Most of us with fibromyalgia have to spend a lot of physical and emotional energy teaching the people in our lives about our condition. From friends and family to doctors and coaches, it can be draining. That’s just one of the ways working with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® transformational. It’s invaluable to have someone in your corner who knows what you’re going through because they’ve been there and have the tools to guide and support you. What would it be like to improve your quality of life significantly? How would your life change if you could improve your symptoms by 50%? Today, in the eighth installment of our Stories of Hope and Healing, Tami shares inspiring excerpts from our January 2024 event. You’ll hear from four graduates about their stories and how they’ve been able to improve their fibromyalgia symptoms. On average, our graduates improve their symptoms by about 50% during the three-month program, and many people’s lives look dramatically different today than they did before starting. In this episode, you’ll hear about Julie’s diagnosis and how she went from years of just one to two down days per year to four years of barely being able to get out of bed, why the journey of becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® was transformational for Julie, learning to give yourself grace on your bad days, why Julie wrote Chronic Illness at Work, her passion for advocating for the fibromyalgia and chronic illness communities, how she’s set and surpassed goals she never believed she ever could, the importance of setting goals and celebrating your successes, why Kaylynne ultimately decided to join the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, what surprised her (as a skeptic) about working with her fibro coach Brenda, why being able to address her fatigue had a massive knock-on effect on many areas of her life, prioritizing your energy for restoring yourself, the changes that made the biggest impact on improving her fibromyalgia symptoms, developing a positive relationship with your body, Kaylynne’s message to high achievers and perfectionists who are struggling with their fibromyalgia, Viktoriia’s early symptoms of fibromyalgia and how traumatic events in her life made it more difficult to manage, her move to Canada and search for relief from her increasing symptoms, the huge reduction in symptoms Viktoriia experienced after joining the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program and working with fibro coaches, the series of difficult events and experiences that led Viktoriia to join the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program for a second time and what she did differently, her recognition that she has to actively choose to support her body every day, Viktoriia’s new approach to life management, the tools that have made the most significant impact on her fibromyalgia, the impact of food on her well-being, how her coach Robin helped her with emotional overwhelm and her mental health, the challenges of managing stress and emotions, letting go of perfection, Deb’s decision to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, how changing her approach resulted in an improvement in symptoms of 68%, the value of experimentation and her experiences working with clients, what it’s like living with an invisible illness, why being a coach helps you with your fibromyalgia,  the significance of focus and tools to manage fibromyalgia symptoms, focusing on living in the current body you’re in and making necessary changes for managing fibromyalgia, reducing stress and allowing time for the body to heal, how you can join the next Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® program, what you can expect from the course, and more. If you're looking for ways to feel better, you’ll be inspired to hear their stories.       Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers. To learn more about the resources mentioned