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What happens when chronic illness forces you to prioritize your life’s passions? In this conversation, Rachel Katz interviews Erica Vipond, a fiction writer diagnosed with a nerve-affecting autoimmune condition, to explore how these challenges reshaped her creative priorities. Erica shares how her chronic pain led her to let go of less vital pursuits, like a magazine she created, to focus solely on writing—her lifelong passion. Us type A-s know how hard it is to let go of a goal, right? Sometimes it’s just what we need to do to adjust to a new reality. This is the story of how Erica did just that. 

Erica's info:

• Website: EricaVipond.com
• Instagram: @EricaVipondAuthor_
• Substack newsletter: https://ericavipondauthor.substack.com/ 
• Her book, Starling Darling, will officially publish in October but pre-order announcements will be shared through my Substack in September. 

🔥 Rachel's Substack, Inner Workings: https://raekatz.substack.com/

✨ Ladies Illness Library written interviews: https://raekatz.substack.com/s/ladies-illness-library

🎶Music "Upbeat Defiant Challenge Funky Groove" by Uroboros Music, licensed through Audio Jungle

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If you're sick of the one-size-fits-all approach to managing illness, Emma Simpson's story will resonate with you. This conversation encourages us to reject the pressure to adhere to conventional wellness practices and instead personalize our routines–a huge relief when there are so many “shoulds” around.

Emma has always been a remarkably ambitious woman but she had to leave her career as an Air Traffic Controller due to chronic illness. During this drastic life shift, Emma turned to open water swimming and writing. Host Rachel Katz and Emma talk about how she was able to do this all while being the primary breadwinner and raising young children. As she says in the conversation, slowing down wasn’t the path for her but finding balance was. 

Emma’s info: 

• Substack: Lemon Soul
• Book: Breaking Waves
• Instagram: @emmasimpsonauthor

🔥 Rachel's Substack, Inner Workings: https://raekatz.substack.com/

✨ Ladies Illness Library written interviews: https://raekatz.substack.com/s/ladies-illness-library

🎶Music "Upbeat Defiant Challenge Funky Groove" by Uroboros Music, licensed through Audio Jungle

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Ever feel like you're battling some kind of weird, unexplainable health issue that even doctors can't seem to get a grip on? Writer and influencer Sara Tasker gets refreshingly honest about her decades-long journey with chronic fatigue, narcolepsy, dysautonomia, and a whole mess of other “invisible illnesses.” She also opens up about having to completely redefine her idea of success and fulfillment. Despite all the difficulties, Sara shares with us her delightful humor and a new type of hope for the future. 

Sara’s info: 

• Substack: https://meandorla.substack.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/me_and_orla/
• Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40537617-hashtag-authentic
• Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7gc2VaQoB1vfJn3VN2rudj
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SaraTaskerme

🔥 Rachel's Substack, Inner Workings: https://raekatz.substack.com/

✨ Ladies Illness Library written interviews: https://raekatz.substack.com/s/ladies-illness-library

🎶Music "Upbeat Defiant Challenge Funky Groove" by Uroboros Music, licensed through Audio Jungle

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In this heartfelt episode, Rachel sits down with Julia Edelman to discuss her ten-year journey with uveitis, an autoimmune disorder affecting the retina. They explore the roller coaster of emotions Julia has experienced through the medical challenges and numerous surgeries. She expresses difficult emotions, such as feeling like a burden to her caregivers during her procedures, but also shares uplifting experiences like finding creative outlets through her newsletter, dancing, and building online community spaces to support others facing similar health challenges.

😊 Julia's Eyewitness Newsletter: https://juliaedelman.substack.com/

🐙Julia's resource recommendations: 

• Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
• Isolation Journals, Suleika Jaouad's Substack

🔥 Rachel's Substack, Inner Workings: https://raekatz.substack.com/

✨ Ladies Illness Library written interviews: https://raekatz.substack.com/s/ladies-illness-library

🎶Music "Upbeat Defiant Challenge Funky Groove" by Uroboros Music, licensed through Audio Jungle

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What does life look like when frequent migraines sap your energy? How do you find meaning in this context? Host Rachel Katz explores this question with Substack writer Amber Horrox, who shares her journey with chronic illness in her newsletter, Warrior Within. From grappling with the inability to work to overcoming medical skepticism and chronic illness grief, Rachel and Amber cover topics like medical research and trusting personal experiences. Amber's shift in mindset from "control to creation" inspired us to reframe the experience of managing chronic illness and hope that it does the same for you. 

😊 Amber’s links: 

• Warrior Within newsletter: https://warriorwithin.substack.com/
• LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-horrox-69a94010/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberhorrox/
• Yoga class for writers: https://warriorwithin.substack.com/p/a-yoga-class-for-writers
• Case study: https://warriorwithin.substack.com/p/warrior-unleashed-a-shedding-of-self
• Amber's list of resources: https://warriorwithin.substack.com/p/resources-that-shaped-my-recovery

👁‍🗨 Conference: Migraine World Summit
Learn from the Migraine and Headache Experts - Migraine World Summit

📕 Books:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Stephen R. Covey. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/36072

Finding Peace with a Devastating Disease: Reflections on Endometriosis: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/57210352

🔥 Rachel's Substack, Inner Workings: https://raekatz.substack.com/

✨ Ladies Illness Library written interviews: https://raekatz.substack.com/s/ladies-illness-library

🎶Music "Upbeat Defiant Challenge Funky Groove" by Uroboros Music, licensed through Audio Jungle

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Ema Hegberg is the extraordinarily thoughtful writer behind Peace of the Whole. She has spent over a decade with varying symptoms, from upper GI issues (feeling like food was getting stuck when she swallowed) to chronic gut problems to Lyme disease and adverse reaction to antibiotics and panic attacks and more. Ema talks eloquently about body awareness and cyclical living, and how she has slowly shaped a new life around those concepts. There is a lot of hope in this conversation, and I am thrilled to share it with you.

🔥 Rachel's Substack, Inner Workings: https://raekatz.substack.com/

✨ Ladies Illness Library written interviews: https://raekatz.substack.com/s/ladies-illness-library

🎶Music "Upbeat Defiant Challenge Funky Groove" by Uroboros Music, licensed through Audio Jungle