Podcast appearances and mentions of amy kurtz

Women are constantly told to trust their bodies… right up until their bodies start telling them something medicine can't immediately explain. In this powerful and deeply validating conversation, Nicole sits down with Amy Kurtz — certified health coach, patient advocate, speaker, and author of But You Look Fine: Trapped in the Hell Between Sick and Well and How to Break Free — to unpack the emotional aftermath of chronic illness, medical gaslighting, invisible symptoms, and the complicated grief that comes from losing trust in your own body. Amy shares her experience navigating late-stage Lyme disease, seeing 36 doctors before getting answers, and what she calls “medical trauma brain” — the hypervigilance, anxiety, and identity loss that can remain long after physical symptoms improve. Together, Nicole and Amy explore why so many women feel dismissed in healthcare settings, how chronic illness reshapes relationships and self-trust, and why healing is about far more than just getting a diagnosis. This episode is for every woman who has ever walked out of a doctor's office feeling unheard, minimized, or crazy — and for every person who's ever been told, “But you look fine.” We explore: How chronic illness and invisible symptoms impact identity and self-trust The concept of “medical trauma brain” and illness after the illness Why healing isn't linear — physically or emotionally Practical nervous system regulation tools for anxiety and hypervigilance How to support loved ones dealing with chronic illness or perimenopause The connection between women's health, appearance, and societal expectations Why rebuilding agency over your body is essential to healing This conversation is equal parts rage, relief, validation, and empowerment — the kind that makes you feel less alone and more equipped to trust yourself again. Thank you to our sponsors! Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/WOMAN - and make sure to tell them we sent you! Elevate your summer wardrobe: Go to Quince.com/tiww for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free! Families are better when they're working together… go to myskylight.com/WOMANSWORK for $30 off your Skylight Calendar. Start your risk-free Greenlight trial today at Greenlight.com/TIWW. Don't wait to teach your kids real-world money skills! Connect with Amy: Book: https://www.amazon.com/But-You-Look-Fine-Trapped-ebook/dp/B0FPC9TV2P     Website: https://amykurtz.com/  IG: https://www.instagram.com/_amykurtz/  Publisher: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amy-kurtz/but-you-look-fine/9781538775301/ Related Podcast Episodes The Biology Of Trauma - And How To Heal It with Dr. Aimie Apigian | 346 Don't Let Your Doctor Kill You: The New Hormone Solution with Dr. Erika Schwartz | 305 ADHD in Women, Nervous System Regulation & Getting Out of Fight-or-Flight with Jenna Free | 396 Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

#215 - You're “Better”… So Why Do You Still Feel Like This? With Amy Kurtz   At some point, you get past the diagnosis. You finally start to feel physically better or the flare passes. And everyone—including you—thinks: okay, this is where life goes back to normal. Except… it doesn't. In this episode, I'm joined again by Amy Kurtz—patient advocate, bestselling author of Kicking Sick, and her new book But You Look Fine—and we're talking about the healing phase no one prepares you for: What happens after the illness because for a lot of people, that's where a different kind of struggle begins. Amy shares her experience of finally getting answers after years of chronic illness (we're talking 30+ doctors), beginning to heal physically, and then being hit with something she didn't expect: Debilitating anxiety. Hypervigilance. A nervous system that refused to stand down. Even though she moved beyond the illness, her body had been in survival mode for so long, it didn't know how to be anything else. What we unpack in this episode: The “in-between” phase of healing—when you're not sick, but you're not okay either Why your nervous system doesn't automatically catch up just because your labs look better The concept of Medical Trauma Brain (MTB)—Amy's term for the imprint chronic illness leaves behind How years of survival mode can turn into anxiety, fear, or obsessive control even after you improve The grief that comes with lost time, missed seasons, and a life that didn't go the way you thought Why healing isn't just physical—and what happens when we ignore the emotional and neurological layers The connection between chronic illness and trauma (including how this differs from traditional PTSD) What it actually looks like to start regulating your nervous system in a practical, doable way We also go here: The subtle ways people self-abandon in medical settings—and how to stop doing that Why “doctor knows best” can keep you stuck (and what to do instead) The fawn response in healthcare—and why it feels so hard to advocate for yourself How to choose the right practitioner for you (not just the most recommended one) The reality that 80% of your healing happens outside the doctor's office   A few moments to listen for: 08:30 – Her husband's provocative question that made Amy realize she wasn't actually “better” 14:00 – What Medical Trauma Brain really is—and why you've never heard of it 19:00 – Living in constant fear even after your body improves 27:00 – The fawn response and why patients stay in bad medical relationships 36:30 – “It all starts with peeing” (stay with us—it's actually profound) 44:00 – Why meditation can feel impossible—and what that tells you 52:00 – What Amy would do differently if she could go back   The part that stays with you: This idea that you can spend years fighting to get better… finally get there… and still feel trapped. If this sounds familiar, you're not failing. It's just that no one told you there's an aftermath to surviving something so hard. Amy calls it the “shadowlands”—that space where you look fine on the outside, but internally, your system is still bracing for impact. If you've ever thought: Why can't I just relax? Why am I still on edge? Why do I feel like something's about to go wrong—even when it's not? This episode will put language to that. If this is you right now, there's a way to actually teach your body that it's safe again. And the steps are easier than you think. This conversation isn't just about chronic illness. It's about what happens when you've been in survival mode for so long that you don't know how to turn it off. And how to start finding your way back.

