As human beings, we all desire a sense of belonging, and that sense of belonging is what connects us to the many relationships we develop. In this episode, Jenni Weaver shares her journey to diagnosis. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 32 after experiencing medical gaslighting and multiple allergic reactions with one resulting in severe pustular psoriasis. Jenni also shares her experience about how chronic illness affected some of her friendships. This hardship is what drove her to find purpose and create a community that loves and supports one another called My Spoonie Sisters. We also discuss the importance of setting boundaries, self-advocacy and “protecting our spoons.” Guest Bio: My mission is to support women with rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diseases. When I was newly diagnosed, I felt super overwhelmed and alone. I am passionate about answering, listening, and holding hands with others through some of their darkest and scariest times. Even though I didn’t have the support I needed years ago, I feel I have the strength to be that for others now. I have created My_Spoonie_Sisters as a fun place to highlight women suffering from autoimmune diseases & disorders of all kinds, mental health, and anxiety. Guest Links: https://myspooniesisters.com/ IG: https://instagram.com/gracefully_jen?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://instagram.com/my_spoonie_sisters?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Podcast: My Spoonie Sisters https://www.buzzsprout.com/1959744 Host: Catina Morrison is a registered nurse, Chronic Illness Coach and Founder and CEO of Nurse Loves Essentials LLC. Her chronic illness journey and experiences with the healthcare system fueled her passion for assisting women who live with chronic illnesses. She now takes her more than 2 decades of experience in healthcare and life with multiple chronic illnesses to assist women to walk in their purpose, self-advocate, and achieve strategic growth in life, health, business and career. It is her aim to ensure that women living with chronic illnesses will learn to stop hiding and start thriving in all aspects of life. Host Links: Website - https://www.nurselovesessentials.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iam_catinamorrison/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/catinamorrison_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nurselovesessentials/ Now available on most podcast outlets and YouTube. Disclaimer: This post does contain affiliate links. This means if you decide to make a purchase, I may receive a commission that is at no extra cost. The information contained in this podcast episode and post is meant for educational and informational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat, or provide medical advice or treatment.

Prepare yourself for a very emotional episode. Ebonee Debrah was severely burned from a house fire. Her trauma taught her to confront her insecurities and overcome them. Ebonee’s healing process was not only physical but emotional, she learned to be confident in her own skin. In this episode, Ebonee describes what it was like to be a burn victim, how her husband and 6 children supported her, and how she found her purpose through literacy. Guest Bio: Ebonee Debrah is the founder and CEO of Literary Light Publishing, an independent book publishing company specializing in products, services, and education to support non-fiction writers and poets in becoming authors. As a published poet and non-fiction author, she is passionate about helping others gain the confidence and clarity needed to produce high-quality, impactful books. Ebonee is also a passionate advocate for the burn survivor community and volunteers her time to support and encourage people living with scars and visible differences. She is the wife and proud mother of six children, four girls, and two boys. Guest Links: https://www.literarylightpublishing.com/?fbclid=PAAaaQJ2Vg6nLcvTZRHbl9vpB9J_gprewRwkUFUEs2Cq5EYbnqRpk3De4PY04 IG: https://instagram.com/literarylight_publishing?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://instagram.com/eboneedebrah?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@eboneedebrah?_t=8X9tNSyjxCP&_r=1 YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EboneeDebrah Books: Phenomenal Faith- Here Because I Was Healed https://www.amazon.com/Phenomenal-Faith-Here-Because-Healed-ebook/dp/B0BKWZ7RRG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1667830892&refinements=p_27%3ABFF+Publishing++House&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=BFF+Publishing++House Host: Catina Morrison is a registered nurse, Chronic Illness Coach and Founder and CEO of Nurse Loves Essentials LLC. Her chronic illness journey and experiences with the healthcare system fueled her passion for assisting women who live with chronic illnesses. She now takes her more than 2 decades of experience in healthcare and life with multiple chronic illnesses to assist women to walk in their purpose, self-advocate, and achieve strategic growth in life, health, business and career. It is her aim to ensure that women living with chronic illnesses will learn to stop hiding and start thriving in all aspects of life. Host Links: Website - https://www.nurselovesessentials.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iam_catinamorrison/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/catinamorrison_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nurselovesessentials/ Now available on most podcast outlets and YouTube. Sponsors: ImYoo - https://www.imyoo.health/rheumatoidarthritis https://www.imyoo.health/ibd Wollborg Michelson - https://www.wmjobs.com/ Waters Edge Essential Oils- www.WatersEdgeEssentialOils.com Disclaimer: This post does contain affiliate links. This means if you decide to make a purchase, I may receive a commission that is at no extra cost. The information contained in this podcast episode and post is meant for educational and informational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat, or provide medical advice or treatment.

