Uniquely Qualified

Brittany's life has never been "normal." Born to teenage parents, a father who struggled with a drug addiction and who was then sentenced to 25 years in prison when she was 10, her life experience has shaped her into the empathetic, driven, solution-oriented woman she is today. This episode centers on Brittany's experience as the child of an incarcerated person, what it was like...

Before Brooke was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, she had never experienced intensive medical intervention. But when her chronic discomfort turned to pain, things quickly changed. Brooke's story highlights the mental and physical toll of living with a chronic condition, her journey to becoming her own best advocate, and the impact corporate food manufacturers have on the physical lives of...

This week, Liz sits down with Cleo Childs to discuss hergrief journey in losing her mom to early onset Alzheimer’s when Cleo was just 28 years old. Cleo began caretaking for her mother while she was still in undergraduatestudies and was faced with the unexpected enormity of caring for one of her most precious relationships while her mother’s disease rapidly altered her. Cleo’s grief experiences ce...

In this, the final installation in Amanda's episode arc, Liz and Amanda celebrate the fact that both of Amanda's daughters are now in long term recovery, living lives that bring them fulfillment and purpose. Throughout this episode, Amanda and Liz relate to one another as fellows in recovery, sharing personal anecdotes from their life experiences. This three-part series is dedicated to all...

In the second part of Amanda’s story, Liz and Amanda discussthe experience of mothering two teen children during their struggles with addiction. Amanda recounts and celebrates her oldest daughter’s entrance into long term sobriety (almost three years sober!) and transition to adulthood. The remainder of the episode centers on her middle daughter’s tribulations with drug use. Chock full of tools an...

In 2021, Amanda faced an unthinkable parenting situation: her teenage daughters were using drugs together, both suffering in active addiction. A woman with years of clean time herself, Amanda began doing everything in her power to protect her precious children from themselves. This episode is part one of three, where Amanda shares her story as a parent of adolescent addicts, the lengths she went t...

In this week’s episode, Liz sits down with longtime friendSarah Burney, who listeners will also hear her affectionately call her Burn. A high school student involved in competitive dance, navigating emergence into puberty, Sarah was just 15 years old when an adult man sexually assaulted her. A random stranger at the park became the perpetrator of a crime that would fundamentally alter her life, he...

In this episode of  Uniquely Qualified , host Liz Ficken sits down with Kate to talk about her unexpected experience with Bell’s Palsy. Kate courageously opens up about the physical and emotional impact of facial paralysis, as well as the inevitable fear and uncertainty that accompanied the onset of the condition. When onset occurred, she was not only in the final weeks of pregnancy with her secon...

In this episode, host Liz Ficken welcomes guest Roxanne, also known as Roxy, a Marin County native who shares her journey with scoliosis. Roxy opens up about her diagnosis, the physical and emotional challenges she faced, and how she navigated treatment and recovery. Throughout the conversation, Roxy discusses the impact scoliosis had on her daily life, from managing pain to undergoing medical int...

In this episode of Uniquely Qualified , host Liz Ficken sits down with Mark Goldfinger to explore the profound journey of losing a parent and the lasting impact of grief. Mark lost his father to prostate cancer seven years ago, an experience that reshaped his perspective on life and initiated him into what he calls the “Dead Dads Club.” He reflects on the early days of grief, the surreal passage o...

This week's episode is a powerful testament to resilience and reinvention. Sarah King is the founder of Aurora House, a creative community space dedicated to authentic expression, connection, and empowerment for women and non-binary individuals. Before creating this sanctuary, Sarah spent years in the high-pressure world of tech, working as a Chief Operating Officer at an AI start up based in...

In this, the second part of John's episode, he delves into life after his spinal cord was severed, leaving him living with quadriplegia. John discusses the ongoing issues he experiences that are common for anyone with his condition. John also shares about becoming a father one month after his accident and eventually adopting five more children. In part one, John talked about how he never gradu...

If everything had gone according to plan, John would have spent his life doing manual labor, installing carpet with his hands, and never spending another moment in a classroom. But in May 1994, John's best laid plans were irrevocably altered. What started as a friendly pick-up football game quickly turned into a medical emergency when John made a tackle that severed his spinal cord and shatter...

27-year-old Emma sought her doctor's advice when a golf ball size lump appeared on her thyroid. Between her doctor's appointment and the CT scan, the lump went away, but Emma decided to keep her imaging appointment. The CT scan revealed stage three Hodgkin lymphoma. Additionally scary? Emma had zero symptoms for the blood cancer. This kicked off Emma's sudden battle with Hodgkin's...

Colleen's relationship with hard drugs started in high school. Meth quickly became her drug of choice thanks to its incredibly addictive, toxic, chemical makeup. Troubles with employment, law enforcement, and damaged relationships were hallmark to her time in active addiction until March 18, 2005 when Colleen stepped into her power and reclaimed her life. Supported by the love of her family, a bos...

Camille met the love of her life at a high school academic competition and from the start, their romance wasn't conventional. When Camille's husband decided to enlist in the United States Army while she was in college, their relationship continued to be on their terms, on their time. After getting married, Camille began what would be the first of seven moves over 12 years as a military spo...

Ashlee knew that getting pregnant might not happen immediately, but she never dreamed her journey to motherhood would last five years. Armed with science and faith, Ashlee and her husband refused to surrender their dream of having a baby, despite what modern infertility cultured signaled about their choices. In this episode, Ashlee discusses her personal medical complexities, clashes with insuranc...

Uniquely Qualified welcomes its first anonymous guest, Chris. Chris is a successful, educated, solution-oriented, happily married individual, currently serving in the United States Army. Chris is also in long term recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. After starting his experimentation with addictive substances in middle school, Chris had a drinking career characterized by breaking the rules a...

In the fall of 2022, Rosie and her husband, Connor, received the surprise of a lifetime. With no family history of multiples, they learned that their one year old daughter, Luna, would soon have three brothers: spontaneous, identical triplets. Cruz, Mac, and Leo shared a single placenta. Mac and Leo shared an amniotic sac. The pregnancy was high risk for Rosie and all three babies, but especially...

In this brief episode, published Christmas Eve 2024, host Liz Ficken breaks down the probability of life existing on earth, and the (un)likelihood of any of us even existing. The reminder is that we are all precious, special, and unique. Our stories are worthy of sharing and may help someone else in a way we couldn't anticipate. The call to action is this: care for yourself. You're the only one wh...

Representative Phillip Ensler represents Alabama's 74th District. Born and raised in New York City, Phil's Jewish faith led him to early interest in civil rights and political activism. From service in President Obama's administration to Teach for America to law school to advocating for a better world for his constituents, Phil has spent a majority of his adult life giving back. In this episode, w...

Taylor waited her whole life to meet her sweet son. After a healthy pregnancy, Taylor experienced an unexpected, traumatic, life changing birth. Between 52 hours of labor, medical complications, and well-intentioned medical professionals making in appropriate remarks, Taylor is among the 45% of births considered traumatic. In this episode, Taylor shares her story hoping to generate awareness on th...

Jessi's profound grief and joy were activated by losing two close family members while also being a new, first-time mom to a beautiful, healthy son, born with hearing impairment. Jessi's story is one of resilience, the importance of community, and the transformative power of love and connection. From learning American Sign Language (ASL), to immersing herself in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH)...

Host Liz Ficken discusses her motivation to start Uniquely Qualified, normalizes holiday grief, and provides some suggestions for how we might care for ourselves during the 2024 holiday season.

Happy go lucky Jenna never wanted to be a burden to anyone. She spent years suppressing grief, a grief almost no one new she carried. But when Jenna's grandmother passed away in 2023, she knew she couldn't continue to suffer at the expense of her own quality of life any longer. Jenna leaned into discomfort, contacted a therapist, and opened herself to the grieving process. In this episode, Jenna e...