What It’s Really Like to Work With Me

By Samantha Rigoli, RD, MPH

You’ve done the reasonable things. You changed breakfast. You bought the probiotic. You cut dairy, then gluten, then maybe onions and garlic too. You started noticing which meals leave you uncomfortable by mid-afternoon, and which ones make you unbutton your pants under the desk.

And you’re still bloated.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering whether it’s time to stop piecing this together on your own, and what working with someone would actually look like. So let me tell you exactly what it’s like to work with me.

You don’t need to have it figured out first

A lot of women wait to reach out until they’ve “done their homework”: a perfect food diary, a theory about what’s wrong, a list of every symptom in medical language.

You don’t need any of that.

You can start with what’s bothering you and what you want back. Maybe it’s eating lunch at work without spending the afternoon uncomfortable. Maybe it’s going out to dinner without scanning the menu for what might set you off. That’s enough to begin.

My job is to help you connect the dots. Yours is just to tell me what’s been happening.

It starts with a conversation, not a pitch

The first step is a free Gut-First Symptom Assessment. It’s a real conversation about what you’re dealing with, what you’ve tried, what you’re hoping for, and whether my program is the right fit for you.

Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn’t, and I’ll tell you that too.

Use this call to ask me practical questions:

• What would the commitment actually involve?
• How would this fit around my work and my family?
• Is there anything I should talk to my doctor about first?

You should fully understand what you’re considering before you decide anything.

If we decide to work together, the program begins with a separate 75-minute consultation after you enroll. That’s where we go deep.

What I’ll want to know

I don’t look at bloating as a single problem with a single fix. I look at the pattern. That’s what the Gut-First Method is built on, and it’s why Gut First doesn’t mean Gut Only.

So I’ll ask about your symptoms, your health history, how you actually eat, how you live, and any testing you’ve already had. You don’t need to know which detail matters most. That’s my part.

Here’s what I’ll usually want to understand:

What changed. When did the bloating start? Is it occasional or most days? Has anything shifted with your bowel movements too?

What eating looks like on a real day. Not the ideal version. The rushed lunches, the meals out, the foods you love, and the foods you’ve quietly stopped eating because you’re worried about how you’ll feel.

What you’ve already tried. Diet changes, supplements, anything that helped for a week and then stopped working, and anything that made you feel worse.

What would make daily life easier. Less discomfort after meals? More confidence choosing food? Someone to help you sort through all the conflicting advice?

You don’t have to use clinical language. Just describe what’s happening. And when we talk about bowel movements (yes, we will), I’ll want to know how they feel, not just how often they happen. Constipation isn’t only about going infrequently. It can also mean hard stools, straining, or feeling like you never quite finish.

It’s also completely fair to tell me that tracking food stresses you out, that you don’t have much time to cook, or that the last plan you tried was so restrictive you couldn’t stick with it. That’s important information, and it shapes everything we do.

A little preparation is plenty

If you like having notes, jot down when your symptoms tend to show up and the questions you most want answered. A few observations are a great starting point. You don’t need to reconstruct every meal from the last month.

It also helps to have:

• Your current medications and supplements (with doses, if you know them)
• Any recent test results or advice from your medical team
• Any diagnosed food allergies or dietary needs
• A quick note on what you’ve tried and what happened

Please don’t buy another test or supplement just to prepare for our conversation.

If a structured format helps you notice patterns, my free guide, Bloating in Perimenopause: Where to Start, includes a seven-day diary. It’s completely optional. You don’t need to finish a week of tracking before reaching out. (The guide is delivered by email, along with follow-up emails about nutrition support and services. You can unsubscribe anytime.)

Why I don’t start with a test

You may have heard that I use functional testing like GI-MAP and DUTCH. I do, when it makes sense.

But I don’t test just because I can. A test is only useful when we know what question we’re trying to answer. Your symptoms, your history, and your full health picture come first. If there’s still an unanswered question after that, the right test can give us useful information.

And even then, results are one piece of the picture, not the whole explanation. A test gives us information. It isn’t the treatment plan.

What our 16 weeks together look like

My Gut-First Method runs for 16 weeks and follows three phases: Reveal → Repair → Reclaim.

Here’s what’s included:

• Five private calls with me, including your initial 75-minute consultation
• One GI-MAP or DUTCH test, chosen based on what we need to understand about you
• Learning modules you can work through on your own time
• Group calls every other week so you’re not doing this alone
• Private messaging between sessions for nonurgent questions, with responses within two business days (Monday through Friday, excluding holidays)

All consultations are virtual and by appointment, so you can join from home, the office, or wherever your day takes you.

What I won’t do

I won’t hand you a generic plan and hope it works.

I won’t keep cutting foods without a clear reason and a way to know whether it’s helping.

I won’t treat a lab result as the whole story.

And I won’t ask you to replace your doctor. Nutrition support works best alongside appropriate medical care, not instead of it.

Questions I want you to ask me

Before you commit, I want you to ask how my recommendations will fit the way you actually live. For example:

• If you suggest a food change, why, and how will we know if it’s helping?
• How will we protect food variety and make sure I’m still eating well?
• What happens if my symptoms don’t improve, or if something makes them worse?
• If you recommend a test, how will it inform my care, and what are its limitations?
• What support is available after the program ends?

Good questions make for good care. I’d much rather you ask them up front.

Where your doctor fits in

I work on the food and eating side of things. Your doctor or gastroenterologist handles diagnosis and medical treatment. The two work well together.

If your bloating keeps coming back, hasn’t improved with changes, or has changed suddenly, please check in with your doctor. Don’t assume that new symptoms during perimenopause are automatically hormonal. And if you’re dealing with unexplained weight loss, blood in your stool, severe or constant abdominal pain, vomiting, fever, or you can’t pass gas, get medical care promptly. For anything that feels like an emergency, call 911. Don’t wait for a nutrition appointment or a message reply.

Ready to talk?

Every woman’s experience and timeline is different. I can’t promise you a specific result, but I can promise you’ll be heard, and that we’ll stop guessing and start understanding your pattern.

If you’re curious whether working together makes sense, explore the Gut-First Method and book your free Gut-First Symptom Assessment. Bring your questions, including the ones you haven’t known how to ask.

This article is for general education and isn’t a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan.