Q&A with Jenna Ziegler “I thought I was letting go of my dream job. Turns out, this decision led me to this new career that brings me joy I didn’t know possible.”

A few years ago, I was planning to start a writers’ group, but due to my health changing unexpectedly, I was never able to get one up and running. So I was pleasantly surprised when blogging made that happen in a way I didn’t expect. Blogging allows me to connect with other writers, and I get especially excited when those writers love the creative side of writing, like fiction and poetry. That’s one of the reasons I’m thrilled to be able to introduce you to Jenna Ziegler, a chronic illness blogger and aspiring novelist.

Jenna runs the blog The Comical Colon, where she shares her medical journey in a comical light to encourage others to share their unique health journeys. When I found her blog, I immediately sent a link to a friend who was recently diagnosed with colitis because I knew she could benefit from Jenna’s informative and upbeat writing.

When chronic illness threatened her opportunities to have the schooling and career she desired, Jenna found that her health also brought new options for pursuing her love of writing. She’s been blogging since March 2018 and she’s also an aspiring author. Jenna shares about her writing journey (including participating in NaNoWriMo) plus numerous helpful chronic illness resources in this interview.

I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Jenna on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.

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Interview with Jenna Ziegler from Chattanooga, Tennessee, age 25
On self care, life with ulcerative colitis & adapting your writing dreams

Cassie: What is something you love or something God has given you a passion for?

Jenna: The top three things God has given me a passion for are:

• Writing
• Patient advocacy
• Health, nutrition, and fitness

But, undoubtedly, my main passion in life is writing. I fell in love with storytelling at a very young age—babbling stories as a toddler before I could hold a pen and then writing stories on binder paper and reading them aloud to any willing (or unwilling) family member.

This love blossomed in sixth grade when I began avidly writing poetry after submitting a poem for extra credit that impressed even the teacher. Over the years, this love for poetry grew into a passion for all kinds of storytelling—from copywriting to novel writing.

Now, I’m a chronic illness writer for my blog, The Comical Colon. I’m also working remotely for two health companies where I get to write articles, email newsletters, and social media posts to help others along their chronic illness and wellness journeys. It’s so amazing to infuse pieces of my health story into these educational and inspirational pieces of content.

Lastly, I’m an aspiring author currently working on two manuscripts. One is a post-apocalyptic novel and one is a creative non-fiction book about accepting life with chronic illness. I’m excited to continue exploring these two vastly different topics that God has placed on my heart.

Cassie: Please briefly share the names of your chronic illnesses along with a brief description.

Jenna: I have three autoimmune chronic illnesses.

The first is ulcerative colitis—an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). If you’ve heard of Crohn’s, it’s pretty similar to that. Ulcerative colitis is characterized by a chronically inflamed colon, which results in intense belly pain, urgent bowel movements, extreme fatigue, and other symptoms that manifest outside the gut.

I also have primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), which is a rare, progressive, non-alcohol-related liver disease. (In fact, it’s somehow related to IBD (though reachers are still trying to figure out the specifics). Luckily, my doctor found it early on, so right now I’m asymptomatic. PSC occurs when the liver’s bile ducts become inflamed, which causes liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and eventually liver failure. There is no cure; the only thing that comes close is a liver transplant. I’m thankful I have years to accept this before it’s time for that.

Lastly, I have enteropathic arthritis—an inflammatory arthritis associated with IBD. Right now, the pain is mild and manageable with a medicated cream, and I only experience it in my fingers, shoulders, and elbows.

Cassie: What is one of the most difficult challenges you’ve experienced due to your illnesses? How has that challenge shaped you? 

Jenna: The most difficult challenge I’ve experienced is when I had to drop out of college. 

I worked in human resources since graduating from business school in 2016. But over time, I began to realize it wasn’t fulfilling. Living with chronic illness inspired me to switch to the health field. I quit my job in June 2018 and went back to school to become a dietitian!

But a few short weeks after starting my summer courses, I fell into the worst flare of my life. The fatigue and brain fog were so severe that I couldn’t understand or retain my chemistry lectures. I began to fail the exams. 

I missed class because my pain was at its peak in the mornings, trapping me in the bathroom until the afternoon every day. (I was working with my gastroenterologist during this time, but nothing we tried could get this flare under control.)

With the pain and my slipping grades, I knew I wouldn’t pass the classes. So I dropped them, completely devastated. I finally was paving my way to get a job in the health industry, and I failed. The thought of returning to HR stripped little bits of my soul.

All of this has shaped me and my career goals because, during the months off school and work, I decided to pursue health writing and work from home. While I healed, I took online courses to sharpen my skills in copywriting, SEO, and brand management. Now, I work remotely for two health companies, writing and managing social media.

When I dropped my nutrition courses, I thought I was letting go of my dream job. Turns out, this decision led me to this new career that brings me joy I didn’t know possible.

Cassie: What is something you would like people to better understand about your illnesses?

Jenna: I wish that people better understood the exhaustion that accompanies my illnesses. After my IBD diagnosis, I noticed a shift in the amount of rest and sleep I need in order to function well. I need nine to ten hours of sleep each night; this means I’m very particular on how I spend my energy throughout the day. I wish others would understand that when I decline a last-minute invite or cancel my evening plans, it’s not because I don’t want to hang out with them. It just means that I don’t have enough energy that day. Battling three autoimmune diseases is tiring because my body is constantly attacking itself. It’s draining. I promise, I want to hang out with you, but let’s reschedule. I just need more rest today 🙂 

Cassie: Tell me about a time when someone came through for you when you were going through your health struggles.

Jenna: About a year ago, I was in a horrendous ulcerative colitis flare. During these flares, I’m nearly housebound—going to the bathroom 20+ times per day, experiencing extreme gut pain, and feeling trapped in debilitating fatigue. I had been in this flare for several weeks and was feeling lonely because I hadn’t been able to see my friends all that time. They came up with the idea of all traveling from various nearby towns to hang out with me at my apartment. They ordered pizza and we sat on my living room floor talking and laughing. It reminded me of the wonderful college days (all these women had been my roommates). My friends came through for me and created one of the best experiences even while I was in one of my worst flares.

Cassie: What advice or encouragement would you offer to someone going through chronic illnesses?

Jenna: I have two pieces of advice for anyone recently diagnosed or anyone who feels lost in chronic illness. 

The first is to find community! When I was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, I shut myself off from friends and community because I was fatigued, in pain, and I didn’t want my pain to bring down any of my friends. I wish I didn’t do this. I wish I reached out to my friends who were wanting to help me from the beginning. Find community—whether in person or online—as soon as you can. It’ll make things easier in the long run.

My other piece of advice is to try to practice self-care each and every day. When I was first diagnosed, I reserved self-care and relaxation to “when I had the time.” I was diagnosed in college, but I didn’t slow down. I pushed myself staying up late to study and doing homework instead of taking much-needed breaks. I’d highly recommend you find something relaxing that you enjoy and make time for it every day (or at least most days of the week!) For me, I either journal, lift weights, walk in the neighborhood, or sit outside in the sunshine every. single. day. Self-care will help destress you and give your body a rejuvenating break.

Cassie: What is something God is teaching you recently?

Jenna: Recently, God has been encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone, particularly in the sense of expanding my advocacy work beyond my blog. It’s always scary to step out of your comfort zone, but I’m ready for the growth that occurs outside those lines. I’ve applied to be a speaker at a 2020 chronic illness advocacy conference and I’m learning more about legislative activism through the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. I’m even writing a creative non-fiction book about learning to accept my new life with chronic illness. I’m excited to see what God does as I continue to step out of my comfort zone.

Cassie: What is something you are most thankful for right now?

Jenna: My husband and I just moved into our very first home. After years of saving, working hard, and living in two tiny apartments (one in California and one in Tennessee) we are finally homeowners. I’m so incredibly thankful because it’s given me several things that help me prioritize self-care. I now have a safe neighborhood I can walk around each day. We have a fireplace that effectively warms up my perpetually cold, arthritic hands. And for the first time, we actually have closets, which makes me feel way less stressed knowing that our place isn’t a cluttered mess due to lack of storage space. Self-care is a key component in my disease management, and I’ve noticed my stress levels have decreased since moving here (after the stress of unpacking, of course!)

Cassie: Are there any resources you can recommend that encourage you through your chronic illnesses?

Jenna: For IBD, I have several recommendations:

• Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation: A non-profit foundation with countless online resources, support groups, fun fundraising events, educational conferences, and advocacy and volunteer opportunities
• About IBD blog and podcast: Run by IBD advocate Amber Tresca, she blogs and podcasts about all things IBD—from advocacy to exercise tips.
• Ostomy Diaries: If you’re considering bowel surgery or already have an ostomy, I highly recommend the Ostomy Diaries, run by Amber Wallace. She’s active on YouTube and Facebook and provides tips and tricks for life with an ostomy bag.

Here’s my top resource for PSC:

• PSC Partners Seeking a Cure: A non-profit organization with incredible resources and support for those living with this rare disease. They even have a yearly conference for patients where medical professionals speak about updates in the industry and tips for living with PSC. They also have a helpful podcast, called Living with PSC Podcast.
• PSC Partners Seeking a Cure also has wonderful resources on Facebook, including a page, a public group, and a private group. All of these can help support, encourage, and connect you with others!

For enteropathic arthritis, I’d recommend: 

• Spondylitis Association of America has some information on enteropathic arthritis, including treatment options, educational materials, and even support groups.

Cassie: I’m a bookworm and I have to ask: Read any good books lately?

Jenna: What’s funny is, though I’ve loved writing all my life, I’ve only gotten into reading recently! The use of audiobooks has turned me into an avid reader. Three recent books stand out to me. The first is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. She describes nature in such beautifully raw and unusual ways. I’m also currently reading Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. It’s incredibly insightful and hilarious, and every reading session inspires me to write more of my manuscripts. Lastly, I’m just getting into the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, and oh my goodness, the action and fight scenes are amazing inspiration for my own fiction novel!

Cassie: What is something else you would like people to know about you?

Jenna: My husband and I have an all-black rescue cat named Newbert. He’s basically a dog in a cat’s body because he plays fetch with his toy mice, even to the point of panting like a puppy. Newbert is my personal heater, and because I work my two jobs from home, he sleeps on my lap literally all day long.

I actually won NaNoWriMo this year! Just barely! 50,192 words! I’ve participated in years before, but this was my very first time winning. I haven’t even finished writing the whole story yet, so after taking a breather, I plan to finish writing the manuscript and then dive into the editing phase.

I work as a social media manager for Gali Health—a start-up tech company designing an AI-powered app to help people proactively manage their IBD. I also work for another start-up company called Lyvecap, a probiotic line. I do media relations and assist with copywriting and social media.

I’d love to meet you! Come say hi on the blog or on The Comical Colon’s Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Thank you Jenna!

Let us know what you enjoyed about this interview and what you learned in the comments!

Read more Invisible Illness, Visible Worth interviews here.

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Opinions and views are those of the interviewee. This blog post is meant for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.

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