#176: Living with Chronic Illness: Why You Are More Than Your Body with Dr. Jennifer Caspari

Jul 14

Living with Chronic Illness: Why You Are More Than Your Body with Dr. Jennifer Caspari by Abbie Attwood

Plus why we don’t have to wait to feel better to live fully.

This week on the podcast, I’m joined by the brilliant and deeply compassionate Dr. Jennifer Caspari, a psychologist who specializes in health psychology and lives with cerebral palsy.

Her personal and professional wisdom come together in such a powerful way — this conversation felt like a breath of fresh air in a world that so often asks us to override, fix, or fight our bodies.

We talk about what it means to be in relationship with your body when it doesn’t feel like it’s on your side — and how to cultivate self-compassion, presence, and joy even in the midst of that.

Jen shares her own story — how she came into therapy, what it’s like navigating the world in a disabled body, and the mindset shifts that have helped her most during painful or difficult seasons.

We explore:

How societal body image pressure intersects with disability and illness
Why we don’t have to wait for symptoms to go away in order to start living
The role of values-based living and gentle courage in hard moments

And for paid subscribers, we go even deeper behind the paywall:

Practical strategies for coping with chronic pain
What it really means to practice radical acceptance
Why chronic illness often involves grief — of function, identity, possibility
Navigating relationships and communicating needs with loved ones
Finding agency, even when so much feels out of your control
Living fully with a body that’s chronically ill — and maybe always will be

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com

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