Outside the Waiting Room

Episode 8: Chronically Ill, Chronically Unsupported Because apparently being sick isn't hard enough. Living with chronic illness is challenging enough without having to fight the very systems designed to support you. In this episode, we're getting into some of the harder conversations around living with chronic illness in New Zealand. From financial support that disappears because your par...

Motherhood, fertility, and relationships can take on a different dimension when chronic illness is part of the equation. In this episode, Harriet and Olivia talk candidly about living with lupus and the questions, emotions, and medical decisions that can shape future plans. Together, they explore how health can affect relationships, intimacy, and the deeply personal decision of whether to start a...

The jump from paediatric care to adult services can feel like getting dropped off a cliff, and for chronically ill patients, nobody warns you how hard that landing can be. Harriet and Livvy unpack what it really means to grow up inside the health system, from childhood hospital memories to the grief, confusion, and sudden self-advocacy that come with aging out of paeds.

Too sick for healthy people, too healthy for sick people. If you have ever felt stuck in that in-between world, this conversation will hit home. We get honest about what it really means to try to fit in with a chronic illness, why that pressure gets so much heavier in your teens and twenties, and how the cost of pushing through can follow you for years.

When chronic illness and work collide, the real question is not "Can you do the job?" it's "What does it cost you to keep doing it?" Harriet and Livvy get brutally honest about the hidden energy tax of working while chronically ill, from commuting, appointments, and office expectations to the constant pressure of deciding what to disclose, when to speak up, and how much to...

In this episode, Olivia and Harriet share their personal experiences living with chronic illnesses, exploring the invisible struggles, societal misunderstandings, and the importance of compassion. They highlight how unpredictable health can be, the misconceptions about appearance and activity levels, and offer insights into navigating this complex reality. Main topics covered: The unpredictable na...

Most people underestimate just how much living with a chronic illness can shape your entire life and how much resilience it takes to keep going. In this episode we talk about Harriet’s story of diagnosis from infancy, the raw reality behind the medical rollercoaster and the emotional toll of feeling different from everyone else.

The podcast episode features a candid conversation about living with chronic illness, specifically lupus. It covers the challenges of diagnosis, the impact of lupus on the body, treatment challenges, the experience of adolescence with chronic illness, and the transition to adulthood and family life. The conversation highlights the importance of finding joy in everyday life and the impact of chroni...

In this trailer episode, we share the story behind why we started this podcast and the conversations that inspired it. As two women living with chronic illness, we know what it's like to spend years waiting for answers, diagnoses, treatments, and life to feel normal again. But we also know that life doesn't stop while we're waiting. Outside the Waiting Room is a space for honest conver...