Your Story Our Fight by Lupus LA

Season FOUR Episode FOURTEEN of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Roxanne Lerner. Roxanne Lerner is a certified yoga teacher and holistic health coach who has been living with lupus for the past 14 years. She is happily married with two young children. Roxanne takes a mindfulness-based approach to health and is passionate about sharing with other chronic illness warriors the science-backed practices that have been instrume...

Season FOUR Episode THIRTEEN of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Hayley Weinstein. Diagnosed in 1999 with Lupus, Hayley has struggled with a plethora of various autoimmune health-related challenges over the years. Native to Los Angeles, Hayley has been working for 25+ ( off and on) as a Casting Director, primarily casting Reality TV. Her casting expertise is in casting “real people” in everything from Medical Shows, Compe...

Season FOUR Episode TWELVE of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Dr. Shabnam Esmailzadeh. Shabnam is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Diagnosed with lupus at the age of 18, she took charge of her well-being by focusing on mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. This personal journey has deeply shaped her practice, inspiring her to guide her patients toward balance and wellness through the...

Season FOUR Episode ELEVEN of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Dr. Katherine VanHise. Katherine is an OBGYN and fertility specialist based in Beverly Hills, California.  Immediately following her graduation from OBGYN residency she developed her first symptoms of lupus.  Her diagnosis of SLE came 15 months later after consulting with over 20 physicians across different specialties and institutions.  Her journey navigating...

Season FOUR Episode TEN of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Connie Sparks. Connie Sparks is the Founder of Wadeco Business Center, LLC a MWBE, DBE, WOSB, and SB-designated entity.  Connie’s consulting and financing career spans over 24 years and is widely recognized as an award-winning leading  expert on business development, strategic planning, and supplier contracting. She has worked with business owners at all levels, ...

Season FOUR Episode NINE of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Alicia Evans. Alicia lives with lupus and several other autoimmune and connective tissue diseases, which has made her passionate about raising awareness of chronic illness. As a parent of twins with autism, Alicia has gained unique insights into caregiving and advocacy. She enjoy decorating with and selling vintage items, as well as creating succulent, seashell ...

Season FOUR Episode EIGHT of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Regan Birr. Regan is the owner of Regan MOVES, a wellness and fitness company for people with chronic challenges. Regan has lupus and arthritis. She spent many years in severe pain, until she started exercising in a special way:  she holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Saskatchewan and used her background to design a low-t...

Season FOUR Episode SEVEN of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Risa A. Regalado, RDH. Risa A. Regalado, RDH  is the youngest of 3 siblings (2 older brothers) and grew up in Laguna Niguel, Ca. Risa attended undergrad at UCSB, then dental hygiene at USC. She practiced hygiene for a decade in Santa Monica and Beverly Hills before moving to Arizona for dental school. Risa is currently a third year dental student at Midwestern ...

Season FOUR Episode SIX of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Olivia Abousaid. Master Certified Grief and Transformation Coach, Olivia Abousaid understands the profound significance of resilience through her own journey. She was diagnosed with discoid lupus and SLE in July of 2021. Olivia has cultivated a deep appreciation for personal growth and transformation while navigating the limitations of chronic illness. Based in L...

Season FOUR Episode FIVE of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Sheba Family Zaman. As a computer scientist, Sheba has spent the last 20 years working in a technical software role with the quality department of pharmaceutical and life science companies. Her role spans from pre-sales technical information to professional services post-sale with the goal of digitizing critical data that can affect patient safety. She speaks re...

Season FOUR Episode FOUR of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Mercedes Yvette. Mercedes Yvette Shorte gained fame as a contestant on America’s Next Top Model, leading to a successful 20-year career in modeling and acting. She later became a spokesperson for the Lupus Foundation of America, advocating for awareness and funding on a national level.
Now, Mercedes channels her passion into the luxury design world through L...

Season FOUR Episode THREE of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Tiffany Kaloustian. Functional Medicine Health Practitioner, and Certified Naturopathic Practitioner. Tiffany's personal journey battling severe lupus has fueled her passion for helping others find their path to wellness. She is well versed in a variety of holistic healing modalities, including nervous system regulation, Vagal tone, nutrition, detoxing, mi...

Season FOUR Episode TWO of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Charissa Barsos. Charissa is a nurse practitioner with over 15 years of medical experience. She graduated with her BSN from Millikin University in Decatur, IL, in 2010 and worked as a cardiothoracic surgery RN for 5 years. Charissa graduated with her FNP from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL, in 2015 and DNP from Indian Wesleyan University in Marion,...

Season FOUR Episode ONE of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Elizabeth Lo Serro. As a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Elizabeth helps clients alleviate fatigue, pain, and rashes while promoting the growth of beautiful, healthy hair. Through her unique approach, Elizabeth empowers people to feel energized, resilient, and radiant. With her expertise in holistic health and her own lived experience with Lupus for...

Season THREE Episode EIGHTEEN of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Dion Langley. Dion was born and raised in Portsmouth, Va. He was diagnosed with
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ( SLE ) in 2010. Dion decided to use his career as a professional drummer as an avenue to promote Lupus advocacy. Dion also established the #BeatLupus organization as a place where people affected by Lupus can meet in person to provide individual...

Season THREE Episode SEVENTEEN of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Molly McCabe. Molly McCabe began her career at the young age of 16 when she joined the inaugural board for the Kids Making Miracles program at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. She also was part of the founding family that created Potluck in the Park in 1993 where she served the homeless every Sunday for three years.  Molly worked as a CASA and served on th...

Season THREE Episode SIXTEEN of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Racquel Dozier. Racquel H. Dozier is a passionate lupus advocate, educator, and the founder of Lupus In Color. Her mission is to educate, inspire, encourage, and empower lupus warriors and their supporters worldwide. Through Lupus In Color, Racquel advocates for lupus warriors one butterfly at a time, striving to make a positive impact in the lives of those ...

Season THREE Episode FIFTEEN of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Shanelle Gabriel. Shanelle Gabriel is a spoken word poet, singer, education consultant, and lupus warrior from Brooklyn, NY. She has shared her fusion of poetry and soulful singing in esteemed venues from The Vatican to Lincoln Center, and has penned and featured in national poetry campaigns with Pandora Music, NFL Draft, and more. With over 18 years as an e...

Season THREE Episode FOURTEEN of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Tiffany Peterson. Tiffany is a New York City-based patient advocate whose inspiration arose from her battles within the healthcare system following her diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus in 2010. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LupusChat, a patient/caregiver-driven online community established in 2012 designed to educate all entitie...