Why does healing feel harder when your inner voice works against you? What if the stories you tell yourself are keeping you stuck in flares and fatigue?

Join host Holly B. and Tenille Stewart—chronic illness coach, speaker, and 20-year lupus thriver—for an honest conversation about mindset shifts that actually work for autoimmune disease. This isn't toxic positivity. It's about using affirmations in a grounded way that meets you where you are.

What you'll learn:

• The 60-second nightly affirmation practice Tenille has done for 1,000+ nights—and how it rewired her healing

• How to write affirmations your nervous system can believe (not empty positive statements)

• Why "being realistic" might be keeping you sick—and how to shift without toxic positivity

• How two coaches healed with completely opposite diets (vegan vs. carnivore)—and why both work

Key Takeaway: You don't have to choose between acknowledging pain and choosing hope. Talk to yourself like someone you love—you deserve that compassion.

Connect with Tenille Stewart:

Instagram: @tenillethecaptain

TikTok: @tenillesosilly

Podcast: Happily Healed with Tenille

Resources:

Free daily lupus guide & symptom tracker: https://subscribepage.io/dailyguide

Free Health Breakthrough Call with Holly: https://tidycal.com/workwithhollyb/breakthrough-call

If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear this message.

Time Stamps:

00:00 - Introduction: Healing and negative self-talk

00:42 - Meet Tenille: 20 years with lupus

02:06 - Diagnosis story: 8 months to answers

04:33 - "You won't live past 30"

05:53 - Choosing hope over statistics

08:59 - Learning to change self-talk

10:22 - Talking to yourself like baby you

12:00 - Ad break

13:37 - 1,000+ nights of daily affirmations

15:28 - How to write effective affirmations

17:18 - Recognizing hidden negative thoughts

18:43 - Avoiding toxic positivity

20:47 - Motion creates emotion

23:45 - Flare-ups as wake-up calls

25:40 - Ad break

26:10 - Finding blessings in hardship

28:04 - Vegan vs. carnivore healing paths

30:02 - Why pills alone aren't enough

32:00 - Tenille's vegan journey

35:51 - Holly's carnivore experience

36:24 - Whole foods and seasonal eating

37:17 - Slow, consistent dietary changes

39:14 - Movement matters

41:07 - Building a morning routine

43:01 - One habit at a time

44:14 - Where to find Tenille

45:26 - Closing and resources

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.