EP074 | How Sonali Beat Autoimmune Pain Without Losing Herself

What if your labs say you’re fine—but you can’t climb two steps without pain or exhaustion?

Too many women with autoimmune symptoms are dismissed, pushed into one-size-fits-all fixes, or told to “power through.” That noise keeps you chasing protocols instead of your body’s wisdom.

Here’s the reframe: simplify to what your body is asking for—food that fits you, real rest, nervous-system safety, and support you trust. 

Sonali’s story shows how intent + small, right steps can restore energy, confidence, and a life you love. 

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING TO THIS PODCAST EPISODE, YOU'LL DISCOVER: 

How to move from overwhelm to body-led clarity—so healing feels sustainable, not like another full-time job.

 If you’re ready to stop chasing every new fix and start trusting your body again, this conversation is your permission slip—and your roadmap.

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Blog – Healing from Within on Substack
• Learn about the Body Wise Healing™ Framework and Effortless Healing (the anti-protocol approach).
• Write to me at anindita@aninditarungta.com
  —I’d love to hear from you!

Related podcast episodes

E065 | Effortless Healing: A New Standard for Women Tired of Doing Everything ‘Right’ and Still Not Feeling Better

E09 | 5 Autoimmune Myths Busted: What You Really Need to Know

E28 | 5 proactive steps to take while seeking an autoimmune disease diagnosis

Chapters

• 2:48 Sonali’s Background
• 4:22 When Illness Took Over
• 9:00 The Invisible Illness Struggle
• 13:10 Misguided Advice & Dismissal
• 22:51 Working with Anindita
• 28:01 Food Triggers & Mindset Shifts
• 34:23 Advice to Others Still Struggling

Transcript

I had extreme pain. I was in a lot of pain. I was I had to give up my work. Actually, I was unemployed for a long time, and the same time I was buried under many different systems that I was having various misdiagnosis from various doctors saying, you have this, you have that in this. And a lot of people telling me, oh, you have to live with this now. Make peace with it, try and find some part time work, maybe just two hours a week and things. So it was like even my emotional or my my self-esteem, my emotional, uh, you know, self topic all under that. 

And that's Sonali's voice. And if you've ever felt dismissed, told your labs are normal, but you know, your body is screaming for help, you're going to see yourself in her story. Welcome back to Healing from Within, where we explore what healing really looks like when you stop chasing protocols and start listening to your body. I am a functional medicine certified health Coach, practitioner and creator of the body wise healing method. Today's conversation with Sonali is about more than symptoms. It's about reclaiming trust in your body, even when everything around you tells that it's not possible. 

And if you're wondering what's missing in your own healing path, I've created a free tool for you the Chronic Healing Scorecard. In just five minutes, you'll spot the five most common healing gaps that keep women stuck. See what you're already doing right, and know what your next step forward will be. With clarity, you will find the link in the show notes. Now let's dive into sonali's story. 

Welcome! I am so excited to have Sonali here with me today, and we're going to be having a very, very, uh, I think, you know, interesting and a very, very relevant conversation for those of you who are dealing with, uh, you know, and autoimmune condition or any kind of complicated chronic health conditions, she has, uh, she had sero negative RA, rheumatoid arthritis, and she had a whole host of symptoms when I, you know, when we started talking about it, uh, very severe really. And I leave it to her to share her story, her journey. But I think for those of you who are struggling today and are still in that situation, you will find a lot of, you know, uh, hope, uh, from today's conversation, uh, some takeaways, what helped her to overcome her health challenges where she is today. 

So I'm really, really excited to have her here. It's going to be really meaningful for you. Very useful. And, uh. Yeah. And I'm so happy that you are here. So thank you for coming. So thank you. So very happy. Yeah. So, uh, before we get into the details of the condition, I would like you to just share a bit about yourself. What you do, what you, you know, are interested in, what your hobbies are. Just something that you want to share with us. 

