There was a time when I barely recognized myself.
The weight crept in around my middle almost overnight. My ankles swelled. My joints ached so badly I was sent to a rheumatologist to be tested for Lyme disease and rheumatoid arthritis. My hair started thinning. Acne showed up uninvited. The brain fog was so thick some days I couldn't think straight. And the moodiness — the quick anger that came out of nowhere — made me hard to live with, and I knew it.
When I finally went to my OB-GYN looking for answers, she told me it was just part of aging and offered me a prescription. That was it. I walked out feeling dismissed, confused, and completely alone in what I was going through.
What I didn't know then — what nobody told me — was that every single one of those symptoms had a name. And a solution.
The Turning PointEverything began to change when I finally found the right healthcare professionals who took me seriously. I learned how to balance my hormones and heal my gut, and those two things together made an extraordinary difference. The weight shifted. The fog lifted. The inflammation calmed. I started feeling like myself again — actually, like a better version of myself.
And then one summer night in 2025 I had a dream. One word — equip. I woke up knowing exactly what it meant. God was equipping me to help other women walk through what I had walked through. That dream became my calling.
Why I Do This WorkI am Holly Shaffer — Founder and CEO of First Step to Wellness, Certified Health Coach, Certified Health Education Specialist, and Menopause Specialist. My two 90-day programs — Menopause Revival and Menopause Revival VIP — don't just address symptoms. They address the whole woman. Because you were made for more than just surviving this season.
My SuperpowersI have had the privilege of bringing wellness coaching to some of the world's most recognized companies.
