TrustCast Show

What happens when a Philadelphia prosecutor who spent nearly a decade putting people behind bars starts to see the other side — and eventually crosses over entirely to fight for the people the system failed?

In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Laurie Jubelirer, founder of Jubelirer Law, about her remarkable evolution from DA to defense attorney, the wrongful convictions she uncovered in her own past cases, and the life sentence she's been fighting to overturn for a man convicted of felony murder who never intended to kill anyone. Laurie explains why Pennsylvania's felony murder law just got struck down as unconstitutional, what police brutality cases really look like behind closed doors, and why she believes the entire American prison system has failed at its only job.

They also discuss the judge who told her to settle down until she looked him in the eyes and refused, her civil rights pilgrimage to Selma and Montgomery, why criminalizing addiction and mental illness makes both worse, and how her father's three words — make a difference — have shaped everything she does.

Laurie Jubelirer is the founder of Jubelirer Law, a criminal defense and civil rights firm serving the Philadelphia region. She is also the host of the Voices of the System podcast. She can be reached at jubileerlaw.com.

Connect with Laurie Jubelirer:

jubileerlaw.com

LinkedIn: Jubelirer Law or Laurie Jubelirer

Podcast: Voices of the System

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Laurie Jubelirer

00:52 Why she crossed from prosecutor to defense attorney

02:02 Did her former colleagues think she lost her mind

03:07 The hardest part of switching sides

04:01 Does she carry guilt over cases she won as a prosecutor

05:25 Starting Jubelirer Law from zero in 2013

06:48 The Tyreme Rivers case — life without parole for a purse snatching

08:49 How often does the system fail versus the client make a real mistake

10:20 What police brutality and prison civil rights cases look like day to day

12:33 Treating opioid addiction with support instead of prosecution

14:17 How her thinking has completely shifted since leaving prosecution

15:33 Over 1,000 people in Pennsylvania on life without parole who never intended to kill

17:56 What a criminal justice system that actually worked would look like

20:04 The solution — and what Norway and Scandinavia got right

21:35 Speaking at Colgate about Yahya Moore — handcuffed for three days without food

22:52 The judge who told her to settle down — and what she said back

24:09 Being called a beast in the courtroom while also caring deeply

26:01 How she handles new client intake

27:10 How she gets new clients and the podcast she launched in January

29:17 Her father's three words — make a difference

30:04 The civil rights journey to Selma and Montgomery

31:32 How to find and contact Laurie Jubelirer

#LaurieJubelirer #JubelireLaw #WrongfulConvictions #CriminalJusticeReform #PoliceBrutality #FelonyMurder #PhiladelphiaLawyer #TrustcastShow #VoicesOfTheSystem #CriminalDefense

What happens when a family law attorney builds the largest family law department at a major Utah firm, walks away to sell LegalTech, and then decides within 10 months to come back and build something entirely his own — from zero clients to 10 attorneys, 3,000-plus clients served, and a national ABA leadership role in under three years?

In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Ryan Gregerson, founding partner of RCG Law Group in South Jordan, Utah, about the philosophy, purpose, and practical systems that drive his firm's remarkable growth. Ryan explains why he believes most divorces should never go to trial, how a mediation fight over three used bar stools changed the way he prepares clients, and why he thinks every person getting married already has a prenup — they just didn't choose the terms.

They also discuss the holistic divorce model that connects clients with therapists, CPAs, mortgage officers, and financial planners from day one, the tragedy of a client who took his own life that reminded him how real this work is, the time management framework that he says is the single biggest mistake solo attorneys make, and how his plans to scale RCG Law Group to $20 million and into five states by 2028 are already in motion.

Ryan Gregerson is the founding partner of RCG Law Group, a family law firm with four offices in Utah and expansion plans into Arizona, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. He also coaches law firm owners on business development and time management.

