"When you have these chronic illnesses, it's not a sentence. Saying that you have a disease is empowering, as long as you don't hide behind it." —Donna Piper

A fresh start does not always look productive. Sometimes it looks like a missed week, a body that feels louder again, and the quiet fear that progress is slipping. This conversation sits in that space where healing feels uncertain and hard to trust. Donna shares where things stand right now, preparing for a second surgery while navigating the return of chronic fatigue symptoms, and how that tension is shaping a more honest approach to healing. Press play and stay with the conversation as it unfolds. • chronic illness and non-linear healing • chronic fatigue syndrome flare-ups • preparing for surgery with medical trauma nervous system patterns and shutdown • rebuilding self-trust in the body • the Perrin Technique and future tools • redefining what progress really means

Connect with Donna: Website: https://www.donnapiper.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnapiper Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lipedema_donna Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedonnapiper YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedonnapiper

Episode Highlights: 01:14 Season 2: A Very Human Beginning 02:48 Real Talk: Surgery #2 07:32 Connective Thread: What Actually Helped 17:28 Myth Buster: 22.44 Feel Good Flow: Micro Moves, Macro Reliefs 25:30 Shared Education and Lived Experience

Resources: 🤔Got a question for me? Every month, I do a listener coaching episode—and I'd love to hear from you! Send your questions, stories, or flare-up confessions to [email protected], and you just might hear your answer on the show. 💲Discount Get $20 off the Visible Wrist Band 2.0 Click the link: https://join.makevisible.com/73784699c7db3e **Wearable heart-rate and activity sensor, with charging cable and strap included. 5 days battery life Manufactured by Polar, the world leader in heart-rate monitoring Designed for illness, not fitness HSA/FSA Eligible 💗Springrose Give $20, GET $20 When you share Springrose with friends, they get $20 off their first purchase and you get $20 towards your next purchase!* Share the love. https://oken.do/0l3hpr6v 💗Equip Fuel With Real Food Meet Prime Protein, the original beef protein powder, with over 20g of delicious grass-fed beef protein. No junk or fillers https://www.equipfoods.com/DONNA15

X: Starting over is not always clean. Sometimes it is messy, delayed, and honest. Donna talks about surgery prep, chronic fatigue flare-ups, and rebuilding trust with the body. Press play! #DearBodyImListeningPodcast #healingtools #selfregulation #lipedema #fatigue #healingprocess #chronicillnesssupport #healingjourney #chronicfatigue

Quotes: 04:24 "There's a practical side of getting ready for surgery: the logistics, the packing, the timing, the body prep, the emotional prep. And then there's a deeper layer that's underneath it: the vulnerability, the uncertainty, the memory of what it means to go through something intense in the body again." —Donna Piper 12:00 "There is no magic fix. My surgery is helping with my lipedema, but I'm always going to have it, so I do need to manage it. So if there's anyone saying you don't need to manage your symptoms forever, that's just not true." —Donna Piper 13:28 "When you have these chronic illnesses, it's not a sentence. Saying that you have a disease is empowering, as long as you don't hide behind it." —Donna Piper 16:16 "Everything is connected, and you just have to find the one thing that resonates with you and to look for it in your daily lives." —Donna Piper 16:48 "When you're dealing with chronic illness, fragments matter a lot. Because sometimes, those fragments can become your lifeline, sometimes they become a framework, sometimes they become the thing you return to when your body gets louder again." —Donna Piper 18:14 "A symptom return does not cancel the healing that's happened." —Donna Piper 22:03 "You did not fail. Your body's just changed." —Donna Piper 23:20 "Maybe beginning again is not being together. Maybe it's about being more truthful." —Donna Piper 26:22 "When we have more understanding with ourselves and we know more about what's going on with our bodies, we feel safer, we feel more relaxed, we feel more connected." —Donna Piper

Your Host: Donna Piper is a Relationship Coach, Trauma Expert, and Akashic Records Healer dedicated to empowering successful single women to transform their love lives and attract fulfilling partnerships without sacrificing their professional ambitions. With a holistic approach blending therapeutic coaching, trauma-informed techniques, and Akashic Records wisdom, she guides clients to release limiting beliefs, heal emotional blocks, and cultivate unshakable self-trust. Her work focuses on aligning mind, body, and spirit to create lasting change—helping clients refine communication, deepen self-worth, and build the foundation for healthy, loving relationships. Donna's sessions are a haven for those ready to break cycles, embrace vulnerability, and design a love life that harmonizes with their thriving careers. For women committed to both personal and professional fulfillment, she offers tailored strategies to unlock their full potential and step into the relationship of their dreams.