The Chronic Brew

Have you ever felt like your body is stuck on high alert? Like you’re doing all the right things to manage your health, but you’re still feeling completely blocked, burned out, or trapped in a cycle of physical symptoms? In today’s episode, we are hanging out on the couch with Sophia Torrini—a certified Clinical EFT Practitioner and NeuroChange Solutions consultant who bridges the gap between neur...

Nine years. That is how long Brittany Curry lived in medical limbo, navigating three different misdiagnoses before a kidney biopsy finally revealed she was battling IgA Nephropathy (IgAN) and Minimal Change Disease (MCD). In this episode of The Chronic Brew, things get incredibly close to home. As a stage 4 Chronic Kidney Disease warrior myself, Brittany and I dive deep into what we call "The Gray...

When life throws you a catastrophic curveball, how do you handle the aftershocks? In this episode of The Chronic Brew, we are joined by Terri Chrisman, a Master of Human Nutrition and Board-Certified Lifestyle Medicine professional. Terri’s path into the world of clinical health was forged through a profound personal tragedy—the sudden, public loss of her father to a massive heart attack at just 5...

Have you ever felt like your body was completely failing you? If you’ve spent years dealing with chronic headaches or migraines—cycling through endless medications, injections, and dead-end scans—it is easy to internalize the idea that your system is just broken. Today on The Chronic Brew, we are sitting down for a deep, fireside-style conversation with Dr. Jonothan Taves, a Mayo Clinic–trained Do...

In this episode of The Chronic Brew, we are sitting down with Marc Coronel—a former boxer, TEDx speaker, and healthcare consultant who has taken his fight from the ring to the dialysis chair, and ultimately, to a life-saving transplant. Marc isn’t just sharing a story of survival; he’s sharing a blueprint for sustainable advocacy. We go deep into the "unfiltered" side of chronic illness that docto...

Flight 27 is now boarding. Today, we are crossing the Atlantic to the Netherlands to sit down with Carlijn Krijger—a former medical student who seemingly had it all: the grades, the look, and a bright future in traditional medicine. But beneath the surface, her body was sounding the alarm. In this "coffee talk" chronicle, Carlijn opens up about the terrifying year she lost her health, her identity...

Grab your favorite mug and settle in, because today’s brew is served extra bold. On this episode of The Chronic Brew, we are joined by the powerhouse duo behind the Wheel Talk Podcast: Kelly Berger and Avery Roberts. Kelly and Avery aren't just living with an ultra-rare form of congenital muscular dystrophy (Collagen 6)—they are dismantling the world’s perception of it. As "loudspeakers for the wh...

What started as a routine trip to the eye doctor for a persistent headache ended with a sealed envelope and a frantic drive to the emergency room. At 28 years old, Dan MacQueen’s life was perfectly on track—until a devastating brain hemorrhage shattered his reality. In this episode of The Chronic Brew, Dan joins us at the table to share how he navigated two emergency brain surgeries, a coma, and t...

What happens when your education and your intuition tell you one thing, but the medical system tells you another? Today on Chronic Brew, we’re sitting down with Amanda Hewitt—a trauma survivor, advocate, and the force behind the Chronic Illness Crew. Amanda lives with a complex "alphabet soup" of conditions, including MCAS, PTSD, endometriosis, and chronic pain. But instead of letting medical gasl...

In honor of National Kidney Month and World Kidney Day, The Chronic Brew is proud to present a conversation that defines the very heart of kidney advocacy. While the world turns its attention to the statistics of CKD this March, we are zooming in on the human spirit with our guest, LaVise McCray. LaVise is a retired Special Education teacher and Sociology scholar who navigated a staggering 7.5-yea...

What happens when the athlete’s body you’ve always relied on suddenly changes the rules?” In today’s episode of Chronic Brew, we’re pulling up a chair with Tamie Gangloff—a therapist, educator, and author who navigates life with a unique "double-lens." Tamie joins us to share her powerful journey from competitive athlete to chronic illness patient, and her hard-won recovery from eating disorders,...

What happens when a top-tier heart surgeon decides that "fixing the plumbing" isn't enough? In this episode of The Chronic, we sit down with Dr. Bilal Ahmed, an interventional and structural cardiologist and the co-founder/CSO of Lylah Health. Dr. Ahmed pulls back the curtain on the "invisible" gaps in our healthcare system—from the 20-year window where preventative care fails to the "Wild West" o...

