This week’s on The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast conversation with Rachel Crowder was one of those deeply enlightening moments that stays with you, and reminds you of the importance of what we eat, doesn’t just feed our bodies, it feeds our minds.
Rachel is a qualified Nutrition and Health Coach, but more than that, she is a woman on a mission - one that is deeply personal and profoundly purposeful. Her passion to help women reclaim their energy, reduce chronic symptoms, and feel empowered in their health is not something she learned in a textbook; it’s rooted in the kind of life experience that shapes who you are and how you show up in the world.
At just nine years old, Rachel became a young carer for her mother, who battled with rheumatoid arthritis and complex chronic health issues. She was cooking meals, cleaning, and managing a household long before most children her age even considered such responsibilities. Her school had no idea. There was no outside support. She simply did what needed to be done.
When she later met her now husband, he was amazed by her resourcefulness. To Rachel, it was just what she had always known - her normal. But it made me wonder: how many other children are out there, quietly carrying the weight of the world on their small shoulders, unseen and unsupported? In Ireland alone, we know there are over 4,000 carers under the age of 15, but those are only the ones recorded in the census. How many more go unnoticed?
Rachel’s story is a powerful reminder of how deeply intertwined our life experiences are with our health journeys. After 20 years in the retail world, she retrained in nutrition and health coaching - driven not just by her own family’s history of autoimmune conditions, cancer, and heart disease, but by her husband’s decade-long struggle with digestive issues. It was through exploring gut health and functional nutrition that they found answers and healing.
Today, Rachel helps women facing similar challenges - autoimmune issues, arthritis, hormone shifts, reclaim their vitality using whole-body, gut-focused nutrition. She reminds us that chronic illness does not have to define our future. That our bodies are far more capable of healing than we often believe.
As we wrapped up our conversation, I was reminded of the deep connection between what we eat, how we live, and how we feel. Science is now confirming what many in the wellness world have long known that conditions like Alzheimer’s and diabetes often begin in the gut.
So if something within you feels off, or if you sense that your food is not serving you, don’t wait for the perfect time to start over. Try just one small change today. Add a nourishing whole food to your plate. Drink a little more water. Tune in, gently, to what your body is asking for.
Your body and your mind will thank you in the days, weeks, and years to come.
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Sharon
Author, Wellness Coach & Host of The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast