About Me
Hi, my name is Julie Gruber. I am a former educator, mom, author, writer, artist, and passionate language and culture enthusiast. In 2016, I developed a chronic pain condition that changed my world in ways I couldn’t have foreseen. Since then, I’ve been turning a life change I didn’t ask for into a new way of BEING. I want to share the strategies I have learned and developed along the way that have helped me, and in doing so, transform my experience into a positive contribution to others.
I am not a medical provider, counselor or therapist, and my work is not intended as medical advice or treatment. However, I am someone who has the lived experience of navigating a life with chronic pain and the maze of responses it can evoke within us. I know what it’s like to feel alone, out of control, and disoriented. I also know what it’s like to find the gems hidden in this experience and the many surprising gifts that can come of it. For those of you living alongside chronic pain, you are not alone. I see you. And I want to help you remember who you are and how to move forward alongside the pain, without being governed by it.
About the wordwise project
The WordWise Project emerged from my own lived experience with chronic pain and from the realization that there is often little guidance for how to move forward once life has been fundamentally altered. While medical care addresses the body, the inner experience — the emotional, cognitive, and identity shifts that accompany chronic pain — is often left unexplored.
This project grew out of the need for active, authentic dialogue among people who understand these challenges firsthand. It is not about following a prescribed process or adopting a single way of thinking. Rather, it is a reflective space that invites curiosity, self-awareness, and new ways of relating to pain, language, and daily life.
The WordWise Project offers non-medical perspectives and real-life reflections that can supplement ongoing care and support personal exploration. It is a space grounded in compassion, mindfulness, and resilience — one that honors both the difficulty of living with chronic pain and the possibility of meaning, creativity, and connection within it.
Like the lives it reflects, The WordWise Project is an evolving work in progress — shaped by experience, inquiry, and the understanding that growth often unfolds gradually and in unexpected ways.
The WordWise Project is a space that values:
• Support and affirmation for those living alongside chronic pain
• Non-medical reflection grounded in mindfulness and resilience
• Creativity, self-inquiry, and thoughtful exploration
• Honest, compassionate dialogue among people who understand
• Connection, shared experience, and collaboration
LANGUAGE MATTERS. Use it wisely.
What “WordWise” Means
WordWise reflects the intentional use of language to define, redefine, and reconsider how we perceive our experiences. The words we choose — both internally and outwardly — influence how we make meaning, how we relate to ourselves, and how we understand what is possible within our circumstances.
As a former language instructor, I remain deeply aware of how language shapes perception. In the context of chronic pain, familiar words and labels can quietly reinforce limitation, judgment, or loss of identity. WordWise invites a more conscious relationship with language—one that leaves room for nuance, flexibility, and personal interpretation.
This approach is not about denying pain or rewriting reality. It is about paying attention to how language frames experience, and how small shifts in awareness can open room for different ways of thinking, responding, and being with what is.
meet the team
Charlie
General support, sound quality and snack services
Mochi
Periodic check-in’s, relaxation specialist and tactile support
Yui
Kinesthetics and movement specialist, scheduling and security
We are so fortunate to have such talented team members here at The WordWise Project. Although each team member is busy with their own tasks, they also like to offer creative ideas and helpful suggestions on our work. We’re so thankful to our wonderful and dedicated staff!