Invisible Not Broken - Chronic Illness Podcast Network

Today’s episode is about How we can use creativity as a practice to become resilient.

Meet Jenni Grover aka the ChronicBabe.

Jenni is a celebrated Speaker and Advocate for the chronic illness community and particularly known for having created the chronicbabe community. (http://jennigrover.com)

Since founding ChronicBabe.com in 2005, Jenni has taught countless people how to take charge of their lives post-diagnosis through her 100s of videos as well as through the chronicbabe membership program, speeches worldwide, and her book ChronicBabe 101: How to Craft an Incredible Life Beyond Illness, which is basically the textbook for loving your life no matter how sick you are. Love it.

TODAY’S EPiSODE COVERS…

·      What it’s like to go through a major transition

·      Insurance expenses on top of her most difficult time with her health

·      What creativity means in the broader sense

·      Expressing yourself outside chronic illness and business

·      Choices - in identity, relationships, career

·      How to prepare and set yourself up for success when you’re really sick

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MORE ABOUT JENNI:

·      What is/was your profession? Writer, activist, coach

·      What is your illness(es)? Fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, IBS, asthma, hypothyroid, GERD

·      Where do you work/what’s your business? Founder, ChronicBabe – and freelance writer since 2002

·      What types of patients/conditions do you work with? All types, mostly younger women, but many people are able to use my services

·      How did your illness shape your career? I don’t think I would have launched my own business right away – I needed to figure out how to manage my work schedule and my health issues, so freelance writing was a natural fit (I’ve been a journalist for 30 years)

·      What makes your mission as an influencer unique? I started chronicbabe 15 years ago, when almost no one was writing about this stuff online. In that sense, I’m a trailblazer – so I feel like I’ve helped pave the way for the massive surge of bloggers and social media superstars

·      What’s your latest project/post/feature that you are most excited about? I am launching a new biz later this year focused on teaching people “creative resilience” – the ability to build creative processes and practice into their daily lives, which helps them learn and reinforce behaviors that boost resilience.

·      Why do you think the patient-practitioner relationship is important? Our HCPs are a team, almost like family members, in that we get so vulnerable with them. Our health care system in the U.S. is not set up to give most people lots of time or resources, so we need to make the most of every minute of care. and we need to help them trust us and collaborate as partners in our own care.

·      What does “trust” mean to you in the patient-practitioner relationship? Oh goodness, we need to be able to trust our HCPs because our very lives depend on it. Not just in caring for us, but also trusting that an HCP will speak up if they need help or can’t figure us out. They need to be able to work as a team and bring in assistance when needed.

·      What are you most passionate about in regard to your work/helping people? I LOVE helping people find their unique voices. So many folks lose their identity when they get sick, because they have to be professional patients. I love helping people find their way back to their personality and express themselves with confidence and courage.

·      How do/did you handle flares while working? Lots of things: many breaks, sit-stand desk, work from bed, pacing breaks, an app the FORCES me to take breaks, pacing out my projects, avoiding procrastination when I’m well, music, medications, meditation.

·      If you had one message to send out to every chronic illness warrior out there, what would it be? You are NOT your illness. Even if you decide to be an advocate, make sure there’s lots of other goodness in your life that’s unrelated – it will help your stamina in the long run.

·      Where can the audience find you in terms of social media, website, etc.?  

- Chronicbabe.com,

- My book ChronicBabe 101: How to Craft an Incredible Life Beyond Illness is available online

- if they want to get an alert when I launch my next project head to jennigrover.com/create and sign up so they’ll be the first to know

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LINKS

www.Chronicbabe.com

http://jennigrover.com

Jenni’s book ChronicBabe 101: How to Craft an Incredible Life Beyond Illness '

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Episode supported by Wellacopia - the first matching site that helps people with chronic illnesses find their ideal, long-term, specialized practitioners (a similar approach to a dating site!).

Our mission is to help build better, trusting healthcare relationships and therefore, see better outcomes and quality of life.

👉 Find your ideal practitioners - https://www.Wellacopia.com