We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chandler Johnson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chandler below.
Chandler, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I get my resilience from a deep desire to fulfill my dreams and an inherent trust that God is guiding my path. I also get my resilience from my dad – he was a molecular biologist and professional chef. Being a Black man in spaces where he was almost always the only one of his pantone in the room, he had to build a level of resilience to continue pursuing his passions and pioneering towards his goals. Society told him all his life that the life he envisioned wasn’t meant for him. My dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015 and passed away in 2018. It was through his resilience and alignment with God that we saw miracle and miracle that allowed him to extend his life. From the moment of his diagnosis, my dad was an advocate for his own care – being a molecular biologist, he had actually worked on some of the cancer drugs that he was taking for his own healing. He was extremely sharp and always curious to learn more. Both of these traits contributed to his resilience. Along the journey of my grief, I developed debilitating chronic pain, which included chronic migraine, fibromyalgia, occipital neuralgia, and the list goes on. I was in 24/7 severe pain for years to the point of being on disability, unable to work. However, just like my dad, I remained resilient – always asking questions, never settling with a diagnosis that didn’t seem right to me, and never giving up hope. Ultimately, I was a resilient advocate in my own treatment. In my endless research I discovered work regarding the way the mind and body are deeply intertwined, and how the body becomes conditioned to respond to pain. The brain continually misfires pain signals even when there is no structural cause; this is called neuroplastic pain. The continually responses result in chronic pain symptoms and even chronic illness. Through this work, I was able to overcome my chronic pain and decided to make it my life’s work to educate others on this phenomenon in order to help them heal. It’s amazing how the resilience of one person can impact resilience in others.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
As a former psychotherapist, I’ve always had a fascination with the brain and passion for advocating for mental health. After years of dealing with chronic pain and chronic illness, I decided to take my career journey in a different path, while still focusing on mental health. I created my brand, Mindfully Chic – Mindfully Chic is a mental health and wellness platform focused on nervous system regulation and healing chronic pain. Taking a holistic yet scientific approach to healing, Mindfully Chic provides education on the mind-body connection, practical mindfulness and cognitive reframing techniques, and relatable and accessible guidance towards healing the mind, body, and spirit.
My brand started as just a platform to advocate for mental health and wellness, and to discuss my chronic pain and illness struggles with a community. Once I learned more about the mind body connection and neuroplastic pain, I used my platform to teach others the ways in which they can actually HEAL their chronic pain – something that most individuals have never been told. This is especially the case for underserved populations whose physical and mental health has historically been undermined, discarded, and devalued. Currently, I am in the process of creating a self-guided Chronic Pain Recovery Course, as well as one-on-one coaching sessions for those dealing with chronic pain and chronic illness symptoms. I want those dealing with chronic pain and chronic illness to have resources to regulate their nervous system aside from medication and physical treatments. I want to give others hope that they can HEAL from chronic pain and chronic illness and get their lives back.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Staying curious – Staying curious was so impactful on my journey because it helped me to never give up. Following in my dad’s footstep, I’ve always been a natural researcher. I seek to find the root of things in life. I’ve also always been fascinated by science, medicine, and the human body and brain. My fascinations mixed with my curiosity pushed me to get to the root of my chronic pain. My curiosity helped to expand my mind beyond the physical – to understand myself on a deeper emotional and spiritual level. My advice to individuals who are dealing with chronic pain or chronic illness, or even those wanting to figure out their career path, is to stay open and curious to all possibilities. Don’t just settle for the way things have always been done, what the statistics say, or if someone tells you that you can only go so far or heal so much. 2. Perseverance – Perseverance was so impactful on my journey because there were so many times that I wanted to give up. I had to constantly remind myself that I was destined for more than being captivated by chronic pain. I also learned that perfectionism has no place in perseverance. I had to realize that I did not have to heal “perfectly” or do all of the “right” treatments or practices – I just had to keep going, in any way I could. I had to take things day by day, moment by moment, trusting that even in my lowest times I would never give up. My advice to others is that though adversity comes, it’s important to understand that it’s temporary. This is something that my fiancé continually reminded me of along my journey. I know that many people have been living through adversity for the majority of their lives and it’s difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But if we can shift our mindset to celebrate the small wins, we can gain a new perspective even through our adversity.
3. Mindfulness – Mindfulness was life-changing for me on my journey because it reconnected me to myself at a time when I felt like my body was betraying me. Attaining radical acceptance of the present moment, without judgmental, is so crucial to heal from pain, anxiety, depression, stress, and more. My advice to do those on their healing journey is to adopt a mindfulness practice – this could be a guided or silent meditation for even ten minutes a day, or noticing everything you see, smell, and hear on a peaceful walk. It can be checking in with yourself throughout the day to make sure you are taking full (rather than shallow) breaths and dropping your shoulders away from your ears. With practice, mindfulness will become a lifestyle.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My fiancé has been the most helpful in helping me overcome my challenges with chronic pain and supportive with me building my business. Throughout my chronic pain journey, he has always told me that our struggles were temporary. He never gave up on me. He always says “us” and “we” in every situation as he reminds me that we are in every aspect of life together. In my worst days, he is always there to lift me up, physically and emotionally. He has always reminded me of my self-worth. I thought I was confident before knowing him, but he has uplifted me to a level of knowing my potential that I never thought I could reach. The love he shows me is the kind of love reminiscent of my dad – unconditional, genuine, and everlasting. Both dealing with chronic pain and starting a business are challenging, draining, and test both your relationship with yourself and your relationship with your partner. My fiancé has helped me appreciate both the highs and lows in life and brought me the type of joy I could have never imagined.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/mindfullychic
