Casandra Oldham has had success in her running career that was never intended to be a running career! She shares her knowledge of neurodiverse brains and how thinking outside of the dystonia "box" might be helping through nutrition, functional medicine, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and other modalities. 

Autism Knowledge Gateway https://www.autismkg.org/

TLI Foundation https://www.thoughtfoundation.org/about

HBOT - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11097100/ and https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8465921/

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The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find us here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) and JoJo Fraser - [email protected]

Julie, JoJo and special guest host Karrie Hamstra-Wright chat with wife, mother, NBC Track and Field Broadcaster, author, World T&F Silver medalist and 2-Time Olympian Kara Goucher. 

Kara shares her dystonia history, diagnosis, celebrations, tendencies to compartmentalize and other struggles in this real, heart-felt cast. 

You can find more about Kara here and order her book, The Longest Race, here. If you really want to geek out, listen to her podcast with Des Linden, Nobody Asked Us, on your favorite platform. Here is a link to the cast on YouTube.

Some products we mentioned:

Lever system

Lightspeed Lift

Ketone IQ

KT Tape

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find us here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) and JoJo Fraser - [email protected]

Julie sits down with Megan Cohea, a physical therapist living on the East Coast. Megan has Runner's Dystonia and shares her journey, symptoms and recommendations in this conversation. Apologies for the audio issues at the beginning of the recording. 

Here is a link to the TENS unit Megan uses.

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find us here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) and JoJo Fraser - [email protected]

JoJo and Julie sit down with Karrie Hamstra-Wright, Clinical Professor and Co-Director of the Applied Sports Psychology and Injury Research and Education (ASPIRE) Lab in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois Chicago. Like many of us interested in these podcasts on the topic of dystonia, Karrie also has this condition. For those interested in the lab's work, you  can participate in the community service program - Resilient Athlete Program (RAP) - which provides sports psychology sessions with members of the lab.

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find us here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) and JoJo Fraser - [email protected]

In this episode, JoJo and Julie talk with Runner, turned cyclist, Randy Morton about his dystonia journey through medical in-attention, gaslighting and athletic career. Randy is resilience personified. Give it a listen and we welcome your comments and feedback. Please continue to share with colleagues, friends AND your medical team!

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find us here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) and JoJo Fraser - [email protected]

Default Mode Network (dmn) discussion on how to down regulate, how it might be a factor with Dystonia. What things we have tried help to down regulate the DMN. Includes references to breathwork, meditation and psilocybin. 

Paul Stamets

Psilocybin Research in Nature

Default Mode Network Research from Stanford University

DMN Modulation by Psychadelics Research

The Neural Basis of Psychadelic Action

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find us here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) and JoJo Fraser - [email protected]

We talk with Australian runner Kirsten Jackson on her progress with dystonia and DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation). Kirsten had the implant in February of 2025 and considers herself cured from dystonia with this device. Listen to this intriguing talk about her story. What she has tried and the amount of money she has invested in her health is astounding. 

Links: Doctors - https://www.cabrini.com.au/find-a-doctor/a-profwesleythevathasan/

DBS - Deep Brain Stimulation https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/deep-brain-stimulation-movement-disorders

and info on the Boston Scientific site (the implant Kirsten has received)

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find us here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) and JoJo Fraser - [email protected]

On this episode, Julie talks with long-time dystonic runner, Roberta Reardon. We discuss modalities that are non-drug as well as how the issues first began. Roberta shares some key insights into how her recovery has progressed to the point of feeling almost "normal." One key to all of this is Belief. 

Links: 

https://www.alpenboxx.com/adventures.html

Ruth Chiles

Dr. Farias

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The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find us here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) and JoJo Fraser - [email protected]

In this episode, we talk with Shannon Webb, a newly diagnosed runner with dystonia. She shares what she has tried, where she is in her progress and what she hopes to have happen in the future. 

Here is a link to the University of Illinois - Chicago's ASPIRE Resilient Athlete Program. Thanks for listening. 

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find us here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) and JoJo Fraser - [email protected]

Julie and JoJo are joined by Victoria Upson in this episode to hear her journey with running and Runner's Dystonia. Victoria shares a lot about her symptoms and how her persistence have allowed her to move forward in positive ways. 

You can find Victoria on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@dystonicrunner

and Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dystonicrunner/

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find us here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) and JoJo Fraser - [email protected]