The Chronic Connection Podcast: Helping Women Live Well with Chronic Illness Morgan Fitzgerald

Do you struggle with your own internalized ableism? Do you wish there was more representation of dynamic disabilities and chronic illness in media and art? Do you feel alone in your journey with chronic illness? 
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then this is the episode for you. 
Meet the powerful dynamic-disabilities advocate and disabled artist, Ashley Bravin. My conversation with Ashley begins with her journey with multiple chronic illnesses. We then dive into her current art projects and future exhibitions that reflect the reality of living with multiple dynamic disabilities and chronic illnesses. Finally, we touch on her experience with her two service dogs and what services dogs can do for people with chronic illness (e.g., medical alerts)!
MORE ON ASHLEY: 
Ashley Bravin is a disabled artist and advocate, with multiple chronic illnesses. Born and raised in Southern California, Ashley studied both at Carnegie Mellon University, and Burren College of Art in Ireland, graduating with a BFA in painting and drawing. Her work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and abroad. She has been the recipient of two grants and a fellowship to develop her body of work and has participated as an artist in residence twice at the Chautauqua Institute of Chautauqua, New York.

ASHLEY'S INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ashleybravin/?hl=en
ASHLEY'S WEBSITE, TIKTOK, AND MORE: https://linktr.ee/insicknessandindog

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Have you ever wondered, "Why me?", "Will I ever be happy again?" or "My life is over"? If you have, Natalie Kelly is here to help. As Nat says, with chronic illness, thought patterns of fear, doom, anxiety, self-consciousness, and self-hatred are common (and valid), but they don't have to be your forever. If you are ready to learn how to reframe those thoughts and learn mindset tools to help you find happiness, confidence, and joy again, then this is the conversation for you! 

First, we touch on Nat’s personal journey with chronic illness and how she came to be a chronic illness mindset and lifestyle coach. We then delve into some specifics about what mindset work is, how she helps people get comfortable with acceptance, and what it means to control our emotions.



More on Nat:

 Natalie is the CEO and founder of Plenty and Well where she is a full-time chronic illness blogger, podcaster, and mindset and lifestyle coach. Nat, who has been living and thriving with Ulcerative Colitis (UC), is passionate about helping you find acceptance, confidence, inner growth, and self-compassion on your chronic illness journey. You can find her @plentyandwellwithnat on Instagram and her website plentyandwell.com



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When asked what she would put on a billboard, Roop said she would write, "endometriosis is a whole-body disease, not just a painful period".  

Roop is currently living with stage 4 deep infiltrating endometriosis. She has undergone multiple surgeries for endometriosis and had a total hysterectomy for the treatment of adenomyosis. Once a nurse with a full-time career, now plagued by unbridled symptoms Roop has been forced to give up her career. Despite her difficult health journey, Roop is a passionate advocate working to dismantle the misconceptions surrounding endometriosis and adenomyosis. 

If you struggle with endometriosis or adenomyosis or want to become further educated on what it is like to live with these conditions, then this is the episode for you.

More on Roop: Roop B. has a BS in psychology and nursing. She is an endometriosis and adenomyosis educator, advocate, and speaker. She is currently managing stage 4 deep infiltrating endo. You can find her on Instagram @endointhe604. 








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Do you struggle to manage your mental health when living with chronic pain? 

This episode centers on the intersection of mental health (i.e., depression) and nociplatic-pain disorders (i.e., Fibromyalgia and migraine), including lessons learned from talk therapy and Curable Health.

Allison Martinez has been living with chronic pain for several years managing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), and fibromyalgia. Her passage through the belly of the medical system exemplifies grit, strength, and determination. She is an inspiration for self-education, personal advocacy, and radical acceptance.

Despite having divergent diagnoses, I deeply related to all that Alison had endured and overcome.

You can find her @chronicalli_ on Instagram



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Find the Chronic Connection Community:

Podcast Instagram: @thechronicpod

Twitter: @thechronicpod

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Morgan's Instagram: @lifewithmigraine


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Imagine being seized by pain after laughing, sneezing, and even talking. Imagine having to avoid funny people, loud places, and singing in the car.

For Christie Griffith, this has become reality after being diagnosed with Chiari malformation, a birth defect that affects 1 in 1000 individuals. Her symptoms rapidly progressed after sustaining a concussion while snowboarding in early 2021.

Today’s we step into Christie's world of living with Chiari malformation. We swim through events of the past year and arrive at the apogee of her journey, decompression surgery that was just a few weeks away at the time of this recording.

This conversation is about bringing awareness to chiari malformations and what it’s like to live with the condition. It features an inspiring look into how Christi has managed to balance her debilitating symptoms with her full-time job and, perhaps most importantly, being there for her family and her 9-year-old daughter.

Christie is not one to come front and center, but she is on a mission to raise awareness and build a community of people who understand the realities of living with a chiari malformation.

Christie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christie_with_chiari/?hl=en



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Find the Chronic Connection Community:

Podcast Instagram: @thechronicpod

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Morgan's Instagram: @lifewithmigraine


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Should you talk to a child, teen, or even a young adult about chronic illness? Are you allowed to use the words illness, sick, dying, and death when talking to kids? How young is too young to tell the absolute truth about these life difficult topics? 

If you’re ready to stop guessing and want to hear definitive answers to each of these questions and more, then this episode is for you! It may feel scary to talk to younger generations about trauma, illness, and loss as even adults struggle with these topics. But there is no one better to help you navigate these difficult circumstances than someone who has advanced training in helping kids and families cope with big challenges, enter a Certified Child Life Specialist. 



Certified Child Life Specialist, Shani Thornton is a beacon of light for families who are facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Through therapeutic play, creative arts, education, and emotional support, she helps infants, children, teens, and young adults process health issues, trauma, and loss. She equips families with coping plans to best support their needs. 

Shani Thornton has her master's in child life and has been a certified child life specialist since 2007. It was a pleasure to have this informative conversation with Shani because we discuss an aspect of life in which a lot of people are left guessing including myself. Let Shani Thornton take the guesswork out of helping kids and yourself cope with big life challenges. 

Shani's Website: https://childlifemommy.com/ JOIN OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! 

Click here Help Support the Podcast: \https://anchor.fm/thechronicpod/support — Find the Chronic Connection Community: Podcast Instagram: @thechronicpod Twitter: @thechronicpod Join us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/thechronicpod Morgan's Instagram: @lifewithmigraine


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