But You Look So Good

Two psychologists on a mission to illuminate the realities of living with chronic health conditions. Hosted by Sally Shaw and Seona Ilalio, both living with chronic conditions themselves. They lead Livology, a private practice specialising in psychological support for those navigating chronic health challenges. Tune in to hear candid conversations and professional insights designed to create community and connection within the chronic health conditions population.

Latest Episodes:

An Interview with Tessa: Living with Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

What if the doctor tells you there's nothing wrong, but you know that there is? What if you spend two years being dismissed, misdiagnosed, and left without answers, all while living in some of the most excruciating pain imaginable? That's exactly what today's guest, Tessa, experienced when she was eventually diagnosed with glossopharyngeal neuralgia, a rare and devastating nerve condition sometimes known as the suicide disease. Tessa is a psychologist who specialises in chronic illness, eating disorders, and disability, so she brings not only her clinical expertise to this work, but her own profound lived experience as someone navigating multiple invisible and dynamic disabilities. In today's episode, Tessa takes us through her long road to diagnosis, the reality of living with chronic-- the reality of living with constant chronic pain, and what it means to be both the provider and the patient. She shares the tools and boundaries that help her live well, the unique gifts and challenges of working in a space you've personally inhabited, and why finding your howl-at-the-moon person might be one of the most important things that you can do. We hope you enjoy this episode.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

If you need any support after listening to our podcast, you can contact Lifeline in Australia at 13 11 14, available 24/7. For support in other locations, please visit⁠ ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Can we all Benefit From Creativity, Even if We Are No Good at It? Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

Living with a chronic illness can shrink your world. Medical appointments, symptoms, fatigue, and uncertainty can begin to define your days. But creativity offers something illness often takes away: choice, expression, purpose, and joy.

In this episode, Sally and Seona explore their own creativity, as well as chat about the science behind art therapy and creative activities, why they improve mental health, and how anyone—regardless of artistic ability or physical limitations—can benefit. Whether you pick up a paintbrush, a crochet hook, or a camera, creativity isn't about producing masterpieces—it's about healing your mind while your hands are busy.

An Interview with Clara: Being a GP and a patient Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Today we're speaking with Clara, a GP from Scotland who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014, just months after the birth of her first child.

As a doctor, Clara had spent years recognising symptoms in other people. But when those symptoms appeared in her own body, she found every reason to explain them away. In fact, she admits she almost felt like she was humouring her neurologist by agreeing to the tests that would ultimately confirm her diagnosis.

In this episode, we explore what happens when medical knowledge collides with denial, why Clara chose to keep her diagnosis private for six years, and how becoming a patient reshaped not only her understanding of healthcare but also the conversations she now has with the people sitting across from her in the consulting room.

This is a thoughtful conversation about the complexity of being both the clinician and the patient and the assumptions we make about illness, even when we know better.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

The Parent Guilt Trap Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

Does living with a chronic illness leave you feeling guilty about the kind of parent you are? Whether it's missing school events, cancelling family plans, needing extra rest, or feeling like your children are missing out, parental guilt can be overwhelming. In this episode, we explore why guilt is so common for parents living with chronic health conditions, the difference between guilt and shame, and how unrealistic expectations can keep us feeling like we're never enough.

We also discuss what children truly need to thrive, the surprising strengths families can develop through adversity, and practical strategies to let go of perfectionism and build meaningful connection. If you've ever questioned whether you're a "good enough" parent, this compassionate conversation is for you.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

An Interview with Jacqueline & Alexa: Dating, Disability and Building Dateability Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

What happens when you realise the dating world simply wasn't designed with people like you in mind?

After years of navigating chronic illness, more than 40 surgeries, and life with a feeding tube, Jacqueline found that one of her biggest challenges wasn't her health—it was dating. Not because of who she was, but because dating apps weren't built with disabled and chronically ill people in mind.

Together with her sister Alexa, she set out to change that by creating Dateability—the world's first dating app designed specifically for the disabled and chronically ill community.

In this episode, we talk about dating with a disability, navigating disclosure, relationships, identity, inclusion, and what it's like building a business from lived experience.

