Humans have biological, psychological, and spiritual needs that are unmet by our typical First World lifestyle. “Self-care” is a human-invented social construct where willpower is used to incorporate activities that mimic ancestral lifestyles which keep our bodies/brains healthy like eating real food, being physically active and managing stress. The further an individual moves from an ancestral way of life, the more willpower is needed to stay well (e.g. sedentary workers must use willpower to add exercise or “fake work” to mimic our ancestors’ physically active lifestyle). Using willpower to constantly choose healthy activities is not normal or natural human behavior as our ancestors didn’t use willpower to “exercise” or “eat right” because they didn’t have a choice. Most wellness strategies are disempowering and focus on increasing willpower to stay well, but a better approach is to empower people to create environments that require less willpower to maintain healthy behaviors. I have spent my adult life pondering one fundamental question: “What helps us care for ourselves so we feel good?” I’ve funneled this obsession into my career as a nurse, health coach, and certified functional medicine practitioner and helped over 1000 clients feel better over the last decade. I’m also a scientist (Bachelors in Biology, Purdue University Masters in Science, Indiana University) and trained in public policy (Masters in Public Administration, Indiana University). I’ve lived my whole adult life in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with my nerdy librarian husband who rides his bike everywhere. I have three cats, and I hate to brag, but I’m really good at playing with them.