How do you navigate a "perfect storm" of health challenges for over 50 years? Today, we are joined by Beverly Meyer, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist who has been a "medical detective" since the 1970s. Managing her own diagnoses of Celiac, Hashimoto’s, and CVID, Beverly shares her unique perspective on using precision nutrition to handle complex conditions like CKD, MS, and POTS. We dive into the...

What happens when your relationship with food becomes a medical battlefield? For many in the chronic illness community, "normal" eating is complicated by more than just willpower—it’s tangled up in medical restrictions, clinical stereotypes, and a healthcare system that doesn't always see the full picture. In this episode of The Chronic Brew, we sit down with Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, CEDSS, an int...

When chronic illness enters a relationship, it often feels like an uninvited guest that takes up all the space at the table. But does a diagnosis have to mean the end of intimacy, joy, and connection? In this episode of The Chronic Brew, we’re sitting down with Lisa Gray, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and author of the groundbreaking book, Thriving in a Relationship When You Have Chroni...

Are you tired of being told your labs are "normal" while you’re struggling to get out of bed? In Episode 17 of The Chronic Brew, Mr. Cool Beans welcomes Beth Mielbrecht, a specialized Health Detective who helps brilliant, intuitive people stop the guessing game. Beth doesn't just look at symptoms; she investigates the "cold cases" of chronic illness using Digital Muscle Testing to find hidden imba...

Peeps, what do you do when your body feels like a courtroom where you’re constantly losing the case? In this episode of The Chronic Brew, we sit down with a powerful advocate, known to the chronic illness community as The Thriving Zebra. As a former paralegal and recovering gym addict, our guest was used to "powering through"—until a complex web of diagnoses including POTS, MCAS, EDS, and ME/CFS c...

Grab your favorite drink and settle in for a raw, honest conversation at The Chronic Brew. Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on a topic that hits close to home for so many in the chronic illness community: medical malpractice and "bad doctors." I’m joined by my amazing co-host for the day, Pretty Rude JJ, as we dive into why the medical system feels like it’s failing us. We’re moving past the...

What happens when the medical emergency ends, and the silence begins? After weeks of non-stop work, teaching, battling the meteoropathy, and enduring a major renal stent exchange, Mr. Cool Beans took a necessary break. Now, they're back to share a raw look at the quiet period that follows an acute medical crisis. In this deep solo reflection, we explore the truth about recovery: the hardest work i...

"I'm Not Rude, I'm Disabled": The Fierce Advocacy of Pretty Rude JJ What happens when a chronic illness forces you to stop working and you lose the identity you spent your life building? This week on The Chronic Brew, we sit down with Jessie Myers, known online as "Pretty Rude JJ," to explore the raw emotional cost of sudden disability. Jessie shares the intense personal journey from managing an i...

On the Road to Resilience: A Farmer's Fight with Dialysis (ft. Jarod Palmer) In this special episode, host Mr. Cool Beans took the microphone on the road (right after a doctor's appointment!) to capture an incredible conversation. Jarod Palmer is living a life defined by intense commitment: carrying forward his family's generational legacy of hard work and farming tradition while navigating the li...

Welcome back to The Chronic Brew for the most essential lesson in chronic living: Defending Your Spoons! We established that our energy is a finite resource. Now, we're forging the armor to protect it. This episode dives deep into the uncomfortable truth that for those with chronic illness, boundaries aren't rude—they are non-negotiable acts of survival. We tackle the biggest barriers to energy ma...

Welcome to a new chapter of The Chronic Brew! In this pivotal episode, we’re expanding our focus beyond Chronic Kidney Disease to embrace the entire chronic illness community. Join us as I share the personal story behind this rebrand and reveal why this is so much bigger than my own journey. We dive into the staggering global impact and economic burden of non-communicable diseases like heart disea...

Join us on this episode of The Chronic Brew as we sit down with the amazing Michelle, the creator behind Hobbies for Broken Bodies. Michelle's journey with multiple chronic illnesses—including Chiari Malformation, POTS, EDS, and gastroparesis—has taught her the incredible power of finding purpose through creativity. We'll explore how she’s blended humor and advocacy to build a vibrant online commu...

If you love someone battling a chronic illness, this episode is for you. In Part 2 of our series, we shift our focus to the other side of the battle: the caregivers, family, and friends who provide an essential lifeline. This episode is your compass, a guide to helping without getting lost yourself. We'll share actionable advice on: How to Validate: Learn the difference between comforting words an...