Rewriting the Illness Story

Have you been told your digestive symptoms are "just IBS" but still know something isn't right? In this episode of Rewriting the Illness Story , I sit down with holistic nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner Kira Whitham to explore the deeper root causes of chronic digestive issues. After decades of debilitating stomach pain, countless medical tests, and years of searchi...

From Limiting Beliefs to Conscious Creation: Real Stories of Transformation Through Avatar (Next Course is in Early July 2026) In this episode of Rewriting the Illness Story , Paula sits down with three guests—Kayci Cavenah, Dianna Vagianos, and Ginger Rogers—to explore the profound personal transformations they experienced through the Avatar® course. Together, they share candid stories about over...

Healing Trauma with Internal Family Systems (IFS) | Manu Khullar In this powerful episode of Rewriting the Illness Story , Paula sits down with Manu Khullar , an IFS Level 3 trauma-informed healing practitioner whose life was transformed by personal crisis, profound healing work, a life-threatening open-heart surgery and near death experiences (NDE). After spending more than 30 years in the corpor...

In this episode of Rewriting the Illness Story , I’m sharing a deeply personal conversation about the beliefs I inherited growing up, how religious conditioning shaped my relationship with myself, and the perfectionism that followed. These were the stories I carried for years: that I needed to be better, do more, fix myself, and earn love. I explore how messages around religion, body image, shame,...

Can unresolved trauma contribute to chronic illness? In this episode, Paula sits down with Dr. Anna Hodshire — atmospheric chemist, STEM mentor, professor, and host of the STEMdentity podcast — to discuss the powerful connection between IBS, stress, trauma, perfectionism, burnout, and nervous system healing.  After the traumatic loss of her father as a teenager, Anna began developing chronic diges...

📝 Episode Title Near Death Experience, Chronic Illness & Somatic Healing with Dawn Christensen ✨ Episode Description What if illness wasn’t your body failing—but your body speaking? In this deeply moving episode of Rewriting the Illness Story , Paula sits down with somatic healing practitioner Dawn Christensen to explore a powerful journey through trauma, chronic illness, and spiritual awake...

In this raw and honest mini episode of Rewriting the Illness Story , Paula shares what it really looks like when healing doesn’t go as planned. After a week of physical pain, GI issues, and unexpected insomnia, she opens up about something rarely talked about in the mindfulness and coaching space—the emotional spiral that can follow when nothing seems to be working. If you’ve ever felt stuck, frus...

What if your illness isn’t just something to fix… but something trying to guide you? In this episode of Rewriting the Illness Story , I sit down with coach Shelly Groom to talk about her journey through anxiety, fibromyalgia, and chronic illness—and how it ultimately led her back to herself. Shelly shares what it was like to go from panic attacks and ER visits to years of debilitating symptoms, be...