Regarding Me

What happens when being prepared for a medical appointment makes you look like the problem? Jo Muirhead was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer during the pandemic. As a rehabilitation counsellor, she knew the value of keeping records, asking questions and making informed decisions. But when she brought a folder of medical notes to appointments, her self-advocacy was seen by some clinicians as...

When you’re advocating for yourself or others, understanding the processes behind our healthcare system can help you ask better questions. Jo Watson, Deputy Chair of PBAC (Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee), unpacks the acronyms and systems that shape how medicines are subsidised in Australia. This is an episode for patients, advocates, patient organisations, clinicians and industry profe...

What if your gut knows what you want, but everyone else keeps telling you otherwise? When Louise was diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer, she knew she wanted both breasts removed and didn’t want breast reconstruction. But holding onto that decision wasn’t easy. She faced pressure from her surgeon, pity from others, and the weight of social ideas about what women should want. Louise share...

This episode will help you spot medical billing red flags before they cost you. In Part 2 of my chat with Dr Margaret Faux, one of Australia’s leading experts on Medicare and medical billing law, we get practical. Margaret shares simple things patients can do to question fees, quotes and item numbers, and explains why so many women’s real out-of-pocket costs do not match the official data. You’ll...

Nobody should be yelled at, bullied or gaslit for asking questions about healthcare costs. In the previous episode, we talked about how patients can be protected by consumer law, but paying for healthcare is not really like buying a tin of beans. In this bonus episode of Regarding Me, Dr Margaret Faux shares two powerful examples, including her own experience, that show why medical billing is neve...

Most Australians think they understand Medicare. Many of us don’t. Dr Margaret Faux helps unpack the medical billing terms and systems that shape what you pay for healthcare in Australia, including bulk billing, private health, rebates, out-of-pocket costs and the Medicare safety net. This conversation helps explain why so many of us feel confused by medical billing, and why that confusion can hav...

Mackala had lived with pain for years before she was diagnosed with endometriosis. But the diagnosis didn’t bring the relief she'd hoped for. What followed was a different kind of struggle: trying to function while managing pain, inconsistent care, and the feeling that she still had to explain and prove what was happening in her body. Her story raises bigger questions about what happens when women...

Have you ever been dismissed by a doctor and wondered if it was just you? In this episode, award-winning journalist and Health Editor at the Sydney Morning Herald, Kate Aubusson, shares what their medical misogyny investigation uncovered. The series revealed clear, systemic patterns of dismissal, delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis, including what Kate describes as “nightmare fuel” — cases where wo...

After the events Tammy shared in Part 1, her treatment was delayed, with significant impacts on her wellbeing. This episode is Part 2 of Tammy’s story. Check out Part 1 — Doctor, Have I Done Something to Offend You? — before listening to get the full story. In Part 2, Tammy MacPherson shares what happened next. She describes another difficult moment before her DIEP breast reconstruction surgery, w...

Tammy was told she had the earliest possible stage of breast cancer. But the decisions that followed were still confronting. Not helped my her experiences in the healthcare system. In this episode, Tammy MacPherson shares what happened after a high-risk screening detected ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and what unfolded as she tried to understand the treatment decisions in front of her. She also...

Self-advocacy is encouraged but rarely explained or made explicit. And many women still don’t know they have the right to ask questions, get a second opinion, and offer feedback when it comes to their healthcare. You don’t need permission to advocate for healthcare that meets your needs. But if you wanted a reminder, this is it. In this timely episode of Regarding Me , I’m joined by Rebecca White,...

Before she passed from metastatic breast cancer, Sarah’s mum gave her the greatest gift: knowledge that may help Sarah future-proof her health. In this powerful follow-up conversation, Sarah Wallace opens up about what it means to self-advocate when you live with inherited risk factors for breast cancer but no diagnosis. For her, it’s a complicated space: considered ‘elective’ in the system, but a...

What price do you pay to advocate for your health - and for hope? For Sarah Wallace, that question has been answered in ways both heartbreaking and costly. Luan is joined by Sarah, founder of the Wish Collective, to talk about her experience of Assisted Fertility Treatment, pregnancy loss, and what she describes as the four hardships of fertility treatment: mental, emotional, physical and financia...

After cancer treatment ends, the pressure to bounce back can feel overwhelming. But what if your energy doesn’t return? What if the brain fog lingers, the pain persists, and “normal” expectations no longer fit? That’s where the concept of 'Crip Time' could help. Luan continues her discussion with Shona Edwards, Deputy Chair of Cancer Voices SA and co-founder of the University of Adelaide’s student...

You become an advocate because you care. Because you want to make things better for the next person. Because your hard-earned experience shouldn’t go to waste. And you want people to have a better experience than you did and less alone. But advocacy - whether through peer support, sharing your story online online or policy work - can quietly take more from you than you realise. In this episode, Lu...

If you’ve ever said “I’m fine” when you’re anything but, or said “yes” when every fibre of your being wanted to say “no”, this episode is for you. People-pleasing can quietly erode your ability to self-advocate, and you might not even realise you’re doing it. Luan is joined by empowerment coach Belinda Stark to explore why it’s so hard to speak up, how to spot the signs that you’re slipping into p...

When you’re in the thick of a health decision - scared, overwhelmed, unsure - how do you figure out what’s right for you? Even in hard moments, you're not empty-handed when it comes to making confident healthcare decisions. One of the most powerful tools you can lean on is your values. They’re your North Star when everything else feels uncertain. And even if you’ve never named them before, they’re...

When life flips into full F mode - fight, flight, freeze or fawn - it’s not just your mind that goes into meltdown. Your body feels it too. In this In the Meantime mini-episode, Luan shares how stomping around Sydney Harbour, swapping rave tunes for the Rocky theme and quietly recreating a childhood position of safety became unlikely acts of self-advocacy during cancer treatment. This one’s about...

This is one of the most frequently asked questions: how can women confidently advocate for their health when they’re overwhelmed , and being a ‘good’ patient is often seen as being quiet, compliant and not representing themselves? In this open-hearted episode, Luan is joined by psychologist and coach Suzy Reading to gently and curiously unpack what it really means to self-advocate. And they explor...

In this first In the Meantime mini episode, Luan reflects on a common misconception: that self-advocacy in healthcare means going in hard, pushing back or being seen as “difficult.” But true self-advocacy isn’t necessarily about confrontation. It’s about clarity, confidence and collaboration. Drawing on years of experience in breast cancer advocacy, hundreds of conversations in the cancer communit...

Feeling stuck in a loop of anger, grief or overwhelm? You're not alone. But you don't have to stay there. In this episode, Luan explores how internal programming and mindset shape the way we respond to life’s hardest moments - grief, diagnosis, overwhelm - with Toni Powell. Toni is an author, happiness speaker and self-confessed former misery expert who went from living in a shed, broke and heartb...

Would you tell a stranger all your personal health info? Would you trust them not to tell anyone else?   They’re the kind of questions we need to ask ourselves when using generative AI tools like ChatGPT to support our healthcare decisions.   ChatGPT recently introduced changes to how it stores memories and chat history, raising important questions about data, privacy and trust across al...

We’re back! Regarding Me Season 2 is here and we’re starting strong with a topic that’s dominating headlines, healthcare and workplaces: AI.   In this episode, we’re diving into how tools like ChatGPT might support you to self-advocate for your health, especially in those early appointments. Luan’s joined by Dr Julie Ayre, a health literacy and digital health expert, for an easily understanda...

In this Regarding Me Rewind , we revisit three powerful stories that show what can happen when women speak up, trust their instincts, and refuse to stay silent - especially when faced with bias, dismissal, or healthcare systems that weren’t built with them in mind. From challenging assumptions about metastatic breast cancer, to refusing to accept medical gaslighting, to navigating care that exclud...

Before Season 2 lands, we’re rewinding to some of the most powerful insights from Season 1—because some messages are worth hearing more than once. In this special recap episode, Luan revisits three expert interviews that sparked aha moments and offered real tools for self-health advocacy. Whether you’re navigating a diagnosis or just want to speak up with more confidence, this episode will remind...