Connect with Ryan Gregerson:

RCG Law Group

South Jordan, Utah

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Ryan Gregerson

00:54 From building a 35-attorney firm to selling LegalTech to launching his own shop

02:42 How he got his very first client at the new firm

04:10 What family law actually covers beyond divorce

05:52 How he stays positive doing work that is almost always someone's worst chapter

07:45 The Simon Sinek why that anchors the firm's entire culture

09:05 Why most divorces should never go to trial

10:38 When the friends and family of a client make things worse

11:48 Being part counselor and part attorney

12:46 Zero to 10 attorneys and 3,000 clients in three years

14:09 The holistic divorce model — therapists, planners, realtors, and loan officers

16:13 Helping a spouse who doesn't even know where the money is

18:55 Is Utah a community property state

19:31 Why he built a team instead of staying solo

21:20 The bar stools mediation that changed how he prepares clients

24:00 The client who took his own life and what it reminded him about this work

25:17 The next steps meeting after the decree is signed

27:27 High asset divorces and the tax and contingency traps most people miss

30:51 Why everybody should have a prenup

32:41 The most common mistake solo law firm owners make

34:30 How he got into coaching other law firm owners

37:09 The vivid vision — $20 million and five states by 2028

#RyanGregerson #RCGLawGroup #FamilyLaw #DivorceAttorney #UtahFamilyLaw #HolisticDivorce #LawFirmGrowth #TrustcastShow #BusinessCoaching #DivorceWithPurpose

What happens when a business litigation attorney who runs an improv theater wakes up one morning and gets the phone call that changes everything — and then spends the next several years fighting for his wife, his family, and eventually himself, in ways law school never prepared him for?

In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Matt Ames, partner at Balch & Bingham in Atlanta and author of Through the Impossible, about the July morning in 2019 when his wife Liz was diagnosed with a rare aggressive cancer and how journaling in the early morning hours became a memoir he never intended to publish. Matt shares what it means to be a male caregiver when most of the literature is written for someone else, why rage is one of the emotions caregivers never admit to, and what it felt like to keep expressing gratitude every Friday night even on the darkest weeks.

They also discuss what a business divorce actually looks like in the real world, how he got an injunction after a former employee hacked a client's network to steal trade secrets, the improv workshop for lawyers he created nearly 20 years ago, and why he believes what trial attorneys do in a courtroom and what improvisers do on a stage are closer than most people think.

Matt Ames is a partner at Balch & Bingham in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in business litigation and business divorces. He is the author of Through the Impossible and a former president of Dad's Garage Theater. Liz Ames is five-plus years cancer free.

Connect with Matt Ames:

balch.com

Book: Through the Impossible on Amazon

LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram: Matthew Ames

Atlanta, Georgia

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Matt Ames

00:49 July 2, 2019 — the phone call that changed everything

02:10 When Liz said she wouldn't want to be in his shoes

03:55 How journaling turned into a Facebook group and then a memoir

06:43 Why there is almost nothing written for male caregivers

07:05 Five-plus years cancer free and what that imprint leaves behind

08:47 What it means that Balch and Bingham supported him through all of it

09:43 How he decided which personal moments to share and which to keep private

12:11 The patient-caregiver book he and Liz have talked about writing together

12:55 Business divorces explained in plain terms

15:47 How to handle a party who wants the business to fail out of anger

19:17 Getting an injunction after a former employee hacked a client network

23:46 Representing arts organizations versus tech companies

25:00 The overlap between improv theater and trial advocacy

26:20 Rapid fire questions

29:30 What improv teaches an attorney that law school never could

30:51 My Cousin Vinny and being light on your feet in the courtroom

31:06 The Friday night gratitude ritual through the worst weeks

32:31 Why he got involved with Jewish Family and Career Services

34:48 What he wants the legacy of Through the Impossible to be

36:32 How to find the book and connect with Matt Ames

#MattAmes #ThroughTheImpossible #BusinessLitigation #CancerCaregiver #CaregiverSupport #BusinessDivorce #ImprovForLawyers #AtlantaLawyer #TrustcastShow #DadsGarageTheater

What happens when a first-generation college student from a military family grows up to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court — twice — and then builds his own firm on the Texas-New Mexico border handling everything from federal criminal defense to cycling accident cases he knows personally?