There are millions of people walking around looking perfectly fine while fighting battles no one can see. In this deeply validating conversation, Amy Kurtz joins Ginny Yurich to talk about chronic illness, medical gaslighting, invisible suffering, and the surprising challenges that can remain even after your body starts to heal. After spending more than a decade searching for answers and eventually being diagnosed with late-stage neurological Lyme disease, Amy realized that recovery isn't always the end of the story. She shares the concept she coined Medical Trauma Brain and explains why so many people remain stuck in fear, hypervigilance, grief, and survival mode long after the crisis has passed. This episode is full of hope, practical tools, and powerful reminders that healing involves more than the body. If you've ever felt dismissed, misunderstood, or trapped on a hamster wheel of desperation, this conversation will make you feel seen. Links:Amy Kurtz: https://www.amykurtz.comBook: But You Look Fine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author, patient advocate and health coach Amy Kurtz discusses her new book, But You Look Fine: Trapped in the Hell Between Sick and Well and How To Break Free. Cover art courtesy of Hachette Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when your body starts to heal, but your mind is still trapped in survival mode? In this episode of hol+, Dr. Taz sits down with Amy Kurtz, certified health coach, patient advocate, speaker, and author "But You Look Fine", for a powerful conversation about chronic illness, Lyme disease, medical gaslighting, nervous system trauma, and what it really means to heal.Together, they explore Amy's 20+ year journey through unexplained pain, chronic symptoms, misdiagnosis, and the search for answers that finally led to a diagnosis of late-stage neurological Lyme disease and co-infections. Amy shares what it was like to be told her labs were normal while knowing something was deeply wrong in her body, and how years of invalidation shaped her relationship with her health, her identity, and her trust in herself.Dr. Taz and Amy also discuss why so many people live in the “gray zone” between sick and well, especially when symptoms are invisible, complex, or hard to explain. They unpack why normal labs do not always mean optimal health, why Lyme disease can be missed for years, and how chronic illness can impact relationships, career, emotional safety, and the nervous system.This conversation offers a grounded and hopeful look at what happens after illness, when the body may be improving but the mind and nervous system are still bracing for the next crash. Amy introduces her concept of Medical Trauma Brain, or MTB, which describes the anxiety, hypervigilance, fear, and survival patterns that can remain after chronic illness, cancer, stroke, chronic pain, or any major health crisis.If you're listening to this and thinking, “I know something is off in my body, but I don't know where to start,” join the Circle here:

