Discomfort Zone

I was too sick to attend my sister’s wedding, so she wasn’t expecting me to deliver a speech.

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Check out our Official Invisible Not Broken Facebook group

A transcript is available in the show notes.
Read the definition of marriage on dictionary.com

Written, Produced, and Sound Designed by: Jason Herterich

Audio Engineering by: Justin Maradin

Special thanks to: Gordo, Barry, my Mom, Luke, Emily, Hallie, and Lisa

My gym teacher ridicules me in front of my peers, prompting the question: was my child-acting career a fluke? If so, what does that say about my legacy? What does free pizza have to do with any of this?

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A transcript is available in the show notes.

Written, Hosted, Produced, and Sound Designed by: Jason Herterich
Audio Engineer: Justin Maradin

About Keith

Keith McArthur is an author, speaker, kidney transplant survivor, and rare disease dad. He is the host of the CBC Podcast Unlocking Bryson’s Brain, an 8-part documentary-style podcast about his son Bryson, his rare disease, and his family’s search for a cure. Keith is also the CEO and Head of Science for CureGRIN, an organization dedicated to finding cures and therapies for people around the world suffering from GRIN disorders.

Links

Listen to Unlocking Bryson’s Brain on CBC Listen, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

To help support research into GRIN disorders, you can donate to: CureGRIN or U of T’s GRIN Disorders Research Fund

Follow Keith on Twitter

Follow CureGRIN on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

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Keith’s son Bryson is a charming and outgoing 13-year old who loves his family, friends, and school. But he faces tremendous challenges. He lives with a rare genetic disease that has his brain locked at the developmental level of a 1-year old. The closure of schools has been especially hard on Bryson as he no longer has access to many of the tools he uses for therapy.

Keith, host of the CBC Podcast ‘Unlocking Bryson’s Brain’, talks about life as a rare disease dad, the impact COVID has had on his family, and his search for a cure to Bryson’s brain disease.

About Keith

Keith McArthur is an author, speaker, kidney transplant survivor, and rare disease dad. He is the host of the CBC Podcast Unlocking Bryson’s Brain, an 8-part documentary-style podcast about his son Bryson, his rare disease, and his family’s search for a cure. Keith is also the CEO and Head of Science for CureGRIN, an organization dedicated to finding cures and therapies for people around the world suffering from GRIN disorders.

A full transcript with photos is available in the show notes

Links

Listen to Unlocking Bryson’s Brain on CBC Listen, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
To help support research into GRIN disorders, you can donate to: CureGRIN or U of T’s GRIN Disorders Research Fund
Follow Keith on Twitter
Follow CureGRIN on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Follow Discomfort Zone on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Credits

Written, Hosted, Produced, and Sound Designed by: Jason Herterich
Video Editor: Raihan Hussain
Associate Producer: Rahima Mulla
Audio Engineer: Justin Maradin

Lindsay is no stranger to adversity. While most 11-year olds were out playing with their friends, she was at home caring for her mom. Now a front-line healthcare worker in the midst of a pandemic, she is faced with unprecedented challenges. Lindsay shares her insights on how the government could ensure the safety of personal support workers and their clients.

About Lindsay

Lindsay Couture has been a live-in caregiver for her mom since a young age. Supporting her through respiratory issues and 2 double lung transplants. It was while caring for her mom she realized that caregiving was her passion. Lindsay went to school to become a PSW in 2016 and graduated with honors. Since then Lindsay has worked in both the long-term care sector and in the community helping support our most vulnerable. Lindsay got away from corporate work after experiencing burnout and has now taken a different approach in the PSW profession. While no longer working in the corporate world, Lindsay has opened her own homecare company, Oakwood Home Healthcare. Being a PSW herself Lindsay knows the struggles and hardships PSWs go through in their profession. Between working the front-line, and managing a team of compassionate PSWs by herself, Lindsay makes time to advocate for change in the PSW profession.

A full transcript with photos is available in the show notes

Links
Oakwood Home Healthcare
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Credits
Written, Hosted, Produced, and Sound Designed by: Jason Herterich
Video Editor: Raihan Hussain
Associate Producer: Rahima Mulla
Audio Engineer: Justin Maradin

Early in the pandemic, Melissa spent all day on the phone with disabled people living in fear of COVID-19. Their fears echoed many of her own. Melissa shares her recommendations on how the government can better meet the needs of the disability community.

About Melissa
Melissa Graham is an advocate for social justice, public speaker, writer, researcher, and community organizer. Melissa is also the founder of the Toronto Disability Pride March, an annual event that began during the Occupy movement. As a social worker and an activist, she fights oppression from an intersectional perspective, and by encouraging others to speak from their lived experience. She has written about these experiences in a number of anthologies and articles. Melissa is also about to begin her first year of PhD studies exploring ableism and sanism within the field of Social Work.

A full transcript with photos is available in the show notes

Links
Toronto Disability Pride March
Direct Funding Program
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Credits
Written, Hosted, Produced, and Sound Designed by: Jason Herterich
Video Editor: Raihan Hussain
Associate Producer: Rahima Mulla
Audio Engineer: Justin Maradin

Meditating at a jungle monastery in Thailand brought me inner stillness. Then Rob showed up.

A full transcript with photos is available in the show notes

Links:

Short Video Documentary of Wat Tam Wua

Wat Tam Wua Website

Social Media

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Resources

Substance Abuse and Suicide: A Guide to Understanding the Connection and Reducing Risk

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call 1-800-273-8255 (1800-273-TALK)

The Crisis Text Line

7 Cups of Tea An anonymous, 24-hour chat with trained professionals

Audio:

I’m Letting Go by Josh Woodward

small-group-laughter by ch0cchi

Award-winning filmmaker and journalist Karina Sturm joins the show to talk about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder she lives with. She opens up about the medical gaslighting she experienced during her long path to diagnosis and how she transitioned from laboratory technician to chronically ill patient to journalist and filmmaker. Karina then talks about her feature-length film, We Are Visible, the challenges she faced while making it, and the false ‘fabricated or induced illness’ (FII) allegations many of her interview subjects experienced.'

We Are Visible' highlights the challenges people living with invisible illnesses face every day, specifically in the context of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. The film features seven stories including people of all ages (5 - 60 years old), from six different countries with diverse backgrounds, different financial standing who are all differently affected by this invisible condition. They will share their challenges, fights, and fears, but also their achievements, hopes, and triumphs.

A full transcript with photos is available in the show notes

Karina Sturm

Journalistic Website

We Are Visible Website

German Blog

We Are Visible Trailer 2

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Discomfort Zone Podcast

Follow Discomfort Zone Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Produced by: Jason Herterich

Audio Engineering by: Justin Maradin

Editing help provided by: Melanie McPhail