Breanna Panter Halverson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Breanna Panter, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Integrity is most important to me! When you live with integrity, intelligence and energy naturally follow. To me, integrity means caring for your mind, body, and vocation while being honest with yourself so you can live an authentic and meaningful life—one full of value and genuine interactions with yourself, others, and your environment. Integrity is about having strong principles to guide your choices, living with consistency, and being reliable and trustworthy in everyday life. When you live this way, you attract truth, cultivate wisdom, and experience greater well-being.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! I’m Breanna Panter Halverson—a baccalaureate-trained registered nurse, farm momma, and the writer and editor behind BRE HEALTHY, a wellness platform dedicated to whole-family wellness and healthy country living, with a special focus on women’s roles within the family.
My passion for healthcare began at a young age. I often cared for younger siblings and cousins and became a certified nursing assistant in high school. Following in the footsteps of my mother and grandmother, I pursued registered nursing with a focus on health promotion and disease prevention. While nursing school gave me invaluable knowledge and hands-on experience, the long hours, irregular schedules, and stress took a toll on my own health. I experienced firsthand how stress, poor sleep, and unbalanced nutrition can negatively affect well-being. Through that experience, I learned the importance of self-care, nutrition, and stress management—lessons that deeply shaped my approach to wellness.
After earning both my Associate and Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, I had opportunities to take on leadership and coaching roles in the hospital setting. Following the birth of my first child, I transitioned into full-time motherhood, and today I continue to stay home with my three children—a daughter and two sons—while maintaining my nursing license through continuing education. Volunteering at my children’s school has been a wonderful way to stay connected and contribute to projects that benefit families in our broader circle.
As family life moved forward, so did my passion for supporting healthy living at home and in the community. That passion inspired me to create BRE HEALTHY, a space where I share insights on family wellness, holistic health, wholesome meals, fitness, mindfulness, and natural living. I believe food is medicine, and true nourishment goes beyond what we eat—it includes relationships, meaningful work, movement, emotional health, and spirituality. I’ve learned there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to health and nutrition, and discovering what works for each person is essential to living well.
Alongside my husband and children, we raise cattle, horses, and chickens, and grow a fruit and vegetable garden. Our farm life blends naturally with my vision for holistic living. I’m also inspired by the historical Frontier Nursing Service, a group of nurse-midwives who traveled by horseback to provide care in rural areas. Their legacy aligns with my mission for BRE HEALTHY: supporting preventative care, education, and empowering women to nurture health within their families and communities.
In recent years, I’ve shared my love of horses by offering private lessons and rides for friends and family. These experiences have helped my students—and me—grow in confidence, communication, and horsemanship. Horses have also become part of my mindfulness practice, mirroring human emotions and teaching me awareness of my own feelings and body language. Horse care is grounding, regulating for the nervous system, and a powerful complement to yoga and mindfulness practices, which I regularly incorporate into my personal and family life.
Through BRE HEALTHY, I provide resources to help families create wellness at home. On the website, you’ll find wholesome recipes, mindfulness practices, therapeutic wellness tips, and family recreation ideas. I also share our country living adventures and favorite products and resources that add value to daily life. Currently, I’m expanding the BRE HEALTHY HIVE podcast, able to appear as a guest on other shows, and preparing to launch website memberships offering in-depth learning materials focused on fitness, mindfulness, nutrition, and horsemanship.
Community is at the heart of BRE HEALTHY. You can join the BRE HEALTHY HIVE as a free member to receive newsletters, the latest articles, and valuable resources. I’m excited to continue growing this network and sharing tools that help families thrive in body, mind, and spirit.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Healthy relationships are built on integrity. When we are honest with ourselves and with others, trust grows and bonds stay strong. But when trust is betrayed—through dishonesty, broken promises, or unreliability—relationships begin to weaken. Failing to show up for others emotionally or physically erodes connection. Just like a plant, relationships are living things that need consistent care. Without attention, they wither. Toxic patterns of conflict and avoidance can also wear bonds down, as can selfishness that prevents us from caring about others’ needs. Dismissing feelings, belittling, or ignoring boundaries creates a lack of respect—and respect is essential for any lasting relationship.
The good news is that bonds can be restored! Integrity, expressed through consistent positive actions, rebuilds trust. Being reliable, keeping promises, and taking ownership of our words and actions all help repair damage. Simple practices like validating feelings and listening with empathy communicate that others are not just problems to solve but people who are seen, heard, and valued. Respect, gratitude, and forgiveness also breathe new life into connection, allowing relationships to move forward with greater strength.