Kelly connects with Amy Kurtz, a patient advocate, health coach, and author of the trailblazing book “Kicking Sick: Your Go-To Guide for Thriving with Chronic Health Conditions.” Amy has been featured on Good Morning America, Oprah Daily, The Boston Globe, Fox and New York Magazine. She has a new book, “But You Look Fine: Trapped in the Hell […]

Here's something I keep seeing in my office that almost nobody has language for. Your body and your nervous system run on completely different timelines. Your labs can be clear. Your divorce can be final. Your treatment can be done. And your nervous system can still be living inside the chapter you just survived, because nothing about getting through a hard thing actually tells your body it is safe to stop bracing. In this episode, I sit down with Amy Kurtz, the patient advocate who spent close to two decades trying to figure out why her body kept shutting down on her. Amy is a Hachette author whose new book But You Look Fine launches the day after this episode airs, and she coined a phrase for the exact experience I just described. She calls it Medical Trauma Brain. Her message has been endorsed by Mark Hyman, her own physician, and by David Perlmutter, Kris Carr, and Sharon Salzberg. After 36 doctors and a late-stage neurological Lyme diagnosis at 35, she didn't just heal physically. She figured out the part nobody warned her about. The part that comes after. In This Episode The exact phrase Amy's husband said in their kitchen that finally named what she could not name herself Why the gap between "you should be fine now" and "I do not feel fine" is not a personal failing Why this pattern is not just for chronic illness, it shows up after divorce, postpartum, fertility, caregiving, and any long hard chapter The five non-negotiables Amy now uses to decide whether a doctor is worth her time Why women carry this harder than men, both clinically and culturally What active movement actually does for an overstimulated nervous system (it is more than you think) The one tool Amy would give a woman tonight who is recognizing herself for the first time How to stay connected to the people you love when you are the person who is not okay This episode is for anyone who has technically gotten through something hard and quietly cannot understand why she still does not feel like herself. The illness that finally has a diagnosis. The divorce that is actually final. The postpartum body that healed on paper. The job she finally left. The caregiver who buried the person she was caring for and woke up the next morning still bracing. If you have been told you should be fine by now, and you are not, this conversation is going to give you language for what is actually happening in your body and a way forward that respects the timeline. Episode Breakdown: 00:02:04 The Gap Between Sick and Well Nobody Warned You About 00:05:10 36 Doctors and One Diagnosis: Amy's Story 00:13:25 What Is Medical Trauma Brain? 00:14:54 Why Your Body Still Doesn't Feel Safe (Even Though You're Fine) 00:21:05 How to Advocate for Yourself in a System That Won't 00:45:03 How to Regulate Your Nervous System After Trauma or Illness 00:51:01 The Wider Lens: Why This Isn't Just About Illness 00:56:00 The One Tool I'd Give a Woman Tonight Resources: Read the full article on this conversation, including everything we mentioned and where to find Amy's work Wondering what is keeping you stuck? Take our free What's Holding You Back quiz Ready to talk to someone about what you are carrying? Book a free consultation If a friend has been telling you she is fine and you can tell she is not, send her this episode. She will be glad you did. XO, Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby Growing Self Special thanks to this month's sponsors of the podcast: Upwork — When you need specialized talent fast, Upwork gives you access to vetted professionals across 125+ categories, from marketing to web development to operations support. No long recruiting cycles. No guesswork. Just the right person, when you need them. Check it out at upwork.com — posting a job is free. Shopify — The all-in-one platform for building and growing your online business. Visit shopify.com/lhs to explore their tools and access exclusive listener discounts. OSEA — Amazing, clean, science-backed skincare made with the power of the sea. Use code LHS at oseamalibu.com for 10% off your first order. LNutra Prolon — A science-backed, plant-based nutrition program that supports fat loss, metabolism, cellular rejuvenation, and overall longevity. Head to ProlonLife.com/LHS for 15% off your first order + a bonus gift.

