Chapter 2: You Don’t Need More Willpower. You Need a Truce With Your Body.
A story of loss, medicine’s limits—and what truly heals.
Almost 40 years ago, my father was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes.
The first surgery didn’t work as we hoped for. Over the next couple of year, he underwent chemo and radiation, but they couldn’t save him.
Two years later, he passed away at 44.
That loss shaped me. It planted the seed for my work in medicine and healing. I didn’t become a doctor the way I wanted to, life had other plans for me then.
But eventually, many years later I made my way back to the healing profession as a health coach.
But even now—four decades later—it still makes me incredibly sad.
Why?
Because despite how far medicine has come…
There’s a growing group of people who are still falling through the cracks.
Like my daughter.
Women like you.
Like my clients.
Dr. Lissa Rankin captures it perfectly in her book Mind Over Medicine:
“There’s another category of patients who lie somewhere in between sick people and well people. They’re not technically sick—but they’re not exactly well either. Their blood tests come back normal. Their vital signs are stable.
They’re told they’re fine. But they don’t feel fine.”
Does this sound familiar to you?
The thing is, you go to the doctor hoping for answers—and like many others,
you’re told it’s “just stress,” “just hormones,” “just in your head.”
But deep down, you know that something’s wrong. No matter what your lab reports suggest.
But no one can tell you what—or how to fix it.
That’s because something is off.
Just not in the way they think.
What’s Really Going On?
The problem is that most of us are taught to treat healing like a performance.
Track the symptoms. Follow the protocol. Stick to the plan. Push harder.
But here’s the truth:
Willpower doesn’t heal.
What heals is safety.
What heals is nervous system trust.
What heals is the moment you stop overriding your body—and start listening to it.
And when your body is stuck in fight-or-flight mode, even the most perfect wellness plan won’t make much of a difference.
Your body can’t heal while it’s defending itself.
The Belief Flip That Can Shift Everything
Most women with chronic illness are walking around with invisible scripts like:
“If I really wanted to get better, I should be doing more.”
“My body is too unpredictable to trust.”
“Other women are healing faster. What’s wrong with me?”
I am sharing a 5-minute challenge that could change everything:
Grab a pen and a notebook.
Now write down one belief you hold about your body or your healing that feels heavy or self-critical.
Then ask:
Where did this belief come from?
What is it costing me to keep believing it?
Now I want you to rewrite it in a way that’s more compassionate and body-wise:
→ “I’m learning to heal at my own pace. My timeline is valid.”
This exercise is more than just mindset work.
I call it belief hygiene.
You see, when your beliefs shift, your body often does too.
Because your nervous system listens to everything you believe.
In this week’s podcast episode, I’m sharing:
🔹 Why even the most perfect healing plan won’t work if your nervous system doesn’t feel safe
🔹 What’s really keeping high-functioning women stuck in flares, fatigue, and frustration
🔹 The invisible beliefs that sabotage healing (and how to gently shift them)
🔹 A powerful 5-minute belief flip to reconnect with your body today
🔹 Why the Body Wise Reset™ is built on safety before strategy—and how that changes everything
Whether you’ve been stuck in a cycle of symptom-chasing…
Or you’re simply tired of trying to “heal” by doing more and more and more…
This episode is your invitation to stop muscling through and start feeling your way forward.
🎧 Listen here to the full episode →
E062 | You Don’t Need More Willpower. You Need a Truce With Your Body
Click to listen on Embrace Your Healing Journey
🌀 Ready to stop guessing and start decoding?
Join me for a 90-minute masterclass:
Decode Your Symptoms
📅 May 29 | 6 PM IST
🎟 ₹1900 | Includes workbook + Reset discount
👥 Only 10 seats available
💬 What’s one belief about your body or your healing you’re ready to shift today?
I’d love to hear what came up for you as you read this chapter.
Drop your thoughts in the comments—I read every one. 💛
And if this landed for you, feel free to share it with a friend who needs to hear that healing doesn’t have to be a hustle.