Abby Fox (Intro): Welcome to the Still Caring Podcast, presented by Stillwater Medical.

Joe Akin (Intro): Here, community is at the heart of healthcare.

Katon Lunsford (Intro): Through honest conversations and shared experiences

Abby Fox (Intro): we explore what it means to care for our health—

Joe Akin (Intro): and each other.

Katon Lunsford (Intro): Because better health takes a village and you're part of ours.

Abby Fox (Host 1): Hello, and welcome to Still Caring. We have a fun host episode for you today. I am Abby Fox, the PR and marketing manager, joined by my co-hosts, Joe Akin and Katon Lunsford. Thank you guys for being here today.

Joe Akin (Host 2): Hi.

Katon Lunsford (Host 3): Hi.

Abby Fox (Host 1): Somehow it is the end of season one already. And so, I thought it would be fun. This was actually Joe's idea, to get us all together and kind of talk through how season one went, and to celebrate that this is a milestone for this podcast. So, thank you guys for being part of the journey.

Joe Akin (Host 2): It has been so much fun. When we got into it, I wasn't sure how this was going play out having never done one before. And as we went along and got more comfortable with how the process goes and really engaged with people, it's now to a point where this is one of my favorite things because I really do feel like we can connect and get the message out to more people this way than through anything else we do. It's been fantastic for me.

Abby Fox (Host 1): That's great. How about you, Katon?

Katon Lunsford (Host 3): I agree with Joe. I was a little nervous. I think sometimes health can feel like a little bit daunting to talk about, especially when you're not like coming from that background. But I think Joe has been saying a lot like our whole purpose is to make this a more normalized topic to talk about. And so once I took that away and realized that I'm just having a conversation with someone about how we can care for one another, it made me feel a lot less nervous. And I feel like I've taken away a lot of great tips that I can use in my own life. So, I've enjoyed this a lot.

Abby Fox (Host 1): Awesome. I am one for, like, I'll have a big idea, and then once you actually start doing it, you love it a lot less than you thought you would sometimes. And so, I was nervous that that would be what this is. But it's not. I feel like it has definitely evolved. And so, it's changing, and it's not even what I thought we were creating in the beginning, which I think is a beautiful thing. But I'm loving the practice of it a lot more than I thought I would. And I think that's just because we have a great community, and we have these great stories to tell. And getting to kind of open the doors to that feels really great. And getting to talk to people who are hearing these conversations and making changes in their own lives has just been such a gift, for sure, for me.

Okay. Well, I thought for this episode, it might be really fun for us each to talk about kind of different themes that we've picked up on or maybe, like, emotional moments that have stayed with us, or even like host jitters that we had when things went better than we expected. Like, anything that's kind of stuck with you through the process of making season one.

Joe Akin (Host 2): Kayton, go ahead.

Katon Lunsford (Host 3): Okay. I think that Lee's episode and the conversation we had has really stuck with me. She really hones in, I mean, as we all know, Lee Bird is, you know, a volunteer for everyone, a champion for everyone. And some key points really stuck with me that I've utilized in my own life and that even my parents have reached out and said like, "We love what she said."

And she talked a lot about volunteering, and I think that principle of like we all want this village and this community around us, but we have to be good villagers. And so, how, you know, volunteering doesn't have to have a specific title. And she kept bringing up like you can volunteer by just offering to take your friend to the doctor, like you can drive them, or you can be someone that, you know, helps them get their groceries. And so, there's small ways to make someone's life more bearable and easy for them, and that, you know, we don't always have to carve out this huge chunk of time to be a volunteer, to be a steward for people in our community. And so, I've really taken that as, you know, I can help people and I can be a good villager in small ways and big ways, and they all have this impact on people. And so, that was really impactful to me, just how honest she is, and she really lives out what she says and you can tell that, and everyone else can pick up on that. And so, I just really appreciated that conversation.

Abby Fox (Host 1): I love the response too when we shared about Lee's story. Like, so many people were commenting because she's had a positive impact in their lives, and that is just really fun to watch and see play out.

Joe Akin (Host 2): Yeah, I think people like Lee, they show us what role models should be. You know, it's sacrificing. It's taking of your own personal time that you could be doing anything else that you want to do. But people like her are giving their time because they care about their community. And that has really pushed me to look at myself and go, "Okay, a lot of these things I'm doing, like this podcast, this is my job. What else can I do outside of my job to be more like Lee?"

Abby Fox (Host 1): Yeah. We all be more like Lee.

Katon Lunsford (Host 3): And to go off of that, I stopped her in the hallway because we had posted it on Facebook and we had all these comments, and I was like, "Lee, like you'll never guess like how many people saw this and what they're saying." And she's like, "No, I don't want to know." Like, she doesn't do it for like personal gain or for attention or anything. It's just who she is. And so, I mean, she's just phenomenal. And I agree, like, we can learn so much from her.

Abby Fox (Host 1): Way of life for her. And that's the whole thing, like it starts with a mindset. Because to me, one of the things that stuck out to me was kind of what I'm going to call a generative mindset, which I don't know if that resonates with a lot of listeners. But like, just that your mindset matters so much.

You know, hearing from Laurie Hunter as a caregiver of like, "I'm going to stay positive until I have a reason to be negative." Like, that just really stuck with me, because I can get worried about all the worries and it's like, no, that I can come from it with a different mindset. I love too what Mary Beth shared about how, you know, here I thought I'd be a nurse at the bedside my whole life because that's my passion. But then, seeing how, well, maybe in leadership I can actually have more of an impact on the bedside than I even did when I was working one-on-one.

So, I loved that of just, like, what's this thing that I'm thinking about and getting discouraged by? How could I think about it in a different way? Even Sarah Brown, you know, we have all these challenges facing us in healthcare and the shortage of healthcare workers, and what can we do? And, you know, I think her answer was like, "Let kids be curious and like just let it evolve." And so, I loved that kind of nudge to us of like, let's think about it differently

Joe Akin (Host 2): Yeah. I think that the piece that really stood out to me, speaking of Lori Hunter, her interview has really stuck with me. And I think the thing that what really stands out was when she was talking about—so, her husband, Vance, who we also interviewed had some issues prior to his prostate cancer that, truly, he almost died because of it. And he made a promise to Lori in that moment that he would get a physical every year. And it was because of a non-cancer related issue that he had. And he kept that promise, which I think that's the big thing first, is keep the promise. And he continued to get physicals every year. And because of that, he caught prostate cancer early.

And that stuck with me so much because, one, he made a promise and he kept it. That's unusual over time for these days. But even broader than that, and part of the reason that we do on the podcast, is because there's so much going on in healthcare right now with, you know, insurances creating issues, the government programs getting cut back, the cost of healthcare going up, the number of seniors—and I say that, I'm included because I'm 62—but me and everybody older than me, we are the silver wave. So, we are putting an amazing amount of pressure on the healthcare system while there are less people going into healthcare. So, there are all these different dynamics, and the whole reason we started this podcast was to try to make discussions about caring for yourself and others a coffee table topic.

And so, that kind of tied right into it. It's we need to talk about these things. We need preventative care for each and every one of us, our friends, families, neighbors, community members, is more important now than potentially ever. And that's what Vance was exercising, was preventative care, was let's get checked. If something happens, let's catch it early. And he did that, and it saved his life

Abby Fox (Host 1): Well, and how many of our challenges to care were just pay attention to your body? You know? Like, when you think about, you know, talking to Michael Chacko about this groundbreaking, like, cancer thing that's happening, and it's like, "What's your challenge to care?" And he's like, "Speak up if you're in pain." You know? Like, being able to identify that for yourself and not having to depend on somebody else to do that for you

Joe Akin (Host 2): Well, in talking to Alane Zannotti about her story, which, you know, in our community, since she's the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, everybody knows Alane, and Alane is a very upbeat, gregarious person. And then, to find out her story about losing her brother to suicide because he had issues with mental illness, one, I felt honored to have her open up to us and discuss it like she did. But then, two, it helped me see from the, I don't want to say caregiver's perspective, but Alane was the good child by nature, so to speak. Those were her words, not mine. But there was also this pressure to continue that because her parents were having to focus so much of their energy on her brother who was having issues. And when she started talking about it, I started thinking about people and friends and families that I'm close to, and how many times that happens where you have an individual in the group that is taking up everybody's attention, and I wouldn't say ignoring the other people around them, but not giving them nearly as much attention, and how hard that is on that individual to be second, third, fourth, fifth, whatever it is. I found myself thinking about Alane and her parents as much, if not more, than her brother, which I thought was very, very interesting for me.

Abby Fox (Host 1): Well, it has been sweet to watch their relationship, you know, Alane and her parents, and just to get to hear about how much respect and admiration she has for them and the road that they walked together that we didn't really know about. You know, Steve Irby, that's an example for me of, like, I know the name, KICKER, you know, and I've been able to benefit from things that he has poured his heart into, you know, like Block 34 that's out there. But like hearing his health challenge and that he is facing this chronic illness and actually had a kidney transplant, you know, and hearing the story behind that was such a gift to me of just seeing him as more of a whole version of himself than even I knew before this.

Joe Akin (Host 2): I think I had my two biggest wow moments out of that interview. One was I had no idea that in the modern day, a kidney transplant doesn't mean you take one of the kidneys out and you put the other one in its place. He put the third one up in his abdomen, and I was just going, "I didn't even know there was room in there for it," much less that anybody would think about doing that. It just seems so—I don't know—futuristic.

But then, the other thing that has really impacted me and my family was when Steve told us about how he got into the Mayo Clinic. I always thought that to get into a place like that was going to be this very, very rigorous and complicated process with referrals and all these different things coming from your primary care and others, and it wasn't that at all. He just got online investigating what they were about and did he think that they could help him, and he set up an appointment for himself. And that just blew my mind, and it really altered a course in one of the situations that me and my family are dealing with. So, yeah, there were so many big moments.

Abby Fox (Host 1): Not to mention that his mom is like a pioneer of that procedure to begin with. I mean, that's amazing in and of itself. That's great, too. And, you know, you talk about advancements, that's another thing I've been struck by, not having a healthcare background and not being—I'm not going to say that I'm not science-minded, but sometimes, you know, talking about technology, you know, it just kind of goes over my head. So, it has been fun to have more in-depth conversations about, "Okay, what does that mean?" And then, what does that mean in real life on the other side, on the patient side? And so, getting to hear about some of the things that we're doing, you know, just in pulmonary health, you know, talking to Dr. Roton about how his very grandparents had to travel out of town for that care, and that's what called him here to serve this community was great.

But then, living it with Shyla's experience of like, "Hey, I'm having struggles with sleep apnea and I'm trying the CPAP, but it's not working for me." Like, just the fact that an implant is an option, like that's just really cool of how technology can evolve, some of the struggles that we're facing today.

Katon Lunsford (Host 3): Yeah. And I think going back to like Dr. Chacko, he brought up a great point, like we can have all this great technology, but it's no use to you if you don't go in and get checked and know what you're dealing with. And so, I just think that was a really great point too. Like, we have all these awesome advancements in the medical field, so you know, they're out there for you. You just have to know, you know, your own body and what's going on n yourself to take advantage of that.

Abby Fox (Host 1): Absolutely. I love that. And probably what I love most about what I learned in season one is something that I already knew, but it just clarified that point for me of, like ,it takes so many people to care for one another. You know, you hear that about it takes a village to raise a child, but that's true throughout that child's whole life, you know? And so, thinking through not even just like healthcare systems, which I think that's important. You know, Chad shared that. He's like, "Yeah, I had a university doctor and I came to Saluda Medical for this heart scan and then I had to go to Oklahoma Heart Hospital." Like, it takes so many people working in concert sometimes to provide the support and care that we all need throughout our lives and that we're going to need.

