What happens when advocating for yourself makes you look like a difficult patient?

When Jo Muirhead was diagnosed with breast cancer, she did all the things a 'good patient' is encouraged to do to advocate for her health. But instead of being seen as informed and prepared, she was seen as potentially litigious.

Jo also talks to Luan about feeling steered towards a reconstruction she didn’t want, how not feeling heard affected her trust in healthcare, and what changed when she finally found a clinician who listened.

A note before you listen: Some conversations on Regarding Me include experiences of illness, treatment, mental health, grief and other sensitive topics. Please take care when listening. 💙

Connect with Luan:

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Guests share their personal experiences of healthcare. Individual clinicians or services are not identified, and the experiences discussed are not intended as allegations about any specific practitioner or service. Experiences are shared to explore broader patterns in healthcare and the impact they can have on patients to help improve healthcare for patients.

Please read more in this Disclaimer

CREDITS:Host & producer: Luan Lawrenson-Woods is an award-winning women’s health advocate, speaker and host of the Regarding Me and Rewritten Me podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luan’s joined by Jo Watson, Deputy Chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, to explain how decisions about medicine subsidies are made and what they can mean for patients.

Jo decodes the alphabet soup of TGA, PBAC and PBS — including who does what, why a medicine might not be recommended for subsidy, and where patients and patient organisations can have a say.

This conversation was recorded earlier in 2026, and references to global pricing and tariffs should be heard in that context.

Before you listen: Some conversations on Regarding Me include experiences of illness, treatment, mental health, grief and other sensitive topics. Please take care when listening. 💙

Connect with Luan:

• Sign up for Luan's newsletter
• Follow Luan on Instagram
• Connect with Luan on LinkedIn
• Visit Luan's website

Guests share their personal experiences of healthcare. Individual clinicians or services are not identified, and the experiences discussed are not intended as allegations about any specific practitioner or service. Experiences are shared to explore broader patterns in healthcare and the impact they can have on patients to help improve healthcare for patients.

Please read more in this Disclaimer

CREDITS:Host & producer: Luan Lawrenson-Woods is an award-winning women’s health advocate, speaker and host of the Regarding Me and Rewritten Me podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Louise Butcher was diagnosed with breast cancer, she knew she didn’t want breast reconstruction. But after being repeatedly encouraged to have it, she changed her mind in the appointment — then walked out knowing she’d agreed to something she didn’t want.

Louise talks to Luan about how she ultimately advocated to stay flat after mastectomy, the assumptions women face about what they should want for their bodies — and why she now runs marathons topless.

A note before you listen: Some conversations on Regarding Me include experiences of illness, treatment, mental health, grief and other sensitive topics. Please take care when listening. 💙

You can find Louise's book Going Topless and links to you connect with her in the episode blog Luan's website.

Please take care of you while listening. This episode includes references to breast cancer, mastectomy surgery, body image and mental health.

Connect with Luan:

• Sign up for Luan's newsletter
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• Visit Luan's website

Guests share their personal experiences of healthcare. Individual clinicians or services are not identified, and the experiences discussed are not intended as allegations about any specific practitioner or service. Experiences are shared to explore broader patterns in healthcare and the impact they can have on patients to help improve healthcare for patients.

Please read more in this Disclaimer

CREDITS:Host & producer: Luan Lawrenson-Woods is an award-winning women’s health advocate, speaker and host of the Regarding Me and Rewritten Me podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode will help you spot medical billing red flags before they cost you.

Luan’s joined again by Dr Margaret Faux, one of Australia’s leading experts on medical billing law, to talk through what you can look out for in quotes and specialist bills.

Using Luan's real billing and quote examples, Margaret explains what to question, how to question it and shares the “magic sentence” she wants every patient to use when Medicare is involved.

A note before you listen: Some conversations on Regarding Me include experiences of illness, treatment, mental health, grief and other sensitive topics. Please take care when listening. 💙

You can find Margaret’s book 'How to Avoid the Medical Bill Rip Off!' and links to you connect with her in the episode blog on Luan's website.

