Major Pain Podcast

Major Pain

Jesse Mercury
The Major Pain podcast is a collection of interviews from people living with chronic illness and disability. Our goal is to spread awareness, empathy and community around experiences often lived through in isolation. Through sharing these stories important themes have become increasingly apparent, including the dangers of medical gaslighting, the importance of self-advocacy and the fact that none of us are in this alone. You can share your thoughts, your story, or inquire about appearing on the show at [email protected].
Demystifying Functional Neurological Disorder: Sydney’s Story
Sydney Anne Bennett lives with functional neurological disorder (FND), which is a condition where the brain doesn’t communicate properly with the nervous system. Sydney’s symptoms include chronic pain, hallucinations, loss of taste, trouble sleeping, hand paralysis, seizures, ataxia, muscle spasms, fatigue, and difficulty using her legs. Consequently, after a year […]
Jun 19, 2024
1 hr 7 min
Kyle Ayers on Turning His ‘Suicide Disease’ Into Stand-Up Comedy
Kyle Ayers is a well-known comedian, famous for his podcast ‘Never Seen It‘ in which comedians re-write a scene from a show or movie they’ve never seen. Kyle is also living with a severe chronic pain condition called trigeminal neuralgia. When he was first diagnosed with this condition he was […]
Jun 12, 2024
Rho’s Chronic Illness Journey: “It’s Been A Long Difficult Fight”
Rho has a self-described laundry list of diagnoses, and she has had to fight for every single one. Her list includes autism, ADHD, bipolar 2, CPTSD, excoriation disorder, keratoconus, IBS, GERD, chronic kidney disease, tactile allodynia and chronic pain. Along the way she faced constant medical gaslighting and dehumanizing treatment, […]
Jun 5, 2024
JDS Creative Academy: Empowering Creativity and Disability Inclusion
This week on the Major Pain podcast we speak with Diane Strand, founder of the nonprofit JDS Creative Academy, which offers training and job placement in the entertainment industry to people with disabilities. JDS caters to individuals with a passion for creativity who hope to turn this passion into a […]
May 29, 2024
Cianna’s Journey: How Chronic Illness Changed This 19 Year Old’s Life
Cianna has been a dancer her whole life, saying “as soon as I could walk I was dancing.” Over the past few years chronic illness has altered her life’s course, and frustratingly taken her away from dance. While it has been difficult to leave her life’s passion behind, Cianna has […]
May 22, 2024
1 hr 3 min
Kenny Returns to Major Pain With New Diagnoses and a New Outlook
Kenny Alhadeff first appeared on the Major Pain podcast 3 years ago, sharing his experiences living in recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism. This year Kenny will celebrate his 40th year of sobriety. Since first appearing on the show Kenny has experienced the most intense chronic pain of his life, […]
May 15, 2024
1 hr 28 min
In ‘Gender Without Identity’ Dr. Avgi Saketopoulou and Ann Pellegrini Propose A Novel Theory Of Gender Development
This week on the Major Pain podcast we are joined by NYU Professors and psychoanalysts Dr. Avgi Saketopoulou and Ann Pellegrini to discuss the intersection of trauma and gender, as discussed in their book Gender Without Identity. They propose a new theory of gender development, that gender is something all […]
May 8, 2024
1 hr 8 min
LoveWarriorHugs on Living With Five Chronic Illnesses
Jamie is a social media chronic illness advocate under the handle @LoveWarriorHugs, but her advocacy extends beyond social media. She is an epilepsy ambassador with the National Epilepsy Foundation, and she’s also been involved in successfully lobbying to change pain management laws in Illinois. Her passion for advocacy stems from […]
May 1, 2024
58 min
Rasheera Dopson on Being Born Almost 5 Months Premature, Causing VATER and Goldenhar Syndromes
Rasheera Dopson, host of the Womanhood & Disability podcast, is an accomplished author, public speaker and advocate spreading her messages of justice, disability empowerment and awareness. She came by this work through her own experience living with two rare syndromes, both caused by her being born about 5 months premature. […]
Apr 24, 2024
1 hr 8 min
Season 4 Premiere! Catching Up With Michelle, Bek and Simon
We’re kicking off the fourth season of Major Pain by catching up with previous guests! Michelle and Bek both have new diagnoses that are recontextualizing their journeys, while Simon is feeling completely cured. As Major Pain enters its fourth season, now is a great time to support the show on […]
Apr 17, 2024
1 hr 40 min
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