In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Gabriel Perez, founder of Gabriel S. Perez Law in El Paso, Texas, about his journey from collegiate cross country runner to Supreme Court advocate in the landmark Hernandez v. Mesa border shooting case. Gabriel explains what it's like to defend a federal agent in a politically charged cross-border shooting, why federal criminal cases require preparation from day one of indictment, and why he keeps criminal defense in his practice even as he focuses more on injury work — because jury trials are like athletics, and if you don't do them regularly, you get rusty.

They also discuss what it means to practice across two state bar licenses on the Texas-New Mexico border, how being hit by a car while cycling gave him a personal connection to his injury clients, his seven years teaching criminal law at the college level, and why he believes education is the great equalizer.

Gabriel Perez is the founder of Gabriel S. Perez Law in El Paso, Texas, licensed in both Texas and New Mexico. His practice covers federal criminal defense, personal injury, civil rights litigation, and civil litigation across the border region.

Connect with Gabriel Perez:

gabrielsperelaw.com

Phone: 915-444-5351

El Paso, Texas

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Gabriel Perez

00:43 Arguing Hernandez v. Mesa at the US Supreme Court

02:30 Why the case went up twice and what Abbasi changed

04:23 What it took to get the Supreme Court to hear the case at all

05:34 From Coronado, California to practicing law on the Texas-Mexico border

06:32 His father's Navy career and a childhood that included Sicily

07:43 Cross country at UTEP and the path from MBA to law school

09:00 Representing border patrol agents in politically charged cases

10:17 Threats at the office and what it means to do this work

12:29 Going from name partner to solo practice in 2021

13:39 How he keeps overhead low with contract associates

15:23 A typical day — three hearings before lunch and a jury trial next week

16:17 What two state bar licenses gives clients that one state can't

17:09 Where he wants the firm to go from here

19:28 How being hit by a car while cycling shaped his injury practice

20:28 Rapid fire questions

24:18 What separates a case that goes to trial from one that settles

25:44 Preparing for a federal case versus a state case

27:32 How he decides which cases to take and when to say no

29:11 Seven years teaching criminal law and why education is the great equalizer

31:40 The biggest challenge facing attorneys in border communities today

33:12 How to reach Gabriel Perez

#GabrielPerez #ElPasoLawyer #FederalCriminalDefense #HernandezVMesa #SupremeCourt #BorderPatrolDefense #PersonalInjury #TexasNewMexicoLaw #TrustcastShow #BorderLaw

What happens when a small-town Oklahoma girl whose principal told her she'd have a secretary one day becomes one of the country's top litigators — and then retires to her cattle ranch to write fantasy adventure books for kids?

In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Sharla Frost, former managing partner of Powers & Frost and first chair trial counsel in over 60 jury trials, including a billion-dollar product liability case and a successful J&J talcum powder mesothelioma defense. Sharla shares what it took to build a litigation boutique from scratch as a woman in the 1980s, how she used her 89-year-old ranch tenant as a trial consultant, and why she believes the biggest mistake lawyers make is drinking their own Kool-Aid.

They also discuss her Amazon bestseller Power at the Table, how she pivoted from the courtroom to writing the Frogville Quest children's book series, why her protagonist Lily Lotus Dilweed is neither a victim nor an advocate, the nonprofit she runs to revitalize historic Fort Towson, Oklahoma, and why she calls it retooled — not retired.

Sharla Frost is a former managing partner of Powers & Frost, a sought-after trial consultant and expert witness, keynote speaker, Amazon bestselling author, and creator of the Frogville Quest children's book series. She is based in Frogville, Oklahoma.

