Send us Fan Mail An MRI, a phone call, and four words nobody wants to hear: “You have a perforated bowel.” Zach Koscuik was on the road to a comedy gig when Crohn’s disease forced yet another hard pivot, adding to a 25-year history that includes perianal Crohn’s, fistulas, abscesses, emergency surgeries, biologics, and three ileocolonic resections. We talk with him about what it’s like to grow up sick, manage the stigma that makes people minimize inflammatory bowel disease, and keep showing u...

Send us Fan Mail A ninth inning ballpark burger. Days of relentless diarrhea. Then blood. John Capodilupo’s ulcerative colitis diagnosis didn’t arrive slowly, it hit like a truck, and it sent him into a crash course on what living with IBD really demands. We talk through the early fear and uncertainty, the 28-day hospitalization, and the chaos of juggling treatment while also battling infections like C. difficile and CMV colitis. John also shares his experience with fecal microbiota transplan...

Send us Fan Mail Sara Herring lived with stomach pain so long she thought it was just life, then at 21 she finally got the word that changed everything: Crohn’s disease. Sara joins us for a raw, funny, and unexpectedly tender conversation about what it’s like to be dismissed as a kid, spend months chasing negative tests, and reach the point where you’re writing goodbye letters because you’re not sure you’ll make it. Sara walks us through the turning points of her IBD journey, from the ...

Send us Fan Mail Five years post J-pouch surgery sounds like a finish line, but our bodies do not read the brochure. We’re together in person for a live catch-up with our favorite recurring guest and IBD Registered Dietitian, Stacey Collins, and we get real about what changes with time and what still blindsides you when you live with a J-Pouch after IBD. We talk through the wins that matter most day to day: more capacity, less urgency, and the quiet joy of doing normal things without panic, ...

Send us Fan Mail The word “surgery” can feel like a threat when you’re young and already worn down by Crohn’s disease. Michael Morgan, author of *The Secret Life of Crohn’s*, joins us to talk about being diagnosed at age 10, cycling through medications, and living with the kind of urgency that forces you to plan every minute around toilets, school schedules, and the fear of being noticed. We get into the part people don’t always see: the constant anxiety, the shrinking world, and how much men...

Send us Fan Mail Medical care can be doing everything “right” and you can still feel wrecked, anxious, and trapped in a never-ending cycle of symptoms, appointments, and fear. That gap is where GI psychology lives, and it’s why we wanted Dr. Anna Katherine “AK” Black. AK is a licensed clinical health psychologist at GI Psychology, with a focus on gut-brain therapies, trauma-informed care, and medical fatigue in chronic illness. We get into what clinical hypnosis actually is (no stage tricks,...

Send us Fan Mail A Crohn’s diagnosis at eight can shrink a kid’s world down to fatigue, fear, and the nearest bathroom. Nicole Thornton took that same reality and built something bigger: community, advocacy, and a blueprint for how young people with IBD can lead without pretending it’s easy. We talk through Nicole’s early health journey and the moment Camp Purple Live in New Zealand changed everything by giving her friends who truly understood Crohn’s and colitis. From there, Nicole shares h...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of IBD news sounds like it should change your care tomorrow and then… nothing changes at your next appointment. We wanted to close that gap, so we invited back Dr. Victor Chedid and Dr. Iris Wang from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for a Research Rroundup that’s honest about what’s exciting, what’s early, and what still has major caveats for real people living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. We dig into emerging data on GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide and ti...

Send us Fan Mail Your baby is bleeding, no one has a clear answer, and you’re expected to make high stakes decisions while running on zero sleep. That’s the reality Andrea Potvin lived when her daughter developed bloody stools at five months old and was ultimately diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at just 10 months old, a form often described as very early onset IBD (VEO-IBD). We talk through the winding road to diagnosis, the crushing pace of pediatric hospital life, and what it’s like to t...

Send us Fan Mail Ever been told your pain is “just a flare,” even when your labs look calm? We sit down with Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Dr. Xiao Jing (Iris) Wang to unpack why symptoms can linger after inflammation is under control—and what to do about it. From constipation myths to the real mechanics of bloating, this conversation reframes gut discomfort through muscles, nerves, and breath, not just meds. Dr. Wang breaks down pelvic floor function in clear, memorable language. Learn how...