When you’re dealing with Hashimoto’s, autoimmune flares, or overwhelming life challenges, it’s easy to feel like everything is falling apart. But what if these struggles aren’t just obstacles? What if they’re part of your healing?
In this episode, I explore the deeper transformation happening inside you by looking at my own experience with Hashimoto’s and my current PANDAS and autism journey with my son, Jake. This episode is your reminder that it may feel like you’re struggling but you’re actually becoming.
Facing the Storm: Healing Doesn’t Come From Running Away
If you’re living with Hashimoto’s or thyroid challenges, you already know how hard it can be when your body doesn’t feel like your own. It’s exhausting, overwhelming, and sometimes even heartbreaking.
And when those storms hit, whether it’s fatigue, brain fog, weight struggles, or emotional waves, it’s natural to want to run from the discomfort.
But true healing doesn’t happen by avoiding the storm. It happens by moving through it. There is a story about how buffalo always run toward the storm and that story has stuck with me for years. The buffalo know that facing a storm head-on gets them through it faster.
This is the mindset shift that has changed everything for me, and one I hope will inspire you too.
My Personal Storm: Parenting, Pandas, and Unexpected Growth
Right now, my personal storm isn’t about my own body, but about walking through a challenging journey with my son Jake.
Jake, who is 8 ½ years old, was diagnosed with high-functioning autism and PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcus).
PANDAS is a complex condition where an infection (like strep) triggers an autoimmune response that inflames the brain, causing sudden, dramatic shifts in mood, behavior, and function. It’s terrifying, confusing, and heartbreaking to watch. And like Hashimoto’s, it’s misunderstood by many conventional providers.
Through flare after flare (triggered by infections, viruses, even seasonal allergies) Jake’s journey has been filled with highs and lows that have stretched me in every possible way.
Some days I feel shattered. Other days I feel strong. And many days, it’s a mix of both.
But through this, I am learning to surrender (truly surrender), to stay present, to find humor, and to build a kind of patience, resilience, and joy I didn’t know I had. Even in the pain, there is growth happening — for him and for me.
How My Hashimoto’s Prepared Me for Transformation
Looking back, I realize my Hashimoto’s journey set the foundation for everything.
When I was first diagnosed, I was struggling with fatigue, weight gain, hair thinning, and being told that “everything looked normal” on my labs. It was one of the most disorienting experiences of my life.
But it also ignited a fire in me.
It led me to dig deeper, to become my own advocate, to learn everything I could, and eventually to help others who were walking similar paths.
Hashimoto’s didn’t just make me a practitioner, it made me a different kind of practitioner. One who not only understands the labs and protocols but who truly understands how it feels to walk this road.
And that has shaped everything about the way I work with my clients today.
Reframing the Hashimoto’s Struggle
Whatever you’re facing right now, whether it’s Hashimoto’s, fatigue, brain fog, unexplained symptoms, or emotional storms, I want you to know this:
You are not broken. You are becoming.
Your struggles are not defining you, they are refining you.
The frustration, the uncertainty, the slow steps forward… they are all shaping you into someone more resilient, more grounded, and more in tune with your body and your needs.
You might not see it yet. But it’s happening.
A Gentle Reflection for Your Journey
In this episode, I share a gentle reflection. I encourage you to listen to it and take a moment, and ask yourself:
- What is this chapter of my life teaching me?
- Who am I becoming that I wasn’t before?
- How am I learning to care for myself in new ways?
- What if this isn’t happening to me, but happening for me?
- What would my future self say about who I am becoming today?
These questions shift us out of frustration and into purpose. They remind us that there’s meaning in the messy middle (even when we can’t quite see it yet).
Let’s Walk Through It Together
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone else who might need to hear it.
And if you want to continue reflecting, growing, and connecting, come join me on Instagram, where I share more behind-the-scenes of my challenges and provide support for your journey.
Remember, you are not stuck. You’re becoming someone stronger, wiser, and more beautifully resilient than you even realize.
And the fastest way out of the storm… is through.
Related Podcast Episodes:
My Son’s Unbelievable Health Mystery: Insights Relevant for All Parents and Caregivers Perimenopause and Hashimoto’s + My Personal Hormone Journey Top 5 Things I Wish I’d Done Sooner on my Hashimoto’s Healing Journey How to Stop Feeling Invisible and Alone in Your Health Journey with Guest Meghan O’RourkeThanks for Listening
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PLEASE NOTE
All information, content, and material on this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
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