This post is educational and reflects lived experience and nutrition-focused physiology. It is not medical advice.
If something “didn’t work” for you — a supplement, a protocol, a diet, red light, a patch, a cleanse — the most common conclusion is: I must be doing it wrong.
Most of the time, that’s not true. The issue isn’t effort. It’s sequencing.
A tool can be the right tool… used in the wrong terrain. And when the foundation underneath it is unstable, even good inputs struggle to land.
Foundations aren’t exciting. But they’re what make outcomes possible.
The “it worked… until it didn’t” pattern
People aren’t confused because they lack discipline. They’re confused because bodies are different — and the internet rarely accounts for that.
One person thrives on carnivore. Another on plants. One drinks coffee daily and feels steady. Another spirals after half a cup.
That’s not contradiction. It’s physiology.
And physiology has a foundation layer that doesn’t care which camp you’re in. If that layer is compromised, nothing holds for long.
The five foundations that change outcomes (in order)
This is the same order I use for myself and with clients. When people feel stuck, it’s rarely because they need something more advanced — it’s because one of these is quietly missing.
1) Nutrient-dense food, minerals, and hydration
Your body doesn’t run on willpower. It runs on raw materials. When minerals or hydration are low, everything downstream becomes harder: digestion, energy, sleep, blood sugar regulation, mood, and recovery.
2) Digestion
You can eat the “perfect” diet and still be depleted if you can’t break food down and absorb it. Digestion determines whether nutrients actually reach your cells — or just pass through.
3) Blood sugar regulation
Blood sugar instability drives anxiety, fatigue, irritability, cravings, and sleep disruption. When it’s off, the body leans on stress hormones to compensate — and healing stalls.
4) Sleep
Sleep is where repair happens. When sleep is compromised, progress costs more and takes longer — no matter how good the protocol is.
5) Stress regulation and nervous system tone
Healing doesn’t happen in fight-or-flight. If the nervous system never feels safe, even supportive inputs can feel like “too much.”
Why good tools sometimes fail
1) Missing building blocks
Sometimes a tool doesn’t “work” simply because the body doesn’t have the raw materials on board — minerals, amino acids, hydration — to respond well.
2) Too many changes at once
When everything changes at the same time, the body can’t give clean feedback. Progress requires clarity, not chaos.
3) A nervous system stuck in overdrive
When someone is underslept, under-fueled, and overstimulated, the nervous system often vetoes even good plans.
A simple self-check
- Food: Am I eating enough real food and protein?
- Minerals: Am I hydrating and salting appropriately?
- Digestion: Do meals leave me heavy, bloated, or uncomfortable?
- Blood sugar: Do I crash, get shaky, or feel wired between meals?
- Sleep: Am I actually restoring at night?
- Nervous system: Do I feel safe in my body most days?
You don’t need to fix everything at once. Start with the foundation that feels most unstable.
Where to go from here
If you’ve been stuck cycling through protocols and still not feeling better, this is your invitation to come back to foundations — not as a step backward, but as the thing that finally allows progress.
Choose your next step:
- Start here: Join my interest list
- Self-paced support: Founders Vault (Founders Circle)
- Deeper support: Apply to work with me 1:1
Brenna May, NTP
Nutritional Therapy Practitioner • Functional Wellness
📧 brenna@brennamay.com
🛒 Fullscript Dispensary
This content is for educational purposes only and does not replace individualized medical care.