Elle joins host Brad Kearns to discuss her journey from chronic cardio sugar addict to primal success story, her completion of the Primal Blueprint Expert Certification as a critical beta tester, and her personal coaching services. Elle was one of the first five graduates of the Primal Blueprint Expert Certification program and made a tremendous contribution to the beta-testing program by scrutinizing and challenging assorted elements of the text and examinations. This helped clarify the official Primal Blueprint position and ensured that the examinations were a fair and relevant test of knowledge for students. In particular, Elle consulted with Mark Sisson and the primal team regarding the effects of alcohol. Besides its obvious pitfalls—those relating to its well-known toxic effect on the liver and its frequent abuse in modern culture—science is confirming that it directly compromises fat reduction efforts by acting as a “first to burn” calorie source, which contributes to lipogenesis. This information, along with Mark Sisson’s recent experiment with alcohol abstention, has helped us modify the Primal Blueprint position on alcoholic beverages. Red wine, for example, has been downgraded from a primal-approved sensible indulgence to yet another example of a substance that can, in some cases, be the aggravator of some people’s diet and health woes—even when consumed in moderation.  Elle also discusses her background as a chronic cardio queen and how she exercised herself into hormonal imbalances that caused serious issues with her thyroid and adrenal functions. Her aggressively paced cardio workouts, daily hot yoga routines, and Standard American Diet adherence resulted in a complete addiction to carbohydrates and round-the-clock obsession with food. But by embracing the Primal Blueprint principles through her association with Mark and his company, Elle was able to reclaim her own health and pursue what became her dream career as a primal/paleo personal health coach. Elle is a dynamic and enthusiastic promoter of the Primal Blueprint lifestyle and a poster girl for the tremendous benefits of taking the Primal Blueprint Expert Certification. You can find details about Elle’s coaching services at paleoprimalcoach.com.