There is more to healing than just medicine. One of our bodies natural healing sources is through sleep. When you get enough sleep, your immune system is happy. With better sleep quality your threshold for pain goes up. In this episode, Dr. Valerie Cacho explains her journey into Integrative Sleep Medicine. She also shares how her mother's advice influenced her views on the connectivity of the mind, body and soul. Guest Bio: Dr. Valerie Cacho is a board-certified integrative sleep medicine physician. She is passionate about inspiring her patients to obtain optimal sleep health and wellness through integrative, holistic and lifestyle medicine approaches. Dr. Cacho believes in treating the whole person and helps patients find healing through aligning the body, mind and spirit. Originally from California, Dr. Cacho attended medical school at Loma Linda University in Southern California, trained in internal medicine at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena and completed a sleep fellowship at the Cedar Sinai Medical program based in Los Angeles. She completed an additional fellowship in integrative medicine founded by Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona. Dr. Cacho co-edited a book entitled, Integrative Sleep Medicine, that is part of the Weil Integrative Medicine Series. Guest Links: https://www.sleephoria.health/ https://instagram.com/drvalsleepgal?igshid=NzNkNDdiOGI= Host: Catina Morrison is a registered nurse, Chronic Illness Coach and Founder and CEO of Nurse Loves Essentials LLC. Her chronic illness journey and experiences with the healthcare system fueled her passion for assisting women who live with chronic illnesses. She now takes her more than 2 decades of experience in healthcare and life with multiple chronic illnesses to assist women to walk in their purpose, self-advocate, and achieve strategic growth in life, health, business and career. It is her aim to ensure that women living with chronic illnesses will learn to stop hiding and start thriving in all aspects of life. Host Links: Website - https://www.nurselovesessentials.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iam_catinamorrison/ Twitter - https://twitter.https://www.facebook.com/nurselovesessentials/com/NurseLoves Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nurselovesessentials/ Now available on most podcast outlets and YouTube. Sponsors: Our Serendipity - https://instagram.com/ourserendipity.app?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Be Powderful - https://powderful.com/ 10% off use code CATINA10 VuiHealth- http://www.viuhealth.com/ https://catina-morrison.referral-factory.com/GeJTL7/join Mela Vitamins - https://melavitamins.com/ ImYoo - https://www.imyoo.health/rheumatoidarthritis https://www.imyoo.health/ibd Wollborg Michelson - https://www.wmjobs.com/ Disclaimer: This post does contain affiliate links. This means if you decide to make a purchase, I may receive a commission that is at no extra cost. The information contained in this podcast episode and post is meant for educational and informational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat, or provide medical advice or treatment.

Relationships are a vital part of life that can contribute to your overall health and well-being. For chronic illness warriors, isolation and loneliness caused by a lack of friendship can be harmful to their mental, emotional and physical health.  Since relationships can have both a positive and negative impact, it is important to create relationships with intention and a mutual understanding of how chronic illness impacts social life.

In this episode, Rachelle Friedman, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, shares her journey as a chronic illness warrior living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and mast cell activation syndrome. She explains how she helps her clients to cope with the mental and emotional impact of chronic illness, advocate for themselves and create relationships with intention.

Review of Episode (time stamped):

3:10 – Rachelle describes the “roller coaster” of chronic illness.

6:13 – Her personal journey to diagnosis and how therapy helped her.

9:46 –She describes what advocacy can look like, and how she teaches her clients to communicate with doctors.

16:08 – How to create relationships with intention and cope with the loneliness of chronic illness.

22:46 – She describes how a dark sense of humor can actually help relationships.

26:37 – What is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome?

Guest Bio:

Rachelle Friedman, LCSW, works with individuals, and couples living with chronic pain and illness, neurodivergence, grief, anxiety, and trauma. She helps her clients form individualized therapeutic treatment and create relationships with intention. Rachelle is a therapist who understands that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to healing.  As a disabled therapist, she understands the role that our body and brain play in our day-to-day life. Her goal is to use her understanding of the brain and therapy to help you heal and find comfort in the most effective way possible.

Guest links:

Website:

brainysocialworker.org

Twitter:

Host:

Catina Morrison is a registered nurse, Chronic Illness Coach and Founder and CEO of Nurse Loves Essentials LLC. Her chronic illness journey and experiences with the healthcare system fueled her passion for assisting women who live with chronic illnesses. She now takes her more than 2 decades of experience in healthcare and life with multiple chronic illnesses to assist women to walk in their purpose, self-advocate, and achieve strategic growth in life, health, business and career. It is her aim to ensure that women living with chronic illnesses will learn to stop hiding and start thriving in all aspects of life.

Social Media Links:

Website - https://www.nurselovesessentials.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iam_catinamorrison/

Twitter - https://twitter.https://www.facebook.com/nurselovesessentials/com/NurseLoves

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nurselovesessentials/

Now available on most podcast outlets and YouTube.

Disclaimer: