Confessions of a secret Human Design reader

You are the throughline

I’ve had a hard time explaining what I do. There are multiple angles to speak about. Put simply (if I have to), I’m a holistic health coach (with a functional nutrition credential) who primarily works with women with chronic pain, fatigue and other debilitating symptoms.

A layer deeper, I help women regulate their nervous systems because a dysregulated nervous system is at the heart of most (if not all) chronic conditions. Nervous systems regulation is the root cause of the root cause, if you will. I have a 4 pillar framework for regulating the nervous system (because it’s so much more than just meditation and breath work, and if you do it the way I suggest, it can actually work).

But (and), a layer deeper than all of that is that I am also a Human Design reader and coach. I had been studying and training for years and doing it on the side for friends and family. I pursued a nutritional therapy practitioner credential because I knew I wanted to help women struggling with their health, and honestly kind of doubted whether I could be successful “just” doing Human Design. (I also had a significant falling out with someone in the Human Design space and needed to step back from the whole thing for a minute but that’s another story).

Fast forward to when I started my wellness practice. People started asking me about Human Design even when I talked about hormones. My health coaching clients asked me about their design and so I weaved it into my practice. I used it to guide them into a better understanding of their inner workings which in turn helped them regulate their nervous system and know how to take better care of themselves. Others started asking me for readings and I opened up an offering for a single session. Zero marketing in this regard, just word of mouth and referrals from people who got something significant out of talking about their chart with me for 90 minutes. My clients literally called it out of me (the most living your design pathway you could ask for) and as I built the plane, I formed a framework for using Human Design to inform health coaching.

I’ve loved every minute of it.

But even as this aspect grew, I kept it under wraps publicly.

For one thing, business coaches that I work with (and truly admire, so this is no shade) really gave me strong advice on how to market myself, and they advised I do not talk about it (very often at least).

They say:

“Share the result, not the journey. Don’t talk about Human Design because that’s just a tool in your toolbox. You can add it in after they become a client if they’re interested. And don’t talk about nervous system regulation because your clients don’t know that’s the problem. Instead, talk about the transformation they will get - being able to go on a vacation without worrying about a pain or fatigue flare.”

And I see the logic behind all this. Because we are all looking for results and don’t usually care how we get there.

But my experience is different. I think my clients love the idea of learning more about themselves because they know it’s going to be a good thing, even if they haven’t fully appreciated how impactful it can be, and they’re already curious about Human Design. They’ve been thinking about it in the back of their mind since they first heard of it and are just waiting for the time to jump.

(And I think my clients already know their nervous system is fucked up. They might not know the exact mechanism by which chronic stress leads to chronic fatigue (so maybe they don’t know, again, how impactful this work can be) but they know it’s an issue. It’s been at the back of their mind for awhile too.)

The other reason I was keeping the woo-woo side out of everything was because I feel a little guilty. Like did I waste time and money getting a holistic nutrition credential and learning about functional labs? But then I remember that I also have an unused law degree and I don’t regret my days at Berkeley for a single second. And it’s not like I’m going to stop educating on nutrition and labs with my clients.

So about a week ago, right around when I decided to start this Substack, I decided I was going to start talking more about Human Design. That and nervous system regulation were going to come to the forefront. I knew in gut it was the right way to go, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t/don’t have feelings of self doubt for all the reasons stated above.

(I was just going to make this a note and the paragraph that follows was going to be the whole note btw. But I realized I needed to give you the entire backstory in order to let it carry any weight, hence the article).

I got my tarot cards read today. All of the above was on my mind ofc. I told her nothing about my career or interests.

Midway through the reader says “you should get into Human Design.”

I cried.

I don’t know if I’m the only one who needs express reassurance even when I know I’m doing the right thing, but I’m beyond grateful for the bread crumbs.

When I say listen to your intuition, that’s why.

Anyways, that’s what I do.