But You Look So Good

Can you be genuinely unwell and genuinely happy at the same time? Absolutely. But when you live with a chronic health condition, having fun can sometimes come with a surprising side order of guilt. Should you really be going out when you “should” be resting? Does a fantastic day somehow make your illness less real? And why can we feel like we need to look or behave sick to be believed?

In this episode, we unpack the complicated relationship between chronic illness, pleasure, identity and guilt. We talk about the post-fun crash, making space for joy within the realities of your body, and why fun isn't frivolous — it's part of living a meaningful life.

Because a good day doesn't cancel out your disability. And you don't have to earn the right to have fun.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Today you are hearing from Sacha.

In 2020, a workplace injury to her right hand and wrist set in motion a chain of events that would completely change her life.

What initially seemed like it might be a simple fracture or sprain eventually led to a diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS — a condition associated with severe and persistent pain.

Over the years that followed, Sacha's life became filled with appointments, surgeries, nerve blocks, ketamine infusions and rehabilitation — all while trying to navigate a healthcare system that, at times, left her feeling anything but heard and understood.

But as you'll hear, the hardest parts of Sacha's story aren't necessarily the medical ones.

She speaks incredibly honestly about grieving the life she once knew, living with pain that other people can't see, and the heartbreak of feeling like she can't always be the mum she imagined she would be to her daughter, Ivy.

Sacha's story is raw, honest and deeply human. It's about chronic pain, loss and adaptation, but also about what it means to feel genuinely seen and supported when life looks nothing like you thought it would.

So, with that, let's hand it over to Sacha.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

This week, we revisit this episode of But You Look So Good where Sally and Seona dive into the necessity and benefits of embracing slow living. They share personal stories and reflections on how living intentionally can help navigate a fast-paced world, especially while managing a chronic condition. From setting boundaries and reducing stress to practicing gratitude and mindful habits, this episode offers practical tips to help you slow down, reclaim your energy, and create a more fulfilling, balanced life.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Chloe was just twenty years old when almost overnight, the life she knew changed. She woke up one morning and the world was spinning. Her vision was blurred. Her body wasn't doing what she had asked it to. And suddenly, at an age when you're supposed to be figuring out who you are, Chloe was trying to figure out what was happening to her body. What followed were months of appointments, tests, and uncertainty before she finally got answers. Chloe's story isn't just about diagnosis. It's about what happens when chronic illness arrives right at the beginning of adulthood. How do you navigate friendships, relationships, independence, and everything your twenties are supposed to hold when your body has suddenly changed the rules? With plenty of honesty and humour along the way, this is Chloe's voice.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

It can feel like we're carrying far more than our own lives right now.

There are wars unfolding across the world, political instability, economic uncertainty, the relentless cost of living, the rapid rise of AI changing the way we work and communicate, climate events, and a constant stream of breaking news designed to capture our attention.

For people living with chronic illness, all of that lands on top of an already full nervous system.

Today's episode is about recognising that feeling overwhelmed isn't a personal failing - it's often a very understandable response to living through extraordinarily uncertain times while managing the ongoing demands of chronic illness.

As always, we'll mix psychology with lived experience and a few laughs along the way.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Today's guest is someone who knows firsthand what it means to support a child living with a chronic illness. Lainey is a mum of two daughters, and one of them, Samara, has faced more medical challenges in her almost 13 years than most people experience in a lifetime.

Born prematurely at 33 weeks with a complex heart condition, Samara's journey has included serious complications, multiple hospital admissions, life-saving treatment, and years of uncertainty. Alongside it all, Lainey has navigated the emotional reality of being not just a mum, but also an advocate, a carer, and the steady presence her family needed.

In this conversation, we talk about the invisible weight of caring, the decisions no parent ever expects to make, and what it means to hold both fear and hope at the same time.

Lainey shares her story with such honesty and warmth, and whether you're a parent, a carer, or simply someone who loves a person living with chronic illness, I think you'll find much that resonates.

This is Lainey's story. We hope you enjoy.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Have you ever cried in a medical appointment and felt like your emotions became the diagnosis? Living with a chronic illness brings real loss, uncertainty, fear and grief—and those emotions are often a healthy response to a difficult reality. In this episode, we explore how both healthcare professionals and society can sometimes mistake normal human reactions for depression or anxiety, and why that matters. 

We discuss three common examples of emotional experiences being pathologized, the difference between understandable distress and mental illness, and why context is so important. We also talk about the other side of the conversation: when persistent or overwhelming emotions may signal that extra support is needed. It's an honest, compassionate discussion about validating emotions without dismissing the importance of mental health care.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Today, you'll be hearing from Tahlia, whose health journey began when she was just 19 years old, after being diagnosed with cervical dystonia—a neurological condition that causes involuntary neck movements and chronic pain. But, as is so often the case with chronic illness, that was only the beginning. Over the years, Tahlia was also diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, severe POTS, and, most recently, a rare blood disorder. Each diagnosis brought its own wave of grief, uncertainty, and adjustment.

What makes Tahlia's story so compelling isn't just what she's been through, it's how she's navigated it. She shares her journey from hiding her illnesses out of shame to openly speaking about chronic illness and disability online - something, as she'll tell you herself, she never could have imagined doing just five years ago.

In this episode, we talk about internalised ableism, the grief that can accompany both expected and unexpected diagnoses, and what it really looks like to learn to love yourself - not in spite of your body, but alongside it.

Dr Talia:

Instagram: @drtaliaphd

⁠⁠⁠Links

Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Living with a chronic illness isn't just physically exhausting—it can be emotionally confusing too. People often ask, "How are you?" and we answer, "Fine," because finding the words for what's really happening can feel impossible.

In this episode, we explore why emotions become so complicated after diagnosis and throughout life with chronic illness. We introduce the Feelings Wheel—a simple but powerful tool that helps people move beyond broad emotions like "sad" or "stressed" to better understand what they're actually experiencing.

We'll share our own experiences, discuss what the research tells us, and explain why being able to name emotions can actually improve emotional wellbeing, relationships, and coping.

Go to https://www.butyoulooksogood.com.au/podcast-resources to download your free Feelings Wheel!

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

 Today's guest is Isabel, a woman who spent four years fighting to be believed before finally getting a diagnosis that explained everything. Isabelle lives with pelvic and thoracic endometriosis, a condition that wasn't just affecting her periods, but her ability to breathe, to move, and to show up in her own life. Like so many women, she was told that she was anxious. She was even told that she needed different shoes, that this was just part of being a woman. But Isabelle kept showing up. She kept advocating, kept educating the very doctors who were supposed to be educating her. Isabel's story is one of resilience and self-trust, but also about the exhausting reality of navigating a medical system that still has so, so much to learn about women's bodies. We hope you enjoy.