What if the diagnosis is where your real life begins?

I thought I was broken. I wasn’t. I was just beginning.

There was a time when I truly believed I was broken beyond repair.

After my Graves’ diagnosis, the way I had been living simply stopped working.

I was burned out, disconnected, stretched so thin I could barely feel myself.

All the scaffolding I had built around me—control, productivity, perfectionism—

it came crashing down.

And for a while, I thought that was it.

That this diagnosis marked the end of my freedom, my energy, my possibility.

That I would always live inside a body I didn’t trust, stuck in a life I hadn’t really chosen.

But here’s what I didn’t know back then:

That was the beginning.

That dark, disorienting moment cracked something open.

And into that space—

I started saying yes.

Not to the old things. They were done.

I said yes to the new, the strange, the creative, the life-giving.

I said yes to a journalism apprenticeship.

I learned how to write again—not just to inform, but to express.

To uncover. To remember myself.

Then came photography.

Looking through a lens helped me see the world differently… and more importantly, it helped me see myself differently.

Not as a problem to be solved, but as a whole person in motion.

And then I found The Artist’s Way.

That book helped me unlock something I didn’t even realise was closed.

I journaled, I created, I gave myself permission to play.

And I began to build the foundations of a life that actually fit who I was becoming.

Creativity gave me momentum.

New skills gave me capacity.

And all of it—step by messy step—helped me reclaim something I’d lost: hope.

Eventually, I stumbled into Kundalini Yoga.

What started as a curiosity became a calling.

The breathwork, the mantra, the movement—it reached me in a place nothing else had.

I trained. I taught. I shared.

I rebuilt myself from the inside out.

This path wasn’t planned.

I never expected to find myself here—coaching, teaching, guiding others through healing.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

A diagnosis will change you. Let it.

The life you had may no longer be available—but maybe it wasn’t truly yours to begin with.

The moment you think it’s all over? That might be the start of your real life.

And if you're going through hell—keep going. As Churchill said—don’t stop there.

You never know what’s waiting on the other side of the breakdown.

It might just be your breakthrough.

Journal prompt if you need one this week:

What is one unexpected gift or insight your illness has brought you?

And if you're still waiting for it—what’s one small yes you could give yourself today?

🌿 Ready to explore your own next step?

This September, I’m guiding a small group through Rebalance and Rebuild—a four-week immersive programme for people living with chronic stress, autoimmune illness, or burnout. It’s where nervous system education meets embodied rest, somatic healing, and the sacred work of starting again.

If group work isn’t quite your thing, I also offer 1:1 coaching, where we work together to uncover what’s been holding you back and create a path that feels true to you—body, mind, and soul.

Curious?

You can reply directly to this email, to find out more about the programme and coaching options.

Your healing doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.

But you do deserve support that sees the whole of you.

#RebuildYourLife #ChronicIllnessHealing #CreativeRecovery #KundaliniYoga #AutoimmuneJourney #SomaticWisdom #RebalanceAndRebuild