Brain Fever Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jackie is joined by Dr. Cody Vest, a popular BookToker in New York City. Dr. Cody got his start as an AP English teacher in Arkansas while also earning a Ph. D. He then pivoted into the corporate world and began a new career working as an instructional designer for Walmart. When he started making videos about burnout, teaching, and his disdain for Where the Crawda...

Send us Fan Mail Calling all stressed out lawyers (dare I repeat myself) AND stressed out humans looking to find that inner feeling of balance. In this episode, Jackie is joined by Dr. Amy Wood, a clinical psychologist, executive coach, person who deals with stressed out lawyers extraordinaire, and author of "Lawyer Like an Athlete." While this show focuses a lot of energy on how quickly...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jackie is joined by special guest and longtime friend, Jamie Selzler. Jamie is a brilliant businessman and political strategist. Through their work in politics, Jamie and Jackie met while Jackie was still in college at the University of North Dakota. Jamie is the kind of friend who finds out you have autoimmune encephalitis and walks a personal letter to Elton Joh...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jackie is joined by David Gerken, a lobbyist turned writer turned "mindfulness guru" (Jackie's words). David, a California native, is a graduate of both Princeton and Georgetown. In his first act of life, he worked on the Hill and ran a lobbying firm in D.C. Called to a more creative life, he headed west to Hollywood and eventually landed the greate...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Brain Fever, Jackie is joined by all-around badass, Jodene Weber, who is a former journalist, twenty-two-year veteran of the FBI, true crime sleuth and podcast host, and debut novelist. Jodene recounts her early days reading Nancy Drew (to Jackie's Hardy Boys), to her intense days joining and working for the FBI (Jackie's dream), to the terror of 9-11,...

Send us Fan Mail Annnnnnnnd ...we're back!  You asked - and we've answered! The Brain Fever podcast has returned and sports a fabulous lineup! In this episode, Jackie (in solo mode, God help us) shares why she and Sean have been MIA, what she's been up to ( Unwillable , speaking, her new Willable Substack - pass it on !), why Elton's great, and some Easter Eggs about the upcomi...

Send us Fan Mail To kick off another season of the Brain Fever podcast, Jackie welcomes special guest Jeremy Norton. Jeremy is the author of Trauma Sponges: Dispatches from the Scarred Heart of Emergency Response . Jeremy has an MA in creative writing, was a teacher, and has served over twenty years with the Minneapolis Fire Department where he is currently a captain. Jeremy was also the firefight...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jackie hosts a dear old friend from law school, Amber Gustafson. Amber just happens to be a former lawyer turned judge, mother of three, Iraq veteran, and avid walker. She also happens to be a young widow. In 2021, on what started as a routine Tuesday morning for their family of five, Lieutenant Adam Gustafson suffered a massive heart attack and completed his end...

Send us Fan Mail Jackie has often heard of autoimmune encephalitis survivors unlocking hidden creativity after their diagnosis. And while she turned to writing in her days of survival and recovery, she still believes her creativity knows a lot of bounds. But what does it really mean to be a creative? What happens when you bring your creativity back "home?" What does it mean to sing your...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jackie is joined by guest Mariah Botha of Dickinson, North Dakota. Mariah is the director of a rural healthcare foundation and is as smart as she is lovely. Upon reading Unwillable , Mariah had a lot of questions and Jackie (doubtfully) had the answers. So the pair decided to turn the tables and have Mariah host Jackie. In this unscripted conversation, Mariah and...

Send us Fan Mail Join Jackie and Sean as Jackie drops her ultimate wish (outside of a made for TV movie): the Unwillable soundtrack! In this episode, you'll hear more about the songs that influenced Jackie while writing the book, the eerie songs that played during her onset, and the songs she relied upon to get to the final destination of "I'm Still Standing!" To listen along t...

Send us Fan Mail Medical care can be complicated, especially for women. Women are always juggling hormones, stress, work, sleep, childbearing years, menopause, and quite a bit in between. In this episode, Jackie interviews an old friend, Adria, who is a Physician's Assistant at a women's primary care clinic. Join them as they demystify primary care and talk about it all, including mental...

Send us Fan Mail Lawyers. If you know them, you know they're always "stressed out." If you've met them, you know they're "overworked." And chances are, you've probably heard them call their profession "toxic." Why is the legal profession so stressful and why are lawyers statistically at risk for a myriad of serious mental health problems? Why was J...

Send us Fan Mail In this very special episode, Jackie is joined by Miami native Juliana Ortiz who was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis at just fourteen years old. Juliana’s story of disruption at a young age to her brave recovery and how her diagnosis helped shape her college career path is one you don’t want to miss. She’s also the first AE survivor to guest the Brain Fever podcast! Join Ja...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, four-time breast cancer survivor, speaker, and author of "Dig in Your Heels," Karla Baptiste, joins Jackie to talk about life with and after breast cancer. Karla's motto of "One Life to Live, Many Lives to Touch," and her story of survival will leave you inspired!

Send us Fan Mail Join Jackie and Sean as they sing and dance their way into 2023 (kidding, there's no singing or dancing on this one). In this episode, Jackie discusses Brain Fever's spring lineup, her book Unwillable, and what she's been up to. She also drops a little secret info about an upcoming promotional giveaway and some exciting February news for World Encephalitis Day! Catc...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode, Stephanie Macdonald, the nurse practitioner Jackie credits with saving her life from AE, interviews Jackie for Humanities North Dakota’s One Book One ND event. In this conversation, the pair explore life after AE, writing Unwillable, and how Jackie stays busy. *Recording shared with permission and consent.

Send us Fan Mail When AE stares you in the face (or another chronic health condition) two questions come to mind: What if I can't work and how will I have health insurance? To tackle these complicated and scary questions, Jackie welcomes her longtime friend and colleague, Attorney Mac Schneider, as a guest. Mac walks listeners through the complicated puzzle of disability and health care, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jackie and Sean discuss the release of Jackie’s memoir, “Unwillable: A Journey to Reclaim my Brain” (in a bit of a dazed and confused kind of way). Sean also offers his resignation as Jackie’s producer, but he’ll be back … To order your copy of Unwillable, check out unwillable.com or look for it on Amazon!

Send us Fan Mail In this episode and in honor of April 29th's Make-A-Wish Day, special guest Amanda Godfread, Regional Director of Make-A-Wish North Dakota, joins Jackie for a discussion on the difficulties families face with a sick child and the wonderful effects wishes have on the health of the recipients and their families.

Send us Fan Mail On March 1, 2022, Jackie interviewed "Brain on Fire's" Susannah Cahalan for a Humanities North Dakota event, "One Book, One ND." Jackie and Susannah had a riveting conversation about autoimmune encephalitis, life, motherhood, mental health, writing, and more. Humanities North Dakota graciously permitted Jackie to share this interview (complete with an intr...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jackie is joined by Dr. Stephen Rush, a psychiatrist at the University of Cincinnati as they try to answer Jackie's unending question of, "Autoimmune encephalitis, what the heck is going on here?” ***Disclaimer-this episode is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. If you’re in need of medical advice, co...

Send us Fan Mail Happy 2022! Join Jackie and Sean as they recap on 2021’s peaks and valleys, share exciting upcoming news, and do some polka dancing.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, North Dakota native Mandy B. Anderson joins Jackie to discuss life with Cystic Fibrosis. Their conversation follows Mandy's story of "Dangerous Hope," where she swore off the medication and treatments necessary for her to live, but learned how to live more fully after her long and almost deadly journey. Mandy is the author of "Dangerous Hope,&q...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jackie interviews special guest Maria Burns Ortiz. Maria is a decorated writer, teacher, digital entrepreneur, and leader. She is also the co-author of My Fight/Your Fight, the New York Times bestselling memoir about the storied career of Ronda Rousey. She shares with Jackie her energy and enthusiasm about rising to life's great expectations. She is smart, su...