Happy New Year from all of us at Talk About It!

In this special to kick off the new year, Greg and Nick take a look back at some of the best moments that sparked conversation in 2025 and reflect on what could be learned from them. It was incredibly difficult to narrow down our top moments, since every guest brings such engaging and valuable conversations when talking about their epilepsy journey or their insight into various aspects of being a caregiver or living with epilepsy, but we did our best! As you watch or listen, be sure to go back and watch the full episode on talkaboutit.org, because we really are only skimming the surface of hours of incredible conversation. You did such a great job last year - keep up the great work with journaling, taking medication, getting good sleep and sustaining a good diet and exercise routine, and as always... keep TALKING ABOUT IT!

These are some of the moments that we break down in this year-in-review:

Epilepsy for Dummies - Elizabeth A. Thiele, MD, PhD, and Lauren Seeley Aguirre distill the entire world of epilepsy - from diagnosis, to treatment, to stigma and the challenges that arise - into one comprehensive book. This episode was incredibly popular, so we naturally had to cover it first!

Tony Coelho shares his story of passing the ADA - Former House Representative Tony Coelho goes through his story of incredible persistence as he navigated the difficult hurdles of Congress and administrative pushback to get President George H.W. Bush to sign the ADA into law. He then kept up his spirits to keep battling after the Supreme Court rolled back much of what he fought for, and successfully got President George W. Bush to amend the legislation with a new bill in his favor. As a bonus, we also see Tony Coelho tell his story of standing up for what he believed is right... to the POPE!

Sunflower Syndrome - Cal volleyball player Peyton DeJardin and Young Adults With Epilepsy member Abigayle Weitl each shared a story of their epilepsy journey in different episodes with incredibly similar details. Both were misdiagnosed as having a tick disorder when they were young due to an unconscious behavior of waving their fingers in front of their eyes when looking at the sun to trigger a seizure, and then both developed Jeavons syndrome as adults. We often say on this show that you'll never find a mirror, but if you search for your community, they are out there - no matter how rare your condition.

Conversations with your Care Team - Dr. Janet Greenwood and Dr. Barry Gidal each joined the podcast this year to answer questions for experts, and they both had great insight into the importance of being open and honest with your healthcare team and the importance of them being open and honest back. Self advocacy is so important, so be sure to keep a journal and write down questions ahead of time so that you make your doctor visits more efficient, and then take notes while in that meeting! Additionally, Dr. Gidal talks about the importance of checking your prescription before leaving the pharmacy to make sure it looks the same.

Social Influencing - We see Jaime Simpson and Stanzi Potenza each talking about their social media profiles, and sharing the importance of using your platform to raise awareness about epilepsy. Let this be an inspiration for you to use whatever tools you have - it doesn't have to be social media - to advocate for others and share your story. Communities are so important in the world of epilepsy, so build yours with the thing you love to do!

Alan Faneca - In Nick's personal favorite episode, former Pittsburgh Steeler and NFL Hall of Fame Inductee Alan Faneca joined the show to talk about his epilepsy journey, and being the dad of a daughter with epilepsy, as well. Speaking of using platforms for advocacy, Alan even included his epilepsy diagnosis in his Hall of Fame Induction speech to inspire others not to give up in the face of adversity.

And finally, we hear from Dr. Barry Gidal once more to hear about the positive future for epilepsy research.

Be inspired! Use your voice! Go into this year Talking About It and building our community!

Talk About It with Greg Grunberg is excited to be sponsored by Neurelis and by Jazz Pharmaceuticals.