Welcome to RiverandQuill.com
Hey friend! I’m Callie. This blog started about a decade ago after I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis (IC) and went on a wild adventure ride through pain, depression, anxiety and the perils of what can be found in the chronic illness community. I found no hope. I’ve found that chronic illness communities are NOT for the newly diagnosed. I am a proponent of social support in almost every arena, but not on chronic illness forums right after you have been diagnosed and are looking to calm the anxiety, not heighten it. I started River and Quill – the blog, and my instagram community, as a different way to look at chronic illness. I refused to accept a new normal. I refused to give up. And while I am frequently criticized for saying it, there IS hope. There are ways to survive this and even live well within it. (Oh and hi – I healed from it too.)
While this began as a blog all about chronic illness, it has since evolved into a safe space to practice, examine, and discuss resilience. Divorce, emotional abuse, and single motherhood have tested my beliefs in my own resilience and I now share all of these experiences, along with what I have learned in my training as a school psychologist and licensed forest therapy guide, on this blog, on my podcast, on guided walks, in coaching, speaking, and on a frequently updated substack.
I’m so glad you’re here. Whatever you’re going through? You’re not alone. More than that? You’re capable. The pain won’t last forever. It will end and you will have learned so much, but most of all? You’ll see what a true badass you never knew you could be, but always were. Reach out to me and connect! Tell me what you like. Tell me what you hate. Tell me what you ate for breakfast – I don’t care! Just tell me that you’re there, because you’re the reason I keep coming back to this computer. Love and light to you, friend, on this crazy, wild beautiful journey.
Love,
C
Top Blog Posts
If you want a peek at some of my most popular posts, check these out:
–Why You Should Avoid Suicide and Read this Blog Post
Let’s Be Friends
Subscribe to read my free ebook, which gives you some practical steps you can start using today to overcoming whatever something you are stuck in. Read more here on the purpose of this blog.
If you do subscribe, I’m going to start walking along side you with weekly blog posts sent directly to your email and occasional newsletters to check in on you.
Disease isolates us, but as long as you’re here, you are not alone.