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What does it look like to build an extraordinary life with narcolepsy — without medication?

Welcome to the Narcolepsy Navigators Advocacy Series, where lived experience meets powerful storytelling. This week, Kerly and Liz sit down with David Kuhn: a 27-year narcolepsy survivor, elite master fitness trainer, licensed massage therapist, and founder of the Facebook community Narcolepsy Naturally.

David's journey is one of the most remarkable we've heard. Diagnosed in 1998 at around age 28, he went from being unable to work, experiencing up to 40 cataplexy episodes a day, and reaching a personal rock bottom — to becoming a therapist for the Ohio State University football team, working with over 62 NFL players, Olympic gold medalists, and hundreds of elite athletes. And he has done all of this since 2010 entirely without narcolepsy medication.

In this honest, emotional, and deeply inspiring conversation, David shares what it actually took — the discipline, the baby steps, the mental frameworks, the dietary changes, the fitness routine, and the hard decision to remove toxic stress from his life — to get to where he is today.

He is not here to tell anyone what to do. He is here to show what is possible.

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WHAT YOU'LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE
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• The early symptoms David dismissed as tiredness from overwork
• Falling asleep at the wheel — and the near-miss that finally sent him to a doctor
• A devastating diagnosis with no hope offered by his first doctor
• Medication overload, a mental health crisis, and the decision to walk out of a psych ward
• Rock bottom, and the moment that changed everything
• How he went back to school at 38 to become a massage therapist — medication-free
• His daily routine: sleep tracking, gym before 7:30am, whole foods, strategic napping
• Why he started the Narcolepsy Naturally Facebook group in 2015
• The mental strategies that keep him going: audiobooks, self-help, positive input
• Book recommendations: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Let Them Theory (Mel Robbins), Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)
• How he uses narcolepsy as a "shock factor" to inspire the athletes he works with
• His powerful message: narcolepsy is your soccer field, not your prison
• The Red Button Question — and his answer will not surprise you

⚠️ NOTE: This episode contains discussion of suicidal ideation and mental health crisis within David's personal story. Please take care of yourself first.

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CONNECT WITH DAVID
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🌐 dkmotivations.com
📧 [email protected]
👥 Facebook: Narcolepsy Naturally (3,500+ members)

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BOOKS RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE
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📚 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — Stephen Covey
📚 The Let Them Theory — Mel Robbins
📚 Think and Grow Rich — Napoleon Hill
📚 The Power of Now — Eckhart Tolle (recommended by Liz)

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SUPPORT NARCOLEPSY NAVIGATORS
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Have a sleep disorder story to share? We'd love to hear from you. Happy napping, everyone.

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***If you find these symptoms relatable, please seek medical advice.***