Connect with Sharla Frost:

sharlafrost.com

sharlajfrostspeaker.com

Books available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Sharla Frost

00:43 The principal who redirected her entire life in one conversation

02:59 Five generations in Frogville and growing up on a cattle ranch

04:41 What her parents thought when she said she was going to law school

05:42 Building Powers and Frost as a woman in the 1980s

07:15 Her sister Gwyn — the consigliere and firm manager

08:27 Writing Power at the Table and why women lawyers needed it

10:00 Finding a publisher and expanding to three editions

11:59 Keynoting Rockstar Impact with Even Cowgirls Get the Clients

13:27 Rapid fire questions including cattle breeds and courtroom habits

17:10 Preparing for a billion-dollar product liability trial

18:02 Defending J&J in a talcum powder mesothelioma case

18:41 How much of trial law is storytelling

19:52 Biggest mistakes lawyers make when preparing for trial

21:05 Why she started writing children's books after retiring

23:06 The Frogville Quest series — age range and structure

25:08 Lily Lotus Dilweed, Peter Pan, and weaving classic literature in

27:32 How the books are selling and what's coming in book eight

28:11 Writing solo versus writing with a team

30:28 ReCreate Fort Towson and revitalizing a poverty-area community

32:11 The ranch name Frogsay and why Versailles inspired it

33:31 Pro bono legal work for Choctaw County's poorest municipality

34:45 Serving on the NAWL Supreme Court Nominee Evaluation Committee

35:55 One piece of advice to the little girl in Frogville

36:40 Where to find the books and book Sharla to speak

#SharlaFrost #FrogvilleQuest #TrialLawyer #WomenInLaw #PowerAtTheTable #ChildrensBooks #OklahomaLawyer #TrustcastShow #CowgirlGetsTheClients #LilyLotusDilweed

What happens when a drafted Army lieutenant who prosecuted courts martial before ever setting foot in law school goes on to become a founding partner of one of America's most decorated plaintiff's firms — with over $3 billion recovered and 21 seven-figure verdicts to his name?

In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Steve Heninger, founding partner of Heninger Garrison Davis in Birmingham, Alabama, about five decades of plaintiff's trial work, the $64 million bingo casino fraud verdict that changed his firm's trajectory, and why he believes trial lawyers are in the lighting and heating business. Steve shares what separates cases that settle from those that have to go to a jury, how he approaches medical malpractice when juries instinctively protect doctors, and why the most dangerous mistake any trial lawyer makes is forgetting their humanity.

They also discuss what it's like trying 19 jury trials alongside his son Eric, who was just named lawyer of the year alongside him, why great storytellers are interested people not interesting ones, how a phrase from Dolly Parton shaped his philosophy on connecting with juries, and why his wife's advice to turn down a run for Congress was the best she ever gave him.

Steve Heninger is a founding partner of Heninger Garrison Davis, a national plaintiff's law firm based in Birmingham, Alabama, with offices in Atlanta. He is a member of the Alabama Law Foundation's top 1%, a Super Lawyer, and a Best Lawyer in America with over 50 years of trial experience.

Connect with Steve Heninger:

hgdlawfirm.com

Email: [email protected]

