I'm Dying to Tell You

Send us Fan Mail Listen in and hear how thousands of people have come together to better the lives of those living with ALS.  In this episode, I celebrate I AM ALS turning 3.  Here I chat with Mandi Bailey, Tony Rosello & Sandy Morris and hear how their involvement with the ALS patient-led group I AM ALS has showed them the power of a unified community.  Each of them are driven by their heart...

Send us Fan Mail Here I chat with Andrea Peet and her husband, Dave Peet.  Andrea's been on a journey to become the first person with ALS to complete 50 marathons in 50 states.  Andrea was diagnosed with ALS at 33 years old.  Now at 40, she is super close to accomplishing her goal of completing 50 marathons in 50 states all while living with ALS, a fatal disease with no cure.  Andrea and Dave...

Send us Fan Mail Here I reintroduce you to four 2021 guests and highlight how they are able to see love, hope, faith and joy in their darkest days.  I randomly selected these past guests and together their stories show us how it really is possible to focus on the good stuff when life seems impossible.  In this episode, you'll hear clips from Kanya Sesser, Leah Stavenhagen, Bernadette Okeke an...

Send us Fan Mail Here I chat with Brad Aronson who shares incredible true stories about how one small deed can make a world of difference.  Listen in to how his National Bestseller, HumanKind came to be.  Brad Aronson is a husband, dad, entrepreneur, mentor and volunteer.  After Brad's wife, Mia, was diagnosed with leukemia Brad spent most of his time either by her side or trying to shield th...

Send us Fan Mail Listen in to this fun episode as I chat with my joy go-to girl, Monica Scalf about JOYful Holiday gift giving.  As joyful as the holidays are, there’s something about the onset of the gifting season that stirs up a little bit of uncertainty.  Can I think of the best gift?  Will I have the time to find it?   Always overthinking and often I end up putting it off and having to do it...

Send us Fan Mail In this Veteran's Day episode, I talk to Juan Reyes a military veteran battling ALS as he shares what's getting him through the toughest of times.  Since his ALS diagnosis in 2015, he's been in the fight of his life.  He's been fighting with grace and humor to improve treatment opportunities as well as advocating for others in the hopes of ending ALS.  Juan ser...

Send us Fan Mail Here I chat with Mitch Albom about love, faith, living and dying and the life lessons of Morrie Schwartz.  In this episode Mitch Albom shares the backstory of how he met his former professor Morrie Schwartz and how their relationship developed.  Mitch shared Morrie's life lessons in the best-selling memoir of all time,Tuesdays with Morrie.  Today, the book has sold 17 million...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Emma Benoit who survived a suicide attempt at 16.   She's using her painful experience to help others find hope in the darkest of days.  Emma became extremely passionate about suicide prevention after her suicide attempt in 2017, the summer before her senior year in high school.  At the time, she was a popular varsity cheerleader with a supportive...

Send us Fan Mail In a cruel twist of fate and genetics, two twins both lost their young lives to ALS.  Here, I talk to their mother Lori Hermstad of Iowa who is speaking up to help keep their legacy alive.  Lori lost her 2 twin daughters to ALS at 17 and 26.   The youngest, Alex was diagnosed at 11, put on vent at 12, and died at 17. Eight years to the day that Alex died, Jaci was diagnosed at 25...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode,  I catch up with Mike and Cheryl Smith who created Ales for ALS, a program that has raised over $3,500,000 for ALS research at the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI).   Mike and Cheryl own Loftus Ranches, a fourth-generation hop farm in Washington’s Yakima Valley.  Cheryl has lost 9 relatives to ALS, including her grandfather and father.  Along the way, t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, sweet inspiration comes from 10-year-old Varen Rogers who shares her perspective on life while her dad fights ALS.   Varen accidentally made a name for herself with one sweet gesture, a tribute to her father, Justin Rogers who was diagnosed with ALS at 35.  Varen wanted to give a shout out to her dad at the Cincinnati Reds first Lou Gehrig Day baseball game.  She...

