In this raw and honest mini episode of Rewriting the Illness Story, Paula shares what it really looks like when healing doesn’t go as planned.

After a week of physical pain, GI issues, and unexpected insomnia, she opens up about something rarely talked about in the mindfulness and coaching space—the emotional spiral that can follow when nothing seems to be working.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, frustrated, or like you’re doing everything “right” but still struggling, this episode is for you.

Paula dives into:

• Why healing is not linear (even when it feels like it should be)
• The hidden pressure of toxic positivity and comparison
• How control and overthinking keep us stuck in cycles of burnout
• What to do when you start spiraling mentally and emotionally
• The power of allowing your feelings without judgment
• How to shift out of a negative spiral and reconnect with yourself
• Finding joy in the middle of pain—not someday, but today

This episode is a reminder that you are not broken, you are not failing, and you don’t need to have everything figured out to move forward.

Healing isn’t about perfection—it’s about learning to meet yourself where you are and choosing differently, one moment at a time.

You can find me at:

https://www.instagram.com/rewritingtheillnessstory?igsh=MWEzZDc2bWFyaXpyZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

OR

rewritingillness@gmail.com

Music: Island Glow by Dirk Dealer

Book with Meditation: You Are Not your Pain Book by Danny Penman and Vidyamala Burch (on Amazon). https://amzn.to/3PIT118

Cathy Heller https://cathyheller.samcart.com/referral/thisabundantlifebycathyheller/bT7E7mYq6rPBaJ9g

What if your illness isn’t just something to fix… but something trying to guide you?

In this episode of Rewriting the Illness Story, I sit down with coach Shelly Groom to talk about her journey through anxiety, fibromyalgia, and chronic illness—and how it ultimately led her back to herself.

Shelly shares what it was like to go from panic attacks and ER visits to years of debilitating symptoms, being dismissed by doctors, and searching for answers that never seemed to come. Through time, self-discovery, and small but powerful shifts, she began to move out of survival mode and into healing, purpose, and alignment.

This conversation explores the emotional and physical toll of invisible illness, the frustration of not being believed, and the powerful role mindset, awareness, and self-compassion can play in the healing journey.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, unseen, or overwhelmed by your health, this episode will remind you—you’re not alone, and there is another way forward.

In this episode, we discuss:
• Living with anxiety, fibromyalgia, and chronic illness
• The experience of being dismissed or misdiagnosed
• How stress, burnout, and life circumstances impact the body
• The mind-body connection and shifting out of “sick identity”
• Small, manageable steps that support healing
• The importance of validation, support, and being seen
• How purpose and alignment can shift your health and energy
• Practices like gratitude, grace, rest, and mindfulness

Connect with Shelly Groom:
Website: https://www.thecoachingtree.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.coachingtree?igsh=bmFpb3BvNHZteXNw

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life Paperback – April 23, 2013
by Jen Sincero

https://amzn.to/4vtCn5V

If this episode resonated with you:
Follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this.

Keywords:
chronic illness, fibromyalgia, anxiety, invisible illness, healing journey, mind body connection, emotional healing, burnout recovery, holistic healing, self healing, personal growth, spiritual healing, women’s health

You can find me at:

https://www.instagram.com/rewritingtheillnessstory?igsh=MWEzZDc2bWFyaXpyZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

OR

rewritingillness@gmail.com

Music: Island Glow by Dirk Dealer

Book with Meditation: You Are Not your Pain Book by Danny Penman and Vidyamala Burch (on Amazon). https://amzn.to/3PIT118

Cathy Heller https://cathyheller.samcart.com/referral/thisabundantlifebycathyheller/bT7E7mYq6rPBaJ9g

What if the thing you believe is “wrong” with you… is actually what’s trying to lead you back to yourself?

In this very first episode of Rewriting the Illness Story, I share my personal journey through chronic illness, years of misdiagnosis, and ultimately, a spiritual awakening that changed everything.

For over a decade, I struggled with debilitating pelvic pain, inflammation, and symptoms no one could fully explain. I tried everything—traditional medicine, alternative therapies, diets, surgeries—only to feel dismissed, unheard, and disconnected from my own body.

But what if illness isn’t just something to fix?

In this episode, I open up about:
• The emotional and physical toll of being misdiagnosed
• Living with invisible illness and feeling unheard
• The connection between suppressed emotions and chronic pain
• How conditioning, perfectionism, and fear shaped my experience
• The shift from fighting my body to finally listening to it
• How spirituality and self-awareness became a turning point in my healing

This conversation is for anyone who has ever felt like no one could explain what they’re going through… or like their body is working against them.

You are not alone—and your story isn’t over.

Topics covered:
chronic illness, invisible illness, pelvic pain, Tarlov cysts, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, misdiagnosis, medical gaslighting, mind-body connection, emotional healing, spiritual awakening, self-trust, trauma and illness, holistic healing

You can find me at:

https://www.instagram.com/rewritingtheillnessstory?igsh=MWEzZDc2bWFyaXpyZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

OR

rewritingillness@gmail.com

Music: Island Glow by Dirk Dealer

Book with Meditation: You Are Not your Pain Book by Danny Penman and Vidyamala Burch (on Amazon). https://amzn.to/3PIT118

Cathy Heller https://cathyheller.samcart.com/referral/thisabundantlifebycathyheller/bT7E7mYq6rPBaJ9g