On this series we’ve talked about loss, diagnosis, and life changing overnight. Today we’re talking about what happens when the thing that changes… is your body.

In this episode of We Didn’t Plan For This, Mia shares her experience being diagnosed with Graves disease and what it felt like to live in a body that suddenly didn’t feel like her own.

Her heart rate was constantly elevated, she felt anxious and exhausted, and movement — something that had always brought her joy — suddenly became difficult and uncomfortable. For a long time, she didn’t know what was wrong. She thought it was stress, overwork, or just life.

Eventually, she was diagnosed with Graves disease, and everything started to make sense.

This episode is about what happens when your body changes, when you can’t move the way you used to, and how hard it is to step away from the practices that once made you feel like yourself.

It’s about patience, identity, health, and learning to listen when your body forces you to slow down.

Because sometimes we don’t plan for this either.

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How Yoga Changed My Life a Podcast

Send Us Your Stories!

If you have a story about how yoga, meditation, breath work, journaling, or movement changed your life, we want to hear from you!

These podcasts are really about the same thing — how people move through the seasons of life they didn’t plan for, and what helps them along the way.

If you’d like to be on the show or share your story: Fill out our guest form or email us at yogachanged@gmail.com

We Didn't Plan For This Special Series

Send Us Your Story!

This series exists because so many of you reached out and said, “I didn’t plan for this either.”

If you’ve gone through a diagnosis, a loss, a life change, a career shift, a divorce, becoming a caregiver, moving, starting over — we want to hear your story.

You don’t have to have it figured out. You just have to be willing to share honestly.

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In this week’s episode of the We Didn’t Plan For This series, Nora and Adrienne explore how sometimes life doesn’t slowly change — sometimes it changes in an instant.

Nora has done everything right. She took care of her health, exercised, ate well, and paid attention to her body — and she still got breast cancer.

She shares the reality of diagnosis, biopsies, MRIs, and preparing for a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, along with the uncomfortable and often humiliating parts of female healthcare, and how breath work became the one thing she could control when everything else felt uncertain.

From her time in the Air Force and deployment during Iraqi Freedom to the impact of burn pits, Nora reflects on how strength changes over time and what resilience actually means. She shares how breath, mindset, and her community are helping her get through one of the hardest seasons of her life.

This episode is about awareness, about using hard things as fuel to help others, and about learning to control the things you can control — especially your breath.

If you’re listening to this in your car, take a moment before you get out, pause, and take one breath.

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Wanna be on the show? Click here to fill out our guest info form or drop us a email at yogachanged@gmail.com

Follow us on TikTok:
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The theme music for this episode, “Cenote Angelita”, was written and produced by Mar Abajo Rio AKA MAR Yoga Music. Dive deeper into this and other original yoga-inspired compositions by visiting bio.site/mcrworks. For the latest updates on upcoming events featuring his live music for yoga and meditation, be sure to follow @maryogamusic on Instagram.

What helps when life suddenly becomes something you never planned for?

In today's episode of We Didn’t Plan For This, Adrienne shares where she is now after the sudden loss of her husband, Brian.

If you listened to Episodes 164 and 166 of How Yoga Changed My Life a Podcast, you already know the story of what happened. But this episode isn’t about retelling that story.

It’s about what comes next.

Grief rearranges your priorities whether you’re ready or not.

Adrienne reflects honestly on the reality of grief — navigating loss while raising her daughters, facing unexpected financial challenges, and stepping into a life she never imagined.

She shares the practices that are helping her move through this season, including meditation, breath work, community support, lowered expectations, and gentle movement.

These practices aren’t fixing grief. But they are helping her continue showing up, one breath at a time.

In each episode, we wrap up with a short guided “pause before you get out of the car” practice — a moment to breathe, reset, and gather yourself before stepping back into your day.

If you’re navigating grief, loss, or a season you didn’t plan for, this conversation is for you.

Support the Smith Family

Several people have asked how to support our family during this time. For those who wish, a link is included below. Please know there is no expectation — your care and presence already mean so much.

https://givesendgo.com/Smithfamilysatx

Send us Fan Mail

How Yoga Changed My Life a Podcast

Send Us Your Stories!

If you have a story about how yoga, meditation, breath work, journaling, or movement changed your life, we want to hear from you!

These podcasts are really about the same thing — how people move through the seasons of life they didn’t plan for, and what helps them along the way.

If you’d like to be on the show or share your story: Fill out our guest form or email us at yogachanged@gmail.com

We Didn't Plan For This Special Series

Send Us Your Story!

This series exists because so many of you reached out and said, “I didn’t plan for this either.”

If you’ve gone through a diagnosis, a loss, a life change, a career shift, a divorce, becoming a caregiver, moving, starting over — we want to hear your story.

You don’t have to have it figured out. You just have to be willing to share honestly.

Follow us on TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@yogachanged

Follow us on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/yogachanged/

For more, go to https://howyogachangedmylife.com...