Moka Best

26 December

Managing Work and Chronic Illness

Unfortunately, for most people with chronic illness, your life revolves around your condition, all while juggling the same responsibilities you had before becoming sick. If you work or have a career, just because you’re ill doesn’t mean it’s going to…

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My EDS Story – Rachel Adler

"The most beautiful thing a person can be is authentic, especially when it is hard."

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Why Your Story Matters

“Stories are a communal currency of humanity.” — Tahir Shah

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Girl sitting on couch typing on her computer.

Share Your Journey

Your journey could become someone else's survival guide.

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Young tourist woman using cell phone at airport while traveling.

TRAVEL TECH GADGETS YOU SHOULD NEVER TRAVEL WITHOUT

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6 Must-Have Travel Accessories

Cause we've got some revenge travel to do in 2021!

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TRAVELING DURING COVID-19: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

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30 December

Work With Me

Speaking & Events

LOOKING FOR A SPEAKER From conferences, breakout sessions, keynotes, and more, Moka loves to equip and empower others to live…

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29 December

Style

This Winters Top Snow Boots

There’s nothing more magical than a winter wonderland immediately after the snow has fallen and is still fresh on the…

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28 December

Chronic Illness

7 Tips For Living With POTS

At the time of my diagnosis, I had never heard of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which is surprising because,…

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Hey there! Welcome to my little corner of the internet. After suffering from chronic illness, chasing a diagnosis for nearly a decade, and almost losing my life in 2020 to my condition, my perspective on life has drastically changed. My biggest regrets in life while facing death in the eyes were not having captured more memories for my children to have, and I wish I would've left a more significant mark on the world. I'm documenting and sharing our highs, lows, and life hacks. I can't wait to connect with you!

mokabest

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Feb 21

Open

Here’s the cool thing about living Life 2.0, I give even less shiz than I did before. So, if I want to play dress up and frolic around the woods and then post pics of it on social media for no apparent reason than I’m gonna. And here’s proof of just that.

If you had a second chance at life, no inhibitions and gave no fudges, whats something you would do? 👇🏽

Also, here’s the good news, you don’t have to have a degenerative or chronic illness, or have stared death in the eyes to be living your best life! If you aren’t already, start doing it today!

mokabest

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Feb 21

Open

This was my first hike post transplant! It wasn’t easy, my hamstrings hurt, and I’m physically weak but I’m happiest when I’m in nature. Gone are the days when you’d only find me on the hardest, most remote and technical trails I can find. I’m sad about that and mourn the close of that chapter. Accepting circumstances you don’t want to is so painful. But the only direction I want to continue moving is up and onward so I’m focusing on the gratitude I have to have been able to walk the longest and slowest mile of my life today and to have gotten to do it with my boys. 💙💙 #movingmountains

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Feb 19

Open

Taking advantage of working remotely and no school on Fridays and heading off in search of some sunshine and warm(er) weather. What are you doing this weekend?

Follow me in the @LIKEtoKNOW.it shopping app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!

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Feb 18

Open

Moment of truth. I’ve been feeling uninspired, uninterested, hopeless, and lacking focus and intention. I’ve been floundering coming to terms with what’s to come next on this journey, and finding an attainable goal that makes me feel free, wild, and alive. It’s interesting how alive and yet on the verge of death these illnesses make me feel.

Spending hours in the mountains until I was covered from head to toe in dirt, sweat, pumped full of adrenaline and utter exhaustion made me feel that. I love the satisfaction I’d get after choosing my pain of choice; endurance. Bruises, calluses, and blisters from rock climbing, ski boots, running shoes, or crashing a mountain bike. I was in control but still felt so free.

Now I’m consumed by pain that I didn’t choose. Pain that isn’t brought on by my own vices. It’s accompanied by chronic illness and has robbed me of my freedoms. I’m jailed by exhaustion from the sleepless nights filled with night sweats and nausea. My days are consumed by thoughts of food and planning small meals around convenient times so my pain or vomiting doesn’t interfere with my obligations as a wife, mom, friend, employee. Anxiety all the time that I’m going to starve to death or lose whatever else I don’t want to lose control of. Gripping it as tightly as I can.

Maybe that’s exactly what the universe is trying to teach me. I can be wild, and free, and have absolutely no control. I need to let the universe guide me and recenter my compass to get back on the “right” path; even if it’s not a path I’d ever choose for myself.

I’m working on letting go. Embracing all of my ugly, all of my pain, and also all of my strength and beauty. Every ounce.

Whatever that means, whatever that looks like, I just hope it includes me being able to get back on my motorcycle this year.

So there it is. My honesty to myself shared with everyone on IG. Those are my emotional, spiritual, and physical goals, and I’m manifesting that shiz to the universe. Take it away, lady!

Do you check in with yourself regularly or find that your the hardest person to have a honest conversation with about yourself?

mokabest

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Feb 8

Open

My face be like👆🏼anytime someone says “Happy Monday!” 🤣

It’s a new day, new week. I am in charge of my attitude and get to set my intentions.