So I am a marketing and sales professional. I began my own firm about 7 to 8 years ago, and, uh, I work long hours. But, uh, beyond my work, I really enjoy traveling. I love going to new country, exploring the culture. I love sampling all kinds of food, I enjoy reading, I enjoy, you know, meeting friends. I love a play or, you know, musical performance concert. So, uh, my days are always packed with a lot of things I love. Like trying to squeeze in whatever I can do with friends that just basically do a lot of things. Uh, this was. Yeah, like this these last few years when I was getting diagnosed, when I worked with you, um, took away from a lot of songs, and I'm talking about snatched away rather overnight. And we get into that slowly. But, uh, I'm so glad that I'm able to do all this. Yeah. And do you travel quite a bit? And you like traveling? So that's, uh. Yeah, that's a thing. But I'm so happy that, uh. And I know you personally as well. So I know where you are today and what you have actually overcome. 

So let's start and let's go back a bit. Uh, let's go back to the, you know, uh, to the day when we started working together, when I started guiding you on some of the protocols that you started following. What how would you describe your health and your life in 1 or 2 sentences at that time, that the person that you were and what you were dealing? Oh, Dr. King's, I had extreme pain. I was in a lot of pain. I was I had to give up my work. Actually, I was unemployed for a long time. And the same time I was buried under many different symptoms that I was having various misdiagnosis from various doctors saying, you have this, you have that in this. And a lot of people telling me, oh, you have to live with this now. Make peace with it, try and find some part time work, maybe just two hours a week and things. So it was like even my emotional or my my self-esteem, my emotional, uh, uh, you know, self took a big toll under that. And, uh, that's just putting it very succinctly on what I had to go through at that point of time was having to tackle all of this on multiple points of view, but it was just very difficult post from a physical point of view as well as emotion and what you just said about the pain. That's a big part of many such autoimmune and chronic health conditions, pain and exhaustion. These are literally the pillars of most of these conditions. So living with it on a day to day basis, it's a I mean, you have lived with it. So and I talked about sero negative RA and I talked about, uh, misdiagnosis. I think that's another hallmark of our growing conditions. So yeah, we want to share anything about that, because I think you went to many doctors and tried to figure out what you had. You know, it brought me back to the thing of how you should listen to your own body, because sometimes other people are not even qualified. Doctors are not able to actually understand what you're going through, and that's where the diagnosis come through. It's not like they are bad. Yes they are

 But today when I look back at my journey, I feel that one thing that I now advise my friends who are fortunate with the same thing that listen to your own body and try to understand what it's telling you, rather than go to another person and believe. And I was believing doctors because I thought the doctors when they won't be saying the wrong thing to me, but a lot of them, because actually autoimmune illnesses are also called an invisible illness sometimes, you know? So for me, I struggled with that because I was so negative. All my reports showed that I was normal, I was fine, I had nothing, but my body was screaming in pain and even from going from my bed to the bathroom, it was just like two steps away. Somebody had to lift me up, you know, just take me there. I would go and then just come back in exhaustion, just lie on my bed. More people would even dawn after that for some time. 

 But as I started working on myself and working on recovery, I started answering more and more on how to listen to your body. And today, I was able to understand so many of the symptoms of what they are indicating, what their meaning. What is this meaning? What can I give my body? What is it actually requiring? So I feel, even for myself, uh, I sometimes even I feel that that was not a person. And I'm another person today. You know what she was and what I am today. Uh, I'm in such a better position of understanding my symptoms and what my body is trying to say, giving it exactly that and not trying to push through, you know, as people say, yes, this is true and go through it. Yeah. That's power powered switches. Yeah. Which is given this, you know, this, this, uh, positive thing power through. That's not necessarily a good thing. So I think, um, yeah. Uh, and you were in your late 20s. I was 27. I was just 27. And nice to get advice, not advice as to get secrets, like, just get a doctor said just, you know, try and marry your marriage. 

