The Chronically Courageous with Bonni Howard
by Bonni Howard
The Chronically Courageous, where chronic illness warriors come to feel empowered and uplifted. Listen each week to be inspired by others who have found happiness and peace, despite the physical and emotional tolls of chronic illness. Together, we navigate this complex journey and move forward with courage, passion, and purpose!
Episodes
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Too Sick to Show Up
Chronic illness, even for the most social among us, can be profoundly isolating. There are days when it’s simply too painful or too exhausting to respond to a text, make plans, pick up the phone—or even record a podcast. One of the hardest parts of living with chronic illness is the not…
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A Second Chance at Life
If you could give a piece of yourself to save a stranger's life, would you do it? Just six weeks ago, Bonni's fiancé, David Pinkus, did just that. He got on the operating table and gave a kidney to save the life of a man whose name he didn’t even know. Bonni was by his side as they boarded a…
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Battling for Life & Health Insurance Reform
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the age-old issue of America’s broken and corrupt health insurance industry has recently received an abundance of negative press. Anyone living with chronic illness is well aware of the obscene costs and inhumane denials of necessary…
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Exhausted Existence: An EDS Story
Join Bonni as she gets personal about all things EDS, with filmmaker and EDS warrior Jen Kain. They discuss Jen's upcoming documentary, "Exhausted Existence: An EDS Story”, which explores living with chronic illness through a therapeutic lens. Bonni and Jen share tears and laughs as they discuss...
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Part 2 - The Chronic Illness Warriors' Bill of Rights
Having a chronic illness can bring about so many challenges, not only physical but also social, emotional, and psychological. We deserve to have certain rights to thrive despite these challenges! This is where the "Chronic Illness Warriors' Bill of Rights" comes in. Last week, Bonni talked about...
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The Chronic Illness Warriors' Bill of Rights
Over a lifetime of living with chronic illness, Bonni has learned that people with chronic illnesses have many physical, social, emotional, and psychological challenges. They deserve to have certain rights so they can better manage and navigate all their challenges. This "Chronic Illness…
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Two Zebras Get Personal about Living with EDS
This week Bonni returns to the mic after a long hiatus and much self-reflection. In honor of May being EDS Awareness Month, she sits down with Samantha Brechner to talk about the raw and real ways that having Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome has affected each of their lives. You’ll hear the following and...
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Life Changing Lessons from the Past Year Part 2
This week Bonni continues to celebrates one year of podcasting with a look back at the most life changing lessons of the past year. Listen to hear some of the most profound teachings from the last year of The Chronically Courageous podcast. Please listen to the end for an important announcement...
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Life Changing Lessons from the Past Year
This week Bonni celebrates one year of podcasting with a look back at the most life changing lessons of the past year. Listen to hear some of the most profound teachings from the last year of The Chronically Courageous podcast. Things You’ll Hear About in this Episode: The ways that Bonni’s life...
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Self Advocacy, Lifestyle Tips, & Combining Traditional with Alternative Medicine
This week Bonni answers listeners’ questions about how to navigate the healing journey. Tune in to find out how Bonni answers the following listener questions: What is the best way to advocate for oneself? What do you think are the top three lifestyle changes a person should implement when trying...
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Celebrating Progress Over Perfection with David Pinkus
This week Bonni is joined by her fiancé, David Pinkus to talk about the importance of recognizing and celebrating progress over perfection throughout the healing journey. With some recent health challenges resurfacing, they discuss how to recognize and identify progress from a 50,000 foot level…
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10 Tools & Techniques to Improve Your Well Being When Symptoms Return
This week Bonni shares about her recent recurrence of symptoms and how she has been managing through them. She provides ten tools and techniques on how to gracefully navigate the sometimes inevitably bumpy journey of healing from chronic illness. Show Resources: Article: The Healing Effects of…
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Bonni Gets Interviewed by The Lawyer of Attraction
It has been nearly a year since Bonni launched The Chronically Courageous podcast, so she wanted to share her story with any new listeners and also catch her loyal listeners up on what she foresees for her future and the future of the show. Bonni was recently interviewed on The Lawyer of…
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How He Defied His Prognosis & Rewrote His Story with Paul Forchione
As an infant, Paul was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, a medical condition that causes paralysis of one side of the body. His mother was told he would be bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, but she refused to accept that prognosis and made it her mission to find a specialist that was...
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Finding Healing Through Purpose and Service
This week, Bonni talks about the importance of finding purpose and meaning in life and how being of service to others can positively impact your own life. Bonni shares how, through podcasting, she has found so much healing because it has provided her with a platform to support, inspire, and heal...
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Making Miracles a Reality with Fusun Rynart (Part 2 of 2)
In part two of this two part episode, Fusun Rynart shares the story of her daughter’s tragic motorcycle accident and how she helped her to get to the other side of it. Bonni and Fusun also discuss the power of gratitude and how the energy we surround ourselves with directly and profoundly impacts...
