Patients Getting Paid

If you have a chronic health condition, there are many benefits of working from home. You can choose your own hours, you can take time to recuperate when you need to, and your commute is no more than a minute! But it also means that, if required, you can pick up and relocate in a second.

My guest today is Christina Mathers. She describes herself as a Lyme-thriver, mother, wife and dog mom. Although she maintains a patient advocacy website about managing her condition, she also works from home as a premium auditor at an insurance company. And since moving from Pennsylvania to Florida, Christina and her family could not be happier or healthier.

In this episode:

• Christina's work in insurance and the benefits of working from home, both for her and her husband
• How Christina and her family were able to relocate for the good of all their health
• Christina's attempts (and future plans) to monetize her Living Well With Lyme website - including affiliate links and eBooks
• Kathy's experience of registering as a limited liability company (LLC)
• Christina's advice for budding chronicpreneurs

Resources:

• Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about, and join, the PGP community
• Visit Living Well With Lyme 
• Connect with Christina on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok
• Tools mentioned in this episode include Canva and CoSchedule

**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!

Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com

When you’re starting on your chronicpreneur career, you’ll know that you need to get organized. And if you’re anything like me, and you have “shiny box” syndrome, you’ll look around at what other people are using and buy a plethora of productivity tools and subscriptions, each of which will promise a new and more methodical version of you.

And then a couple of months down the line your desktop is littered with programs that you never worked out how to use. But what if there was a way to manage your workflow, by using tools that you already work with every day? 

My guest today is Dara Sklar, the productivity expert you never knew you needed. She’s a powerhouse of Google Tools and her goal is to stop people from feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of getting their business systems organized. And I know from first-hand experience that it's achievable!

Dara is another of the featured experts within the Patients Getting Paid Community. Visit PatientsGettingPaid.com for more information and to see her special deep-dive workshop.

In this episode:

• Kathy’s own experience of Dara’s transformational Get Productive With G Suite course
• Why working in a corporate job led Dara to believe that a course about using Google Workspace to be more productive was needed
• Should you choose Google Tools over other organizational tools?
• The biggest challenges to getting more productive with Google Tools
• Why incremental changes can help even the most tech-phobic people
• Dara’s “quick wins” for you to try right now!

Resources:

• Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community - and join the community to get access to Dara’s training
• Get instant access to Get Productive with G Suite (with Dara Sklar) [affiliate link]
• Learn more about Google Workspace
• Here’s a link to download Dara’s "Top 40 Time-Saving Google Hacks You'll Wish You'd Been Using All Along" 
• Connect with Dara on Instagram, Linkedin, and Facebook
• Visit Learn.WithDara.com 

**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!

Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com

This is a special one, as my guest is not only my podcast editor and friend but also an actual Patient Getting Paid, who I helped to get started!

Steve Woodward from the UK is a self-confessed audio geek and musician who has been involved with home and studio recording projects since he was at school. Alongside this, he worked in arts marketing for over 20 years, specializing in the writing and editing of clear and concise copy. 

After losing his full-time position in late 2016, he eventually founded the Podcasting Editor brand, and now melds his audio and marketing skills to work on a growing number of podcasts - including this one!

As well as covering the ins and outs of how he got here, we cover health care and disability benefits in the UK, as well as more practical elements of chronicpreneur life - like, how to get paid when you’re working for people from around the world.

In this episode:

• How Steve and Kathy met
• Steve’s employment history and how he became a podcast editor, with a little help from Kathy and PGP guest expert Jackie Zimmerman
• Steve’s experience of attitudes to remote working in the UK
• How he is able to support his family - plus his experiences of the UK’s disability benefits system
• The sense of purpose that can come from being productive and serving others

Resources:

• Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
• Check out Kathy’s FUMS Podcast
• Visit Steve at PodcastingEditor.com 
• Listen to episode 007 of the Patients Getting Paid podcast: Websites 101 - Do You NEED One??? With Chronicpreneur Jackie Zimmerman
• Tools mentioned in this episode include Audacity, Hindenburg, Wise (affiliate link), and Stripe

**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!

Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com

Maybe you have boxes of old photos in your house. Or maybe you’re a digital native. But whichever you are, you can’t deny that people are taking more and more photos every day. And who is going to sort them out?

I only became aware that a Photo Manager was a *thing* when I became overwhelmed dealing with boxes of pictures that I inherited from my parents, alongside many photos of my own children growing up. Luckily I found Cathi Nelson’s website and I found a lot of information that was super helpful for that project. 

Cathi Nelson is the leader of a global photo organizing movement. Her end goal is to educate and encourage people who have comfort with technology and a love of photos and stories to learn about the growing need for professional photo managers and to consider this as a profession.

As soon as I found Cathi it occurred to me then that photo organizing would be a great remote work opportunity. So I’m delighted that Cathi is my guest on the PGP podcast.

 Cathi is also one of our PGP experts offering a deeper dive training inside the membership, with a workshop called "How to Turn Your Love of Photos into a Business''. If you’d like access to that workshop and the 2 free books that she’s offering exclusively to our PGP community, go to PatientsGettingPaid.com and join us on the inside for this and many other trainings for chronicpreneurs.

