Patient Advocacy: One Thing Every Chronically Ill Woman Needs (ft. Amanda Berk)

This week on Calling in Sick, I'm sitting down with my dear friend Amanda Berk — co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of LIORA Health, dual Master's candidate in Social Work and Public Health at UT Austin, and someone navigating life with chronic migraines, a neurological tick disorder, and Hashimoto's disease. And this conversation is one I think every single person in this community needs to hear. We're diving into: 🤝 What patient advocacy actually is 🏥 Why navigating medicine alone is failing us 😭 Why so many patients leave appointments feeling dismissed 👥 Peer advocacy and the LIORA Health model 📋 Four tips you NEED for your next appointment: Asking for help in the healthcare system is not a failure. It is a strategy. 🤍 xx, Alex 💬 Comment: Have you ever experienced the "car cry" after a doctor's appointment — and what happened? TIMESTAMP: Intro: 00:00:00 Welcome back to Calling in Sick! Patient Advocacy Overview: 00:01:12 Defining Patient Advocacy & The Shift Away from "Solo Healthcare" 00:05:54 Systemic Challenges in Modern Medicine Working with Advocates: 00:09:58 Finding Third-Party Advocates 00:12:54 Peer Advocacy & LIORA Health's Matching Platform 00:16:58 Intake & Proactive Appointment Preparation Practical Appointment Tips: 00:19:58 Tip #1: Asking to Record Audio 00:22:31 Tip #2: Time-Bound Symptom Tracking 00:25:41 Tip #3: Setting Goals & Top 5 Priority Questions 00:27:18 Tip #4: Clarifying Next Steps Before Leaving LIORA Health & Women's Health Data: 00:28:43 Embracing Lived Experience & Partnership 00:32:46 Sending Notes to Providers in Advance 00:36:12 The Story Behind LIORA Health 00:40:58 Building a Patient Dataset to Close Research Gaps 00:44:05 Reflections on Navigating the Advocate Role Conclusion: 00:49:40 One Brain Cell Show: Earle Meets World (Netflix) & The Secret Life of Mormon Wives (Hulu) 00:53:36 Thank you for listening! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Stay connected and follow us on socials for more! • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/callinginsickpod/ • TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@callinginsickpod • Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558234607568 • Substack - https://substack.com/@callinginsickpod? Connect with our guest, Amanda Berk: • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amanda_berk/ • TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@amanda_berk • LIORA Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/liorahealthadvocates/ • LIORA Website - https://liorahealth.io/ • Substack - https://liorahealth.substack.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------- Produced by: Alexandra Wildeson — https://www.instagram.com/alexandrawildeson/ #PatientAdvocacy #ChronicIllness #LioraHealth #WomensHealth #MedicalGaslighting #ChronicMigraine #Hashimotos #AutoimmuneDisease #DoctorAppointmentTips #SymptomTracking #ChronicIllnessCommunity #InvisibleIllness #SpoonieLife #HealthcareSystem #PatientEmpowerment #ChronicPain #WomensHealthcare #AppointmentPrep #CallingInSickPodcast #AlexWildeson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices