Your Mind, Your Body, Your Comeback
- Jan Carter
- Oct 25
- 14 min read
Season 1 Episode 1
Episode Summary
What if your body's biggest crisis became your greatest superpower?
In this first episode of "Second Wind", host Jan Carter reveals how his near-fatal health event — extensive bilateral pulmonary embolisms — led him to discover the profound, scientific connection between mind and body in recovery. From the surprising truth about chronic stress and healing, to practical strategies like "movement as medicine" and the "gut-brain axis," you'll learn how to flip your script from a vicious cycle to a virtuous one. Plus, hear his powerful comeback story and learn the single most impactful action you can take today to start reclaiming control of your health.
If you've ever felt overwhelmed by a health challenge, this episode offers a roadmap to building a more resilient you, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.
Key Moments:
00:00 Rebuilding Life After Health Crisis
05:47 Healing Through Gentle Movement
08:40 Power of Conscious Breathing
10:29 Comeback Corner Podcast Launch
16:15 Rebuilding Life After Health Crisis
17:52 Embracing Growth and Resilience
Episode References and Further Reading:
The Most Powerful Medicine for Physical and Emotional Recovery
I. Introduction
"I remember it vividly. My oldest son and I were going to be late for his swimming lesson. 'Let's jog the last few blocks!' I said, trying to make up time. But after just half a block... I had to stop. I was completely out of breath, my lungs struggling for air. I told him to run on ahead, watching him go, while I walked, just trying to catch my own breath.
I assumed I was just a classic dad in his 40s, run down by work and family life. But the shortness of breath did not go away, so I decided to go to a clinic later that afternoon and get a quick check, fully expecting to be told I just needed more exercise and maybe had some kind of chest infection.
I was poked, then I waited, then prodded, then more waiting, then wheeled to different machines, and then left to wait again, then a doctor would walk in and say they hadn’t found a cause so the process repeated with different tests, more blood work, more machines. For several hours. And then I had a CT scan.
Suddenly, the entire feeling in the room changed. The calm vanished, replaced by an unmistakable urgency. The doctor and nurses moved with sharp purpose. I was informed I urgently needed an anticoagulant, which the nurse injected into my belly, and I was told that they had booked an urgent appointment with a specialist and that I needed to 'Go straight there. You cannot afford to miss this.'
The diagnosis was extensive bilateral pulmonary embolisms. Blood clots had travelled from my left calf, through my heart, and created a dense spider’s web of blockages in both of my lungs.
What followed was months of treatment and recuperation. This past year has been about adapting—adapting to what my body can do while on lifelong medication, and the constant work of getting myself stronger to be in the driver's seat of my life again. And in this journey, I’ve learned that I was fighting a physical, mental and emotional battle. How you think and feel profoundly, scientifically, impacts how you physically heal. In this episode we will discuss how this connection is your superpower and have strategies to use it to build a more resilient you."
II. Main Content
A. Understanding the Connection: More Than Just Feelings
"So, let's get into the science. When you go through a major health event, your brain registers it as a threat and it flips on the survival switch. This is the 'fight-or-flight' response, and it floods your body with stress hormones, primarily cortisol. In the short term, cortisol is a lifesaver. But when the stress of recovery becomes chronic—the daily anxiety, the strain, the fear—those cortisol levels stay elevated.
And here's the crucial data point: chronically high cortisol levels suppress your immune system and actually slow down your body's healing process. This creates a vicious cycle. The stress from your health event slows your physical recovery, which then causes more stress. But here’s the most important part: you can flip the script. You can create a virtuous cycle. When you actively use strategies to manage your mental state, you can lower cortisol and release beneficial chemicals that create a biological advantage for healing.
"It's a truly baffling design. It’s like there’s a small fire in your kitchen, and your body’s emergency response is to send in a volunteer firefighter who, instead of grabbing an extinguisher, starts smashing all the windows in the living room for ‘ventilation.’ You’re standing there thinking, ‘Thanks, but you’re not helping! You’re actually making this whole situation much, much worse.’ That’s what it felt like—my own internal crisis team was running around creating chaos, when all I wanted was to regain a little bit of control."
Myth Buster Minute
"This brings us to our first Myth Buster Minute. Myth: Recovery is purely physical. Your feelings are a side issue. Truth: Your emotional and mental state are powerful drivers of your physical healing. Science, particularly the field of Psychoneuroimmunology, has proven this beyond a doubt."
B. Practical Strategies for Nurturing Both
"Okay, so how do we create this virtuous cycle?
First, Create Routine & Structure. After a crisis, your world feels chaotic. A simple routine is an antidote. It provides predictability, which calms your nervous system and gives you a sense of control.
"And I’m not talking about a military-grade schedule. My first 'routine' was so pathetic it was hilarious. It was: 1. Wake up and sit up. 2. Take my medication without coughing it out. 3. Make it downstairs and sit on the couch. That was it. But checking off those three things felt like I’d just won the World Cup. My brain, bless its terrified little heart, didn't know the difference. A win is a win."
"Second, Movement as Medicine. Gentle movement helps your body metabolize excess cortisol and boosts the production of BDNF, which you can think of as 'Miracle-Gro for your brain.' Crucially, start from zero and talk to your doctor about what is safe for you.
"My path to physical recovery felt like walking down an overgrown path in the woods. So my first 'workouts' weren't really workouts at all. In my mind, it was just me showing up each day with a small pair of shears to cut back one single thorny branch that was blocking the way. It started with that walk down the stairs, then walking to the end of the block and back. It was a tiny act, but it was progress. I wasn't thinking about the end of the trail; I was focused on the simple, controllable act of clearing the very next step in front of me."
"Third, Nourishment for Resilience. Now, this is a fascinating area of science that has exploded in recent years. It's all about something called the gut-brain axis.
Think of it like a direct, two-way super-highway that’s constantly running between your gut and your brain. This isn't just a vague connection; it's a physical one, made up of millions of nerves. The main nerve, called the vagus nerve, acts like a massive fibre-optic cable, sending messages back and forth 24/7.
Here's the wild part: your gut is where your body produces a huge amount of its mood-regulating chemicals, like serotonin—often called the 'happy chemical.' It produces so much that scientists have nicknamed the gut our 'second brain.'
So, when your gut is unhealthy or out of balance, it doesn't just stay in the gut. It uses that super-highway to send stress signals and inflammatory messages straight to your head. This can directly lead to brain fog, anxiety, and a lower mood, making your mental and emotional recovery that much harder.
This is why what you eat is so critical. You're not just feeding your stomach; you're fueling your mind. You don't need a punitive diet. The goal is simply to add more anti-inflammatory foods to support both your physical healing and a more stable mood.
"I had to reframe how I thought about food. My body wasn’t a problem to be managed; it was a construction site, with a dedicated crew working 24/7 to rebuild. The food I ate? That was their daily supply drop. I realized I had total control over that. I could send down junk, or I could send down the good stuff—the steel, the concrete, the wiring they actually needed to do their job. It wasn't a diet; it was me taking charge of the supply chain for my own recovery."
"And that brings us to the most powerful tools: Mindset Shifts and Connecting with Others. It starts by giving yourself permission to feel what you’re feeling. The trick isn't to fight it, but to acknowledge it. Then, you pivot. You shrink your focus to one question: 'What can I control in the next five minutes?' Often, the answer is your own breath. Deep breathing is a physical command. It activates a nerve in your body that acts like a biological reset button, shifting you out of that high-alert state.
"And I stumbled into this one completely by accident. In those early days, my shortness of breath was so bad, I couldn't take a fast, panicked breath. I was physically forced to breathe slowly... deeply... deliberately. It felt like a limitation, a defect. It was only months later, when I read about the vagus nerve, that I realized my own body's limitation had accidentally forced me to practice one of the most powerful calming techniques there is. I was doing it for survival, but I was accidentally getting all these other health benefits."
"But this internal work is only half the equation. The final, non-negotiable piece is Connecting with Others. A landmark analysis found that people with strong social connections have a 50% increased likelihood of survival after a major health event. That's a bigger impact than quitting smoking. Your support system isn’t just a comfort; it's a medical necessity.
"And I leaned into that last one hard. I decided early on not to hide what was happening. Pretending I was okay was exhausting. Talking about it, saying the scary parts out loud, took their power away. And more importantly, it was like turning on a light in a dark room. Suddenly, I could see other people who had their own comeback stories. They weren't just inspirational; they were a roadmap. They had practical, real-world advice on everything from nutrition to navigating doctors' appointments. They were living proof that you could build a new life, and they gave me the tools and confidence to start building my own. And that is the entire reason this podcast exists: to share those tools and create that community for all of us on the comeback trail."
III. Introduce Recurring Segments
A. "The Comeback Corner""Now we're coming to a part of the show that will become its heart and soul. We're calling it 'The Comeback Corner.' This is where we'll share inspiring stories from you, our listeners. Your triumphs are what this is all about. So here’s our first call to action: If you have a 'second wind' story to share, please email us at thesecondwindpodcast@gmail.com. We would be honored to feature you."
B. "Ask the Expert""In future episodes, we'll also have an 'Ask the Expert' segment where we bring on specialists to answer your questions. Please start thinking of those questions and submit them to thesecondwindpodcast@gmail.com, and we'll get them to the right experts."
IV. Conclusion
"So, let's recap. The connection between your mind and body isn't mystical; it's biological. Stress can physically slow you down, but you have the power to create a healing environment through routine, gentle movement, and connection. Remember, a major health crisis is not the end; it is a new beginning.
And that brings us to 'Your Next Small Step.'
As you just heard, sometimes the things we’re forced to do end up being the most beneficial. So I want you to intentionally practice what my body accidentally taught me. For five minutes every day this week, I want you to practice deep breathing. Set a timer. Breathe in for four counts, hold for four, and breathe out for six. That’s it. Your only goal is to show up for those five minutes and connect with your breath. It's the first step in taking back control.
Comeback Story
And now we’ve come to a segment I’m incredibly excited about, The Comeback Corner. This is the space where we share your stories, your triumphs, and the lessons you've learned on your own recovery journeys. To kick things off, I'm going to share my own story. And a quick reminder, we’d be honored to feature you in the future. Just send us an email at thesecondwindpodcast@gmail.com.
Life Before
Before my diagnosis, my life was a carefully managed state of chaos, probably familiar to a lot of you. My day started at 6 a.m. with calls for a high-pressure job and ended near 11 p.m. after my wife and I had finished clearing up the house that we share with our two young boys. In between, I was working, making breakfast and lunches for my kids, coaching their soccer teams, doing laundry, grocery shopping, and occasionally stolen moments to have dinner with my wife... week after week. There was not much time for me to pursue my own interests and exercise was always something I’d get to later.
In my mind, I was still the fit guy who used to play do martial arts, or play soccer. But my body was telling a different story. The turning point was a silly moment at my kids' soccer practice. I jogged over to get a ball, and I was shocked when I felt my body jiggle. It was a small thing, but it was a wake-up call. That guy in my head wasn't the guy living my life anymore.
That moment pushed me to start jogging. Just 10 or 15 minutes at a time a few times a week. And in a strange twist of fate, that decision is what ultimately saved my life.
A month or two later, we were running late for my son's swimming lesson. I said, 'Let's jog!' but after half a block, I had to stop. I was completely, desperately out of breath. I tried again. Same thing. For the last couple of blocks I told him to run on ahead while I slowly walked up the hill, unable to get a full breath in. It was a curious, and honestly, a slightly unnerving experience.
The Crisis
Putting it down to age, lack of exercise and maybe a cold, I decide to get it checked out at a clinic as I didn’t want to go on our upcoming family vacation feeling sick. What followed was hours of tests. They took my blood, measured my heart rate, and wheeled me between different machines. BUt most of the time? I was just waiting.
Then, a doctor asked a question that changed everything: 'Have you been on any long journeys recently?' I told him we'd driven five hours to visit family. And, he sent me for a CT scan.
I lay flat on the hard bed as they put a nice warm blanket over me, and lay as still as I could as the machine whirled around me and a mechanically voice told me what to do. I returned back to the room I had been waiting in when minutes later the door burst open. The doctor and a nurse rushed in with a cart. The calm was gone. They informed me I had 'extensive bilateral pulmonary embolisms.' Blood clots had formed in my leg, traveled through my heart, and were now creating a dense spider's web of blockages in both of my lungs. They gave me a shot of anticoagulant in my belly and told me I had an urgent appointment with a specialist I could not afford to miss.
The most surreal moment of my life followed. I drove home and had to walk into the middle of my wife’s afternoon birthday party to tell her and her family that I had blood clots in my lungs and I needed to go to the hospital. Right now.
She left the kids with her family at our house and I’m so glad she came with me. I hadn;t realised how foggy my brain had been getting, and in that moment and for many more appointments afterwards, she became my memory, my advocate. The specialists were cautiously optimistic. The specialists told me that because I was relatively younger and in relatively good shape, I had a good chance, but no one could tell me what my new life would look like. They could only say it would be… different. In this moments, I was more focused on surviving so I didn’t think much more about it.
The Recovery
Life at home was a new reality. I was caught in a cycle of being active for one day, then sleeping for the next two, completely exhausted. Simple chores like laundry would wipe me out. I tried to push through it, thinking I could will myself back to health, but my body always paid the price the next day. I had to relinquish control. My kids started making their own breakfasts and lunches. I went from coaching the soccer team to being the dad sitting in a chair on the sidelines, watching all the other parents stand and cheer. I felt like I was letting my family down.
The day finally came when my hemortologist, cardiologist ad pulmonary specialists gave me the medical 'all-clear.' The clots were gone, the damage was minimal. Officially, I had recovered, but I felt weak, drained, and not sure what to do next.
There were new new rules, not suggestions because of the medication. The hematologist was blunt. The high-risk sports I loved? Gone. I still ski, but I would trade black diamond runs for gentle intermediate slopes, focusing on perfect technique instead of speed, and wearing the best helmet I could find. I still ride a bike, but now I wear a full-face helmet like a downhill racer but stick only to separated bike lanes, even if it’s a longer route. My mountain bike, which my boys were just getting into, now sits in the garage gathering dust. Anything that risked me bumping my head now had to be considered high risk.
But I was still so weak. Weak from the lack of activity for 4 months. Weak from my body repairing itself. And weak mentally, as I’d had to give up so much of what I used to do. I tried to find information to help me understand how I should strengthened, physically, mentally and even emotionally, as I was drained, but determined to rebuild so that I could do more things and if there was another medical event, I wanted to be strong enough to survive it like I did this one.
But there was no path given to me and I was navigating so much information and advice for a year. Trying different diets, exercise, meditation, activities and more. Over time I found more people like me, who had survived a medical event and were considerd medically recovered. But we shared storied and tips and tricks that helped me forge a new path.
Rules
What are the rules that I now follow? Well, I wear a medical alert braclet in case I am injured as medics will need to know I’m on anticoagulants, and I wear the best head protection I can find for sports.
Lessons Learned
What is the unexpected strength of lesson that I learnt because of this? Those long periods of forced inactivity gave me an unexpected gift. When you can only do one or two things a day, you are forced to become ruthless about what’s truly important.
The moment it all clicked for me was when I was driving. I was watching all the road rage around me, people getting furious over tiny inconveniences. And I felt a profound sense of calm. I was above it. How could I possibly care that someone cut me off? I had faced my own mortality. I had worried about leaving my children without a father, my wife without a husband. The petty worries of the world had lost their power.
My focus shifted entirely to what mattered: spending quality time with my family and friends. And giving myself small, daily challenges—physical or mental—so I could keep growing. My relationship with my family is better now, not because I’m doing more chores, but because I’m more present. I’m happier.
This crisis taught me that true strength isn't about pushing through pain. It’s about being smart enough to listen to your body. It's about accepting your limits and then deliberately, patiently, building a new kind of resilience. Now, a year and half later, I am physically stronger and have more stamina today than ever before, not because I’m chasing the reckless 20-year-old I used to be, but because I’ve built a body and a life that serves the man I am today. I am more focused mentally and emotionally on the things that really matter to me, my family, friends, and challenging myself a =t least a little bit each day.
And I know, with every fiber of my being, that if another health event ever comes for me, this new strength will be there to pull me through.
That journey, from that first gasping breath to this newfound clarity, is why this podcast exists. There was no roadmap for me. I had to draw my own. And now, I want to share it with you and hear from you too."
Episode Resources and Further Reading
Article on Recovery:
Title: MyHealth.Alberta - Recovery After a Disaster or Emergency
Link: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/recovery-after-disaster-emergency.aspx
Stress and Wound Healing Study:
Title: Psychological Stress and Wound Healing in Humans - Kiecolt-Glaser, et al.
Link: (A good summary from PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0504469102
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) Overview:
Title: Psychoneuroimmunology: The Brain and Immunity - American Psychological Association (APA)
Exercise and Brain Health (BDNF):
Title: Exercising for Better Brain Health - Harvard Health Publishing
Link: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercising-for-better-brain-health
Social Connection and Longevity Study:
Title: Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review - Holt-Lunstad, et al.
Link: (Published in PLOS Medicine) https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316
The Gut-Brain Axis:
Title: The Gut-Brain Connection - Johns Hopkins Medicine
Link: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-gut-brain-connection
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