Iconically Ill

We talk Lyme Disease with Ilana.

Ilana has been healing from Lyme Disease and its co-infections since 2016. Undiagnosed for nearly two years after the onset of symptoms, she explored nearly every medical, psychiatric, holistic, and even spiritual intervention available. Along the way, she became deeply engaged in the Lyme patient and provider community, founding a Facebook support group in 2022 that has since grown to ...

Keisha is the Founder & CEO of Girls Chronically Rock, which is adaptive and non-adaptive clothing options with inspiring phrases on them. She is a Board Member at Disability Law Center and Chairperson of Cambridge Comission for Persons with Disabilities. She's also a public speaker and disability advocate.

Follow Keisha at @ownerofgirlschronicallyrock on Instagram.

Show transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-9ihAJfJUGlIYW...

We talk ME/CFS with Dani Hanks.

Dani is a disabled writer/director based in New York City. As a kid, Dani grew up elbow-deep in human organs at their mom's pathology lab in Porterville, California. A direct result of inhaling too much formaldehyde in their formative years, they dove headfirst into the entertainment industry.

After receiving their BFA in Drama at NYU Tisch, they directed the Ba...

We talk dating while disabled with Jacqueline and Alexa Child

Jacqueline and Alexa are sisters and founders of Dateability, the only dating app for disabled and chronically ill people. After becoming disabled as a teenager, Jacqueline experienced a great deal of ableism, particularly in the dating space. Together, Jacqueline and Alexa collaborated on creating a safe and inclusive platform for the world's l...

We talk Fibromyalgia with Anna Hamilton.

Anna is a writer and comedian based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their hobbies include watching bad movies with their partner, reading, and spending time with their very spoiled Yorkie mix, Sushi. Anna's essays have appeared in the Disability Visibility Project, Welcome to Hell World, and many other publications. They also publish a humor newsletter called Citizen Cane. You ca...

We talk acromegaly with Ellen Ko.

Ellen Ko was diagnosed at age 26 with acromegaly due to a pituitary tumor. Acromegaly is a growth hormone condition which affects every aspect of the body - it causes changes inside and out, and both physical and mental. She underwent surgery and is on a medical regimen which has stabilized and controlled her hormone levels.

Over two decades after her diagnosi...

We talk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with Natalia Surin.

In the spring of 2018, at the age of 21, Natalia was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) during her senior year at UMass Amherst studying hospitality & business management. Born and raised in Boston with only a couple months left until graduation, her life was turned upside down sending her down a grueling treatment plan. For the next 2...

We talk Intestinal Autoimmune Disease with Katerina Vrana

Katerina is one of Greece's top stand-up comedians, performing stand-up in both Greek and English all over the world, her shows selling out in Athens and London and at the Edinburgh Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festivals. CNN included her in its list of "Female Comedians To Watch" and in 2016 she came third in the Laugh Factory's intern...

We talk limb differences Madeleine Stewart

Disability advocate and award-winning comedian Madeleine Stewart charms audiences everywhere with a sweet demeanour, veiling razor-sharp wit. With over a decade of experience in standup comedy, you may have seen Madeleine perform with the likes of Adam Hills, Rove McManus, & Reuben Kaye.

Creator of the viral video on Marriage Equality for ABC Iview (reaching 2.4m...

We talk chronic illness with Bloom Davis.

Bloom is an outdoor educator, facilitator, and artist with a passion for creating inclusive spaces that empower individuals and communities. As someone living with chronic health conditions, Bloom is dedicated to supporting others to get outdoors in ways that are accessible and meaningful. With experience as a backpacking guide in Yellowstone and a JMT and PCT thru...

We talk narcolepsy with Kathryn Dunn.

Kathryn Dunn has been learning and teaching improv in and around New York for decades. She's studied at renowned New York theaters The People's Improv Theater (PIT), Upright Citizen's Brigade (UCB), and The Magnet. She has extensive training in various techniques for long form Improv, short form improv, musical improv, puppet-prov, sketch comedy, coaching improv, and t...

We talk blindness with Dustin D'Addato.

Dustin is an Emmy Award winning writer, director, producer and performer based in New York City.  Despite being legally blind he's been involved in some of the largest events in television and streaming history.  

F...

We talk breast cancer with Lauren Stripling.

Lauren grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, where she was that girl who played the harp at your cousin's wedding. Colder climes called, and she got her B.A. in English from Yale before pursuing a Master's in Education while teaching English in the Bronx. She taught creative writing to thousands of st...

We talk Deafness with Adam Pottle.

Adam is a Deaf writer whose works span multiple genres. His books include the prairie gothic novel Apparitions, the dark fantasy musical The Black Drum, and the historical suspense novel The Bus. He was the 2021-22 writer in residence at Sheridan College and was a 2022 Warner Bros Discovery Access screenwriting fellow. He has a PhD in English literature and has taught Eng...

We talk stroke with Sean Chang.

Sean is a Brooklyn-based performer and writer originally from California. He is a young stroke survivor, having had a stroke when he was 22, that resulted in invisible disabilities, right sided weakness, and tremors. He started comedy as a way to find joy and make others laugh, and it's helped him better understand himself and his relationship with his disability.

Read more