FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW UNFIXED PODCAST PRESENTS INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS ON THRIVING WITH ADVERSITY, CHRONIC CONDITIONS
Podcast connects people living with chronic conditions with authors, Zen practitioners, medical doctors, Paralympic coaches and more to explore themes from trauma and sustenance to humor and healing
PORTLAND, Ore. and SARATOGA, NY – November 5, 2020 – What can we learn from individuals who face the daily adversity of a chronic condition, yet still find a way to live an engaged and creative life? The new Unfixed Podcast , formerly the Beyond My Battle podcast, will debut December 1, 2020, featuring conversations with 24 individuals who are navigating chronic illness, disability and adversity, and collectively learning how to live a life of purpose and joy.
The Unfixed Podcast is a new collaboration between co-creators Martel Catalano from Beyond the Battle and Kimberly Warner, director and producer of the documentary film project, Unfixed. Twelve of the podcast subjects are individuals who are featured in the documentary film and now, for the first time, will share their stories paired with professionals working in a relevant field or facing their own, unique journey with adversity.
“The new podcast is an intimate dialogue between people living with a chronic condition and those who deal with the challenges in other connected ways,” says Martel Catalano, host of the Unfixed Podcast. “We believe this honest conversation will reveal how we all cope with health challenges and other adversities – shining a light on our shared humanness.”
“Our Unfixed community members have so much insight to share about learning to live well despite - and sometimes because of - the uncertainty of chronic illness, especially during the stress of a global pandemic. Our podcast conversations will bring people together to share their challenges and how they creatively and powerfully contend with adversity,” says filmmaker Kimberly Warner.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE UNFIXED PODCAST
Episode #1 – Airs December 1, 2020
“Introduction to the Unfixed Community”
Guest:
Beyond My Battle founder and Unfixed Podcast host Martel Catalano will introduce her co-creator Kimberly Warner. Kimberly will share her work as the director and producer of Unfixed, a feature documentary about the stories of individuals who are in various stages of learning to thrive with extreme, chronic conditions.
Episode #2 – December 15, 2020
“Sustaining Ourselves, Sustaining Others”
Guests:
Elizabeth Jameson, Unfixed Community member is an artist and writer who explores what it means to live in an imperfect body as she contends with advanced Multiple Sclerosis.
Elissa Altman, an award-winning author of literary memoir, essay, and food narrative, who writes from the place where sustenance, the power of the human spirit, and the promise of renewal converge.
Episode #3– Airs January 1, 2021
“Humor and Healing”
Guests:
Jeneye Abele, Unfixed Community member, CEO and mom who says humor has become her lifeline in learning to adapt to the challenges of Transverse Myelitis.
Dr. Joel Goodman, founder and director of The Humor Project, is a popular speaker and author. Described as the “first full-time humor educator in the world,” Dr. Goodman focuses on the positive power of humor and creativity.
Episode #4 – Airs January 15, 2021
“Strength in Sharing”
Guests:
Rachelle Alford, Unfixed Community member, is a former emergency room nurse and retired when she was diagnosed with MdDS, a rare neurological disorder.
Dr. Annie Brewster, founder and executive director of Health Story Collaborative and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and an internist at Massachusetts General. She lives with Multiple Sclerosis.
Episode #5– Airs February 1, 2021
“Approaching Terminal Illness with Openness”
Guests:
Dylan Shanahan, ND, DCOM, Unfixed Community Member is finding new ways to find purpose amidst living with advanced ALS.
Pierre Zimmerman, MS, is a Zen Buddhist Chaplain and has provided mindfulness classes and support groups to physicians, cancer patients and patients with chronic and terminal illness. Pierre is a stage-4 cancer survivor.
Episode #6 - Airs February 15, 2021
“Women’s Bodies, Women’s Healthcare”
Guests:
Brianna Cardenas, Unfixed Community member, is a Physician’s Assistant and Professor specializing in chronic pain management. She lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
Sarah Raimey, musician and author of the new harrowing and unforgettable memoir, The Lady’s Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness.
The first episode will air on December 1, 2020 and a new episode will be released every two weeks. Podcast episodes are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you listen to podcasts. For information on future episodes and guests, visit www.unfixedfilm.com/podcast.
About Beyond My Battle
Beyond my Battle was founded by Martel Catalano and Nell Pritchard in 2018 to help reduce the stress of serious illness, rare disease, and disability through providing emotional support and educational resources rooted in mindfulness, awareness and compassion. In addition to the Unfixed Podcast, the nonprofit offers support groups, custom workshops, as well as an Emotional E-Toolkit, a resource library and a COVID-19 Battle Kit . For more information, visit www.beyondmybattle.org.
About Unfixed
Unfixed is a feature documentary film being created by award-winning filmmaker Kimberly Warner. The film follows 20 members of the Unfixed Community who are in various stages of learning to thrive with extreme, chronic, incurable conditions. In February 2020, due to the pandemic, these community members began creating self-recorded videos once a month to reflect on specific topics that address what it’s like living with chronic health challenges. Their honest, unpolished moments are at the heart of the unfixed state - the highs, the lows and everything in between. Every month, segments from everyone’s content is edited together into the award-winning, monthly docu-series and released on Amazon’s The Disorder Channel and the Unfixed Community YouTube Channel. For more information, visit www.unfixedfilm.com
Media Contact:
Lisa Hill, lisa@lisahillpr.com, (503) 730-8055