Today we’re going beyond the red carpet, behind the world of fashion and getting a tad more intimate. This is something I haven’t share with many people, but I recently learned from Dr. Cathleen King, who has had a hand in healing over 20,000 people, that healing takes a community and connection. So here it goes, putting this out there to help my community and make healing connections.

In 2020 I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. After nearly a decade of searching for answers, seeing countless doctors and specialists, numerous procedures and surgeries, I finally had an answer. And yes, it was a diagnosis of a disease, but for the first time it felt like I had been given hope. Throughout that journey, the most crucial thing I learned is that my biggest advocate, my biggest believer and my biggest supporter was always myself. When you suffer from an autoimmune disease, your symptoms are often not outwardly visible. Your friends, especially when in your 20’s don’t deal with the same issues, your family although supportive don’t know how to help and feel drained seeing you suffer and your doctors start tell you “you’re fine, there is nothing we can do.” In fact, the last western medicine doctor I saw told me it was all in my head and brought me to tears, not for the first time in a doctor’s office and not for the last, but for a reason. I decided then and there to take matters into my own hands and find someone who could help.

That was my first foray into functional medicine, and it changed my life. My functional medicine doctor sympathized with me immediately and consoled me while I cried in her office (I told you it would happen again). Right off the bat, she guessed I had Lyme and then thanks to diligent testing uncovered the truth and put me on a path to healing. As is usually the case, it was just Lyme, it came along with coinfections, mold toxicity, Candida and a slew of other things. Over the course of 3 years, while living in Chicago, I worked very hard to get my body back to feeling like my own. I had delved into what many call the “woo-woo” medicine world, but I couldn’t have been happier. And I will forever be a woo-woo girl moving forward! Through my own research and lots of time with Dr. Google, a great functional doctor (here’s looking at you Whole Health Chicago), an amazing Nutrition Response Tester (Natural Health Improvement Center), and other healers like a Lymphatic Masseuse (Kirsten Austin), Chiropractor (Universal Wellness Source) and Acupuncturist (Hua’s Acupuncture),  I started to feel like a normal, healthy, pain-free girl again.

But, as is the case for many autoimmune conditions, feeling good is often fleeting, as you typically can’t cure your disease you can just put it into remission. So over the last year as symptoms reared their head once more, that spark of hope dwindled and the weight of feeling unwell returned. Living in a new place, without access to my past helpful healers, I was back at square one. However, just as Dr. King had said, I knew what I had to do. I needed to find community and connection. I needed to find people who understood me, empathized with me and could help me. Thankfully with the wonderful worldwide web, and knowledge of what you need (thanks to many years on this path in the past), resources are much easier to find. There are people sharing their journeys on social media, blogs detailing different protocols and even doctors making themselves accessible via telehealth. Through my search, I found “Lyme Time with Ali,” a podcast dedicated to sharing firsthand experiences and expert tips and resources on Lyme disease. The podcast was a wonderful way to get help without ever needing to see one specific doctor, all thanks to Ali White who has battled Lyme herself and decided to make her journey a blueprint for others. On her podcast, Ali interviews people from all walks of life, with all sorts of magic wands in their medical toolbelts to try and help heal those battling Lyme. Her website, The Tick Chicks is also an incredible resource for anyone with Lyme or those supporting someone with it. Ali is the epitome of helping to create community and connection.

When I found out Ali was bringing that online community into the real world I was elated and knew I had to be there in person at the 2025 Losing Lyme conference which was held in Ali’s backyard (figuratively) in Los Angeles, CA. This intimate gathering brought together a group of people with Lyme, many of whom had loved ones and supporters in tow, and most importantly advocates, who just like Ali are working to make the world a healthier, happier place for those living with Lyme and beyond.

The multi-day workshop was powerful, giving space for like-minded individuals to connect, share their stories, their tears and their fears, but also their hope. So often when you can hear that someone else has felt the same way, both physically, mentally and emotionally, you’re given a moment of reprieve, of knowing you are not alone, and suffering is not forever. People from all over the country, all ages and all walks of life, showed up to Losing Lyme to take a step in their own health journey, to learn as much as they could and to walk away stronger and ready for what the future may hold. There was so much love in the room, hugs going around, chitter-chatter about who to call for what, it was the ultimate show of community and connection.

The greatest gift Ali could give us during that weekend, beyond meeting fellow people living with Lyme was knowledge and resources. And wow did she deliver when it came to that! In my next post, I am going to share a list of the incredible speakers from the Losing Lyme conference, many of whom I had followed online for years prior to hearing their expertise in peson. These resources I hope will be valuable for you just as much as they are for me. If you personally aren’t living with Lyme, odds are you know someone who is, maybe someone silently suffering who could use your love and support and knowledge.

Signed with Style,