Episode 109: Life is Hard Part 2 + A Special, On Our Knees Gratitude Update

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Today’s episode is just the two of us because we felt we needed to share what has been going on in our personal lives. We wish we could say that things have gotten easier since our last life update, but they’ve actually gotten harder. Despite this, we’ve both learned so many lessons, and we have so much to be grateful for, and you’re going to hear about it all in this very personal episode.

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Episode 109: Life is Hard Part 2 + A Special, On Our Knees Gratitude Update

In This Episode

  • An update on Mike’s health [1:26]
  • What things have affected Kate recently [3:44]
  • Mike’s breakdown and spiritual journey [6:52]
  • Some good news from Kate [10:11]
  • How the Universe will test us [11:44]
  • What these times have taught Kate [13:55]
  • What Mike is grateful for [21:17]
  • How you can get Kate’s new book [29:24]

Selected Links from the Episode

Pre-Order Kate’s New Book! Get on The Origin Waitlist! Episode 95: Life Is Hard. Here’s What To Do About It.

Kate’s Blog Post, The Magic in the Minutiae

World Service Institute

I Don’t Want to Talk About It by Terrence Real

The Lonely American Man Podcast

How Can I Help? by Ram Dass

Connect with Kate & Mike on Instagram!

People Mentioned

Glennon Doyle Abby Wambach Dr. Christiane Northrup Sabine Jackson Licia Morelli

Podcast Details

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20 comments

  • Mariana

    Mike, I honor your courage, facing health issues and feeling such intense pain is debilitating, and I must say taking the time to find beauty in the little wonderful moments is admirable. Sometimes everything has to fall apart so it can fall in place.
    Kate, your honesty about how you are feeling at the moment with yourself and others is authentic and real, guess you’ll both be uncovering hidden treasures through and through.

  • Dear Kate and Mike,
    Thank you for the generous sharing of your experiences with a confusing diagnosis, exploratory treatment, and the impact it’s having on you as individuals and as a family. Listening today I felt the Universe affirming my recent decision to give greater focus to my business for family caregivers. I’m a teacher and consultant for family caregivers but I’m finding that we seem to be missing younger caregivers who are dealing with a spouse/partner/friend healthcare issue. We tend to focus more on the aging population. However, statistics tell us that the second largest group of caregivers are Millennials. In this group, male millennials offer caregiving more than their older counterparts. I loved how you honestly spoke about the line between compassion and resentment. It’s hard, but necessary, to talk about the caregiver experience in order to help the caregivers take better care of themselves. Clearly, this is a transformative experience (damn!) and you will both change as a result. It’s alchemical and you’ll find more gold under the surface. I’ve been on the cusp of clarifying my business and having been in Origin, Money Love, and B-School you have helped me move closer. If I can be of service to you, please do not hesitate to ask (hard for caregivers). You’re already doing a great job letting others help. In gratitude, Kathy Koenig

  • Whoa. Life is freaking hard for you two! Thank you for sharing such rawness—vulnerability IS a superpower and y’all need some capes.
    S
    As I was listening… while grocery shopping after my kidddoa are in bed, because it’s kind of like a vacation… there was so much that resisted and sounded familiar. And I keep thinking about when my own husband went through a crazy skin freak out that sounds similar but started with a poison oak thing. Maybe I even wrote you about this before. I also keep thinking, Kate’s mom is a doc, hey are connected, they know and I don’t need to add my 2c but, I’m just going to do it because maybe you haven’t heard of this. My husband went to acupuncture with our naturopath and she recommended this tea called Alterative tea. Check it out. If it helps, great and if no, also great. The other thing that really helped him was pure Shea butter. He likes the Alaffia brand.
    I am so glad that you have a supporting community near you to cook and clean for you. And it’s so wild to listen to how you really are needing to use this time to walk your talk and that the stuff you teach really works. Your work is helping so many of us. Thank you! And of course as mama to 5 who has been through several rough patches, I know the abundant joy that these little creatures bring us. Yay! Much love to both of you!

    • Kate Northrup

      Thank you for your love and suggestions Sarah! We’re so grateful to people in our community like you who’ve been holding us during this time. The good news is that I think we’re through the worst of it and he’s healing well. But, woah. Talk about needing a dose of your own medicine. It’s been quite an interesting season!

  • Palmer

    Hi, I’m sure you’re not interested in a million suggestions about what to do for Mike, but I just have to say I hope Mike will consider acupuncture and Chinese herbs. I had a severe autoimmune condition that responded to acupuncture in a miraculous way (and I’m not generally prone to miracles). I never looked back. There is a longer story about Rheumatology and cortisone, but really the acupuncture is the point.

  • Chara

    Mike–and Kate–what a major cleansing with these excruciating skin issues. I’ve been going through my own physical intensity so I can empathize. I know there is true healing, illumination, love, and wellness on the other side, for both of us. Stay on the healing path! It takes courage, I know.

  • Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I’m sending positivity to your family during this time. My take away was the test from the universe. It brought tears to my eyes. As a health coach I’m definitely feeling this right now. I’m not practicing what I preach and it has me on this roller coaster that isn’t the most fun. Thanks for the aha!

  • Laurie Scott

    Hey Mike, so sorry to hear about your condition. I’m impressed with how you are responding to it. Really good to hear about your “lightning bolt” experience with God and your turn for the better. Much love to you, Kate and your girls on this healing journey.

  • Made me cry! I miss my home country Philippines. That was how we know and love our neighbors and treat them as family. In Burbank, where we live now we don’t know our neighbors )-;

    As a health coach, these are instances where sometimes I can’t help myself but give unsolicited advice but I know you got this Kate and Mike!

    So sorry for the pain brought about by the sickness. Also thankful for the life’s wisdom you are sharing because of the sickness.

    I miss having babies in our home because of genuine joy they give to the whole family!

    Praying for your quick recovery Mike!

    God bless!

    • Kate Northrup

      Thank you for listening in Majoy! Yes – that close knit community and treating neighbors as family is an incredible gift that’s often lacking here in the states. I really appreciate it in our hood. Sending you lots of love Majoy!

  • Kate and Mike,

    I’m sending you both so much love. I applaud your strength and willingness to see the light in what can feel like intense darkness. You both have gifted me in so many ways in dealing with my own challenges and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Praying for more and more light to be shown with the progression of each day.

    Love & Blessings!
    Pam

  • Nina

    I salute Mike for talking about men and loneliness. My husband is an extremely outgoing libra. He is a people’s person and is feeling so low and isolated at mid life. He refuses to talk about it or even read about it so I think that Mike is graced insofar as he is willing to read and educate himself. We have had a similar year – very tough with some very surprising life changing diagnosis that have brought me to my knees in prayer.. I knew I had a choice. I could hang out in ‘camp despair’ or ‘camp hope’and I chose the latter. I prayed for divine intervention and believe that help has come and more is on the way. Just know that you will be looked after by divine forces and move forward in that mindset. much love to you both

  • Nina

    Sanoviv – Go to Dr. Mark Hyman’s fb page. He has done a review on this state of the art, fully licensed hospital and he says when all else fails then it’s the place to go?

  • It made me laugh so much to hear the « it smells like popcorn » phrase 😂😂
    God bless you all , praying for you all 🙏🏾

  • Katie

    What if you are going through all that healthy crisis, two children, plus financial crisis. Lucky you all are financially stable already before this happened. You haven’t seen anything.

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