 And so that's the other thing. So women are told all kinds of, yeah, I random thing I was on and you know, suppressing all your symptoms and getting that. But we can't give that to you because it might affect your chance of pregnancy and you aren't married yet. Once told my parents, get her married off, uh, once said to me, you're looking better. And I said, I'm unemployed. I have been able to work for a year and a half and I can barely walk. I can't do Europe at the moment. So this was what we were struggling with at that point of time. And, you know, you know, as a parent what a parent posting a child like this. Yeah. My parents were in the same state gambling with me and doctors and feeling so helpless. Yes, but this inner child can't walk. And the doctor saying book for you all you know, get married and things. And I was at a stage where I was even so conscious at that age to meet boys, because I thought, why is I'm feeling so unwell? Secondly, I didn't want to even sit through a whole evening with somebody. What am I going to go out with somebody? What? Will I come in as if that's the solution. And that's exactly. That's far from the solution. And I'm saying, even as a regular seven year old. It affected so many parts of my life. And what a normal evening. It's 12 for 4 or 5 hours, which is actually the issue with chronic illnesses, right? It affects every part of our life and on a day to day basis, which is what it's so makes it so hard to live with. But yeah. But then again, you did find and you know, we worked together and with some guidance you were able to do that. 

So you've explained some of this, but how what were you feeling? A feeling, you know, physically and emotionally when you were searching for answers, because a lot of women are actually searching for answers. Wellness has become so complicated. And they, you know, they often feel. So I want to know from you actually what you went through and how. Initially I was very good news because what the doctors were telling me was not aligning with what was working for me. That was number one. Uh, just just to give you an example, I, I had never had sleep issues when I, when these symptoms started, I started having very, very poor sleep at night of insomnia. And, uh, I was fretting more about why am I having insomnia and why am I having possibly drugs or anything else at all. The moment someone told me, a person who also had the same issues and had been through years of arthritis, said that this is one of the symptoms of arthritis and not any chronic illness, actually. And you will have an. I remember just when I accepted that I think a lot of the sleep. Of course it was as well, but I think I stopped fretting about why am I not sleeping, why am I not sleeping, why am I? And that stresses you out. Stress? Yeah, just reducing that. I think a lot of this thing got like help with that. So, uh, initially I think a lot of confusion not the answer is getting from the doctors. Doctor said that the controller diet there's no problem with everything was not aligning with what actually I was doing my nights and, uh, working with you, I said that a lot of the suggestions you were giving me or the advice, you know, it's really helping me, which is why I sort of focusing so meticulously on what I was doing. And I was doing it with intent because I felt like this is going to actually help my condition. So if I was taking a supplement also, I was doing it with intent. I wasn't taking it, I wasn't following subjects, advice and just doing something. But a lot of I figure myself working on my recovery with intent, uh, and sort of working on what the core root cause rather than just. The Dean of medicine for now and for later that journey that changed the other side. The first step towards so the word that you used is intent. Uh, because I think that's often missing from a lot of, uh, people. Everyone wants to get that right. So it's, uh, everyone is looking for answers. They are desperate. I mean, I was desperate at one point in time with my daughter's addictions, but I think what you really, uh, hit upon is. Yes, the intent, the. And you understood why you were doing what you were doing. So if you, uh. And based on our discussions, based on the guidance, you understood what role you have to play, what role lady had to play, what what would foods have to play? Right? Food is medicine. But nobody tells us that. We don't know that, uh, things have changed since then. Uh, I mean, improve, but I think that would have. But you are right. It's it's the intent behind what you were doing. So understanding what you were doing. And that is when you can sustain it. If you don't understand. And that's where people, I think get stuck a lot. They are confused. They are lost as to what they should be, should be, should they be doing a paleo diet, should be doing grain free, low carb, you know, high fat. But that's not how we need to see. And I think that's what's helped you as well. It needs to be what your body is. Right. And that starts so. Uh, so if I think these questions help, a lot of, uh, our listeners and those who are watching it, what have you already tried, like some of the things you've already mentioned, but had you tried anything else, uh, you know, uh, before this and why do you think those things didn't work for you? Did you try anything else in particular that you will learn? Uh, I think because number one was I didn't know that my shoes got a shoe. That was the biggest thing. So, you know, it's only rheumatoid arthritis. Hereditary. So I left half way to fit that. I have got