Jodie Nimigon-Young was diagnosed with lupus the week before her 13th birthday — after almost a decade of symptoms nobody could name. She was told she wouldn’t finish high school, wouldn’t complete post-secondary, and wouldn’t have kids.

She’s now a social worker in healthcare, a mom of two, and co-author of Fabulupus: How to be young, successful and fabulous (with lupus) — written with Jessica Kundapur, and for a long time the only book of its kind for young people with chronic illness.

In this conversation with Karin Wagner and Chris Burton, @

Jodie gets into:

• Why she modifies the timeline instead of dropping the goal
  

• How to request workplace accommodations WITHOUT disclosing your diagnosis — and the safety exception nobody talks about
  

• Why “should” is the most damaging word in her vocabulary
  

• The two hardest stretches of her life (neither one was a flare)
  

• How she tells a new partner about lupus — and why a bad reaction is useful information
  

• What invisible strength actually means when you’re not the “rah-rah” type
  

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Fabulupus by Jodie Nimigon-Young & Jessica Kundapur: https://amzn.to/4wTViHJ
(As an Amazon Associate, Invigorate Your Journey earns from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra and helps keep this show going. Thanks for supporting us!)

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🔗 FOLLOW JODIE
Instagram: @fabulupus.book

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:44 Who Jodie is: social worker, author, mom
02:05 The mindset behind “young, successful and fabulous”
04:16 Symptoms at 4, diagnosis at 12
06:27 The hardest years: ages 13 to 16
08:47 Sick Kids, and seeing what happens without support
10:01 Why she never hid her diagnosis
13:30 Telling your employer — what you do and don’t owe them
17:32 Rock bottom: fertility treatment and COVID isolation
21:30 Mindfulness, movement, and doing what the day allows
23:29 Her relationship with her body over 29 years
28:11 “Should is a bad word”
29:29 Managing projects with an unpredictable body
31:32 The gifts inside the journey
35:48 “Be water”
36:26 Naming her privilege
38:11 Dating and disclosure
43:06 If you were diagnosed last week
44:20 What invisible strength means to Jodie
47:09 Where to find Jodie and the book

🌐 Resources, coaching & support to invigorate your chronic illness journey: https://www.invigorateyourjourney.com

⚠️ Disclaimer: This content is for education and shared experiences only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare team before making changes.

Selflessness is essential to good leadership. The decisions leaders make impact people they will never meet so they should not be made hastily or with malicious intent. Proverbs teaches us, “when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” I imagine terrible leaders imagine themselves on the top of …

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You really can’t knock the hustle. We knew something was afoot once the umlaut showed up on streaming services. Jaÿ-Z began a brilliant rollout of tracks that provided the soundtrack for my adolescence to a new generation. While noticing this, I realized how few Jaÿ songs I played in the car and how my sons really did not know his music like that. I’d played enough clean edits of Nas and Biggie for the boys to have their favorite records but the third wing of the NY triumvirate was less familiar to them. And honestly I don’t know how that happened. For years, I cycled between streaming services—including TIDAL—and made playlists to enjoy every December 4th. Jaÿ’s music is an example of what I love most about hip-hop from my youth, it made you aspire. Jaÿ had my generation going to parties dressed like we were going to a job interview. All that hypercapitalist energy made you want to be somebody!

I changed trains at two fifth and a mystical throughline helped me clock everyone who was on their way to the show. Out of towners, gentrifiers, and those from the soil all had a certain look of anticipation as we stood on the train platform. One cat wearing a Knicks jersey, fitted, and cable link exemplified my feeling of how Jaÿ’s concert is a continuation of a top tier NY summer. We piled onto the train and I overheard conversations of folks who came up from Baltimore, Atlanta, flew in from Vancouver, and Seattle. It’s another glimpse of how the specific taps into universality. Jaÿ wove tales of surviving Brooklyn that seamlessly fit into American mythology and everywhere where Horatio Alger echoes.

