Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What if the hardest part of being sick isn’t just the scans, the surgeries, or the slow mornings—but the feeling that you’ve become a burden to the people you love?
In this conversation, Kate Bowler sits down with author and advocate Suleika Jaouad to talk about the shame and self-erasure that often accompany chronic illness. Together, they name the ache of trying to seem “fine” to protect others, and the grace that comes from being loved exactly as you are.
This is for anyone who has ever felt like the bad thing—not just someone going through something hard, but the hardship itself.
What if the hardest part of being sick isn’t just the scans, the surgeries, or the slow mornings—but the feeling that you’ve become a burden to the people you love?
In this conversation, Kate Bowler sits down with author and advocate Suleika Jaouad to talk about the shame and self-erasure that often accompany chronic illness. Together, they name the ache of trying to seem “fine” to protect others, and the grace that comes from being loved exactly as you are.
This is for anyone who has ever felt like the bad thing—not just someone going through something hard, but the hardship itself.
