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Topic: Recovery Stories

5 Things I See People Do Who Recover

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If you're trying to figure out how to recover from chronic pain and illness and you keep hitting the same wall, this is the episode I want you to save and come back to.

Because here's what happens when you're stuck. Your frontal lobe (the logical, decision-making part of you) goes offline in a stress response. So you forget everything you've learned. I've been there. I was there a couple of years ago after my mold crash, years into being recovered, and I forgot half the skills I had. That's not failure. That's what a stressed nervous system does. So save this one. Come back to it when the flare hits and your brain goes one-track.

I'm walking through the five things I consistently see in people who go from stuck to recovered, and they're the same things that got me there. It starts with how you describe yourself (there's a real difference between "I'm someone with chronic fatigue" and "I'm a healing body," and it's not positive thinking; it's what your subconscious is running on). Then we get into stopping the 3am searching and the WebMD spiral, which feels productive but keeps your nervous system in threat mode.

We also talk about going into your emotions without being afraid of them, how to change your response when a flare shows up instead of freaking out and assuming you're back at square one, and the big one: living your life WHILE you still have symptoms. Because living first, carefully and gently, is what teaches the body it's safe. Waiting until you feel better keeps the alarm on.

None of this is willpower. It's all retraining. And it's completely learnable.

Resources mentioned:

Free neuroplastic symptom screener (2-minute quiz)

JournalSpeak by Nicole Sachs

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How Callie recovered from IC/OAB/IBS and manages OCD

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If you have been told for years that interstitial cystitis or overactive bladder is just something you have to live with, this is the recovery story you need to hear. Callie Krajcir suffered with IC, OAB, IBS, and vulvodynia for 25 years -> and got her life back in 2-3 years through nervous system work. Not the IC diet. Not another supplement. Not another procedure.

Callie is a bladder dietician, the vice chair of the Interstitial Cystitis Association, and runs Road to Remission, the leading recovery program for IC and OAB. Here's the part that catches everyone off guard -> she's a dietician who has stopped prescribing the IC diet to almost all of her clients. In this episode she and Grace get into exactly why, and what they're seeing instead.

They also get real about the OCD piece, which Callie was finally diagnosed with at 28 after two years of trying to figure out what was happening. She talks about relationship OCD, emetophobia, the fear loops most people in the pelvic pain community are stuck in, and why ERP (the gold standard OCD therapy) works on the exact same nervous system mechanism as PRT for chronic pain.

If you have been white-knuckling through every flight, every meal, every plan with friends -> scanning for bathrooms, bailing at the last second, terrified of strawberries and seltzer water -> this one is going to crack something open. Callie's honesty about what "healed" actually means when your symptoms used to be daily is worth the listen on its own.

Resources mentioned:

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How to Recover from Migraines, POTS & GI Issues Through Your Nervous System

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Kayla Jacobsen is a licensed clinical social worker and mental health therapist based in Minnesota, where she works at a small group practice supporting individuals navigating anxiety, chronic pain, trauma, and traits associated with being a Highly Sensitive Person. Her approach is relational and holistic, shaped deeply by her own healing journey with chronic migraines and a sensitive nervous system. Through the Mind-Body Healing Program, Kayla experienced meaningful shifts in how she relates to her emotions, beliefs, and symptoms — work that continues to inform how she shows up with clients today.

In this episode, Kayla shares what it was like to have migraines starting at age 10, cycle through Western and Eastern medicine without lasting answers, and eventually realize that information-gathering had become its own form of avoidance. She and Grace explore how perfectionism, shame, and suppressed anger were quietly driving her symptoms — and what actually changed when she stopped trying to fix her migraines and started relating to them differently. Kayla also talks about what this work has opened up in her therapy practice, including how she now invites conversations about physical symptoms into sessions and incorporates more experiential, nervous system-informed approaches with her clients.

Find Kayla: 

Psychology Today

Willow Creek Counseling

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How Ellen Healed from Long COVID, MCAS, & POTS

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Ellen B. Alden is a Mind/Body Coach who fully recovered from Long COVID after the medical system could not help her. When chronic symptoms took over her life, Ellen discovered that healing was possible through nervous system regulation and brain retraining. Using mindfulness, meditation, and Pain Reprocessing Therapy, she overcame chronic illness, anxiety, and lifelong hypervigilance. She is certified in PRT, MBSR, MBCT, and functional breathing, and now helps others heal through her community, My Recovery Crew.

In this episode, Grace and Ellen discuss what it was like to be shuffled through the medical system with diagnoses of Long COVID, MCAS, and POTS — and how Ellen moved from hopelessness and victimhood to full recovery. Ellen shares the nighttime turning point that shifted her mindset, how she used visualization and micro moments to retrain her brain, and why she started reintroducing feared foods using breathwork and safety cues. They explore what recovery actually looks like day to day, why post-exertional malaise disappeared when Ellen changed how she related to movement, and how letting go of perfectionism and outcome-driven thinking was essential to healing.

