12: Following The Breadcrumbs with Andrea Nakayama

Andrea’s become a force for good and change in the world of functional medicine, as a nutritionist who can help chronically ill people get better when no one else can. Her clinical skills have won her the attention of many world-renowned doctors, who consult with her on their own difficult cases. More than that, Andrea trains thousands practitioners every year in how to have the clinical success she’s had. She’s training an army of changemakers in the field of healthcare. Those triumphs came out of Andrea’s own tragedy when her young husband was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor while she was pregnant with their only child.

I was first drawn to Andrea’s work over a decade ago when I was studying to become a health coach. Little did I know the course I was about to sign up for, Digestive Intensive would change the way I viewed healthcare, problem solving and begin a friendship that would see me through my own personal and professional celebrations and challenges. This episode is raw, it’s real, and it’s brimming with insight and vulnerability. Here we go. 

In this episode we cover:

• Andrea's most influential people growing up
• Key learning that Andrea carries with her to this day
• Andrea's , "we get to" to be what we are most passionate about
• How design and art influenced Andrea's thinking and creativity early on in life 
• How the loss of her beloved husband, Isamu changed her life and her career. 
• What Andrea's superpower is
• What drives Andrea today and her advice for working with unlearning 

To learn more about Elisa and The School of Unlearning podcast, click here. 

Elisa Haggarty is a Conscious Leadership Coach and host of The School of Unlearning Podcast. Elisa has been a coach for over 18 years- from college basketball to nutrition to more recently helping leaders bring more consciousness and play into their personal and work lives. Her work is influenced by a philosophy and belief that, "life happens for you" which has been a through line for Elisa her entire life. Believing life happens for you begs the question, "how can I learn and grow from whatever is happening?". She has sought to find and create meaning from every chapter of her life and empowers her clients and teams to do the same. From her first heartbreak, first job loss, divorce and enduring the grief that comes with slowly losing her Dad to a rare form of Dementia, Elisa's rich life experience and humble curiosity is what allows others to connect with her, and ultimately themselves in a deeper way. She finds joy in making her friends homemade chocolate and can most often be found hiking or spending time in nature and has two adorable cats, Josie and Lou.

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