On navigating chronic illness with grace, the courage it takes to name what's invisible, and the quiet revolution of believing yourself. 0:00 - Introduction and Guest Introduction 2:40 - Chronic Resilience and Medical Trauma Brain (MTB) The Importance of Recovery and Processing 9:05 - Practical Tools for Nervous System Regulation 18:11 - The Role of Convalescence and Healing Space 26:34 - Final Thoughts and Encouragement Amy Kurtz is a trailblazing author, certified health coach, patient advocate and speaker dedicated to empowering patients to reclaim agency over their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. A distinct voice in the health space, Amy's work has been heralded by Dr Mark Hyman, Kris Carr, and many more. Lena Dunham named Kicking Sick one of her "Top 10 desert island books of all time" in New York Magazine. Amy has been featured on Oprah Daily, Good Morning America, The Boston Globe, NYMAG, Fox, and more. In her debut book, "Kicking Sick: Your GO-TO GUIDE for thriving with chronic health conditions," Amy shares her journey of living with chronic health conditions and provides a roadmap and actionable guidance to help readers manage debilitating conditions and live fully. Amy's second book, But You Look Fine, Trapped in the Hell between Sick and Well and How to Break Free, breaks the silence about the crucial, painful, pervasive, and yet all too common phase of healing from chronic illness that has long gone overlooked… until now. https://amykurtz.com/

In this new episode of Integrative Lyme Solutions with Dr. Karlfeldt, we sit with Amy Kurtz, who shares her inspiring journey of battling late-stage neurological Lyme disease and co-infections. Starting with mysterious symptoms at age 14, Amy faced numerous misdiagnoses and years of chronic pain. Despite consulting 35 doctors without answers, her persistence led to a transformative diagnosis from doctor number 36. Amy discusses her treatment approach, which notably excluded antibiotics in favor of herbal remedies, and her path to a vibrant and healthy life. She also highlights her work as a health coach, the release of her book 'Kicking Sick,' and the importance of empowerment, lifestyle changes, and emotional support for those dealing with chronic illness. Amy's story is one of resilience, hope, and the transformative power of taking control of one's health journey. The Karlfeldt Center offers the most cutting edge and comprehensive Lyme therapies. To schedule a Free 15-Minute Discovery Call with a Lyme Literate Naturopathic Doctor at The Karlfeldt Center, call 208-338-8902 or reach us at info@thekarlfeldtcenter.com. Check out my Ebook: Unlocking Comprehensive Healin… - Integrative Lyme Solutions with Dr. Karlfeldt - Apple Podcasts You can buy it for $24.99 or use the code LYMEPODCAST for a 100% off discount! _______________________________The Karlfeldt Center offers the most cutting-edge and comprehensive Lyme therapies. To schedule a Free 15-Minute Discovery Call with a Lyme Literate Naturopathic Doctor at The Karlfeldt Center, call 208-338-8902 or email info@TheKarlfeldtCenter.comCheck out Dr. K's Ebook: Breaking Free From Lyme: A Comprehensive Guide to Healing and Recovery here: https://store.thekarlfeldtcenter.com/products/breaking-free-from-lymeUse the code LYMEPODCAST for a 100% off discount!