This is a warm, funny, and refreshingly honest conversation about love, resilience, and creating the kind of world you wish already existed.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Managing Menopause with a Chronic Illness Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

Menopause can be challenging for anyone—but when you're already living with a chronic health condition, it can feel like a whole new layer of symptoms, uncertainty, and frustration. In this episode, we explore the complex relationship between menopause and chronic illness, including why it can be so difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins.

We discuss the common overlap of symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, sleep disturbance, pain, mood changes, and cognitive difficulties, and how these can affect people living with conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, autoimmune diseases, chronic pain, and other long-term health conditions. We also explore the wide variation in menopausal experiences, treatment options including hormone therapy and non-hormonal approaches, and important considerations for bone health, cardiovascular health, mental wellbeing, and quality of life.

Whether you're experiencing menopause yourself, supporting someone who is, or working in healthcare, this episode offers practical information, validation, and strategies for navigating this significant life transition with greater confidence and self-compassion.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

An Interview with Chris: MS, Sport and Rebuilding Identity Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

Today we're sitting down with Chris Henderson, a man who in 2017 went from playing football in regional Victoria to sitting in a hospital bed being told he had multiple sclerosis, and then being told he'd never play sport again. For someone whose identity was built around sport, that news was devastating. But Chris found his way back to sport and discovered a completely different version of himself, one who plays wheelchair AFL professionally, coaches, captains the Geelong Basketball Club, and has represented Australia internationally.

He's also the founder of Freedom Sports, an organisation taking wheelchair sports into schools across Victoria, reaching more than 10,000 students last year alone. But before any of that, there was a time when Chris told almost nobody about his diagnosis, because saying the words out loud made it real, and every time he tried, he cried. This is a conversation about identity, grief, masculinity, sport, and vulnerability.

We hope you enjoy listening to Chris's story

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Understanding Your Nervous System: Flight, Fight, Freeze and Fawn Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

Living with a chronic health condition can feel like you're constantly fighting your own body. But what if many of the challenges you experience—fatigue, pain, brain fog, anxiety, overwhelm, poor sleep, and even burnout—are connected to the way your nervous system is responding to ongoing stress and illness?

In this episode, Seona and Sally explore the nervous system in simple, practical terms and discuss how understanding it can help people living with chronic illness respond to their symptoms with greater compassion, flexibility, and confidence.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Anne’s Voice: The invisible work of Type 1 Diabetes Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to Anne's Story.

Today, you'll be hearing Anne Freeman's voice and story.

Anne was 21 years old when she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. What followed was not only the challenge of learning to manage a lifelong condition, but also the emotional and psychological impact of adapting to a future she had never imagined for herself.

In this Voices story, Anne reflects on the realities of living with a condition that never takes a day off. She speaks candidly about diagnosis, identity, motherhood, resilience, and the invisible work that goes into managing Type 1 Diabetes every single day.

As with all Voices stories, this is an opportunity to hear directly from someone living the experience—because behind every diagnosis is a person, a life, and a story worth hearing.

We are incredibly grateful to Anne for sharing hers.

This is Anne's Voice.

Anne's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/annefreemanwrites

Anne's Website - for books, events, workshops and more - https://www.annefreeman.com.au/

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

Webinars and Resources⁠

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠

Toxic People and Protecting Your Wellbeing Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Living with a chronic health condition means your energy is precious. So what happens when the people around you leave you feeling drained, criticised, guilty, or emotionally exhausted?

In this episode, psychologists Dr Sally Shaw and Seona Ilalio explore the impact of toxic relationships on our mental and physical health. From friends and family members to health professionals, they discuss how to recognise unhealthy relationship patterns, the questions to ask yourself when assessing a relationship, and practical strategies for setting boundaries and protecting your wellbeing.

You'll learn how to identify the people who support your health, limit exposure to those who don't, and give yourself permission to prioritise your own needs. Because sometimes self-care means carefully choosing who gets access to your energy.

⁠⁠⁠Livology (Psychology - Private Practice)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠MS: Get Your Head Around It! (Online Course)⁠⁠⁠

⁠But You’ll Be OK (Online Course)⁠

⁠Webinars and Resources⁠

⁠⁠Instagram @butyoulooksogoodpodcast⁠⁠