The Invisible Illness Club | Chronic Illness, Auto Immune

Lately, I’ve been spending more time sitting in the pool with my husband while the laundry waits inside. The dishes still need to be done. The emails are still there. The to-do list hasn’t magically disappeared. I’m still tired. I’m still in a flare. For most of my life, I believed rest was something you earned after everything else was finished. Chronic illness only amplified that belief. There i...

What does it look like to navigate life when the world isn’t always built with disability in mind? In this episode, I’m joined by Jenna D’Angelo Shiner, who shares her journey from being able-bodied to living with chronic illness and disability. We talk about mobility aids, internalized ableism, accessibility, faith, church culture, and why disability is not a bad word. This honest conversation ex...

Faith can look different in different seasons. Not because God changes, but because our view of Him often changes with what we’re walking through. In this episode, April shares how chronic illness can become so loud that it fills the entire frame. Appointments, symptoms, pain, exhaustion, and uncertainty demand attention, and before we realize it, we’ve forgotten to look up. After watching Disclos...

What happens when chronic illness changes your identity, your relationships, and even the way you show up at church? In this conversation, April sits down with Kaylen Soriano of  Chronic Yet Undefeated⁠ to talk honestly about epilepsy, masking, loneliness, faith, emotional exhaustion, and learning how to trust God in seasons that feel unpredictable. Together, they explore church culture, gratitude...

There’s a kind of exhaustion that comes from living inside constant management mode. Not only physical exhaustion. Mental exhaustion too. In this episode, I’m talking honestly about the invisible workload that comes with chronic illness — the symptom tracking, energy calculations, recovery planning, medication management, decision fatigue, and emotional weight people rarely see. Because chronic il...

Rest sounds peaceful in theory. In real life with chronic illness, it can feel anxious, guilty, frustrating, and emotionally unsafe. In this episode, April Aramanda talks honestly about the pressure to always be productive, the guilt that comes with slowing down, and why rest can feel so hard even when your body desperately needs it. This conversation explores chronic illness, emotional exhaustion...

In this episode, April talks with podcaster and chronic illness advocate L. A. Sprague from the podcast Christians with Chronic Illness. Together, they dive into the grief that comes when chronic illness changes your identity, your energy, your plans, and even the way you see yourself. L. A. shares her experience living with POTS and major depressive disorder, the tension between ambition and rest...

Moving, pain, exhaustion, overwhelm, and trying to keep going anyway. A short honest reminder for anyone carrying more than people can see. What You’ll Learn Why “normal life” can feel overwhelming with chronic illness The pressure many people feel to keep proving their worth through productivity A gentler way to move through exhausting seasons Why small steps still matter Memorable Quotes “You do...

Living with chronic illness isn’t only about symptoms—it’s about the daily decisions, limits, and invisible effort no one sees. In this episode, author W.R. Gingell shares what life really looks like behind the scenes while living with endometriosis, POTS, and long COVID. We talk about fatigue, brain fog, shifting identity, and the ongoing process of learning your limits again and again. This conv...

Living with chronic illness isn’t only about symptoms—it’s about the daily decisions, limits, and invisible effort no one sees. In this episode, author W.R. Gingell shares what life really looks like behind the scenes while living with endometriosis, POTS, and long COVID. We talk about fatigue, brain fog, shifting identity, and the ongoing process of learning your limits again and again. This conv...

Chronic illness doesn’t only affect your body—it can change how you see yourself. There’s a moment many people experience where life stops looking the way they thought it would. Plans shift. Energy changes. The future feels less clear. And somewhere in that process, your identity starts to feel different too. If you’ve ever felt like you don’t fully recognize your life anymore, this conversation i...

You look at your day and think, “I didn’t do enough.” And if that thought sits long enough, it turns into something heavier—“I’m being lazy.” This episode breaks that apart. Because what it looks like on the outside isn’t the full story. Managing symptoms, pacing energy, thinking through every decision so you don’t crash—that’s work. Real work. You’re not lazy. You’re carrying more than people see...

Good days bring hope. Flare-ups take it right back. This is the emotional whiplash of living with chronic illness. What You’ll Learn Living with chronic illness often means living in cycles—good days that feel hopeful, followed by flare-ups that change everything again. That unpredictability doesn’t only affect your body. It affects your thoughts, your expectations, and the way you see yourself. I...

Your calendar fills with appointments, not plans. Chronic illness becomes more than symptoms—it becomes a role you never asked for. What You’ll Learn Living with chronic illness isn’t only about managing symptoms. It’s about managing everything that comes with them—appointments, decisions, paperwork, and the mental load that never fully turns off. In this episode, we’re naming something that often...

This episode originally aired earlier in the podcast and remains one of the most meaningful conversations we’ve had about finding joy while living with chronic illness.   Living with chronic illness can make joy feel distant or even impossible some days. When your body is struggling, the idea of happiness can feel out of reach. In this episode, we talk about what it actually looks like to reclaim...

This episode originally aired earlier in the podcast and remains one of the most meaningful conversations we’ve had about slowing down and caring for our health while living with chronic illness.   In this conversation, I sit down with Belinda Terro Mooney to talk about living with chronic fatigue and the long road of learning to care for a body that simply can’t keep the pace of a busy life. Beli...

This episode originally aired earlier in the podcast and remains one of the most meaningful conversations we’ve had about faith and chronic illness.   What does faith look like when your body won’t cooperate with the life you planned? In this conversation, I’m joined by writer and speaker Stephanie Boyle, who also lives with chronic illness. We talk about the tension many people feel between faith...

This episode goes back to the very beginning of The Invisible Illness Club. In this replay of episode one, April shares why the podcast started and the experience that led to creating a space where chronic illness, faith, and real life can be talked about honestly. If you’re new here, this episode explains the heart behind the show. If you’ve been listening for a while, it’s a look back at where t...

Natasha shares life with bipolar disorder, PTSD, lupus, grief, and faith—and what healing looks like when it’s messy. What You’ll Learn What it felt like to be “high-functioning” while secretly struggling with self-harm and mood episodes Why mental health labels can feel like stigma, while chronic illness labels can feel like relief Natasha’s lupus story: pain, swelling, ER visits, and finally get...

We talk a lot about surviving chronic illness. Today we’re gently challenging the way we define independence. What if losing physical capability doesn’t mean losing strength? What if dependence isn’t failure?   This episode explores grief, identity, and how faith reshapes what it means to live fully in a body that doesn’t cooperate. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN Why losing independence feels deeper than incon...

Waiting for medical answers can feel harder than the diagnosis itself. In this solo episode, April talks about the emotional toll of living in the in-between — the fear, grief, and exhaustion that come with waiting for test results, scans, and clarity while managing chronic illness. This episode offers validation, gentle grounding, and honest faith for anyone stuck in the middle. What You’ll Learn...

Chronic fatigue forced Belinda to slow down. This conversation is about listening sooner, asking for help, and finding hope that actually holds. What You’ll Learn What chronic fatigue can look like over decades Why slowing down isn’t quitting — it’s maintenance How therapeutic lifestyle changes support real life with illness The difference between optimism and hope when your body won’t cooperate W...

This episode isn’t tidy or inspiring. I’m stuck in bed, waiting on answers, and my body scares me right now. I talk honestly about exhaustion, fear, faith questions, and what it’s like to stop pretending you’re fine when you’re not. If you’re surviving the day instead of living it, you’re not alone. What You’ll Learn Why it’s okay to say “this sucks” without rushing to hope What the waiting season...

In this episode, April talks with Bethany Bacon about living with hydrocephalus after being born at 24½ weeks, holding onto genuine hope, and learning not to let chronic illness—or the world’s opinions—define you. Bethany also shares the heart behind her Anchored in Hope coaching program and how listeners can connect with her. What You’ll Learn What it can look like to hold hope that feels real, n...

Starting the year tired, in appointments, and waiting on answers — this episode is about choosing quiet hope in a body that needs care. What You’ll Learn Why hope doesn’t have to feel confident to be real How to hold grief and gratitude at the same time What it looks like to start a new year already exhausted Permission to define success by listening to your body Why “manageable” can be a meaningf...