your high blood pressure. I have online programs on how to overcome high blood pressure and thrive, and a free acupuncture ebook. If your blood pressure elevates suddenly, there are points you can massage to help lower a headache and blood pressure at the same time. You still have to go to the doctor, but at least you have lowered the urgency, so you can be your own health warrior. [00:21:13] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Health, happiness, and productivity are all interconnected. Thank you so much, Donna.

Meet My Guest

Donna Williams

Certified Health Coach & Host of the High Blood Pressure Wellness Lifestyle Podcast

Donna Williams is a certified health coach who helps people manage and thrive with high blood pressure through nourishing food and everyday wellness habits. After taking charge of her own diagnosis, she trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

She hosts the High Blood Pressure Wellness Lifestyle podcast and offers programs and a free acupuncture ebook. Learn more at infohighbloodpressure.com.

Meet Your Host

Dr. Christiane Schroeter

TEDx Speaker & Leadership Strategist

I’m Dr. Christiane Schroeter, TEDx speaker, leadership strategist, and host of the Top 1% ranked Happy Healthy Hustle Podcast. I help leaders think clearly, speak with conviction, and take the next step during change.

About Dr. Christiane

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