How do you pursue your dreams when your body seems to have other plans? For slow travel nomad and empowerment coach Caitlin, the answer lies in adaptation rather than abandonment. With a background in environmental engineering and a life shaped by fibromyalgia and complex mental health challenges, she's crafted a unique approach to entrepreneurship that prioritizes well-being alongside achievement.
"I got very, very sick because I was trying to keep up with everybody else," Caitlin reflects, describing her experience in business accelerator programs. This pivotal moment taught her that entrepreneurship with chronic illness requires a different framework—one that might actually be healthier for everyone. "Having a chronic illness actually means that you are respecting your limits a little earlier than maybe somebody who's doing that for 20 years and getting really sick."
The conversation explores nervous system regulation as a powerful tool for managing chronic pain. Caitlin explains how understanding her body's signals transformed her relationship with pain: "When I was able to look at pain as my body saying slow down or I need something... that reframe honestly even reduced the time that my flares would last." This perspective shift—viewing symptoms as protective messages rather than evidence of a failing body—offers profound healing potential.
Perhaps most valuable is Caitlin's wisdom on boundary-setting. As a self-described sensitive introvert, she's learned to stop over-explaining her limitations. "A boundary is what you are going to do for yourself to keep yourself safe," she explains, "recognizing that energy is finite and if I'm setting a boundary, it's the best thing not just for me but for my work, for my relationships."
Whether you're managing a chronic condition, feeling burnout from hustle culture, or simply seeking more intentional ways of living, this conversation offers practical wisdom for honoring your body's needs while still pursuing a life of purpose and adventure. Listen and discover how limitations, when embraced with compassion, can become doorways to unexpected possibilities.

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