After suffering from a doctor-stated incurable chronic illness for 20 years, Janet Prado found a way to cure herself through holistic medicine focused on food, which inspired her to become a certified holistic health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Mission.
Janet struggled with various mental and physical health issues that began during puberty at age 11. From that point, she began to gain weight, which continued to fluctuate throughout high school.
“When I hit my early twenties, during college, I started having a lot of pain in my body,” Janet says. “Because I spent a lot of time playing the clarinet, I started getting a lot of pain in my arms.
“I started taking natural supplements that would help temporarily. But one of the things I always questioned was, ‘Why isn’t it getting better?’ Why did I have to depend on these supplements?”
Janet began experiencing other medical issues, such as constant infections that led to mucus drainage, which continued to build up in her twenties.
To add insult to injury, Janet fell down a set of stairs in 2003, which caused significant damage to her left knee. Before the accident, Janet was a highly active person who enjoyed running and dancing. After the accident, she could no longer perform those activities.
“In 2008, I went to see a knee specialist, and he said I had this condition called PVNS behind my knee and the only way to get rid of it is to have surgery,” Janet says.
At the time, the affected spot on Janet’s knee was small, so she chose to forgo the surgery. Unfortunately, the affected area grew over time, causing more complications.
Again, a doctor recommended surgery. However, the doctor informed Janet that she might never walk again afterwards.
After hearing this news, Janet tried alternative treatments for nine months, but to no avail. So, Janet decided to get the surgery, which was successful.
Unfortunately, she began to suffer pain in the front of her knee.
In 2014, Janet had another surgery, but her knee problems persisted. Everywhere Janet went, she had to do her best to keep her leg elevated to reduce the pain.
“I could only bend my leg maybe 30 degrees, but I could still walk,” Janet says.
Four years later, Janet still had PVNS, and it was spreading.
“At that point, I decided this is going to be the last surgery I ever get,” Janet says. “At that point, it was so difficult to even sit down.”
Sometime after her last surgery, Janet discovered Medical Medium.
“I came to understand that [my condition] had to do with something viral,” Janet says. “Since starting Medical Medium, I haven’t had any more inflammation in my knee. I can sit for longer periods. There’s still some healing that needs to be done in my knee, but it’s not nearly as bad as what I’ve gone through. I’m grateful to be able to walk, do yoga and I can now bend my knee all the way.”
After having multiple doctors say she would never be able to walk again after three knee surgeries, Janet made it her mission to help other women heal using the teachings of Medical Medium, which focuses on diet.
Janet’s passion for helping others started when she worked for a health company during college, where people used to come to her for health-related questions.
“I have a background of dealing with a lot of trauma, being molested and overcoming a lot of these things,” Janey says. “That doesn’t mean I still don’t have issues, as we all do. But I’ve overcome so much, and I understand what it means to be in that low place of suffering.”
Janet’s healing process has taken her about 20 years to get to where she is today. Still, she does not regret her difficult experiences because they have provided her with the knowledge she now uses to help other women.
“I’m so grateful for everything I’ve gone through,” Janet says. “Each and every single one of us has a purpose. It’s not about being a victim; it’s about being a victor.”
Janet has worked as a holistic health coach for four years, and one of her main focuses is teaching people how their diet affects their well-being.
“I really love helping people connect the dots and understand our relationship with food,” Janet says. “For example, if someone is sharing a stomach issue they’re having, then we go deeper into where [the issue] comes from and find out that [the client] was having problems with their husband or maybe someone had passed away a year ago.”
Not only does Janet help other women, but she also continues to work on her healing journey as well. Although Janet is a coach herself, she continues to see a holistic health coach for her own needs, which helps Janet continue to build her coaching skills.
“I practice a form of Buddhism, which has really changed my life,” Janet says. “Even though I have overcome a lot of health problems, there are still certain health issues that I’m overcoming. It shows you that just because someone is a health coach doesn’t mean they’re 100% healed.”
I’m so grateful for everything I’ve gone through. Each and every single one of us has a purpose. It’s not about being a victim; it’s about being a victor.
Janet Prado
One of Janet’s most challenging aspects of being a health coach is keeping an emotional boundary between herself and her clients to protect her energies from those of her clients.
To cleanse herself after sessions with clients, Janet will do yoga, meditate and spend time alone to recover.
Aside from coaching, Janet also found her way into the administrative field when struggling to figure out her path after obtaining a degree in music.
“One of the first jobs I had was at an internet marketing company,” Janet says. “They had me do sales because the job I had before was sales. Then, they started needing help to do the office.”
Janet’s supervisors quickly noticed her innate administrative abilities, eventually leading to a role as an administrative assistant that Janet immensely enjoyed.
For the past 20 years, Janet has worked as an administrative assistant. She has a full-time job at a university, where she has worked since October 2021.
Janet loves her position at the university, but her passion is her holistic medicine business. She plans to transition to working full-time as a holistic health coach in the next couple of years.
On top of the medical problems Janet struggled with throughout her life, she also dealt with complicated relationships with her immediate family. During Janet’s 17 years of practicing Buddhism, she successfully rebuilt these bonds with them and now shares happy and healthy relationships with her family.
“I try to live my life by being a person of service, being a beacon of light,” Janet says. “Doing the best I can wherever I go, leaving people better than I found them and doing my best to work on myself every day.”
Janet says she manages her roles by giving all her tasks complete focus.
“Where you put your focus, the energy goes,” Janet says. “Being focused on what you’re doing is extremely important.”
For women who are unsure what career path they want, Janet says, “First thing, look back at what you liked to do as a child. What were the things that lit your soul on fire? What’s your biggest struggle? Maybe that’s what your mission is. One of my biggest struggles was trying to deal with my health. Now, here I am, helping other women.”
Follow Janet on Instagram and YouTube, and check out her website.
