Adrenal Fatigue Reset: Our Personal Journeys & New Course

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When it comes to burnout, fatigue, and the constant feeling of being “wired and tired,” few things are as misunderstood as adrenal fatigue. At Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, we’re passionate about helping you cut through the confusion, understand the real root causes, and find a sustainable path forward—whether you’re just feeling flat or deep in the trenches of body burnout.

This week, we’re diving deep into adrenal fatigue—sharing Filly’s personal story, Chris’s recovery experience, and the practical steps that actually move the needle. We’re also excited to introduce our brand-new Adrenal Fatigue Reset course, designed to take the guesswork out of healing and put you back in the driver’s seat of your health.

What Is Adrenal Fatigue, Really?

Adrenal fatigue is a term tossed around a lot in wellness circles, but what does it actually mean? At its core, adrenal fatigue is all about the body’s stress response system—the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis)—becoming dysregulated after prolonged physical, mental, or emotional stress. This isn’t just “being tired.” It’s a complex web of symptoms: brain fog, sleep issues, sugar cravings, irritability, low motivation, and that classic “wired but exhausted” feeling.

At Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, we see adrenal fatigue as a sign that your system is crying out for holistic support. It’s not just about the adrenals—it’s about the whole body, mind, and environment.

Filly’s Personal Journey: From Shutdown to Recovery

Filly’s story is one many high-achievers will relate to. She remembers the exact day her body dropped into adrenal fatigue: a combination of chronic stress, overworking, and emotional overwhelm. Oddly, her initial lab results looked “fine.” But after a second look by her functional medicine mentor, it became clear she was in Stage 2 adrenal fatigue—a classic case of how conventional readings can miss the nuances that root cause medicine uncovers.

The real turning point? When Filly’s system collapsed into “shutdown.” For weeks, she felt flat, unmotivated, and physically drained. No amount of coffee, supplements, or willpower could push through. It was only after embracing a holistic approach—restoring her nervous system, adjusting her routine, and working through the emotional root causes—that true healing began.

Why Adrenal Lab Testing Matters (And How It’s Often Missed)

One of the most eye-opening lessons in Filly’s journey was how easily adrenal fatigue can be missed—even by practitioners. Many rely on standard reference ranges, which are often too broad or fail to account for the body’s stress response patterns. At Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, we use the AdrenoCortex Stress Profile Lab Kit (included in our Adrenal Fatigue Reset course) to get a clear, nuanced picture of adrenal function.

Why does this matter? Because the right labs help you pinpoint exactly what stage of adrenal fatigue you’re in—and which protocols, supplements, and lifestyle shifts will actually help. Guesswork leads to wasted time and frustration; targeted testing leads to results.

Chris’s Recovery: Lessons From Burnout Functional Medicine

Chris’s own experience with adrenal fatigue is a testament to the power of integrative medicine and natural healing. After years of pushing through stress, he hit a wall—classic burnout functional medicine territory. His recovery wasn’t just about supplements (though they played a role); it was about functional nutrition, deep rest, nervous system regulation, and, most importantly, addressing the root causes behind his body’s chronic stress response.

What worked? A blend of personalised medicine, mind body medicine, and a willingness to slow down, tune in, and honour the body’s signals. This journey inspired much of the philosophy behind our Ending Body Burnout Method, which has helped thousands reclaim their energy and zest for life.

The Role of Supplements: Why Personalisation Is Key

Supplements can be incredibly helpful for adrenal fatigue—but only when matched to your unique needs. Filly shares that while certain adaptogens, vitamins, and minerals were essential, it was lab-guided supplementation that made the biggest difference. Too often, people self-prescribe based on generic advice, missing the mark or even making things worse.

Our approach at Chris and Filly Functional Medicine is to use functional testing (like the AdrenoCortex Stress Profile) to guide every protocol. This ensures you’re not just throwing spaghetti at the wall, but actually supporting your body’s healing naturally and efficiently.

Root Cause Medicine: More Than Just Protocols

Healing from adrenal fatigue isn’t about a quick fix or a magic supplement. True root cause medicine means looking at the whole picture—your stress history, emotional patterns, nutrition, sleep, relationships, and even your beliefs about rest and productivity.

Our Ending Body Burnout Method and Adrenal Fatigue Reset course are built on this holistic wellness foundation. We guide you to identify not just what’s out of balance, but why—and then help you create sustainable changes that support whole body health.

Should You Test Your Adrenals?

Wondering if adrenal testing is right for you? If you’re experiencing chronic fatigue, brain fog, mood swings, sleep issues, or you’ve been told “your bloods are fine” but you still feel off, it’s worth investigating. We test the adrenals of 95% of our 1:1 clients because we know how central this system is to health optimisation and healing from within.

Testing gives you clarity, direction, and a personalised roadmap for recovery. It’s not about labelling yourself—it’s about empowering yourself with knowledge and tools for healing naturally.

Introducing the Adrenal Fatigue Reset Course

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our Adrenal Fatigue Reset course, created for anyone ready to take a proactive, root-cause approach to adrenal health. This course includes the AdrenoCortex Stress Profile Lab Kit, step-by-step guidance, and support to help you understand your results and implement protocols that actually work.

Whether you’re new to holistic health or a seasoned wellness journeyer, this course is your blueprint for healing from burnout, regaining your spark, and stepping into a new era of healthy living.

Ready to Reset and Thrive?

If you’re tired of feeling tired, overwhelmed by conflicting advice, or just want a clear, personalised plan for healing, we invite you to check out our Adrenal Fatigue Reset course. Or, if you’d like to chat one-on-one, you can always book a Discovery Call or connect the dots with us to get started. No pressure—just real support, practical wisdom, and a community that gets it.

Remember, adrenal fatigue is not the end of your wellness journey. With the right support, testing, and holistic approach, you can heal from within and rediscover what vibrant, whole body health truly feels like.

Listen to the full episode.

Chris & Filipa Bellette are the Founders of multi award-winning health practice Chris & Filly Functional Medicine, which is best known for ending body burnout (for good!) in “busy” people with energy, mood and gut issues. They have worked with over 2,000+ burned-out clients in the past combined 25+ years, with their own passion for ending body burnout coming from their own personal experience of body, mind, family & business breakdown, after a prolonged period of physical and mental stress.

Filipa is an accredited Clinical Nutritionist, Functional Medicine Practitioner, Coach & Trauma Therapist. She is also a Ph.D. Scholar, author & regularly featured the media, such as Forbes, Body+Soul and The Daily Telegraph. Chris is a Burnout Recovery Coach & an accredited Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner, with a Bachelor of Human Movement Science. He has existed in high-performance realms of the sporting (think national athlete) & business industries and knows what it takes to get out of hustle-and-grind culture to thriving. 

They were recently awarded as the Tasmanian State Winner & National Finalist for the Telstra Best of Business Awards 2022, and Winner of the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards 2022.