Shawna spent nearly three years doing everything right. She saw the specialists. She did the rounds of antibiotics (eight of them). She cut out every food on the IC list and tracked her symptoms by the hour. She had a compassionate pelvic PT in her corner.

She had done everything she was supposed to do.

But she was still having debilitating symptoms. And she was still terrified.

Her healthcare providers were doing their absolute best, but they were running out of new ways to help her. So her pelvic PT referred her to me.

Now, Shawna is training for her next ballroom competition in August. She took three international trips in three months. She is setting boundaries, speaking up for herself, and she often forgets she ever had symptoms at all.

In this episode, Shawna shares her full story. The diagnosis that changed how she thought about her body. The way dance, her biggest passion, became her biggest trigger. The loneliness of living with symptoms that the people in your life can never understand. And how she got to where she is now, living her life beyond chronic pelvic pain.

I am so grateful to Shawna for being willing to share her story so openly and honestly. It takes courage, and I know it's going to mean so much to the people listening.

We talk about:

  • Her diagnosis of interstitial cystitis 
  • Why dance became a trigger, and what was actually happening in her nervous system
  • The hypervigilance spiral: tracking, dietary restriction, and what all of it was really doing to her system
  • What made her open to mind-body work when so many people resist it
  • The specific tools that helped most, including EFT tapping, visualization, and parts work
  • What it feels like to say "I like who I am" and actually mean it
  • Where her symptoms are now, and how she thinks about flare-ups differently

If you've been told your pain is something you just have to live with, this episode is for you.

Resources & Links:


Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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