Birmingham, Alabama

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Steve Heninger

00:43 Prosecuting courts martial at Fort Benning before law school

01:50 Growing up in Salem, Illinois, hometown of William Jennings Bryan

02:59 How competing as a sprinter and wrestler shaped trial preparation

03:50 Why he chose plaintiff's work over criminal defense

04:45 How Heninger Garrison Davis came together in 2006

05:35 Over $3 billion recovered and the case that changed everything

06:37 The $64 million bingo casino fraud verdict in Montgomery

07:36 How you actually collect after a verdict like that

08:00 What separates a case that settles from one that goes to a jury

09:36 What it's like trying 19 jury trials alongside his son Eric

10:49 Trial lawyers are in the lighting and heating business

12:08 How he opened a fraud trial with cheaters always win

13:36 Where his trial ideas actually come from

14:53 The Trialnasium blog and why Dolly Parton inspired a philosophy

17:24 Teaching at Harvard, Stanford, and Georgetown — the most common mistake

18:41 Make fear a passenger in your car instead of the driver

19:13 Why he launched Trialnasium publicly after decades in the courtroom

20:00 Rapid fire questions

23:08 How he overcomes jury sympathy for doctors in malpractice cases

25:34 Why depositions are trial

26:43 How he decides which cases to take at this stage of his career

28:33 Managing offices in Atlanta and Birmingham with 20 lawyers

29:23 Which recognition means the most and why

31:44 What still gets him fired up to walk into a courtroom after 50 years

35:11 Where Heninger Garrison Davis is headed in the next five years

36:38 Why marketing is still a never-ending problem even after 50 years

38:45 How he and his son navigate disagreements on cases

39:59 Types of cases the firm handles and how to reach Steve Heninger

#SteveHeninger #HeningerGarrisonDavis #PlaintiffsLawyer #TrialLawyer #MedicalMalpractice #ProductLiability #BirminghamLawyer #TrustcastShow #Trialnasium #LevelingThePlayingField

What happens when a wrestler from Illinois ends up surfing before court in Palm Beach County, defending people on the worst days of their lives with over 200 five-star Google reviews and a life felony reduced to a sealed misdemeanor?

In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Matthew Konecky, founder of Konecky Law in Palm Beach County, Florida, about his 20-plus-year criminal defense and personal injury career, the attempted murder case he took from a life felony down to a sealed misdemeanor, and why he refuses to use fear to get clients to hire him. Matthew explains what people get wrong in the first 24 hours after a DUI arrest, why Florida's new license plate cover law led to a wave of wrongful arrests, and how his wrestling background shaped the way he fights in a courtroom.

They also discuss his free legal guides for clients, the book he wrote for families of the arrested, why he still practices both criminal defense and personal injury after two decades, how he's using technology to serve clients across multiple counties without overextending, and what he learned from Ben Glass about building client trust before they ever call.

Matthew Konecky is the founder of Konecky Law, a criminal defense and personal injury firm based in Palm Beach County, Florida, with offices in Palm Beach and Broward counties. He is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a former competitive wrestler at Indiana University.

Connect with Matthew Konecky:

561law.com

561dui.com

Phone: 561-671-5995 (24-hour answering service)

Palm Beach County, Florida

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Matthew Konecky

00:59 The attempted first degree murder case reduced to a sealed misdemeanor

04:15 How Stand Your Ground worked and then didn't

05:20 What turned the case around after losing the motion

06:33 How sealing and expungement actually work

08:04 From Moline, Illinois to wrestling at Indiana University to South Florida

10:00 The first day at a Miami criminal defense firm that hooked him

11:07 Going solo at 27 with just a cell phone and a computer

12:45 Why he never uses worst case scenarios to sell a client

14:54 The free legal guides and where the idea came from

16:36 Two offices across Palm Beach and Broward County and controlled growth

18:58 Why he won't take cases beyond St. Lucie to Dade County

19:16 Searching for an associate attorney to join the firm

19:23 Rapid fire questions

23:15 Featured in the Sun Sentinel investigative series on Florida criminal law

24:58 The 30,000 DUI arrests a year and what people get wrong in the first 24 hours

26:35 Why criminal defense and personal injury work together at his firm

29:38 How wrestling shapes the courtroom mindset

31:12 The book he wrote for families of people who've been arrested

33:08 The one thing to do right after an arrest or accident

34:11 What the next five years look like for the firm

36:43 How to reach Matthew Konecky

#MatthewKonecky #KoneckyLaw #CriminalDefense #DUILawyer #PalmBeachLawyer #StandYourGround #PersonalInjury #FloridaLaw #TrustcastShow #TrialLawyer

What happens when a former felony prosecutor walks away from law to homestead a ranch and homeschool her kids in the Rio Grande Valley — and then gets pulled back in by a client desperate for someone who would actually fight for them?

