Your Body Finally Got Better. So Why Don't You Feel Fine? With Best-Selling Author Amy Kurtz
You fought for answers. You finally started to heal. And everyone — including you — assumed that was the hard part.But what if your nervous system never got the memo?Amy Kurtz — patient advocate and bestselling author of Kicking Sick and her new book But You Look Fine — is back, and this conversation goes somewhere most health podcasts never do: what happens after the illness.Because for a lot of women, that's where a...
Your Body Finally Got Better. So Why Don't You Feel Fine? With Best-Selling Author Amy Kurtz
You fought for answers. You finally started to heal. And everyone — including you — assumed that was the hard part.
But what if your nervous system never got the memo?
Amy Kurtz — patient advocate and bestselling author of Kicking Sick and her new book But You Look Fine — is back, and this conversation goes somewhere most health podcasts never do: what happens after the illness.
Because for a lot of women, that's where a different kind of struggle begins.
Amy spent years seeing 30+ doctors before getting answers. And when she finally started healing physically, she was blindsided by something no one warned her about — debilitating anxiety, hypervigilance, and a nervous system that had been in survival mode so long it didn't know how to stand down.
She calls it Medical Trauma Brain. And if you've ever thought "why can't I just relax?" — this episode will finally give it a name.
What we get into:
What Medical Trauma Brain actually is — and why it shows up even after your labs look normal
The "shadowlands" — that in-between place where you look fine but internally you're still bracing for impact
Why your nervous system doesn't automatically catch up just because your body improves
The grief of lost time, missed seasons, and a life that didn't go as planned
The fawn response in healthcare — and why it feels so hard to advocate for yourself
What it actually looks like to start teaching your body it's safe again
The part that stays with you: you can spend years fighting to get better, finally get there, and still feel trapped. That's not failure. It's just that no one told you there's an aftermath to surviving something this hard.
If this is you, there's a way through — and the steps are more doable than you'd think.
🎙️ Find Amy at amykurtz.com
🔗 Resources & Links (As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you):
- Amy Kurtz's new book: But You Look Fine https://amykurtz.com/
- But You Look Fine: Trapped in the Hell Between Sick and Well and How to Break Free by Amy Kurtz https://amzn.to/4upNgUY
- Amy Kurtz's first book: Kicking Sick https://amzn.to/4fZVRtp
✨Join the conversation:
Share your thoughts with us on social media or in the comments!
🎙 Subscribe, Share & Review:
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! By subscribing and reviewing, you help us (more than you know) to reach more people who are looking for great health information. Thanks for tuning in to Pretty Well! See you next week!
Contact Lisa:
Website: www.lisasmithwellness.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/prettywell_podcast/
Disclaimer:
Nothing in this podcast is to be taken as medical advice, please take informed accountability and speak to your provider before making changes to your health routine.
The primary purpose of The Pretty Well Podcast being to educate. This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice nor to take the place of such
advice or treatment from a personal physician. By listening to this content, you agree to consult your own physician or qualified health professional regarding specific health questions. Neither Lisa Smith, The Pretty Well Podcast, nor any guest takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons following the information in this educational content. All listeners of this content, especially those who are pregnant or taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, or lifestyle program. The Pretty Well Podcast is for private non-commercial use and our guests do not necessarily reflect any agency, organization, or company that they work for. In addition, opinions of interview guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Lisa Smith and/or The Pretty Well Podcast. This content is not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up to date.
