Team Vasculitis: Thriving through Life with Chronic Illness

Clutter! Does the word just stress you out too? Thinking about it stresses me out. Clutter on the floor and I think about all the times someone has tripped over things. Thankfully we haven't had any major injuries due to it, but we have had several close calls. My kids especially love to leave books on the floor and that totally drives me crazy. I say at least five times a day, "We do not leave bo...

Let me know if this sounds like you… You come up with an idea. It sits there in the back of your mind and pops back up from time to time. Sometimes you even look things up on how to make it a reality. Maybe you even took the next step of buying a few things to get started. Then those things end up shuffled around your house because they're just sitting there in the way. At some point you might eve...

Have you ever felt like it takes work to be friends with someone? Maybe you have to pretend that you like things you don't or you hold back and don't let yourself shine when they're around. In today's episode I talk about how not only NORMAL it is, but how NECESSARY it is to move on from some friends as we ourselves grow. 

As the hustle of life becomes overwhelming it can be easy to slip from romantic partners to business partners. There are, of course, hundreds of ways to stay connected and in love with your partner. Today I share a few that my husband and I use. Warning - yes, sex is mentioned!

Today I talk with the amazing Kelly Wasko. She shares her story about onset of HSP Vasculitis. Traditionally onset is during childhood, but in Kelly's case that's not what happened. Her struggle to be heard, the emotional turmoil of diagnosis, and the strain of medication... she holds nothing back. Follow Kelly on Instagram: here

As women, we are uniquely qualified to collaborate and change the world together. In today's episode I share with you a few ways that the world is truly a better place when women stand together and help one another shine.

Today's society is full of pressure. Pressure to do or be or even want what other's tell us. Many times these pressures even contradict one another. No matter how hard we push, it so often feels like we're failing and somehow we need to be able to do just preform better. I found a message a couple of years ago, right after I had my second child, that I repeat to myself. It brings me peace as I nav...

Today I share with you a revelation I had about how to really work on loving myself. Accepting me for who I am - in the moment. Instead of beating myself up for not being different, and asking for forgiveness and grace. To give credit where credit is due. The idea to think this way in more places in my life than I already was came from Amy Porterfield's Talking Body podcast and her coach Corinne C...

This has been a REALLY hard season for me. I thought it might be for you too. So today I'm going to remind both of us of that life is good. Also, I am reminding you of how absolutely freaking AMAZING you are. Really, you are. Listen to this episode and I'll explain how I know. Today... today we focus on your strength, power and joy.    

Meet the amazing Monika! She got a science degree from UC Davis and the dream job that went with it. Then as life happened it wasn't a great fit any more. As things sometimes happen, the right path found her. Now she helps others find success in a creative and passionate way as she manages Mom life and all the things! You can find Monika on Instagram here

When was the last time your doctor ran a lipid panel? Do you know if you ovulate? What's the number 1 killer of women world wide? Wow, what we don't know. Am I right? There are so many things that we should be aware of and I feel like no one told me. I see my doctors more regularly than most because of my illness, and still - no one told me. So today my friend, I am going to tell you four things y...

Full disclosure: I recorded this at 4:30am when my head was full of frustration and my heart was very heavy. But I needed you to know. You CANNOT give up. You CANNOT stop asking questions. You CANNOT stop fighting. No matter how amazing your medical team is. It's not their life, it's yours. So it's up to you... and that is a heavy burden to carry sometimes. I cried the whole day before I recorded...

Do you stay at home with the kids? Do you go to work? Do you work part time while the kids are in school? Do you work crazy hours and barely see your family? You do what's best for YOU and YOUR FAMILY. Period. No judgements here. The problem is "everyone" has to weigh in and often what they say about Moms is awful, no matter what we do. Today, I'm telling you a little bit about my choice. To be at...

Are you struggling with making friends? Maybe you have AMAZING friends, but you can't remember the last time you actually saw them in person. If most of your time is spent rescheduling, postponing, and straight up cancelling - I feel you. Friendship as your responsibilities increase is hard. Who has time for a girl's night out when the toddler is going through a growth spurt, and the baby is teeth...

Meet Allie Schmidt. She was young, too young to have ALS. So she had to fight to be listened to and has had to continue fighting as this disease has changed her life. Mom to a now 1 year old son. She has seen how the world is too slow to make room being adaptive for those outside of the "normal." This prompted her to launch her blog focusing on resources for those living with disabilities. You can...

Ever felt like, man... I am just not making any progress. I'm just drowning. I have this list of dreams and goals, but all I see is a mess. Today I talk about how to help you find your way to progress, and remind you - you ARE making progress. It's not about perfect. It's not about doing it all. It's about making a choice, setting a goal, and taking steps forward. Even if sometimes you make five s...

If you've been a Mom for 5 hours or 5 years... or however long, you know what it is to feel overwhelmed as a parent. So many Moms have been talking about how hard it is recently. Today I share with you about one of my worst days as a Mom and want you to know that you ARE NOT ALONE in the hard dark overwhelming time. 

Do you ever feel like the social construct of obligation to stay connected with everyone is overwhelming? If you feel like it's too much, if it takes away from your mental, emotional or even physical health it's absolutely the right thing to do to DISCONNECT from them. We forget in today's world of technology that we do not have obligations to ANYONE as far as access to us or to our lives. In toda...

Like so many other rare diseases, Wegener's Vasculitis effects everyone just a bit differently. In today's episode of my Chronic Illness series, author, mother, and friend Jane shares her journey with this difficult and potentially fatal disease. You can find Jane: Instagram: @jane.l.edwards You can find her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Chronic-illness-learning-behind-smile/dp/1075727863

Wegener's Vasculitis - that's what my Rheumatologist told me I had. It wasn't easy to hear, and it was more difficult to live with. In my first episode about my journey (see podcast episode 4 - My Journey with Wegener's Vasculitis Part 1) I shared onset and diagnosis. Today I share with you those next couple of years. The treatments. The side effects. The emotional turmoil. I put on 140lbs in a ye...

Today I talk with my good friend Nicole about her journey with Wegener's. Nicole is a Mom of two girls. She navigated onset of her disease with being a Mom of very tiny (her youngest was 18mo at onset!) humans. She is also a podcaster and entrepreneur. I am once again amazed by the similarities and differences in our journeys. You can find out more about Nicole below: Instagram: @SimplyWholeMoms P...

You start by not feeling great. Then these random things happen. Before you know it, you can't function like yourself any more. You might get a diagnosis that changes everything... but you're still you. Right? Been there! Today I get really vulnerable in sharing some of my story as well as some universal chronic illness truths that will help you feel less alone.

Today I share the story my sister wrote about my nephew. It is about the emotional toll the pandemic is having on our children. Our children are 10x more likely to die from suicide than from Covid-19. San Francisco has sued their school system over the lockdowns due the dramatic increase in suicide among school aged children there. Please listen. Please share. Please get these children back with t...

Today my good friend Nikki shares how she first beats cancer and then moves on to what will be her diagnosis of Wegener's. Once again, I am amazed at how similar and yet different each of our journeys are with this disease. You can find her on Instagram: @nicolealison

It can be really hard for the people around those who are chronically ill to know how to best show up for them. It can also be really hard to know what to say. Today I remind you, you are still the person you have always been. You are the person that people have loved. It won't be easy, but you can do this... and this will help.