1KHO 822: How to Get Off the Hamster Wheel of Desperation | Amy Kurtz, But You Look Fine
6/9/202658 min
There are millions of people walking around looking perfectly fine while fighting battles no one can see. In this deeply validating conversation, Amy Kurtz joins Ginny Yurich to talk about chronic illness, medical gaslighting, invisible suffering, and the surprising challenges that can remain even after your body starts to heal. After spending more than a decade searching for answers and eventually being diagnosed with late-stage neurological Lyme disease, Amy realized that recovery isn't always the end of the story. She shares the concept she coined Medical Trauma Brain and explains why so many people remain stuck in fear, hypervigilance, grief, and survival mode long after the crisis has passed. This episode is full of hope, practical tools, and powerful reminders that healing involves more than the body. If you've ever felt dismissed, misunderstood, or trapped on a hamster wheel of desperation, this conversation will make you feel seen. Links:Amy Kurtz: https://www.amykurtz.comBook: But You Look Fine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsGinny Yurich· Host0:00
Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Ginny Ieraci. I'm the founder of 1000 Hours Outside, and we're gonna be talking about such an important concept today. If you have been struggling with chronic illness and then you're feeling the after effects of that, Amy Kurtz has come up with this whole new word to describe that. It's called medical brain trauma, that she actually coined, and Amy Kurtz is here. She has a new book out. It's called But You Look Fine: Trapped in Hell Between Sick and Well, and How to Break Free. Hi, Amy.
Amy Kurtz· Guest0:29
Hi. Thank you so much for having me.
Ginny Yurich· Host0:31
This is a book that I'd never read anything like it, but you totally see it. Like, I just... The other day, my friend Angie, she does my hair, and she was talking about just different times in her life where, like, she'll go to the doctor. She'll be like, "None, none of this stuff is working." And then they're like, "Well, uh, we can't do anything for you." You know, they'll leave. She's like, "I'm crying." And all of this, and you're like, oh. I hope I didn't just share all her business. [laughs] I think she's fine with that. Okay. But I think 'cause it's common, right? Like you go, you're trying to get help. You can't get help. Nobody knows what's going on. So can you share your story, which is, okay, you're like this budding actress, and you have all these things going on, and then you hit chronic health problems that last for a very long time, and then once they start to kind of go away, you're still struggling. And a lot of that is because this has been years of uncertainty, and you don't know what's coming next, and is the other shoe gonna drop? Am I gonna feel bad later