Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Patti Bevilacqua. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Patti, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

If I could go back in time, would I have started my business sooner?

Heck yes, I would.

I started fearLESS with MS in 2022—but let me rewind the tape a bit.

I left teaching in 2000 and went on long-term disability in 2007. Between those years, I earned my PhD, thinking I’d land a job in higher ed. Spoiler alert: that didn’t happen. So I wandered. Aimlessly. I volunteered. I walked my dogs. I tried to figure out who I was without the career that once defined me. I was grieving the life I thought I’d have until retirement.

Then the pandemic hit. And in the stillness of that strange, quiet world, I found a flicker of something new: purpose. It started with supporting other women who live with MS. That lit the spark. From there, it grew—into storytelling, speaking, writing… and people started listening. I kept hearing the same message: “You’re saying what I’ve never had words for.”

That’s when it clicked. I wasn’t just healing—I was helping others do the same.

Would it have made a difference to start earlier? Absolutely.

I would’ve had more drive, more clarity, and way more stamina. Instead of dipping a toe in here and there, I would’ve gone all in. I could’ve built a foundation, a team, and a strategy—without burning through so much time and energy trying to figure everything out alone. I would’ve made fewer costly mistakes and connected with the right people sooner.

Now? I’m technically “retirement age.” I still love what I do—but let’s be real, I’m not about to grind through 12-hour days just to stay above water. That ship has sailed.

If I had started earlier, I could’ve scaled faster. Made a bigger difference. Created a legacy with more reach—and more ease.

But here’s the truth: I started when I had the voice. When the message was ready. When I was ready.

So no regrets. Just forward motion.

Because fearLESS isn’t just a name. It’s a decision. A way of being.

When life stripped everything away, I didn’t just start a business—I started a movement.

Patti, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hey friend—I’m Dr. Patti Bevilacqua, the woman behind fearLESS with MS and the fearLESS with MS Collective.

I’m a speaker, storyteller, mindset expert, resilience educator, and a fierce advocate for anyone living with a hidden illness, invisible challenge, or feeling like they’ve been pushed to the sidelines.

🧭 How I Got Into This Work

I didn’t choose this path—life handed it to me with a side of chaos.

I spent 25 years in education, gave it my all, and then my body said, “That’s enough.” I went on long-term disability. I had a PhD in Teacher Development and big dreams of landing in higher education—but nothing clicked. So I floated. I walked my dogs. I volunteered. I tried to figure out who I was when my title—“teacher”—was stripped away.

When MS entered the picture, it took more than my health. It took my identity and direction.

Then came the pandemic. The world got quiet—and so did I. That’s when something cracked open. I started helping women with MS, just one conversation at a time. And something shifted. I began writing. Speaking. Sharing. And people leaned in. They said, “That’s my story too.”

That’s when I realized—I wasn’t just healing myself. I was lighting a way forward for others.

That’s how fearLESS with MS was born. And when the need grew, so did the mission—enter the fearLESS with MS Collective, a bold community for those of us who are done hiding.

🎤 What I Actually Do

I talk. I write. I create space. I make people feel seen.

I lead keynotes and workshops that are more like conversations than lectures. I write words that say the things most people are afraid to admit. I host a community where you don’t have to “prove” you’re struggling to be believed.

Through raw honesty, humor, and lived experience, I help people rewrite the old story of limitation and start building a new one—on their own terms.

🧩 What I Help With

Living with a hidden illness? It’s like hauling around an invisible backpack full of bricks—only no one sees the weight you’re carrying.

You’re exhausted. You’re in pain. You’re trying your best. But people look at you and say:

“Maybe you just need more sleep.”

“Try cutting out gluten.”

“You’d feel better if you pushed yourself.”

Meanwhile, you’re thinking, “I’m already pushing harder than anyone knows—and I’m barely holding it together.”

So, here’s what I do: I help people…

Trade guilt for grace.

Take up space without apology.

Speak up—even when their voice shakes.

Find connection in a world that can feel isolating.

Because no one should have to fight to be believed.

🌟 What Makes This Different

I don’t speak about hidden illness—I live it.

I’ve been dismissed. I’ve heard, “You don’t look sick.” I’ve had to fight for my truth in rooms that didn’t want to hear it. And instead of letting that break me, I let it fuel me.

What’s the most important thing I bring to this work? Lived experience. And I deliver it with heart, humor, and a whole lot of honesty.

You’re not getting surface-level “rah rah.” You’re getting tools, truth, and a whole lot of real talk.