it. Uh, you know, with food. I had no idea that that is it. I there's a concept that certain foods might not suit you because you were always told that vegetables. You see that a glass of milk is excellent. Exactly. And I used to consume copious amounts of it because I liked it. Never, ever struck me that that would be so bad for me. So I think number one was shifting your whole mindset from that. And to be that certain food that you consume because you think they're good may not work well for you. Uh, so one was, of course, the food thing that I had never, ever worked on before. I started working on my food, which was initially a little difficult because, um, it starts with your mind first that this is wrong for you, and secondly, to prepare your house for that as well, where food is prepared. Third thing is, are you actually mentally strong for a bit? Because when you move out, that food will always be there. And for you to say, no, I won't have that. So we took a little bit of time. We took a few steps. It took some time. Uh, for me, I wasn't super disciplined from day one. Uh, the moment it started working for me, I was feeling better because when I became very, very strict about it as well. And, uh, the other thing that was also was, you know, somebody had I had done acupuncture for a brief time and, and she told me that, you know, you have to let go of a lot of things you hold on to. It could have been years ago as well. Uh, and that kind of stress or that kind of anxiety or pale is sometimes still you've kept it in your gut somewhere. You've kept it in your body and your body and which is causing, you know, a lot of things. And and everyone is tiring of stress. I don't have things, but my first answer was, no, I don't have anything. I haven't had any bad time and I have good parents things, but I think I became intentional about it. I became very conscious about it, and I learned to let go of things and do not get anxious or even anxious, like let go normally to upset about things. So I think a lot of things. I started understanding when I got the right guidance, uh, even from you, that this may not work, that you're calling me these supplements, which you feel that I'm having healthy food and I'm getting it. But the body still is in need of extra help. Yeah, I thought I eat healthy food, so how can I have digestion issues? I eat healthy foods. I have leaky gut. You know, I always eat it, right? So it's when you understand that these foods are not good for you, but have more of this. You need some supplements. You need, you know, circles of exercise. Um, I don't, you know, really prioritizing best in sleep today. I do it with so much, um, seriousness that if I need sleep, I need sleep. If I need rest. Everything else can be put on hold. I think all of that kind of. I think my bodies are heard. Finally. Yeah. My body finally felt heard. And I think that's when my body started to recover and respond. I think there's a lot of important things that you've just said because, uh, this is not usually, you know, what people focus on, uh, whether it's, uh, understanding what your body needs. It's not about what you've done all your life. Uh, so that's that's one part of it. It's what your body needs now, and it keeps shifting also. So that's why you need to listen to it more. And I think the other thing that you hit upon was, you know, I don't have any stress in my life. I mean, you may not have the, um, what should I say, the, uh, typical kinds of stressors, but the very fact that, you know, we are a living being or you're a living being, there will be some stressors in life. There will be things that we accumulate, uh, through our environment. It may not necessarily be that our parents are bad or we have a traumatic childhood, but there will always be something that affects us, and it can be the minor stressors as well that, you know, and it gets compounded because, you know, we are not taught to do anything about it. So a lot of times you're not even aware that how it's affecting us, because we are typically living in our heads, we are not really living in our house. Right? So we then we don't even have an idea. And I think what you I know that acupuncture is a big part of your healing regimen. And I think that's a beautiful thing, because unique acupuncture may not work for everyone, because anyone may not believe in it. So there are different modalities that work for different people simply because either one, they believe in it, so they will do it. It's something that you have to do, you know, over a period of time. So I think that's a beautiful thing that you have done. You are actually designing your life around, you know, some of the things that's going to work for your body. All right. Without giving up on your dreams. You know, there was a time, of course, you mentioned that earlier that you were not working, but you managed to get back on track and, you know, figure out how to work with your body rather than fighting it. And the last point I want to make here, because, again, something that people overlook is the power of rest and sleep. Right. We do everything else. We drink the supplements. We do the yoga, the exercise. And like I speak to so many women, but we don't prioritize sleep because we don't think it's important, right? So. But it's so important because that's when your body actually even power through it has been made into a very positive thing. Like you just power through well because you less and do more. Yeah, because you hear about the successful people, especially male CEOs who have only, you know, get