The Moment I Realized Healthy Wasn’t Enough
Before I learned about wellness, I learned about loss—and that’s what taught me what truly matters.
I didn’t grow up around green smoothies, gym memberships, or organic anything. I grew up around grit. Around people who worked long days, made do with what they had, and didn’t complain. I grew up around strength—the kind built from surviving, not convenience.
But nothing prepares you for the kind of hard that changes everything.
My senior year of high school, my mom got sick.
For nearly a year she was in and out of doctor’s offices, undergoing scans, bloodwork, and even surgery from a misdiagnosis. By the time she received the correct diagnosis, it was already stage IV pancreatic cancer. The clock had already started running out.
I lost my mom when I was just eighteen years old.
Grief is strange. It strips away what’s trivial and leaves only what’s true. It changed the way I saw time, family, and what really mattered—but it didn’t yet change what I believed about health.
Back then, I still thought cancer was random, something that just happened to people. I didn’t understand how much our daily environment shapes our long-term health.
I thought I was doing everything right. I exercised, ate “balanced” meals, and avoided obvious vices. I was in nursing school, learning about chronic disease and risk factors. I believed if people worked hard and followed the rules, they were safe.
I started my career as a nurse in the intensive care unit. I married my husband in 2012.
A few months after we were married, we were blindsided again.
Cancer—this time, my husband. Testicular.
We went through scans, surgery, and nights of fear. He had clear margins and didn’t need chemotherapy or radiation. We breathed again. We thought it was behind us.
A year later, we were pregnant with our first baby—a pregnancy that statistically was unlikely after that diagnosis.
Then came the Thursday that stopped us cold. I was 36 weeks pregnant. His routine scan showed a concerning lymph node.
Cancer. Again.
That Friday, I met with my OB-GYN to plan around my husband starting chemotherapy the following Monday. I was scheduled for an induction so he could be there for our son’s birth between treatments. Our baby arrived safely, and for a brief moment, we exhaled.
But just hours later, my husband was admitted to a different hospital with neutropenic fever. He remained hospitalized for a week.
I spent many nights alone in a hospital room and at home, as a brand-new mother, holding a newborn, terrified I might lose my husband.
That was the moment I realized healthy wasn’t enough.
Fear can paralyze you—or it can push you forward.
That moment changed me. I decided if I couldn’t control the big battles, I would win the quiet ones at home. I would protect my husband and my child in every way I could—even if it meant rebuilding our lives one choice at a time.
I started learning that health is more than food and exercise. Health is what’s in your air, your water, your cookware, your cleaning supplies, your skincare—what your body absorbs every single day. Health is influenced by chemicals, environmental toxins, and hormone disruptors that most people never think twice about.
Hormone disruptors interfere with the endocrine system—mimicking hormones, blocking receptors, or altering how hormones are produced and metabolized. They’re linked to infertility, thyroid disorders, weight gain, early puberty, ADHD, autoimmunity, and even certain cancers.
And they’re everywhere.
In lotion and laundry detergent.
In deodorant and shampoo.
In plastic containers, candles, cookware, and cleaning sprays.
Once I learned this, I couldn’t unsee it. I started flipping products over, reading labels, and researching safer alternatives. At first, it was overwhelming. My anxiety was high. But learning gave me a sense of control I had been missing.
So, I started small—one product at a time.
Cleaning supplies first.
Then personal care.
Then plastics—swapping plastic Tupperware for glass and plastic bags for beeswax wraps.
Buying organic when I could.
Slowly, fear turned into something else: intention.
This was never about perfection—it was about awareness. It was about doing better once I knew better. What started as a few swaps became a lifestyle. Not extreme. Not obsessive (well not most of the time). Just intentional.
This path eventually led me deeper into functional medicine, where I began to understand how environment, gut health, hormones, inflammation, and immunity are all connected. What began with simple product swaps turned into studying root-cause medicine.
That work became Nuance Aesthetics and Wellness—a place built on the belief that health isn’t found in quick fixes or symptom-chasing. We look at the whole picture: environment, lifestyle, stress, inflammation, hormones, and gut health—because they all influence one another.
People often ask where to start. My answer is always the same: start where you are. Begin in your home. Make one change at a time. Replace products as you run out. Progress matters more than perfection.
Below is a simple clean-swap starter list with products I use in my own home. I hope it helps you begin—earlier and easier than I did.
If you’re ready to take control of your health and make sustainable changes, you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here to help.
Written by:
Ashley Hazelrigg, DNP, AGACNP-BC
Co-Owner, Nuance Aesthetics and Wellness
Posted on: 10/28/25
The Science
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and endocrine neoplasia: A forty Year systematic review. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36460069/
Dietary Intake of Endocrine Disrupting Substances Presents in Environment and Their Impact on Thyroid Function https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33800806/
Nuance Swaps List
CLEANING AND LAUNDRY SWAPS
Blueland dishwasher pods https://amzn.to/3L0iWyT
Blueland laundry pods https://amzn.to/3LjHcfm
Branch Basics all purpose cleaner https://amzn.to/49cVZT2
Branch Basics dishwasher tabs https://amzn.to/47zGSlm
Branch Basics laundry detergent https://amzn.to/4o1pgF2
Truly Free laundry detergent https://amzn.to/4qlLC5o
Truly Free dishwasher detergent https://amzn.to/48z1viG
Truly Free dish soap https://amzn.to/49eUCTV
All purpose cleaner https://amzn.to/47iTfRB
PERSONAL CARE SWAPS
Native shampoo and conditioner https://amzn.to/4hEmHq9
Native body wash https://amzn.to/47xYqOK
Native deodorant https://amzn.to/3Je7QWv
Salt and Stone deodorant https://amzn.to/46YA1lm
Berts Bees charcoal toothpaste https://amzn.to/3WfFNsI
Luminaeux toothpaste https://amzn.to/48FAw51
Dove soap https://amzn.to/4ngJcCq
Kid body wash and bubble bath https://amzn.to/4hnJxlJ
HOME AND KITCHEN SWAPS
Bees wax wraps https://amzn.to/4hl0ZqF
Glass containers https://amzn.to/3L4r4ye
Glass three compartment containers https://amzn.to/3WA2qIB
Air freshener replacement https://amzn.to/43j250s
Hand soap https://amzn.to/473Hn76
NUTRITION SUPPORT
Clean Simple Eats vanilla protein powder https://amzn.to/4hkw4en
Truvani protein powder https://amzn.to/4obDoLG
Fullscript professional grade supplements https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/nuanceaw
Affiliate Disclosure
At Nuance Aesthetics & Wellness, transparency is important to us. Some of the links shared on our website, blog, emails, or social media may be affiliate links through partners such as Fullscript, Crunchi, Amazon, USANA, and other reputable wellness brands. This means that if you purchase a product through one of these links, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. These commissions help support our practice operations, educational content, and patient resources. We only recommend products that align with our professional standards, clinical experience, and personal use. However, these recommendations are for general wellness support and are not intended to replace medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before beginning any new supplement, product, or protocol.
