Chronic illness, trauma, and loss have a way of stripping life down to what actually matters. When your body forces you to slow down — sometimes to a full stop — or when life deals you a blow you never saw coming, you find yourself asking questions you never had time for before. Questions about meaning. About suffering. About what carries you through the hardest seasons when nothing else can.
I’ve spent years searching for answers. In scripture. In quiet morning moments with Christ. In books that found me at exactly the right time. In the teachings of contemplative thinkers, Eastern philosophers, and wisdom traditions I once thought had nothing to offer me.
What I found surprised me.
Truth has a way of showing up in unexpected places. The teachings of Christ have been my foundation and my anchor through the hardest seasons of my life. But wisdom has also found me in a passage from the Buddha about impermanence that finally helped me make peace with a body I couldn’t control. In a line from a book that said what I had been feeling but couldn’t name. In a lesson I was trying to teach my children during our twenty years of homeschooling that turned around and taught me instead.
And sometimes wisdom finds me in my own quiet moments of reflection. A thought that surfaces during a hard day. A message about love that settles something inside me I didn’t know was unsettled. A small peace that arrives unexpectedly and reminds me that growth is still happening, even when I can’t see it. I share those moments here too — not because I have it all figured out, but because I believe we grow wiser together when we’re willing to share what we’re still learning.
This section of the site is where I share that journey. Not as a theologian. Not as a scholar. As a woman who has navigated chronic illness, trauma, and loss — and who has needed every bit of wisdom she could find just to keep going. And who has discovered that wisdom, wherever it originates, has the power to sustain us in ways we don’t always expect.
You’ll find reflections on faith here. On spiritual practice. On books worth reading slowly. On lessons passed down and lessons hard won. On thoughts about love, peace, and meaning that arrived when I needed them most. On what it means to live with intention when life has handed you something you never asked for.
Take what resonates. Leave what doesn’t. Wisdom is meant to be a companion on the road, not a rulebook.
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About Cultivate an Exceptional Life
Cultivate an Exceptional Life is a chronic illness community for women who are done waiting for their hard season to be over before they start really living.
Here you'll find honest stories, practical tools, and hard-won wisdom for building a life you love — alongside your illness, not in spite of waiting for it to get better.
Because an exceptional life doesn't just happen. It has to be cultivated.
Meet Leisa Watkins
Leisa is a chronic illness writer and advocate living with MS, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, and CFS/ME, and a mom navigating her kids' chronic illness journeys alongside her own.
She writes from lived experience and years of research, sharing practical strategies and compassionate guidance for women building a full life alongside chronic illness.
Not a medical professional. Please consult your healthcare provider for medical advice.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leisa Watkins is the founder of Cultivate An Exceptional Life and a lifestyle blogger who writes from her firsthand experience living with multiple chronic illnesses, including Multiple Sclerosis (MS), fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).
She is also a mother of children living with chronic illness. Some of their conditions overlap with her own, while others are different. She has spent countless hours researching these illnesses to advocate for and support her family. This unique combination of personal and caregiver experience allows her to approach chronic illness with both compassion and well-informed insight.
Her mission is to empower others facing similar struggles to discover resilience, joy, and purpose—even in the midst of overwhelming circumstances. Through her blog and Instagram channel, Leisa shares personal stories, chronic illness support strategies, symptom management tips, and compassionate guidance rooted in lived experience and years of hands-on research.
She believes that while MS, trauma, and other hardships may reshape your path, they don’t erase the possibility of living fully—because an exceptional life can be intentionally cultivated, even in the midst of challenges.
Medical Experience & Perspective
Leisa Watkins writes from firsthand experience living with multiple chronic illnesses, as well as supporting her children through their own health challenges. She combines personal experience, caregiver insight, and extensive research to share practical strategies and guidance for managing chronic conditions.
Note: Leisa is not a medical professional. Readers should consult qualified healthcare providers for personalized medical advice.