If there’s one thing Brianna Mesenbring trusts, both literally and figuratively, it’s her gut. The literal trust is what got her interested in the science of gut health and nutrition, and the figurative trust is what made that interest into a career. The founder of Bourbonnais-based The Modern Nutritionist, Mesenbring helps teens and adults — specifically women struggling with acne — to heal by enhancing gut health.

“I am 100% a believer of trusting your gut,” she said. “Being a woman in today’s society, I feel like women are always pressured to turn away from and sort of ignore their gut feels — we’re told how we should look, how we should behave, how we should dress, what our body size should be — I feel like it’s really easy to turn away from ourselves and not be in touch with our own intuition.”

She said that it’s important for people to be in touch with their bodies and not ignore the sensations or messages that a body might be trying to send. It was this concept that got Mesenbring to where she is now.

<strong>PATH TO HEALTH</strong>

Growing up in Bourbonnais and graduating from Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School, the 31-year-old recalls her mother encouraging Mesenbring and her siblings to continue their education.

Initially unsure what to do for her career, Mesenbring opted to attend massage school in town. Once that program was complete, she followed her interest in exercise to Illinois State University where she got a degree in exercise science. Upon completing the program, she was introduced to functional medicine and found an online graduate program with a focus on that area of study as well as human nutrition.

“It all kind of fell and snowballed together,” she said, explaining that functional medicine seeks to sniff out the root cause of a certain condition. Instead of covering it up with medication, a health professional will see what kind of underlying, physiological imbalances are going on and then will work to correct that.

When she finished the graduate program, her mother suggested that Mesenbring go into nursing. However, with her knowledge of functional medicine, she felt that she wanted to help people with their health and intervene before a nurse or doctor was needed.

“Being so passive about your health, to me, seems really backwards,” she said, adding that just taking a pill to cover up the problem rather than getting to the root can cause more problems down the road.

“You should do everything you can to avoid disease and dysfunction,” she said.

Rather than going the nursing route, she took a research position with a supplement company in Wisconsin. Part of her role was writing various sections in several textbooks aimed at educating functional medicine practitioners.

“That was like the coolest gig ever,” she said. “We just dug into the research for 40 hours per week. [It was] pretty grueling work, but very rewarding.”

After two years in her research role, Mesenbring began forming her business and working with clients. In 2021, she returned to live in Bourbonnais and decided to make the clinical practice work. She still massages a few hours each week and finds that aspect of caring for the body an important piece of the puzzle showing the picture of overall health.

“I think it’s this whole-body approach that people are starting to wake up to and realize the importance of,” she said regarding the concept of marrying nutrition, exercise and overall wellness. “It’s not just what you put into your body; it’s also how you’re managing your stress. If we’re in this constant state of fight or flight, that wreaks havoc on what’s going on internally.”

Stress, she said, is something that is always going to be there.

“It’s not going to go away so we have to find ways to be friends with it or use it to our advantage,” she said.

Massage is one of the ways to bring relaxation as it provides a momentary escape from stress.

“If you’re relaxed and in a super mellow state, then you’re more likely to make better decisions – when it comes to diet, food, moving your body; rather than being in this frantic state,” Mesenbring explained.

Other stress management tools she recommends to clients is journaling, meditation and a move where you bounce or shake your limbs in order to release pent-up energy.

“That or go to a rage room,” she said with a laugh.

<strong>THE MODERN NUTRITIONIST</strong>

Opening up a brick-and-mortar space for The Modern Nutritionist in September 2023 at 215 N. Convent St., Bourbonnais, Mesenbring works with anywhere between 15 and 18 patients in a week, both in person and through telehealth.

She also massages about four clients per week.

She explained her main focus now is merging the concept of gut health (which she deemed as her “first love”) with clearing up acne.

Mesenbring shared that she struggles with acne and found that higher amounts of dairy and sugar can cause breakouts.

“That can be kind of a trigger for me and I’d rather have clear skin rather than have that momentary satisfaction of having [dairy or sugar],” she said.

This personal experience brought her to a point of wanting to help others with similar struggles. She developed a CLEAR method that she uses with patients.

“My main focus is helping women struggling with acne by optimizing gut function,” she said, noting she’ll work with patients from a food and lifestyle aspect first and foremost. From there, methods such as using supplements might be explored.

Within this main focus is zeroing in on more one-on-one work in the clinical setting.

Outside of working with clients, Mesenbring offers live webinars through Facebook on the subjects of gut health and acne. She also gives talks at events held at Foster Chiropractic and Ivy Rehab Physical Therapy. She’s preparing to do her first three-hour continuing education course at Kankakee Community College at the end of March titled “Bridging the Gap Between Gut and Mental Health - What’s the Evidence?” which explains that what’s happening at the level of the gut is happening at the level of the brain. The course is open to all and is encouraged for allied health professionals who can earn contact hours.

“All of this, it just helps to restore a person’s confidence and [allow them] to work on loving themselves, truly from the inside out.”

<strong>MEET BRIANNA</strong>

When not busy working, Mesenbring said she leads “a pretty simple life.” She enjoys teaching her dog, Mika, new tricks and taking her for walks at Davis Creek. She also enjoys spending time with her fiancé, as well as reading and simply sitting and thinking.

And, of course, focusing on her own health.

“I do really enjoy being in the gym; it’s something that makes me feel really good.”

For more information on The Modern Nutritionist’s approach to gut health, visit <a href="https://www.themodernnutritionistco.com" target="_blank">themodernnutritionistco.com</a>.