meet katey denno

How do you make your health a priority?
I make sure to keep regular doctor checkups because I’ve seen far too many people that have been close to me who wait until they’re being nagged to go to the doctor. They had a headache or a certain spot for too long that seemed like a mole. You wait too long and it’s an unfortunate end to the story. Not that I’m a hypochondriac, but I definitely make a point of making regular doctor’s visits of all sorts and following up with all my blood work.
What are some of your morning rituals that impact your mental health?
First thing in the morning, I take green tablets and The Beauty Chef Extreme Glow. If it’s cold out, I’ll make a Turkey Tail Mushroom tea for serious immune support. That in it of itself is a good mental health practice because if I don’t get these in first thing in the morning, often the whole day will go by and I’ll feel so down on myself for not doing these little self-care rituals.
“For almost a year, I’ve been taking estrogen in the form of a cream.”
I’m young for menopause. I’m 44. At first, I didn’t want to take anything. But then I pretty quickly started seeing my face, skin change, hair, and energy levels change. I like to say this cream is like my dose of Wellbutrin.
Hormone balance is something that people don’t talk about and all of us will face some sort of hormonal fluctuation that will affect our mood and our ability to be present. For most of perimenopause, I was in ignorance, not even denial. I just didn’t know.
Do you have any practices that are a form of therapy?
I wish I was a daily meditator, but I have had a meditation practice since I was probably 15. When I do meditate, I make the bed and then I pull out my meditation cushion onto the bed. The light comes in from the window and it’s just like such a good feeling.
During the pandemic, the one thing that I wanted to be really diligent about was yoga. And luckily, my favorite teacher started doing a zoom class four times a week and my boyfriend and I are completely dedicated. I know Mondays are going to be great because at 5 pm, I have this thing that is going to bring me this release and endorphins. I now think about my body differently, and because of that, it’s helped my mental health.
next story — sadie newman