In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Octavia Martinez, founder of Octavia Martinez Law, about her unconventional path from UVA undergrad to Ohio State law grad to felony prosecutor to homesteading rancher to solo practice attorney defending doctors, midwives, and patients across Texas and beyond. Octavia explains why she left practice in 2018 after witnessing prosecutorial overreach that disillusioned her, what pulled her back in 2024, and why anonymous complaints to medical licensing boards are one of the most dangerous and underreported threats facing healthcare providers today.

They also discuss medical malpractice, defamation cases, disputed probate, the constitutional rights issues she sees running through nearly every case, how she manages a virtual law practice with a newborn, a homestead, a milk cow, homeschooling, and her husband's medical clinic, and why she believes the law is most powerful when applied with nuance rather than ideology.

Octavia Martinez is the founder of Octavia Martinez Law, a virtual solo practice based in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. She is licensed in Texas and handles medical malpractice, licensed defense for doctors and midwives, defamation, probate disputes, and breach of contract cases across Texas and Arizona.

Connect with Octavia Martinez:

OctaviaMartinezLaw.com

Rio Grande Valley, Texas

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Octavia Martinez

01:22 Why she stepped away from law in 2018 and how the homestead started

02:44 Milk cows, hard cheeses, and three kids on a ranch in South Texas

03:18 The urgent call in 2024 that pulled her back to practicing law

04:22 Her path from UVA to Ohio State Law to prosecuting felonies in Arizona

05:29 Taking the Texas bar exam with a five-month-old nursing baby

06:21 The first case back — defending a physician before a licensing board

08:00 How anonymous complaints trigger investigations regardless of merit

09:28 Why anonymous board complaints are fundamentally unjust

10:37 How a disgruntled patient complaint can spiral into defamation

11:14 The criminal defense case that made her distrust the system

13:50 Challenging institutional power with necessary force

15:05 Why disenfranchisement and constitutional overreach pushed her out in 2018

16:06 Running a law firm while milking a cow and homeschooling three kids

18:00 Why she didn't niche down and the types of cases she takes

20:00 Operating with nuance instead of picking a side

22:40 How paid consultations filter new clients before they're taken on

24:12 Plans to scale and bring on a law clerk once he passes the bar

25:51 What a typical day looks like on the homestead and in the practice

27:07 What she would tell a young attorney thinking about stepping away

29:38 Rapid fire questions

31:07 How she serves clients all over Texas and Arizona virtually

31:42 How COVID made virtual practice permanently acceptable

32:09 How to reach Octavia Martinez

#OctaviaMartinez #MedicalLicenseDefense #MidwifeDefense #MedicalMalpractice #DefamationLaw #TexasLawyer #VirtualLawFirm #HomeschoolMom #Homestead #TrustcastShow

What happens when an insurance attorney spends two decades flying across the country to investigate crane collapses, smelting explosions, and forklift accidents — and then bets everything on building the largest dedicated workers' comp subrogation practice in the country?

In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Brett Tishler, a Philadelphia-based attorney at Derrevere Law, about the niche world of workers' compensation subrogation — recovering millions of dollars that insurers are owed after workplace disasters. Brett explains how subrogation works, why early intervention at an accident scene can make or break a case, and how his team goes far beyond just sending a lien letter.

They also discuss a $17 million trucking verdict in North Carolina, a million-dollar recovery on 40-year-old potato-cutting equipment that amputated a worker's arm, why Pennsylvania's lack of a product liability statute of repose opens doors most states close, and what it took to leave White and Williams after 15 years to build something new.

Brett Tishler is an attorney at Derrevere Law, where he and Rob Kaplan lead what they are building into the largest dedicated workers' comp subrogation practice in the country. Their team of eight attorneys handles work comp subrogation across all 50 states. Brett can be reached at [email protected].

