Healing Chronic Illness, Self-Abandonment & Coming Home to Yourself

The moment I stumbled across Nitika Chopra’s Truth Talks column on Substack, I was instantly pulled in. Her courageous vulnerability stood out in a space that often feels filtered and performative. I was immediately curious: what’s the root of this kind of strength, clarity, and embodied self-love?

I discovered that Nitika had spent years navigating life with multiple chronic illnesses — including psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and myasthenia gravis — all while trying to find answers inside a broken medical system.

Her healing journey wasn’t linear or shiny — it was layered, painful, and, as she says, a pilgrimage. One that led her back home to herself.

Since then, Nitika has built a life and career grounded in radical self-trust, authenticity, and purpose. She’s:

• The founder of Chronicon, a movement and event series centering people with chronic illness
• The creator of The Chronicon Foundation, which expands access and equity in healthcare and wellness
• A powerful writer and storyteller, sharing deeply on her Substack Truth Talks
• A mentor and guide to others navigating healing through her Life Mastery Incubator

In this powerful conversation, we explore:

• The emotional and spiritual toll of living with chronic illness
• How grief, shame, and emotional abandonment shaped Nitika’s early identity
• Her journey through codependency, misalignment, and self-abandonment
• The practices that helped her reclaim her body, voice, and boundaries
• Why ancestral healing, nervous system work, and self-belonging were keys to her recovery
• The difference between authentic sharing and overexposing yourself online

🔗 Connect with Nitika:

• Substack: The Truth with Nitika Chopra
• Instagram: @nitikachopra
• Chronicon: chronicon.co

Have a question you’d love me to explore on the show?

🎙️ Send your voice note here: https://www.speakpipe.com/YWLTheDeepWell

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What if motherhood wasn’t just something you do, but something you become? In this deeply validating conversation, I’m joined by the incredible Jesse Harold—coach, doula, and author of MotherShift—to explore the often-overlooked transformation known as matrescence: the radical, messy, beautiful evolution of becoming a mother.

We talk about what it really means to navigate this identity shift, why the “bounce back” narrative is damaging, and the real reasons so many of us feel like we’re failing. From invisible labor and motherhood rage to the systemic pressures that leave moms under-resourced and overburdened, we go all the way in.

Episode Highlights:

• 01:59 Understanding Matrescence
• 07:22 The Evolution of Motherhood
• 15:03 The Concept of Self-Tending
• 29:30 Systemic Challenges in Modern Motherhood
• 56:44 Understanding and Validating Motherhood Rage
• 01:03:26 The Mental and Emotional Load in Partnerships
• 01:21:12 Empowering Mothers and Transformation Literacy

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Subscribe to the premium version of the podcast for exclusive, locked episodes that go beyond the surface.

💛 For $8/month, you’ll unlock hidden soul-led reflections not shared anywhere else.

Subscribe now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2384460/subscrib

✨ Want more than just our podcast drops?✨

Join The Well Circle on Substack! Inside you’ll receive:

• FREE access to the Your Well Life Podcast Premium with exclusive episodes
• Monthly video trainings (also available audio only podcast style) with simple but powerful practices to support your nervous system, realign your rhythm, and bring more ease to your every day
• Unfiltered Voice-note shares to help you feel less alone in the mess and magic of motherhood
• Access to our private chat space for real conversations and connection with our community
• Access to optional 1:1 support sessions for when you need extra care

Join us here: https://mishanicolevayner.substack.com/subscribe

🎙 Have a question you’d love me to explore on the show?

Send me a voice note — I’d love to hear what’s on your heart. I’ll respond in a future episode with trauma-conscious guidance, real talk, and tools to support you. 💛 Send it here: https://www.speakpipe.com/YWLTheDeepWell

Connect with our Guest Jessie Harold!

www.jessieharrold.com

Grab her book: Mothershift

https://www.jessieharrold.com/mothershiftbook/

Check out her 3-month Mothershift support program!

https://www.jessieharrold.com/mothershift/

🔥 Grab our workshop ‘The Art of Thriving’ Method!

A proven, trauma-informed system to help you break free from burnout, overwhelm, and survival mode—so you can finally feel nourished, energized, and in flow with your life.

https://mishavayner.kit.com/products/the-reclaim-thrive-method-a-trauma-informed-

👩‍💻 Grab the FREE Align & Thrive Workbook!

A gentle, guided workbook to help you reconnect with yourself, build rhythms that feel good in your body, and bring more ease to your everyday life.

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In this raw and resonant episode, Misha sits down with Jyoti Chand — South Asian writer, creator, mother of three, and the voice behind the debut graphic novel Fitting Indian — for an honest conversation about mental health, cultural belonging, and breaking cycles.

Together, they explore what it means to grow up between two cultures, the pressure to be the “perfect Indian daughter,” and how humor, storytelling, and healing work helped Jyoti reclaim her identity and voice.

We dive deep into the inspiration and process behind Fitting Indian— a bold and beautiful book that centers mental health, sexuality, and self-worth in a South Asian teen's life.

From sobriety and sensory overload to parenting, shame, and self-acceptance, this episode is full of truth, resonance, and the kind of brave storytelling that changes lives.

🔥 Topics We Cover:
- Growing up Desi in America: identity, assimilation & shame
- How *Fitting Indian* was born — and why the graphic novel format mattered
- The realities of depression, cutting, and alcohol use in adolescence
- Sobriety and navigating social pressure without labels
- The stigma around mental health and sexuality in South Asian communities
- How Jyoti’s mom reacted to the book (and the healing it opened up)
- Raising emotionally safe, self-connected kids
- What it means to be a cycle-breaker, content creator, and real-life “cool mom friend”

📚 Grab Your Copy:
Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand — available now wherever books are sold!
https://a.co/d/8SU4s1L

👀 Connect with Jyoti:
Follow @mamajotes on Instagram or visit www.mamajotes.com

✨ Your Well Life just got an upgrade.✨

Craving deeper reflections, behind-the-scenes stories, and soulful Q&A with Misha?

Subscribe to the premium version of the podcast for exclusive, locked episodes that go beyond the surface.

💛 For $8/month, you’ll unlock: Hidden episodes with deeper insights not shared anywhere else

Subscribe now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2384460/subscribe

✨ Want more than just podcast drops?✨

Join The Well Circle on Substack—Misha’s private community space for deeper healing, sisterhood, and ongoing support.

Inside you’ll receive:

- 💛 Monthly video trainings with simple, powerful practices
- 🌀 Raw voice-note reflections to guide you through real life
- 👭 Access to our private chat space for real conversations and connection
- 🧘‍♀️ Optional support sessions for when you need extra care

Join us here: https://mishanicolevayner.substack.com/subscribe

✨Have a question you’d love me to explore on the show?✨

Send me a voice note — I’d love to hear what’s on your heart. I’ll respond in a future episode with trauma-conscious guidance and tools to support you. 💛
https://www.speakpipe.com/YWLTheDeepWell

✨Grab our workshop ‘The Art of Thriving’ Method!✨

A proven, trauma-informed system to help you break free from burnout, overwhelm, and survival mode—so you can finally feel nourished, energized, and in flow with your life.

https://mishavayner.kit.com/products/the-reclaim-thrive-method-a-trauma-informed-

✨ Grab the FREE Align & Thrive Workbook!✨

A gentle, guided workbook to help you reconnect with yourself, build rhythms that feel good in your body, and bring more ease to your everyday life.

https://mishavayner.kit.com/1ab67f6044

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