Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Cariello.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was a college athlete when things started going sideways. I was having trouble seeing on the soccer field, and before long I had severe vision loss from optic neuritis, plus numbness and pain in my hands and feet. My first stop was the eye doctor, who sent me home with reading glasses. A college athlete losing her sight, armed with drugstore readers. You can’t make this stuff up.
From there it was an optic neurologist, then an MS specialist, and about a year after it all started, I had my answer: multiple sclerosis. I was actually relieved. Mystery pain is terrifying. A name, even a scary one, at least gave me something to work with.
Then I did what any 20-something would do. I ignored it. I didn’t tell anyone for almost ten years. I didn’t want to be different. I just wanted to be a 20-something. I was also new to the workforce, and 25 years ago workplaces weren’t nearly as understanding as they are now. I was scared that if people knew, it would cost me.
MS doesn’t love being ignored. Around ten years in, it poked its head out and said, “Hey, you can’t ignore me. I’m here.” My balance and walking took a real hit. I was holding on to walls, and everything felt so heavy. While my friends were getting married and having babies, I was figuring out how to survive.
That’s how I ended up in my parents’ basement with a stack of Insanity workout CDs. (Yes, CDs. I’m dating myself.) Everyone on the screen looked amazing, and there I was, barely able to lift my legs, never mind jump. A program called Insanity. Perfect. But I started where I was and I did what I could, every single day. It was messy and wobbly and I would have been mortified to do it in a gym. Most days I didn’t think I’d get anywhere. Then I noticed a tiny difference, and that glimmer was enough to keep me going. I was never I was going to look like the people on the TV, but I looked better than I did yesterday, and the week before, and the month before that. Maybe it was a little delusional. I guess a little delusion was necessary.
The basement turned into longer walks, then a gym, then CrossFit, obstacle course racing, and triathlons. Finishing my first triathlon was my marathon. My Ironman. The thing I was sure I’d never do.
Then, right after the pandemic, I had a flare. And then another. Getting knocked off a mountain you already climbed is so much harder than climbing it the first time, because now you know exactly how steep it is. But I’ve never shied away from hard. So instead of counting myself out, I’m tagging myself in. I’m training for HYROX and I have my eye on it next year. What if I can? Let’s find out.
A couple of years ago I got certified as a holistic health coach, and learning how every part of our lives affects our nervous system changed how I saw everything. Mindset didn’t cure my MS, but it absolutely changed my experience of living with it. That’s the work I do now at Evocean, helping women with MS and autoimmune conditions feel less alone and more like themselves. I know what it’s like to carry something so invisible that’s turning your whole life upside down. We have a community today that I didn’t have back then, and I want every woman who needs it to find it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not even a little bit. If my health journey has taught me anything, it’s that smooth roads aren’t really my thing.
Building a business has been an adventure, in the best and sometimes most exhausting way. As a solopreneur with MS, my energy is my most valuable resource, so I manage my days pretty carefully. And when I need to rest, I rest. I used to think rest was quitting. Now I know it’s part of the training.
Is it always easy? No. But if I can bring visibility to something so invisible, every bump in the road is worth it. And I love it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Evocean. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Evocean Living is a holistic health coaching business for women living with MS. My focus is helping women move out of survival mode and back into joy, through nervous system regulation, nutrition, and the everyday habits that shape how we feel.
What sets me apart is simple: I’ve lived it. I’m not coaching from a textbook. I know what it’s like to say “I’m fine” when you are very much not fine. I know the fear of a new symptom, the exhaustion nobody can see, and the frustration of being told it’s all in your head. I also know you can laugh through a lot of it. I bring humor to the hard stuff, because sometimes the only reasonable response to MS is a little sarcasm and a good snack.
I’m also not here to promise anyone a cure. I’m here to help women feel more like themselves, with more energy, more calm, and more good days, wherever they’re starting from.
Here’s how women work with me:
– The 10-Minute What If I Can Reset, a free starting point for women who have stopped trying something they love and want to take the first step back.
– The 1:1 MS Assessment + Roadmap, where we look at your whole picture and build a plan that fits your body and your life.
– 1:1 Coaching for women who want ongoing support and accountability.
– What If I Can? Living Bigger with MS, my weekly newsletter, which is equal parts real talk, practical tools, and comic relief.
What I’m most proud of is the messages I get from women who say, “I thought I was the only one.” Building a space where nobody has to feel alone with something invisible is the whole reason Evocean exists.
You can find me on Instagram (youdontlooksick_laura), and all of my links live on my Linktree. But the best way to keep up with everything I’m doing is to join my newsletter, What If I Can? Living Bigger with MS. That’s where I share my programs, my adventures, and free resources, and you can grab all of it through Instagram or my Linktree.
What matters most to you?
It matters to me that people living with MS, or any chronic condition or disability, feel seen and heard.
MS has so many faces. It looks different in every body, and it can look different in the same body from one day to the next. I want to show that. I’m living proof that you can have a disability and still be an athlete. But I’m just as proud to stand next to the woman who’s celebrating getting out of bed today, because her win counts too. No matter where someone is on their journey, their experience is real and it matters.
That wasn’t my experience in the beginning. I felt alone, and I hid, and I don’t think anyone should have to go through that. So if my story helps even one person feel seen and heard, that’s what matters most.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @youdontlooksick_laura
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evoceanliving/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/evoceanliving
