#43 Running on Empty for 25 Years — Heidi Swapp on Injuries, Grief, and Refusing to Age Like Her Mother

What do you do when you've spent 25 years running on four hours of sleep, Diet Coke, and sheer willpower — and your body finally hands you the bill?Heidi Swapp built a household name in the creative industry running a very successful scrapbooking business. A mom of five, primary breadwinner, and pioneering figure in the scrapbooking world for over two decades, Heidi was the woman who wore exhaustion like a badge of honor. No sleep? Superpower. Skipped meals? Basically a flex. Sound familiar?But life had other plans: Watching her mother decline from primary progressive aphasia — a devastating brain disease that stole her words before it stole everything else — lit a fire under Heidi that no deadline ever could. Add a hormone-free hysterectomy that quietly packed on 40 pounds in nine months, a string of serious injuries (torn hamstring, rotator cuff surgery. A daughter's traumatic facial injury two nights before graduation.A son's blown ACL threatening his entire senior sports season.The end result is like many of us: you've got a woman who had no choice but to figure this out.In this conversation, Heidi sits down with Jess and Dr. Kylie to talk about what it actually looks like to rebuild your health from the ground up in your 50s — not with a perfect plan, but with one decision at a time.What we cover in this episode:Why Heidi operated on four hours of sleep and no food for decades — and what it cost herThe moment her mother's diagnosis made her realize Alzheimer's might not be inevitableWhat nobody told her about going hormone-free after a full hysterectomyHow lifting weights at 52 changed her body, her confidence, and her entire outlookUnlearning a lifetime of fat-phobic diet culture (and why breakfast was the hardest hurdle)The Wolverine stack: how BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK-Cu supported her son's ACL recovery — and her own healing (Get all three of these in the KLOW stack)Microdosing GLP-1: what she noticed, what surprised her, and why she keeps coming back to itNAD, MOTS-C, and how her current peptide protocol supports brain health and longevityWhy protein, sleep, and nervous system regulation have to come before peptides can do their best workThe gut-brain connection she wishes she'd understood when she lost her son to suicide 11 years agoHow a mom's health sets the tone — not just for her kids, but for her grandkids tooThis is one of our favorite episodes. I know it will be yours too. Connect with Heidi on her Instagram @heidiswappPlease share this episode. I guarantee someone you share it with will learn from it and be inspired to create change in their life and family. Want to connect more with the hosts? We'd love it! Connect with Jess at B2BwithJess.com/peptides or on Instagram @jessb.talkshealth. Grab your Blood Work & Peptides Mini Guide for free at drkylieburton.com. Ready to explore peptide therapy for yourself? Visit the company we recommend for pharmaceutical peptides and receive all the one-on-one support that comes included at drkylieburton.comWant to offer peptide therapy in your business? Whether you're adding it to your existing practice or building something new, learn how to get started—and how we'll mentor you along the way—at drkylieburton.comLegal Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new health protocol. Dr. Kylie Burton and Jessica Briecke are affiliates and may receive compensation for referrals. Individual results may vary.You have the science. You have the tools. Now it's time to take the next step.This is PepTalk: Peptides Unpacked—science made simple, results made real.