only 4 or 5 hours of sleep and how successful and rich they are. Uh, so yeah, that's the kind of message that we get. So I think that was a very big point that you made, because even in my program, and even when I talked to you and when I talked to my other clients, I always I mean, one of the first things that I do is, of course, the other one is digestion and food, but the other one is sleep. And even for myself, I mean, I want the job, uh, that I whatever I, you know, share with my client. It's something that I try and live with myself because, um, because I also want to go back to one more point, because this is very important that only then when you are, you know, listening, when you, you know, when you understand what your body needs, you can prevent more complications, more diseases down the line. I think that's another huge part of it. Right. You can actually because you are listening to your body constantly. And you said that earlier, a bit earlier, saying that when you are also going to prevent some of the flare ups from becoming worse. Right. Because I think, again, a lot of people may not know this. Uh, having one autoimmune condition predisposes you to have you're more likely, three times more likely that another person to get one more or that because they, you know, the if the digestion, if the digestive system remains weak and the immune system remains in balance, then you can develop more and more terrible conditions, which people do, and they don't have any clue as to why they are doing that. So I just wanted to share that, you know, for with everyone. But yes. So love the fact that, you know, you found a way to put all these things together to work for you, to work for your life. Right? And um, so on that note, what, you know, what sort of, uh, helped you decide to work with me to listen to my advice? Because there's so many different people talking about this, uh, even. And I know you tried so many other things before. So what? What was it that, you know, resonated with you in that sense or. Helped you to work with me, I think. Like I said before that, uh, what I was getting from doctors or maybe even the researchers online was not aligning with what my body actually was saying or doing. And when I started working with you, I realized that everything you were saying at that point was working for me. It was making sense in that sense. And, uh, my body was responding to the suggestions you were giving it. Right. So it started with that one thing initially, that, okay, let me try this again, tribal chief saying when we listen to more. Then as we got deeper into it and we explored like blood work and things and everything was just adding up, the more you're working together, it was all adding up. And I started to feel better as something to implement so that I realized that this is a holistic thing. It's not a now become very anti that, you know, one symptomatic medicine, uh, you know, even sneezing. What could you have? I don't go to a hospital and he's feeling stressed when you walk for that cause the body's. Yeah. It's my body laughing and something else and kind of supplement that. And I went off her dress. It's not set off for you because I want a holistic. I feel like now the symptoms are body shows up is a result of a much larger thing. Go to the root cause. Exactly the root cause. So I think for you, you working closely with your patients, you're working, uh, you know, on so many different levels. Was really what helped me and what attracted me to your module of working on autoimmune conditions, your understanding also of the autoimmune spectrum, because I think a lot of people who have autoimmune conditions tell you that we have at least 120 symptoms, and it's very frustrating to go to someone who doesn't understand. Well, uh, it's very because you sometimes are feeling like you are giving it your all, and even then nothing's working. It's very frustrating. It's very it's very hard. And I was very fortunate because I had patients who don't have any autoimmune conditions, but just completely listen to me and were literally in my team cheering me. All that helped. But whenever I went outside and somebody would say something and dismiss me, it was very triggering for me. So I think for me, I also felt that you understood these things and you can't work with someone unless they also answer about an optimal condition, because it's a plethora of symptoms. That exhaustion itself is like pulling you down into brain fog is something which happens. So if the other person doesn't understand that, it's very difficult to work with them. Um, so for me, I think all those things, you know, you were very compassionate, you were very understanding. You're very, um, you worked on some different levels. You gave simple, simple, uh, you know, you simplified the the what you say, the things that a patient can do. Let's just say golf. That's easy to say. But in that situation, what you will do, especially for someone like me who travels to work places are not access to gluten free and dairy free foods. What can we do? How do you tackle those? So all those things really helped. I think, uh, for someone who's dealing with fitness, I'm so happy to hear that. Uh, and of course, healthy males need to work with my, uh, clients because I have made all these changes in my life because of my daughter's health issues. But really glad to hear it from you. I mean, uh, of course we've discussed this, uh, because I think a lot of times, uh, when, uh, even when somebody understands you or sometimes it can happen that you're trying to do too