Life with Fibromyalgia, Migraine & More: Natalie’s Unchargeable Journey

Arthritis Life

Episode at a glance:

• Natalie’s diagnosis stories for fibromyalgia, migraine, celiac, cold urticaria, Hashimoto’s, and other conditions
• What does fibromyalgia feel like?
• Cheryl & Natalie discuss how useful the “faulty battery charger” metaphor is for explaining fatigue
• How Natalie uses humor to cope with her chronic illnesses, and how that led her to create funny T-shirts and ultimately the Unchargeables community
• Natalie’s tips for making invisible illness more visible (including how she formed the “Chargimals” plushies and wrote books to spread awareness)
• Cheryl & Natalie discuss the value of using entertainment, storytelling and fun to educate people about disabilities
• How Natalie deals with negative feedback on social media
• How Cheryl & Natalie navigate being entrepreneurs with chronic illness
• Natalie’s advice for newly diagnosed patients with any chronic health condition

Speaker Bios:

Natalie is a chronically ill online entrepreneur, living her best life despite all the health challenges. She lives with Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto's disease, and a bunch of other conditions ever since she was a young girl. She lives on a sunny island with her family and pets.

Cheryl Crow is an occupational therapist who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for seventeen years. Her life passion is helping others with rheumatoid arthritis figure out how to live a full life despite arthritis, by developing tools to navigate physical, emotional and social challenges. She formed the educational company Arthritis Life in 2019 after seeing a huge need for more engaging, accessible, and (dare I say) FUN patient education and self-management resources.

Episode Sponsor

Rheumatoid Arthritis Roadmap, a self-paced online course Cheryl created that teaches you how to confidently manage your physical, social and emotional life with rheumatoid arthritis.

Episode links:

• Natalie’s channels
  • https://www.instagram.com/wearethechargimals/
  • https://Facebook.com/thechargimals
  • https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMevL8Tqk/ “The Unchargeables by Natalie”
  • Unchargeables shop: https://www.theunchargeablesshop.com/pages/links
• Cheryl’s Arthritis Life Pages:
• Arthritis Life website - https://arthritis.theenthusiasticlife.com/
• Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/arthritislife
• Instagram @arthritis_life_cheryl - https://www.instagram.com/arthritis_life_cheryl/
• TikTok @arthritislife - https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritislife
• Arthritis Life Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/arthritisLIFE
• Cheryl on Twitter: @realcc https://twitter.com/realcc
• Arthritis Life Podcast Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/arthritislifepodcastandsupport
• Arthritis Life Program Links

Join the waitlist for Rheum to THRIVE, 6-month education and support program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected. The next group starts in Spring 2022!

Rheumatoid Arthritis Roadmap, a self-paced online course Cheryl created that teaches you how to confidently manage your physical, social and emotional life with rheumatoid arthritis.

Medical disclaimer:

All content found on Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Full Episode Transcript

Go to MyArthritisLife.Net for a full episode transcript