Living WOW Out Loud: Thriving With Autoimmune Diseases

One of the most obvious ways your body communicates with you is what you may recognize as a symptom. Your body speaks to you both negatively and positively but because of our human negativity bias for survival, you will likely focus on the pain in your back rather than the strength in your back. There is a natural tendency to focus on what is wrong rather than what is right.

Last week's episode introduced the concept that wholeness...

In today's episode let's take a look, or really a listen, at what Body Language sounds like. You likely already have some familiarity just like you do when you see someone speaking sign language or hear a foreign language that you have familiarity with but not necessarily a personal understanding or use. You recognize some aspects but they don't carry any meaning for you because you don't have the pronunciation, vocabulary, or gram...

Last episode I introduced you to Body Language and invited you to take on learning the language that your body speaks to you. Did you do your homework? Did you learn to count to 8 in Body Language? If so you have a foundational knowledge of the communication environment of your body! Your binge listening and review of the 8 Lessons and the 8 Systems has created a communication-rich environment for learning.

If you haven't done your...

Are you ready to learn a new language in 2023? Learning a new language is proven to stimulate new neural pathways and keep the mind sharp. While it is true that the younger you are, the easier it is to learn a new language, it is possible to learn a new language at any age.

The language I would like to introduce you to is Body Language. This is not the body language you probably already speak fluently which we professionally refer ...

As I record this podcast episode the house is brimming with the  sounds and smells of Thanksgiving. The 3rd Thursday of November is celebrated in the United States as a national holiday of Thanksgiving. A traditional feast to celebrate harvest and friendship creates an opportunity for family and friends to gather around a table and reflect and give thanks.

Since Living WOW Out Loud airs on Thursday mornings, if you a...

The many roles of food, the versatility of food, the intimacy of food. Food is so much more than what you put in your mouth. The way you use food is the one thing that you can individually control. You can control what you put in your mouth or what you do not put in your mouth.

Food can be used to express compassion as we take food to those that are ill or in mourning. Food can be used as a way to punish yourself. When you are angr...

As I was preparing for this "connection" episode of the podcast the old television game show "Love Connection" came to my mind. So cheesy but really a fun memory around connection.

What happens in the body when you are isolated? Serious health conditions like anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, memory loss, aggression, insomnia just to name a few. Social isolation increases your risk for premature death as much as smoking and o...

Today's episode is the popular interview format with non-other than my better half, Joff. No one has been closer to the transformation from SAD to WOW and from surviving to thriving than my husband. I value his perspective as a man who has always been supportive of what I needed to do for my health but now recognizes the value and benefit of living WOW for his health. Listen to the end to find out his recommendations and plans for ...

Have you noticed that fasting has entered into the mainstream of diet fads? You may have heard the term “intermittent fasting” or seen the ads for a diet program that helps you jump on the intermittent fasting bandwagon. You may also have heard me say that Living WOW isn’t a diet or a fad but rather a lifestyle of awareness and a series of perpetual choices.

So when I’m asked about intermittent fasting the reality is that it is an ...

Although it wasn't one of the 8 Lessons Lupus Taught Me that I wrote about directly; PREVENTION definitely feels like a topic that needs to be addressed because too many of us are lulled into complacency. I didn't address it in the book because I had missed the proverbial boat and was in full blown crisis. I know I was complacent and thought I was doing ok when really I just didn't realize that pain and fatigue ARE NOT NORMAL. Taki...

It is time to wake up, return to your roots, and realize that you are the expert in your own body. Over the past 50 years, there has been a startling rise in the number of autoimmune diseases and chronic diseases in the United States and around the world. Just as startling is the realization that we have brought it on ourselves.

Why in the world would I say that? Because it is true. As was learned with the human genome project and ...

Where will you be in 15 years?

If you would have told me 15 years ago what I would be doing today, I would have told you that you were crazy! At that time, I didn't know what I didn't know. I was running on autopilot. I was doing what I needed to do because it was what needed to be done. Sure, I was tired, but who wouldn't be keeping the schedule I kept? Sure, I had chronic pain, but I had rheumatoid arthritis and nothing helped so...

My heart is heavy, and I feel like it is necessary to speak about mental health here on this platform in a way that is quite raw and real. The Living WOW Lifestyle was created as an alternative to the living SAD lifestyle that we default into with our culture and beliefs.

It has evolved as an awareness of the choices you make on a daily basis from the foods you choose to consume or not, the self-care you make time for or don’t, the...

As we transition into the Autumn season the cooler temperatures and fall harvest cue us to begin transitioning and preparing for winter. Autumn is the season of change and preparation. Spring is a time of planting, Summer is massive growth, and now in the Fall you get to reap the benefits of all your hard work. Of course, that doesn’t mean the work is over, rather it is changing. We can take cues from nature and do the exact same t...

As we wrap up the 8 Systems Framework series it is worthwhile to point out that this final system is both external and internal. I include it in the 8 Systems Framework because it is impossible to separate yourself from or ignore the driving conditions completely. Additionally, for the most part, you have very little, if any, control over the driving conditions. With that said you must be aware of what they are and how they affect ...

Your body is telling you what it needs. Are you listening? Are you too busy to hear it? Do you know the language of your body?

Are you experiencing deep fatigue? Irritable bowels, diarrhea, bloating, constipation? Headaches? Brain fog? Rashes? Do you have pain? Where at and what kind? Some symptoms may appear universal but actually can be specific and telling with your autoimmune disease. When you begin to understand what is happen...

I spoke briefly of the navigation system during the introduction of the Driver of System 5. Remember that the driver does what it is told with the purpose of getting you to your destination safely. But how do you know where to go? Your navigation system!

Of course, you will see navigation helps all along the journey. This may be in the form of signs, maps, or even other drivers giving you information that was useful to them. What i...

Who is driving your vehicle? Well, your mind of course! Your mind is an interesting character because it is made up of both a physical organ, your brain, and an energetic intelligence that is eternal. I think of the mind as the bridge that connects the physical body and the energetic/spiritual body so that the 2 realms cross over and communicate in their respective roles.

Now before you check out because I'm getting too woo-woo on ...

Bonus Episode 9! The final episode in the 8 Lessons Lupus Taught Me: From Surviving To Thriving With Autoimmune Diseases bonus podcast series. This episode includes both the final Lesson 8: All You Need Is (Unconditional) Love and also (bonus within a bonus) the final chapter Closing Thoughts to wrap up the book. 

This final lesson 8 is the most personal and difficult, even now. Maybe because it's the most important or maybe b...