I watched the show with its brilliant use of videos interspersed with American flags, urban life, and crosses and saw an artist using his medium to communicate a problem to a people he helped lull to sleep. Jaÿ delivered another freestyle with a critique for his critics turning the accusation of being a sell out on its head by acknowledging the sold out show he headlines. Hearing him point out that his detractors prolly had an Amazon account and therefore are hypocritical for criticizing his business dealings with Target made me think about the dangerous trajectory of that line of thought. It is a line of thought that I believe Jaÿ shares with his detractors. It is not productive to demand perfection from one another. What some call contradictions, I see as complexities. I taught and ministered to children on the same Brooklyn streets Jaÿ illustrated with hopes of providing a path away from those realities. When I was in high school, I protested the building of the Barclays Center not knowing that I would take my kids there later in life. I am mindful of my complicity and understand that I will never reduce my participation in harm to zero. Yet we still must have space to challenge each other to do better. If a rebuke is going to be met with a retelling of my faults, then what is the point of keeping each other on point?

I met up with two of my friends from our Hip-Hop discord channel and our conversation eventually drifted toward abolition. Jaÿ is often rightfully criticized for believing capitalism is our way out rather than our cage but with the stakes as high as they are (and always have been?) I’m also tired of cannibalizing. We spend so much time picking each other apart because we disagree on solutions rather than embracing those who also recognize that there is a problem. The forces that seek our destruction have put their differences aside in the name of their common goal. We have an obligation to each other. An obligation that is fulfilled in the midst of our dynamic, never arriving selves. There is always room for us to get better and there is always room for us to celebrate one another.

In my most generous thoughts, I think of Shawn Carter as a man who embodies the American definition of success and overcame insurmountable odds to do so. If you experience that kind of winning, you would want to lay the blueprint out so that others can trace your steps as best as they can. I can see his articulation of financial freedom as a form of generosity and inspiration to others. I know entrepreneurs who came up in similar circumstances whose ambition is undergirded by “Jaÿ made it, I can too!” Confessedly, whenever I have success in my career, I play something from Jaÿ’s catalog to celebrate.

I went to the concert to celebrate my brother’s 40th birthday. We talked about being friends since 7th grade, my first year at our school. I mentioned how Volume 2 came out that year and its popularity made my transition into a new school easier. He remarked how there weren’t a lot of us at that school and I shared how my strategy of getting through was to not pay attention to how few in number we were. My mindset is best captured by Jaÿ’s articulation on “Pound Cake”, “Less is more…it’s plenty of us.” As my son begins middle school in parallel circumstances, I hope he finds similar rocket fuel.

It is not easy being in a new environment and the difficulty increases when the ceiling they try to place over us is so low. I live my life largely unconcerned with such low expectations and am training my sons to move through the apartheid with the appropriate armor. The gravity of oppression intends to crush our bones and our spirits, it is up to us to remind ourselves of our greatness and to teach our children that their own excellence is accessible.

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When I was a child, my mom and I had a ritual. We would walk over to the library, get a grip of books that covered a variety of subjects and, as a reward for being a voracious reader, I would get to bring home VHS tapes that covered NBA history. I learned about Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem, Elgin Baylor, Jerry…

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Went to the beginning of my book of notes and covered:

John 2 and the omnipotence of Jesus

Leviticus 3 and the peace offering

Hebrews 9 and Christ as perfect and permanent sacrifice

1 Peter 3 and honoring your wife

Psalm 83 and the tradition of lament

Proverbs 28 and reparations

Jon 28 and wisdom

Ruth 1 and provision

Amos 5 and repentance

Acts 20 and falling asleep in church

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Taking another cruise through scripture making stops in:

Peter’s Denial of Christ (Matthew 26)

David on the run from Saul (1 Samuel 21)

Job’s friend talking terribly about him again (Job 11)

Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9)

AND MUCH MORE

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Yesterday I had the joy of preaching at First Congregational church of Montclair. It is a church that was founded by abolitionists and where my brother, Rev. John Rogers, co-pastors.

