The Invisible Illness Club | Chronic Illness, Auto Immune – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Living with chronic illness isn’t only about symptoms—it’s about the daily decisions, limits, and invisible effort no one sees.

In this episode, author W.R. Gingell shares what life really looks like behind the scenes while living with endometriosis, POTS, and long COVID. We talk about fatigue, brain fog, shifting identity, and the ongoing process of learning your limits again and again.

This conversation also explores creativity in the middle of chronic illness, the pressure to push through, and how faith changes when your life no longer looks the way you expected.

If you’ve ever felt like your body doesn’t match your life—or you’re constantly starting over—this episode will meet you there.

What You’ll Learn

• What living with endometriosis, POTS, and long COVID really looks like day-to-day
• Why chronic illness forces you to keep “relearning” your limits
• The emotional weight of losing physical capacity and independence
• What people get wrong about being a full-time creative
• Why creativity isn’t a limited resource (and what actually fuels it)
• The hidden guilt and shame around rest—and how to rethink it
• How chronic illness reshapes your faith, church experience, and connection with God
• The quiet way self-talk can become harmful—and how to start shifting it
• What a real workday looks like when you’re dealing with brain fog and fatigue

Memorable Quotes

• “It doesn’t end. It changes shape a little and keeps going.”
• “I always have to keep realizing it… over and over again.”
• “Not being able to rely on my own body—that’s been the hardest part.”
• “Creativity isn’t a finite resource. It’s a never-ending well.”
• “I’m not performing my faith. I’m living it.”
• “You don’t have the right to talk to someone made in the image of God like that—even if that someone is you.”
• “Rest isn’t optional. It’s holy.”
• “Take your rest… it belongs to you.”

One Tiny Step

Pay attention to how you talk to yourself today.

When you catch yourself being harsh, pause and ask: Would I say this to someone I love?

Resources

Find W. R. Gingell! wrgingell.com instagram.com/wrgingell/ facebook.com/wrgingell/

Books by W. R. Gingell Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/W.-R.-Gingell/author/B00HMM6VX4?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1777578369&sr=8-3&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=1a200c2a-b503-47e9-8023-f4e086bcd870 Books a Million https://www.booksamillion.com/search?query=W.+R.+Gingell&filters%5Bauthors%5D=W.+R.+Gingell Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22W.R.%20Gingell%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall

Join the Unseen Sisterhood! A weekly newsletter for women with chronic illness who want more hope, more life, and more joy—plus access to our private Facebook group and resource bundle. https://theinvisibleillnessclub.kit.com/unseen-sisterhood 

The Invisible Illness Club Website https://theinvisibleillnessclub.com 

The Invisible Illness Club Podcast https://theinvisibleillnessclub.com/podcast 

Music Credit Audio Jungle https://audiojungle.net 

Chronic illness doesn’t only affect your body—it can change how you see yourself.

There’s a moment many people experience where life stops looking the way they thought it would. Plans shift. Energy changes. The future feels less clear.

And somewhere in that process, your identity starts to feel different too.

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t fully recognize your life anymore, this conversation is for you.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Why identity shifts happen with chronic illness
• The moment many people realize life isn’t unfolding how they expected
• How to navigate the gap between who you were and who you are now
• Why feeling lost in your identity is more common than people admit
• A grounded way to start reconnecting with yourself again

MEMORABLE QUOTES

• “It’s not only your health that changes. It’s how you see yourself.”
• “The life you thought you were building starts to feel unfamiliar.”
• “You’re not only grieving your health—you’re grieving the version of you that felt certain.”
• “Identity doesn’t disappear. It shifts.”

REFLECTION / JOURNAL PROMPT

What version of your life or yourself have you been quietly grieving?

ONE TINY STEP

Name one part of you that still exists today—even if it looks different than before.

RESOURCES

Join the Unseen Sisterhood! A weekly newsletter + space for women living with chronic illness to feel seen, understood, and encouraged. https://theinvisibleillnessclub.kit.com/unseen-sisterhood 

The Invisible Illness Club Website https://theinvisibleillnessclub.com 

The Invisible Illness Club Podcast https://theinvisibleillnessclub.com/podcast 

Music Credit: Audio Jungle https://audiojungle.net 

We talk a lot about surviving chronic illness. Today we’re gently challenging the way we define independence. What if losing physical capability doesn’t mean losing strength? What if dependence isn’t failure?

