When you get diagnosed with a chronic illness, it can feel like your whole world just shifted. And honestly? It did. So this might come as a shock to some, but… You can still have fun. You can still feel connected and joyful. It will just look a different than it did before.

I sat down with Dr. Brentia Caldwell-Smith, founder of The UP Center, to talk about what it really means to live well with chronic illness. Brentia has lupus and interstitial lung disease, and she's also a licensed professional counselor who specializes in chronic illness navigation. This conversation was full of real talk about grief, community, joy, and how to prioritize yourself when the world doesn't always understand what you're going through.