Adam Hill describes himself as "a proud man, husband, father in addiction recovery who works to change the culture of stigma, shame, fear and retribution surrounding seeking assistance for mental health & addiction care." He is the author of the deeply personal memoir, Long Walk Out of the Woods: A Physician’s Story of Addiction, Depression, Hope a…

Josh Mugele describes himself as an Emergency Medicine physician, father, and human being. In this episode we talk about identities (both fixed and fluid) and what it's like to interact with healthcare professionals as an educator, advocate, parent, patient, and peer. We discuss the challenges and opportunities of having a strong social media prese…

Foster describes themself as a queer, nonbinary, trans person in recovery who is a writer and a parent. The author of critically-acclaimed short story collection Shine of the Ever, Foster talks in this episode about what it's like to interact with healthcare professionals as a trans person in recovery. To learn more about Foster's work, visit clair…

Kate describes themself as "a genderqueer, disabled clinician, sex therapist, and clinical research fellow at the Kinsey Institute Trauma Stress Research Consortium at Indiana University, specializing in disability, trauma, sexuality from the perspective of healthcare professionals and the people they serve, under the watchful nose of ADA service d…

Kait Sanchez is a self-described queer, autistic, disabled person of color who is "just trying to survive both grad school and whatever curse has been put on their family." Her research interests focus on trans healthcare disparities and the inclusion of trans-specific topics in medical education curricula. In this episode, we talk about Kait's wor…

Cameron C. is a first-year resident physician in Internal Medicine at the University of Washington. He is also a bisexual, transgender, Iranian-American man. In this episode, we talk about Cameron's experiences as both a healthcare professional and a recipient of healthcare. You can find Cameron on Twitter at @eponymics.…

Inspired by her personal and professional experiences, Sophia Zupanc is currently travelling the world as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow to investigate the question "What is palliative care and why does it matter?" Her Watson project is called “Dispatches from Death: Exploring How We Die.” In this episode, we talk about Sophia's experiences as a lesbian…

Last season you met Andrew Gurza, self-described “disabled man” and “queer cripple.” In this episode, Andrew returns to the show to talk about "straw bans," ableism, and turtles. If you're one of the many people who think that banning straws in restaurants is a good idea, pour yourself a drink and listen to Andrew explain why privilege and ableism …

Meet Sara Quin, a self-described queer woman and activist who also happens to be a musician. (I’m loathe to write that she’s “one half of the duo, Tegan and Sara” because as a twin, Sara’s not 50% of a pair – she’s 100% Sara, and she has a sister who’s 100% Tegan, and they’re in a band together). In this free-flowing episode, Sara and I talk about …

Meet Cavanaugh Quick, a self-described "queer, fat, AFAB transgender, femme, Afrolatinx, poly, kinky person with chronic pain" who’s also a graduate social work student at the University of Albany. In this episode, Cavanaugh and I talk about sexual health, kink, PrEP, gonorrhea, and the weird tendency for health care professionals to assume that AF…

Meet Rachel Reimer, a self-described "Medical Intuitive, senior in college, and Millenial." According to her website, she "provide[s] spiritual insight to health care or mental health professionals on clients that want to know more about their health and/or are 'stuck'....Messages that [she] receive[s] can come in the form of images, sounds, or fee…

Meet Joshua Shea, a journalist, publisher, film festival founder, and local politician from Central Maine. Arrested and convicted for possession of child pornography after a long struggle with alcoholism and porn addiction, Joshua served six months in jail. He’s written a memoir, The Addiction Nobody Will Talk About: How I Let My Pornography Addict…

Earlier this season you met Andrew Gurza, self-described “disabled man” and “queer cripple.” In this episode, Andrew returns to the show to talk about his experiences with healthcare providers during his most recent hospitalization. We talk about C. Diff, diapers, nurses, doctors, hospitals, and tangentially, Grey’s Anatomy. You can follow Andrew o…

Meet Andrew Gurza, self-described ?“disabled man” and “queer cripple.” Andrew shares his experiences interacting with healthcare professionals around issues related to mobility, autonomy, and sexuality. He talks about what it feels like to be moved without his consent and treated by healthcare professionals in ways that distance him from his body, …

Meet Ryder Avalon – model, songwriter, ink enthusiast, and self-described “LA sewer ninja.” In this episode, Ryder alks about her experiences interacting with health care professionals along her journey as a woman who identifies as “transsexual” and biracial. She explains why she prefers the word “transsexual” to the word “transgender” to describe …

Meet Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the Pulse shooting in Orlando and Vice President of The Dru Project, “an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization on a mission to spread love across the nation and promote gay straight alliances.” In this episode (recorded on May 22nd before the Manchester bombing), Brandon talks about identifying as “intersectional,” Black, Wh…

Meet Lindsey Nebeker, a pianist/composer, disability rights advocate, and person on the autism spectrum. In this episode, Lindsey talks about what it’s like to seek and receive health care as a person on the spectrum. She describes when and why she discloses (or decides not to disclose) her autism diagnosis to health care professionals, as well as …

Meet Kelli Dunham, self-described "ex-nun genderqueer nurse author nerd comic." Kelli and I talk about what it's like to be the caregiver and advocate for two partners who died (both at the age of 38), what it's like to be a nurse viewing the healthcare system through the eyes of a patient, and what it's like to be a nun in a habit going to the gyn…

Meet Dr. Majeda El-Banna, an Assistant Professor in the George Washington University School of Nursing. In this episode (taped on March 27th, Muslim Women's Day), Majeda and I talk about Islam, her experiences as a Muslim nurse educator who wears hijab, and her experiences attending graduate school in the midwest while raising two young children. Y…

In this episode, Nina and I talk about her experiences as a Black woman interacting with healthcare professionals, particularly around the issue of weight. We explore the complicated history that healthcare has with Black people in America and the ways that medicine’s past discriminatory, deceptive, and exploitive practices have shaped the way heal…

Meet Amy Berman, a nurse living with Stage IV breast cancer. Amy describes the moment she went from being a nurse to being someone with a terminal illness, and she talks about living – really living – for the six and a half years since her diagnosis thanks to the care she’s received from palliative care professionals. You can follow Amy on Twitter …

Meet Laura Antoniou and Karen Taylor, together for 19 years. Laura is a novelist, pornographer, and self-described "pervert." Karen is a social service professional and kink aficionado. Laura, Karen, and I talk about sadomasochism, consent, and what healthcare professionals need to know in order to meet the needs of patients who practice BDSM. Also…

Meet Dr. Peggy Chinn, Professor Emerita of Nursing at the University of Connecticut. Peggy and I talk about her experiences in the 1970's as a feminist lesbian nurse educator and how perceptions of lesbian nurses have changed since then. Peggy also describes the 1982 birth of "Cassandra: The Radical Feminist Nurses Network." You can follow Peggy on…

Meet Dr. Rachel Levine, Physician General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine. Rachel and I talk about her experiences as a physician who is transgender, about privilege, and about the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's commitment to transgender youth.…

Meet Charlie Blotner, a senior at Arizona State University who identifies as trans-masculine and non-binary. Charlie and I met at the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona after we connected via Twitter. On a sunny patio at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch, we talk about gender, identity, body ima…

Meet Dr. Mitchell Tepper, a Sexuality Counselor whose focus is educating people about sexuality and disability. Mitch is a person with a spinal cord injury who has a master’s degree in public health from Yale University, a PhD in Human Sexuality Education from the University of Pennsylvania, a 30-year marriage, and a 20-year old son. He's also an A…