Send us Fan Mail Here I catch up with 13 year old, Jahkil Jackson who is a young entrepreneur known for creating Project I Am and distributing almost 60,000 Blessing Bags to the homeless around the world.   A  teen philanthropist, author and anti-bullying activist has made his mark in the world by helping homeless people since he was eight.   Project I Am distributes and delivering thousands and t...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode I share my chat with ALS Ice Bucket Challenge co-founder Pat Quinn who inspired millions before losing his battle to ALS.  Pat Quinn was the last of three ALS warriors, Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates and Pat Quinn to be the first to accelerate the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge while living with ALS.  Pat from Yonkers , New York passed away at 37 in November 2020...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is pure inspiration.  Here I chat with Scott and Jamie Smith.  As they fight Scott's ALS, they are sharing their hearts to encourage others.    Silver Linings, Courage Under Fire, Nothing to Lose and Riding On Hope are just a few of the topics Scott Smith writes about in his intimate blog, Flex On ALS.  He's documenting his personal experience by sharing his...

Send us Fan Mail Former ESPN host, Emmy Award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author, Kate Fagan and I chat about her latest book:  All the Colors Came Out.   It is an unforgettable, beautifully written memoir about the love between a father and a daughter.  Listen in as Kate Fagan shares her motivation for her beautiful love story about her father, Chris Fagan.  She  opens up a...

Send us Fan Mail Here I chat with Medal of Honor Recipient, Kyle Carpenter to hear what prepared him to cover a grenade to save his fellow Marine and what he's learned from his near- death experience.  Kyle, shares his incredible journey and his unique perspective for life that everyone can benefit from.  At a young 21, Kyle was serving in Afghanistan when the enemy initiated an attack with h...

Send us Fan Mail Listen in as I talk to Leah Stavenhagen, 28, about her ALS journey and the "In Her ALS Shoes" movement she created.   "I was an active 26-year-old so why did I feel like my feet couldn’t quite keep up?   She couldn’t find my knee-jerk reflex and suggested that I visit a neurologist. Naively, I didn’t understand why I was being referred to a neurologist over a podiat...

Send us Fan Mail In honor of ALS Awareness Month,   I catch up with 4 people who are in the fight of their life as they battle ALS, a terminal illness that has no cure.    My guests are Bernadine Okeke, Taya Jones, Bruce Rosenblum and Zamir Kociaj.  I asked listeners, what they were most curious about when it comes to ALS.  My gracious guests, open their hearts and answer those questions and more....

Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode, I  share what's on my heart as it relates to giving yourself grace.    Why is it so hard to make space for grace?  Specifically giving ourselves grace.  We graciously do it for others, but what about us?  In this episode, I address: What is grace?  Why is it so hard?  What are some thoughts on it?  In a world that says, "go get it."  "Do b...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I  chat with 28-year old Kanya Sesser.   Born with no legs in Thailand and found on the side of the road.  Kanya lets us know how to live fully and without regrets.   Kanya is now a professional skateboarder, surfer, actress, model, motivational speaker and activist.    She may have had a rough start in life but now she is showing us that all things are truly poss...

Send us Fan Mail Hear how 10 year old Kennedy Arney is living with ALS, a terminal illness,  but yet adopts one of her best friend's mottos "ALS has no victory over Me!"   This episode is proof that inspiration can come in all sizes.   Listen in as I chat with 10 year old, Kennedy Arney of Michigan.  She is one of the youngest people in the United States to be diagnosed ALS.   We ch...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Season 2 of I'm Dying To Tell You.   This is a special anniversary episode celebrating the first year of the podcast, each listener and all my inspiring guests.    I'll be checking in with a few guests from this past year, answering some listener questions and previewing season 2.   I am living with ALS, a fatal disease with no cure.  I am outliving my 2-5 yea...

Send us Fan Mail I imagine you've never heard a love story quite like this one.  This is  all about commitment, love and resilience.   Here I chat with Augie Nieto, the successful fitness industry mogul behind Lifecycle and Life Fitness who was diagnosed with ALS in 2005 and his wife, Lynne.   They open up about life with ALS, their unique love story and what they are dying to tell you.  They...

Send us Fan Mail Here I catch up with Juliana Fetherman, 24, who was inspired by her brother to help those with special needs make friends.  So many of us have been feeling extremely isolated during this pandemic.  My guest, Juliana knows that feeling alone on a daily basis is common for some.  Her brother, Michael has both autism and ADHD, and struggles with the interpersonal skills necessary for...

Send us Fan Mail Listen in and hear a beautiful testimony of how ordinary people have united to end ALS and change the world. This episode is a celebration of hope, love and community.  I celebrate I AM ALS turning 2, by talking with Cathy Collet, Jill Brattain and Nadia Sethi who have all lost someone to ALS.   All are driven by their heart to end ALS through their involvement with the patient-le...