The Chronic Fighter
The Chronic Fighter is a podcast for teens and young adults navigating chronic illness, disability, life-changing health challenges, and unexplained symptoms who are ready to take their lives back. Hosted by Liv Winkler, a health and nutrition coach with a BS in psychology and a lifetime of lived experience with chronic illness, this podcast is the space she wishes she had growing up. For years, she always felt so different, going through things no one could explain. Yet she learned how to live a meaningful life: going to school, playing competitive soccer through college, and staying connected to life by learning how to make intentional lifestyle choices. Each episode shares empowering stories and practical tools to feel safe in your own body, build mental resilience, regulate your nervous system, navigate the healthcare system, advocate for yourself when you feel dismissed, and rediscover your purpose beyond your illness. We have honest conversations about the realities of chronic illness — the kind that are hard to fully understand unless you’ve lived it. No matter where you are in your health journey, you can start building a life you are excited about now.
Episodes
Being bedridden felt like a prison, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Two years ago, I spent nearly every day in a dark bedroom, unable to work, go to school, or do many of the things I loved. My migraines and light sensitivity were so severe that being in a lit room felt unbearable. I rarely left the house, and when I did, it was usually for a medical appointment with my sunglasses on.
Today, I live independently and co-own a ...
People living with invisible illness often carry challenges others never see.
In this episode of The Chronic Fighter, I sit down with Signe Libbon, who was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at just three years old. For more than two decades, she has navigated chronic pain, surgeries, flare-ups, different medication regimens, and the unpredictability of living with RA.
From a young age, Signe had to thi...
After years of doctor’s appointments, testing, and searching for answers, I developed a lot of medical anxiety. Certain parts of medical settings became triggers for me: hearing my legal name, getting my vitals taken, sitting under bright fluorescent lights, and wearing a hospital bracelet.
In this episode of The Chronic Fighter Podcast, I share how I have learned to better support my body and manage medical anxiety so...
What is it really like to navigate chronic illness while being a college athlete, and what is it like to support a friend through it?
In Episode 4 of The Chronic Fighter, I sit down with two of my best friends and former college soccer teammates, Carly and Syd. They saw firsthand how much my health changed throughout college, from playing collegiate soccer to becoming bedridden.
We talk about the realities of balancin...
PNES can be confusing, overwhelming, and scary, especially when you're experiencing symptoms for the first time.
In this episode of The Chronic Fighter, I'm sharing my personal experience with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), from experiencing three or more seizures a day to rarely experiencing episodes today.
I'll break down what PNES is, how it differs from epilepsy, what was happening in my body during e...
Living with chronic illness doesn't just affect the person who's sick. It affects the entire family.
In this episode of The Chronic Fighter, I'm joined by my parents, Dan and Missy, to share our family's story from all three perspectives.
For more than 20 years, they walked beside me through unanswered questions, countless doctor's appointments, hospital visits, and years of being told my symptoms were "just anxiety."...
For as long as I can remember, chronic illness has been part of my life.
I've experienced everything from debilitating stomach pain and migraines to fainting episodes and non-epileptic seizures. For years, I felt alone, misunderstood, and unsure if I'd ever be able to live the life I dreamed of.
But here's what I've learned:
Your diagnosis does not define your future.
In this very first episode of The Chroni...
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