In this powerful episode of Healing Space, host Cara opens up a conversation many people living with chronic illness have never been given language for: the difference between capability and capacity. Drawing from real-life experiences shared across the HS community, Cara explains how chronic illness can shrink your daily capacity long before you ever sit down at your desk — and why this has nothing to do with laziness, weakness, or lack of motivation.

Through relatable examples, gentle reframing, and compassionate storytelling, Cara guides listeners toward a new way of measuring their day: one that honors what their body has already carried, not what they feel they “should” be doing. If you’ve ever felt shame for slowing down, struggled with unpredictability, or wondered why simple tasks feel impossible on flare days, this episode will help you breathe easier.

She also introduces a practical worksheet designed to help you explore your own capacity, reframe daily expectations, and create more emotional space for yourself — even on the hardest days.

Listen now and explore more tools, worksheets, and community conversation at hsconnect.org/healingspace.

This podcast was made possible by UCB.

In this gentle and grounding New Year episode, Cara invites listeners to rethink the pressure of “New Year, New You” when you’re living with a chronic condition like HS. While social media fills our feeds with highlight reels, transformations, and “best year yet” posts, Cara reminds us that every year looks different for every person — and that comparison is a natural, human response, not a failure.

Drawing from real experiences shared across the HS community, she explores what to do when comparison hits, not how to pretend it doesn’t. With warmth and honesty, Cara walks through practical steps for naming your feelings without judgment, anchoring your goals in your own reality, recognizing the strength in your quiet wins, and understanding what your jealousy might actually be trying to tell you.

She also reframes healing through the lens of seasons — reminding listeners that droughts, storms, and harvests each have their place, and no one’s timeline looks the same. This episode is a compassionate companion for anyone stepping into 2026 with fear, hope, exhaustion, or all three at once.

If you need a soft place to land this season, this episode is for you.
Explore more tools, episodes, and support at hsconnect.org/healingspace.

This podcast was made possible by UCB.

Grief doesn’t only come after loss—it can begin the moment you receive a diagnosis that changes the future you imagined for yourself.

In this deeply compassionate episode of Healing Space, host Cara explores what it means to grieve after a chronic illness diagnosis. From dismantling the myth that grief only applies to death, to walking through the emotional stages many experience after life-altering health news, Cara creates space for listeners to feel seen, validated, and understood.

Using the well-known framework of the five stages of grief, Cara gently explains how denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance may show up—not as a checklist, but as a fluid, personal experience. Through a powerful real-life scenario and her own story, she illustrates how grief can look like mourning the body you once had, the career or dreams you envisioned, or the version of life you expected.

This episode also covers:

• Different forms of grief, including anticipatory and delayed grief
• The emotional and physical symptoms that often accompany grief
• Why timelines don’t define strength or resilience
• Practical, compassionate coping tools for moving through grief with care

Above all, this episode is a reminder that grief is not failure—it’s change. And even in the midst of loss, it’s possible to find meaning, support, and a life that is still full and beautiful.

A companion worksheet is available to help listeners process and reflect alongside the episode. Find it and other resources at hsconnect.org/healingspace.

This podcast was made possible by UCB.