 

This episode explores grief, identity, and how faith reshapes what it means to live fully in a body that doesn’t cooperate. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Why losing independence feels deeper than inconvenience
• The hidden fear of becoming a burden
• How faith reframes dependence without minimizing grief
• A small shift that helps you live fully inside limitation

MEMORABLE QUOTES

• “I didn’t plan on building my life around appointments and a weak body.”
• “My body has a way of fact-checking my ambition.”
• “I am still grieving the capable version of me.”
• “Needing help is not failure. It’s human.”
• “Independence may shift. Your value doesn’t.”

ONE TINY STEP Accept one offer of help this week without apologizing. No explanation. No minimizing.

Waiting for medical answers can feel harder than the diagnosis itself. In this solo episode, April talks about the emotional toll of living in the in-between — the fear, grief, and exhaustion that come with waiting for test results, scans, and clarity while managing chronic illness. This episode offers validation, gentle grounding, and honest faith for anyone stuck in the middle. What You’ll Learn • Why waiting is so hard on the body and nervous system • The common lies that get louder when answers are delayed • How to care for yourself without pretending everything is fine • What faith can look like without certainty or resolution Memorable Quotes • “Waiting isn’t passive. It costs energy.” • “The middle matters, even when nothing is settled.” • “You’re not failing because this feels heavy.” Reflection / Journal Prompt What part of the waiting is hardest for me right now — the uncertainty, the loss of control, or the fear of what comes next? One Tiny Step Choose one thing you won’t do during this waiting season — over-explaining, over-Googling, or over-bracing — and give yourself permission to stop. Resources Listen to the full episode The Invisible Illness Club Credits Hosted by April Aramanda Music via Audio Jungle

Chronic fatigue forced Belinda to slow down. This conversation is about listening sooner, asking for help, and finding hope that actually holds.

What You’ll Learn

• What chronic fatigue can look like over decades
• Why slowing down isn’t quitting — it’s maintenance
• How therapeutic lifestyle changes support real life with illness
• The difference between optimism and hope when your body won’t cooperate
• Why asking for specific help matters more than “pushing through”
• How faith can support you on unmanageable days without pressure

Memorable Quotes

• “Slowing down removed the chaos — and my body felt it immediately.”
• “Hope isn’t pretending things are fine. It’s doing what you can and trusting the rest.”
• “People want to help. Asking gives them permission to love you well.”
• “Chronic illness doesn’t disqualify you from purpose.”

Resources

Email: belinda@belindaterromooney.com 

Website: https://belindaterromooney.com/

https://instagram.com/belindaterromooney/

https://facebook.com/belindaterromooney/

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/belindaterromooney/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdXvux59JZU_QsQhW-2BZZw

https://www.pinterest.com/belindaterromooney/

https://www.amazon.com/therapeutic-lifestyle-changes-workbook-comprehensive/dp/1955225028

https://www.enroutebooksandmedia.com/alookatlife

 

Credits Hosted by April Aramanda The Invisible Illness Club Podcast Music: Audio Jungle

This episode isn’t tidy or inspiring. I’m stuck in bed, waiting on answers, and my body scares me right now. I talk honestly about exhaustion, fear, faith questions, and what it’s like to stop pretending you’re fine when you’re not. If you’re surviving the day instead of living it, you’re not alone.

What You’ll Learn

• Why it’s okay to say “this sucks” without rushing to hope
• What the waiting season really feels like with chronic illness
• How exhaustion shows up beyond the physical
• What faith can look like when you don’t understand what’s happening
• Why honesty is sometimes the bravest thing you can offer

Memorable Quotes

• “This sucks. Being stuck in bed, being alone most of the time—it all sucks.”
• “My body scares me right now.”
• “Relief and exhaustion can sit in the same room.”
• “I don’t feel close to God right now, and I’m still talking to Him.”
• “No tidy ending today. Just honesty.”

One Tiny Step Say the truth out loud today—to yourself, to God, or to someone safe. No fixing it. No reframing it. Just naming it.   Resources

• The Invisible Illness Club community - The Unseen Sisterhood
• Episode 25 - Normal Labs, Real Symptoms: Patient Advocacy & Hope with Rheumatologist Dr. Reeti Joshi
• Episode 20 - When God Doesn't Heal: Holding Onto Faith with Chronic Illness

Credits Hosted by April Aramanda Music via Audio Jungle Produced for The Invisible Illness Club

In this episode, April talks with Bethany Bacon about living with hydrocephalus after being born at 24½ weeks, holding onto genuine hope, and learning not to let chronic illness—or the world’s opinions—define you. Bethany also shares the heart behind her Anchored in Hope coaching program and how listeners can connect with her.

