Homelessness can happen to anyone—and its impact on health is profound. In this sobering conversation, Union Gospel Mission CEO Pam Stegora-Axberg talks about the realities of homelessness, the health consequences we don’t see, and the simple ways we can all offer hope.

Key Takeaways

Mental health and substance abuse are often root causes.
These struggles can destabilize jobs, housing, and relationships—and without support, can quickly spiral into homelessness.

Hope often begins with a meal.
Offering a Ticket of Hope from Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities invites someone to have a hot meal and take a first step toward support. Here's a link: https://www.ugmtc.org/toh/ If you don’t live in the Twin Cities, go on line to see how you can support a shelter in your area.

Community has a role to play.

Links:

#PatientAdvocacy #HealthcareAccess #EmpoweredPatient #PatientExperience #HealthPodcast #speakupforyourhealth #PatientJourney #HealthcareStories #homelessness #socialdeterminants #uniongospelmission #philanthropy

Back pain is one of the most common health problems adults face—but what happens when the patient is also a doctor? In this episode, gastroenterologist Dr. Robert (Bob) Ganz shares his 20-year journey with back pain – from subtle early symptoms to spine surgery. In this conversation, Bob and I were chatting as if we at a cocktail party, and he candidly reflects on his posture, physical therapy, and the challenges of choosing the right surgeon. Along the way, he reveals what it’s like to be both the patient and the physician—including the unforgettable moment when he ended up diagnosing his own surgeon.

Key Takeaways

·       Core strength matters. The muscles in your abdomen,

·       Pain is personal. Everyone has a different threshold. Ultimately, only you can decide how much pain you’re willing to live with before pursuing surgery.

·       Crowdsource to finding the right surgeon. There are no central registries that show compare surgeons results. Word of mouth and personal recommendations are the best tools you have. Ask as many people as you can who their surgeon was and how their experience was. 

AND…

·       Don’t ignore reflux symptoms. Since Bob is a world expert on GERD, he shared a story where heartburn was mistaken for

Links:

Here's Dr. Ganz' impressive bio: https://www.mngi.com/provider/robert-ganz-md-masgehttps://www.mngi.com/provider/robert-ganz-md-masge

Connect with Archelle

#PatientAdvocacy #BackPain #HealthcareAccess #BackSurgery #EmpoweredPatient #PatientExperience #HealthPodcast #Sciatica #speakupforyourhealth #GERD #gastroesophagealreflux #heartburn ##MedicalHumor #PatientJourney #HealthcareStories #PostureMatters #CoreStrength #DoctorAsPatient

Not your usual Blue Zones recap. In this candid conversation, National Geographic explorer and longevity researcher Dan Buettner shares what he’s learned since first uncovering the world’s longevity hot spots, how his perspective has evolved, what he REALLY thinks about today’s booming “longevity industry,” and how much of the Blue Zones lifestyle he personally follows. This is a fun one!

Key Takeaways:

Your friends’ habits are contagious: Surround yourself with a “tribe” that inspires you to make healthy food choices, move more, laugh more, and live more.

Channel your inner Thomas Jefferson: During a meal, keep one

Live by the 75% rule: You don’t have to be perfect 100% of the time. Enjoy a splurge now and then—just don’t do make it the norm.

It’s never too late to start: The best time was 20 years ago; the next best time is today.

Links:

All of Dan's books/cookbooks: https://www.thebluezonesstore.com/pages/blue-zones-books

Live to 100 Netflix Documentary: https://www.netflix.com/search?q=live%20to%20100&jbv=81214929

How to host a Jeffersonian dinner: https://fabricegrinda.com/how-to-host-an-intellectual-dialoging-dinner/

Connect with Archelle

#PatientAdvocacy #LifestyleMedicine #HealthcareAccess #bluezones #EmpoweredPatient #PatientExperience #HealthPodcast #longevity #speakupforyourhealth #healthylifestyle #icaria #ikaria

When 11-year-old Alana Kendall was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, her life changed—but not in the way you might expect. Now 17, Alana speaks with remarkable wisdom, humor, and optimism about how living with a chronic condition has not only shaped her—but strengthened her.

In this inspiring conversation, Alana shares how she learned to manage her diabetes independently, how technology has helped her—and her parents—feel safe and in control. Most importantly, she reflects on how her diagnosis sparked something bigger: compassion, confidence, and a calling to lead.

For any parent raising a child with a chronic illness, this episode is a must-listen. Alana proves that a diagnosis doesn’t have to limit your child—it can fuel their purpose, their independence, and their power.

To Learn More About From Girl to Great

Website: https://fromgirltogreat.com/

Connect with Archelle

#PatientAdvocacy #HealthSystemNavigation #HealthcareAccess #Caregivers #EmpoweredPatient #PatientExperience #HealthPodcast #Type1Diabetes #healthcarestories #Diabetes #speakupforyourhealth #chronicillness

When my daughter Zoe was 11, what seemed like a simple ankle injury became a seven-year journey marked by pain, misdiagnoses, and uncertainty. Despite having two physician parents who did their best to advocate for her, we trusted what we were told and waited far too long to seek a second opinion. In this episode, Zoe shares her story—from the emotional toll of being sidelined as a teenager to the surgery that finally changed everything. Along the way, we talk about the lessons she learned about self-advocacy, communicating clearly with healthcare providers, and why believing in yourself is just as important as the treatment plan.

Key Takeaways:

Be specific about your symptoms.

Use visuals to communicate.

Play your part in healing.

It’s okay to cry. Sometimes, being stoic can actually be a barrier to getting the care you need. Make sure your doctor knows what you’re going through.

