Celebrating NAIP Launch Week & Creating Through Chronic Illness with Alaina Moore of Tennis (Ep 087)

Episode 87: Celebrating NAIP Launch Week & Creating Through Chronic Illness with Alaina Moore of TennisWhat does it take to keep creating when your body is struggling? How do you continue making meaningful work while navigating uncertainty, limitations, and chronic illness in real time?In this special episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott celebrates the launch of The New Autoimmune Protocol with a deeply personal conversation featuring her longtime friend Alaina Moore—vocalist and songwriter of the indie band Tennis.Instead of interviewing a guest, Mickey takes the guest seat herself as Alaina turns the tables to explore the creative process behind the new book, the realities of creating while chronically ill, and the surprising overlap between art, music, food, and healing.Together, they discuss what it means to pursue creative work while managing chronic illness, how illness can shape identity and perspective, and why adapting to changing capacity is often part of the process. Alaina also shares her experience navigating dysphonia while recording and touring, while Mickey reflects on photographing The New Autoimmune Protocol during a severe autoimmune eye flare.This conversation is honest, funny, emotional, and deeply relatable for anyone who has tried to keep showing up for meaningful work while living in a body that doesn’t always cooperate.In this episode, you’ll learn:How chronic illness can shape creativity, identity, and artistic workWhy adapting to limitations is often part of the creative processThe similarities between songwriting, recipe development, and visual storytellingHow Mickey approaches recipe development, writing, and cookbook photographyWhy creative work often requires both structure and chaosHow sensory imagination influences both music and cookingAlaina Moore’s experience recovering from dysphonia while touring with TennisMickey’s experience photographing a cookbook during an autoimmune eye flareWhy accepting chronic illness can feel freeing instead of limitingThe emotional impact of medical gaslighting and delayed diagnosisHow creativity, music, and art can help people move through illnessWhy managing chronic illness is different from “overcoming” itResources:Alaina Moore & TennisWebsite: https://tennis-music.comInstagram: @tennisincPlaylist mentioned in the episode: Available here!Mickey TrescottBook: The New Autoimmune ProtocolEpisode Timeline:00:00 – Introduction and NAIP launch week reflections01:31 – Introducing Alaina Moore of Tennis04:37 – Artists, chronic illness, and creative resilience07:08 – Mickey’s writing and recipe development process13:31 – Alaina’s songwriting process and creative structure18:11 – Music, taste, and sensory imagination25:07 – How Mickey perfects recipes30:17 – Why Mickey shares her work publicly32:56 – Creative breakthroughs and photographing the new book39:02 – Alaina’s experience with dysphonia and vocal rehabilitation44:11 – Accepting chronic illness and redefining healing51:14 – Wrap-up and closing reflections