Connect with Luan:

• Sign up for Luan's newsletter
• Follow Luan on Instagram
• Connect with Luan on LinkedIn
• Visit Luan's website

Guests share their personal experiences of healthcare. Individual clinicians or services are not identified, and the experiences discussed are not intended as allegations about any specific practitioner or service. Experiences are shared to explore broader patterns in healthcare and the impact they can have on patients to help improve healthcare for patients.

Please read more in this Disclaimer

CREDITS:Host & producer: Luan Lawrenson-Woods is an award-winning women’s health advocate, speaker and host of the Regarding Me and Rewritten Me podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Margaret changed her mind about a biopsy. Her dermatologist yelled at her.

In this bonus episode, Luan’s joined by medical billing expert Dr Margaret Faux, who shares how, even with her knowledge and expertise, she still found herself feeling like she was the problem.

And why patients can be particularly vulnerable when we’re relying on healthcare professionals to do the right thing clinically and financially.

A note before you listen: Some conversations on Regarding Me include experiences of illness, treatment, mental health, grief and other sensitive topics. Please take care when listening. 💙

You can find Margaret’s book 'How to Avoid the Medical Bill Rip Off!' and links to you connect with her in the episode blog on Luan's website.

Connect with Luan:

• Sign up for Luan's newsletter
• Follow Luan on Instagram
• Connect with Luan on LinkedIn
• Visit Luan's website

Guests share their personal experiences of healthcare. Individual clinicians or services are not identified, and the experiences discussed are not intended as allegations about any specific practitioner or service. Experiences are shared to explore broader patterns in healthcare and the impact they can have on patients to help improve healthcare for patients.

Please read more in this Disclaimer

CREDITS:Host & producer: Luan Lawrenson-Woods is an award-winning women’s health advocate, speaker and host of the Regarding Me and Rewritten Me podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve ever looked at a medical bill and wondered what half the language means, you’re not alone.

Luan’s joined by Dr Margaret Faux, one of Australia’s leading experts in Medicare and medical billing law.

Margaret explains some of the terms we hear all the time but might not fully understand, and why knowing what they mean can help you make sure you’re getting what you’re entitled to and only paying what you should.

A note before you listen: Some conversations on Regarding Me include experiences of illness, treatment, mental health, grief and other sensitive topics. Please take care when listening. 💙

You can find Margaret’s book 'How to Avoid the Medical Bill Rip Off!' and links to you connect with her in the episode blog on Luan's website.

Connect with Luan:

• Sign up for Luan's newsletter
• Follow Luan on Instagram
• Connect with Luan on LinkedIn
• Visit Luan's website

Guests share their personal experiences of healthcare. Individual clinicians or services are not identified, and the experiences discussed are not intended as allegations about any specific practitioner or service. Experiences are shared to explore broader patterns in healthcare and the impact they can have on patients to help improve healthcare for patients.

Please read more in this Disclaimer

CREDITS:Host & producer: Luan Lawrenson-Woods is an award-winning women’s health advocate, speaker and host of the Regarding Me and Rewritten Me podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mackala did so many of the things women are told to do when something doesn’t feel right. She still spent years trying to be believed.

Luan’s joined by Mac to talk about living with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain, from being told doctors had found “just a little bit” of endometriosis to repeatedly having to explain how much pain she was actually in.

And finally, how Mac met a healthcare professional who explained things clearly and truly listened to her.

A note before you listen: Some conversations on Regarding Me include experiences of illness, treatment, mental health, grief and other sensitive topics. Please take care when listening. 💙

Connect with Luan:

• Sign up for Luan's newsletter
• Follow Luan on Instagram
• Connect with Luan on LinkedIn
• Visit Luan's website

Guests share their personal experiences of healthcare. Individual clinicians or services are not identified, and the experiences discussed are not intended as allegations about any specific practitioner or service. Experiences are shared to explore broader patterns in healthcare and the impact they can have on patients to help improve healthcare for patients.

