The Project Sleep Podcast

Using medical insurance for sleep apnea treatment can sometimes feel confusing and overwhelming. In a recent Sleep Apnea Squad broadcast, we covered some pitfalls to avoid and share helpful tips to make the process easier to navigate.
About our Guests:

Theresa and Trent Tidball

Theresa has considerable experience navigating medical insurance coverage, claims, prior authorizations, and appeals alongside her husband, Trent, as they have pursued treatment for his complex obstructive sleep apnea. Over the past decade, Trent has undergone numerous treatments both in and out of network, giving them firsthand experience advocating for sleep apnea treatments, specialized care, and working through insurance barriers.

Theresa and Trent have been together for 14 years and live in Reno, Nevada, with their cat, Odin. In 2023, Theresa began sharing their journey on social media through @sleepilyeverafter. Their hope is that by documenting their experiences, they can educate, encourage, and support other individuals and families trying to access treatment options for sleep apnea using insurance.

Dr. Dave Federici, DMD

Dr. Federici is a highly skilled and dedicated dentist specializing in Dental Sleep Medicine, with over three decades of experience providing exceptional care to his patients. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1988 and his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine in 1992. Since then, he has been the owner of Federici Dental, where he leads a multi-dentist, multi-specialist practice with a sole focus on Dental Sleep Medicine.

As a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM), Dr. Federici is among only 1,400 dental professionals in the country to have achieved this prestigious distinction, the highest level of recognition in the field of Obstructive Sleep Apnea treatment. He is also a faculty member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) Mastery Program and serves on the Board of the New Jersey Sleep Society, further solidifying his leadership in the field.

In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Federici is an active national and international lecturer, sharing his expertise on Dental Sleep Medicine He is frequently published in prominent journals such as Sleep Review, JDSM, SleepLab Magazine, and Fortune, and serves on the Expert Advisory Board for Project Sleep. He is also the Director of Dental Sleep Medicine for Select Dental Management.

Insurance and Sleep Apnea toolkit coming soon.

Project Sleep's Sleep Helpline: https://project-sleep.com/helpline/

Project Sleep’s Sleep Apnea Squad series invites listeners to dive deeper into specific topics relevant to living with Sleep Apnea. https://project-sleep.com/sleep-apnea-squad/

Have you ever felt unsure about traveling with sleep apnea? In this Sleep Apnea Squad conversation, we break down how to travel confidently while managing sleep apnea. We cover everything from navigating trips with CPAP, hypoglossal nerve stimulator implants, and medications to understanding how travel affects sleep — including jet lag, flight anxiety, and unfamiliar sleep environments.
About our Guests:

Kristen Cascio, MSW, LICSW 

Kristen is a clinical social worker and world traveler from Boston. She was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea at age 31 after years of unexplained, but disruptive, daytime symptoms. An avid CPAP user since diagnosis, Kristen shares her travels with her CPAP on social media, where she hopes to encourage others to never feel self-conscious about their diagnosis.

Kristen is a speaker with Project Sleep’s Rising Voices program and can be found on Instagram at @meandmycpap.

Shelby Harris, PsyD, DBSM, 

Shelby is a clinical psychologist and sleep specialist in private practice in NY. She is board-certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine and treats a wide variety of sleep, anxiety, and depression issues using evidence-based, non-medication treatments. In addition to her academic writings and research on insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and circadian issues, she is the author of two popular self-help books, The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia (2019) and The Essential Guide to Children’s Sleep (2025).

Dr. Harris holds an academic appointment as Clinical Associate Professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Neurology and Psychiatry. Before going into private practice, she was the longstanding director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the Sleep-Wake Center at Montefiore Medical Center in NYC. Dr. Harris has been an invited columnist for the New York Times, and is frequently in the media, including the New Yorker, Washington Post, CBS Mornings, Today Show, Good Morning America, and The Drew Barrymore Show.

Dr. Harris can be found on Instagram at @SleepDocShelby where she provides evidence-based information about sleep wellness and sleep disorders.

Traveling with Sleep Apnea toolkit coming soon.

Project Sleep's Sleep Helpline: https://project-sleep.com/helpline/

Project Sleep’s Sleep Apnea Squad series invites listeners to dive deeper into specific topics relevant to living with Sleep Apnea. https://project-sleep.com/sleep-apnea-squad/

If you think of sleep apnea as a condition that only affects men, you’re not alone. Women are still going undiagnosed too frequently owing to a lack of awareness about sleep apnea in women and screening designed with the needs of men in mind.

About our Guests:

Sabrina GlozerisSabrina Glozeris is the founder and administrator of Ladies Night – Women’s Sleep Apnea and CPAP Support, a thriving Facebook group dedicated to helping women navigate the unique challenges of sleep apnea. By day, she brings her professional expertise to the world of health insurance claims, offering her a behind-the-scenes look at the healthcare system that many patients find daunting. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, she lives with her husband, Paul, and their beloved dog and cat. She is passionate about ensuring no woman has to face the sleep apnea journey alone.

