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The Fatigue Fixer

The Fatigue Fixer

Written by: Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur Story Studio Network
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 Join Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur, a Naturopathic Doctor who's been the guiding light for thousands of women struggling with fatigue for over a decade. Dr. Sarah challenges the common misconception that feeling drained equates to being flawed. In "The Fatigue Fixer", she offers insights into our body's messages, reminding us that our tiredness isn't a sign of weakness, but a signal of misalignment. By truly understanding and caring for our bodies, we can navigate the road to better energy.

In a world filled with immeasurable expectations, Sarah aims to support every woman, from the hands-on mom to the aspiring Prime Minister. Dive in as we dissect the physical, emotional and societal pressures draining our energy, and together, shift the narrative around fatigue. Your exhaustion has a story; let's rewrite it together.

Get your daily dose of fatigue fixing tips over on Dr. Sarah’s Instagram @sarahvadeboncoeur or visit her website at www.docereclinic.ca to learn more about how you can work with her. Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • 44. The One Where Exercise Stops Feeling So Hard

    44. The One Where Exercise Stops Feeling So Hard
    Jan 7 2026
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    Share your questions, frustrations, or wins with exercise — your message might even be featured in a future episode.

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    In this practical, myth-busting episode of The Fatigue Fixer, Dr. Sarah tackles one of the most common (and misunderstood) prescriptions for fatigue: exercise. If you’re tired, busy, overwhelmed, or stuck in an all-or-nothing mindset, this episode will help you rethink movement in a way that actually feels simple and doable.

    Sarah breaks down why feeling tired isn’t a reason to avoid exercise, how our increasingly sedentary lifestyles are quietly fueling fatigue, and why small, consistent movement habits matter far more than perfect workouts. From “exercise snacks” to NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), this episode offers realistic strategies to help you move more — without guilt, overthinking, or burnout.

    What You’ll Learn
    • Why Exercise Matters for Fatigue: Why movement is one of the most powerful tools for improving energy, even (and especially) when you feel tired.
    • How Sedentary Life Is Catching Up to Us: Eye-opening stats on physical activity levels in women and kids in Canada, and how work-from-home life has changed our daily movement.
    • Thinking Traps That Sabotage Exercise: How All-or-nothing thinking (“If I can’t do it perfectly, why bother?”) is keeping you stuck and busting motivation myths and why your brain is wired to resist movement
    • The Power of Small, Doable Movement: Why exercise snacks (8–10 minutes!) beat big, unrealistic plans and how consistency compounds over time.
    • Listener Question: ‘Why Don’t I Look Different?’: A compassionate reframe on why visual changes aren’t the best measure of exercise success and what benefits actually matter most.
    NEAT: The Unsung Hero
    How everyday movement (walking, chores, fidgeting) often impacts energy and metabolism more than formal workouts.

    Making Movement Fun (Again)
    Why enjoyment, social connection, and play matter more than discipline and how fun keeps habits sustainable.

    Actionable Takeaways
    • Something is always better than nothing.
    • Choose fun and accessible activities over complicated plans.
    • Prioritize consistency over intensity — twice a week for a year adds up fast.
    • Stop using beauty standards as motivation; focus on strength, energy, and function.
    • Build movement into daily life with short exercise snacks.
    • Let your phone screen time be a reminder to move your body.
    Recommended Listening:

    Episode 26: The One Where You Build Habits That Last with Katie Falloon-Drew
    Episode 32: The One That Sets The Record Straight on Cortisol


    Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur is a Naturopathic Doctor, mom, and fatigue fixer who’s on a mission to help women fix their fatigue and get the health care they deserve. You can find her talking about all things fatigue on Instagram and learn more about her services at drsarahv.ca.

    The Fatigue Fixer is produced by Story Studio Network.
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    38 mins
  • 43. The One Where You Honour Your Natural Rhythms with Tina Lamontagne

    43. The One Where You Honour Your Natural Rhythms with Tina Lamontagne
    Dec 21 2025
    In this nourishing winter episode, Dr. Sarah is joined by Tina Lamontagne, founder of Seasons with Tina, for a grounding conversation about seasonal living. Tina shares why tuning into your body’s internal rhythms, changing energy levels, and evolving needs is essential for managing fatigue.

    Together, they explore how honoring natural energy cycles, embracing winter slowness, and living in alignment with your own needs (rather than external pressure) can restore energy, resilience, and well-being. They also examine how aligning with the natural rhythms of the day and the seasons—instead of pushing against them—can help reduce fatigue, build resilience, and restore energy. Drawing on Ayurveda, lived experience, and practical rituals, this episode offers a gentler, more intuitive approach to self-care that supports body, mind, and spirit, especially in winter.

    If you’ve been feeling tired, disconnected, or like your usual routines just aren’t working right now, this conversation will help you understand why and what to do instead.

    What You’ll Learn
    • Why Winter Makes You Want to Slow Down: Why the urge to “hibernate” is not laziness and how resisting it can actually worsen fatigue and burnout.
    • What Seasonal Living Really Is: And how the practice of adapting routines, expectations, and care to match your changing needs — just like nature does.
    • Ayurveda & Energy Rhythms: An introduction to Ayurvedic principles, including the doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and how daily and seasonal energy cycles influence mood, digestion, and vitality.
    • Morning Rituals That Set the Tone: Simple, intuitive practices that help anchor your nervous system and honor your body’s internal clock.
    • The Afternoon Energy Dip: Why the midday slump is normal and the best type of work/activities to do in the afternoon.
    • Reconnecting with the Kitchen: How shifting your relationship with food and cooking from “chore” to ritual can support nourishment, pleasure, and emotional well-being.

    Winter Care for Vata Season
    Practical ways to nourish yourself in winter, including:
    • Warm, slow-cooked, and nourishing foods

    • Root vegetables, grains, and healthy fats

    • Warming spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg)

    • Warm hydration (including gentle oil-supported hydration)

    • Restorative rituals like abhyanga (self-massage), snana (bathing), and moments of silence (mouna)

    Practical Takeaways
    • Start your day with intention, not urgency.

    • Let your body — not productivity culture — guide your routines.

    • Treat meals as grounding rituals, not just another task.

    • Build small, doable rituals (even one minute counts).

    • Embrace winter’s slower pace as restorative, not something to “push through”.
    -------------------------

    Tina Lamontagne helps women build rhythm, resilience, radiance, and well-being through Ayurveda, whole seasonal living, yoga, nourishing food, and simple daily ritual. She is the founder of Seasons with Tina. Her programs Dusk & Dawn (a live daily practice of movement, meditation, and journaling), and Seasonal Alchemy (a year-long journey of ritual and seasonal self-care) guide women to understand their own unique constitutions, fall in love with their bodies, embrace deep nourishment, support rest, and cultivate sustainable vitality.

    Follow her on Instagram @seasonswithtina and learn more about work at seasonswithtina.com.



    Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur is a Naturopathic Doctor, mom, and fatigue fixer who’s on a mission to help women fix their fatigue and get the health care they deserve. You can find her talking about all things fatigue on Instagram and learn more about her services at drsarahv.ca.

    The Fatigue Fixer is produced by Story Studio Network.
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    49 mins
  • 42. The One Where Your Obsession With Sleep Is Making It Worse

    42. The One Where Your Obsession With Sleep Is Making It Worse
    Dec 10 2025
    If you’ve ever spiraled about your sleep, tracked it obsessively, or woken up already worried about how exhausted you’ll feel… this episode is for you.

    In this candid and practical conversation, Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur shares her personal journey with sleep anxiety, insomnia, and the relentless pursuit of “perfect sleep.” From overanalyzing Oura Ring scores to following strict sleep rules, Sarah explains how trying so hard to fix her sleep actually made it worse and how letting go finally helped her reclaim her evenings, her energy, and her sanity.

    Whether you struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or find yourself up at 4 a.m., this episode breaks down what truly matters for good sleep, what doesn’t, and which habits science actually supports.

    What You’ll Learn
    • Why Sleep Anxiety Makes Sleep Worse: How worrying, perfectionism, and fixation on sleep quality can create more insomnia, not less.
    • The Problem With Sleep Trackers: Why they are often inaccurate and can trigger “orthosomnia” (obsessing over perfect sleep).
    • What Actually Defines Good Sleep: Simple markers like:
      • Falling asleep within 30 minutes
      • Being awake <30 minutes overnight
      • 7–9 hours of sleep
      • Feeling rested
      • 85%+ sleep efficiency
    Common Causes of Poor Sleep
    • Stress & cortisol dysregulation
    • Blood sugar swings
    • Hormone changes
    • Caffeine & alcohol
    • Circadian rhythm disruption

    CBT-I: The Gold Standard for Insomnia

    The five rules that can transform sleep:
    1. Go to bed only when genuinely sleepy.
    2. Get up if you can’t sleep within ~20 min (no scrolling!).
    3. Wake up at the same time daily.
    4. Reserve your bed for sleep + sex only.
    5. Avoid naps to build strong sleep pressure.

    Quick Tips from Dr. Sarah
    • Swap your phone for a real alarm clock.
    • Take a break from your sleep tracker for a few weeks.
    • Eat breakfast and keep meals consistent.
    • Cut caffeine after noon; limit evening alcohol.

    Resources Mentioned
    • Episode 16: The One Where I Quit Drinking
    • Dysfunctional Beliefs & Attitudes About Sleep Scale

    Final Thought

    So much of what impacts sleep isn’t physical. It’s mental chatter, perfectionism, and pressure. When you stop trying to perfect your sleep and instead build a calmer, more supportive routine, deeper rest becomes not only possible, but predictable.

    Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur is a Naturopathic Doctor, mom, and fatigue fixer who’s on a mission to help women fix their fatigue and get the health care they deserve. You can find her talking about all things fatigue on Instagram and learn more about her services at drsarahv.ca.

    The Fatigue Fixer is produced by Story Studio Network.
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    43 mins
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