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Making Miracles a Reality with Fusun Rynart
Founder of Life Healing Academy, Fusun left a successful corporate sales career of over 20 years to dedicate her life to helping people heal their emotions and boost self confidence for success. She first discovered her gifts for being able to physically heal others when she helped her father to...
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The Lawyer of Attraction with Paula Kidd Casey
Paula Kidd Casey had been a practicing family law attorney for over 40 years and was one of the first women in the midwest to open a private law firm. Like many driven entrepreneurs, Paula spent years pursuing money and success at the expense of her health and peace of mind. After realizing her...
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Healing with Ayurvedic Medicine with Dr. Avanti Kumar-Singh
As a medical doctor, Dr. Kumar-Singh experienced the limitations of traditional medicine. She left her career in emergency medicine to begin a 20-year journey to study, research and experience traditional healing systems from a wide range of cultures. She was led to become a practitioner of the...
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The Healing Journey Isn't Linear
This week Bonni shares vulnerably about the ups and downs of her healing journey, She talks about the valuable lessons she's learning as she continues to walk this very non-linear path toward wellness. Show Resources: Episode with Mollie Lowery, Bonni's personal health coach:...
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Connecting the Dots Between Empathy & Chronic Illness with Sarah Small
Sarah Small, otherwise known as The Uncensored Empath, was a self-described “sponge to the universe’s problems”. Her highly empathetic nature caused her to take on the emotions of everyone around her. She believes there is a strong connection between emotion and chronic illness and like so many...
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How to Feed Your Mind & Body, Not Your Fear with Natali Križan
Natali Križan was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease as a young girl. She went through years of disabling pain, eventually leading to surgical removal of two meters of her colon. Despite the challenges of her diagnosis, Natali immersed herself in self development. She went on to become an expert on...
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Proof that Incurable Only Means Curable from Within with JOY
This episode is captivating, mesmerizing, and filled with hope for anyone who has been told what they can’t do. As just fifteen years old, Joy flew off a cliff on a motorbike and was declared dead on an operating table. Nine later she was hit by a drunk driver and suffered both internal and...
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How He Rewrote His Autoimmune Story with Adam Kruger
Adam Kruger, had a picture perfect life until the age of thirteen, when some personal events threw him into a downward spiral of stress and illness. At the age of fourteen, he found himself in the most excruciating, debilitating pain of his life, leaving him unable to keep food in his body. After…
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Looking Within for Answers to Her Chronic Pain
Keri Faith suffered with chronic pain from the young age of three. It took a lot of patience, perseverance, and an open mind to discover the root cause and ultimately the solution to healing her pain. After suffering for close to 40 years, Keri Faith learned to shift her ways of thinking and…
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Lawyer Turned Emotion Code Practitioner with Jennifer Schwarz
Jennifer, who started her career as an attorney over 25 years ago, never would have predicted that she would be led to energy healing. Her quest for answers to her childrens’ severe, anaphylactic allergies and autoimmunity sent her on a journey of seeing doctor after doctor. Her final hope was...
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Overcoming Cancer to Follow Her Soul’s Purpose with Sinead Cracknell
Sinead was experiencing severe stomach pain and was told it was nothing serious, but she persisted until the doctor’s finally agreed to give her a colonoscopy. She was heartbroken to awaken to the news that she had undergone emergency surgery to remove a large portion of her cancerous bowel,...
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Guilt, Crazy Suggestions, and Shifts Toward Healing
This week Bonni responds to several questions posed by her listeners. Some things that you’ll learn: The single most important shift Bonni made on her healing journey The craziest suggestion Bonni ever received when she shared about her chronic illness How Bonni handled the guilt of having to…
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A Personal Conversation About Bonni's Healing Journey with David Pinkus
This week listen in as Bonni talks to her fiancé, David Pinkus, about her recent time away to focus on healing at a deeper level. You will learn what she discovered about herself, the impact of childhood trauma on her physical health, and some steps that she took toward healing more deeply that…
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A Drug Free, Non-Invasive Solution to Chronic Pain Relief with Dr. Saperstein
How incredible would it be to find chronic pain relief that didn’t involve addictive narcotics or surgery? This week Bonni sits down with board certified neurologist and founder of the The Center for Complex Neurology, EDS, and POTS, Dr. David Saperstein to discuss a state of the art solution for...
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The Determination to Survive One Breath at a Time with Vera-Lee Curnow
Born with multiple disabilities, Vera-Lee Curnow always knew she was different. Through sheer determination, she became an elite athlete excelling in tennis, but always wondered why she had to work much harder than her peers. Diagnosed with Osgood Schlatters, eosinophilic asthma, and vocal cord...
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Transforming Trauma into Triumph with Cathleen Elle
This week Bonni has an inspiring and heartwarming conversation with international best selling author, Cathleen Elle. Cathleen vulnerably shares the tragic story of losing her teenage son to suicide and how she managed find a greater sense of purpose through this tragedy. This is a story that…
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A Multidimensional Approach to Healing with Mollie Lowery
This week, meet Bonni’s personal health coach, Mollie Lowery. Mollie has been and continues to be instrumental in Bonni’s healing journey. Combining modalities such as breathwork, brain rewiring, energy healing, nutrition, and more Mollie’s approach to healing is holistic and multidimensional....
