The Day My Arm Froze and My Life Unfroze
Let me paint the scene for ya. I’m a mom, a global business leader with autoimmune diseases, and let me tell you, mornings and I are not friends. This particular morning, my left arm was curled up on my chest in a v-shape, refusing to budge. Frozen in fear, I wondered if this was my new reality. How was I supposed to support my children, play with them, if I couldn’t move? Was this the dreaded, permanent disability I had heard about from autoimmune disease?
I put on my figurative and well-worn armor that so many moms are familiar with, so I could hide the tears, pain, and fear from my kids as I dropped the girls off and headed to my doctor. He noticed my arm wasn’t merely tight, he could not get it to move at all; my doctor looked more puzzled than a cat at a dog show. They called it frozen shoulder, but for me it was more like a frozen life! He told me to lay down in an exam room while he did some more research.
“But, I had this presentation, see?” I thought. So off I sped, clutching that folder like my life depended on it, ignoring the doc’s bewildered face.
Now, let’s get real. My arm wasn’t the only thing stuck. My whole life was spinning its wheels, going nowhere fast.
After my not so Oscar-worthy performance in the meeting room, I went back to the doctor, who loaded me up with steroids and an IV cocktail. And he said something that stuck with me: “Shayla, You will never get better, if you don’t slow down.”
Driving home, those words were on repeat. Parked outside my house, I broke down. I was, crying in my car like a bad country song, feeling lost, alone, and afraid. I was newly divorced, my autoimmune diseases had my health at an all time low, and I knew I couldn’t go on like this. I didn’t know how, but I made a promise that day – to myself, to my beautiful daughters, to every little girl out there dreaming big. I was gonna find a better way.
Little ol’ me, without shortcuts or mentors, pieced it together. It wasn’t about doing more; it was about doing smarter. I ditched the superwoman act and found what mattered. Chaos turned to calm, and dreams became reality. Balancing mom life, career, and health was no longer a pipe dream; it was my actual life. 🌻
I realized how many others could benefit from my journey, so I took everything I learned and became that mentor I always longed for. If this IHOP waitress from Kansas could make it, so can you. You don’t need a frozen arm to unfreeze your life. All you need is courage.
Ready to stop the chaos and design a life you love? Let’s Evolve together.
I’ve put together a life-changing course: Stop the Chaos for working moms to end the overwhelm before it ruins their health and happiness.
Sign up today at: www.ShaylaKing.com/stop-the-chaos
Your coach and cheerleader from next door,
Shayla
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