Uninvisible Pod with Lauren Freedman

Emily Dwass is a writer living in Los Angeles. Having written for numerous publications about food, health, and cultural issues (including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today), she also served as the “Kid Health” columnist for the Los Angeles Times for four years. She has also written several feature scripts and been a writer on TV shows produced by Dis...

Atlanta native Samantha Den ä e is a former magazine writer and entertainment blogger-turned novelist, poet, and screenwriter. At the age of 24, she was diagnosed with endometriosis – and turned this devastating revelation into a gift, making it her mission to educate women around the world through partnerships with the Endometriosis Foundation of America and The ENPOWR Project’s Endo Edukit , amo...

Lara Parker is a writer living in Los Angeles. She rose to popularity after publicly discuss ing her is sues living with endom etriosis and comorbid conditions , including vaginismus , vulvodynia , vulvar vestibulitis , PMDD, pelvic floor dysfunction, and interstitial cystitis , among others . You may remember her from the short-form docuseries Can We Cure , in which she and fellow Buzzfeed produc...

At this point you’re all pretty familiar with my voice, right? Well, as we head into the holiday season and close in on our one-year anniversary (!!), we thought it was time we gave you what you’ve been asking for: more of me! This episode was initially recorded for a FB Live appearance with Naomi Batty of Holtorf Medical Group – and we had such a great chat, I thought it would make the perfect ro...

Join us as we revisit some past guests to discuss new topics! Trishna Bharadia and Anisha Gangotra are sisters – both thriving with their own chronic invisible illnesses. Trishna lives with MS (multiple sclerosis) and works tirelessly as a patient advocate; Anisha lives with UC (ulcerative colitis) and has also survived PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Anisha was inspired by her own journey...

Camille Thornton-Alson is a classically trained actress , coach, and teacher. A longtime friend of Lauren’s, the two met while studying abroad in London – right before Camille began a stint in Paris at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq. Following her stay in France, Camille returned home to the Bay Area and was immediately stricken with a mysterious illness… one that took her almost...

Thomas Smith is a an international consultant providing expert patient insights; diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) as an infant and taking control of his livelihood in his late teen years, he is now involved with numerous patient advocacy groups that span the rare and chronic disease spectrum, with a focus on mental health. A former member of the European Health Parliament in Brussels, he’s an e...

Jaelin Palmer is a 25-year-old activist and organizer living with CRPS (comple x regional pain syndrome, or reflex sympathetic dystrophy ) and TN (trigeminal neuralgia). She was diagnosed with CRPS at 15, following a jaw surg ery gone wrong ; the TN diagnosis came much later , despite her extreme chronic facial pain . Her mother, Natalie, joins us in this special mother-daughter interview not only...

Dr. Rashmi Mullur is an integrative endocrinologist leading practices at UCLA and the VA in Los Angeles . She received her medical degree from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and completed her internal medicine and chief residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. After this, she completed a fellowship in Endocrinology at the VA-Cedars...

Anisha Gangotra is an inclusive dance instructor living in the UK, and the sister of former guest Trishna Bharadia . In 2008, at the age of 24, she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) – an autoimmune condition that attacks the gut. Shortly after, in 2011, she was a victim in a high-speed car accident; during her long recovery and rehabilitation, she was additionally diagnosed with PTSD, dep...

Devri Velazquez – or, as she has aptly proclaimed herself, “pretty, sick. chick” – is a content creator, writer, editor, speaker, model, and advocate for chronic illness. She lives with a very rare form of vasculitis called Takayasu’s Arteritis. Diagnosed in 2011, she was told by doctors that she might not live to see 30 – and she turned 30 last month! Not only has she defied the odds with her phy...

Chris Armstrong, PhD was first introduced to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) through research into metabolomics at the University of Melbourne, Australia. As he delved deeper into his work, he discovered its connection to ME/CFS patients, and empathized so much with their plight – and the lack of resources, funding, and research available to both patients and clinicians...

Nitika Chopra is, in her own words, “a woman on a mission to inspire radical self-love.” Her goal is not only to show us how to fall in love with ourselves, but, like her, to “learn to thrive with a chronic illness.” If she’s one thing: she’s real. Nitika shares the raw pain she had to grow through in order to f ind that self-love she speaks so passionately about . Diagnosed with debilitating psor...

