Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis – S8E7: Finding Work-Life Balance with MS with Heather Carrasco
Episode Date: March 11, 2026
Host: Geoff Allix (C)
Guest: Heather Carrasco (A), MS Ambassador & OMS Advocate

Episode Overview

This episode explores the personal journey of Heather Carrasco, a Los Angeles-based MS Ambassador and volunteer, as she navigates work-life balance after her MS diagnosis. Host Geoff Allix delves into Heather’s experience managing MS, lifestyle changes using the Overcoming MS (OMS) approach, and the importance of self-advocacy, community, and mental health. The conversation provides actionable insights, relatable stories, and motivational advice for listeners newly diagnosed or looking to optimize their quality of life with MS.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Heather’s Diagnosis and Early Challenges

• Initial Diagnosis Experience

  • Diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in 2023, though likely had symptoms since 2006 [01:37].
  • Faced barriers to early diagnosis due to limitations in health insurance before current employment [03:44].
  • Noted the difference in healthcare accessibility between the UK and US, and the potential impact of pre-existing condition rules [05:44].

  Quote:

  "I truly believe that because my health insurance wasn’t great, I wasn’t diagnosed a lot sooner."
  — Heather, [03:44]

• Support at Diagnosis

  • Family and friend support was crucial, even without asking [02:12].
  • Took sick leave, learned about MS, and started recommended treatment (Rituxin) promptly.

Navigating Disclosure & Explaining MS

• Approach to Sharing Her Diagnosis

  • Open with friends and family, explaining MS and fatigue in relatable terms [06:18].
  • Uses analogies: “Fatigue for MS looks like if you’re swimming with a fur coat on.” [07:24]

  Quote:

  “People will often say, ‘oh, well, I’m tired too.’ ... Fatigue for MS looks like if you’re swimming with a fur coat on.”
  — Heather, [07:24]

• Workplace Disclosure

  • Advocates a thoughtful, individual approach: once disclosed, you can’t “untell”; assess the supportiveness of the environment [20:20].

  Quote:

  “Once you tell folks that you have MS, you might want to think about because you can’t untell them anymore. ... For me at my work, I feel psychologically safe there... If I was in a different environment, I may choose not to disclose.”
  — Heather, [20:20]

Discovering and Engaging with Overcoming MS

• How Heather Found OMS

  • Came across OMS on YouTube while researching barriers to getting a pilot’s license [08:28].
  • Inspired to attend an OMS retreat in the UK with her mother-in-law [09:51].

• OMS Retreat Experience

  • Found lifelong friends, community, and reassurance for sustaining change [09:51].
  • Practical exposure to OMS diet (and recipes), renewed conviction in the simplicity and effectiveness.

  Quote:

  “I met people there that I feel like are going to be my friends for the rest of my life. ... I realized, oh, it is very simple to make these recipes and it’s very delicious.”
  — Heather, [09:51]

Lifestyle Changes for MS Management

• Work-Life Balance Shift

  • Let go of “workaholic” habits; now prioritizes efficiency, self-care, rest, and personal needs [12:02].
  • Redefined social life: from people pleaser to “putting myself in the front seat” [12:02].

  Quote:

  “I can throttle back and maybe be more effective and efficient rather than having to work so many hours.”
  — Heather, [12:02]

• Dietary Changes

  • Main pillar: Eliminated dairy, noticed benefits like reduced cystic acne [15:13].
  • Reframes restriction as choice: “I choose not to have dairy,” highlighting importance of language [15:13].

  Quote:

  “Rather than saying I can’t have dairy, it’s I choose not to have this in my diet. ... Language is important.”
  — Heather, [15:13]

• Mental Health & Mindfulness

  • Leans on therapy, MS mentors, friends/family [16:38].
  • Daily mindfulness practice (10–20 minutes) helps manage stress; recognizes its importance for emotional stability [17:26].

• Community & Support

  • Existing relationships deepened; “people just showed up” [17:57].
  • Grateful for family, especially her mother-in-law and cousin’s supportive reactions during symptom flares.

  Quote:

  “It made me feel such gratitude that I had that support there.”
  — Heather, [17:57]

Silver Linings and Personal Growth

• Positive Outcomes

  • Becoming a better self-advocate; shifting from people-pleasing to self-prioritization [19:06].
  • Feels mentally and physically better than she did decades ago.

  Quote:

  “I also feel physically and mentally better than I did 20, 30 years ago, like, just my whole life. ... I do feel there are those silver linings.”
  — Heather, [19:06]

• OMS Benefits Beyond MS

  • Host notes OMS’s holistic health benefits for anyone, not just those with MS [19:57].

Advice for the Newly Diagnosed

• Be thoughtful about when and to whom you disclose your MS [21:59].

• Seek out an MS community (OMS or other foundations).

• Learn as much as possible about MS for a sense of agency.

• Do what works for you—make sustainable lifestyle changes at your own pace.

• “Giving back” can be emotionally and physically beneficial.

  Quote:

  “Find an MS community ... because no one knows what it’s like unless they have experienced it themselves. ... There’s a lot of positive research about how giving back can make you as a person more grounded...”
  — Heather, [21:59]

Notable Moments & Quotes with Timestamps

• Defining MS Fatigue:
  “Fatigue for MS looks like if you’re swimming with a fur coat on.” [07:24], Heather

• OMS Discovery:
  “I came across a YouTube video of a woman describing the Overcoming MS Handbook and how it helped manage her symptoms ... And that opened the door for me to realize, oh, what’s this program?” [08:28], Heather

• Retreat Experience:
  “I brought [my mother-in-law] with me and ... I got that community that I was looking for. ... The food ... it is very simple to make these recipes and it’s very delicious.” [09:51], Heather

• Work-Life Shift:
  “I throttled back in a lot of ways ... it’s been an opportunity to put myself in the front seat more than I used to in the past.” [12:02], Heather

• Empowerment Through Advocacy:
  “I would like to joke and say that I’m a recovering people pleaser, but it takes practice, though.” [19:06], Heather

• OMS for All:
  “Those are things that we should genuinely incorporate into our life if you don’t have MS. ... I thought, yeah, that’s a great way of looking at it.” [20:20], Heather

Structured Timeline

• [01:13] Guest Introduction: Heather Carrasco’s MS journey
• [02:12] Immediate post-diagnosis resources and challenges
• [03:37] US health insurance impacts on diagnosis
• [06:18] Communicating MS and describing symptoms/fatigue
• [08:28] Discovery of Overcoming MS and journey to the UK retreat
• [12:02] Day-to-day changes: prioritizing rest, efficiency, self-care
• [13:32] Handling flares, keeping motivated through difficulties
• [15:13] Key OMS lifestyle changes: diet, nutrition, language
• [16:38] Mental health: therapy, mentors, mindfulness
• [17:57] Building a supportive network (family/friends)
• [19:06] Silver linings: self-advocacy, well-being, new connections
• [20:20] On workplace disclosure and perspective for all
• [21:59] Advice for the newly diagnosed: disclosure, support, learning, sustainable change, giving back

Tone:
Warm, open, and practical with a focus on empowerment, self-compassion, and actionable steps.

For more, see episode notes at overcomingms.org/podcast