A New Thing
Originally published August 27, 2020 · Updated with context in 2026
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
— Mark 2:22
For months, I had been on a journey of healing — physically, mentally, and spiritually. Looking back now, I can see a series of breaking points.
Emotional breaking points that required brutal honesty with myself and others.
Mental breaking points that forced me to slow down, step back, and simply survive.
Spiritual breaking points that required surrender — of my plans, my expectations, even my life — into God’s hands.
As a former missionary, the concept of death to self wasn’t new. But this season demanded it in a way I hadn’t practiced for a long time.
The Health Collapse That Changed Everything
In the years leading up to this post, my health had been quietly unraveling. While I can trace symptoms back to childhood, the most dramatic decline began around 2016 — a season marked by prolonged stress, geographic separation from my husband, and significant emotional strain.
By 2019, my body reached a breaking point. I landed in the emergency room with a heart rate exceeding 280 beats per minute, dangerously low sodium levels, and a body that could no longer tolerate most foods — including vegetables.
I was profoundly weak, severely anemic, and living on bone broth and organ meats. For someone who had built a following around fermented foods and gut health, this felt like losing part of my identity.
Through the guidance of my naturopathic doctor and deep personal research, I began to understand the deeper layers involved: autoimmune disease, long-standing gut infections, impaired detoxification pathways, and genetic vulnerabilities affecting methylation.
Parasites, Detox, and the Long Road Back
I eventually uncovered that I was still carrying parasites dating back nearly twenty years — remnants of extensive travel, mission work, and years of exposure. For most people, the body can keep these in check. Mine could not.
With multiple gene mutations impacting detoxification and gut resilience, my system simply lacked the capacity to recover without intentional support.
What followed was not a quick fix, but a slow, humbling process: gut cleansing, targeted supplementation, cautious food reintroduction, and constant recalibration. There were wins and setbacks — sometimes in the same week.
Over time, I learned to prepare foods differently, rotate protocols, simplify inputs, and listen more carefully to what my body was communicating. Healing was not linear — but it was happening.
Why This Blog Had to Change
In the middle of all this, something became very clear: my life — and my work — could no longer fit into a single category.
This space could not remain only about fermented foods. Healing had expanded beyond recipes. It included clean living, gut integrity, nervous system regulation, faith, boundaries, motherhood, and learning how to live gently in a complex world.
I was also stepping into new seasons — homeschooling, advocacy for cleaner products, deeper nutritional training, and walking alongside others navigating similar health challenges.
This was new wine. And it required a new wineskin.
That realization led to the transition from my former platform into what would eventually become brennamay.com — a place to hold all of it: healing, honesty, faith, and the practical tools that support real life.
I didn’t have everything figured out then. I still don’t. But I knew I couldn’t go back.
Thank you for reading, for staying, and for allowing this space to evolve.
With love,
Brenna
Editor’s Update (2026)
This post was originally written in August 2020, shortly after I completed my nutrition coaching certification through NASM. It reflects an early clinical season marked by acute illness, intense detoxification work, and a steep learning curve.
While the heart of this post remains true, my approach has continued to mature through years of hands-on work with complex clients, autoimmune conditions, and sensitive systems.
Today, my work emphasizes:
- Foundations-first gut healing before aggressive cleansing
- Terrain-based approaches over symptom suppression
- Gentle detoxification appropriate for impaired detox pathways
- Stability and nourishment before optimization
I’ve learned that more intensity is not better — especially for depleted, inflamed, or highly reactive bodies. Order matters. Timing matters. And healing requires discernment.