Connect with Archelle

#PatientAdvocacy #HealthSystemNavigation #HealthcareAccess #Caregivers #EmpoweredPatient #PatientExperience #HealthPodcast #ankleinjury #ankleligamentrepair #SportsInjury #OrthopedicJourney #healthcarestories #speakupforyourhealth

Dr. Susan MacDonald—a 42-year-old urologist, professor, and mother of two—found a lump in her breast and just two weeks later she was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. The diagnosis was rare and devastating, with cancer in both breasts and metastases to her bones.

In this episode, Susan speaks candidly about the emotional toll of facing a limited future: the grief, the impact on her career, and the fear of leaving her children too soon. But she also shares how she’s choosing to live the rest of her life—however long that may be—with intention.

Her practical advice is essential for anyone navigating medical care. She explains how to speed up the scheduling of scans, tests, and specialist appointments, and offers a unique dual perspective—as both surgeon and patient—on how to collaborate with doctors when making treatment decisions.

This is a conversation about resilience, radical honesty, and the fierce will to keep living, even when the future is uncertain.

Key Takeaways

Be Persistent: You can often speed up test and appointment scheduling by calling every other morning to check for cancellations—especially during bad weather, when patients are more likely to cancel. Be kind to schedulers; it makes a difference.

Know Your Limits: Ask every question you need to understand your diagnosis and treatment—but also trust the expertise of doctors, nurses, and specialists who’ve seen more than you have.

Practice Gratitude: Spend just five minutes a day—or even per week—writing down who and what you're grateful for. It’s a powerful mindset shift, and online resources can help you build the habit.

Keep Living: Focus on what matters most. Make a new bucket list, teach your kids the life skills they’ll need, and don’t hold back on hugs, kisses, and meaningful moments.

Here's how you can connect with Archelle

In this solo episode, Dr. Archelle Georgiou distills what she learned from her first 40 guests on the podcast. She identifies 7 key themes and then shares her insights as well as things you can do to "speak up for your health." The topics include:

Connect with Archelle

#CareCoordination #PatientAdvocacy #HealthTech #DigitalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #HealthSystemNavigation #HealthcareAccess #Caregivers #EmpoweredPatient #PatientExperience #HealthPodcast #FutureOfHealthcare #LeadershipInHealthcare #womenshealth #healthstigma #stigma

Coordinating care in our healthcare system can feel like running an obstacle course—with no one clearly in charge. In this episode of Speak Up For Your Health, Dr. Archelle Georgiou sits down with Walter Jin, CEO of Pager Health, to talk about how his personal experience navigating his parents’ cancer diagnoses revealed just how fragmented care delivery can be—and what he’s doing to change that.

Walter shares how those challenges led him to invest in Pager Health, a company originally co-founded by one of Uber’s creators, and how a pivotal moment during a board meeting inspired a complete shift in Pager’s approach. Now, as CEO, Walter is leading the charge to reduce what he calls the “friction” in healthcare—making it easier for patients to access, understand, and follow through on their care.

Key Takeaways:

Whether your health plan uses Pager or not, Archelle shares practical steps you can take to coordinate your own care more effectively which include:

· Download your health system’s portal app. Having 24/7 access to your medical records is a game-changer. And studies show that if you download the portal app to your smartphone, you're much more likely to use it regularly.

· Explore your health insurer’s online tools. Most of us don’t read our health plan’s enrollment packet at the beginning of the year. But if you head to your insurer’s website and look for the “Member Resources” section, you’ll often find helpful tools and services to guide you through the system.

·  Request a case manager. Many health plans have nurses on staff whose sole job is to coordinate care—especially for members with chronic conditions. They usually reach out based on your medical claims

Links

Get more information about Pager Health: ⁠https://www.pagerhealth.com/

More insight on Walter Jin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walterjin/

Connect with Archelle

#CareCoordination #PatientAdvocacy #HealthTech #DigitalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #HealthSystemNavigation #HealthcareAccess #Caregivers #EmpoweredPatient #PatientExperience #HealthPodcast #FutureOfHealthcare #LeadershipInHealthcare

Have you ever left a doctor’s appointment unsure of what was just said—or what to do next? You’re not alone. Even highly educated patients can walk away feeling confused about their diagnosis, medications, treatment plan, or how to prepare for a procedure. And the consequences can be serious: missed steps, wrong assumptions, and delays in care.

In this episode of Speak Up For Your Health, Dr. Archelle Georgiou sits down with John Brownlee, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Vidscrip. His drive to improve patient understanding stems from a deeply personal place—watching his own mother struggle to recall her doctor’s instructions. With Vidscrip, he's closing the gap between what doctors say and what patients actually remember.

You’ll learn:

How to ask better, clearer questions—and why no question is “dumb”

How to use tools like ChatGPT or Gemini—not to get medical answers, but to prepare smarter questions

How platforms like Vidscrip are helping clinicians communicate more clearly and consistently

Key Takeaways

PROMPT

"I have an upcoming appointment with a doctor to discuss

Links

Get more information about vidscrip: https://studio.vidscrip.com/carenavigation/

Connect with Archelle

Science and faith don't have to be mutually exclusive. And, when health is on the line, we want as many helpful interventions as possible. In today's episode, Dawn Carpenter - an expert in finance and investment banking – talks about how adopting two little girls from Russia shifted her outlook on faith. Each of her daughters, Emily and Abby, faced life-threatening medical situations. Fortunately, Dawn had the resources to get them the best medical care. But, that wasn't enough. She added faith to the treatment plan. This is not a story about religion but one about healing.

Key Takeaways

Links

You can read about Dawn Carpenter's insights on Financial Longevity

• https://milkeninstitute.org/experts/dawn-m-carpenter

Connect with Archelle

#adoption #faith #social investing #journaling #healing