S19E22 - Being More Accepting and Understanding When an Employee is Diagnosed with a Chronic Illness, with Wendy Bjork

In this HCI Podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhwestover/) talks with Wendy Bjork about how we can become more accepting and understanding when an employee is diagnosed with a chronic illness, such as multiple sclerosis instead of causing them to hide it or fear disclosing their condition. See the video here: https://youtu.be/hpQUFKbPFPc.  Wendy Bjork (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-bj%C3%B6rk-aka-the-ms-warrior-queen%E2%84%A2-413a3318b/), aka The MS Warrior Queen™,  has dealt with Multiple Sclerosis for 35 years, since she was in her late teens. She realized early on in her diagnosis that having a positive mindset and a strong faith was key in keeping the illness from taking completely over. After years of experiencing all different levels of exacerbations and permanent damage to her nervous system, she decided a few years ago to begin a journey to healing holistically. Wendy is now a mentor to other women diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, empowering them to improve their Mind, Body, Relationships and Environment through her Four Cornerstones Program™ to bring out their Inner MS Warrior Queen. Since MS is an "invisible illness", there is a lot of stigma around it and potentially a lot of underlying issues. Through her years of navigating it, Wendy has realized how many gaps in care exist and her mission is to bridge those gaps and give other ladies the tools to navigate their MS.   Realizing the journey to wellness has so many different aspects and there is not one quick fix, this prompted her to become obsessed with changing the face of multiple sclerosis. Her background is in finance as well as being a licensed Insurance agent  which brings light to the importance of a solid financial foundation. She has authored two books, "Can the Way We Clean Our Home Affect Our Immune System?" and "Multiple Sclerosis, Sneaking Up Without Warning Since 1873" which are both available for download on her website.  Wendy is also an author for the National MS Society's Momentum Magazine, and shares her story in a real and raw way, to be the voice of those perhaps not willing to speak for themselves yet. Wendy has also participated in roundtable discussions with Dr. Terry Wahls in regard to her Wahls Protocol and additionally, she is regularly featured on various podcasts and interviews to share her journey in the US as well as globally.  She is working on a women's empowerment book series as a co-author project, her current Four Cornerstones program has opened up and she's accepting four new clients who are ready to take charge of their MS and get back to wholeness. Check out Dr. Westover's new book, The Alchemy of Truly Remarkable Leadership, here: https://www.innovativehumancapital.com/leadershipalchemy.  Check out the latest issue of the Human Capital Leadership magazine, here: https://www.innovativehumancapital.com/hci-magazine.  Ranked in the Top 10 Performance Management Podcasts: https://blog.feedspot.com/performance_management_podcasts/ ; Ranked in the Top 10 Workplace Podcasts: https://blog.feedspot.com/workplace_podcasts/ ; Ranked in the Top 15 HR Podcasts: https://blog.feedspot.com/hr_podcasts/ ; Ranked in the Top 15 Talent Management Podcasts: https://blog.feedspot.com/talent_management_podcasts/ ; Ranked in the Top 15 Personal Development and Self-Improvement Podcasts: https://blog.feedspot.com/personal_development_podcasts/ ; Ranked in the Top 30 Leadership Podcasts: https://blog.feedspot.com/leadership_podcasts/