Connect with Brett Tishler:

Derrevere Law

LinkedIn: Brett Tishler

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Brett Tishler

00:28 What is workers' comp subrogation and how does it work

02:16 The car insurance analogy that explains it simply

03:39 What types of defendants get targeted in these cases

04:30 How Brett's team investigates industrial accidents

05:38 The Duluth forklift paper roll case

06:43 How insurance companies bring Brett in at the start

07:34 Why early intervention changes everything

08:03 How 50-state statutory differences affect every case

09:50 Why plaintiff attorneys want to work with Brett

11:02 Inside the $17 million North Carolina trucking verdict

14:16 What strict contributory negligence means for plaintiffs

15:22 How the lien and attorney fees get divided after a verdict

17:47 Why Brett and Rob Kaplan left White and Williams

19:31 Building an eight-attorney 50-state subrogation team

21:25 How they market to insurance companies nationally

22:25 Rapid fire questions

25:26 Recovering a million dollars on 40-year-old farm equipment

27:38 Product liability and making workplaces safer

28:46 How to contact Brett Tishler

#BrettTishler #WorkersComp #Subrogation #WorkplaceInjury #ProductLiability #InsuranceLaw #PhiladelphiaLawyer #TrustcastShow #IndustrialAccident #TrialLawyer

What happens when a triple board certified sleep medicine physician who spent years keeping the sickest ICU patients alive finally admits she was a chronic insomniac the entire time — and then COVID breaks her sleep so completely that she rebuilds her entire career around fixing it?

In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Dr. Alison Kole, founder of Oak Health Center and medical director at Agnomi Sleep, about the science of sleep, why 80% of Americans with moderate to severe sleep apnea are completely undiagnosed, and what cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia actually looks like in practice. Dr. Kole breaks down the difference between a home sleep test and an in-lab polysomnogram, explains why you don't need to be a snorer to have sleep apnea, and walks through exactly how modern CPAP machines work — and why they're quieter than you think.

They also discuss the witching hour wake-up at 2 to 4 a.m., what a morning headache might really mean, why melatonin is not the answer for most insomniacs, how the COVID pandemic in New Jersey pushed Dr. Kole past her breaking point, and the text message that saved a young man from cardiac arrest.

Dr. Alison Kole is a triple board certified sleep medicine physician, founder of Oak Health Center concierge sleep practice, and medical director at Agnomi Sleep. She hosts the Sleep Is My Waking Passion podcast, now over 107 episodes.

Connect with Dr. Alison Kole:

askthesleepmd.com/work-with-me

Podcast: Sleep Is My Waking Passion on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Alison Kole

01:02 How long she lived with insomnia before doing something about it

02:27 The year of sleep fellowship that changed everything

03:39 What cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia actually is

04:44 The Kindle in bed question and what it really means

06:51 The 2 to 4 a.m. witching hour wake-up explained

07:33 Morning headaches and what they might signal

09:10 Why you don't need to snore to have sleep apnea

10:25 How to get a sleep study and what your options are

12:53 Telemedicine sleep medicine and insurance versus concierge

14:30 Home sleep apnea testing versus in-lab polysomnogram

17:09 Is sleep apnea genetic or familial

18:18 How CPAP machines actually work and how quiet they really are

22:11 How a psych major at Barnard got into pulmonary critical care

26:37 The transition from ICU medicine to sleep medicine

28:59 What COVID in New Jersey actually looked like from inside the ICU

31:20 Two toddlers, two pulmonary critical care doctors, and overnight call

33:17 How Dr. Kole chose herself and rebuilt her identity

34:45 Rapid fire questions

38:02 Sleep Is My Waking Passion podcast highlights

39:10 The text message that saved a young man's life

40:35 How to reach Dr. Alison Kole

#AlisonKole #SleepMedicine #SleepApnea #Insomnia #CPAP #SleepDoctor #TrustcastShow #SleepIsMyWakingPassion #SleepHealth #CBTInsomnia