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This episode kicks off the way all great conversations do…

With smugness over a 10-minute morning routine and a deep philosophical question:
👉 Can you feel better after just 10 minutes?
Answer: no. But you can feel superior. And honestly, that counts.

Then we get into it…

Somehow (as always), we cover:

• Teeth, mercury fillings, and why Lisa now has a gap — with a surprisingly good backstory
• The wild world of dentistry when you’re navigating ALS
• Why your body sometimes knows before your brain catches up
• The absolute chaos of modern healthcare access (great… if you can get it)

And yes… we absolutely detour into:

• The manosphere
• Social media influence
• Politics, privilege, and the occasional rant that probably needed to happen

This episode really circles around one big idea:

Pay attention to what your body is telling you.

Whether it’s:

• a gut feeling in a medical appointment
• something not quite right physically
• or just that quiet internal “this isn’t it”

Teeth matter more than you think

This episode goes deep into something not talked about enough:

• dental health
• inflammation
• toxins
• and how all of that may connect into bigger systemic issues

Also, because this is our podcast and we do not stay in one lane:

• A very proud dog mum moment (Ony absolutely smashing it 🏆)
• The realities of breeding vs temperament
• Why dogs might just be one of the best emotional support systems on the planet

And then… the real moments

• A tough day physically and emotionally
• What happens when pain, fatigue, and everything else collide
• Letting yourself cry instead of holding it all together

And one of the most beautiful lines of the episode:“That which you cannot say must be cried out.”

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Thank you for listening to ALS - To the Moon and Back.
If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who might need it.
You can follow, subscribe, and stay connected as we continue exploring life, friendship, ALS, treatments, hope, and all the messy, meaningful bits in between.
Take care of yourselves — and each other — and we’ll see you next episode.

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New Episode: ALS to the Moon and Back – Episode 12

Ohhh my… this one’s a bit of a ride.

Portia and I kick things off completely off track (as usual), wander through grief, a bit of politics, a few strong opinions, some questionable humour… and then eventually remember we’re meant to be talking about ALS 😅

We get properly stuck into what I’m calling the “why we can’t” attitude — especially in healthcare. You know the one… where the answer’s no before anyone’s even had a crack at finding a yes.

And I’ll be honest, I think I’ve hit my limit with it.

When your time suddenly feels very real and very precious, being mucked around, brushed off, or told something can’t be done — it lands a bit differently.

There’s also a bit of a rant (fair warning) about being stood up for appointments — twice 🙄 — driving all over the place for things that don’t happen, and that general feeling of “you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Plus a classic moment in a mobility shop where everyone’s trying to help… but no one’s actually listening. I may or may not have lost my patience over socks. It happens.

Portia, as always, brings the laughs, a bit of perspective, and the occasional “pull your head in” moment — which, to be fair, is sometimes needed.

But… it’s not all doom and gloom.

There’s actually some really good news in here.

I’ve been accepted into a clinical trial that’s looking at treating what’s actually going on in the body — not just managing symptoms. And that feels pretty bloody significant.

We chat about what that means, what’s coming next, and that weird mix of hope and disbelief when something positive actually happens.

Anyway… it’s a bit messy, a bit funny, a bit raw — very us.

Have a listen ❤️

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Thank you for listening to ALS - To the Moon and Back.
If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who might need it.
You can follow, subscribe, and stay connected as we continue exploring life, friendship, ALS, treatments, hope, and all the messy, meaningful bits in between.
Take care of yourselves — and each other — and we’ll see you next episode.

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This week Lisa and Portia joined by Katrina Small, and honestly, this episode has everything.

Katrina shares her wild health journey — from trekking the Kokoda Track and picking up a gut parasite, to years later getting long COVID and feeling like someone had literally switched her brain off.

Not “a bit foggy”.
Not “a little tired”.
More like: successful professional woman suddenly wondering where half her cognitive filing cabinet has gone.

We talk about:
✨ the gut–brain connection
✨ long COVID and brain fog
✨ inflammation, autoimmune responses and microbiome health
✨ why sometimes your body knows exactly what’s wrong even when nobody else does
✨ what it feels like to not be believed
✨ and why asking for help remains one of the rudest personal growth exercises on earth

It’s a big conversation — smart, funny, honest, and full of those moments where you go, “Oh wow… that actually makes a lot of sense.”

Also featured:
poo transplants, medical gaslighting, women being called “difficult” when they’re actually just accurate, and a reminder that healing is rarely tidy.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to ALS - To the Moon and Back.
If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who might need it.
You can follow, subscribe, and stay connected as we continue exploring life, friendship, ALS, treatments, hope, and all the messy, meaningful bits in between.
Take care of yourselves — and each other — and we’ll see you next episode.

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In Episode 10, Lisa shares a hard but important breakthrough with her infusion treatment, after another draining run-in with hospital bureaucracy. There’s also a big win: a new walker that is already making everyday life easier, plus a chat about advocacy, clinical trial confusion, swimming, old Sydney memories, leeches, and the strange art of keeping your sense of humour when life gets very real.

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Thank you for listening to ALS - To the Moon and Back.
If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who might need it.
You can follow, subscribe, and stay connected as we continue exploring life, friendship, ALS, treatments, hope, and all the messy, meaningful bits in between.
Take care of yourselves — and each other — and we’ll see you next episode.

Send a text

Episode 9 starts with pirate patches and a nostalgic detour into Photios Brothers — Sydney’s legendary costume and fabric wonderland — before Lisa shares some genuinely good news: several key blood markers are finally moving back into normal range. From there it’s the usual Lisa and Portia mix of laughter, frustration with the medical system, and celebrating the small wins that keep you going.

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Thank you for listening to ALS - To the Moon and Back.
If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who might need it.
You can follow, subscribe, and stay connected as we continue exploring life, friendship, ALS, treatments, hope, and all the messy, meaningful bits in between.
Take care of yourselves — and each other — and we’ll see you next episode.

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An eye sty, a half-built microphone, and Lisa recording from an actual zero-G “hospital bed” setup… and then we get into the big one: dead-end moments with ALS.

Lisa shares what hit hardest after a visit from MND NSW, why the system can make you feel boxed in, and how perspective can mess with your head (especially when you’re convinced you’re declining and your physio’s like, “Mate… you’re doing great.”)

They cover the tools that help: swimming, meditation, singing, sorting the mould, lowering the toxic load, and a surprisingly brilliant visual trick for not storing every emotion in your body.

Come for the banter, stay for the truth bombs.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to ALS - To the Moon and Back.
If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who might need it.
You can follow, subscribe, and stay connected as we continue exploring life, friendship, ALS, treatments, hope, and all the messy, meaningful bits in between.
Take care of yourselves — and each other — and we’ll see you next episode.

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ALS to the Moon and Back — Episode 7

This one is a classic wandering chat.

We start with biblical rain, leaking dams, and a surprisingly detailed conversation about vetiver (yes… the grass 😅), before moving into what’s really been on my mind lately.

We touch on the equipment block — that frustrating space where funding might exist on paper, but actually accessing the right consumables and support is a whole different story. It’s one of the realities of living with ALS that doesn’t get talked about enough.

But this episode goes much wider than that.

Portia and I talk about falls (including my very undignified leech-related incident), the ripple effect on carers, and the constant recalibration between independence and safety. We also dive into nervous system load, toxins, emotional stress, and why sometimes the work of letting things go — properly letting them go — matters just as much as anything physical.

Along the way there are greyhound stories, apartment dog advocacy, a few blunt truths, and plenty of laughs — because that’s just how we roll.

It’s honest, a bit messy, occasionally sweary, and very real.

🎧 Listen now

Support the show

Thank you for listening to ALS - To the Moon and Back.
If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who might need it.
You can follow, subscribe, and stay connected as we continue exploring life, friendship, ALS, treatments, hope, and all the messy, meaningful bits in between.
Take care of yourselves — and each other — and we’ll see you next episode.

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New episode of ALS to the Moon and Back 🎧

This one starts exactly how most of our chats do — with absolutely no plan — and then somehow lands in some pretty honest territory.

Portia and I talk about easing back into movement, why water feels so good right now, the weird emotional hangover that can come with New Year, and what happens when you stop brushing things off and actually let yourself feel them.

There’s laughter, swearing, a bit of reflection, and the discovery that smashing a few plates can be surprisingly good for the soul.

If you like real conversations that wander, wobble, and still manage to say something useful — this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen now
(NSFW language, as always)

Support the show

Thank you for listening to ALS - To the Moon and Back.
If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who might need it.
You can follow, subscribe, and stay connected as we continue exploring life, friendship, ALS, treatments, hope, and all the messy, meaningful bits in between.
Take care of yourselves — and each other — and we’ll see you next episode.