Joe Akin (Host 2): Yeah, agreed. And I think another takeaway for me was just the realization that everybody has a story. Everybody. Everybody we talk to directly on the interviews, other people that have listened to it. I'm running into people and they're saying, "Oh, I saw that particular episode," and then they start telling me their story. And it just helps me realize that none of us are alone. I feel like it. I think when you're in the middle of it, sometimes you feel like you're very isolated and on your own with your care group, be it your family, friends, whoever it may be, but you're not. And I think that the big thing is that people don't know what to do for you. I mean, that's what Lori kept bringing up. And sometimes it's just let them know you're thinking about them. It's not necessarily getting in their business, so to speak. A lot of people want to get in and get their hands dirty and help. But as someone who's reaching out to try to help someone, you've got to pay attention to what the other person is saying and what they actually need versus what you want to give.

I think through these conversations, we're going to help people understand so many different things. And that's why I'm super excited about moving forward and getting into next season.

Abby Fox (Host 1): Well, I was going to say you opened the door so well, Joe, to talking about, okay, what did we learn this year, and then how is that informing what's coming? So, anybody want to, like, riff a little bit on that?

Joe Akin (Host 2): Go ahead, Katon.

Katon Lunsford (Host 3): I think I learned a lot that health affects everyone directly or indirectly. Going back to Alane, like it was her brother that was affected by this mental health, but I mean, it still affected her. And she made a great point that it's important to talk about it. It does you no good to keep it bottled up. And so, I learned a lot that it's important to have these conversations. It's important to talk about our stories, like Joe said. Everyone has one. And again, like health is such a thing that everyone's going to deal with, I mean, indirectly or directly. And so going forward, I'm excited to get to hear from more people in our community, hear more stories, and just how we can care for one another.

And I think that these conversations are just so, so important. And so, I think they're doing our community a lot of good. And so, I'm excited to get to put something out into our community that is impactful and it's positive. And so, that's what I'm looking forward to for next season.

Joe Akin (Host 2): Yeah. For me, going back to what I said before. In my job, I really feel like this podcast is potentially the most important thing I do. Obviously, I raise money for the hospital and foundation. That's clearly important. But getting the information out to people in and around our community, I feel is even more important. And I believe that this is the venue to do that. We just have to make more people aware of what we are doing. And I just can't wait to talk to people and allow them the opportunity and the platform to talk about their stories.

I won't reveal anything here, but I was talking to a gentleman that we'll be interviewing, and it was a little bit of a press to get him to say he'd be willing to talk about it. Now, of course, he has to be completely on board. Obviously, we're not going to force anybody to talk about it. But once he started discussing it, you could see him, the emotions welling up because he knew he was helping other people. And in some cases, it's a different emotion, and I think it can be addictive. So, I'm really looking forward to opening this thing up in the next season, talking to more wonderful community members and getting the stories out.

Abby Fox (Host 1): Well, and every story is just scratching the surface. I think that's what stood out to me. You know, getting to be in these conversations is great, and that's part of my job and has been for years. But getting to, like, listen back and then understand how people digest, you just realize that it's like, "Oh gosh, there's so much more."

There are so many different angles to every single one of these stories that we're telling and that people are sharing. And so, getting a chance to do that again next season I think will be really fun. Trying to weave a little bit more of the why and the personality into each of these stories, because they are so personal to the storytellers that we're sitting across from.

And that's one thing, you know, we never wanted this to feel like it's a Stillwater Medical podcast from the beginning. We wanted it to be a community podcast. And so, I'm hopeful that season two will get us closer to that goal. And it is just encouraging too though to be able to, like, now we've been able to share it with the world, and they've been able to respond.

And one of the conversations we're going to have in season two is with a woman who just commented on one of our posts, and she was like, "Hey, I should share my story about what Stillwater Medical has done for me." So we reached out to her and we're like, "Share your story with us." And it's incredible, you know, just to hear what has happened in her life, because of this place, but then also too because she paid attention and she took those steps that she needed to take when she was experiencing a healthcare challenge.

And it's just an honor to be a part of telling those. I think you guys might see a little bit more in-person storytelling next year. That has been a challenge. And Joe and I were talking about this, and Katon too, of like, man, it's been a challenge to join on video with people. You know, that's just a little bit different. It's a little bit further removed than I think so much of the work that we do day in and day out is. You know, it's all obviously very personal, very human. And so, we might have some more sit-down conversations with folks next season, and you might get to hear from those and kind of what those evolve into.