Please read more in this Disclaimer

CREDITS:Host: Luan Lawrenson-Woods is an award-winning women’s health advocate, speaker and host of the Regarding Me and Rewritten Me podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever left a medical appointment wondering if you were overreacting — or if you should have pushed harder?

Luan’s joined by award-winning journalist and Sydney Morning Herald Health Editor Kate Aubusson to unpack what medical misogyny can actually look like: pain being minimised, symptoms dismissed, diagnoses delayed or missed, and women beginning to doubt what their own bodies are telling them.

Kate also shares what her investigation uncovered about women who kept asking for help and still weren’t heard — and why the answer can’t simply be telling women to advocate harder.

A note before you listen: Some conversations on Regarding Me include experiences of illness, treatment, mental health, grief and other sensitive topics. Please take care when listening. 💙

Connect with Luan:

• Sign up for Luan's newsletter
• Follow Luan on Instagram
• Connect with Luan on LinkedIn
• Visit Luan's website

Guests share their personal experiences of healthcare. Individual clinicians or services are not identified, and the experiences discussed are not intended as allegations about any specific practitioner or service. Experiences are shared to explore broader patterns in healthcare and the impact they can have on patients to help improve healthcare for patients.

Please read more in this Disclaimer

CREDITS:Host: Luan Lawrenson-Woods is an award-winning women’s health advocate, speaker and host of the Regarding Me and Rewritten Me podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tammy went into her double mastectomy and reconstruction having made a clear decision about part of her treatment. But then something happened and she had a conversation she can’t remember — and the decision she’d made didn’t go ahead.

Luan and Tammy talk about the impact of that experience, what it did to Tammy’s trust in her care, and what changed when she met a new plastic surgeon who welcomed her questions and concerns as part of making decisions about her care.

This episode is Part 2 of Tammy’s story. Listen to Part 1 — Doctor, Have I Done Something to Offend You? — first for the full story.

A note before you listen: Some conversations on Regarding Me include experiences of illness, treatment, mental health, grief and other sensitive topics. Please take care when listening. 💙

Connect with Luan:

• Sign up for Luan's newsletter
• Follow Luan on Instagram
• Connect with Luan on LinkedIn
• Visit Luan's website

Guests share their personal experiences of healthcare. Individual clinicians or services are not identified, and the experiences discussed are not intended as allegations about any specific practitioner or service. Experiences are shared to explore broader patterns in healthcare and the impact they can have on patients to help improve healthcare for patients.

Please read more in this Disclaimer

CREDITS:Host: Luan Lawrenson-Woods is an award-winning women’s health advocate, speaker and host of the Regarding Me and Rewritten Me podcasts.Post-production: Paddy from Goosewing Sounds Ltd (UK)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you ask reasonable questions about your own surgery and end up wondering whether you’ve done something wrong?

Luan is joined by Tammy MacPherson, who was diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). As Tammy tried to understand the treatment and breast reconstruction decisions in front of her, questions about what would happen to her body became the source of an interaction with a surgeon that left her feeling humiliated, ashamed and scared.

Unfortunately this wasn't the only moment that affected her deeply. Tammy shares more in the next episode.

A note before you listen: Some conversations on Regarding Me include experiences of illness, treatment, mental health, grief and other sensitive topics. Please take care when listening. 💙

Connect with Luan:

• Sign up for Luan's newsletter
• Follow Luan on Instagram
• Connect with Luan on LinkedIn
• Visit Luan's website

Guests share their personal experiences of healthcare. Individual clinicians or services are not identified, and the experiences discussed are not intended as allegations about any specific practitioner or service. Experiences are shared to explore broader patterns in healthcare and the impact they can have on patients to help improve healthcare for patients.

Please read more in this Disclaimer

CREDITS:Host: Luan Lawrenson-Woods, Self-Health AdvocatePost-production: Paddy from Goosewing Sounds Ltd (UK)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.