Mike and Cam welcome back attorney Mary Vargas, for part 2 of their compelling, and at times very personal conversation. In this episode, Mary shares her struggles helping her newly diagnosed son navigate college with celiac disease, which Mary has dealt with, ironically, in her own litigation of a case against a university. Along the way they share important tips for what many parents of young adults heading off to college know to be a daunting process. They wrap up by talking a little bit about other institutions that can be challenging for those with celiac including hospital stays, nursing homes, and long term care facilities.

Returning guest and Disability Rights Lawyer, Mary Vargas, joins us for an eye opening conversation, so much so that it's a 2 part episode! In this week's show, Mary shares updates on some landmark cases including JD vs. Colonial Williamsburg, and the ripple effects of the case. We also revisit an ongoing case involving a man with celiac disease who was not given safe food in jail. In part 2, we dive into navigating some of the issues that can arrive in college, a topic that Mary has faced personally with her own son.

Mike and Cam are excited to welcome back Vanessa Weisbrod to the podcast. Vanessa discusses her new position at the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF), where she is the Chief Education and Community Engagement Officer. Vanessa has hit the ground running and shares many of the exciting plans, programs and initiatives that she is working on at CDF. Included in the topics covered are Vanessa's vision for the future of celiac thought leaders, her work with Celiac Cruise, tackling food insecurity on a larger scale, and some of the hurdles that we face trying to change and reform gluten free labeling for food and drugs.

Cam is on the move again and his first trip in 2024 is snowboarding in Colorado! He decided to head back there after ending the year on a bit of a sour note. But on this trip he got back on his feet and, as usual, finds some gems to eat and drink and also shares some travel tips to stay safe and cut costs while shredding on the slopes!

Mike's daughters, Melanie(11) and Jessica(15) return to share updates! Jessica has lived with celiac disease since she was 3 years old, and Melanie learned from a very young age how to help advocate for her and her dad. More recently, Melanie has been learning to navigate life with a dairy intolerance. Having to deal with social situations like turning down food at parties, has given her a deeper understanding of how Jessica, her dad, and many others live every day.

Mike and Cam kick off 2024 with an old favorite - Stump Mike and Cam! In this episode, the guys test their knowledge on various celiac and gluten free topics. Test your knowledge and play along with them. Will Mike and Cam come out winners or will they be stumped!

As 2023 draws to a close, Mike and Cam explore some of the reasons they believe that 2024 could be the best year yet for the celiac and gluten free community. From positive recent changes they have observed, to better supports and understanding of living a safe gluten free life, Mike and Cam are excited to see our community thrive as we move into 2024. We toast to a fabulous New Year ahead!

Mike and Cam welcome Clinical Psychologist, Monique Germone, PhD to the podcast. Monique is a Pediatric Psychologist at the Colorado Center for Celiac Disease, Digestive Health Institute at Children's Hospital Colorado and an Associate Professor at University of Colorado School of Medicine. Monique discusses some of the unique psychological and emotional challenges facing kids and families with celiac disease and gluten issues. They also talk about how the holidays can add extra stress around food and social gatherings plus some strategies to make sure the holidays are joyful for everyone.

As the end of the year draws near, Mike and Cam reflect on their biggest takeaways from 2023 from a celiac and gluten free perspective. They come away with a wide range of observations, some that affected them very personally, and others that they see as larger issues that impact all of us.

Mike and Cam are excited to welcome Jax, Jon, and Leslie Bari to the podcast. Jax is an impressive young celiac advocate who has been featured on "ABC World News Tonight with David Muir," and met with President Biden! Jax and his parents are on a mission to advocate for change, and Jax authored a citizen's petition in his efforts to require the labeling of GLUTEN as a major food allergen, making all gluten containing grains labeled in the future. You will be so inspired by the work that Jax, Jon, and Leslie have done to create positive change moving forward!