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Multiple Sclerosis Podcast, hosted by Brooke Slick and Jodi Feltham: For Living a Life by Design not Diagnosis
Episodes
Wednesday Feb 24, 2021
Wednesday Feb 24, 2021
In this episode, I'm joined by my MS Gym Podcast co-host, Jodi Feltham.
We're going to be chatting about what happens when you become addicted to your MS. That's right. When your MS consumes your thoughts and your discomfort becomes your comfort zone.
EPISODE NOTES:
- Getting stuck in the MS loop
- Dwelling in the moments of dread
- Doomsday thinking
- Are you aware?
- Is it easier when you're distracted
- How much can you control?
- Flexibility is a requirement
- Are you obsessing?
- How to re-route your negative thoughts
- Being present to stay grounded
- Fighting. Is it worth it?
- Negotiating with your MS
- An MS-free day
- MS is a lifetime project
- When acceptance goes sideways
- Guilty of not contributing enough
- Putting your inabilities into perspective
- Your illusion of expectations from others
- We are more than what we can physically accomplish
- Contributing behind the scenes
- You are not alone in your thoughts
- Accepting losses
- Opportunities for cultivating richer relationships
- Losing hope
- Exciting changes in The MS Gym
Links:
The MS Gym - Website - Instagram - Facebook
Wednesday Feb 10, 2021
Wednesday Feb 10, 2021
Join me today as we here from Jenny Angus and her journey with MS and learn how she processed through issues of:
- Misdiagnosis
- Physical & cognitive challenges
- Loss of Identity & independence
- Isolation
- Pursing advocacy
- Becoming an Inspiration
Links:
Motivation Monday: If you can walk 3 Steps you can walk 30
Monday Jan 25, 2021
Monday Jan 25, 2021
In this quickie episode, we take a look back at 2020, what we in the MS community have learned, and what we hope the population at large has taken away from this unprecedented last year.
LINKS:
Link to COVID-19: The Unexpected Equalizer episode
Brooke Slick Website & Instagram
Thursday Jan 07, 2021
Thursday Jan 07, 2021
Wednesday Dec 23, 2020
Wednesday Dec 23, 2020
Even though it's been a crazy upside down year, there's been so much to celebrate inside The MS Gym. From member victories to the three year anniversary of The MS Gym, there've been more and more people with MS jumping on the neuroplasticity train and living life by design not by diagnosis.
Today, I sat down with Ken Allen, Trevor's right hand man and guiding force within the MS gym to get an inside look at what makes the Gym tick behind the scenes and what changes we have to look forward to in 2021.
We talk about everything from what differentiates membership content from free content to membership costs, to the exciting new options that are going to be heading your way in 2021 as their business model evolves.
So, get comfy, grab a cup of coffee or maybe some hot cocoa and get motivated about what lies ahead for you inside The MS Gym.
EPISODE NOTES:
- Ken's 6 top priorities
- Marketing Trevor's expertise
- Technology behind the scenes
- The MS Gym being pandemic-proof
- Increased interest during the Covid era
- The advantages of online vs. in-person PT
- What sets the paid membership content apart from free content
- Trevor believes in you
- Immediate and long-term victories
- The cost of membership
- The ever-changing business model
- Symptom-specific programs
- A la carte offerings
- New content coming in 2021
- Which programs are being revamped
- What is BGB?
- The MS Gym in social media
- Building lifelong friendships
- Global reach
- The MS Gym 5 years from now
LINKS:
THE MS GYM - Website
THE MS GYM - Facebook Page
THE MS GYM - Instagram
Wednesday Dec 09, 2020
Wednesday Dec 09, 2020
Join us today as we talk with our own Wonder Woman, Kelly O'Connell, as she shares the challenges of balancing work, exercise, and family.
Learn more about her:
- Diagnosis and primary symptoms
- Daily schedule and how she prioritizes exercise
- Career and daily work challenges
- Motivation and her WHY
- Struggles
- Inspirational attitude
- Decision to disclose her disease to her clients
- Desire to make memories with her family
- Advice for fellow MS Gym Members
Links
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
HSCT (hematopoietic stem cell transplant) veterans Brooke Slick and Jodi Feltham sit down for a one-on-one to discuss the differences between having HSCT done in Mexico and in Russia. These facilities are currently two of the most popular HSCT treatment facilities around the world, and due to their similar protocols, they are often the two that are most-compared before making a final decision. In this episode, Jodi and Brooke break down the differences into bite-size pieces that are easy to digest.
Be sure to check out the links below to access resources discussed in this episode.
EPISODE NOTES:
- What is HSCT?
- The types of MS and EDSS score
- Discovering HSCT
- The drugs/treatments that failed before deciding to pursue HSCT
- Choosing a facility from all the options
- The two types of protocols and which one is riskier
- The types of protocols Mexico and Russia utilize
- The cost of treatment
- Financing the treatment
- Lodging
- Which facility requires a caregiver
- Lodging
- Where does the patient stay and where do friends/family/caregivers stay?
- Creating lifelong bonds with other patients and families
- Pre-testing
- When does the chemotherapy begin?
- The #1 fear-inducing part of treatment
- Your attitude/mindset going into HSCT
- Gratitude
- The EDSS (mobility score) cutoff for acceptance
- Recovery
- Physical therapy after HSCT
- The value of The MS Gym during recovery
- A myth of HSCT
- The ultimate goal of HSCT
- The mistake of waiting until you're "bad enough"
- Beware of scam stem cell facilities
- Do your research
- If a stem cell treatment does not include chemotherapy, it isn't HSCT
- Advice to up-and-comers
- Patience during recovery is paramount
- What will set you up for disappointment?
- Is it experimental?
- Regrets
RESOURCE LINKS:
MS Society HSCT Recommendations Article
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
As the world continues to adjust to the ever-changing normal it's more important than ever to find connection in a safe community.
Today's podcast highlights the many benefits of The MS Gym Coffee Chats, yet another perk of being a member.
Two of the Coffee Chat hosts, Deb & Erica, join me today to discuss:
- How the Coffee Chats came to be
- How they keep the atmosphere light and positive despite the chaos going on around us
- The connection forged between members
- The benefits of Buddy Groups
- How their own lives have been enriched as hosts
Links
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
Today's episode is all about wheelchair and accessible travel, but our guest, though an international expert in this field, brings way more to the table than just that. For instance,
She's an award-winning accessible travel writer, blogger and photographer, travel agent, author, entrepreneur and disability rights advocate.
She's a service disabled US Air Force veteran, full-time wheelchair user, single mother and former Miss wheelchair USA.
She's the founder of the award-winning Spin the Globe travel blog where she shares her traveling experiences from around the world in a power chair. She shares tips and tricks from her own travels, she gives fellow wheelchair users the tools and the confidence to create their own travel adventures without fear. Her travel articles have been featured in the New York Times, New Mobility Magazine and Lonely Planet and she's published three accessible travel-related books. And, I don't want to forget her 130 travel-related videos that she's created and produced from around the world. Videos led to voiceover work and that led to voiceover acting. She is a powerhouse! But there's more...
Though all Sylvia's accomplishments I've mentioned so far are related to what we're going to be talking about today, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one of the most intriguing areas of her resume. Sylvia is an expert on Mexico's drug war and border security, and has been a frequent guest on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NBC Nightly News, to name a few. She's also been a guest expert on the History Channel's Brad Meltzer's Decoded in America's War on Drugs and has consulted for producers of the National Geographic Channel's Border Wars and Drugs Inc. series She is also an author of two books on these issues as well as hundreds of articles for Homeland Security publications.
To say that Sylvia is "more than her MS" wouldn't do her accomplishments any justice.
Join me now as I get the inside scoop from Sylvia on why travel post-disability IS possible, is way more accessible than you might imagine, and how your dream of traveling solo with a disability is absolutely achievable.
EPISODE NOTES:
- A quote to set the tone
- Documenting everything
- The psychological grieving process
- Preparing for what's to come
- Anticipating medical retirement
- Keeping one foot in the door of her career
- Pivoting from drug trafficking, border security and human trafficking to her passion for travel
- Travel as a form of healing
- Finding the confidence to travel alone with a disability
- How a 16-hour flight to Dubai set the bar
- Becoming a professional travel blogger and the birth of Spin the Globe
- How doing your homework on a destination is key
- Accessible travel 101
- Identifying your limitations
- Taking incremental steps to find your comfort zone
- Traveling solo
- Asking for help
- The biggest travel-related setback she's encountered so far
- Frankfurt and a broken scooter
- Timing layovers to accommodate your ability
- The country that is surprisingly more accessible than you might think
- Patience, patience, patience
- Personal boundaries
- Projecting positivity while traveling in a wheelchair
- Being grateful for what you CAN do
- Wheelchair vanity. It's a thing.
- When people look at your mobility device as cool
- Arranging MS drug therapy with your travel schedule
- Three things a traveler with a disability should never travel without
- Being resourceful when hotel accessibility is a challenge
- Wheelchair accessible cruising
- Cruising during the Covid era
- Expert advice to new wheelchair users
- Adapt and overcome
- Where to find all of Sylvia's resources
LINKS:
Spintheglobe.net - Sylvia's blog, travel consultations/opportunities, books (travel & drug war-related), photos, cool merch, media kit and more!
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
The Canadian MS Society states that:
- 77,000 Canadians live with the disease
- MS can occur at any age, but is most often diagnosed between the ages of 20-49
- MS affects individuals during the peak years for education, career and family-building
- MS is 3 times more likely to affect women than men
Today’s guest Melissa Hayes candidly shares her struggles and challenges with:
- Her Diagnosis at age 23
- Starting a new career in the midst of multiple MS symptoms
- Having multiple relapses at once
- Worsening of her disease while on a Disease Modifying Therapy (DMT)
- Raising a toddler
- Reaching out for help
- Having to enlist the help of daycare
- Family planning
- The fear of the future
But the story doesn’t end there. Melissa also shares her goals and dreams for the future with her:
- New DMT
- Finding the MS Gym
- Improvements of MS symptoms through daily exercise
- Accountability and Buddy Groups
- New baby
- Gratitude
- Belief for herself and her healing
- Vision and her "WHY"
LINKS: