Ep. 66 - Finding Your Hope in Your Chronic Illness Journey with Susie Ray

Today’s podcast is with sleep expert, Devin Burke. Don’t worry - if you listened to last week’s episode with Emma, this is entirely different and more focused on overall sleep.

In this episode with Devin, we dive deep into the issues around sleep and why so many people have sleep anxiety. There is so much that goes into getting a good night’s sleep and we talk about how stressful it can be to be told to “fix your sleep” but not know where to start!

We hope you enjoy this episode with Devin Burke!

In today’s episode we chat about:

• How stressors throughout the day affect our sleep at night

• Are night and morning routines really necessary?

• Sleep’s effects on weight loss and happiness

• Is sleeping through the night really all that important?

• Sleep anxiety

• Supplements that are helpful for sleep (or should we be taking them at all?)

• How a woman’s hormones affect her sleep cycle

Links and things:

• Devin’s Website

• Devin’s Facebook page

• Get Devin’s Sleep Science Solutions Guide

• Chronically Healing Instagram

• Chronically Healing Facebook Group

We hope you enjoy this episode with Emma Cooksey!

In today’s episode we chat about:

• Sleep apnea and sleep disordered breathing and how it ties in to chronic illness
• Brain fog caused by sleep disorders and how it affects daily life
• Symptoms of sleep apnea and sleep disordered breathing that are often overlooked
• Different treatment options-CPAP isn’t the only option anymore!

Links and things:

• Emma’s Website
• Emma’s Instagram
• Chronically Healing Instagram
• Chronically Healing Facebook Group

Today’s podcast is with therapist, Alissa Schneider! Alissa’s bright and cheery energy was such a great match for our conversation in this episode. We were open about their own struggles with anxiety, depression and emotional issues we’ve struggled with. We loved having a conversation from a therapist’s perspective, especially because we both are HUGE proponents of getting help and never being ashamed of it.

We can’t wait for you to hear this episode with Alissa!

In today’s episode we chat about:

• Tending to our emotional needs while working from home and being self-employed

• The importance of having (and sticking to) your values

• Being “enough”

• Living a fulfilled and meaningful life while living with chronic illness

• How to start taking care of your mental health while managing a chronic illness

• The “comfort crisis”

• Having hope in the midst of anxiety and depression

Links and things:

• Alissa’s Website

• Alissa’s free mini-ebook

• Chronically Healing Instagram

• Chronically Healing Facebook Group

Today’s podcast is with a repeat guest, Rachel Hill! Rachel is a hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s advocate who shares her journey via her blog, Instagram and her books. We had Rachel on again because she’s such an amazing person to follow in the chronic illness space, especially those of us with Hashimoto’s (which Jessie, Christina AND Rachel all have.)

We can’t wait for you to hear from Rachel Hill!

In today’s episode we chat about:

• Dogma in chronic illness and specifically, Hashimotos

• How to be your best advocate and listening to our body’s whispers (before it starts to scream)

• How to care for ourselves as an HSP with thyroid issues

• Bloodwork isn’t the only thing we have to pay attention to with Hashimoto’s

• Movement and food - why “calories in, calories out” isn’t successful for those with thyroid issues and not all movement is created equal

Links and things:

• Rachel’s Website

• Rachel’s Instagram

• “You, Me and Hypothyroidism: When Someone You Love Has Hypothyroidism”

• “Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate: When You’re Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired”

• Chronically Healing Instagram

• Chronically Healing Facebook Group

More about Rachel Hill:

Rachel Hill and The Invisible Hypothyroidism are an award-winning thyroid patient advocacy website and online presence. Rachel advocates for better thyroid disease awareness, diagnosis, treatment and management. She talks about her personal health experiences as well as the information thyroid patients need to know in order to reclaim their health.

In today’s podcast, Jessie and Christina were so excited to talk to author, Doug Cartwright. Doug is a self-proclaimed “Mormon, Sales, Tech Bro” and how (and why) he decided to give up that identity. We also really dove into the fear of control that we have that keep us from letting go of who we are supposed to be. Our conversation dove into trauma and how we’re gaslighting our own trauma. Why are we trying to “out suffer” each other and instead come together and heal collectively?

We hope you love this insightful episode with Doug Cartwright!

In today’s episode we chat about:

• Doug tells us about The Daily Shifts and his book, Holy Shit, We’re Alive

• Why Doug considers himself “woo” and not “woo-woo”

• The magic that’s all around us that some of us are completely oblivious to

• Doug’s shift from having a corporate identity to what he is now

• Doug’s experience with the Hoffman Process and how that’s a good alternative to psychedelics for those of us who are control freaks and afraid to let go

• Gaslighting and undervaluing our own traumas because they’re not “bad enough” or “someone else has it worse” (spoiler alert: this is not helpful!!)

• Resistance and the scariness of letting go of our stories and labels

• Everyone needs to learn to love to be alone and why that’s so important

Links and things:

• Doug’s Website

• Get Doug’s book, Holy Shit, We’re Alive

• Follow Daily Insights on Instagram

• Chronically Healing Instagram

• Chronically Healing Facebook Group

In today’s podcast, Jessie and Christina interviewed Dr. Arneka Cooper about her journey with being a chiropractor and how connected EVERYTHING in the body is. It’s hard to believe that every single piece of our mind, body and soul are connected… but they are! Today’s episode is such a good one and we loved our conversation with Arneka - we had so much fun!

In today’s episode we chat about:

• What does a chiropractor do and what does Arneka do for people (like Jessie) who are afraid of going to the chiropractor?

• Finding nervous system dysregulation in chiropractic medicine and explaining the relationship of pain

• Digestive problems and our nervous system

• The concept of transitions and resetting our energy when we come into a new space

• Why movement is so important for those with chronic conditions especially

• Movement doesn’t need to be crossfit… Arneka gives tons of examples of easier movement to incorporate into our lives

• Do “bad backs / knees” really run in your family and there’s nothing you can do about it? (spoiler alert: nope!)

• Tools to add to your movement toolbox

• The important pieces Arneka adds to her day to keep her feeling her best

Links and things:

• Arneka’s website

• Follow Arneka on Instagram

• Chronically Healing Instagram

• Chronically Healing Facebook Group

In today’s episode we chat about:

• Ali’s explanation of what a Mind Body Coach is and why it’s important to connect the mental and the physical

• The mental health shifts that came with moving to Costa Rica from California

• How we all sometimes get lost in the details

• Ali’s journey with Stage 4 Endometriosis and where she’s at now

• How working with a trauma therapist changed her physical health

• Why Ali believes that all chronic illness is triggered by trauma

• How Ali starts to “move” things when her emotional bucket is getting too full

• Why are we saying “fighter” or “warrior” after our chronic illness? Can that actually be harmful?

• What is an inner child and what does it mean to do inner work?

• Ali’s favorite methods and prompts for journaling

Links and things:

• Ali’s website

• Follow Ali on Instagram

• Chronically Healing Instagram

• Chronically Healing Facebook Group

More about Ali Ramos:

Back in November of 2019, Ali was in more physical pain than she could articulate. She had about three days a month that weren’t terrible, so she went back to therapy to deal with coping with the pain. Through an integrative and functional medicine approach, Ali got to the root of the issue, shame. In November of 2021, Ali will be one year “flare up” free and hoping to keep it that way. She shares her story not to dismiss others that are still suffering, but rather to show them there is hope.

There were many things Ali had to change in her day to day life that were affecting her and keeping her sick. She talks a lot about her career divorce and moving away from the mindset of being an endowarrior and into an endohealer.

In today’s episode, we dive deep into trauma- what it is and how it affects each of us. We all have trauma and it looks different for everyone. Christina and Jessie chat with Ashley Bernardi, author of the book, “Authentic Power: Give Yourself Permission to Feel” all about leaning into our trauma, not masking our feelings, finding a helpful practitioner and her FEEL method,

We absolutely loved talking to Ashley today - she’s such a bright light and so fun to talk to! We hope you all love her podcast as much as we do!

In today’s episode we chat about:

• Diving into Ashley’s story with Lyme Disease and Postpartum Depression

• How Ashley describes trauma and is what does it mean when they say trauma is stored in the body?

• Everyone has trauma… no matter how big or how small

• Jessie shares her financial and illness trauma with her husband that almost ended their engagement

• Even if people experience the same trauma, you will all experience it differently

• How numbing and ignoring your feelings and trauma will eventually knock you down

• The chronic illness and trauma connection

• Overachievers… are we actually just really traumatized and haven’t worked through it?

• Christina’s shame around previously having mom/wife rage and how that was stored emotions and trauma that couldn’t get out

• The importance of finding a practitioner who will listen to you and truly want to help you

• Diving into Ashley’s FEEL Method and how you can try it right now

Links and things:

• Buy Ashley’s book, “Authentic Power: Give Yourself Permission to Feel”

• Ashley’s Facebook page

• Ashley’s Instagram

• Ashley’s YouTube

• Chronically Healing Instagram

• Chronically Healing Facebook Group

We’re so excited to share this episode with Kathy Davis all about busting vegan myths and why you should be adding in more plants. Now, carnivores - don’t click off! While Kathy is a vegan herself and has written plant-based cookbooks, she believes what we really need to do is just add more plants (even if you’re still eating meat.)

During this episode, Kathy gives us helpful ideas on how to incorporate more plants, why carbs aren’t the enemy and reframe the way you think about food. She takes us through how she makes plant-based living work while living on the road and why it doesn’t have to be difficult! We can’t wait for y’all to listen in to this episode with Kathy!

In today’s episode we chat about:

• How Kathy got started with a plant-based diet.

• Junk vegan vs. plant-based… not all vegan food is created equal (+marketing in the food industry.)

• Intention over perfect … let’s just add in more plants!

• What is the issue with sugar?

• Insulin resistance - carbs are an easy out! Don’t blame good carbs.

• What about vitamin deficiencies and the elusive protein problem?

• How to focus on adding more plants and be less afraid of carbs.

• What life is like living on the road as a biz owner of VegInspired.

Links and things:

• VegInspired Website

• Kathy’s Instagram

• VegInspired Foodies Facebook Group

• Kathy’s Facebook Page

• Chronically Healing Instagram

• Chronically Healing Facebook Group

We’re all slammed with diet culture every single day, whether we’re consciously connecting it or not. But did you know that food choices are about biology, not willpower?

That’s why we’re excited to bring on Sarah Stites, CEO and co-founder of Wavelength. Wavelength is a modern program for healthy eating that combines personalized nutrition with mental health tools. Sarah knows first-hand the shame that comes with eating and weight-related issues — she was diagnosed with PCOS and prediabetes as a teen, gaining 100lbs in a year. While diet programs relied on guilt and body shame, her mom — a PhD with a masters degree in nutrition science — helped her take a more compassionate approach. By using principles from behavioral neuroscience, addiction, nutrition, and mindfulness, Sarah was able to understand the root cause of her habits, reverse her prediabetes, and lose 150lbs. That was over ten years ago. Now, Sarah leads the Wavelength team to scale her mom’s holistic solution to millions of people. She is a fierce advocate for “more science, less blame,” and pleasure as an important part of health. She believes it’s time to move beyond the concept of body perfection, and start focusing on helping people have a better time in their bodies instead.

In today’s episode we really dive into the messages we’re getting around food and how that impacts the way we lose weight (if we even can.) I know you’re going to love it, so let’s dive in!

In today’s episode we chat about:

• Sarah’s story and why she started Wavelength with her mom.
• Food choices are about biology, not willpower.
• 92-98% of dieters don’t reach their weight loss goal… and most gain it back if they do!
• Marketing and food: What’s actually happening to get you to buy something?
• Why Wavelength is different from other platforms and how it will help you make better eating choices for you.
• Shame and how it relates to weight loss.

Links and things:

• Wavelength’s website
• Chronically Healing Instagram
• Chronically Healing Facebook Group