The Primal Mom Story

Growing up in athletics, I looked like the picture of discipline and success. Behind that image, though, was constant pressure to perform, to look a certain way, and to push my body harder no matter the cost. Restrictive diets and intense training programs were normalized, even celebrated. I learned early on that my worth was tied to how well I could control my body.

When I stepped away from sports, everything unraveled.

What once looked like “discipline” spiraled into a deeply unhealthy relationship with food and exercise. I developed disordered eating patterns, constant anxiety around food, and a belief that my body was something to be managed, punished, or fixed.

Like so many women, I had bought into the modern myths of health:
eat less, move more, override your body, and call it discipline.

Healing didn’t come from a quick fix.

It came through education, community, and learning how to support my body instead of fighting it. I rebuilt my relationship with food, redefined movement, and slowly began to understand what real health actually looks like.

Discovering a primal, ancestral approach to health changed everything.

Real food.
Daily, functional movement.
Creating space between meals.
Honoring light, darkness, and natural rhythms.

For the first time, health felt simple. Sustainable. Grounded. My body stopped feeling like the enemy and started feeling like something I could listen to.

This is why I coach-to simplify women’s health in a world where women’s health feels impossibly complicated.

I help busy women who feel stuck in unhealthy patterns with food and exercise. Women who are exhausted, overwhelmed, and tired of chasing health in ways that don’t fit real life. Women who want to feel strong, nourished, and confident, without sacrificing their time, sanity, or families.

By returning to simple, primal habits that align with the female body’s natural design, together we can create health that’s sustainable, supportive for your real life. 


Melanie Papaleonti

Certified Primal Health Coach