many things at the same time, right? So it becomes overwhelming. So as you said, you know, adding one one layer at a time here, like it starts here. And then you add once you get the hang of this, then you add, you know, one more layer and then you add one more layer. And that's when you actually make it more sustainable and doable and also practical. Otherwise you can't be doing 20 things. There might be 20 things I right, you know, tell uh, I've told you, I'll tell you that you can be there can be 20 things you need to do, but you can't possibly do all of that at the same time. You have to pick 2 or 3, which are the key priorities right now, and then focus on them and then go to the next one. And uh, otherwise you're right. Uh, it's having 120 symptoms. I've had a client who are 200. Right. And so we of course never went symptom by symptom. We always start with the gut, because the touches of the root of most of the, uh, complaints, health issues, chronic health issues, and certainly autoimmune conditions. But you don't start with trying to figure out all 200 symptoms. Right? It's a recipe for overwhelm. Yeah. Uh, so, yeah. But, um, doing it step by step and as you said, simplifying, I think we're making it way too complicated than it needs to be. There is a whole reason I actually developed the, uh, effortless healing methodology, where you, uh, you know, where I make it as simple as possible and as practical as possible because you're already dealing with so much. Yeah. And the other part of it. So this is one part of it. The other part of it. I thought I should also sort of, uh, you know, touch upon what you have shared is being dismissed, is being judged sometimes is being not just heard. Right. It's, uh, and it's hard unless you walked a mile in somebody's shoes. Uh, but I think sometimes people can be quite either one judgmental, uh, and, of course, dismiss it. Uh, and you have said before that, you know, in specifically in autoimmune conditions, it's called the invisible illness because you don't look sick. Yeah. So if you don't look sick, then you might be dismissed. Right. That, you know, you are saying that you have pain, but you're not even looking, or you have brain fog, or you have this, but you look fine to me. Right. It's hard for even for family to understand. So I'm really glad that, uh, you know, I know your parents, of course, very well. But you had a very supportive family who allowed you to explore and do the things. I don't think they had heard of agriculture before that. Right. So those things, gluten intolerance, you know, most of us haven't heard of things, right? So I'm really glad that, you know, that's how. And so tell me, coming back to where we are, where you are today, what's changed for you now in your symptoms, in your daily life and how you feel about your body? And you touched upon some of these things, but let's put it all together. Uh, you know, strangely, I feel like I'm living a better life today in spite of. In spite of spite. Because I feel like I'm living with a lot more intent today. Uh, and I was doing all these things before. I just feel like I'm living every moment much more consciously today. So I'm somewhere, very ironically, even glad that this happened. Uh, you know, my whole illness and diagnosis had happened a very crucial time in my life. I was just 27 and took me three full years before I could bring it under control and get diagnosed. Uh, so I'm working again. But, um. I think because a doctor condition is not curable, it never goes away. You have to live with it to manage it. So I think I've done a really good job in managing it today and really able to understand how to strengthen. I have actually strengthened my body in terms of what I was taking in, what how I had strangled it. So I feel like it's doing a lot better job at keeping all these symptoms at bay. And I've also learned how to, um, keep the signal as low as possible. Uh, you know, whether it's through rest, whether it's through exercise, whether it's a combination of things. Um. So yeah, I think just just understanding what works for your body, making sure even now when I makes a change, I'm always listening to my body for the next few days to see how the responding is telling me something. Uh, this works for me. That doesn't. Uh, like I said, I've learned it. Now, when I know that, say, I travel a lot in work and they get very hectic days and it's always outside for, uh. So if I know, let's say I was aware of work trip, I make sure my Monday Tuesday went separate. Plenty of rest. Uh, you don't have long to not choose some things over the other, so I don't need to work all the time. I'm going to rest in peace to give my body the strength to take on the next four days of travel or food or meetings, all of that. So I think I've learned all these things and learned how to respond to my body, how to treat it. And like I said, I'm doing I, I don't think I did. I ever had this much energy before. I think I did so many things before now. It's such a mix of exercise, uh, sport or going out traveling. I had never thought that I would be traveling, uh, to so many far off locations. Traveling like walking 70,000, 20,000 steps a day. There was a time when I couldn't take two steps to go to my bathroom. I never, ever thought that I would be doing this day after day, on a ten day, 15 day, 20 day trip and be fine and do it well. Uh, so all those things are happening, to be honest, because I had learned what fields work for me, what dawn, what kind lifestyle works for me. And I'll just basically the bottom line again is this