Some days you can push through; some days your body makes you stop. Both are part of the story. In this porch talk, Jennifer shares what it looks like to navigate the limits of testing — and the recovery that follows — in real time. Right in the middle of neuropsych assessments, therapy, and the exhaustion that comes after, she talks about what it means to listen to your body without judgment.
She unpacks the scar tissue metaphor — how healing doesn’t mean things look the same again, but stronger in a new shape — and the four hours she spent in bed after testing, not out of weakness, but as recovery. Scar tissue and rest become proof of survival, not failure.
This one is raw, grounding, and full of permission: recovery counts as progress.
In this episode:
Why “before” can’t be recreated — and why that’s okay
Scar tissue as proof of survival, not weakness
The four hours in bed after testing — why recovery isn’t regression
Curiosity vs. judgment: the two voices we listen to
How knowing equips us to “fight with the light on”
Rest as part of the healing, not a setback
An invitation to see yourself as whole, even in the middle of the process
Psalms of a Daughter is now available on Amazon.
The Grit & Grace Challenge is happening now on Patreon: patreon.com/jennifershatzer
Learn more: JenniferShatzer.com
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If you’re struggling or in crisis, in the U.S. call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
As always, with space and a little salty grace…
Until the next time the porch lights blink.