Dr. Alison Kole is triple-board-certified in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine. 

Dr. Alison Kole is a Medical Director at Ognomy Sleep, a telemedicine platform, as well as an in-person sleep specialist at PatientFirstMD in New Jersey and the founding medical director of the Oak Health Concierge Sleep telemedicine program. She focuses on advancing evidence-based, patient-centered models of sleep care, drawing on more than two decades of clinical experience.

She completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology at Barnard College, earned an MD/MPH from Tufts University School of Medicine, and pursued residency and fellowship training in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center/UCLA. In addition to her clinical leadership, Dr. Kole is the creator and host of the Sleep Is My Waking Passion™ podcast and serves as Vice-Chair of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Advocacy Committee, with a professional mission to translate rigorous sleep science into scalable interventions that improve health, functioning, and quality of life.

Monica Mallampalli, PhD

Monica is the President and CEO of the Alliance of Sleep Apnea Partners (ASAP), the only leading patient-centered organization serving people living with sleep apnea. Dr. Mallampalli brings a unique perspective to the sleep apnea community as an OSA patient, a trained biomedical scientist and a policy advocate. Experiencing treatment challenges after her OSA diagnosis a decade ago led her to her current role at ASAP, advocating for people living with sleep apnea. Prior to joining ASAP, Dr. Mallampalli advocated for the advancement of women’s health from a sex and gender perspective for over 15 years.

She earned her PhD in Human Genetics from the University of Utah and a Master’s in Biochemistry from Osmania University in India. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Cell Biology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Afterward, Dr. Mallampalli worked at the National Institutes of Health as a Health Policy Analyst and as a Research Fellow before entering the nonprofit world.

Women and Sleep Apnea toolkit coming soon.

Project Sleep's Sleep Helpline: https://project-sleep.com/helpline/

Project Sleep’s Sleep Apnea Squad series invites listeners to dive deeper into specific topics relevant to living with Sleep Apnea. https://project-sleep.com/sleep-apnea-squad/  

Snoring in kids is often overlooked as cute or funny, but it’s something parents should pay close attention to. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is frequently thought of as a condition affecting older adults, but the truth is that this common sleep disorder can affect people of all ages, including children. 

About our Guests:

Nathan Pounds, MSRC, RRT, RPFT, AE-C
Nathan is a Springfield, Missouri–based respiratory therapist and educator who serves as Laboratory Coordinator for the Respiratory Therapy program at Ozarks Technical Community College. His oldest son has a complex medical history that includes failure to thrive, severe asthma, and obstructive sleep apnea, and because his presentation was not “typical,” he and his spouse navigated a long diagnostic journey before their son ultimately received a sleep study and accurate diagnosis. That experience drives his commitment to raising awareness about pediatric sleep apnea so that families and clinicians can recognize atypical presentations sooner, reduce delays in diagnosis, and ensure children receive the care they need to thrive.

Dr. Funke Afolabi-Brown

Dr. Brown is a triple-board-certified sleep medicine physician. As a physician in practice for almost two decades and a mom of two who struggled with sleep issues, she fully understands the impact of sleep deprivation on our mental, physical, and emotional health. As a result, she has dedicated her career to helping others optimize and achieve restful sleep.

Dr. Brown is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS). She has served on several committees locally, regionally, and nationally. She is also on several advisory boards, including BabyCenter, Project Sleep, and Primasun.

Dr. Brown obtained her sleep medicine training at the University of Pennsylvania and was a member of the faculty at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia until recently.

Sleep Apnea in Kids toolkit for more resources: https://project-sleep.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sleep-Apnea-in-Kids-Toolkit.pdf

Project Sleep's Sleep Helpline: https://project-sleep.com/helpline/

Project Sleep’s Sleep Apnea Squad series invites listeners to dive deeper into specific topics relevant to living with Sleep Apnea. https://project-sleep.com/sleep-apnea-squad/  

Mouth taping is everywhere on social media. Influencers claim it can improve sleep quality, reduce snoring, and encourage nasal breathing. But for people wondering about mouth taping and sleep apnea, the story is more complicated. Project Sleep brought together experts and patient voices to explore what mouth taping can and cannot do, and why getting evaluated for sleep apnea remains the most important first step.

About Our Guests:
Ronni Fuchs

Ronnie is a native New Yorker who has lived her entire life in Brooklyn, NY. She is married and has two children: Emma, who is 28 and works as an Admissions Coordinator at a private pre-school in Tribeca, and Eric, who is 31 and works as a company manager on Broadway. Ronni and her husband are retired and enjoy the freedom of doing what they want, when they want.  

Dr. Upneet (Neety) Chawla, MDDr.

