From Gut to Brain: What a 57-Year-Old Businessman and a 14-Year-Old Girl Have in Common

We tend to think of burnout and gut issues as separate problems—one happens in the brain, the other in the belly. But the truth is, they’re deeply connected.

I’m currently working with two very different clients: One is a successful businessman in his late 50s who travels frequently for work. The other is a 14-year-old girl navigating the emotional rollercoaster of adolescence. Their symptoms couldn’t be more different.

His? Bloating, poor digestion, food sensitivities, disrupted sleep, low energy, and frequent illness.

Hers? Racing heart, dizziness, high anxiety, poor circulation, and emotional overwhelm.

And yet, their roots are strikingly similar.

The Gut-Brain Highway

Let’s talk about that connection. The gut isn’t just where we digest food—it’s where we process stress. It’s often called the second brain for a reason. Roughly 70% of your immune system resides in the gut. Your gut microbes directly communicate with your nervous system. And when chronic stress hits (as it does for so many of us), the gut is one of the first systems to take a hit.

In the case of my 57-year-old client, his GI test revealed dysbiosis—an imbalance of good and bad bacteria—alongside compromised gut lining and critically low secretory IgA (sIgA), the gut’s first line of immune defense. Low sIgA is a glaring sign that the body has been under chronic stress for a long time. And when the gut is compromised, inflammation, food sensitivities, and fatigue follow.

Meanwhile, the 14-year-old girl I’m supporting is showing signs of POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)—a condition involving the autonomic nervous system that can cause anxiety, dizziness, heart palpitations, and fatigue. While not strictly a gut condition, POTS is a nervous system condition—and the gut and nervous system are in constant conversation. When stress overwhelms the system and nutrition is lacking, symptoms show up. Different ones for different people—but the underlying patterns? Uncannily similar.

The Real Impact of Stress

Chronic stress doesn’t just “make you tired.” It compromises your digestion, your nutrient absorption, your immune response, and your emotional regulation. And because it’s so constant in our society, we’ve normalized it.

The 57-year-old businessman, for example, travels for conferences regularly. Think of that lifestyle: irregular sleep, hotel meals, nonstop networking, performance pressure, and limited downtime. The first things to fall off the schedule for many in this life? Nutritious meals, movement, stress management, rest. Add in caffeine, alcohol, and late nights, and it’s a perfect recipe for systemic inflammation and gut breakdown.

We see this across all ages. The teenager’s anxiety and nervous system reactivity is a signal—just as his gut dysfunction is. Different ages, different symptoms, but the same story of systems under pressure.

The Gut’s Role in Food Sensitivities

When your gut lining becomes compromised (leaky gut), food particles can pass into the bloodstream and trigger immune responses. That’s where sensitivities begin to rise. But sensitivities aren’t the root cause—they’re a symptom of dysbiosis and inflammation.

This is why just “cutting out trigger foods” isn’t a sustainable solution.

We have to ask: 

Why is the gut inflamed in the first place? 

And more importantly, What lifestyle patterns are we living in that are keeping it inflamed?

Healing Doesn’t Require Fancy Gadgets

The good news? Healing is possible. And it doesn't require an infrared sauna or expensive gym membership. Those things are tools that we can utilize, but we should not feel like our health will be held back if we don’t have access to them.

We’re returning to the basics in both of these clients’ wellness plans:

• Prioritizing sleep (and keeping a consistent rhythm, even on the road)

• Morning sunlight to regulate circadian rhythms

• Whole, unprocessed foods to reduce gut burden

• Daily movement (not just gym time—think walking, stretching, breathing)

• Fresh air and time outdoors to calm the nervous system

• Journaling or breathwork to manage stress

• Community and connection to reduce isolation

• Reducing sugar and simple carbs to lower inflammation

These aren’t flashy solutions. But they are effective.

What If We Taught This at 14?

Imagine if we all learned this in our teens (or even younger). If, instead of pushing through symptoms or numbing them with sugar, caffeine, or distraction, we were taught to listen to our bodies. To nourish instead of punish. To rest instead of push harder.

That’s what I’m teaching this 14-year-old.

That her body’s cues aren’t something to fear—they’re something to honor.

That slowing down, eating well, and setting boundaries isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom. Because if she learns this now, she may never end up where many adults do: exhausted, inflamed, and wondering how things got so out of alignment.

Final Thoughts: A Call to (Gentle) Rebellion

Many of us relate more to the stressed-out executive than the overwhelmed teen. But in a way, they’re both our inner stories. We’ve grown up in a system that doesn’t prioritize well-being. That’s why it takes conscious effort to go against the grain.

True wellness doesn’t come from apps or supplements alone. It comes from reclaiming our power to rest, nourish, and connect—over and over again.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about practice.

The 57-year-old is practicing.

The 14-year-old is practicing.

And maybe, so can you.