Recovery stories, made easier to learn from.
Each Cheat Sheet turns one full recovery interview into a clear, one-minute read, so you can find the main ideas without using the energy required to watch the whole conversation.
Sign up today and receive ten Recovery Interview Cheat Sheets straight away, followed by one new Cheat Sheet each week.
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Alisoun Mackenzie, a seasoned coach and healer from Scotland, couldn’t escape the push-crash cycle despite all her training and tools. Then the concept that “if symptoms aren’t structural, they’re neuroplastic” clicked, and within weeks of joining Brain Retraining 101 she felt like herself again for the first time in years.
What wasn’t helpful
- 🩺 Dismissive Doctors – Told “we don’t know what makes women tired”
- 🛏️ Resting More Alone – Kept declining despite extra rest
- ⚖️ Mixed Movement Messages – Confusing advice on pacing vs. activity
What was helpful
- 💡 Understanding Neuroplastic Symptoms – Game-changing lightbulb moment
- 🙏 “I’m Safe” Tapping – Calmed fear response to fatigue
- ⏰ Hourly Nervous System Resets – Pattern interrupts throughout day
- 😊 Embracing Joy – Focused on joyful activities now and future
Key resources
- 📺 Recovery Stories – Restored hope and belief in possibility
- 🧘 Nervous System Tools – Breath work, yoga nidra, somatic tracking
- 💪 Gradual Movement Building – Consistent, gentle strength rebuilding
- 🛡️ Boundary Work – Learning to say no and communicate needs
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Louise McAllan, a teacher from Scotland experiencing a host of debilitating symptoms, was suddenly hospitalized with seizures. She was given a diagnosis of ‘functional issues’, which felt like a dismissal, and she was sent home without help, completely disabled.
If Louise hadn't seen her close friend, who was so ill for years, recover in just weeks using the Curable App, she probably would still be campaigning against mind-body approaches!
What wasn’t helpful
- 💊 Conventional Medicine - Failed her at her worst.
- ❌ Limiting Beliefs - Stole her hope.
What was helpful
- 🧶 Knitting - Distracted her from symptoms.
- 👥 Crafters Meetings - Community helped her cope.
- 🧘♀️ Mindfulness - Got her through during her darkest days.
- 📖 The Way Out by Alan Gordon - Got her interested in neuroplasticity.
- 🧠 Addressing Emotions - Unlocked a path to full recovery.
Key resources
- 📘 Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Dr. Sarno - The book she initially dismissed set her on a recovery path.
- 📱 Curable App (affiliate link - 6 weeks FREE trial) - Helped eliminate chronic migraines.
Scroll the card to read the full Cheat Sheet ↕
You should not need an hour of energy to learn from one recovery story.
Nearly 300 people have shared their recovery stories on my YouTube channel. Together, those interviews contain years of hard-won experience, practical ideas and evidence that meaningful change is possible.
But when you are living with ME/CFS, Long COVID or related symptoms, even a helpful video can be too long, too demanding or simply too much for that day.
The Cheat Sheets give you another way in. You can understand the main story, see what helped and decide whether you want to explore the full interview, all in your own time.
The parts of the conversation most worth remembering.
Each edition is designed to help you understand the interview quickly, without reducing a personal recovery story to a list of miracle fixes.
The recovery story
A short account of what the person experienced, what kept them stuck and what began to change.
What helped
The ideas, practices, support and turning points the guest found most useful.
What did not help
The approaches, beliefs or patterns that added pressure, fear or confusion.
A clear next step
Links to the full interview and any useful resources mentioned in the conversation.
You do not have to wait for next week.
When you sign up, you will receive ten Recovery Interview Cheat Sheets from some of the most useful conversations on the channel.
They are there to give you a manageable place to begin. Read one now, save the rest for later, or simply keep them until you have more capacity. There is no schedule to follow and nothing to keep up with.
Get the 10 Free Cheat SheetsSee exactly what lands in your inbox.
This recent Cheat Sheet covers Björn Borgers’ recovery from Long COVID, including hidden stress, symptom tracking, nervous-system work and the importance of looking for evidence of safety.
You can read the whole edition before deciding whether the Cheat Sheets would be useful to you.
Read the recent Cheat Sheet →
Björn Borgers developed chronic symptoms — chest pain, palpitations, then a long list — that led him to a Long Covid clinic, where he was told to measure and limit every activity. But his symptoms never matched what he did, and that curiosity led him to the neuroplastic approach and his own recovery.
What wasn’t helpful
- 📊 Tracking Every Symptom — Increased hypervigilance and fixation
- 📉 Constantly Measuring Activity Levels — Didn't reveal consistent patterns
- 😟 Assuming Every Sensation Meant Damage — Kept the nervous system on high alert
- 🔬 Searching For One Perfect Explanation — Delayed exploring other possibilities
What was helpful
- 📝 Building a Positive Evidence List — Looking for moments symptoms didn't follow the expected rules
- 🔍 Noticing Inconsistencies — Symptoms changing with context, stress, or attention
- 💛 Approaching Recovery With Curiosity — Rather than demanding certainty
- 🧠 Understanding Chronic vs Acute Stress — Realizing stress isn't always obvious
- 🎉 Focusing On Joy & Meaning — Sending the nervous system signals of safety
Key resources
🧠 Brain Retraining 101 – bite-sized video lessons and 4 live group coaching sessions every week to help you build confidence and stay consistent.
🎁 Special Offer for the community: Use code BJORNFIFTY to save $50 👉 Join Brain Retraining 101 today.
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