invisibleillnessconf

Rosalind Joffe built on her own experience of living with chronic illnesses for 30 years, including multiple sclerosis and ulcerative colitis, when she founded cicoach.com.

Jennie Krogulski is the founder of Hilton Head Nannies. Despite living with a chronic illness, she has started a successful business and will share some of her best tips.

Trish Robichaud is a Maximum Life & Healthy Relationship Coach who lives with multiple sclerosis & major depression.

CLOSING:

Twila Belk is the "Gotta Tell Somebody Gal" and her family has experienced its share of invisible illnesses. Her energetic, passionate joy in life is sure to encourage you as we sign off for the week.

INVISIBLE ILLNESS

Wayne Connell is president of Invisible Disabilities Association which he founded with his wife Sherri. Wayne passion is to help others who struggle with disabilities.

GIRL TALK - HOW CONNECTING WITH OTHERS HELPS US ALL

Jenni Prokopy is founder of ChronicBabe.com , an online resource for young women with chronic illness.

Kerri Sparling is the founder of 6 Until Me, one of the largest patient blogs for those with diabetes.

Christine Miserandino is a writer, speaker, patient advocate, wife and mother and founder of www.butyoudontlooksick.com and "The Spoon Theory."

GETTING ORGANIZED AND TIME MANAGEMENT

Karen Whiting, a freelance writer and author of ten Secrets of Success for Women: Time.Marcia Ramsland, entertaining media guest expert, speaker, and professional organizer, is well known as “The Organizing Pro” for her practical tips and clever solutions in homes and offices.

PARENTING

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Jill Hart is founder of Christian Work at Home Moms and co-author of So You Want To Be a Work-At-Home Mom. She’s worked from home since 2000, starting a home-based business. Jill lives in Nebraska with her husband and 2 children. Jill lives with a chronic illness.

Christine Miserandino is a writer, speaker, wife, and mother living in Massapequa Park, NY. Christine is founder of www.butyoudontlooksick.com, providing resources and tips, and author of “The Spoon Theory.”

Kelly Young is the mother 5 of children, 2 of whom are severely hearing impaired. She’s homeschooled for 17 years, led parenting classes and Bible studies, and mentored others. Kelly has lived with autoimmune diseases most of her life and has several diagnoses, including rheumatoid arthritis. She founded RA Warrior.

Allison Bottke is the woman behind God Allows U-Turns and now Setting Boundaries. Allison is one who has "been there" and knows it's hard to set boundaries, but necessary for your own sanity!

Pam Farrel is a relationship specialist, international speaker, and author of over 30 books including best-selling "Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti" which she wrote with her husband, Bill. She is the founder of Seasoned Sisters, a ministry to women 40-65.

Cheryl Ricker is the author of the new book, Friend in the Storm, which is a collection of poems she wrote to a friend who was coping with cancer.

Georgia Shaffer is a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania and a certified life coach. For over 15 years, she has enhanced people's lives by teaching how to identify: "What needs to grow? What needs to go?"

Author and speaker Maureen Pratt lives with multiple illnesses, including organ-involved lupus, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, and chronic back pain. Through her books, including "Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness," she encourages others to deepen their faith and Christian walk in spite of and with living with chronic illness.

Mary Yerkes is a professional life coach who specializes in working with the chronically ill. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases in 1997, Mary combines years of practical experience with her professional training to help the chronically ill build meaningful and significant lives.

Curtis Dean Hall taught in Kansas public school systems for

twenty years. His experience with the brokenhearted children and overwhelmed

teachers he encountered daily led him to become a licensed clinical marriage

and family therapist, specializing in stress and trauma. Widely regarded by

his colleagues as a clinical innovator, Curtis has developed several therapeutic

programs and CDs for stress management, published two surgery preparation

programs and written two books and writes a weekly advice column entitled

"Thinking Like A Therapist," that is published in several newspapers across

the nation. In addition, Curtis is a cancer survivor and credits his faith

in God and his use of mind/body

strategies for his total recovery to health and wellness. Curtis

had donated a copy of "Psalms for Surgery."

Missionary kid Naomi Kingery grew up in India and saw physical

struggle her whole life as her parents worked with the disabled. At twelve

years old she faced her own physical struggle as she went into a coma and

woke up with a diagnosis of juvenile diabetes. She soon felt a calling on

her life to encourage diabetic teenagers and to help touch other teenagers

who deal with invisible illnesses. When she was eighteen she published her

first book Sugar

Free Me (inspirational book for diabetic teens and their loved

ones.) With Sugar Free Me in one hand and a Bible in the

other, Naomi wants to spread hope within the diabetic community. Visit her

web site at www.livetolovediabetes.com

. Naomi has donated a copy of her book, "Sugar Free Me."

Mr. Davis is regarded as one of our nation's legal specialists in representing

clients who are disabled due to fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue immune dysfunction

syndrome. Mr. Davis has successfully represented Social Security disability

clients of all ages throughout the United States. Mr. Davis has won Social Security

disability cases in every region of the United States and in approximately 40

states. And Mr. Davis' extensive experience is evident in the fact that his

firm wins chronic pain and fatigue Social Security disability cases over 90%

of the time. This success rate is significantly higher than the average disability

attorney and more than double the success rate of Social Security claimants

who are not represented. Visit

his web site which features many wonderful articles on the application process

and other FAQ.

Karen Lee Richards’ career as a writer and patient educator/advocate grew out

of her determination to learn more about her own illnesses. Karen first became

ill in 1989, but it would be seven more years before she finally received an

accurate diagnosis of fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. In 1997, Karen teamed up with

Lynne Mattalana, another FM patient, to found the nonprofit organization now

known as the National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA). For the next eight years,

Karen served as NFA’s vice president. In 2002, when the NFA launched Fibromyalgia

AWARE, he first full-color, glossy magazine devoted to FM and other invisible

illnesses, she became its Executive Editor. Currently Karen is the Patient Expert

and Community Leader of HealthCentral's ChronicPainConnection.

Her goal is to educate, encourage, equip and empower patients so they can take

charge of their health care to ensure that they have the best possible quality

of life.