#160  - From Chronically Ill to Thriving: The Wellness Comeback Story You Need to Hear with Amy Kurtz, Author of Kicking Sick What happens when your body becomes the thing holding you back from living your life? In this episode of The Pretty Well Podcast, I'm joined by Amy Kurtz—author, speaker, and wellness warrior who's turned her own experience with chronic illness into a powerful mission to help others heal. We're talking about what it really takes to live well with invisible illness, how to become your own best advocate, and why your symptoms aren't “just in your head” (even if you've been told that one too many times). Amy shares the mindset shifts, do-able practices, and functional wellness tools that helped her go from barely surviving to thriving. If you've ever felt gaslit, overwhelmed, or just plain exhausted by the medical system, this conversation will feel like a deep breath and a power-up all at once. Because healing isn't linear—but it is possible. You don't have to settle for “you'll just have to live with it.”   More About Amy Kurtz: Facing debilitating pain and health issues since her teenage years, patient advocate and author Amy Kurtz well knows the frustration, fear and isolation that comes with chronic illness.  She wrote the bestselling book Kicking Sick as a reader guide to managing debilitating conditions and living fully. A distinct voice in the health space, Amy's work has been heralded by Mark Hyman,  Deepak Chopra, Kris Carr and more. Lena Dunham named Kicking Sick one of her “top 10 desert island books of all time” in NY MAG.  She has appeared in Oprah, as well as on Good Morning America several times, and Fox. Amy's second book, “But You Look Fine, Trapped in the Hell between Sick and Well and how to Break Free” is due out from Hachette in Spring 2026.  LInks & Resources: Website: https://amykurtz.com/ Social: https://www.instagram.com/_amykurtz https://www.facebook.com/amykurtzauthor   Amy's Book: *Kicking Sick: Your Go-To Guide for Thriving with Chronic Health Conditions https://amzn.to/4ixOQOd  *As An Amazon Associate I Earn A Small Commission From Qualifying Purchases At No Extra Cost To You*   Join the conversation: Share your thoughts with us on social media or in the comments! Subscribe, Share & Review: 

In this inspiring episode of our Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we welcome Amy Kurtz, holistic health coach, patient advocate, and author of Kicking Sick: Your Go-to Guide for Thriving with Chronic Health Conditions. Amy shares her incredible journey from years of undiagnosed illness to finding hope, healing, and purpose. Her story offers practical advice, emotional support, and empowerment for anyone navigating chronic health challenges. Episode Highlights:

Amy Kurtz is the author of the trailblazing book Kicking Sick: Your GO TO GUIDE for Thriving with Chronic Health Conditions, a health and wellness coach, patient advocate, and speaker. She has been a recurrent guest on Good Morning America. Endorsed by Dr. Mark Hyman and Kris Carr, Kicking Sick was listed as Lena Dunham's "top ten desert island picks of all time” in New York Magazine. Amy's lifelong Chronic Health Conditions – from Celiac Disease to major parasite infections to a thyroid condition– led her on an intense journey through doctors' offices, medical clinics, IV labs, specialist offices and assorted spiritual communities. Through these experiences – the trials and the errors, Amy learned the importance of identifying her individual needs and putting a team together to support the whole of her body/mind and spirit. Now, she supports her clients in finding the right system so they can focus on healing instead of having to always focus on care management. We hope you enjoy today's episode!  This episode is brought to you by Cornbread. If you want to give Cornbread a try, they're offering Courageous Wellness listeners 30% off your first order. Just visit cornbreadhemp.com/CWPODCAST and use promo code CWPODCAST at checkout.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amy Kurtz is the author of the trailblazing book Kicking Sick: Your GO TO GUIDE for Thriving with Chronic Health Conditions, a health and wellness coach, patient advocate, and speaker. Facing debilitating pain and health issues since her teenage years, patient advocate and author Amy Kurtz well knows the frustration, fear and isolation that comes with chronic illness. Life long Chronic Health Conditions – from Celiac Disease to major parasite infections to a thyroid condition– led Amy on an intense journey through doctors' offices, medical clinics, IV labs, specialist offices and assorted spiritual communities. Through these experiences – the trials and the errors, Amy learned the importance of identifying her individual needs and putting a team together to support the whole of her body/mind/spirit. She became an active participant in her own health and got more involved, educated and invested in the healing process. She supports her clients in finding the right system so they can focus on healing instead of being mired in managing their care. Prior to starting her private practice, Amy built the health coaching program at The Morrison Center, a top integrative practice in NYC as a means of better supporting the patient by providing individualized guidance regarding their health condition and treatment plan. Key Topics: - Amy's story about healing from chronic disease - How to advocate for yourself when you know something isn't right - How to give yourself permission to empower yourself - The importance of making the mind-body connection - The process of moving from victim to empowered advocate - How to go slowly and trust your gut instinct - How to calm the inner critic and stay in the driver's seat You can learn more about Amy and get her book at amykurtz.com and on Instagram at @amykurtz. Sign up for Erin's monthly tips and recipes here: https://mailchi.mp/adde1b3a4af3/monthlysparksignup

