Freedom To Know Wellness

04/13/2026

🧡 Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) Awareness

Today, April 13th, is FND Awareness Day, and the entire month of April is dedicated to its awareness. This is a moment to shine a light on Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), which often presents as a Functional Movement Disorder. It is an elusive, yet common condition frequently found in movement disorder patients when a traditional diagnosis isn’t immediately clear.

For many in the chronic pain community, FND manifests as complex, involuntary movements or severe convulsions affecting specific parts—or the entire—body.

🌀 The Invisible Link:
FND can be triggered by trauma, an accident, or a medical event gone wrong. For me, it was a dental and chiropractic misalignment that set this journey into motion.

🛤 A Journey of Progress:
I’ve come a long way from consistent, terrifying emergency runs to the hospital, including fellow FND Warrior friend and author . Healing isn't a straight line, but there is a path forward.

🎧 More To Come:
There is so much more to discuss about this complex condition. We will be deep-diving into this topic in future episodes of the Freedom To Know Wellness podcast.

Follow for updates, and let's break the silence on FND.
🔗Link in Bio

04/13/2026

Bringing Awareness to Black Maternal Health Week, April 11th - 17th.

https://open.substack.com/pub/freedomtoknowwellness/p/treated-differently-because-of-your?r=1h5wzp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Black Mental Health Week 2026

04/11/2026

“Treated differently because of your race in medicine?” 🏥✊🏾

​It’s the start of Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17). We’re discussing medical gaslighting and managing chronic pain within the healthcare systems of 🇨🇦 & 🇺🇲.

​Watch the full episode: “Black Maternal Health & Chronic Pain” S2:Ep1, https://youtu.be/sVsPQfOlGPc🎙️✨

​

04/10/2026

Watch the Full Episode! Recap of The FOLD Canada 2025 featuring: Ozoz Sokoh, Daniel Maluka, Shade Lapite, TanyaTalaga Morgan P. Campbell,
Amanda Leduc, Dr. Amal Elsana Alh'jooj, Denise Da Costa, Simone Dalton, Andrea Currie and The FOLD's own Jael Richardson.

Watch and get inspired to attend The Festival of Literary Diversity 2026.

https://youtu.be/3ln4nTSRtKk

Celebrate 10 years of The FOLD with Freedom To Know Wellness in the series finale of Disability & Healing Stories – FTKWellness @ The FOLD! 🌟Experience The ...

04/07/2026

Catch our fun, engaging, and healing coverage of the 2025 Closing of our at The FOLD Canada 2025 Recap, leading up to The FOLD's 2026 festival.

Featured Authors:

Morgan Campbell, Tanya Talaga, Amanda Leduc, Dr. Amal Elsana Alh'jooj, Ozoz Sokoh, Shade Lapite
and Naomi Kojokaro.


Special thanks to The FOLD Canada, and Lara Tai for the live video coverage.

https://open.substack.com/pub/freedomtoknowwellness/p/healing-through-the-creative-pen?r=1h5wzp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Disability, literary diversity, and "Dodo"😉 —FTKWellness wraps up our most powerful series yet.

04/02/2026

Healing: The Power of Being Seen ✍️✨

"One day, I’ll make her voice heard." 🕊️

Amal Elsana Alh’jooj .elsana.alhjooj shares the breathtaking moment her sister finally saw herself in the pages of a book. After a lifetime of burying her notes out of fear, Amal's writing became the mirror she needed to finally see her own strength—and it changed her life forever. 📖❤️

True healing begins when we stop hiding our stories and start owning them.

✨ Watch the full episode: "Healing Through Stories: Defying Silence"
🔗 Link in bio to watch on YouTube!

Freedom To Know Wellness...Where Voices Are Heard!

Footage at 2025
Raw Video Footage by

04/01/2026

New Freedom To Know Wellness Article Featuring author Amanda Leduc on managing Disabilities in the Workforce.

https://open.substack.com/pub/freedomtoknowwellness/p/navigating-the-shame-of-keeping-up?r=1h5wzp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web


The FOLD Canada

Author Amanda Leduc on why dropping the ball is an act of integrity in a non-accessible-minded workforce.

04/01/2026

"It’s actually okay to let some of them go." 🧶✨

We often feel a deep sense of shame when our health or disability can’t keep up with our schedules. Amanda Leduc (.leduc ) reminds us that staying true to your integrity and wellness is more important than meeting a deadline "half-assed" at the expense of your mental status.

Sometimes, the most creative thing you can do is give yourself permission to rest. 🌿

Have you ever felt the "shame" or frustration of having to slow down due to your disability? Let's talk in the comments. 👇

🎥🎙️Watch the Full Episode. https://youtu.be/7-CAg1PG6cE

Interview helda 2025
Video footage by

03/30/2026

Facts When Managing . Pace yourself. Assess what your limitations and gradually increase. We often want to more...but hey, that's why it's known as the over achievers "dis-ease".

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BJrF9H9PX/

😥Sinéad’s plea for "quiet" was a revolutionary act of self-preservation. She understood that for those with sensitized nervous systems, noise and chaos aren't just annoying - they are physically painful. By advocating for a quiet life, she validated the "homebodies" and the "recluses" who choose peace over the spotlight to maintain their health. 🤫🏠

She spent years explaining that her withdrawal from the public eye wasn't a sign of weakness, but a requirement for her survival. Her words serve as a guide for anyone feeling pressured to "keep up" with a world that doesn't stop. She reminded us that there is profound dignity in choosing a smaller, quieter life if it means living without agony. 🌿🕊️

03/29/2026

"Writing Beyond Barriers"♿️ with .leduc. Acclaimed author and cerebral palsy activist Amanda Leduc shares insights on navigating disability in the workforce—especially in the arts.

Available on FTKWellness 🔴 YouTube channel and 🟢 Substack, 🍎Apple Podcast and more!

🔗🔴 https://youtu.be/7-CAg1PG6cE

Filmed at The FOLD Canada 2025
Live FTKWellness footage by Lara Tai

03/28/2026

Something special for your Sunday morning. ☕️✨

We decided to shift our final Women’s Month episode featuring the incredible and acclaimed author and disability activist Amanda Leduc to tomorrow morning, Sunday, March 29th.

As we wrap up a month of powerful stories and advocacy, we wanted to give this conversation the space it deserves—away from the Saturday rush. Amanda’s insights on disability, storytelling, and the female experience are the perfect way to reflect on the progress we’ve discussed all month.

Set your alarms for 10:00 AM. Grab a coffee, settle in, and let’s close out Women’s Month together.

🔗 Watch Here: https://youtu.be/7-CAg1PG6cE

ALSO, if you MISSED our episode with acclaimed First Nations author, Tanya Talaga, watch it here: 🔗 https://youtu.be/AO9d4nnhmwM

03/24/2026

“We all share the same stories.” 🎙️✨

Award-winning author and journalist Tanya Talaga  sits down with Lara Tai  and FTKWellness to discuss her powerful memoir, "The Knowing".

We dive deep into the truths of the Indian Residential School system, Indian Hospitals, and the collective history that connects First Nations families across Canada. This is a conversation about reclamation, memory, and the healing that comes from uncovering the past.

"It’s time to change the narrative. Healing starts with the truth." 🧡

Watch the full episode now!
🔗 Link in Bio or watch here: https://youtu.be/AO9d4nnhmwM

Interview conducted at  2025 festival.