There was supposed to be a video: The Idea i had three days ago
There are so many things I’d love to tell you. Moments of my day I’d really enjoy sharing. Ideas for content that are always running through my mind.
But the truth is, I’m exhausted.
the book you’ll never read
I've written a book, but there's another version of it that you'll never read.
That’s the one written in invisible ink, for my eyes only.
It's filled with paragraphs that never made it onto the page, emotions that never made it into the manuscript, and stories that were intentionally set aside.
The book I’ll publish is the one I believe will help people. The invisible-ink version is the one that brought it into being.
The uniquely perfect space of “almost okay with it”
Recently, I heard someone in a painful situation describe herself as being "almost okay with it."
The phrase stayed with me.
She wasn't talking about something small. She was speaking about a loss so profound that I can barely allow myself to imagine it. Yet what lingered in the air wasn't the story itself. It was those few simple words:
"I'm almost okay with it."
writing the book while still living the story
Over the past many months, I’ve spent countless hours writing and revising a book about living alongside chronic pain. In many ways, the process forced me to revisit this experience more deeply than I had in years. In other ways, it challenged me more than I imagined.
why I don’t use the word “acceptance”
There’s a word that rarely appears in my work.
Not because I don’t understand its meaning.
And not because I think there’s anything inherently wrong with it.
But because, for me, it has always felt a little… unsettled.
The word is acceptance.
I call it… the “A” word.
An Ode composed upon a journey
This is a piece I wrote many years ago and recently revisited. It’s something that still speaks to what I’m exploring now, in a very different chapter of my life. I wrote it before I had language for what I was trying to understand. Revisiting it now, I’m struck by how much of the same thread was already there. I recognized myself in it again.
In praise of the unfiltered moment
Some things are just better in their raw, unfiltered state: rich cacao from the heights of Peru, a shot of espresso first thing in the morning, amber-colored honey from a local hive – or the words of a woman, before she’s had time to “calm down.”
The Job I loved was still just a job
Not everyone can say that they love their job and get incredible fulfillment from it. But for those who do, the effects of chronic pain can make it devastatingly difficult to keep doing that work. I continued to teach for two and a half years in horrific pain while seeking proper medical treatment that could restore my health and ability to function. I had no way of knowing then that this wasn’t in the cards.
when relationships end without explanation
Few experiences are more painful than when someone disappears from our lives without explanation.
There’s no final conversation, no moment of clarity, no shared understanding that something has changed. Instead, there’s simply silence, and the unanswered question that stays with us for a long time afterward: What happened?
When “Just” Isn’t simple
Few words sting quite like just when you’re living with chronic pain. It might sound harmless enough on the surface, yet it carries an assumption that effort, access, and capacity are universal. In this context, it can feel like a four-letter word that cuts to the bone.
Speaking To Our Needs In Relationships
Many people living with chronic pain — or any chronic illness — experience a kind of social isolation that’s difficult to articulate. Sometimes it’s logistical: we don’t feel well enough to socialize. Sometimes it’s emotional: we feel misunderstood, unsupported, or made to feel
the importance of protecting our peace
Peace can seem like a rare enough commodity these days. When chronic pain enters the scene, peace is no longer a utopian luxury to dream of, but something we must decide to create for ourselves. This is our wake-up call, and we can each decide what that will mean for us.
doing less than we are able — on purpose
We live with the cultural and internalized belief that if we can take more on, we should. An extra five minutes? Great – what all can we get done in that time?
As a classic Type-A personality and chronic over-doer, I used to measure much of my worth by what I could
The imperative of self-advocacy
Living with chronic pain is exhausting enough, but dealing with people who minimize us, and our experience, is no less exhausting and irritating. It gets so old. The energy it takes to constantly encounter such limited understanding and entitlement from people
The Wordwise project quarterly update
The Origins of The WordWise Project
The impetus for The WordWise Project arose from what I perceived as a gap in helpful resources for individuals living with chronic pain, particularly everyday practical as well as mindfulness-based strategies that could help them adapt to their new reality in positive, uplifting, and empowering ways. I also noticed a glaring absence of resources
the cost of careless words: When cruelty is disguised as conversation
There are times when someone’s words land like a stone — heavy, sharp, and impossible to shrug off. For those of us living with chronic pain or disability, these moments can feel all too familiar. What may have been intended as casual curiosity or even concern can instead come across as judgment, dismissal, or intrusion.
the radical act of slowing down
To some, slowing down — whether by choice or necessity — is often met with discomfort, suspicion, or pity. It can also be easily mistaken for failure. In our culture, the productivity myth prevails. We live in a world that worships speed. Quick decisions, fast fixes, and relentless momentum are praised as signs of strength. Productivity
The parts we hide, and the stories we need to tell
When Was the Last Time Someone Really Asked About You?
I mean really asked. Think about the last time someone genuinely asked you about your life story — not your job, not your title, but who you are, your life experiences,
The delicate balance of sharing
There’s a vulnerability that comes with sharing my story, especially when it’s rooted in something so personal, painful, and ongoing. Each time I write about my experiences with chronic pain, I feel both exposed and
Out of alignment, and the journey back
“ I thought I was fine — until I was flat on the floor, wondering what happened.” Many of us are walking around, (so to speak) slightly or severely out of alignment, physically or metaphorically, without even