Dr. Kevin J. Payne joins Susan in today's episode. He is a scientist, entrepreneur, and author. He's spent 15 years as a professor and a decade as a startup founder and consulting data scientist. He had the life he loved shredded by decades battling multiple sclerosis. When he lost everything he cared about, he decided to rebuild his life by facing the fear of his uncooperative body in the air and becoming a skydiver. 600 jumps later (and counting), he is at home in the sky.

Born from a decade of research, Your Life Lived Well is his labor of love: a book, a podcast, a curriculum of classes, organizational services, and technology — they all support those whose lives have been touched by chronic illness: diagnosed, loved ones and caregivers, and medical, health & wellness, professionals. There's no one answer to living well, but Dr. Payne is committed to showing you the practical tools you can use to build the life you want. We may be sick, but we can still live well.

Key Takeaways:

• Tragedy in life teaches you how to appreciate life more profoundly.
• Dr. Payne shares his experience on grief living with multiple sclerosis.
• Our grief is always unique and it is about a loss and that forces us to rewrite our stories and identities.
• Dr. Payne compares grief to free falling.
• Dr. Payne shares how he reinvented himself after losing his "tribe".
• There is shame in a grieving person to recognize that at times they just want to die.
• Dr. Payne went back to sky diving, a real challenge that saved himself every time he jumped.
• Do what makes you feel alive.
• Dr. Payne carried his journey, shared it with others with the intention of easing theirs.
• Dr. Payne and Susan talk about the power of meditation.
• Show yourself some grace!
• You have to build a good and positive relationship with yourself.
• The identity we build is a big lie that we put over ourselves, we are not a unitary self!
• Dr. Payne shares tips to make a grieving person feel a little better.

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Meet Dr. Kevin J. Payne

Visit Your Life Lived Well and grab your free 100-page book preview, podcast links, webinars, and more.

Follow Dr. Payne on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.