🏆 What I’m Most Proud Of

Hands down: the people.
The community we’ve built together.

Every time someone says, “I finally feel like I belong,” I know this is exactly what I’m meant to be doing.

Turning my diagnosis into a platform, a purpose, a movement—that’s what lights me up. And watching others find their fire again? That’s the win.

💡 3 Things You Should Know About Me & My Work

“NO” isn’t the end of the road—it’s a detour to something better. I teach people how to pivot with purpose when life doesn’t go as planned.

This is truth-telling—not pity-sharing. I don’t wrap things in bows. I speak from the mess and the magic. And people connect because it’s real.

This isn’t just a business—it’s a movement. fearLESS with MS and the Collective are here to change the conversation, shake up what resilience really looks like, and remind people that being invisible doesn’t mean being powerless.

So if you’re out there thinking, “Is this really it?”

Let me be the one to say:

No, my friend. It’s not. There’s more. And you deserve every bit of it. 💥

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I didn’t build this reputation in a boardroom or behind a curated brand.

I built it in the trenches—with shaky hands, a stubborn heart, and stories most people were too afraid to tell out loud.

Folks didn’t show up for the slick logo or a flawless feed.
They showed up because I cracked open the stuff we’re taught to hide.
I talked about the days when getting out of bed felt like climbing Everest.
The moments that looked insignificant on the outside but felt like full-blown miracles on the inside.

What made people lean in?

👉 I didn’t sugarcoat it.
👉 I brought humor into the hard stuff.
👉 I made the invisible—visible.

I wasn’t out here posing as an expert. I was the story.
I lived it. Still do.
And that kind of honesty? It sticks.

And then, something wild happened—people started paying attention.
Not because I was perfect, but because I was real.

I stood on a TEDx stage and told the truth, even when my voice shook.
I wrote MS doesn’t define ME: The Biography of a Polymath because I refused to let a diagnosis write my ending.
I took second place in the Speaker Slam Power of No competition—earning my spot at the Grand Slam stage in Toronto on November 22, 2025.
I authored chapters in two bestselling books because someone, somewhere, needed to hear it.

Oh, and that PhD? It’s not just a title. It’s years of knowing how to teach people, not just content.
Now I teach them how to rise.

And this Collective I started—fearLESS with MS—isn’t just a group. It’s a firestorm. A movement. A place where people come to stop apologizing for what they carry and start standing in who they are.

So yeah. That’s how I built my reputation.

Not with filters.
Not with fluff.
But by showing up—fully, loudly, truthfully.

Because your story isn’t over.
And neither is mine.

We’re just getting started. 🔥

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I didn’t start a business with a five-year plan or a vision board.

I started it because I lost the life I thought I was supposed to have.

MS ripped teaching out of my hands. The career I loved? Gone.
And after that, I was just . . . wandering aimlessly through life.
No direction. No identity. No purpose. No passion.

Then COVID hit.
Everything went quiet—including me.

And somewhere in that silence, I cracked open. Started sharing bits of my story online—not for likes or applause, but because I needed to get it out of my chest. And people listened.
Strangers. Women with MS. People living with pain no one else could see.
They messaged me, “Are you inside my head?” or “I don’t feel alone anymore!”

That’s when I knew—this wasn’t just about me anymore.
So I leaned all the way in.

Not because I felt brave. Not because I had a brand strategy.
Because I was tired of being invisibe.

fearLESS with MS didn’t start in a studio or a boardroom.
It started at my kitchen table—with a low-level laptop, numb fingers, and no clue what I was doing.

I built this during flare-ups.
I’ve spoken on stages running on fumes and 2 hours of sleep.
Created content when brain fog was at a high point.
Cancelled things I didn’t want to cancel.
Cried after hitting “send.”
Restarted.
And kept going.

That’s resilience.
Not pretty. Not filtered. Not “scaling to 7 figures.”

Just showing up—messy, honest, and still here.

So yeah… now I’m a TEDx speaker.
I wrote a book—MS doesn’t define ME: The Biography of a Polymath.
Placed 2nd at the Speaker Slam Power of No competition, and competing at the Grand Slam in Toronto.
I’ve got a PhD and a fire in my gut.
And I’m leading the fearLESS with MS Collective—because no one should feel like they have to go silent just to be accepted.

I didn’t build a business.
I built a lifeline AND a movement!

And I’m not done.

Not even close.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pattibevilacqua.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fearlesswithms/#
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fearlesswithmscollective
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-bevilacqua/
• Other: https://pattibevilacqua.substack.com/