Two Stories, One Survival: How Support Groups Failed Me and Why I Stopped Complaining

Some weeks, life hands you clarity. Other weeks, it hands you a support group full of crocheted Christmas ornaments and a vague sense that you may, in fact, have taken a wrong turn somewhere between hope and disbelief. This past week on the podcast, I released two episodes that feel like spiritual cousins—similar energy, completely different journeys—and because I love a tasting menu, I’m serving up a little preview here.

The first episode, “Why I Walked Away From Support Groups (And Found My Voice Instead),” takes you back to the early 2010s, when my lungs and heart were misbehaving like rebellious teenagers and I thought joining a support group might be the adult thing to do. The experience…was memorable. I won’t ruin the details, but it left me thinking deeply about connection, belonging, and what it actually means to look for “people like me.” If you’re curious enough to follow that breadcrumb trail, you can listen here:

https://thoughtswhilesurvivingchronicillness.buzzsprout.com/2548730/episodes/18249833-why-i-walked-away-from-support-groups-and-found-my-voice-instead

The second episode, “Why I Don’t Complain: A Chef’s Guide to Surviving Chronic Illness Without Losing My Mind (or My Manners),” explores something I had to learn the hard way: not every battle is fought out loud. Living with sarcoidosis, heart failure, a leaky heart plug, and the daily circus my body likes to perform has taught me that complaining doesn’t always get me where I need to go. But how I got to that realization—that’s the part you’ll have to listen to discover. Let’s just say the journey surprised even me. Here’s the episode:

https://thoughtswhilesurvivingchronicillness.buzzsprout.com/2548730/episodes/18113370-why-i-don-t-complain-a-chef-s-guide-to-surviving-chronic-illness-without-losing-my-mind-or-my-manners

What ties these episodes together isn’t the drama (though there’s a little) or the humor (you know that’s always there). It’s the quiet but undeniable truth that living with chronic illness forces you to find your voice in ways you never expected. Sometimes that voice leads you toward people. Sometimes it leads you away. And sometimes it simply reminds you that you’re stronger, wiser, and more resilient than you realized.

If you haven’t listened yet, this is your gentle nudge. Maybe even a shove. Subscribe, share, or text someone who needs a reminder that they’re not alone in this wild, unpredictable, often hilarious chronic-illness journey we’re on. I promise the episodes will make you think, laugh, or at least say, “Oh, same.”