Today we’d like to introduce you to Veda Leclerc
Hi Veda, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
In the winter of 2018, I fell extremely ill. I was so ill that I was out of both school and work for weeks. I was crawling to the bathroom, I was barely eating or drinking, and my fatigue was at an all-time high. I was in and out of the emergency room, picked and prodded. I had lost 18lbs and I was miserable. Not to mention, I was only 17 years old.
My immune system eventually regulated and I returned to school, work, and sports. However, within just 2 months, this illness consumed me again. I was back to being bedridden, back to being picked and prodded at the hospital, and went back to having no appetite, no energy, and losing unexpected weight. However, this time was different.
This time, not only did the physical ailments consume me, but the emotional ones did as well. I started to have panic attacks. These panic attacks prevented me from hanging out with friends, going to school, or even enjoying life. I became extremely depressed, almost numb to reality. I was hopeless and often asked, “Why me?” I would see my friends and peers going out, enjoying high school activities, and then there was me, emotionally and physically numb.
While some of the physical ailments went away, my depression lasted for months. At one point, I was prescribed an antidepressant. This became many months of suffering that I didn’t see a way out of.
Fast forward to two years later, it was time for college. I was going for my undergrad, in a different state, away from home. At the beginning of my college days, not only was there a pandemic, but I also got a call from my doctor that I tested positive for Lyme disease. I had a sense of relief as I now had answers to my symptoms, but again I asked, “Why me?”
Because of this diagnosis, my college years weren’t typical college years. I couldn’t eat the college food, I had to make my own. I couldn’t go out, I had to stay in. If I did anything out of the “norm” my Lyme symptoms would flare.
The pandemic wasn’t the only thing that isolated me in college; my diagnosis did as well. I felt completely alone. No one else had to live the lifestyle I was living or eat the way I did. To sum it up, my college years didn’t feel like “college years”.
Now, as I fast-forward almost 5 years since I was diagnosed with Lyme disease, and almost 6 years since I experienced my first panic attack, I am now the founder of Wellness by Veda. I am a certified Functional Health Practitioner and Integrative Health Coach, specializing in women’s hormones and gut health. I am on a mission to guide individuals from the shadows of their health challenges into the brilliance of finding their inner glow. With facing many of my own struggles navigating the ins and outs of the medical system, I understand the darkness that can cloud one’s being, making me committed to bringing light to others’ health journeys.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My journey has been the complete oppsoite of a smooth road. Navigating health challenges in my high school and college years were not easy. These years are for having fun with your friends, going out, and making tons of crazy memories that you can one day tell your future kids. However, I couldn’t live this lifestyle due to my chronic Lyme disease. If I were to engage in something that brought my body emotional or physical stress, it would cause flare ups.
This left me feeling very isolated and alone in this journey. While my friends were out staying up until midnight, I was in bed at 9pm doing a castor oil pack and drinking liver detoxing tea (looking back, I now wouldn’t of had it any other way). I was the only person in my friend group, or even in my group of overall peers that I was surrounded by that lived the life that I was living. I had an obligation to prioritize my health and my well-being, rather than conforming to the worldly patterns.
In addition to my many physical symptoms, I also dealt with many emotional ones as well. Severe anxiety and depression, that prevented me from being able to leave the house and do simple tasks like groceries. I had daily panic attacks that consumed my life, and made me hopless.
However, despite the many bumps in the road, looking back, I am extremely grateful that I went through them. I would not be the person I am today, nor would my relationship with God be as strong as it is today. I am committed to continually betting on myself and my vision, no matter the obstacles, and truly stepping in to who God has called me to be.
We’ve been impressed with Wellness by Veda , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am a Functional Nutrition Pracitioner and Integrative Health Coach, helping women get to the root cause of their gut and hormone issues that are often brushed off as “normal”. At Wellness by Veda, I am entirely virtual, offering personalized coaching while employing a holistic, whole-body approach. I use data from functional lab testing to help my clients get to the root of their symptoms and validate that their symptoms are real and not just in their heads.
With the insight gained from my personal struggles, I address mysterious symptoms often dismissed as normal, empowering clients to unlock their inner glow. As someone who has been through the darkness, and didn’t see the light, I am a practitioner who is fully empathetic and dedicated to my clients. Depression and anxiety were two of the most pervasive symptoms that completely took a toll on me—mentally, emotionally, and physically. Through my wellness business, I aspire to be a beacon for those feeling lost and sick, guiding them toward the light at the end of the tunnel.
To me, my clients aren’t just another name, or another number. They become people that I care so deeply about, as I once was in their shoes. I went through some of the lowest, and darkest times of my life when I was dealing with my health symptoms–times where I truly never saw a way out of.
I understand what it feels like to be lost, overwhelmed, and unsure if healing is even possible. I want to be the practitioner who provides the compassion, guidance, and tools that show my clients they can overcome their struggles. Together, we work toward not just surviving, but thriving. True well-being is within reach, and I’m here to help make it a reality.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Before diving into functional health, I actually went to school to become a therapist. Ever since I was a little girl, I always envisioned myself being a licensed therapist, and owning my own practice. It wasn’t until my senior year of college, after I was done researching and applying for grad schools in Clinical Pyschology, that I realized God had a different plan for me.
Friends and family had always told me that I should work in the health field, but I never felt like that was what I wanted to do. Yes, I was extremely passionate about it, and pretty much devoted all of my free time to educating myself further on the human body and all of the new health fads, but I was extremely set on being a therapist.
However, my senior year of college, I did an internship with middle school aged students, and realized that I wouldn’t survive in this career. I am way too empathetic, and I knew this career path would drain me.
I prayed and prayed about it, and felt like God’s calling for me was to start my own practice, BUT, in the health and wellness space. Looking back, I am so thankful that I went this route, as I have helped so many women transform, and it truly is the greatest blessing.
My degree in psychology wasn’t waisted, and all the tools I learned to become a therapist, are now skills that I am able to apply to my business everyday!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wellnessbyveda.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellnessbyveda/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094595596201
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@wellnessbyveda?_t=8qobyjVr2OU&_r=1
