Retirement is supposed to be the time when you finally get to enjoy your life. More time for travel.More time with family.More time to exercise, pursue hobbies, see friends, or simply do whatever you want. But what if migraine doesn't get the memo? After years of coaching women with migraine, I've noticed some common misconceptions about what happens when you retire. Myth #1: Migraine will get better once you retire or go through menopause. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Some...
14 days ago • 1 min read
Sometimes I wake up and it feels like I’m breathing second-hand smoke. I haven’t seen a clear blue sky in a long time here in Boise, Idaho. We live in a valley that has been collecting wildfire smoke from across the Pacific Northwest for the past month. The poor air quality and heat have been oppressive. I recently saw a new study that higher levels of wildfire smoke were linked to more migraine and headache-related ER visits. I believe it. I’ve felt trapped by the summer weather lately, in...
21 days ago • 1 min read
I love so many aspects of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)... Tools to decrease your preoccupation around your symptoms Pain education to better understand your chronic pain Encouragement to treat yourself with more gentleness and compassion But... Some people who promote PRT and similar mind-body approaches oversimplify the complex factors that contribute to chronic migraine. They may dismiss the real biological or hormonal aspects of migraine altogether. And that oversimplification can turn...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
June was my worst migraine month in a long time. I felt like I could barely go a day without needing medication. It was a big month of changes: two out-of-state trips, a new summer schedule for the kids, my June Support Month sale, major house repairs, and participating in local Migraine and Headache Awareness events. When I read that back to myself, I think, "No wonder I had so many migraine attacks!" Our migraine brains get easily overwhelmed by change, whether it's travel, weather, stress,...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
I want to call something out that I don't think we talk about enough in the migraine community. We're so used to migraine pain that we've stopped noticing how much discomfort we've accepted in the name of treatment. We brace ourselves for 31 needles in our forehead and scalp every 12 weeks. We accept the constipation that comes with a medication that maybe helps. The draining side effects. The fatigue. The brain fog. The hours we spend on hold with pharmacies and insurance companies fighting...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Migraine & Headache Awareness Month is nearly here, and I wanted to share something I’ve been quietly preparing for you. My Migraine Self-Care Circle Membership is now open for June. 😎 This is a space for ongoing support if you want a simpler, more sustainable way to care for yourself day to day with migraine. Inside the membership, you’ll find: migraine-friendly yoga practices you can do even on low-energy days live weekly sessions for guidance and connection guided playlists and structured...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Migraine & Headache Awareness Month (MHAM) is just around the corner in June, which can bring up a lot of mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s meaningful to feel seen and understood. It’s our month to be loud and proud about living with migraine! On the other hand, constantly focusing on migraine, trying to keep up with advocacy, or feeling like we’re not “doing enough” can become overwhelming too. But I’m here to say: you do not have to sacrifice your own health to support the migraine...
4 months ago • 1 min read
When a migraine flare starts, most of us go into action right away. We try to stop it, fix it, or get ahead of it as quickly as possible. I used to do the same thing. But what I started to notice is that this urgency often came with a lot of pressure, fear, and tension in my body. And instead of helping, it sometimes made everything feel more intense. Not because I was doing anything wrong, but because our brains are programmed to move us into action when we experience pain. The thing is,...
4 months ago • 1 min read
I’ve been thinking about consistency lately…and how hard it can feel with migraine. I just came out of a month-long flare after getting the flu, and it completely disrupted my routine. Before that, I had been strength training regularly and feeling really good. But during the flare, that dropped away pretty quickly. Not because I’m lazy.Not because I never follow through. 👉 My body just needed something different. Instead, I kept coming back to:– yoga nidra– gentle yoga– short walks when I...
4 months ago • 1 min read