Curveballs and Lemonade

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses suicide, addiction, grief, and mental health. What happens after losing someone you love to suicide? In this deeply moving episode of Curveballs and Lemonade , Judy Kogan sits down with fitness and wellness professional Anita Pressman to share the heartbreaking story of losing someone she deeply loved, Sean, to suicide. Anita opens up about the warning signs...

DESCRIPTION What do you do when your child is losing weight, sleeping constantly, and no one can tell you why? In this episode of Curveballs and Lemonade, Judy Kogan sits down with attorney, mom, and longtime friend Jen Gitlin to share her family’s journey navigating her son Trevor’s Crohn’s disease diagnosis. Trevor was just 10 years old when subtle symptoms during the COVID pandemic turned into...

What happens when life’s earliest heartbreak becomes the foundation for your life’s purpose? In this episode of Curveballs and Lemonade, Judy Kogan sits down with special education and Regional Center attorney Rachel S. Milman to discuss the profound childhood loss that shaped her career and her mission to help families navigate some of life’s most challenging diagnoses. Rachel shares the heartbre...

What do you do when every doctor tells you your child is fine, but your gut tells you something is terribly wrong? In this episode of Curveballs and Lemonade, Judy Kogan sits down with Melinda Hughie Blalock to share her family’s extraordinary journey navigating pediatric epilepsy, medical advocacy, and resilience in the face of unimaginable challenges. Melinda opens up about her son Beck’s battle...

What would you do if a routine trip to the emergency room revealed a rare brain disease you never knew you had? In this episode of Curveballs and Lemonade, Judy Kogan sits down with Linda Fuchser to share her incredible journey living with cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM), a rare neurological disease that causes abnormal blood vessels in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord. Linda discusses...

What happens when a health crisis becomes the wake-up call that changes everything? In this episode of Curveballs and Lemonade, Judy Kogan sits down with Candice Kennedy to discuss her remarkable journey from a serious diabetes diagnosis, high blood pressure, and declining health to losing 127 pounds and completely transforming her life. Candice shares the emotional toll of being a full-time careg...

In the very first episode of Curveballs and Lemonade , host Judy Kogan sits down with Jennifer Satel for an emotional and deeply honest conversation about secondary infertility, IVF, miscarriage, pregnancy loss, and the emotional toll of trying to grow a family after having a child. Jennifer opens up about her years-long fertility journey, including multiple miscarriages, IVF treatments during COV...

Curveballs and Lemonade is a powerful podcast hosted by Judy Kogan featuring honest conversations with people who have faced life’s toughest moments and found a way to move forward. Each episode explores real stories of loss, trauma, heartbreak, illness, and unexpected life changes, while focusing on resilience, healing, personal growth, and hope. Judy sits down with guests to discuss how adversit...