What 2025 Taught Me About Supporting
Women With Migraines

Every year teaches me something different, but 2025 felt especially powerful.

It reminded me of the emotional side of migraines that often gets overlooked, and helped me reconnect with what women are truly carrying.

These are the lessons that shaped me this year.
I hope they help you feel seen, understood, and supported.

Lesson 1: Women are not only dealing with pain. They are also dealing with fear

One of the biggest realizations from this year is that many women are not just exhausted from migraines. They are exhausted from fear.

Fear that nothing will work for them.
Fear of getting their hopes up again.
Fear of being disappointed again.
Fear of trusting the wrong person.
Fear that this might be as good as life gets.
Fear of wasting time, money, or emotional energy.

A woman said to me this year, "Debbie, I want to believe you. I am just scared to get hurt again."

That sentence stayed with me.

Because I remember being in that same place.

It reminded me that trust is something I need to earn with every woman who connects with me. It cannot be assumed, and it cannot be rushed.

Lesson 2: Daily migraine pain is heavier than people realize

Being migraine-free for more than a decade is a gift.

But it also means I sometimes forget how hard basic daily tasks are when your head feels like it is splitting.

This year reminded me of the weight women carry when they are trying to function through migraine symptoms.

Trying to cook while nauseous.
Trying to work when your vision feels off.
Trying to be present with your family while your head is pounding.
Trying to pretend you are okay when you are not.
Trying to enjoy a holiday while silently hoping an attack will not land.

I am incredibly grateful to feel well, but this year has grounded me again in how much women are battling every single day.

It made me listen even more intentionally.

Lesson 3: Many women still believe medication is the whole answer because that is what they have been taught

This year made something very clear.
We are not doing a good job of educating women about their health.

So many women believe medication is the complete answer.
Not because they are wrong, but because that is the message they see everywhere.

Commercials.
Celebrities promoting migraine products.
Magazine ads.
Quick doctor visits.
Marketing that promises relief without explaining the root causes.

Women are not told about inflammation, gut patterns, hormone shifts, toxins, or stress responses.
They are not shown how their bodies communicate through symptoms.

So when medication does not fix everything, women often blame themselves.
This year reminded me that my work is not just guiding women. It is helping them understand their bodies in a way they have never been taught.

Lesson 4: Women do not need perfection. They need a connection.

I also learned that women are not struggling because they lack discipline. They are struggling because they have been trying to do everything alone.

What women really need is support, structure, encouragement, and someone who understands the emotional and physical weight of migraines.

They need a place to ask questions.
They need clarity on what steps to take.
They need someone to help them break things down.
They need community so they do not feel alone.
They need connection far more than they need perfection.

Every time a woman shows up, even if it is not perfect, something shifts.

Lesson 5: The results will never stop amazing me

This is the part that inspires me year after year.
Watching women reclaim their lives still moves me in the deepest way.

This year, I saw women reduce migraine days dramatically. Women who used to have 30 migraines a month now only have a few.
Women who used to miss events are showing up again with confidence.
Women who used to plan their entire lives around pain are finally living without fear.

A woman recently said,
"I did not just get fewer migraines. I got myself back."

Another told me,
"This not only changed my migraines. It changed my future health."A woman recently said.

When women lower inflammation and support the systems of their body, they are also reducing the long-term risks connected to chronic illness.

This work goes far beyond symptom relief. It is about giving women the healthiest version of their bodies so they can live the lives they want.

Closing Thoughts: Why this year mattered

Here is what 2025 taught me:

Women are carrying far more fear than anyone realizes.
Migraine pain is only part of the story.
Medication-only messaging is failing women.
Support and connection create real transformation.
And watching women reclaim their lives will never stop being the most rewarding work I could ever do.

What I get to do every day is a gift, and I cannot wait to help even more women change their lives in 2026.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Waidl is the Owner of In The Balance Health Coaching LLC, and Founder of The Freedom From Migraines Method™ & The Migraine Freedom Protocol™
She supports busy moms living with Migraines.

Debbie will uncover what is holding them back from migraine freedom so they can live their life pain and symptom free, work productively, spend the time they want with family and friends, and stop missing out on the things they enjoy.

A message from Debbie:
"I was once right where you are now. 100% believing there was NO WAY to end migraines and my only option was to learn how to live with them or find that magic pill that maybe would work for a while. If anyone told me back then that I could end my pain once and for all, I would have called BS and popped another pill!

Skeptical times 10 was my middle name for sure because when you try it all and everyone tells you they can help you and they don’t. You stop believing… you lose HOPE!

I now realize I was approaching my migraines all backward.

I was trying to cover up symptoms versus trying to end my pain."

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