The Our Stories Podcast

Our Stories Podcasts is thrilled to present a conversation with Lisa Jackson, LPN from Emory Saint Joseph hospital. Mrs. Jackson shares memories of her childhood role model, her mother, who was strong, caring and knew how to keep kids in line as an Army wife. For 16 years Mrs. Jackson was the caregiver for her mother who lived with a hemiplegic stroke, and this caregiving experience inspired a career shift to nursing at age 50. In nursing school and training Mrs. Jackson was able to find colleagues and friends who shared her faith practices including regular prayer, and this community of people have helped her keep her maintain a joyful spirit, even with the intense demands of nursing during the crisis of covid pandemic. Reading, time in nature and virtual mini golf with family are all contribute to Mrs. Jackson's sense of well-being. Fortunately for all who are cared for by her, and people who work with her, Mrs. Jackson sticks with her motto "love em up" which adds to everyone's sense of well-being.

Dr. Tim Cunningham is the Co-chief Well-being Officer and the Vice President of Practice and Innovation for Emory Healthcare. In this episode Dr. Cunningham shares about how witnessing his father’s burnout left an imprint on his life that has led him into the work of attending to the wellness of healthcare staff. He discusses former vocation in clown arts as compassionate activism around the globe and how his exposure to suffering led him into nursing. In his current vocation he brings all of the parts of himself together to offer support for our system in tending to matters of well being through multi-layered interventions. Dr. Cunningham shares the persons in his life who bring a sense of comfort and inspiration. He loves tending to his own wellness and supporting others and systems in these same endeavors. You might see him running barefoot around town! Take a listen!

For our 50th episode of the Our Stories Podcast we welcomed Dr. Jennifer Mascaro who leads our research efforts within the HMO Wellness Program. Dr. Mascaro is Associate Professor in Family and Preventive Medicine with Emory University School of Medicine. As a biological and medical anthropologist her areas of research are integrative mind/body approaches to bolster social connection and wellbeing. In this interview, Dr. Mascaro shares about her childhood as an introvert looking to understand the ways people engage with compassion and ease, which drew her into exploring social connective elements as an anthropologist. Before graduate school Dr. Mascaro played soccer on the US National Women’s Team, and this experience, along with many years of having wonderful teams and coaches from her childhood, taught her about the benefits of social and emotional safety within a team as a predictor of health and success. Dr. Mascaro seeks to support the research and implementation of programs that create safety and compassion within the healthcare environment. In this interview she offers many wonderful perspectives about the science of well-being. Please take a listen!

For this episode of the Our Stories Wellness Podcast we welcomed Dr. David Lawson. Dr. Lawson shares about his upbringing in Perry, GA and the values of kindness and love that his parents instilled within him, even through turbulent times of the segregated South. Dr. Lawson almost became a lawyer, but to his patients’ benefit, he dropped out of law school to pursue medicine. It was his work as an orderly in a psychiatric hospital that helped him to fall in love with the field of medicine. Dr. Lawson describes what drew him into oncology and the deep privilege it has been to journey with so many patients over the years. Dr. Lawson also shares his perspectives of how things have changed over the years (e.g., healthcare systems talking about wellness!) and what still could be improved (e.g., better communication skills within healthcare teams). Please take a listen!

Our Stories Podcast series is pleased to present a conversation with our very own Co-Vice Chairs for Wellness, Caroline Peacock LCSW, MDiv and Wendy Baer, MD. Please listen in for the stories that brought us into the world of cancer care professionals. For Caroline this was a journey through New York and social work, but for Dr Baer time spent teaching and living in Seattle. We share details about the practice of wellness in our own lives as well as the value we place on connections with our respective communities both at work and at home.

Our Stories Podcast series is excited to present a conversation with Dr Mary Jo Lechowicz, Professor in HMO and Vice Chair for Education. Dr. Lechowicz came to Emory by way of SUNY-Syracuse, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in NY and the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in MD. In this podcast Dr Lechowicz shares her own experience as a young patient that led her into medicine, and continues to guide her work in treating patients as people by caring for the whole person and the village they live in. The COVID pandemic brought on many difficulties for patients and health care professionals, and Dr Lechowicz provides a wise and heartfelt review of these difficulties which will resonate for many. Knowing that difficult times take a toll, Dr Lechowicz has dedicated herself in the post-covid era to a new healthy lifestyle by engaging in coursework and programs (including Emory’s Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less) focused on self-care which then allows for more full care of others. With her healthier habits in place for months now, she is enjoying her renewed energy, something that patients have complimented her on!

The Our Stories podcast series is delighted to present a conversation with Kimberly Lawhorn, Senior Outreach Liaison for Winship Cancer Institute (WCI)'s Network Development and Outreach Team. In her role as Outreach Liaison Ms. Lawhorn works with referring physicians across Georgia to inform and connect them and their patients with expert cancer care at WCI. In this podcast Ms. Lawhorn shares her personal journey to WCI as a caregiver for her mom who battled lung cancer and was treated by Dr. Ramalingam and his team. Ms. Lawhorn feels her journey helped her gain the wisdom of a caregiver, but also taught her to practice stress management daily, especially during the holidays. Although the holidays can be difficult, she has been able to develop a mindset that allows her to remember her mom and celebrate the holidays with people who are here (although it took some time to get there). Making time for working out, visiting the beach to see her Dad and slowing down after work to enjoy her young kids are all part of Ms. Lawhorn's self-care process.

Almira Catic is the Associate Director of Programs for Integrative Oncology and Survivorship with Emory University. In this episode, Almira shares the profound lessons of acceptance of persons who are different gained through her experience of being raised in Bosnia during the civil war in the 1990s. She was particularly inspired by her father who was from a mixed marriage, and who gave her a “true north” of being able to help people “on the other side” in small, yet significant ways. In her role at Winship, Almira is passionate about supporting a number of initiatives within the IOS program to address whole person health. Her team has brought together a number of specialists- naturopathic, acupuncture, massage therapy, and more to contribute to the total wellness of patients. Almira has benefited personally from learning through her work, gaining from the benefits of acupuncture, yoga, and mindful breathing within her own life. Please take a moment to listen to this wonderful episode!

Melinda Lester is Manager of Operations for Winship Cancer Institute at the Emory University Hospital Midtown campus, where she has worked for 23 years. In this episode she shares the way her relationships with her family are at the core of her life. She describes experiencing her grandfather’s and father’s battles with cancer, and how these helped her understand the needs of patients and families undergoing treatment. She has a strong commitment to providing outstanding service so that healthcare teams can function effectively and so that patients receive excellent care. Her identical twin sister, Belinda, also works at EUHM and she shares the delight (and fun!) it is to have family where she works. Melinda’s presence over two decades has been an outstanding asset to Winship and EUHM. Please take a listen!

Misty Schoenthal is the Patient and Family Advocate for Winship Cancer Institute. In this moving episode she shares the story of losing her husband to testicular cancer and the journey that set her on to becoming an advocate for patients receiving cancer treatment and their loved ones. She describes the values she carries in her work, learned through her own experience, and offers suggestions for healthcare providers from the perspective of a caregiver and advocate. Misty shares her commitment to her children and the way they tend to wellness as a family unit. She describes understanding the deep value of putting her relationships as her top priority, understanding the fragility of life. Misty’s bright spirit and compassionate presence are a wonderful asset to our system. Please take a listen.