Wendy Rae Fiallo

Behind what’s pretty…

This past year brought the biggest health collapse of my life. It wasn’t loud or visible—it was internal, confusing, and lonely.
I slowly stopped going places. I laughed less. I scared more easily. My energy disappeared. My light didn’t go out—it went quiet.

In September, I woke in the middle of the night to a terrifying vestibular episode—vertigo, panic, sweating, nausea, and four hours of feeling completely out of control. ER visits and specialists later, I learned my nervous system was in overload. Anxiety. Trauma. A body that had finally reached its limit.

I started medication after a lot of resistance. I used to equate it with weakness. Now I understand how protective it can be—how sometimes it’s the thing that holds you steady long enough to heal.

Two months later, a moment in the car triggered a PTSD response tied to a trauma I survived years ago. Days after that, shingles appeared—my body’s final way of saying I can’t carry this anymore.

And still… life kept moving.
I kept showing up—running a business holding space for others, parenting pains and joys, supporting my husband, attending recitals, celebrating holidays and birthdays, trying for “that body”, pushing through days I didn’t feel inside my body.

This is one of the most beautiful photos ever taken of me—and it was captured right in the middle of all of this.

The last slides in this carousel show another truth too: the nonstop ADHD swirl in my head. Screenshots of questions, ideas, spirals, lists, curiosity, urgency—a 24-hour glimpse into how busy my mind still is, even while my body is asking for rest.

I’m sharing this because mental health isn’t always obvious. Trauma doesn’t ask permission. And strength doesn’t always look strong. Sometimes it looks like bending a knee. Slowing down. Letting yourself be held by grace instead of pushing past it.

I don’t have answers yet. I’m still learning how to listen to my body without fear.
But if any part of this feels familiar—if you’re quietly carrying more than you let on—you’re not alone. And you’d never have to explain yourself to me, because I already get it. Here’s to 2026, let’s see how much better it can get.

🖤

Hahahaha. Okay I like it. Merry Christmas. 🎄🎁

Spent our Thanksgiving at The Angus Barn… 10/10 loved it! Magical! ✨✨✨✨✨
Thankful for this life, for all of you and for what the future holds. Sending so much love to you and yours!