Speak Up For Your Health

Stay Connected: A Rape Survivor’s Road to “We Got Him”

In 1991, Berit Francis was raped by a stranger who was waiting inside her Berkeley apartment. Fifteen years later, the detective on her case called with three words: “We got him.”

Berit is a philanthropist, activist, stylist, writer and mom of four. She bravely shares details of that attack, how her attacker was caught, and why she’s still speaking up 35 years later. She and Archelle also talk about how she healed from PTSD and depression, and the surprising ways sexual assault still shapes her health decisions.

Key Takeaways:

Content note: This episode includes a detailed, first-person account of sexual assault.

Resources: RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673) or rainn.org. If you’re thinking about suicide, call or text 988.

Links

You can learn more about Berit's outlook on life (and fashion) on her website. You can also follow her on Instagram.

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Advocating for yourself through cancer isn’t a one-time decision. Dr. Archelle Georgiou talks with her sister-in-law, Carol Honig, who faced breast cancer secretly and simply asked her doctor, “What should I do?” Ten years later, after being diagnosed with an aggressive uterine cancer, Carol became a fierce self-advocate. Her story shows that advocating for your health is not a personality trait; it's a skill you can learn.

Carol shares how she got surgery within 14 days, pursued multiple second opinions, and fought to have her own tumor tested to guide chemotherapy. She also explains why she recorded every doctor’s appointment, how she paid for cold capping (scalp cooling) to reduce hair loss during chemo, and why she wishes she’d joined a cancer support group sooner.

Practical, honest advice for anyone facing a cancer diagnosis or supporting someone who is.

Key takeaways from Carol’s story:

Here's how you can follow and/or get in touch with Archelle:

Subscribe to the ArcHealth newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ for healthcare tips https://www.archellemd.com/newsletter

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Prostate cancer treatment isn't one-size-fits-all — and neither is the decision-making that goes with it. Greg Olson, a 72-year-old engineer, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and initially chose active surveillance. But when his cancer turned aggressive, he found himself weighing surgery, radiation, and medication — with several specialists giving him several different recommendations. His story is really about something bigger than prostate cancer: how anyone facing a serious diagnosis can research their options, navigate conflicting medical opinions, and make a decision they can live with.

Key Takeaways

Know your family history — and use it. Be familiar with your own family history, share it proactively with your doctor, and find out what it means for your own screening.

Do your research so you can ask the right questions. Greg understod all his options, from medication, radiation, and surgery to even understanding different surgical techniques. You don't need to become an expert. You just need to know enough to ask good questions.

Explore every option, even the ones your doctor doesn't mention. If your doctor only recommends one treatment, that's a red flag. Keep asking, keep researching.

Make the decision you feel comfortable with. Greg wished he'd moved faster when he was first diagnosed, but he feels no regret. He made the best decision he could with what he knew at the time. There's no perfect decision — only a best decision, and that's the one you can be at peace with, regardless of the outcome.

You can follow and/or get in touch with Archelle by

Subscribe to the ArcHealth newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ for healthcare tips https://www.archellemd.com/newsletter

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Postpartum depression and anxiety blindsided Lindsey Mehran — a nurse practitioner trained to spot it in patients — after a brutal twin pregnancy. She shares her own story of intrusive thoughts, agoraphobia, and recovery, and reacts to the Lindsay Clancy case and what it reveals about gaps in postpartum mental health care.

Key Takeaways

Here's how you can follow and/or get in touch with Archelle:

Subscribe to the ArcHealth newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ for healthcare tips https://www.archellemd.com/newsletter

Subscribe Archelle's insights on Substack for her perspective on the healthcare system: https://substack.com/@archealth

Hasidic Satmar Jews are one of America's most insular religious communities with limited access to the internet. How do they navigate healthcare while honoring their religious preferences?
Dr. Archelle Georgiou sits down with Frieda Vizel, a licensed New York City tour guide and content creator who specializes in exploring and documenting Hasidic Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn, particularly Williamsburg. Frieda grew up in a large Satmar Hasidic family, had an arranged marriage at age 18, and eventually left the community. In this episode, they explore how faith, family, and tradition shape everything from routine doctor visits to pre-marital genetic testing before marriage. Frieda offers a rare, non-judgmental window into a world most listeners have only glimpsed from the outside.
This conversation goes beyond the Satmar community itself: it's a case study in what it actually takes to respect someone's cultural and religious values — whether Hasidic, Amish, Jehovah's Witness, or simply different from your own — without losing sight of the science. The medicine doesn't change. The preferences and priorities do.