In this episode:

• How Cathi got into Photo Organization
• Why does the world need professional photo managers?
• What are the characteristics of a successful photo manager?
• How being part of a community can help out the “non-techies” amongst us
• Details of training available through Cathi’s website and within the PGP community

Resources:

• Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
• Check out Kathy’s FUMS Gift Guide
• Visit The Photo Managers Academy 
• Details of Cathi’s "Become a Professional Photo Manager" membership
• Follow The Photo Managers on Facebook and Instagram
• Check out the Advice from the Photo Organizing Pros Facebook Group 

**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!

Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com

What’s not to love about affiliate marketing? If you get it set up correctly, it’s a way to make a little extra money without having to do a whole lot of anything.

In the past, it had a bit of an unethical reputation, with people promoting whatever products would get them the most money. But as businesses all over have recognized the worth of personal recommendations, companies are increasingly interested in building relationships with their communities. As an example, I have been publishing a Holiday Gift Guide on my FUMS website for several years, and this is now so popular that I leave it online all year round. It’s a win-win situation, both for me, the companies that I promote, and the end-user because I only include items that I genuinely value!

If you’re interested in the idea of affiliate marketing but don’t know where to start, my guest today is Jay Clouse, community experience director for Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income. We talk about what affiliate marketing is, how people can use it as part of their business, and - also - how much they can make.

Creator and host of the Creative Elements podcast, Jay wants to help you build a life of creative independence, giving you the freedom to invest your time and creative energy into projects that you choose. He is also a featured expert within the Patients Getting Paid Membership Community. Visit the website to find out more and join today!

In this episode:

• How COVID has only increased a desire for community connections, integral for our personal lives but also for business
• Jay’s definition of affiliate marketing, why it might have once had a poor reputation, and how you can combat this by making sure that your incentives are aligned - ensuring that the right products and businesses get in front of your audience
• Do you have to have a website for affiliate marketing or can you use social media solely?
• Kathy’s own experiences of affiliate marketing, and why she has seen real benefit from building affiliate programs with small, relevant businesses
• Can people just solely do affiliate marketing or is it most often a complementary income stream to an existing business? 

Resources:

• Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
• Check out Kathy’s FUMS Gift Guide
• Visit Jay Clouse 
• Connect with Jay on Twitter and Instagram 
• Listen to the Creative Elements podcast
• Read The FTC’s Endorsement Guides, and the specific section about Affiliate or Network Marketing  
• Visit Sarah McAllister’s Go Clean Co 

**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!

Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com

Susan Wheeler-Hall was born with a progressive physical disability and worked hard to build a career where her disability was an asset, not a problem. So, for over twenty years, Susan was a professional counselor and therapist, specializing in disability, alongside working as a disability advocate.

When an increase in her disability led to a career break, Susan pivoted into tech training and web design work and reinvented herself as Suzy Web. Now, 13 years later her online business is her happy place.

At SuzyWeb.com she teaches people how to make a business website using WordPress or she can build one for them! Listen as Susan/Suzy talks about how her chronicpreneur business enables her to be her workaholic self while working around the needs of her health. 

Plus she has a GREAT offer, exclusively for the PGP community, for her WordPress Overeasy course.  

In this episode:

• How Suzy was able to find a career where her disability was an asset
• Why, in her online business, Suzy only works with people who help people
• The one-page medical profile tool Suzy created, to ensure that important medical details can be communicated during emergency situations
• Being a workaholic while taking care of your physical and mental health, and the benefits of having something productive to do
• Why Suzy feels that marketing is all about building and nurturing relationships
• Suzy’s best advice for people wanting to build their chronicpreneur life
• An exclusive offer on Suzy’s WordPress Overeasy Course 

Resources:

• Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
• Get 20% off the price of Suzy’s WordPress Overeasy course by using code PGP20 when you check out
• For Suzy’s coaching services, visit her Website, YouTube channel, and Twitter profile 
• For Suzy’s tech services, visit her Website, YouTube channel, and Twitter profile
• Tools and resources mentioned in this episode include WordPress, Stream Deck Mini, Trello, Book Like A Boss: Booking Page Builder, LMS Plugin by LifterLMS, Plutio

**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!

Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com

Jackie Zimmerman works HARD. After receiving not one but two chronic illness diagnoses in her 20s (Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease), she turned to the internet to find a way to cope and build a support system. She became a professional blogger and public speaker, and later formed a nonprofit to uplift women living with Inflammatory Bowel disease. 

Through the process of blogging and developing communities, Jackie honed her skills in digital communications by learning to design websites, create brand recognition and build online courses. She has now turned those into a full-time career in her digital marketing company Queen of GSD (Getting Shit Done). 

In this conversation, Jackie shares her digital marketing expertise and offers some top tips for chronicpreneurs about whether they need a website for their business and how to get it made even if they are afraid of tech.