Some things I’m thankful for:
* I get to wake up and go to work when so many are out of it right now.
* Mon -Fri my kids are at in school in on-person learning this week!! Praise be cause this momma needs free public babysitting.
* Every breathe I take and the opportunity to shine my light on the hearts of others another day🧘‍♀️
* All of the people who pick me up when I fall down.

Who’s ready for the week!?

mokabest

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Jan 11

Open

They actually know us around here 😅 Their faces are all to familiar and ours to them are too. It’s a warmth you don’t want to have to feel. But, since I have to, I’m happy to feel it.

Nervously sitting here and waiting in the warmth of the light to know what comes next on this journey. I’m still trying to make sense of the experiences I’ve had with death and the “other side.” What it all means and why I’m here. I remember the conversation but don’t remember the words. I remember knowing the person but now unsure of who it was I was sitting with. It felt maternal, but who was it sitting with me when I could hear my husband pleading for me to wake up that helped me make the decision that pulled me back.

Everything made sense and felt peaceful, calm, and warm. How could I have felt that surety to then have it disappear so quickly? Why are the numbers on the scale going backwards again, pain/nausea increasing, and balance off! I just have so many questions. I know I have a great team searching for answers and am at the top of mind and discussed around their conference table. But I DO NOT want to keep sacrificing my life and be near death without being able to actually LIVE. Or is that my purpose, is that why I’m still here, to be the lab rat and help medicine and science evolve to tackle these rare diseases that should not be killing citizens in a 1st world country! If that’s the case, ok I can accept that, but I don’t want to be a passive participant.

mokabest

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Jan 6

Open

I gotta say, I’m pretty excited to restore a small piece of normalcy when I go back to work tomorrow. It’s been three months since my renal autotransplant. Three months since I’ve worked my desk job.

These past three months have held a tremendous amount of growth for me, have allowed me to restore some of my health and taught me so much about who I am and want to be. I’ve also been extremely bored, lacked mental stimulation and apparently became content creator/vlogger/blogger/all the creative things. 😂

To be honest, I’m really quite a mix of emotions at the moment. I still have plenty of doctors appointments competing for time on my calendar, and I still have issues with my transplanted kidney that we’re trying to figure out (more on that next week). On top of that, I’m still dealing with other vascular compressions, and EDS and dysautonomia don’t ever go away. I can’t help but sometimes feel like a little dark rain cloud follows me everywhere I go and is just waiting to strike me with a lightning bolt. ⛈⚡️It feels like I’m juggling a lot and is a bit overwhelming. I never thought that all I’d want to do is work. 😆

I take so much pride in my work, can be a bit type-A, and never want to let my team down. Which is really hard when so much of my life is out of my control. But there’s no sense in wasting energy stressing over the things I can’t control. So, I’m just going to let it be, breathe, and keep reminding myself how f’ing strong I am. I worked until a week before surgery and my clients didn’t have a clue that I was dying and in such bad shape because I’m a badass and pretty damn strong. I also had a ton of support at work and didn’t do it alone but if I can pull that off, I know it’ll all be fine. I’m so excited to virtually see all my work Fam tomorrow. I honestly worried I wouldn’t get to see them again and sent a letter on my last day of work to my team; essentially saying goodbye without actually saying goodbye. I really do like all those people and totally lucked out. 🥰

Check out my recent blog post (link in bio) on how I managed, and continue to navigate chronic illness and my career!

mokabest

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Jan 1

Open

New. Years. Eve. I can’t believe we survived this year and I’ve never been happier for the opportunities and growth it’s forced upon me. No matter what 2021 looks like, I’m committed to living my best “Life 2.0!”

I know 2020 was hard for EVERYONE and took a lot from us. BUT- what are you grateful that was a result of 2020?

I’m grateful for how resilient it’s shown me that I am and my family is. My body went to war with itself and I’m still here. I’m mother-f’ing Wonder Woman!!! It’s also brought amazing people into my life who’ve inspired me to be a more service oriented person. I feel that being on the receiving end of so much support and service this year really put into perspective how big of an impact that such small acts of kindness can make.

LETS DO THE DAMN THING! Happy New Years!

mokabest

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Dec 19

Open

I kinda feel like we need more caution student driver magnets....anyone else think so too?

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Dec 17

Open

What you see...vs reality. The reality is my heart is so tachy this morning and was 115bpm just standing in the kitchen so I had to sit down. My joints hurt so badly that I couldn’t cut up the fruit or hold anything heavy without my fingers feeling like they’re going to snap and I nearly dislocated my shoulder pressing the apples into the juicer. I also threw up my coffee this morning and am fighting to keep my green juice down and feed my body the nutrients it needs. This is my normal and it’s ok. Go out of your way to be kind to someone today, you never know who needs it and we’re all fighting battles that others can’t see. And also, eat your dang fruits and veggies today!!! 😂

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27 December

Chronic Illness

Love What Matters

I was honored when an editor from Love What Matters reached out to me and felt that my journey was inspirational and asked if she could feature it on their site. As hard as our health crisis has been…

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26 December

Chronic Illness