into my body, treating it with love and respect and yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean it's actually as simple as that. And it's hard as sin. It's hard. It's not right. And I think it's, uh, I think you just put it so nicely because it's the same thing that when I, I mean, in a previous, uh, discussion with my own daughter who went through her own health challenges, she said the same thing that, you know, so many things are gained as a result. I mean, nobody asks for any health issues or any problems in their life. Nobody wants to go through it. But so many times when you do, you have to deal with it in a certain way and you overcome that. You gain so much from it. Yeah, you're a different person, like you said. Like who you were a 27 year old and who you are today. They're different people and in a good way. They are different people in a good way. Like, I love what you said about, uh, traveling. I know you travel a lot. I know that's why I was talking about it earlier. It's made you a person. I mean, I know you try new things, you know, probably would have not done some of these things earlier. Right. It opens your eyes to, uh, and I think, uh, even personally and, uh, uh, while I have been fortunate not to go through major challenges, they have been minor issues, like anyone. Anyone else. And some of these things they teach you about, like what you said about living in the moment, about enjoying life as it is right now. Because things can change tomorrow. Right. And I think a lot of these things we take for granted. But when something like this happens, like it happened for you, you stop taking things for granted and you stop taking the body. Yeah. I think that's one of the big pluses of, you know, having, as I said, nobody wants to have these issues. But, uh, they do teach you. And if you learn the lesson, that is I mean, sometimes you don't want to learn those lessons. Right. So it's so nice. I'm so happy to hear I see you, I know you so I know what are the things that you've been doing, what you've achieved. And so proud to, you know, for all of you what you've where you've come such a long way. You have come. Right? I've been with you, uh, every step of the way in that sense. So you really, really, you know, pulled yourself up from there. Um, so just, I mean, sort of, uh, we are at the end of our, uh, discussion for today, but was there a moment, uh, it specifically that you remember when you realize that you were no longer second guessing your body or not really trusting your body? Uh, was there any particular moment or it happened gradually? Anything that you can talk about? I think it happened gradually, but it actually happened. I saw it happening once every time. And the people that I finally worked with, my, my, uh, healthcare supporters knew, uh, I started saying that the advice the suggestion was giving, um, was working very well for my body. So every time I did something that I started with intent and I could see the results. So it gave me like in one step, like I was, I could feel that I was climbing that one step. I was getting to the next level. So it was a couple of those, and I felt like I'm at that level where I'm feeling very confident all of a sudden, because I remember when I'd given up work and I restarted, I was really scared. I said, I can't sit eight hours at a stretch. I cannot sit in an office for eight hours. This was travel before this. Afterwards, I can't do those things. But, um, those things that I did one by one by one, I think just gave me a lot of confidence and just made my, you know, when you feel. Strong internal need. You will just know. So you are now. There are some days when I may have some migraine, but internally I still feel strong, which is why I'm able to. You know what I know that this pain is will pass. It's all gonna stay long. I've done everything I need to keep it at its lowest possible. So it's just something. I think it was only one thing, but a very gradual transformation and a very gradual improvement. And just along with my body getting stronger, I think my mind also became very, very strong. And that, I think, has helped me like sail through in these past few years. I think we feel that. I mean, they are both connected. Yeah. And often we think I need to keep it up and then it never works. Yeah. And so as you said, it might be a gradual shift, uh, you made, but it's progress. So, you know, you're making progress. But at the end of the day, it's been a massive shift since then, since they've started. So. But, uh, that's amazing because there will be somebody who is feeling stuck in the same place that you once were, right? And there's so many people who have not reached where you are, who did not have the same realizations or did not get the guidance that you got. What would you tell them is the first step that you know they should take and you can tell them directly. Oh, I would say don't give up hope. Uh, just keep finding, uh, there will be there's always a structure or a or a setup that supports each person. I have so many people who I feel terrible about because I feel like I need to help. I need to get them out of the situation that I was in. But, uh, there are so many people putting down people and saying, like I was told, I find work that will be two hours a week, just two hours a week. And that is something that that's all you can manage. And I remember being so devastated with that and taking two hours a week. That's like, I mean, what am I? But, uh, just keep on finding, uh, uh, you know, there's there's all kinds of support to help