Connect with Ellen: www.stress-less-studio.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellen_mindful_healing/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ellenalden-mind-body-healing Email: ellen@ellenalden.com

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What Recovery Actually Looks Like from Nervous System Based Pain & Illness

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There's a myth that recovery means waking up one day and never having symptoms again—that once the nervous system is "healed," pain and discomfort just stop. But holding onto that belief can actually keep the body stuck in vigilance mode.

In this episode, Grace explores what recovery really looks like after years of chronic symptoms. She shares her own recent experience with a painful neck flare-up and how she moved through it without spiraling or letting it derail her life. This is the honest, grounded version of healing that often goes unspoken.

Grace discusses why the expectation of perfect healing creates more pressure in the body, how time-based goals can work against progress, and what it means when care becomes intuitive rather than rigid. She offers a powerful reframe: recovery isn't the absence of sensation—it's the absence of fear. The goal isn't protecting yourself from life, but building the capacity to fully live it.

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How to Recover from ME/CFS with Rebecca Tolin

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Rebecca Tolin recovered from 13 years of ME/CFS after seeing 50 practitioners and trying everything from anti-viral IVs to 30 supplements a day. In this episode, she shares what finally worked—and why the nervous system holds the key to lasting relief.

Grace and Rebecca explore how chronic fatigue develops in the brain and body, why chasing diagnoses like Epstein-Barr, mold, and Lyme often keeps people stuck, and what it actually takes to reclaim your life after years of debilitating symptoms.

In this episode: ✨ How ME/CFS and post-viral syndromes become learned patterns in the brain ✨ Why fear and the medical journey itself can perpetuate symptoms ✨ The difference between pacing (which keeps you stuck) and graded exposure (which helps you heal) ✨ Rebecca's "safe zone strategy" for challenging yourself without overwhelming your system ✨ How to use the symptom timeline to uncover emotional roots ✨ What recovery actually looks like—and why symptoms can become wise messengers

Rebecca Tolin is a mind-body coach who helps people with CFS, long COVID, and other neuroplastic conditions reclaim well-being, self-compassion, and inner wisdom. She's the creator of the Be Your Own Medicine course, blending neuroscience with somatic meditation, emotional awareness, brain training, and nervous system regulation. 

Connect with Rebecca: 

Website: www.rebeccatolin.com 

Newsletter: www.rebeccatolin.com/newsletter 

Try a free somatic meditation: www.rebeccatolin.com/blog 

YouTube: Rebecca Tolin Youtube

Email inquiries: course@rebeccatolin.com

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Recovering from Hypothalamic Amenorrhea and Eating Disorders

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In this episode, Grace welcomes Claudia, a nutrition and dietetic consultant, to explore how stress, food restriction, and overtraining disrupt hormonal health. They discuss hypothalamic amenorrhea, the nervous system’s role in fertility, and the mindset shifts essential for healing. Claudia shares practical steps to restore balance, reconnect with your body, and support long-term recovery.

What We Cover:

  • What hypothalamic amenorrhea is and why it happens
  • How stress, disordered eating, and overtraining affect hormones
  • The link between the nervous system, feminine energy, and fertility
  • Why self-worth and identity shifts are key to healing
  • Practical steps to restore your period and support hormone health
  • Moving from control to surrender in recovery
  • How misdiagnoses like PCOS can delay healing
  • The role of IVF, birth control, and nutrition in hormonal balance

If you’ve struggled with a missing period, fertility challenges, or feeling disconnected from your body, this episode will help you slow down, listen to your body, and find a sustainable path to healing.

Connect with Claudia:
Instagram: @ha.fertility.nutritionist
YouTube: @nourishedbyclaudia
Facebook: @nourishedbyclaudia

The Slow Down Diet 

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Healing Isn’t Linear: Why Setbacks Are Part of the Journey

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In this episode of Heal with Grace, Grace explores why setbacks are a natural part of healing and how to navigate them with self-compassion. Healing isn’t a straight path—it’s full of twists, turns, and moments that challenge us. Grace unpacks why resistance happens, how our nervous system responds to change, and why setbacks don’t erase progress.

She shares practical tools to reframe setbacks, regulate emotions, and build resilience. To close, she leads a guided reflection to help you shift your perspective and trust your journey—even when it feels messy.

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Healing fibromyalgia, pelvic pain & food intolerances: Amal’s transformative journey

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In this episode of the Heal with Grace podcast, Amal Hawari shares her profound journey of mind-body healing, overcoming pelvic pain, histamine intolerance, fibromyalgia, and other health issues through nervous system regulation and brain training. Starting with her struggle, Amal recounts how her life was severely impacted by various health conditions and her eventual discovery of a holistic approach to healing. She emphasizes the importance of nervous system regulation, the support from Grace and the program, and how mind-body connection techniques provided her the tools for recovery. Amal also discusses the incremental steps to her healing, indicating that recovery is a non-linear process that requires persistence, self-awareness, and a willingness to engage deeply with emotional trauma and stress management. This episode dives into the significance of mental health in physical recovery and offers hope to those experiencing chronic health issues.

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