Strength: Not in Spite of, But Because of Struggle

It started with something small. I was struggling to read subtitles on the TV. Nothing dramatic. Just a bit of difficulty with text that used to be clear. I assumed I needed a new prescription, so I booked a routine optician appointment. Instead, they found swelling behind both eyes and sent me straight to the hospital.

By the time I got a diagnosis, I’d already been scanned, poked, and referred all over the place. The verdict? Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. It means the pressure around your brain increases, usually for no clear reason. The main risk? Losing my vision. Permanently.

I’d just started my VA business. I’d barely had time to find my feet. Suddenly, I was dealing with brain pressure, migraines, lumbar punctures, and medications that quietly wrecked my kidneys. Eventually, I was referred to neurosurgery. That’s how I ended up with a VP shunt. A little valve and tube system inside my skull that drains excess fluid and keeps the pressure down.

When Your Brain Is Under Pressure, Everything Else Waits

With that much going on, work and life both tilted off their axis. Mornings became unpredictable. My memory, focus, and energy all dipped. Admin took longer. Screens made the headaches worse. I couldn’t always stick to a neat nine-to-five, no matter how much I wanted to.

But I didn’t want to stop working. I’d just walked away from toxic workplaces, and I wasn’t giving up the freedom I’d fought for.

So I adapted. Slowly.

Building a Workday That Works

Mornings are quieter now. I don’t book anything before ten unless it’s essential. I take regular screen breaks. I pause when the pressure builds or the brain fog rolls in. Some days I have to reschedule. When that happens, I do it clearly, calmly, and without guilt.

The upside? When I’m on, I’m focused. I don’t waste time. I don’t need micromanaging. And I’ve learned how to ask for exactly what I need.

Clients get what they need on time. I don’t burn out in the process. It’s not conventional productivity. It’s better.

Being Honest Doesn’t Mean Telling Everything

I hesitated to write this post. Talking about health online is risky. It can get you dismissed, pitied, or told to stay positive.

But I’m not sharing this for sympathy. I’m sharing it because this changed how I work. That matters. It’s part of the story.

It also made me think hard about who I want to work with. If someone sees flexibility as weakness, or thinks showing up imperfectly is unprofessional, we’re not a fit. That’s fine.

But if someone values clarity, lived experience, and working with life’s curveballs rather than pretending they don’t exist, we’ll get on.

What I’ve Learned (The Useful Bits)

• Most deadlines are not sacred. Communication is.
• If I try to match other people’s pace instead of my own, I break.
• Boundaries aren’t a luxury. They’re infrastructure.
• My health isn’t something I manage around. It’s something I work with.
• You don’t have to explain everything to be honest. You just have to be real.

What’s Next

Next time, I’ll share how I built my business around what I could do, not what I thought I had to do. Being the boss is both freeing and complicated.

Thanks for reading. And if you’re in a season where your body or brain isn’t lining up with your goals, you’re not broken. You just need a different map.

Feeling broken from trying to work like everyone else? You’re not the problem. Let’s talk about what actually works. Book a free 1-to-1 call.