around. Don't feel disappointed. Just always be on the lookout. There might be some structure, some model that will work for you. There are plenty of people out there like her who are really wanting to help people. So just be on the lookout for that. And you, you will find a system and a structure that works for you, works for whatever health issues you are having and whatever, uh, you know, is, is healing you. And you can need a much, much better life. Uh. Keeping your symptoms under control. I am far from cured, but my symptoms are so under control that I'm literally able to do more than I ever was able to. And then that's why I have somewhere. I am grateful to this illness as well, because I never lived this intentionally, and I never lived with so much gratitude actually, as I live now. So yeah, that's such a beautiful point that you made because and I think many people need to hear that, that, you know, you can be you can reach a stage where you can be grateful to your challenges, which can be in the form of a health condition because so many people are just stuck mentally. Also, it's not just physical. Uh, stark. And you're right, I know it's about oh, yeah, not giving up and not taking no for an answer from anyone. Right. That's what I think many of us actually, uh, you know, are dealing with that with the conventional medicine, etc., that this is the only solution. No, it is not the only solution. There is another way. There is usually another path. And if you can be guided by your own body, then that path will definitely be the right path for you, because your body knows your goal and you are the expert, right? So, uh, that was a lovely, I think, place to end. But I also and, uh, if you are looking to get started, I have a free guide. It's called the Autoimmune Healing Toolkit. And for those of you who are, you know, a bit confused as to where to start, this would be a lovely starting point. Uh, you know, it's it's a it's it has everything that we talked about in today's discussion about listening to your body. It has elements of something like, you know, like self-compassion, where you need to also be kind to yourself and to your body, which has been talking about. So I will share the link below in the show notes in the below, so that you can, uh, get that it's a free guide. But before I end, uh, my final question would be, is there anything that I haven't asked you that you would have liked me to ask? Anything else that you would like to share here? No. I think what you were last asking is that is the right thing. I swear to tell all the viewers as well that, um, an autoimmune Healing toolkit is the most comprehensive guide that she will have. I think when we are working together, even we were at the starting of this journey. So you didn't have so much information that you have today. Uh, and this toolkit is pretty much also the result of a lot of the research that's already been done from our feedback, from the feedback from other clients, from, uh, the feedback she's got, I mean, not just from the client, but also for speaking to people one on one working with them. So this could be like if I would tell somebody else, like if they confused about their symptoms and wondering what they have. An autoimmune healing toolkit is the first step. I will always like tell you, I will keep questioning. Or whenever she'd say like, you know, do this test. Without this, I, I would trust it completely. But I will keep saying, what is it for? What is it for? Because it's really important to understand why you're doing something. That's the only way it's sustainable. And then you will do it properly because you need to answer it. When I say, let's try and avoid this food or have this supplement or hack that is so what do the test show? What will supplement do? And the moment I understood why it was being done was when I did it really well. So I would suggest that like read the toolkit, understand what each thing is, or understand what and why certain changes need to be done. And that's when you can work. You can start building on it. It's very important for you to understand And first without somebody else just telling you do this, do that. Yeah. No, I think, uh, thank you for sharing that because yes, it's about understanding yourself and what is needed from you. And that's the reason. And you're absolutely right. It's based on my years of experience of dealing with, uh, you know, with women with or even another chronic health issues that I realized that we have to start from within. That's actually what the toolkit is about. It's showing you how to start from in, from the inside out, not from the outside. It's most of the time we are banking on other people to give us the answers. 

 Whether it's the lab report, whether it's the doctors giving us a diagnosis. Not that it's not important, of course. All those things are important. Labs are important. Uh, medical treatments are important. Doctors are necessary to give you a diagnosis. I never suggest either or, but it's. Yes and yes, that is important. And we need to listen to our bodies and to figure out what's really going on from the inside out. I think that's a lovely place to end our discussion today. Thank you so much, Sonali. Again, once again, I'm so, uh, I, you know, I we work, we've known each other for much longer. We worked together for a while, and now you are taking care of your own, uh, health journey. But I have to say, I'm so proud of. You. Know what? You what you've achieved, where you have gone, what you have overcome. So, yes. Thank you for coming in here today.