Links:

Schedule at tour with Frieda: https://friedavizel.com/

Follow Frieda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friedavizel/

Subscribe to Archelle's ArcHealth newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ for healthcare tips https://www.archellemd.com/newsletter

Subscribe to Archelle's insights on Substack for her perspective on the healthcare system: https://substack.com/@archealth

About 1 in 8 adults is currently taking a GLP-1 drug like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro for weight loss — but what happens when those medications aren't enough?

In this episode, 68-year-old Dana Bichler – currently a Protodeacon and former power lifter – talks about battling obesity for years. Dana tried multiple medications including Ozempic and Mounjaro. These GLP-1 drugs helped but only temporarily. When his obesity led to a life-threatening diagnosis, Dana agreed to an endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty a minimally invasive surgical procedure that permanently reshapes the stomach.

This conversation covers the full spectrum of obesity treatment options — from medications to balloons to endoscopic surgery to major surgery.

Key Takeaways:

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What does universal healthcare actually look like when you need it most? James Yersh lives in Ottawa, Canada — covered by the national health system his entire life. But when hip arthritis progressed to the point where he needed a total hip replacement, he found himself waiting for so long that he paid $25,000 out of pocket for surgery in another province.

In this episode, James shares what it took to navigate Canada's public healthcare system. And since he has spent most of his career working alongside US companies and colleagues navigating employer-sponsored insurance — he has a unique perspective on the comparison between the Canadian (single payer) and US (market-based) systems.

This episode doesn't take a political position. It just shows that no system is a perfect solution — and no matter where you live, you have to advocate for yourself.

Key Takeaways

Want to connect with Archelle? You can:

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#UniversalHealthcare #CanadianHealthcare #HipReplacement #HealthcareReform #PatientAdvocacy #HealthInsurance #HealthcareAccess #Telehealth #HealthLiteracy #SpeakUpForYourHealth #HealthPodcast #PatientStories #HealthcareCosts #SinglePayer #HealthcareNavigation

What does ADHD actually look like in a high-functioning adult woman? Not hyperactivity — more often, it looks like exhaustion. The kind that comes from working twice as hard just to keep up.

Athena Hays was 34 when she was finally diagnosed. As a successful entrepreneur and founder of her own photography business, nothing about her life looked like the textbook picture of ADHD. But behind the scenes, she was running on compensation strategies, anxiety, and a brain that never stopped.

If you've ever wondered whether you might have ADHD — or you know a woman who seems to have it all together but always seems depleted — this conversation is for you.

In this episode:

Key Takeaways:

Links

Connect with Athena: https://www.empiriastudios.com/

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For over 20 years, Aneela Idnani hid a condition affecting 1 in 20 people—trichotillomania, a body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) driven by the brain, not choice. After her husband discovered her secret, she turned that moment into a mission—building a device to help others interrupt these behaviors and reclaim control. Then came a breast cancer diagnosis, and a powerful shift: learning to listen to her body instead of fighting it. Aneela talks about what it really takes to move from shame to

Key Takeaways

Connect with Aneela and learn more about her story and BFRB

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Have you ever wondered if you drink too much? Regardless of your answer, just asking yourself that question deserves a pause because nearly 30 million Americans have alcohol use disorder — and many are “high-functioning” – succeeding professionally while quietly struggling.

In this episode, former healthcare executive Noel Rihm shares her 25-year battle with alcoholism and the realization that changed everything: alcohol wasn’t the problem — it was the solution to deeper pain. This conversation will challenge how you think about addiction, sobriety, and your own relationship with alcohol.

Key Takeaways

To Learn More About Noel and Kaleidoscope:

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Subscribing to the ⁠⁠⁠ArcHealth newsletter⁠⁠⁠

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