My name is Jo, and I’ve been living with chronic illness for most of my adult life.
I was diagnosed with Lupus nine years ago. Before that, I spent eight years navigating endometriosis — years shaped by pain, persistence, and learning (often the hard way) what happens when you keep pushing long after your body has been signalling that something isn’t right.
Alongside Lupus and endometriosis, I live with Raynaud’s, asthma, adenomyosis, and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), which can cause sudden neurological “wobbles” that sometimes resemble a stroke. Illness is a constant presence in my life — sometimes loud, sometimes quiet — and it makes life unpredictable, but not empty.
Learning to Listen to the Body (the Hard Way)
I’ve always been someone who pushes on. Anyone who knows me will tell you that. I adapt, make do, and keep going — until my body eventually draws a hard line. With chronic illness, it always does.
While waiting for my first rheumatology appointment, I went on holiday to Scotland with friends. At the time, people kept telling me I was fine. That I was worrying too much. That maybe I was exaggerating or imagining things.
Then, coming down Ben Nevis via the CMD route, my legs gave way.
The pain was overwhelming — but more than that, it was clarifying. In that moment, I knew this wasn’t weakness. It wasn’t anxiety. It wasn’t “in my head.” It was my nervous system and musculoskeletal system failing under load. My body was demanding to be listened to.
That moment changed how I approached my health — and how seriously I took understanding why my body behaved the way it did.
Where Science Meets Lived Experience
Before illness reshaped my life, I trained in beauty therapy, where I studied anatomy and physiology. That foundation — understanding muscles, circulation, lymphatic flow, connective tissue, skin, and the nervous system — has helped me more than I ever realised at the time.
Over the years, I’ve repeatedly found myself going back to that knowledge and layering it with lived experience.
I’ve also completed food and nutrition-related courses, which have helped me understand how diet, blood sugar, inflammation, and energy availability interact — especially in bodies under chronic stress.
Chronic illness has pushed me to think in systems, not symptoms:
- nervous system regulation
- lymphatic flow
- fascia and connective tissue
- circulation and oxygenation
- metabolic and inflammatory load
I’m not a doctor — but I am someone who has spent years observing how real bodies behave when they’re unwell, overstimulated, inflamed, or exhausted.
And I’ve learned that much of what we’re told to do simply doesn’t match the physiology of chronic illness.
A Life That Changes Shape
Before Lupus, I hiked mountains.
During a bad flare, I can’t always walk to the loo.
That contrast is one of the hardest parts of chronic illness to live with.
When I’m well, I love cycling and wild swimming. I love being outdoors, moving my body, and feeling capable in ways that aren’t defined by illness. I don’t believe resilience fixes everything, and I don’t believe suffering makes anyone stronger — but I do believe in adaptation, honesty, and learning how to live with your body instead of constantly fighting it.
This space exists because chronic illness isn’t just about pain.
It’s about learning, unlearning, grieving, adjusting, and finding moments of steadiness where you can.
Why I Created Stronger Than a Flare
Living with chronic illness is a constant cycle of trial and error — learning what helps, what harms, and what’s simply noise.
Over the years, I’ve gathered a lot of information. But more importantly, I’ve learned what actually matters when you’re living this life day after day.
I created Stronger Than a Flare because I was tired of:
- misinformation
- miracle cures
- toxic positivity
- supplement hype
- articles that end in sales funnels rather than answers
Nothing is more exhausting than going round in circles when you’re already unwell.
This site holds the things I wish I’d had earlier:
- honest, real-world insight into chronic illness
- practical flare-day support
- tools that genuinely help (not quick fixes)
- clear, grounded explanations of body systems
- reassurance that you’re not imagining it
My approach is gentle, informative, and real.
Rooted in lived experience.
Grounded in physiology.
Focused on reducing harm, not promising miracles.
A Final Word
This site isn’t about fixing chronic illness, pushing through at all costs, or pretending mindset alone can heal the body.
It’s about understanding your body.
Supporting it intelligently.
And learning how to live well — even when that relationship is complicated, frustrating, and constantly changing.
If you’re navigating chronic illness, flares, fatigue, or the quiet grief of a life that looks different than you imagined — you’re welcome here.
You’re stronger than a flare.
Even on the days it doesn’t feel like it.
Thank you for being here,
Jo
