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“Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to know that it’s only up from there.” In this chill-worthy episode, Rachel Straining, also known as the @noglutengirl on Instagram, explains her journey with Crohn’s disease - from being diagnosed in high school after thinking she had a terrible case of the flu that just wouldn’t go away, to a phase of denial in college that landed her in a flare, to the present day - working full time, fostering an amazing relationship with the “no gluten boyfriend” and being a source of inspiration, hope and real talk for the IBD community. We dive into accepting a diagnosis, balancing a full-time job with IBD and finding and keeping supportive relationships while going through hard times. You can follow Rachel’s journey on Instagram at @thenoglutengirl and thenotglutengirl.com. Key quotes from this week’s episode: “A diagnosis is validating for your symptoms and your feelings. And it gives you some clarity and direction.” “The second I began to own the fact that “hey yeah I have Crohn’s disease and I need to make these changes for myself and my health,” that’s when everything began to shift.” “Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to know that it’s only up from there.”