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Voices of Dysautonomia
October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month. Dysautonomia is mild for some people and completely disabling for others. Imagine having to think about all of the bodily functions you take for granted….breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion and more. Dysautonomia causes a dysregulation of all…
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Lara Bloom, President & CEO of The Ehlers-Danlos Society | From Challenge Comes Opportunity
This week I had the honor of speaking with Lara Bloom, President and CEO of The Ehlers-Danlos Society. This year she was also appointed Academic Affiliate Professor of Practice in Patient Engagement and Global Collaboration at Penn State College of Medicine. Lara is an expert in patient…
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Things that May be Making You Sick & How to Avoid Them
There are so many things that I’ve learned on my healing journey. I have uncovered things that I never considered might be contributing to my ailing health. Because I am on a mission to help all of you heal and live your best lives, I share some lesser known things that may be contributing to…
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Ask Bonni Anything with Judy Venezia
This week’s episode is a little different from the norm. My friend of 24 years, Judy Venezia, is navigating some new and existing diagnoses so I took the opportunity to answer some questions for her in hopes of providing her some additional tools to make her journey a little less challenging....
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The Importance of Celebrating Our Wins
When we are dealing with a chronic illness or disability, it can be easy to slip into the pattern of focusing on what we can’t do. Please stop doing this! This week’s episode is all about shifting that focus and learning how to recognize yourself for even the smallest wins. If you’re feeling down...
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Christina Rice | Brain Rewiring, Energy Healing, and Uncovering Root Causes for Deep Healing
Christina Rice is a living example of overcoming all odds. Having mystery illnesses all of her life, she feverishly searched for answers as her organs began to shut down and her weight dropped to a frail 73 pounds. Fighting for her life, she took matters into her own hands and explored healing...
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Ten Benefits Children Gain Being Raised by a Disabled Parent
Parenting can be laden with the guilt of not being able to give our kids a picture perfect life. As a disabled parent with limited energy, financial resources, and/or mobility this guilt can be compounded. Studies have shown, however, that children raised by parents with disabilities can actually...
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Lindsay Gledhill | How to Live an AMAZING Life Despite Life’s Challenges
This week’s guest is truly AMAZING! He has not only survived, but thrived through two heart attacks and four stents. Being a successful tax accountant all of his life, he realized that money was not the end all be all and that happiness goes much deeper than our pockets. Lindsay is now embracing...
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Marina Lombardi | Finding Freedom in Identifying as a Disabled, Queer Person (Part 2)
Some things that you’ll learn: Why this week was a big week for my son and I (1:43) About this week’s episode (2:48) Marina’s pronouns and their importance (6:56) The biggest struggle in claiming her identity (13:35) What the term “sis” means in the context of the LGBTQ+ community (15:35) About...
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Sidney DeCamella | Finding Her Life’s Purpose Through Infertility, Kidney Failure, and a Rare Diagnosis (Part Two)
This week’s episode is the continuation of Sidney DeCamella’s story from last week, when we learned how her struggle with infertility fueled her passion for becoming a life coach. Sidney finally conceived her son after three rounds of IVF, but his birth was anything but easy. She struggled…
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Sidney DeCamella | Finding Her Life’s Purpose Through Infertility, Kidney Failure, and a Rare Diagnosis (Part One)
EP. 013 The Chronically Courageous Podcast Title: Sidney DeCamella | Finding Her Life’s Purpose Through Infertility, Kidney Failure, and a Rare Diagnosis (Part One) Sidney wanted more than anything to be a mother, but never imagined the challenges she would come up against trying. Her story had…
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Perspective is Everything
EP. 012 Perspective is Everything Title: Perspective is Everything These past couple of weeks I’ve done a lot of work on myself. In this episode I share some of the learnings from an intense and incredible week of self development. Some things that you’ll learn: Why I didn’t publish an episode…
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Jana Greene | From Numbing with Alcohol to "FIERCE" Recovery
If you need some inspiration to keep moving forward you’ll want to hear this episode. Jana Greene has lived through childhood trauma, addiction, single motherhood, and chronic illness. Despite the stacking of challenges that came her way, she pushed through and created a happy and fulfilled life....
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Bonni Howard | Six Ways to Elevate Your Mood During Challenging Times
The global pandemic, awakening to racial inequity, and political division happening in our world right now can make it a challenge to maintain a positive mindset. And we all know that a depressed emotional state can directly impact our physical well being. In this episode you’ll learn some...
About this show
The Chronically Courageous, where chronic illness warriors come to feel empowered and uplifted. Listen each week to be inspired by others who have found happiness and peace, despite the physical and emotional tolls of chronic illness. Together, we navigate this complex journey and move forward with courage, passion, and purpose!
Hosted by
Bonni Howard
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