Made Visible

Jen Pastiloff has built her identity and career around connecting with people. She also has profound hearing loss and tinnitus and is deaf without her hearing aids. As a result, she’s had to cultivate other ways of understanding and hearing. On today’s episode, Jen and I talk about the specific challenges that come with tinnitus and hearing loss, the assumptions people make if they don’t know that she’s hard of hearing, and how a sense of courageousness helped her carve out a space to truly be herself. Learn more about Jen and check out the show notes here. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook.  Provide us with feedback on the podcast here. 

When Lauren Chiarello was 23 years old, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Now over nine years in remission, Lauren is deeply involved in cancer advocacy at Memorial Sloan Kettering. From speaking at nurse orientations to being a resource for patients, one thing is clear: Lauren believes that by sharing our stories, we cultivate community. On this episode, Lauren and I talk about her journey with cancer, her recent experience with an ectopic pregnancy, and how she stays optimistic through it all. Learn more about Lauren and check out the show notes here. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook.  Provide us with feedback on the podcast here. 

When you picture a therapy office, you might imagine something tucked away in an office building. Self Space, founded by Jodie Cariss, is just the opposite. With its storefront location, the modern therapy practice is like nothing you’ve encountered before. And that’s 100% intentional, because Jodie wants to normalize the idea that it’s okay to talk about how we feel. On today’s episode, Jodie and I discuss how Self Space seeks to change the status quo in the mental health service world. Learn more about Jodie and check out the show notes here. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook.  Provide us with feedback on the podcast here. 

When Anthony Piccione was just a year-and-a-half old, he was diagnosed with autism. In his teenage years, he was also diagnosed with anxiety and mood disorder not otherwise specified. Now, Anthony is a playwright and actor, and uses art to bring awareness to the situations he’s experienced. On this episode, Anthony and I talk about the role writing plays in his life, why he’s committed to breaking down stigmas, and why he wants the arts to elevate the voices of people who experience the issues firsthand. Learn more about Anthony and check out the show notes here. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook.  Provide us with feedback on the podcast here. 

For artist Amy Grantham, being diagnosed with breast cancer at 31 was life-changing in every sense of the word. It wasn’t just that she underwent two lumpectomy surgeries and had to make hard decisions about fertility. Having cancer also rearranged her priorities. She chronicled her experience through her blog, “Boo Cancer, You Suck,” and a feature film, Lily. On today’s episode, Amy and I talk about her journey with cancer as well as depression, and why art and writing play critical roles in her life. Learn more about Amy and check out the show notes here. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook.  Provide us with feedback on the podcast here.   

Aaron Curtis was diagnosed with cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa (CPAN) in 2015. Like many people with rare diseases, his path to a diagnosis wasn’t routine. Once he finally had a diagnosis, he was left with the task of managing his painful flare-ups while working full-time and also pursuing a writing career. On this episode, Aaron and I talk about the adjustments he has made to help manage his illness, what prompted him to start writing about CPAN, and why the spoon theory resonates with him. Learn more about Aaron and check out the show notes here. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook. 

Mallory Gothelf was diagnosed with general anxiety and major depressive disorder when she was 15. At that age, Mallory didn’t realize that recovery would be a long road or that it would ignite her passion for giving back and being a voice for others. On this episode, Mallory and I talk about her journey with depression and anxiety, the moment during college when she took her first real steps towards recovery, and why being an advocate for others is such an important part of her identity. Learn more about Mallory and check out the show notes here. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook. 

Margie Strauss felt a strange, electric pain in her body while on vacation with her family in the summer of 2001. After being admitted to the hospital, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) that very same day. Quickly, the nuisance that had disrupted her vacation became a new reality. On this episode, Margie and I talk about why she snapped into action to find her team, why her diagnosis was a wake-up call, and how she now acts as a resource to others with MS.   Learn more about Margie and check out the show notes here. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook. 

When Matt Glazer calls his bipolar disorder his superpower, it’s not just a catchphrase. He genuinely means it. From using his experience to deepen his communication skills, produce creative work, or reframe the idea of “failure,” Matt is serious about using his superpower for good. On this episode, Matt and I talk about how his journey with bipolar disorder has intersected with his life and work, and why more conversation, above all else, is what we need to remove the stigma of mental illness. Learn more about Matt and check out the show notes here. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook. 

Tiffany Dyba first felt a lump in her left breast while on vacation with her husband in Iceland. When she returned home, she went for a mammogram and ultimately discovered that she had Stage 1 breast cancer. On this episode, Tiffany and I talk about the importance of patients advocating for themselves, how she keeps her cancer in perspective, and why she started C.D.R.E.A.M. (an acronym for “Cancer doesn’t rule everything around me”), a blog that chronicles her journey with cancer as she’s living it. To learn more about Tiffany, check out the show notes.   Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook

In this bonus episode, Danielle Diamond shares a powerful essay, Behind Closed Doors, about an early memory of her mom, who had bipolar disorder and depression. This essay is poignant, honest, and punctuated with humor. It provides a window into the challenging role that loved ones navigate when caring for those with invisible illness, as well as the realities experienced by those who have them.   To read the story word for word, check out the show notes here.    To learn more about Danielle, check out the show notes from episode five. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook

For Danielle Diamond’s entire childhood, her mom struggled with bipolar disorder and depression. As she grew older, and especially after her mom died by suicide when Danielle was just 21, she grew to better understand the reality of her mom’s experience. On this episode, Danielle and I talk about her relationship to her mom, how yoga and meditation have helped her manage trauma, stress, and grief, and why she’s an advocate for people who have mental illness and the loved ones who are affected by it. To learn more about Danielle, check out the show notes. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook

When Phoebe Lapine was first diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, she didn’t want to hear it. As time went by, she eventually came to terms with her diagnosis and discovered she could use her skills as a chef and recipe developer to heal her body. Phoebe and I talk about her journey to “healthy hedonism,” the challenge of balancing the extremism of some holistic health solutions, and why just being herself is at the core of her choices about food, her book, and her business.   To learn more about Phoebe, check out the show notes. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook

Growing up, Carly Alterman loved that she was able to spend a lot of time with her dad, Harvey, who had retired from his dentistry practice due to chronic Lyme disease. Starting in third grade, Carly, along with her mother and brother, acted as a primary caregiver for her dad, whose disease was progressing. Even while Carly was taking on adult responsibilities, she didn’t fully realize how different her life was from her peers until she was older. In this episode, Carly talks about the strong connection she shared with her dad, what it was like to care for him while growing up, and how she handled the sadness of his passing with the support of her friends. To learn more about Carly, check out the show notes. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook

For Christina Blacken, an early pre-diabetes diagnosis was the wake-up call she needed to take control of her health and her life. Not taking “no” for an answer, she did whatever it took to get the answers she needed for her health, eventually venturing outside of conventional medicine to learn about the impact of food and nutrition. From the social struggles of restrictive eating (and how to handle them) to Christina’s thoughts about how to make nutrition changes realistic and sustainable, this episode is all about what it means to take your health into your own hands. To learn more about Christina, check out the show notes. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook  

I’m so excited to launch the first episode of Made Visible, an idea which has been a long time in the making. I didn’t always know that I wanted to launch a podcast, but I did know that I needed to do something to make people with invisible illnesses feel less alone and more supported. I only came to that realization once I started talking about my own illness, which I hid for many years. Talking about my story was so freeing. I wanted others to have that experience too. To learn more about why I created this podcast and my invisible illness story, check out the show notes. Follow Made Visible on Instagram and Facebook