On top of all of this, Jackie is a featured expert within the Patients Getting Paid Community. Visit PatientsGettingPaid.com for more information, and when you join you'll be able to see Jackie’s special deep-dive workshop and have access to an exclusive PGP discount of 20% off her website-building services. 

In this episode:

• How Jackie developed her skills in blogging and community-building when her career was derailed by her diagnoses
• Why she "impulse quit" her high-stress, high-pressure job, and why it was both the best and worst feeling!
• Jackie's issues with health insurance while working freelance 
• Do new businesses need a website when there are so many social media channels? Jackie’s pro-tip for anyone looking to build a website: make sure that you own everything!
• Choosing to build your own site or hire a professional. How much will it cost, and where do you find the right person for you?
• Where to find and connect with Jackie

Resources:

• Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
• Visit Kathy’s FUMS website
• Vist Jackie at Queen of GSD 
• Visit Jackie Zimmerman to learn more about her patient advocacy
• Connect with Jackie on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
• Tools mentioned in this episode include Wix, WordPress, Squarespace, Weebly, Linktree 

**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!

Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com

For Christa Fairbrother, living with arthritis and teaching yoga are closely linked. She has had arthritis and lupus ever since she was a child, even though she was only diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disease at the age of 41. Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is sometimes called an overlap disease because it has all the signs and symptoms of a number of disorders. 

Christa credits her yoga practice for her lack of pain, and specifically aqua yoga because it’s kind to joints. And because she knows that it works so well for her, it has now become the basis for her chronicpreneur business! 

Christa now gets paid to do what she loves, training other yoga professionals in this particular discipline, as well as running her own classes and selling a number of related resources, including online courses, equipment, and books!

In this episode:

Christa’s varied work history and how she discovered that aqua yoga could help with her chronic symptoms

• How running an aqua yoga business is particularly beneficial to Christa’s health
• The various ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her business - and how Christa has been able to adapt what she offers
• How Christa’s online classes and courses work - and why she has branched out into a number of related areas
• The support she has received from family, friends, and local business organizations
• Christa’s advice for other chronicpreneurs and where you can go to find more information about the work she does

Resources:

• Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
• Check out Kathy’s e-book, Bowel and Bladder Issues in Multiple Sclerosis by Two Pee Brains With Potty Mouths Talking Shit About MS
• Visit ChristaFairbrother.com 
• Connect with Christa on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook 
• Sign up for Christa’s FREE Aqua Yoga starter kit

**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!

Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com

When you listen to this interview with Whitney West, you might find yourself wondering, “When does she nap?!”

A born overachiever, this inspirational chronicpreneur was born into a family of teachers. So she didn’t want to go down that route. When she was diagnosed with Fibrosing mediastinitis, she didn’t want to write about it or make her chronic illness the center of her career.

But unfortunately for her - and luckily for us - she now uses her platform to transform the lives of ambitious women with chronic illness by demolishing their barriers to abundance. A speaker, coach, and advocate without an ounce of “give-up” in her, she believes that living a life you love should not exclude the chronically ill.

Listen as she explains the beauty of chronicpreneurism and how, by making herself invaluable, she ensures that her needs are met in work situations.

In this episode:

• Whitney’s journey to chronicpreneurism and how she helps others in her business
• Her belief in radical self-acceptance, and why it can be both empowering and good for your health
• Why Whitney employs someone to manage some of her social media channels, the benefits of hiring people to allow you to focus on your zone of genius, and how she found her VA
• Tools and applications that she finds useful in her business life, especially those that help with planning 
• Whitney’s advice for other chronicpreneurs - including the positive benefits of rejections!
• Where you can find Whitney

Resources:

• Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
• Visit TheWhitneyWest.com 
• Follow Whitney on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook 
• Tools mentioned in this podcast include Calendly, QuickBooks, HoneyBook, Mighty Networks, Toggl Track, and Mojo animated stories 

**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!

Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com

Megan Harrison was already stepping out into an entrepreneurial life, even before being diagnosed with Crohn's disease shortly after leaving university - so she was Getting Paid, even before she was a Patient Getting Paid!

Based in Leicestershire in the UK, she is a freelance content creator and writer, blogging on her own website about wellbeing and sustainability, while also supporting brands that share these values with their content creation.

Being honest about what she wants to do and how she wants to work has made a huge difference to Megan’s health as she has the freedom to focus on her wellbeing at the same time as working. Megan is grateful to have flexibility in her work.

In this episode:

• Megan’s entrepreneurial story, her long-standing interest in social media and writing, and her diagnosis with Crohn’s disease
• What Megan does and how she gets paid!
• The importance of her business and how it affects and accommodates her health condition
• How Megan markets her services, and how she deals with rejections
• Tools and applications that she finds useful in her business and her personal life
• Megan’s advice for other chronicpreneurs

Resources:

• Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community
• Visit Hearth by Megan 
• Follow Megan and her work on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest 
• Sign up for Megan’s Mindful Journal newsletter 
• Tools mentioned in this podcast include Asana, Calendly, QuickBooks, and Planoly

**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!

Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com