DNAbold: Leading with Purpose | Issue #36 | The Rattle Beneath the Juniper
The Turning Point
Years ago I was out running with Eli.
My husky. One blue eye. One brown. Fierce and loyal and always a few steps ahead of me.
We rounded a bend in my driveway. Juniper lining the edge. Gravelly dirt underfoot. Foothills quiet.
Eli lunged forward and began barking, nose pushed deep beneath a low juniper bush.
And then I heard it.
That unmistakable sound.
The dry electric rattle.
Time collapsed into one narrow point.
My body moved before my thoughts did. I jumped forward, grabbed Eli’s collar, pulled hard, and we backed away together.
The snake never struck.
But the sound stayed with me.
I live in the Colorado foothills. Rattlesnakes are part of the landscape.
And I am afraid of them.
Not dramatic fear. Not paralysis.
But a deep, biological alertness that lives just under the surface.
DNAbold Insight
When we hear a rattle, the body does not consult a spreadsheet.
The amygdala fires.
Adrenaline rises.
Cortisol mobilizes.
Heart rate shifts.
Vision narrows.
This is ancient circuitry.
Functional genomics teaches us that stress reactivity is not identical from one person to another.
Variations in genes related to dopamine regulation, COMT metabolism, BDNF expression, and inflammatory signaling can influence:
• How quickly we activate under threat
• How intensely we feel it
• How long it takes us to return to baseline
Some nervous systems escalate rapidly.
Some metabolize stress hormones more slowly.
Some hold an imprint longer than others.
The rattle in the foothills is real.
But many of the rattles in modern life are metaphorical.
An email.
A lab result.
A number on the scale.
A leadership challenge.
The body often responds with the same ancient alarm.
Leading With Purpose
Rattlesnake Kate killed 140 snakes in a single afternoon. If you haven’t heard of her— check her out!
I pulled my dog away from one.
Different responses. Same landscape.
Leadership in life is not about eliminating every snake.
It is about understanding your wiring.
If your nervous system is highly reactive, you may interpret neutral signals as threat.
If dopamine regulation is unstable, you may seek relief quickly through food, scrolling, overwork, or avoidance.
If BDNF expression is low, resilience may feel harder to build, even when your intentions are strong.
When people come to Iron Crucible Health frustrated with weight, energy, or stalled progress, we rarely begin with willpower.
We begin with wiring.
Because when you understand your biology, you stop personalizing what is physiological.
And you start training your nervous system instead of fighting it.
Whole-BEING Practice
This week, notice your rattles.
When your body tightens.
When your breath shortens.
When urgency rises.
Pause.
Name the signal.
Is this a true snake or an echo of ancient circuitry?
Then regulate before you react.
Slow breathing.
Grounded movement.
Sunlight on your skin.
Protein before caffeine.
Sleep protected as fiercely as your schedule.
Small signals, interpreted wisely, change metabolic outcomes over time.
Closing Thought
I do not need to become Rattlesnake Kate.
I need to understand the biology that makes my body jump when I hear the rattle.
The foothills teach this well.
Awareness is strength.
Regulation is leadership.
Biology is not destiny…
It is information.
And when we learn to read it, we lead differently.
With clarity.
With steadiness.
With DNAbold courage… ~Holli
Want more stories like this? Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holli-bradish-lane-8226323b/
#DNAbold #FunctionalGenomics #NervousSystem #StressResponse #LeadershipFromWithin #WholeBeing #MetabolicHealth #Resilience #IronCrucibleHealth
