“I can’t remember the last time I felt this good. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.”

– Xenia

In her 20s, Xenia Brandstetter was rising in the career ranks as a financial analyst in London. She put in long hours, working under stress and too often sacrificing sleep.

Then, a series of debilitating symptoms began impacting her work and life. It went beyond simple fatigue: she felt exhausted and mentally foggy, and dealt with digestive issues and insomnia.

“At first, I chalked it up to stress and burnout from my high-pressure job,” she recalls.

Accumulating Autoimmune Diagnoses

As her symptoms worsened, Xenia suspected something deeper was going on. After several trips to the doctor and various tests, she was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, a condition where the body’s immune system attacks its own liver.

Over the next two years, two more autoimmune diseases joined the mix: Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune gastrointestinal disease, and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system gradually destroys the small bile ducts in the liver.

One autoimmune diagnosis can seriously affect your health. But three? “I suddenly had three serious diagnoses,” Xenia says. “It felt overwhelming.”

Her body felt like it was battling itself—and with autoimmunity, it was. At one point, Xenia’s symptoms became so debilitating that they kept her bedridden.

Despite the severity of her conditions, doctors offered few solutions beyond medication. “I was searching for more,” Xenia explains. “I wanted to know what I could do beyond taking pills.”

Healing the Gut

Frustrated, Xenia decided to take control of her health by looking beyond conventional, or allopathic, medicine. “I was determined to learn everything I could about autoimmune diseases,” she says.

Her research led her to functional medicine, a holistic approach that focuses on root causes rather than symptoms. She learned that gut health is correlated with many autoimmune conditions. “I always had what I thought was a sensitive stomach, but I never imagined it could be connected to such serious health problems,” she reflects.

Besides Crohn’s, digestive testing uncovered gut dysbiosis and leaky gut. Leaky gut, or increased intestinal permeability, occurs when the lining of the intestines becomes damaged, allowing toxins, bacteria, and undigested food particles to leak into the bloodstream—often triggering inflammation. It’s also linked to autoimmunity.

To heal and seal her gut, Xenia took prebiotic and probiotic supplements, and gradually felt better.

Eating to Reduce Inflammation

Xenia also suspected that diet could influence her conditions, however, conflicting advice left her confused about which path to take. “One expert would recommend a vegan diet, while another swore by a carnivore approach. How could such different diets both be right?” she recalls.

She eventually found the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet, which eliminates inflammatory foods and helps identify specific food sensitivities through a methodical reintroduction process. “It made sense to me,” Xenia says. “We’re all unique, and what works for one person might not work for another.”

Though the diet was challenging at first, Xenia noticed improvements.

“I felt more in control of my symptoms, but it wasn’t an overnight success,” she says. “The hardest part was how restrictive it felt, especially since I had a complicated relationship with food.” To navigate these challenges, she enlisted a health coach who guided her through the process and helped her rebuild a healthier approach to eating.

Prioritizing Rest, Movement, and Mindset

After making progress with dietary changes, she turned to other lifestyle changes. For one, she recognized the link between her health and high-stress job—leading her to make the tough choice to quit.

“I knew in my heart that if I stayed, I wouldn’t get better,” she says. “Once I made that decision, it felt like a weight was lifted. I could finally focus on healing without feeling pulled in a million different directions.”

Over the years, insomnia had exacerbated her symptoms and medication seemed to compound her sleep problems. It took hours to fall asleep and she never woke feeling well-rested, despite trying numerous things that promote healthier sleep: a dark, quiet, and cool bedroom, no blue lights before bed, no exercise in the evening, and more. 

Instead, she focused on resting other times of the day, taking life more slowly, and not putting pressure on herself.

“That worked quite well at reducing the stress I was under (self-imposed and otherwise) and that actually started to have a positive impact on my sleep,” she says.

She also reintroduced gentle movement. “When you’re bedridden, even walking up the stairs can feel like climbing a mountain,” she says. “But slowly, I regained my strength.”

Evolving Her Mindset

More than anything, Xenia credits mindset work for advancing her healing. A health coach helped her rebuild her resilience and optimism.

“I realized that if I didn’t change how I thought about my health, I wouldn’t be able to make lasting changes,” she reflects. “Before I could truly start to heal, I needed to address my mental and emotional health.”

Through what Xenia calls identity work, she worked with a coach to understand who she was after all that had defined her before had changed.

“I felt that my illness had taken my identity from me,” she says. “It had taken everything that I thought made me who I was like my job, superficial things like my body and my hair (my face was blowing up from the steroids I had to take) so I couldn’t quite recognize me when I looked in the mirror.”

“A big part of my recovery was redefining who I was, what was important to me in life, deeper things that my illness couldn’t touch,” she adds.

Pursuing Physical, Mental, and Emotional Wellness

In her integrative approach to autoimmunity, Xenia has found the right balance of low doses of medication and lifestyle changes to feel her best. “My medication doesn’t have the side effects it once did,” she says. “I feel free to live my life without limitations.”

All these steps allowed her to live a full life—without symptoms. “I can’t remember the last time I felt this good,” she says. “Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.”

Xenia’s health journey also reshaped her career. Today, she is a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach and Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Certified Coach, guiding those with autoimmunity on their path to healing.

“I know firsthand how isolating and overwhelming autoimmune diseases can be,” she says. “I’m here to help others find their way—before they feel stuck or hopeless like I did.”

Find and follow Xenia at https://www.xeniabrandstetter.com/ and on Instagram at @xeniabrandstetter.

The Steps That Helped

  • Diet changes—Xenia followed the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet to identify food sensitivities and reduce inflammation.
  • Gut-healing—She added prebiotic and probiotic supplements to address Crohn’s, leaky gut, and other dysbiosis in her gut.
  • Rest and movement—Prioritizing sleep and gradually reintroducing movement were key to restoring her energy and strength.
  • Seeking support—Working with a health coach provided Xenia with the guidance and emotional support she needed to heal and boosted her resilience and optimism.
  • Identity coaching—Her illness changed her job, appearance, and activities she previously enjoyed. With the help of a coach, she redefined her identity and career.

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