Seen, Not Fixed

This conversation explores what it means to truly be “seen” while navigating chronic illness, neurodivergence, and life after a major health diagnosis. Kaitlyn Carroll shares how her experiences with cancer, late-diagnosed autism and ADHD, and burnout reshaped her relationship with work, self-compassion, and support. Together, the hosts unpack invisible effort, the grief that accompanies identity shifts, and the importance of language like “capacity” and “resourcing.” The episode centers on a powerful truth: being supported and understood can transform how we move through even the hardest realities.

This episode explores the profound role community plays in the chronic illness experience, especially for those navigating invisible conditions. Jill shares how platforms like Inspire create safe, moderated spaces where people feel validated, understood, and less alone. Through personal stories and patient experiences, the conversation highlights how being seen, rather than “fixed,” can transform mental and physical outcomes, empower self-advocacy, and turn patients into advocates. At its core, the episode is a reminder that healing often begins with connection, not solutions.

This episode explores the psychological and emotional realities of living with chronic illness through a conversation between Nicole and Dr. Rachel, a behavioral medicine psychologist. They unpack the deep connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, highlighting how unhelpful thinking patterns like “should” statements, catastrophizing, and rigid thinking can keep people feeling stuck. The conversation emphasizes practical mindset shifts, including focusing on what’s within your control, taking small and sustainable steps, and building awareness of your mind-body connection. They also address the importance of self-advocacy in healthcare, grieving the loss of a former identity, and finding a balanced, realistic form of optimism that honors both difficulty and possibility. Ultimately, the episode offers grounded tools to help listeners feel more in control, supported, and compassionate toward themselves.

In this episode of Seen Not Fixed, host Nicole Pedra is joined by chronic illness advocate Anja Vesterhus Knustad and clinical hypnotherapist Lucy Seligman ACC, CCHT for an honest conversation about living with invisible illness. Anja shares her experience growing up with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) and the profound ways it reshaped her life from childhood, while Lucy reflects on decades of living with fibromyalgia and how that journey led her to become a practitioner supporting others with chronic pain.Together they explore the emotional weight of not being believed, the misconceptions that surround fatigue and chronic illness, and the reality of advocating for yourself within healthcare systems that often struggle to understand invisible conditions. The conversation also highlights the role of hope, self compassion, pacing, and nervous system based healing practices in building a meaningful life alongside illness.This episode offers listeners validation, practical insights on self advocacy, and a reminder that even in the face of chronic illness, connection, understanding, and purpose are still possible.

In this deeply honest conversation, host Nicole Pedra sits down with Deidra Murphy and Eli Weinstein, LCSW, to explore the complex intersections of chronic illness, infertility, marriage, mental health, and identity. This episode is a powerful reminder that there is no single “right” way to build a family, live in a body, or navigate partnership. Whether you are walking through infertility, chronic illness, relationship strain, or simply questioning the narratives you’ve been handed, this conversation creates space for you to feel seen, not fixed.

In this episode of Seen, Not Fixed, Nicole Pedra is joined by Danny O’Malley, Lindsey Provencher, and Cara Bowman for an honest conversation about chronic illness, invisible pain, caregiving, and nervous system regulation. Together, they explore what it feels like to be dismissed by medical systems, to lose trust in your body, and to live with symptoms that others cannot see.The group discusses hypervigilance, somatic care, co-regulation, and the exhaustion of constantly monitoring your body. They also reflect on the power of community, social media advocacy, and being truly seen rather than fixed.This episode is about slowing down, finding anchor points of safety, and learning how to stay connected to your body even when healing is not linear and answers are unclear.

In this episode of Seen, Not Fixed, Nicole sits down with Miel Johnson and Meli Kirkwood for an honest conversation about chronic illness, caregiving, nervous system regulation, and the quiet labor that so often goes unseen. Together, they explore childhood diagnosis, medical advocacy, food challenges, trauma responses that get mislabeled as anxiety, and what it really takes to listen to the body without pushing through.This is a conversation for caregivers, parents, and anyone living in a body that requires extra attention. You are not invisible, and you are not doing it wrong.

Our first episode is a coming-together of voices, lived experience, and shared recognition. With Nicole Pedra, Spoonly founder Rachel Barnett, and Lauren Freedman of Uninvisible Pod, this conversation explores what it means to live inside a body and mind that others can't see, measure, or fully understand. We explore chronic illness not as a single diagnosis, but as an ongoing relationship with your body, your mental health, your identity, and the world around you.

Join us as we explore the real-life experiences, challenges, and triumphs of those living with chronic illness. Tune in for heartfelt conversations, insightful stories, and practical tips.Our first episode is coming soon. We're so glad you're here!