But You Look So Good

In this episode, we talk about the experience of being “othered” — what it is, why it hurts so much, and why so many people with chronic health conditions experience it. We explore the psychological impact of feeling different, the shame that often comes with it, and how to build a life where different does not mean alone.
We also talk about the identity shift that often comes with chronic illness, the experience of living in the in‑between space, and the grief that can come from no longer fitting into your old life but not yet knowing where you fit now. This episode is about belonging, identity, shame, and learning to build a life that fits your capacity rather than trying to force yourself to fit a life that doesn’t.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠⁠

⁠⁠Webinars and Resources⁠⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

The pressure to hold it all together, keep achieving, and be “fine” - even when your body is anything but.
In this episode, we explore the idea of “unicorn standards” - the often invisible, unrelenting expectations we place on ourselves to do more, be more, and cope better than is realistically possible.
When you’re living with a chronic health condition, these standards can become even harsher… leaving you feeling like you’re constantly falling short, no matter how much you’re carrying.
This episode is a gentle unpacking of where these standards come from, the cost of holding onto them, and how to begin softening them in a way that honours your current capacity - not some idealised version of who you think you should be.
If you’ve ever felt exhausted from trying to meet impossible expectations, this one is for you.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Today we’re speaking with Sarah, a 45-year-old woman from Perth who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 after a routine mammogram. While Sarah is now cancer-free after a year of intensive treatment, her story highlights a reality that often goes unspoken: being cancer-free doesn’t always mean being free of cancer.
In this conversation, Sarah talks about the experience of living in the space between illness and health, the pressure to appear “fine” when life has changed, and how cancer can become a chronic health condition — something you live with, not just something you go through.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Loneliness and isolation are experiences many people describe when living with a chronic health condition. Sometimes it’s the reality of relationships changing or people drifting away. Other times, it’s a quieter loneliness - the feeling of being surrounded by people who care, yet still feeling alone in an experience that others may not fully understand. In this episode, we explore what loneliness can feel like when you’re living with a chronic condition, why it happens, and some gentle ways people begin to reconnect - with others and with themselves - even while life has changed.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

In this episode we speak with Sophie, who shares her story of navigating multiple health diagnoses from her teenage years and the profound life changes that followed, including losing her hearing in her 20s.
Sophie reflects on how these experiences reshaped the way she communicates, connects with others, and understands herself. We talk about identity, relationships, loneliness, and the unexpected ways people adapt when life changes in ways they never anticipated.
This is a thoughtful and honest conversation about learning new ways to move through the world.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