What You’ll Learn

• What it can look like to hold hope that feels real, not performative
• Bethany’s early medical story: born at 24½ weeks and living with hydrocephalus
• How she thinks about faith in a broken world (and why she talks openly about spiritual battle)
• A simple morning rhythm Bethany uses to stay grounded when symptoms and stress flare
• How a painful moment in public criticism impacted her identity for years
• Why she created her Anchored in Hope coaching program and what it includes

Memorable Quotes

• “People are wanting genuine hope.”
• “Chronic illness doesn’t have to define a person.”
• “I can’t control other people’s reactions. All I can do is obey the Lord.”
• “It’s in my head… and it’s not in my head.”
• “God wants you to see yourself as His child, not through the way the world does.”

Resources

• Bethany Bacon: Created in His Image
• Anchored in Hope coaching program
• Website: created-in-his-image.com (with dashes between the words)

Credits

• Host: April Aramanda
• Guest: Bethany Bacon
• Music: Audio Jungle
• Produced for: The Invisible Illness Club Podcast

Starting the year tired, in appointments, and waiting on answers — this episode is about choosing quiet hope in a body that needs care.

What You’ll Learn

• Why hope doesn’t have to feel confident to be real
• How to hold grief and gratitude at the same time
• What it looks like to start a new year already exhausted
• Permission to define success by listening to your body
• Why “manageable” can be a meaningful goal

Memorable Quotes

• “Hope doesn’t require certainty. It requires permission to keep going anyway.”
• “I didn’t need the day to look different. I needed my body to feel safer in it.”
• “Getting through the day counts.”
• “Sometimes the bravest thing we do is keep showing up gently.”

One Tiny Step Give yourself permission to define success this week as listening to your body — nothing more. Resources

• Rest & Refocus Workbook – a gentle reset for tired bodies and overwhelmed mind

Credits Host & Producer: April Aramanda Music: Audio Jungle

This year may not have gone to plan, but you grew through it. Here’s a gentle reflection to help you rest, release, and refocus before the new year. What You’ll Learn

• How to reflect on your year with honesty and grace
• Ways to recognize growth that doesn’t look like achievement
• Reflection prompts around energy, joy, and compassion
• How to release guilt and carry peace into the new year

Memorable Quotes

• “You don’t have to pretend this year was easy — you just have to acknowledge that you kept showing up.”
• “Growth isn’t always visible. Sometimes it looks like resting when you need to.”
• “You don’t need a new you — you just need rest and refocus.”
• “What you carry forward should serve you, not drain you.”

Key Scripture “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” — Exodus 14:14 (NIV Reflection / Journal Prompt for the Week What do you want to carry with you into the new year — and what can you lovingly release before it begins? One Tiny Step for the Week Write one thing you’re grateful you survived or learned this year. Then, one thing you’re ready to lay down. Resources

• The Reset & Refocus Workbook — A gentle year-end reset to help you reflect, release, and realign before the new year.
• The Self-Care Toolkit — Daily tools and reflections to help you protect your peace and restore your energy through every season.

Credits Host: April Aramanda Podcast: The Invisible Illness Club Music: Audio Jungle Learn more: theinvisibleillnessclub.com

 

Let’s talk honestly about life, faith, and chronic illness.

Holiday gatherings don’t have to drain you. Here’s how to protect your energy, say no with grace, and still feel connected.

What You’ll Learn

• Why guilt creeps in when you set limits
• How to communicate your boundaries clearly and kindly
• Simple scripts for saying no or leaving early
• How to let go of pressure and find joy in quieter moments

Memorable Quotes

• “You don’t owe anyone a detailed medical update over mashed potatoes.”
• “Guilt is often just grief in disguise.”
• “You can love your people deeply and honor your limits at the same time.”
• “You don’t have to earn your right to rest.”

Key Scripture “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 (NIV)   Reflection / Journal Prompt for the Week What boundary could protect your peace this holiday season — and what guilt do you need to release to set it?   One Tiny Step for the Week Practice saying one loving, honest no. It doesn’t have to be perfect — it just has to be true.   Resources

• Free Download: The Boundary-Setting Script Pack - Your one-page guide to saying no, asking for help, and protecting your peace this season.
• Free Download: The Rest Without Guilt Checklist -

  A simple, honest look at how to rest before you crash using a one-page checklist that helps you check in with your body, your mind, and your real capacity.

Credits Host: April Aramanda Podcast: The Invisible Illness Club Music: Audio Jungle Learn more: theinvisibleillnessclub.com