Ever worried that asking questions, requesting a second opinion or giving feedback might make you a difficult patient? Knowing what you’re entitled to can make it easier to take an active role in your healthcare.

Luan’s joined by Rebecca White, Australia’s Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Indigenous Health and Women, to unpack the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights, including second opinions, informed consent and shared decision-making.

Find out what you can do if you feel dismissed, and why you don’t have to know everything before you start asking questions.

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. 💙

For the links to all the resources mentioned in this show, go to the episode blog page.

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, Self-Health Advocate

Sound engineering: Paddy from Goosewing Sounds Ltd (UK)

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

That doesn’t mean your specialist doesn’t care. It means you’re the one who has to live with your decisions and be comfortable with the questions you ask — or don’t ask.

Sarah Wallace knows that personally. Sarah found herself trying to understand what her cancer risk statistics meant for her after her mum died of breast cancer. Now she’s decided to have a risk-reducing mastectomy, and she’s facing the financial reality of that surgery — including using her superannuation (again) to help pay for it.

A note before you listen:This episode includes discussion of fertility challenges, pregnancy loss and related experiences. Please listen in a way that feels safe for you. It’s always okay to pause or step away if you need to. 💙

For the links to all the resources mentioned in this show, go to the episode blog page.

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, Self-Health Advocate

Sound engineering: Paddy from Goosewing Sounds Ltd (UK)

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

What would you do if continuing IVF meant using your retirement savings?

Sarah Wallace spent more than $50,000 funding fertility treatment after her savings ran out.

Sarah talks about IVF, pregnancy loss and what it meant to keep going when the emotional, physical and financial costs kept adding up. And she shares what happened when accessing her own super required her to be assessed under mental-health provisions.

A note before you listen: This episode discusses fertility challenges and pregnancy loss. Please listen in whatever way feels right for you.Please take care when listening. 💙

For the links to all the resources mentioned in this show, go to the episode blog page.

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, Self-Health Advocate

Sound engineering: Paddy from Goosewing Sounds Ltd (UK)

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

After cancer treatment ends, there can be enormous pressure to get back to “normal”. But what if your energy doesn’t return, the brain fog lingers or pain and fatigue mean that normal expectations simply don’t fit anymore?

Luan continues her conversation with patient advocate Shona Edwards and explores 'crip time' — an idea from disability communities that offers a different way to think about time, energy and capacity.

They also talk about pacing yourself, making room for rest and flexibility, and what patient advocates may need from the organisations asking for their time and lived experience.

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. 💙

For the links to all the resources mentioned in this show, go to the episode blog page.

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, Self-Health Advocate

Sound engineering: Paddy from Goosewing Sounds Ltd (UK)

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

You support people because you care. But when you’re the person others turn to, it can be very easy to give more time, energy and even personal information than you actually have to give.

Luan is joined by disability and cancer advocate Shona Edwards to talk about the emotional load of peer support and patient advocacy, why saying 'no' can be part of doing this work well, and how to think about your own boundaries before, during and after showing up for somebody else.

If you’re part of a patient community, this is an important reminder to look after yourself too.

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. 💙

For the links to all the resources mentioned in this show, go to the episode blog page.

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, Self-Health Advocate

Sound engineering: Paddy from Goosewing Sounds Ltd (UK)

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

People-pleasing can make it hard to set boundaries or be honest about how you’re really feeling — even when it comes to your healthcare.

Luan is joined by empowerment coach Belinda Stark to talk about the guilt that can come with saying no, and learning when to give fewer fucks — so you might want to pop your headphones in if little ones are around.

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. 💙

For the links to all the resources mentioned in this show, go to the episode blog page.

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, Self-Health Advocate

Sound engineering: Paddy from Goosewing Sounds Ltd (UK)

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

What happens when the way you want to be treated doesn’t quite align with the healthcare you’re receiving?

Knowing what’s important to you can help when you’re making difficult health decisions, deciding whether to raise something that doesn’t feel right, or working out whether it’s time to find someone else.

Luan is joined by values-led leadership expert Tiffany Leone to talk about what personal values actually are, how to start identifying yours and how they can help guide you when things feel uncertain.

A conversation about knowing yourself a little better, and using that knowledge to help make healthcare choices that are right for you.

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. 💙

For the links to all the resources mentioned in this show, go to the episode blog page.

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, Self-Health Advocate

Sound engineering: Paddy from Goosewing Sounds Ltd (UK)

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

Ever walked into a medical appointment with your questions ready, only to freeze, stumble or shrink when it’s time to use them?

In this In the Meantime mini-episode, Luan reflects on some earlier episodes and why self-advocacy isn’t only about mindset — and how supporting your body can help when fear, frustration or overwhelm takes over.

She also shares some of the things she did during treatment that helped her feel more grounded and prepared. This isn’t about doing it ‘right’. It’s about finding one small thing that supports you.

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 & 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 you’re already overwhelmed, speaking up for what you need can feel like one more thing you simply don’t have the energy for.

Psychologist, author and coach Suzy Reading calls this energetic bankruptcy — those times when there’s nothing left in the tank.

Suzy joins Luan to explore why self-advocacy can be particularly hard when you’re running on empty, the pressure to be the quiet and compliant “good patient”, and why strength doesn’t have to mean doing everything alone. And they also go through some really simple ways to steady yourself before you speak up.

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. 💙

Luan's blog brings together all the physical practices - from the chicken wing stretch to the face hug - and you read it here!

For the links to all the resources mentioned in this show, go to the episode blog page.

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, Self-Health Advocate

Sound engineering: Paddy from Goosewing Sounds Ltd (UK)

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

Does advocating for yourself in healthcare mean pushing hard, challenging everything or risking being labelled difficult?

In this In the Meantime mini episode, Luan challenges the idea that self-advocacy has to begin with confrontation.

She looks at why so many women find it hard to ask questions or express what they need, and why taking part in your care can be as simple as saying, “I’m not sure,” asking about your options or requesting time to think.

Self-advocacy isn’t about rejecting medical advice or going it alone. It’s about being part of the conversation.

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.

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.