Home and family are our training ground for these skills. As we practice integrity, empathy, and forgiveness in our closest relationships, we become better equipped to build and maintain meaningful bonds with others in the wider world.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
In the spring of 2024, I experienced a major flare of abdominal pain and sickness. For someone who had always tried to be mindful of her health and wellness, I couldn’t understand why I was suffering so deeply. This wasn’t entirely new to me—I had dealt with similar pain and discomfort sporadically in my youth and young adulthood—but in the past, the pain and sickness would resolve as I worked to heal it. This time, it didn’t.
As a nurse, I tried everything I knew to support my healing, but the relief I had once found wasn’t coming. With medical help, I was able to rule out some major conditions and receive certain diagnoses, yet many issues and questions lingered. I dove into research, seeking root causes and functional ways to heal through lifestyle and dietary changes. Over the course of a year and a half, I implemented healing habits and eliminated harmful ones, which have greatly improved my overall wellness. I am not completely healed yet, but I now have names for the issues I’ve been experiencing for decades. Having that knowledge—the physiology behind my symptoms—has been incredibly validating.
The flare became a turning point! It wasn’t going away, and the pain was affecting my daily functioning and quality of life. I had to reevaluate everything: my lifestyle, my habits, and even how I was showing up as a wife, mother, and woman. I learned what foods and practices my body truly needed, and I committed to deep healing. My suffering forced me to strip life down to the essentials.
This season of suffering has taught me more than any success ever could. I’ve gained in-depth knowledge about the digestive system, gut health, nutrition, nervous system regulation, and neuromuscular support. I’ve also strengthened my spiritual connection with God and Jesus Christ. By growing through my suffering, I have become stronger, more resilient, and more aligned with my values.
Daily distractions once kept me from the deep learning I longed for, but suffering cleared away the nonessentials. It gave me space to focus on what matters most: taking care of myself, nurturing my family and friends, doing meaningful work, spending time in nature, cooking nourishing meals, tending my garden, journaling, praying, reading scripture, practicing yoga, dancing ‘Ori Tahiti, and being with my horses. Slowly, I’ve rebuilt my life around my true passions, values, and goals.
Perhaps most importantly, suffering has deepened my empathy. I’ve learned to sit with others in their pain without rushing to fix or minimize it. Simply listening, understanding, and being present creates healing bonds. My experience has shown me that low points are inevitable—but they don’t define me. I can continue to move forward and grow.
Suffering has refined me, just as silver is purified in fire and diamonds are formed under pressure. It has strengthened me in ways that success alone never could.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I believe in supporting women and their families in achieving holistic health by creating resources and building a community that empowers them to pursue wholeness in body, mind, and spirit. I am committed to developing educational materials on nutrition, movement, stress management, and spiritual practices, while providing strategies and tools for healthy routines and habits.
I aim to build a supportive community that fosters trust, inclusivity, encouragement, and ongoing learning. My focus is on promoting holistic practices within families, highlighting the powerful influence a woman has on her family’s well-being. Building something that truly lasts takes time, patience, and consistent effort, and creating something of genuine value is always worth the dedication it requires.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
First and foremost, I hope the positive impact I leave is felt most deeply within my family—my children and the generations that follow. I also hope that those in my circle and community will remember me as a woman of unconditional love, gentle honesty, integrity, healing, faith, hope, and joy—someone who left others better and more whole after knowing her.
I believe the greatest achievements are not in grand accomplishments but in how we act in ordinary moments—how we treat and uplift others each day. I want to leave a legacy of truly listening, helping others feel loved and safe, and creating an emotionally secure space. Someone who admits mistakes, apologizes, and keeps showing up with humility and growth.
I hope people remember me as a woman of faith who shared the comfort and power of spirituality in ways that helped others access it for themselves. I also want to be known as a present, playful person who works alongside others to care for those in my circle and community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brehealthy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brehealthyblog/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breanna-panter-halverson/
- Twitter: https://x.com/brehealthyblog
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brehealthy/
- Yelp: https://www.tiktok.com/@brehealthy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brehealthy
- Soundcloud: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/bre-healthy-hive
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/brehealthy/
Image Credits
Headshots captured by Selena Sorensen of Sorensen Studios
