my body was giving me clues
The real reason I sold braidbabes, the four things that finally fixed it, and why my AI ops program asks about your bloodwork.
the clues I kept ignoring
A few years ago, I called my mom and listed off what was going on with me.
I get dizzy every time I stand up. I'm eating ice like it's my job. My tongue is weirdly itchy. And I get a full-blown cold every five weeks, like clockwork.
"Your body is giving you clues. It's your job to listen to them."
I didn't listen. Not for a long time. And it cost me more than I realized.
why I really sold braidbabes
When people ask why I sold braidbabes, the short answer is debt and burnout. The real answer is my health.
For seven years my ferritin, which is basically your body's iron savings account, sat under 10. At my lowest it was 6. I was running a growing company on an empty tank and calling it hustle.
(your iron savings account)
I couldn't think clearly. I didn't have the creative energy to solve problems the way I used to. Every few weeks I was sick in bed instead of leading my team. The business didn't fall apart because I didn't care. It fell apart because the person running it was running on fumes.
I don't want that to happen to you.
low iron signs I thought were "just getting older"
Here's what I told myself: this is just what getting older feels like. Every woman I knew was tired. Every woman I knew dreaded her period. So heavy, painful periods and constant exhaustion seemed like the deal.
It's not the deal.
- everyone's tired
- periods are just awful
- ice is my quirky thing
- I catch every cold
- not normal
- not normal
- a classic low-iron sign
- a clue too
Painful, heavy periods are not normal. Being tired all the time is not normal. Craving ice is not a quirky personality trait. It's actually a well-known sign of low iron. Dizziness when you stand up, a sore or itchy tongue, thinning hair, and catching every cold that goes around can all be signs too.
They're not symptoms of getting older. They're clues.
what actually fixed it
Once I finally started listening, I did what I know how to do: I treated my body like an ops problem. Track the numbers, find the bottleneck, fix the root cause, set an alert.
- I found the root cause. Heavy, painful periods led me to ask for an ultrasound. It found fibroids. Two surgeries later, my body can finally hold onto iron instead of losing it every month.
- I stopped relying on pills alone. My gut just wasn't absorbing enough iron from supplements. Iron IVs were the only thing that moved the needle.
- I set a floor. The "normal" range for ferritin starts really low. I aim for 80+ because that's where I feel like myself (some hair specialists aim for 70+ for hair growth, too), and 40 is as low as I'll let it get. When I hit 40, I book an IV. I just did one last week and I feel incredible.
- I took my labs into my own hands. I use Instalab to order my own bloodwork and track every result over time. Instead of one snapshot a year at a physical, I can see the trend and catch a dip before I crash.
my ferritin, from empty to me again
ng/mLNow that my iron is where it should be, the idea of chewing ice is gross to me. 🧊
That's the part that still makes me laugh. I used to eat it like it was my job. Now I can't imagine wanting it. That's how loud my body was talking, and how quiet it got once I listened.
And my hair. During braidbabes, my hair was very, very thin. Now it's finally growing again and shedding so much less.
why her ai era starts with your health
This is exactly why my founder intake for Her AI Era includes health questions.
Most people expect an AI ops program to ask about your tools, your workflows, and where your time goes. Mine does too. But it also asks how you're sleeping, how your energy feels, and when you last had bloodwork. And now every founder gets a free full blood panel from our partner InstaLab.
Because ops cannot run without you.the whole point
You can automate your inbox, your onboarding, and your follow-ups. But your business still needs you at your best creative energy: making decisions, having ideas, and showing up for your clients and your team. No automation fixes a founder running on empty. I learned that the hard way, and I want something different for you.
your low iron clues checklist
If any of these sound familiar, your body might be giving you clues too:
I'm not a doctor, just a founder who was tired of being tired. But if you're checking boxes, ask your doctor for a ferritin test, not just hemoglobin (the standard anemia check), and push back if the answer is "you're fine." Or book one yourself through Instalab today.
My mom was right. Your body is giving you clues. It's your job to listen.
xo, emmily