Joe Akin (Host 2): Yeah, I'm really excited about that. When we started this, that's kind of the direction I was hoping that we were going and we went with the remote. And so, I'm excited to try this face-to-face in part because every time before I would do an interview, I have anxiety. It's like, "Okay, am I going to get the camera right? Are my connections going to be good?" I was just going, "Just let me get started," because once I get started, I'm fine. It's the stuff leading up to it that just drives me crazy. So, having someone in front of me, I think, I will get relaxed a little bit quicker. So,z I'm like, "It'll be fun."

Abby Fox (Host 1): I agree. I'm looking forward to it. Okay. Well, we have ended every episode this season with a challenge to care. So, it's only fitting that that is how we end this. Do you all have a challenge to care that you might lift from one of the episodes that we watched, or just your own challenge to care after reflecting back on season one?

Joe Akin (Host 2): I don't necessarily call it a challenge to care, but the thing that because of what we're doing, I've been learning, it's that we just, we need people to talk. You know? Again, we're, we're wanting this healthcare, the care of our community members to be a coffee table topic. We'll make it a coffee table topic.

By discussing what's going on in your life and the things that you're dealing with in your health, you never know who it is you're going to help, but you will help someone. But you have to be comfortable with talking about it. Crazy enough, I had a small get-together yesterday of a group of people that had gone through a class together, and I was so happy because we started talking about colonoscopies. I have never done that in a public setting at a local pub. It was just, "This is great." I never thought I'd say that. But talk about your health. Talk about the stories of things that are going on in your family and the things that you've learned. It will help others, and it'll normalize the conversations.

Katon Lunsford (Host 3): I like that, Joe. Kind of going off a little bit of that, I think, it's important to remember that you're never alone, and that the moment we allow ourselves to be a little bit vulnerable and, like, a little bit brave to share our stories, that's the moment that we open ourselves up to making a community and having more people who can support us.

Because as Alane mentioned, like, people are out there who you can trust and love that want to support you and want to talk about what's going on in your life and your health. And so, it's just important to remember that you're not the only person and that there are people out there who maybe feel the same or can benefit from hearing your story, like you said. And so just normalizing it and, you know, having that little bit of courage to step forward and, you know, say something that might be a little bit vulnerable or out of your comfort zone, but there's just so much more on the other side of that. And so, that's been my challenge to care is, you know, sharing my story and hearing other people's, because we can create just so much more of a bigger community and a village for ourselves.

Abby Fox (Host 1): I love that. That's so true, Kayton, in so many ways. For me, I think my challenge to care is just do the dang thing. So like, you know, the idea that you have, like, make it a reality, start doing it, and just keep doing it, you know? Because I think sometimes it's like something might not be exactly what we expected it to be, but that doesn't mean that's a bad thing. It means that it can continue to change and evolve. And so, obviously, I'm thinking about this podcast when I say that. But then, too, like, what is it in life that gets you passionate and lights you up? Because our nervous system behaves in a way that when we're doing work that fills us, like we're a lot healthier.

And so, paying attention to, like, what does that for you, and then asking, are there new opportunities to kind of flex those muscles and get in that head space, I think, is helpful for all of us.

All right. Well, that is a wrap on season one. Thank you guys for being in this journey with us. I feel like we were all very hesitant at the start, and we continue to just be amazed by what can happen when we show up, plug in the mic, and start having some of these conversations.

For our audience, I would thank you for listening. Thank you so much for being on this journey together. We want to hear what you want to hear about. And so if there is something that you want to submit to us, feel free to comment on any one of these posts, or you can even email us at info@stillwater-medical.org, and we would be happy to start that conversation with you about what you want to see.

In the meantime, it would really help us if you would like and review the show in podcast platforms. That really helps us get it out there. And also, go back and discover, you know, hopefully some of what we talked about, maybe there are episodes that you missed or things that you didn't pick up on the first time you listened.

We would encourage you in the break to go back and listen to those. And then, we will be back in the fall to have a lot more of these great conversations. Thank you for joining us and being on this journey with us. We appreciate you.

Joe Akin (Host 2): Looking forward to season two.

Abby Fox (Host 1): That's right. Here we come.