When COVID-19 hit, Jake Mayers, a musician and chronic illness coach, and his gf Jess' relationship accelerated fast when they moved in together to keep each other safe while staying together. In the 2nd part of this 2 part episode, Jake shares the joys and challenges of bringing someone onto your team with chronic illness. From finances, to treatment, to planning the future Jake emphasizes that they approach every situation as a team, what helps one of them helps both of them.

This teamwork was especially crucial for Jake and Jess when navigating intimacy with chronic illness. Noa and Jake grapple with the uncertainties surrounding protecting their health and their fears about sharing germs with a partner. Jake explains that like everything else, him and Jess handled the situation with open communication and teamwork.

Despite the difficulties of Lyme Disease Jake describes how him and Jess’s dedication to each other and building a life together has made them able to stay in the present and enjoy the ride, having fun and enjoying silly moments along the way.

*Disclaimer: The content in this episode is not intended to be medical advice in any way. The information shared are our own perspectives and experiences and should not be relied on as facts. If you’re having questions about these topics we suggest you reach out to your medical team.Links:

*Note: This episode was recorded in the spring of 2020 during lockdown

Transcript coming soon!

Pod IG: @spooningwithspooniespod

Jake’s coaching IG: @jakemayerscoaching

Jake’s IG: @jake_mayers

Key Quote:“Its an unconditional love, which in its definition means that. Regardless of the conditions of our health or really anything in our lives, we love each other for who we are”-Jake

Join Noa as she chats with Lyme Disease coach, drummer & 10+ yr Lyme warrior Jake Mayers from Jake Mayers Coaching! Similar to Noa, Jake spent years pretending to be healthy so that he could still “achieve”, and convince himself and others that he was worthy and capable. But living a secret life full of after work IVs, running back to the car for allergy friendly snacks, or constantly thinking up new excuses to hide your illness, like canceling because your brother is having toe surgery, is exhausting.

In part 1 of this 2 part episode, Jake & Noa explore how being open and vulnerable, with a few laughs along the way, transformed their relationships. Jake shares how mindfulness, self acceptance, and radical honesty allowed him to get comfortable enough with his chronic illness & with communicating it to meet his now girlfriend & to build such a strong relationship so early on.  

Tune in next episode to hear how Jake and Jess’s relationship has progressed since he asked her to be his girlfriend!

Note: this episode was recorded at the beginning of quarantine.

Transcript coming soon!

Links:

Pod IG: @spooningwithspooniespod

Jake’s coaching IG: @jakemayerscoaching

Jake’s IG: @jake_mayers

Key Quote:“because of how open and vulnerable we had already been and laying it out from the start hey this is what i'm dealing with, it strips away all of those surface level resume things that you were talking about that people view who you are as”-Jake Mayers

Tina Aswani Omprakash is an award-winning patient expert, health advocate, and Public Health Masters student who has been living with Crohn's Disease for 14 years now. Tina works to create awareness for IBD as well as support affected women and minorities through her blog and advocacy platform, Own Your Crohn’s .

From the beginning of her relationship to her husband and throughout her marriage, Tina has navigated the cultural stigma around life and love with IBD. Throughout all the awkward holiday dinners, non chronic illness friendly wedding customs, and even community criticism of her husband’s choice to be with her while she was undergoing surgeries, Tina and her husband managed to grow even closer.

But the journey wasn't simple or without challenge. In today's episode, Tina shares with Noa how she adapted cultural wedding customs to accommodate her bowl disease, what communication strategies she used with her husband to overcome that external stigma while maintaining mutual respect for each other, how she became so open about Crohns with friends and family and even with nosy strangers at community gatherings, how she stayed connected and confident post surgery and more!

Links:

Pod IG: @spooningwithspooniespod

Tina’s IG: @ownyourcrohns

Tina’s blog: https://ownyourcrohns.com/

Squirmy and Grubs (interabled youtubers discussed in episode): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdomP1JqhnyBQGaBmfDl4KQ

Quote: “Here's the thing that I always tell myself and tell other people, and that goes back to the self talk again. We can only do so much when we are chronically ill. Sometimes its really important for us to ask for that help and take that help”-Tina

Natalie Kelley is the CEO and founder of Plenty and Well where she is a full-time chronic illness blogger, podcaster, and IBD mindset and lifestyle coach. Nat, who has been living and thriving with Ulcerative Colitis, is passionate about shifting mindsets around chronic illness, and helping people accept and embrace their new normal, all of which helped empower Nat to realize that chronic illness doesn't mean she’s any less deserving or capable of romantic connection!

In today's episode Nat and Noa sit down as 2 single ladies and spill all the tea on dating with chronic illness! They chat about dating in quarantine, how and when they talk about chronic illness on dates, packing a Marry Poppins bag for a date, letting go of control without the ever looming fear of flaring, and more!

Note: This episode was recorded during lockdown, but since there is still a pandemic, it all still feels relevant! 

Transcript coming soon!

Links:

Pod IG: @spooningwithspooniespod 

Nat's IG: @plentyandwellwithnat 

Nat's Website: https://www.plentyandwell.com/

Key Quote: “Be confident and go in with a really strong foundation of self worth and self love and know you’re not responsible for how they react to you telling your story about chronic illness”- Nat

In this bonus pre launch mini episode, host and founder Noa shares a little about her chronic illness story, her journey with dating, and what happened when she googled "how to date with chronic illness" ! Stay tuned for the official Spooning with Spoonies launch next week on October 20th!!

IG: @spooningwithspooniespod

Transcript coming soon!

Get a sneak peak of this season of Spooning with Spoonies! Launching 10.20.20! Follow along for updates @spooningwithspooniespod .

Transcript coming soon!