The L Podcast

Imagine going to the lab, getting your blood drawn, and then just throwing it away. That's what we've been doing EVERY MONTH! For individuals living with diabetes that menstruate, getting our A1C labs done can be so much more convenient than it's ever been before. Today we're talking with Dr. Sara Naseri, M.D., Co-Founder & CEO at Qvin- a company set out to harness the diagnostic power of mens...

Living with a chronic illness like diabetes is difficult, and it can make big life moments like pregnancy a bit more complicated. Did you know that a person with diabetes is considered high-risk when pregnant? Today we're kicking off #NationalDiabetesAwarenessMonth by talking with the amazing Julia Blanchette, diabetes educator, nurse, researcher, and new momma that lives with type 1 diabetes. We'...

Up to 85% of positions are filled with personal or professional connections. Basically, networking is VERY important for your professional career, but also personal. Making friends is just another form of networking! Today we're chatting with Julie Kirsch, founder of The Friendship Strategist on why networking is important and how to get started. Julie shares some great tips on how to network for...

As many as 80% of adults with ADHD have at least one coexisting psychiatric disorder, including mood and anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and even personality disorders like bipolar disorder. When I was diagnosed with ADHD this summer, I was also diagnosed with PMDD. But there are other conditions that people with ADHD are at higher risk for also having, so today we're talking about com...

Getting my ADHD diagnosis at the age of 33 was the quickest, but also the longest process I've had so far. After meeting with a psychiatrist for 2.5 hours, I got my diagnosis. But the diagnosis process can be different for children versus adults, and even for different adults. Today we're talking about who gives you an ADHD diagnosis, what the evaluation process can be like, and why it's important...

October is ADHD Awareness Month and being a newly diagnosed neurospicy gal, I want to make sure we talk about it! As with any new diagnosis, it can feel scary and overwhelming. But my psychiatrist that diagnosed me did something that was extremely helpful to make this diagnosis different. She shared resources that talked about ADHD as a superpower instead. As I started learning more about ADHD, I...

TW: discussion of suicide September is Suicide Prevention Month so we're going to talk about it. It's an uncomfortable topic, but not as uncomfortable as going to a loved one's funeral. In 2022, there were an estimated 1.6M suicide attempts. Dealing with suicidal thoughts and ideation can make someone feel really lonely and isolated. I've had several battles of my own and today I w...

Listening, inspire, guide and give, heal, and transform. LIGHT. That's the acronym that today's guest Twanda Clark-Edgal follows for her organization and as a social change agent. Part of caring for our emotional wellbeing is being able to share our stories. Learning how to rewrite our narrative and change our lives isn't easy to do. But once you share your story, what are you going to...

How many diets have you tried in your lifetime? When diet after diet doesn't work, society says clearly the problem is YOUR WILLPOWER. Today we're talking with Licensed Professional Counselor, Tory Butterworth, who specializes in working with women who eat their feelings. We'll talk about what an emotional eater actually is, tips on how to safely and sustainably change eating habits, a...

Being an introvert in a very extroverted world can be challenging. So what do you do if your job requires you to be more extroverted than you're used to? Today we're chatting with my friend Alex Rusciano, radio and communication extraordinaire, about how he's a professional extroverted introvert and tips on how navigate the work place as an introvert. We also talk about how your introv...

This year we said we weren't burning ourselves out. I'm getting ready for Soft Girl Summer, which means I'm taking back my time and my energy for MYSELF. Taking a break from work, relationships, hobbies, or even volunteering doesn't mean you're a failure. What it does mean is that your prioritizing your wants and needs, (which isn't selfish!) and I'm so freaking proud o...

Living with a chronic illness doesn't mean you can't enjoy the happiest place on earth! When planning a vacation, it can be difficult and even overwhelming trying to accommodate every need of a person living with a chronic illness or that has physical limitations. Today we're chatting with my sister-in-law Lucy, who just planned a fun trip for her family to Disney and Universal studios...

