The Autoimmune Campfire Podcast

In Episode 22 of The Autoimmune Campfire, coaches Helen and Nona discuss core values as deeply held principles that guide decisions, help people with chronic conditions conserve limited energy, and respond intentionally. They share the free, research-based VIA Character Strengths assessment, which ranks 24 morally valued strengths, and Helen notes that our values can, and do, shift over time. They explore how values cluster into pillars (humanity, wisdom, temperance, transcendence, justice, courage), how strengths can work together or create friction, and what it means to “operationalize” values through observable behaviors, including directing values inward as self-kindness and self-love.

Nona shares her top strengths and how perspective and spirituality support her diagnosis narrative, while Helen explains how kindness, love, learning, judgment, and prudence guide her RA self-care and boundaries; they invite listeners to take the assessment and share insights.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to Campfire

00:19 Episode Topic Core Values

01:29 Why Values Matter

02:46 What Values Are

03:24 VIA Strengths Test

04:48 Do Values Change

07:47 Beauty as Strength

09:42 Seven Pillars Explained

11:35 Operationalize Values

12:22 Kindness Inward Too

14:31 Values Overdrive Trap

17:02 Nona Top Five

19:03 Values in Relationships

22:42 Helen Autoimmune Support

27:16 Nona Autoimmune Journey

31:35 Spirituality Defined

32:22 Key Takeaways Wrap

33:35 Next Episode Teaser

33:58 Outro and Disclaimer

Let’s Connect

We would love to hear from you. You can leave a voicemail for us or a comment below - tell us your insights and ahas about YOUR values and autoimmunity.

Curious about us? Learn more:

https://www.nonajordan.com/

https://www.helensamsonmullen.com

We are delighted to work with our wonderful producer, Richard Wilmore at

https://www.makeyourdayricher.com/

Coaches Helen and Nona discuss “meeting the moment,” defined as being present with current capabilities and context rather than comparing yourself to the past, and how this applies across diagnosis and ongoing life with chronic illness.

Helen shares about weighing the risks of attending her future daughter-in-law’s bridal shower a week after an infusion with low white cell counts, including whether to mask while avoiding drawing attention, highlighting the invisible workload of an invisible condition.

Nona describes bowing out of a community workday after right-side numbness and word-finding issues, and both explore the identity and cultural factors that make asking for support difficult.

They reference tools from their coach training, including “bag it, barter it, better it” and the body compass. Nona shares one of her favorite quotes from Pixie Lighthorse, “Say what you mean and ask for what you need.” Helen draws on Brene Brown’s concepts of vulnerability and trust (“Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind”), emphasizing discernment, circling back after reactivity, and rewriting old stories.

00:00 Welcome to Campfire

00:19 Catching Up Today

02:15 Meeting the Moment

07:03 Knowing When to Stop

09:31 Identity and Support

11:57 Asking for What You Need

14:14 Three Bs Tool

17:59 Rewrite Your Story

21:55 Boundaries and Trust

25:01 Space to Respond

27:38 Next Episode and Wrap

29:16 Disclaimer and Credits

Let’s Connect

We would love to hear from you. You can leave a voicemail for us or a comment below - tell us your insights and ahas about YOUR values and autoimmunity.

Curious about us? Learn more:

https://www.nonajordan.com/

https://www.helensamsonmullen.com

We are delighted to work with our wonderful producer, Richard Wilmore at

https://www.makeyourdayricher.com/

Thanks for listening! Subscribe to receive new posts.

Coaches Helen and Nona discuss redefining adventure while living with chronic illness, emphasizing choosing joy, courage, and “responsible discernment” rather than shrinking life through heightened risk awareness. Nona shares returning to indoor sport climbing with her daughter after an MS diagnosis—climbing less than before but finding community and accomplishment—and reflects on learning to surf in Hawaii as an example of risk, play, and growth. Helen describes pushing her edges through travel, volunteering, gardening, strength training, and re-entering community despite concerns about illness exposure around infusions. They explore fear versus freedom, managing uncertainty, listening beneath anxious “spinning,” and how anxiety and excitement can feel similar. They highlight tolerating discomfort as essential for bravery, and adapting adventures to the “body you are arriving in today,” ending with invitations for listeners to pursue meaningful “hell yes” adventures.The Show Timeline

00:00 Welcome to Campfire

00:21 Why Adventure Matters

02:03 Climbing Again with MS

05:34 Risk Awareness vs Joy

08:05 Helen’s Everyday Adventures

13:32 Fear Versus Freedom

15:11 Planning and Managing Risk

18:20 Anxiety or Excitement

21:03 Redefining Adventure Today

23:41 Summer Adventure Plans

26:39 Get the Sand in Car

27:00 Listener Challenge and Wrap

27:32 Podcast Disclaimer Credits

Thanks for listening! Subscribe for free to receive new posts straight to your inbox.

PS: We would love to connect beyond the Campfire.

If you want to learn more about who we are and what we do or to work with us, check our respective websites:

https://www.nonajordan.com/

https://www.helensamsonmullen.com

Nona’s book referenced in this episode is here: surf lessons: exploring the power of nature to awaken your abundance.

We are delighted to work with our wonderful producer, Richard Wilmore at

https://www.makeyourdayricher.com/

Thank you for joining us - we’d love to hear from you! What are your best travel tips? What are you taking away from this episode? Have questions? Leave a comment below.

Welcome, and Welcome Back to the Autoimmune Campfire!

Coaches Helen and Nona discuss how to travel well with chronic illness without preemptively shrinking life, sharing lessons learned from Nona’s family trip to Namibia, where they didn’t check if they needed mosquito repellent or malaria prevention medication. Oh boy!Helen introduces her brilliant “three Ps” framework—Prep, Pack, Plan—highlighting coordinating medications and infusions, obtaining a doctor letter and emergency meds, reviewing region-specific risks and vaccines (including dengue), and acknowledging the invisible load and anxiety of travel. Packing focuses on comfort and safety: keeping meds in carry-on, using compression socks, staying hydrated, using mobility supports, bringing comfort items, and bringing food for nutrition. Planning includes researching medical access and insurance, pacing activities, building recovery buffers before returning to work, and using tools like the Oura Ring to notice illness. They add post-care ideas like frozen meals, fresh sheets, and doing laundry before returning home.

00:00 Welcome to The Autoimmune Campfire

02:06 Why Travel Matters

03:54 Namibia (Fail) - A Planning Lesson

10:26 Prep Before You Go

13:15 No Burden Mindset

22:03 Pack for Comfort

26:02 Plan the Whole Trip

30:16 Post Care and Recovery

33:07 Closing and Disclaimer

Thank you for tuning in to The Autoimmune Campfire. Subscribe to receive new posts and support The Autoimmune Campfire!

PS: We would love to connect beyond the Campfire.

If you want to learn more about who we are and what we do or to work with us, check our respective websites:

https://www.nonajordan.com/

https://www.helensamsonmullen.com

We are delighted to work with our wonderful producer, Richard Wilmore at

https://www.makeyourdayricher.com/

Thank you for joining us - we’d love to hear from you! What are your best travel tips? What are you taking away from this episode? Have questions? Leave a comment below.

Nona and Helen are delighted to share a dear friend and colleague, Cath Duncan, with you on the Autoimmune Campfire podcast. They recorded a two-part conversation on Cath’s experience with chronic illness and her incredible resilience and creativity and how she has intentionally fueled her ability to thrive in the face of challenges.

Cath Duncan is a mixed-media artist living in Utrecht, Netherlands. Her paintings are inspired by her first career as a Grief Therapist and her personal experiences of loss and grief, which include vision and hearing impairments, chronic illness, pregnancy loss, adoption, and immigration. Nature is both her muse and sanctuary, offering sensory experiences and healing metaphors that sustain her, shape her creative process and inspire her explorations of the relationships between inner and outer landscapes. Cath is the author of Untangle Your Grief - Questions and Art After Loss, and she has exhibited her art in South Africa, the Netherlands, and the UK, and sold her original paintings to private collectors around the world.

Cath’s art website:

https://www.cathduncan.com

Cath’s Untangle Your Grief book:

https://cathduncan.com/untangle-your-grief/

Cath’s Insta:

https://www.instagram.com/cathd/

Cath’s Delight series…

https://www.cathduncan.com/delight-practice

Cath provided attribution for the indigenous perspective on disability that she talked about. She got it from Indigenous scholars and activists, Dorothy Lonewolf Miller, (Blackfeet) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Lonewolf_Miller) and Jennie R. Joe (Navajo) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennie_R._Joe).

We welcome your comments and look forward to hearing from you. What are you taking away from this conversation?

Nona and Helen are delighted to share a dear friend and colleague, Cath Duncan, with you on the Autoimmune Campfire podcast. They recorded a two-part conversation on Cath’s experience with chronic illness and her incredible resilience and creativity and how she has intentionally fueled her ability to thrive in the face of challenges.

Cath Duncan is a mixed-media artist living in Utrecht, Netherlands. Her paintings are inspired by her first career as a Grief Therapist and her personal experiences of loss and grief, which include vision and hearing impairments, chronic illness, pregnancy loss, adoption, and immigration. Nature is both her muse and sanctuary, offering sensory experiences and healing metaphors that sustain her, shape her creative process and inspire her explorations of the relationships between inner and outer landscapes. Cath is the author of Untangle Your Grief - Questions and Art After Loss, and she has exhibited her art in South Africa, the Netherlands, and the UK, and sold her original paintings to private collectors around the world.

Cath’s art website: 

https://www.cathduncan.com 

Cath’s Untangle Your Grief book: 

https://cathduncan.com/untangle-your-grief/

Cath’s Insta: 

https://www.instagram.com/cathd/

Cath’s Delight series…

https://www.cathduncan.com/delight-practice

We welcome your comments and look forward to hearing from you. What are you taking away from this conversation?

Hello there, Nona and I are sharing Bonus Episode 2 in our series of interviews we’ve been having around living well with a chronic condition including guests who have an autoimmune / chronic condition or work with those who have an autoimmune diagnosis.

