How We Got Here

In her early 30s, Jodi-Ann Burey had many plans for her life -- including buying a house and traveling the world with friends. These plans were forever-changed after doctors discovered a tumor in her spinal cord. Jodi-Ann joins How We Got Here to talk about the ways a cancer diagnosis shapes a person's identity and how her experience as a patient led her to create the Black Cancer podcast. She also shares her thoughts on the battle metaphors that are commonly used to describe the cancer and the reasons why children shouldn't be safeguarded from the realities of illness and caregiving.

Learn more about the Black Cancer podcast.

This season of How We Got Here is sponsored by Anthem.

Shane and Hannah Burcaw are relationship vloggers on a mission to change the way society understands disability. They join How We Got Here to talk about how they met and the reasons they began documenting their interabled relationship on Youtube. Shane and Hannah define ableism and share examples they've encountered over the years. Hannah reflects on learning Shane's care when they started dating, and they discuss the interplay of caregiving and intimacy in their relationship.

Watch Squirmy and Grubs on Youtube.

This season of How We Got Here is sponsored by Anthem.

Keen insights abound on this bonus episode of How We Got Here! Chris and Christina are joined by super producer Bill Odman for a retrospective on season one guests and themes. The group considers how perceptions about caregiving and work/life balance in the U.S. have changed over the past couple decades. The group talks about some of the guest conversations that have stuck with them, including the funny moments shared while discussing heavy subjects.

Thank you to Anthem for their sponsorship of season 1.

BJ Miller, MD is a long-time hospice and palliative medicine physician and educator. He currently sees patients and families via telehealth through Mettle Health, a company he co-founded with the aim to provide personalized, holistic consultations for any patient or caregiver who needs help navigating all the issues that come with serious illness and disability. BJ joins How We Got Here to talk about about caring for his mother, who had polio and post-polio syndrome, while he was a child and what compelled him to become a doctor. He also explains the accident at 19 years old that led to the amputation of three of his limbs and how this accident shaped his identity and helped him develop curiosity toward anything unknown. He shares insight on owning your insecurities and gives advice on getting the most out of a healthcare experience as either a patient or caregiver.

To learn more about Mettle Health, tap here.

This season of How We Got Here is sponsored by Anthem.

Sarah Trott is the associate producer and director of social media for Ambient Skies. She also appeared on season 25 of The Bachelor. Although she didn't find love, the platform has enabled her to connect with young women navigating similar life challenges, specifically with ALS. Sarah joins How We Got Here to talk about her father's ALS diagnosis, self-identifying as a caregiver, and the unique decisions young people face after a loved one is diagnosed with a chronic or terminal condition. She also talks about what it was like temporarily leaving her job in broadcast journalism to help care for her father and how this experience led to the creation of her private Facebook group, Sarah's Caregiver Community. Sarah reflects on anticipatory grief and finding purpose through pain.

Tap here to join Sarah's Caregiver Community, and email her at [email protected].

Learn more about adding caregiving information to your LinkedIn profile.

This season of How We Got Here is sponsored by Anthem.

Jay Newton-Small is the CEO and founder of MemoryWell, a national network of more than 700 writers who tell the life stories of seniors to help improve their care. On this episode of How We Got Here, Jay talks about her father's Alzheimer's diagnosis, the ways caregiving affected her mother's health, and how her perspective on caregiving changed once she became his primary caregiver. She explains the accommodations she made in order to keep her father safe in her home and the moment she realized she could no longer care for him on her own. Jay also discloses both the challenging and humorous moments caring for her dad and how the experience led to the creation of MemoryWell. She explains how storytelling can transform our outcomes-driven healthcare system and help us increase empathy for others. Chris and Jay reflect on practicing forgiveness in caregiving--both to oneself and to those on the receiving end of care.

Tap here for more information on MemoryWell.

This season of How We Got Here is sponsored by Anthem.

Aisha Adkins is the Constituency Organizer for Caring Across Generations and Co-Executive Director of Love Labor Project. She has provided care for her parents off and on since 2006 but officially became a caregiver when her mother was diagnosed with dementia in 2013. Aisha joins How We Got Here to talk about her first exposure to caregiving at the age of seven and how the desire to help others has got her where she is today in both her caregiving and professional life. She reflects on the moments of her caregiving journey that taught her how to ask for help and how to advocate for her parents in various care settings. Aisha and Chris talk about how racial and gender identity inform and affect caregiving experiences. Aisha, in describing on a close personal loss, reflects on expectations versus reality when it come to memorializing the ones we love on the anniversaries of their deaths.

Tap here to register for Love Labor Project's virtual meet-ups for caregivers, which happen every other Saturday at 10am CT.

This season of How We Got Here is sponsored by Anthem.

Amy Goyer is a caregiving expert and columnist at AARP. She is also the author of "Juggling Life, Work and Caregiving" and is a frequent guest on NBC’s Today Show. Amy joins How We Got Here for a conversation about the meaningful overlaps between her career and caring for numerous people in her life including her grandparents and parents. She shares how the combination of these experiences led her to her current role at AARP. She also discusses the positive impact the perception of choice can have on a caregiving experience and offers tips for having difficult conversations as a family. Amy explains the reasons why caring for her parents led her to bankruptcy, despite the resources that were available to both her and her parents. Chris and Amy talk about some of the unpleasant tasks involved in caring for a loved one and how humor and laughter can be the best medicine in those situations.

Click here to find caregiver resources from AARP.

This season of How We Got Here is sponsored by Anthem.

Edo Banach is the President and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Edo joins How We Got Here for a conversation about hospice including its origins and why misconceptions about it persist. He also talks about where his passion for community-based support comes from and reflects on an end-of-life experience he was a part of that had a profound impact on his life. Edo, Chris, and Christina share what song they'd each like to hear at the end of their lives. Edo discusses three steps that can be taken to address gaps in hospice care delivery.

Click here to learn more about NHPCO.

This season of How We Got Here is sponsored by Anthem.

Shoshana Ungerleider, MD (Extremis, End Game) is a doctor, a film producer, and a medical expert on TV. She is also the founder of End Well, a non-profit that's influencing social change and public perception around a variety of topic areas, including the end of life. Shoshana joins How We Got Here to talk about how her experiences in medical school and early on in her medical career revealed to her the disconnect between patient wishes and the default care they receive through the end of life. She also explains how End Well got started and how their thought-provoking programming helps people initiate conversations about caregiving, grief, serious illness, death, and more with the ones they love. Shoshana reflects on her journey of becoming a film producer and shares the habits and practices that have helped her maintain her mental and physical health through the pandemic.

Tap here to join End Well's Take 10 experience.

This season of How We Got Here is sponsored by Anthem.