Amy Kurtz-Lansing, Curator, FloGris Museum (formerly known as the Florence Griswold Museum).Take a mental tour into the art gallery onsite to see the current exhibition, "Impressionism 150: From Paris to Connecticut & Beyond." The show is on view June 13-September 15. Amy also mentions that Old Lyme has attracted artists to the area because of its unique beauty and landscape

The third and last of the G3 series for 3 Mondays in September, we are highlighting speakers to the G3 Women’s Conference held every November in beautiful Sonoma, California!  Our goal is to meet you there so you can meet all of them in person, but if you can’t make it, you will learn all about these beautiful women, what they are up to, and how you can connect with them on their websites and social media.  (Hint:  You can get a discount code to your ticket by using G3Lauri at checkout! G3Sonoma.com) Today features Amy Kurtz who is a Holistic Health Coach and Wellness Advocate as well as the author of Kicking Sick - she is a doll!  Then tune in to a special 4-minute audio of testimonials from last year’s conference…truly inspiring!  Can’t wait to see you in November at G3 Sonoma!

Are you sick of being sick? Time to get well and thrive! If you have a chronic medical issue taking over your life, Amy Kurtz gets it. From her teens to her twenties, she was known as “the sick chick” -- and lived with shame, fear, and frustration that comes with label. With medical and personal support, she radically improved her health. Today, she’s dedicated to helping you live well regardless of your health situation. This much-needed resource gives you expert guidance for “kicking sick” -- by taking charge, tuning into your body, and transforming life at every level. Quick Preview of the Podcast: - How food impacts our health and can cause disease in the body. - Amy’s story of healing intense chronic back pain and getting well. - The surprise Amy learned about herself in college. - How to process your diagnosis and come up with the healing program for YOU. Join us as we learn how to take better care of ourselves -- in sickness and in health! Visit our sponsor tinyOm to explore jewelry for the soul and use the code ‘SOULFEED’ for your 15% discount gift. FREE Guided Meditation for Self Care (led by Shannon): https://programs.shannonalgeo.com/selfcare-meditation

One in two people in the USA suffer from a chronic illness—365 million people. Amy Kurtz was one of them. She understands the loneliness that comes with a debilitating condition, and the frustration of going to doctor after doctor being offered nothing but pills. At 14, Amy’s life changed dramatically. She bent down to pick up a book, and felt a shooting pain up her spine. And this pain simply didn’t go away. For ten years, she took the heavy-duty pain killers and muscle relaxants she was prescribed. Then, at 25, during a trip abroad, she picked up a parasite that tipped her body’s balance completely. She gained 30 pounds in 30 days. She couldn’t keep any food down, and she couldn’t go to the bathroom. She was bedridden for a month. Specialists told her food allergies didn’t matter, and kept prescribing antibiotics and pills. Finally, a doctor told her that her colon would never work, and she might as well have it removed. This was rock bottom. But Amy didn’t give up. She knew she had to do something to help herself. She stopped eating gluten. Just two days after, her pain disappeared, as though it had never existed. She embarked on a holistic healing journey, empowering herself with the knowledge to heal her mind, body and spirit. She’s now a certified health coach, Pilates instructor, author and speaker. Chronic conditions are often invisible – people don’t see them, and those suffering rarely speak about their illness for fear of being belittled or ridiculed. Amy woke up one day and realized she had to write a book and share her story. She wanted to create a collection of information to help people with chronic illness rebalance their bodies and move into health. Her book Kicking Sick is a collection of healing stories and Glow Warrior strategies to heal the spiritual, emotional and nutritional. Written to spark a new way of thinking, Kicking Sick helps tailor your lifestyle to transform you from the inside out and get you back into balance. Being hailed as “Sex and the City for Food,” The Food Heals Podcast brings together experts in the field of nutrition, health and healing to teach you the best-kept natural secrets to being a hotter, healthier, happier YOU! The Food Heals Podcast is hosted by Allison Melody and Suzy Hardy – two self-proclaimed natural chicks who will rock your world and change your beliefs about health! This sexy, savvy duo provides eco-friendly advice on a variety of issues including the healing power of nutrition, living authentically, turning your passion into your career, choosing the best natural health and beauty products, the benefits of a plant-based diet and so much more!

