What happens when your body stops letting you participate in the world? When sound becomes pain, light is unbearable, and stress tips you into collapse?
In this deeply human episode of Suddenly Different, Leigh-Anne speaks with first-time podcast guest Jo Morton from The Good Energy Room—an embodied advocate whose life was hijacked by dysautonomia (including POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), chronic fatigue and widespread hypersensitivity.

Jo takes us inside the six-year slide into shutdown, the loneliness of being disbelieved, and the microscopic work of finding safety again—word by word, breath by breath. We unpack practical shifts that mattered (changing “How are you?” to “Nice to see you”), the role of nervous-system retraining, IV support, and why she followed an energy-based protocol that coincided with her cognition switching back on. There’s no silver bullet here—just observable change, heart-rate variability insights, and a family re-knitting itself around possibility.

Highlights:

• Dysautonomia, MCAS & POTS—how they can present and why they’re often missed

• Hypersensitivity & language: the nervous system “hears” your words

• Micro-wins: wrapping a child’s birthday present; the first stand-up hug; returning the wheelchair

• Choosing “yes” signals: food, movement, media, conversations

• Data, dignity & hope: tracking change and building capacity

If you’ve felt invisible in your illness, may Jo’s story give you the slow, steady kind of hope that rebuilds from the inside out.

Links:

The Good Energy Room

https://goodenergyroom.com.auDysautonomia resources

https://potsfoundation.org.au

https://dysautonomiainternational.org

Sometimes life doesn’t whisper — it stops your heart. For Eugene Moreau, a triple bypass became a defining moment. Recovery wasn’t just about healing a body stitched back together. It was about reimagining what it means to live, to love, and to lead with purpose.

In this episode, Eugene shares how he moved from being “mentally arrested” in hospital to deliberately reauthoring his life. We talk about legacy, ageism, faith, and the role of neuroplasticity in rewiring both brain and heart. We also explore how resilience grows in the ordinary moments of holding a grandchild, choosing presence, and focusing only on the three things only you can do.

If you’re navigating your own suddenly different moment, this conversation will remind you that scars can become stories and second chances can be compasses.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode discusses workplace bullying, suicidal thoughts, and coercive behaviours that may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care as you listen.

What happens when the place that pays your bills, shapes your career, and holds so much of your identity becomes the very place that breaks you?

For Michael Plowright, workplace bullying wasn’t just uncomfortable — it was devastating. Constantly undermined, coerced, and stripped of confidence by a manager, he reached a point where suicide felt like the only option.

But Michael made a different choice: he chose to live.

In this raw and deeply human conversation, Michael shares the pain of that time, the decision that kept him here, and the path that led him to create Working Well Together — a business dedicated to building respectful, safe workplaces free from bullying.

This episode is a reminder of the unseen toll workplace bullying can take, the courage it takes to speak up, and the power of transforming pain into purpose.

💻 Learn more about Michael’s work: workingwelltogether.com.au
📞 If this episode raises anything for you, please reach out for support. In Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. If you’re elsewhere, please contact your local crisis helpline.