The Unchosen Fork

Sleep is critical to a healthy life and recovery; why is it so dismissed? Why do we value or encourage shortening our sleep opportunities? Our Friend, Dr. Virginia Crabtree, joins us again to discuss why we need sleep, who needs the most, and how to get the best sleep ever. Kelly dives into her questions, and Sarah is all about her naps. Join Us on the Unchosen Fork. Guest Speaker Bio: Dr. Valerie...

If one more person asks Sarah if she is grateful for the lessons she learned due to her illness, she may lose her mind.  Thankfully, she talked to Stacey Coach about how to foster gratitude and find a connection with a higher power. Join Kelly and Sarah as they discuss with Stacey why finding your community is so essential, how shame will prevent you from moving forward, and finding a way gratitud...

Supplements are all around. The general idea is that supplements are "good for us" or at least neutral.  Dr. Alison Mondul walks us through why that isn't necessarily the case and how come it's so hard to get good research on them.  Dr. Mondul also discusses #MiCares , a new research project that will help us understand the world around us. https://micares.health/ Join Us on #t...

Meat. It's bad for you, bad for the environment, right? Right? It's time for a rethink. Join, Sarah and Kelly explore how meat done right can be healthy, sustainable, and ethical with Jill O'Brien from Wild Idea Buffalo Co. Join Us on #theunchosenfork Shop https://wildideabuffalo.com/ and use “Fork20” for 20% your order. Support the show Follow the Unchosen Fork: Facebook Instagram...

It's been the preferred drink of monks, aristocracy, and healthy yogis for centuries. But the world's most popular drink has a dark past. Kelly and Sarah talk about tea's grim history and the science behind why it's so good for you. Join Us on #theunchosenfork Resources Support the show Follow the Unchosen Fork: Facebook Instagram TikTok Disclaimer: The contents of this podcast...

 Whether it's them or a family member, talking to children about illness and devastating diagnosis is one of the toughest things a parent or guardian has to do. Yet, no one, like the rest of raising a child, has a manual for the best way to do that. So, of course, Sarah and Kelly tackle it head-on with Dr. Virginia Crabtree of St. Jude. They dive into what to say and when to say it, and comme...

Weird diets. Peer pressure. Thinspo. UGH.  Kids these days have more challenges than ever when it comes to body image. Add a chronic or critical illness & it's all more difficult to navigate. So what to do? Join Sarah & Kelly in their discussion with Dr. Ginger Quick about how illness & body image intersects & steps you can take to help the youth in your life. Guest Host Bio V...

The best unchosen fork is the fork that doesn't happen.  Sarah and Kelly are joined by two rockstars of the Cardiovascular world, Dr. Jennifer Mieres and Dr. Stacey Rosen on how to prevent the #1 killer of women: Heart Disease. Learn all about risks factors and prevention tips and why the Heart Is A Lady Part. So grab your best scarlet, ruby, or wine-colored outfit as the Unchosen Fork  GOES...

We hit our second season with a doozy. When people are hit with a devastating diagnosis or chronic illness, caregivers rise up to take care of everything. But who is taking care of the caregivers? Sarah and Kelly are joined by author, Kate Washington,  to discuss her book, " Already Toast " about her experience with caregiving and recovering from burnout. We get into the current state of...

We have lots of opinions including on things that we love to use!  Join us as we give you our top 10 Favorite things for those that are dealing with illness or just want to live a little healthier this season. Sarah and Kelly have some great gift idea that will surely please as well a why you should never ever buy a pineapple corer. Join us on the Unchosen Fork! Resources https://www.mentalfloss.c...

SEX! Sarah and Kelly really do cover everything, including the sex challenges that can arise (or not) from chronic Illness. Dr. Daniela Wittmann joins the Fork to discuss how sex therapy can help those suffering from sexual dysfunction, how medical practices can make it easier for their patients to address what they make be ashamed to admit, and what questions patients and their partners should as...

Can we live in the moment, every moment? What about when you live with pain? What if my mind is like a squirrel? Kelly and Sarah are joined by mindfulness expert and therapist, Elizabeth Wilder Young to discuss what mindfulness actually is, how to incorporate it into your every day, and how it can help address pain. Oh, and Sarah overshares. Again. Guest Host Bio Elizabeth is a licensed clinical s...

Some are great in a risotto, some can make you see God, and some can kill you. Kelly delivers an in-depth look at edible mushrooms and all the scientifically supported ways they are good for you.  Sarah delivers bad jokes. Join us on The Unchosen Fork. Resources: Servan-Schreiber D. Anti Cancer a New Way of Life. Penguin Books, 2009 Blaylock RL. Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients. Citadel Pres...

Exercise. We know it’s good for us. We know it can help us feel better. Why is so hard to start?  Sarah and Kelly welcome personal trainer and RA survivor Ali DiGiacomo as she provides step-by-step tips to getting started, staying started, and making workouts work for you.  Hear her inspirational story about going from using a cane to now inspiring thousands every day to move their body - where ev...

How does grief work? Kelly and Sarah tackle the big topic with a big guest.  Dr. Mary Frances O'Connor joins them for a conversation about grief and her new book, The Grieving Brain : The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss . Dr. O'Connor shares her thoughtful insights and research on how grief is not a single circular series of phases, preparing for inevitable hard mom...

Sarah and Kelly welcome guest host, Rosalind Joffe, to discuss all the challenges and benefits of working while chronically ill. After being diagnosed, one of the next largest concerns is working. Can you still do your job with your condition? How much do you disclose at work?  What else should I be considering? Sarah and Kelly cover all this with Rosalind, who has coached others on these question...

Kelly and Sarah welcome a very special guest to break down all the secrets of the MRI. Hear from DJ Quam, an industry expert, as he breaks down  all the things that you always wanted to know. This episode has it all. Academic Drama? Check. Informative Science? Check. Real world recommendation to make MRs better? Check. Sarah oversharing yet again? Check- Check. Join us on the Unchosen Fork. Guest...

TRICKS TO GET HEALTHY FOOD IN YOUR DAILY LIFE Kelly and Sarah spill their "secrets" about incorporating good, real food into their daily lives. They cover the challenges and the benefits of keeping to the basics, saving time in meal prep, and how sneaking in nutrition is easier than you think. References: Isbill J, Kandiah J, Kružliaková N. Opportunities for Health Promotion: Highlightin...

Sarah finally discusses The Terrible Diet tm.  Otherwise known as the Autoimmune Protocol or AIP, Sarah covers how this radical approach to food has changed the course of her health, disease, and life.  Learn how the AIP process works, what a food coach is, and why vegan is not the answer for everyone.  Stay for why Sarah had to take a "sabbatical" to save her friendships. Join us on The...

We start to tackle Kelly's favorite topic: Nutrition! Join us as we discuss her main nutrition principles, including the "dirty dozen", grass-fed beef, plant-based diets, and more. References: Kelly's blog: hopeandnourishment.com Broccoli Sprouts David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD , (2009), Anticancer: A New Way of Life ,  Penguin House  Russell L. Blaylock , (2019), Natural Strat...

Spirituality, faith, community: whatever you call it, Kelly and Sarah cover it. In The Unchosen Fork's first guest episode, Kelly and Sarah tackle the big questions with one of their spiritual gurus, Megan Swett. As a future priest, Megan discusses the many sides of spirituality, how her own Unchosen Fork influenced her faith and how chronic illness can deepen the understanding of community....

Dealing with a devastating diagnosis changes your future in a moment.  Sarah and Kelly tackle this fact head-on, discussing their lost futures, how they handled it then and now, and why communities like Our Unchosen Fork are critical for support. You might want your box of tissues as they cover what changed for them, what is better now, and why texting saved Sarah's marriage. Join us on The U...

It’s not the path they choose, but it’s the one they are on. Being diagnosed with a chronic, severe, or terminal illness can be heartbreaking, confusing, and lonely. And that’s just day one. The Unchosen Fork is a podcast all about life, health and keeping sane while dealing with an illness. We - two women dealing with chronic diagnoses - discuss what we know now, what we wish we had known, what w...

When you are dealing with an illness, some days are just tougher than others. Sarah and Kelly face the discussion head-on. Hear about taking action, difficult changes, and finding hope in the strangest places with detours into holiday movies, terrible crocheted scarves, and not throwing your phone. Join the conversation at the Unchosen Fork. References: Howarth, A., Smith, J.G., Perkins-Porras, L....

So you are going to meet with your doctor(s) about your life-altering illness. What do ask? What should you expect? How do you get your questions answered? How do you keep organized? Kelly and Sarah discuss how to get ready for those key medical appointments as well as Peanuts teachers, honesty, and why Sarah doesn't smoke marijuana. References: "Woman's Heart Health hindered by Soc...