Clare Stafford is one of Lauren’s oldest friends. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia (by way of Irish-born parents), Clare has built a career as a social justice advocate and lawyer. Having worked in refugee camps in Greece and campaigned for indigenous rig hts in Australia, her focus has always been on immigration, native rights, gender equality, and climate justice. She is an avid follower of mus...

Ilana Jacqueline is a best-selling author, speaker, patient advocacy strategist , and professional patient advocate. While her background is in PR, her career as a patient advocate started with an early blog, Let’s Feel Better , in 2012, and gave birth to the book Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness – which was Lauren’s playboo k when she first got diagnosed (Ilana has a way o...

Aditi Juneja is a lawyer, writer, and organizer living with epilepsy. She is the creator and host of Self Care Sundays , a podcast about sel f - care for communities of color . With past guest T. Sydney Bergeron Mikus , she is also the co-founder of the Invisible Illnesses Support Circle at The Wing in NYC. While at NYU law school, she co-created the Disability Allied Law Students Association (DAL...

In this second installment of Lauren’s interview with Ariel, we dig further into his conditions and lifestyle: what his advocacy work means to him, his journey through the workforce and struggle to find employment with disabilities, his experience as a service dog handler, and life with thyroid disease, bipolar II, borderline personality disorder, endometriosis as a gender-diverse individual, and...

If you’re involved in the Spoonie community on Instagram, you’ve probably come across Ariel of @carpe_that__diem , who blogs about living in a disabled trans agender bod y, mental health, working with a SD (service dog), and death positivity. An academic by training and trade, Ariel’s perspective is eloquent, enlightening, and engaging. He uses this interview (in two parts) to dive into the inters...

  Rachel  Hill is an author, writer, thyroid patient advocate, a nd creator of the award-winning website, The Invisible Hypothyroidism . Diagnosed with h ypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s disease , she talks openly and honestly about what it’s like to have these diagnoses, as well as what has helped her and many others to recover their health and to thrive . She is passionate about helping those with...

Todd White is the founder of Dry Farm Wines , and is a leading authority on healthy organic/natural wines and the importance of micro-dosing alcohol for health, longevity, and vitality. His passion is in unlocking the best way to enjoy alcohol – how to enjoy the benefits of moderat e consumption while avoiding its potential negative side effects. Dry Farm Wines was born from Todd ’s interest in bi...

Karyn Buxman is a n eurohumorist (living at the intersection of the brain and humor) , author, researcher, keynoter, coach, and TEDx speaker. For the last 30 year s, she has worked with clients like NASA, the Mayo Clinic, Cigna, and 800+ others to empower with healthy humor. She runs c ustom retreats at her HumorLab in San Diego, and f ocus es on high performers in the ROI of laughter. She is quic...

Tonya Butts is the founder of Sweet Apricity , a sweets company that makes elimination-diet-compliant caramels (and caramel sauce!), marshmallows, and more. The company started on a whim: Tonya began crafting her dairy-free caramels as a graduation gift for her best friend Wendy, who manages debilitating symptoms with the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). While offering powerful relief for t hose with au...

Michelle Roberts  is formerly of Kantor & Kantor LLP, and now founder of Roberts Disability Law in the Bay Area .   She has spent her entire legal career helping individuals with disabilities obtain income replacement benefits from their empl oyer’s group disability plans , and works from the heart after watching her father, a disabled veteran, struggle to work and support his family while dealing...

Writer and filmmaker Vincent Sabella lives with OCD, depression, anxiety, and schizo affective disorder . In 2013, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; he has been in remission for six years. Vinny’s film Elizabeth Blue was written after a harrowing year during which many of his medications, with which he is diligent, failed. His husband, Joseph, has been his consummate advocate, and has...

In Part 2 of Lauren’s interview with award-winning patient advocate Trishna Bharadia, we dig deeper into the details of her work and what drives her every day. While she has faced instances of discrimination and seen the same happen to her friends, she remains strong and uses these episodes as teaching moments for others. He r passion truly keeps her going , and she recognizes the historical impor...