60. Renee Nicholson: Ballerina Learns to Dance Again with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you had to teach yourself to walk again...or even a lifelong skill that you loved? This week's guest on "Happiness through Hardship" - The Podcast has done both while navigating chronic illness. Renee Nicholson is a dancer, author and teacher whose life has changed from rheumatoid arthritis. It took getting knee-replacement surgery in her thirties for her to own her unique experience. The humility of this allowed her to reteach herself ballet in a different way. On this episode Renee shares her experiences with professional dance and living with chronic disease. SHOW NOTES 3:15 - Renee’s story and background in ballet 5:17 - Renee's Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis and when she noticed something was off with her body 7:14 - Renee’s first writing class and how this sparked a lifelong passion for it 8:49 - Career shifts and the beauty in them 11:30 - Rheumatoid Arthritis aka RA and what it is 14:35 - What an Rheumatoid Arthritis flare up feels like 17:27 - Renee's decision to follow her calling to write and make the most of each day 19:29 - Renee’s knee replacement and the power of doctors instilling hope in their patients 23:22 - The importance of connecting with what you love during times of hardship 25:16 - How personalized care and connection with your medical team can make a difference 26:10 - When Renee began writing about dance and how this led to her teaching dance 28:16 - Moving to NYC to study with American Ballet Theater 29:40 - How journaling about her experience served as inspiration for her book, "Fierce and Delicate: Essays on Dance and Illness" 35:28 - How one passion can lead us to the next 38:20 - The healing power of writing and how Renee earned a degree in Narrative Medicine 43:20 - How stories are what give people hope 44:31- Caryn and Renee play The Grateful Game "Fierce and Delicate: Essays on Dance and Illness" by Renee Nicholson: https://amzn.to/3l773qp CONNECT with Renee Twitter: https://twitter.com/summerbooks1 Website: http://www.reneenicholson.com/ CONNECT with us: www.PrettyWellness.com/podcast - for more information on the podcast episodes 
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 Happiness through Hardship - The Book: amzn.to/39PAjuT