Upneet Chawla is a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Sleep Medicine. She serves as an Assistant Professor at Rush University Medical Center with roles in both the Departments of Internal Medicine and Sleep Medicine. Her efforts are dedicated to merging the fields of sleep health with hospital medicine and extending this knowledge to the public. Dr. Chawla completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Ohio and her fellowship in Sleep Medicine at Rush University Medical Center.
Kaitlyn ShrumKaitlyn holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, is a Certified Myofunctional Therapist (CMT), a Qualified Orofacial Myologist (QOM), and a certified Buteyko Breathing Method (certBBM) instructor. She has completed continuing education focusing on dysphagia, orofacial myofunctional disorders, Buteyko Breathing, TOTS Training, the SOFFI method, Beckman Oral Motor Protocol, and the Kaufman approach to treat childhood apraxia of speech.  

Mouth Taping and Sleep Apnea toolkit for more resources: https://project-sleep.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mouth-Taping-and-Sleep-Apnea-Toolkit.pdf 

Project Sleep's Sleep Helpline: https://project-sleep.com/helpline/

Project Sleep’s Sleep Apnea Squad series invites listeners to dive deeper into specific topics relevant to living with Sleep Apnea. https://project-sleep.com/sleep-apnea-squad/  

Brooke Buckley is a graduate from Duquesne University where she majored in biochemistry. She was diagnosed with narcolepsy about at 22 years old. As a speaker with Project Sleep’s Rising Voices program, she shares her story in hopes of helping others by bringing awareness to this often misunderstood condition.

The Rising Voices Series features a variety of first-hand stories from people living with sleep disorders around the world. At Project Sleep, we believe in the power of storytelling to raise awareness and break down stigma. This is why we train people with sleep disorders on how to share their experiences through the Rising Voices program. To request a Rising Voices speaker or apply for an upcoming training, visit: https://project-sleep.com/rising-voices/

Please note: this audio was originally recorded in 2020. For up-to-date facts about narcolepsy treatment options, visit https://project-sleep.com/facts-about-narcolepsy/

Katy Roden is a small business owner from New Braunfels, TX who loves sports and outdoor adventures. She was diagnosed with narcolepsy type 1 with cataplexy at the age of 18. As a speaker with Project Sleep’s Rising Voices program, Katy shares her story to improve the public’s understanding of this neurological condition. She hopes everyone will come away from her presentation with a better understanding of this silent and often misunderstood disorder.

The Rising Voices Series features a variety of first-hand stories from people living with sleep disorders around the world. At Project Sleep, we believe in the power of storytelling to raise awareness and break down stigma. This is why we train people with sleep disorders on how to share their experiences through the Rising Voices program. To request a Rising Voices speaker or apply for an upcoming training, visit: https://project-sleep.com/rising-voices/

Please note: this audio was originally recorded in 2020. For up-to-date facts about narcolepsy treatment options, visit https://project-sleep.com/facts-about-narcolepsy/

Leah Boyle works in social media and has worked in a variety of industries from television to health. She lives in London and enjoys travelling and hiking among other activities. She has lived with narcolepsy since she was 7 years old. She was diagnosed at 11 and is now a trained speaker for Project Sleep’s Rising Voices. Neurological conditions are often invisible or misunderstood, so Leah aims to raise awareness of this condition by sharing her story.

The Rising Voices Series features a variety of first-hand stories from people living with sleep disorders around the world. At Project Sleep, we believe in the power of storytelling to raise awareness and break down stigma. This is why we train people with sleep disorders on how to share their experiences through the Rising Voices program. To request a Rising Voices speaker or apply for an upcoming training, visit: https://project-sleep.com/rising-voices/

Please note: this audio was originally recorded in 2020. For up-to-date facts about narcolepsy treatment options, visit https://project-sleep.com/facts-about-narcolepsy/

Iris Vasconcelos is an avid advocate for invisible illnesses, freelance writer, and blogger from Portugal. She was diagnosed with narcolepsy at 28 years old after experiencing symptoms for 13 years. As a speaker with Project Sleep’s Rising Voices Program, she is telling her story with the hope of empowering others to do the same.

The Rising Voices Series features a variety of first-hand stories from people living with sleep disorders around the world. At Project Sleep, we believe in the power of storytelling to raise awareness and break down stigma. This is why we train people with sleep disorders on how to share their experiences through the Rising Voices program. To request a Rising Voices speaker or apply for an upcoming training, visit: https://project-sleep.com/rising-voices/

Please note: this audio was originally recorded in 2020. For up-to-date facts about narcolepsy treatment options, visit https://project-sleep.com/facts-about-narcolepsy/

Connor Baker is a recent nursing graduate from Aurora University in Illinois. He was diagnosed with narcolepsy with cataplexy at 20 years old. Now, as a trained speaker with Project Sleep’s Rising Voices program, he wants to share his story to help spread awareness and end stigma surrounding narcolepsy.

The Rising Voices Series features a variety of first-hand stories from people living with sleep disorders around the world. At Project Sleep, we believe in the power of storytelling to raise awareness and break down stigma. This is why we train people with sleep disorders on how to share their experiences through the Rising Voices program. To request a Rising Voices speaker or apply for an upcoming training, visit: https://project-sleep.com/rising-voices/

Please note: this audio was originally recorded in 2020. For up-to-date facts about narcolepsy treatment options, visit https://project-sleep.com/facts-about-narcolepsy/