In this episode, Nona and Helen interview Elizabeth Cush. Elizabeth Cush is a licensed clinical professional counselor, a life coach for highly sensitive women, and business owner. She’s also the host of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast.  Elizabeth has worked in the mental health field for over 19 years where she incorporates the body, mind, and spirit into her work. You can find her here:

https://www.elizabethcushcoaching.com/

We talk about Internal Family Systems / Parts Work in this podcast and refer to Richard Schwartz who is the founder of this body of work. You can learn more here or in one of his many books:

https://ifs-institute.com/about-us/richard-c-schwartz-phd

We share our perspectives, learning and benefits in this podcast.

We know it goes without saying, but the information provided on The Autoimmune Campfire is for educational or informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. The Autoimmune Campfire does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on this site or podcast. 

What resonated for you in the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Hi there, we’re releasing some interviews that Nona and I completed and we wanted to share them with you. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed these conversations and we’d love to hear what you think.

In this 1st Bonus episode, Nona and Helen talk to Natalie Eslick about her story with chronic conditions and how creativity supports her in flourishing.

Natalie Eslick is a wildlife artist and creative guide whose work bridges the gap between humans and the natural world. Through her meticulously rendered portraits in pencil and paint, she invites viewers to recognize themselves in the eyes of our wild kin, while her teaching practice empowers others to forge their own creative connections with nature. As an Associate Member of Artists for Conservation and founder of both Hedgerow and The Wild Sketchbook communities, Natalie's work serves multiple paths toward the same goal: reconnecting wild-hearted humans with the natural world.

Her artistic practice, which earned her recognition through works featured in Sharon Blackie's bestselling book 'Hagitude', demonstrates the same core values she teaches - curiosity, compassion, and courage in approaching both art and nature. Whether through her detailed wildlife portraits that bring the wild into homes and hearts, or her gentle, supportive education programs that help artists develop their skills and confidence, Natalie creates spaces for deep connection and recognition of our inherent bonds with the natural world. Her integrated approach to art and teaching emphasizes process and connection over perfection, encouraging both viewers and students to discover their own unique ways of honoring and celebrating our wild kin.

You can learn more about Natalie and her programs here: https://www.natalieeslick.com/

What resonated for you in the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

In this emotional and insightful episode, hosts Helen and Nona of the Autoimmune Campfire podcast welcome their husbands, Rob and Erick, to share their perspectives on living with spouses who have chronic conditions. They discuss the impact on family life, the challenges of diagnosis, and the adjustments required post-diagnosis. Both couples reflect on the hidden gifts and lessons learned through these experiences, emphasizing gratitude, love, and commitment. This episode also marks the season finale, offering heartfelt gratitude to their listeners and teasing an exciting return for season two.

00:00 Welcome to the Autoimmune Campfire

00:26 Introducing Our Guests: Rob and Erick

00:52 The Spouses' Perspective: Impact on Family

02:01 Nona and Erick's Journey Together

04:00 Helen and Rob's Story

07:34 Challenges and Diagnosis: Erick's Experience

21:43 Rob's Reflections on Helen's Diagnosis

34:40 Hidden Gifts and Gratitude

39:59 Closing Thoughts

Thanks for listening to The Autoimmune Campfire! Subscribe for free to receive episodes straight to your inbox.

Connect with us

If you want to learn more about who we are and what we do or to work with us, please check our respective websites:

https://www.nonajordan.com/

https://www.helensamsonmullen.com

We are delighted to work with our wonderful producer, Richard Wilmore at

https://www.makeyourdayricher.com/

Thank you for joining us - we’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.

In episode 13 of The Autoimmune Campfire, coaches Helen and Nona delve into the topic of resilience when faced with unexpected challenges related to chronic conditions. They share personal stories of recent medical issues, Helen's encounter with GI problems and Nona's discovery of a new lesion during an MS follow-up. The conversation highlights the importance of slowing down, recognizing one's habitual responses, and finding ways to disrupt negative patterns by practicing mindfulness, self-kindness, and gratitude. They also discuss how resilience can be cultivated through continuous self-care and embracing change as an inevitable part of life. This heartfelt episode offers insights and practical advice for anyone managing life with a chronic condition.

00:00 Welcome to the Autoimmune Campfire

00:18 Catching Up and Personal Updates

00:34 Bumps in the Road: Personal Challenges

02:29 Navigating Health Setbacks

05:12 Understanding Resilience

08:44 Personal Stories of Resilience

27:58 Lessons Learned and Moving Forward

Thanks for listening to The Autoimmune Campfire! Subscribe for free to receive new episodes straight to your inbox.

Hey, let’s connect!

If you want to learn more about who we are and what we do or to work with us, please check our respective websites:

https://www.nonajordan.com/

https://www.helensamsonmullen.com

We are delighted to work with our wonderful producer, Richard Wilmore at

https://www.makeyourdayricher.com/

Thank you for joining us - we’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.

Additional resource: Article on Resilience:

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/06/adam-grant-how-to-improve-resilience.html