<p>Welcome to season 4 episode 7 of A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast! </p><p>What can tarot have to do with rebuilding your sense of self after chronic illness? More than you might think.</p><p>I sat down with Megan Hamilton, a professional tarot reader, speaking coach, musician, and host of the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/embracing-enchantment/id1777078567" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Embracing Enchantment podcast</a>, for a conversation about identity loss, the grief of realizing you can&#39;t go back to who you were, and why the safety we thought we had was maybe never quite real to begin with.</p><p>Megan introduced me to a concept called self-efficacy, which is the idea that keeping the promises you make to yourself, even tiny ones, builds the kind of trust with yourself that actually sticks. We talked about why celebrating a small win is genuinely neurological rewiring, not toxic positivity. And somehow we ended up at a very personal confession about how long I sometimes wait to go to the bathroom.</p><p>We also got into tarot as a tool for accessing truth you can&#39;t reach through thinking alone, why ritual doesn&#39;t have to be elaborate to be meaningful, and what it actually looks like to find magic inside a life that&#39;s been turned upside down.</p><p>Megan is one of those people who makes you feel immediately at ease and then quietly rearranges how you see things before you&#39;ve realized it&#39;s happened. This one is for anyone who is learning, slowly and imperfectly, to treat themselves like someone worth taking care of.</p><p>Find Megan&#39;s podcast information at <a href="https://www.embracingenchantment.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">embracingenchantment.com</a> and follow Embracing Enchantment wherever you get your podcasts. If you&#39;d like to book a reading with Megan, or work with her as a coach, check out https://www.impactwitch.com/ </p><p><strong>Resources &amp; mentions in this episode:</strong>Mundane Magic by <a href="https://mollydonlan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Molly Donlan</a> (Megan mentions &quot;pub day&quot; for this new book. We recorded this a few months ago and I&#39;ve been delayed in releasing new episodes because of my TBI symptoms.) Self-efficacy: concept introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura</p><p><strong>Connect with A Friend for the Long Haul:</strong>Email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>Long Haul Line: 720-432-9368Substack: f4lh.substack.comMerch: Bonfire shopAmazon storefront</p><p>And on Instagram at both https://www.instagram.com/impactwitch and https://www.instagram.com/embracingenchantmentpod This show is just me. One AuDHD, queer, disabled lady with multiple chronic illnesses and one very mildly decent mic. I do everything you just watched with no team, no network, and no budget, which is either impressive or unhinged. Possibly both. If this episode meant something to you, I&#39;d appreciate your kind support by sharing it with someone who would also enjoy it. You can also leave a review wherever you&#39;re listening, spoons permitting. It genuinely changes what this little show can do. There&#39;s also merch and a chaotic Amazon wishlist that help loads if you want to support that way. Okay. That&#39;s it. Low budget, high love, always. I&#39;ll see you next time.Connect with Beth:Email: [email protected] Haul Line: 720-432-9368Substack:<a href=" f4lh.substack.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"> f4lh.substack.com</a>Merch: <a href="https://www.bonfire.com/store/a-friend-for-the-long-haul/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://www.bonfire.com/store/a-friend-for-the-long-haul/</a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1F1EPRRPS71QH?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_JBK6W6T5XCD1HQN6EB7S" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">My Amazon Wishlist</a>Venmo: @afriend4thelonghaul</p><p></p>