In this sermon, I explore the essential nature of rest and its relationship with peace.

When we long to rest or dream of freedom, we are imagining a particular type of peace. How do our imaginings of peace overlap with the divine promise of rest?

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Today I am trying a new format I am going to call “Morning Meds Deluxe” where I let the commentary breathe a bit.

Let me know what you think!

This phrase, “these are the days we will always remember,” jumped into my mind as I made my way to the church. I thought about the hill and gully ride this journey in ministry continues to be. And, in all of it, we give thanks.

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I am such a fan of his music and am excited for you to check out his music too.

He is a key part of the burgeoning Jazz scene in Richmond, Virginia and on this episode of BaddestChaplain, we talk about his journey.

From growing up in Norfolk, living in the Philippines, and blending his roots in the church with his brilliance in jazz, this is a conversation you will want to hear!

Follow George at his website www.georgecruzmusic.com

I had a great time preaching in my new call as Associate Pastor at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church. It is a special week in my work there as next Sunday I am formally installed and ordained into this role.

It’ll be on YouTube and I’ll be sure to post it here next week!

Speaking of YouTube, today’s service can be viewed in its entirety below.

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Learn more about Dr. Sadler’s vision for North Carolina here.

Earlier today I had the joy of returning to Davidson College to speak at Baccalaureate.

Very much still processing this wonderful opportunity. For now, I can say that it was truly an honor to share some words with the graduates and I hope what I shared is helpful.

Watch the full service here.

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One birthday my Mom and I took the bus to my favorite mall. While sitting on the bus, I heard a man toward the back of the bus arguing with other passengers. He was shouting his opinion about the state of the world, the plight of Black people, and who was responsible. Although he started out shouting, somehow his voice…

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We discuss the complexities of human trafficking, the importance of long-term aftercare, and how faith-based and community efforts can make a difference.

Our conversation emphasizes trauma-informed practices, survivor-centered approaches, and the vital role of community in eradicating exploitation.

Learn more about Safe House Project here.

Resources

Safe House Project

OnWatch Training Series

Simply Report App

Trauma-Informed Admission and Intake White Paper

Chapters

00:00 Understanding Aftercare in Human Trafficking

04:16 The Role of Partnerships in Aftercare

05:33 Identifying Gaps in Traditional Shelter Models

08:02 Restorative vs. Safe Environments

10:22 Faith-Based Approaches to Aftercare

17:57 Individualized Support for Survivors

22:10 Trauma-Informed Intake Processes

26:09 Myths and Blind Spots in Professional Training

27:29 Media Narratives and Public Perception of Trafficking

29:43 Understanding the Reality of Trafficking

32:34 The Lifelong Impact of Trauma

35:23 Faith and the Call to Action

40:56 Safe House Certification: A Gold Standard

45:25 Legal Barriers for Survivors

49:25 Upholding Dignity and Choice

Favourite Quotes from this convo

“Hope without resources is cruel.”

“Lifelong trauma requires lifelong support.”

“God is closest to us in our suffering.”

In today’s sermon we explore the mysteries of God’s timing, the ubiquitous nature of suffering, and the importance of faith and God’s faithfulness. I pray that this sermon encourages you to keep going in spite of the challenges.

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In today’s sermon we explore the divine nature of Jesus as demonstrated by omniscience in John 4. This is a call to love and demonstrate hospitality. I pray that you are encouraged to trust in God’s plan and activate your compassion in a divided world.

Watch the full service here.

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Sales emphasizes the significance of creating heroes from within one’s own experiences and the journey of a creator, while also reflecting on redemption through storytelling and the impact of hip hop on narrative. The conversation concludes with thoughts on the essence of true peace and the aspirations for future storytelling.

Get your copy of “Disturbing the Peace” here: https://5137732626126.gumroad.com/l/hvvup