TW: Mention of suicidal thoughts. For 9,490 days, my soror Gris made a choice: to fight. She's been living with Bipolar Disorder for almost 26 years and has reflected on what she's learned about the mental illness, and about herself. I had never known anyone who had needed hospitalization for their mental health until I met Gris, and guess what...it's not the straight jackets and padded walls that...

Have you heard of RSV? I hadn't until maybe about 2 years ago when it was all over the news. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a respiratory virus that can be mild, but for infants, elderly, or anyone with that's immunocompromised, it can be very serious. In this episode we're chatting with Tara Slominski, a returning guest and badass momma of 2, about her experience dealing with he...

What is bipolar disorder? There are so many myths and misconceptions about what this mental illness is and what life with it looks like. To kick off Mental Health Awareness Month, we're talking to returning guest, Brittney Benavidez Smith, about what her life with bipolar disorder is like. This is a very powerful episode so I hope you take a moment to listen to Brittney's story and learn m...

Diamonds are made under pressure, but I want to be a human, not a stone. Life, society, work, there's plenty of external factors that put pressure and stress on us, so why do we add to it by putting pressure on ourselves? Self-inflicted stress, self-made timelines and goals, we make an already hard life even harder sometimes. So what do we do about it? We make room for our own peace. Listen to...

April is Financial Literacy Month so let's talk money! I remember growing up seeing adults living paycheck to paycheck or maxing out credit cards, so I thought that was normal and what you're supposed to do. At one point I had about 7 credit cards and almost $9k in credit card debt. It took forever to get out of those habits and to pay it off. Today we're talking with Michelle Velasque...

It's the most dreadful time of the year! Tax season. As many of my friends are getting married, having kids, and buying houses, I realized that no one tells you have differently you need to file your taxes when you have life events like these. I've always reached out to my sorority sister Maria Luisa, who is an accountant and my person tax guru, when I had questions about taxes. So today I...

Misdiagnoses are more common than you think. A recent study from Johns Hopkins found that an estimated 795,000 Americans become permanently disabled or die annually because dangerous diseases are misdiagnosed. WILD! I've personally met more and more people that were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, only to find out almost a decade later that they were misdiagnosed and actually had a form of typ...

Ever thought about being your own boss? It's not as easy or glamorous as social media can make it seem. So what DOES it take to own a small business? Today we're chatting with Olivia Clennon, founder and owner of Liv Travel, a small but growing travel agency. Olivia shares why she decided to pursue starting a business, what steps she took, and has some great advice for anyone who wants to start th...

We've all heard the quote "be the change that you wish to see in the world", but how do you actually do that? Today we're talking with Jaqueline Oliveira-Cella about how she saw a need in a community she wanted to serve and what steps she took to create her consulting company to fill that need. Bottom line: it takes collaboration. You can't create meaningful change alone but...

The urgent care provider almost sent me home with no medications. So before I left I asked him "what about my diabetes?" He didn't even realize I had it because he somehow missed it on my chart. Shit happens. But this reminded me how important it for everyone to always advocate for yourself and ask questions. Doctors make mistakes so don't assume they always know your full pictur...

Being a trailblazer, the first in your family or community to do something, can be scary and uncomfortable. But it's only because of trailblazers like Pennsylvania State Representative Donna Bullock that push through obstacles that have created the change we all want. When Rep. Bullock was elected back in 2015, there weren't many other black women or people of color that had similar experi...

Will you be ready to retire one day? I honestly have no clue. The thought of retiring someday seems so foreign. My husband's parents were the first people I ever met that were retired, so I really had no idea what it took to even get there. So when I heard that my friend Phil was preparing to retire, I knew I had to pick his brain about the whole process! In today's episode, we're talking all abou...

What if something you heard on social media could save you thousands of dollars or even your life? Well that's what happened to me. I had excruciating lower abdominal pain that sent me to urgent care and the ER. I missed days of work because I could barely walk. I spent $$$ on those doctor and ER visit. Turns out it was just ovulation pain. As a 32 year old person with ovaries, I was PISSED that I...