Healing the Layers · Nina Ajdin
I’m Nina Ajdin, a writer, patient advocate, and founder of Healing the Layers, where I explore chronic illness, trauma, philosophy, and the interconnected layers of healing.
I didn’t set out to build a platform.
I set out to survive.
Somewhere along the way, I discovered that telling the truth about what happened—and what healing actually asks of us—became its own kind of medicine.
Healing the Layers is a body of work exploring healing through lived experience, philosophy, psychology, trauma, chronic illness, and the relationships that shape who we become.
Everything here—the essays, research, resources, and reflections—exists because I needed language for experiences that often went unnamed, and because others needed to know they weren’t alone.
If something in this work resonates with you, there are many ways we might create something meaningful together.
Work Together
I’m always open to thoughtful collaborations with people and organizations whose work aligns with the values of Healing the Layers.
Whether you’re looking for a podcast guest, guest writer, speaker, patient advocate, or creative collaborator, I’d love to hear from you.
My work sits at the intersection of:
• Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW)
• Chronic illness
• Trauma and resilience
• Nervous system healing
• Meaning-making
• Philosophy and psychology
• Highly Sensitive People (HSPs)
• Identity and transformation
• The Healing the Layers framework
Podcast Interviews & Speaking
As a patient advocate and writer, I’ve been recognized as a patient leader within the atopic dermatitis community. I enjoy conversations that go beyond awareness into the deeper questions of healing, identity, medicine, and what it means to rebuild a life after illness.
Whether speaking with clinicians, researchers, patients, or the general public, my goal is always the same: to bring honesty, nuance, and hope to conversations that often deserve more space than they receive.
Available for:
• Podcasts
• Speaking engagements
• Panel discussions
• Community events
• Awareness campaigns
• Educational conversations
Writing & Editorial Collaborations
Writing has become the heart of Healing the Layers.
I write long-form essays that blend lived experience with philosophy, psychology, research, and personal reflection, exploring not only illness itself, but what healing reveals about being human.
I’m available for:
• Guest essays
• Magazine features
• Collaborative articles
• Interviews
• Editorial contributions
• Awareness campaigns
Research & Patient Advocacy
My advocacy bridges lived experience and emerging research.
Over the years I’ve collaborated with researchers, interviewed clinicians, analyzed scientific literature, and contributed to conversations surrounding Topical Steroid Withdrawal, patient-centered care, and the future of chronic illness research.
I believe some of the most meaningful progress happens when science and lived experience are allowed to inform one another.
Healing the Layers
Healing the Layers is growing into something much larger than a collection of essays.
In time, it will become a home for resources, community, conversations, and practical tools that support healing across every layer of the human experience.
One layer at a time.
Let’s Connect
If you think we’d create something meaningful together, I’d love to hear from you.
Whether it’s a podcast, publication, speaking opportunity, research collaboration, advocacy project, or something entirely new, my inbox is always open for thoughtful conversations.
Where the body remembers, releases, and returns—one layer at a time.