From Nurse to Patient to Practitioner with Lola Maclean

In this episode of The Art of Imperfect Adulting, Amy Stone speaks with Lola Maclean about navigating burnout, living with IBS, and making a major career and wellness shift from conventional Western medicine to functional medicine. Lola shares her personal health journey, what led her to leave traditional medicine, and how addressing the root causes of her digestive issues transformed her life and work.

About the Guest:

Lola MacLean, DNP, FNP, is a functional medicine practitioner and gut health expert who helps high-achieving women break free from chronic bloating, anxiety, and fatigue. After navigating her own burnout and IBS, she left conventional medicine to create Haelan Empowered—a practice focused on the gut-brain connection and root-cause healing. With over a decade in healthcare and advanced training from IFM and SAFM, Lola blends science with real-life strategies that stick. She’s passionate about making gut health and healing approachable - not just a long list of supplements. 

Quote from the Episode:

“I can’t do the conventional road anymore because I don’t have that time with people. I don’t have that way to address these things. I can’t go upstream when I’ve got 15 minutes and you’re asking me for a fix for this problem.” — Lola Maclean

Main Topics Covered:

• Lola’s lifelong interest in medicine and journey into nursing and becoming a nurse practitioner
• Her experience living with undiagnosed digestive issues and IBS, and how “normal” shifts over time
• Personal and professional burnout—especially during the early days of the COVID pandemic—and the limits of conventional medical advice
• The discovery of functional medicine and the difference between root-cause healing versus symptom management
• The gut-brain connection, why mindset matters, and becoming your own health advocate
• How Lola healed her IBS through functional medicine tools—and why she now helps other women do the same
• Working collaboratively between conventional and functional medicine providers

Timestamps: [00:00:06] Welcome & Lola’s home in Oregon wine country

[00:01:00] Laughter as medicine and parenting young kids

[00:03:54] Lola’s path from pre-med to nursing to nurse practitioner

[00:06:47] Early curiosity about medicine with no family background in health

[00:07:23] Struggling with digestive issues from childhood through adulthood

[00:10:25] Postpartum, anxiety, and hitting a health crisis during the pandemic

[00:11:52] Experiencing burnout and what it meant for Lola

[00:16:33] First awareness of functional medicine, and differences in medical culture

[00:20:26] Explanation of the low FODMAP diet

[00:22:19] Lola’s healing process: stool testing, addressing microbiome, mindset work

[00:25:52] What is functional medicine, and how is it different from conventional care?

[00:28:02] Healing outcomes and what “better” now feels like

[00:31:22] Making a professional leap into functional medicine

[00:32:32] Can conventional and functional medicine work together?

[00:35:12] Lola’s current work and how to connect

Special Offer from the Guest:

Lola is offering podcast listeners a free gut health assessment call to talk through your unique digestive challenges and map out next steps. Visit www.haelanempowered.com 

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