Our health is the most valuable asset we have, but how many of us are really active participants in our own well-being? After a struggle with chronic health conditions, Amy Kurtz took control of her own health by educating and informing herself and transforming herself into a proactive advocate for her overall well-being. Amy discusses her personal health journey and the lessons she shares in her upcoming book, Kicking Sick: Your Go-To Guide for Thriving with Chronic Health Conditions.

When we are struggling with a health challenge, healing is rarely a straight path. It takes determination, commitment and faith. Amy shares her journey and how she found her own way. Right-click and “Save As” to download the transcript The post EP 41 – Healing a Chronic Illness: Finding Hope After Disappointment with Amy Kurtz appeared first on .

Amy Kurtz is a health coach and Pilates instructor whose painful, multi-decade struggle with chronic illness made her decide to stand up and take better charge of her life. Now much healthier and happier, Amy describes her nightmarish journey through modern medicine—and how you too can take the reins of your health issues—in the new Sounds True book Kicking Sick: Your Go-To Guide for Thriving with Chronic Health Conditions. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Amy discuss her approach to whole health. They talk about the need for an "A-Team" of expert support during the healing process and how only you can intuitively know what your body needs. Finally, Amy describes becoming what she calls a "glow warrior" and what it takes to truly stand tall in the face of chronic illness. (59 minutes)

More than half of the people in the US are struggling with at least one chronic condition. Today's guest, Amy Kurtz, has certainly been there. When she was a child, she felt a shooting pain going down her back one day after a dance class. The pain was persistent and never really went away. Then in her mid-twenties she she was hit with a parasite infection that really knocked her down. She saw doctor after doctor until someone finally diagnosed her with celiac disease. But even knowing that there was trouble treating her. What was it that finally turned Amy's health around? What steps did she need to take outside of regular health recommendations to get her towards a place of vitality? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

At the age of 25, Amy Kurtz was hit with a “perfect storm” of health issues: celiac disease, thyroid disorder, parasite infections--and worse. Meditation helped her overcome these illnesses and take control of her life, and she’s now a certified health and wellness coach, Pilates instructor, and detox expert.

In this SelfWork episode, Dr. Margaret interviews an expert on medical and mental trauma of chronic illness - Amy Kurtz.194 million Americans–more than 76 percent of the population–are living with chronic illness. Many eventually stabilize, but what happens when the body heals and you still don't feel safe inside it?Patient advocate and health coach Amy Kurtz knows this gap in our healthcare system firsthand. Having gone to 36 doctors, she was already exhausted from that decades-long effort. Finally hearing the diagnosis of late-stage neurological Lyme disease with co-infections, and getting the right treatment, her labs may have improved. But as her body began to stabilize, the fear didn't fade. She lived in constant anticipation that her health would collapse again at any moment. It was her husband who finally named what she couldn't: the illness may have receded, but the trauma hadn't.  What emerged from that conversation is her book that came out this week - BUT YOU LOOK FINE (Balance, June 9), an earnest guide to get through the dark tunnel of what she calls Medical Trauma Brain: the lingering imprint of illness that doesn't disappear just because the diagnosis improves.Order The Perfectly Hidden Depression Workbook - A stand-alone workbook exploring the ten traits of Perfectly Hidden Depression, with guided exercises to help you decide what to keep from your drive and perfectionism, and what to let go.Be a part of the conversation and join Dr. Margaret's newsletter for one weekly email featuring the latest blog post and podcast episode. Have a question or comment? Send a voice message for possible use on the podcast. By recording, you give permission for your voice to be used on SelfWork! Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp and use my code betterhelp.com for a great deal: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out BetterHelp and use my code betterhelp.com for a great deal: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands