PsA HQ Podcasts

Mel

Welcome to PsA HQ! I'm your host Mel, and I'm passionate about fostering peer support within the Psoriatic Arthritis, Psoriasis and broader autoimmune and inflammatory conditions community. This channel is a space for sharing experiences and I believe in the power of discussion and knowledge sharing. Join me and my guests sharing lived experience, bridging communication gaps and helping to create an impactful research landscape. Remember, all opinions are our own or those of our guests. Always seek proper medical advice. Thank you for listening.

  1. Jun 1

    Voices Making A Difference: Debbie Wilson & Katy Pieris of Inflammatory Arthritis UK

    Hello and Welcome to PsA HQ Podcasts -  I’m Mel Brooke, and I am hosting a podcast mini-series called “Voices Making a Difference”, highlighting people who have used their musculoskeletal or chronic condition experiences to drive positive change  - whether through advocacy, research, writing, or community support. In this episode, I’m joined by Debbie Wilson and Katy Pieris from Inflammatory Arthritis UK. They talk about their motivation to set up the charity and together, we talk about life with inflammatory arthritis, the importance of peer support, community, and the power of honest conversations like their podcasts and this discussion that hopefully will help people feel seen and less alone. Please tune in again, follow this channel and help celebrate Debbie, Katy and the others people in this series – all making a difference in MSK.    Lived experience doesn’t just tell a story - it can drive real change.     Inflammatory Arthritis UK can be found here: ⁠ https://inflammatoryarthritis.org Inflammatory! Podcasts:  https://inflammatoryarthritis.org/podcast-2/ And on Instagram they are @inflamarthritis    If you would like to share your experience or think of someone who would be a great fit for this series please get in touch.  My website and contacts can be found via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠one of my links here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and I would love it if you follow me on your listening platform for news of more episodes!    Disclaimer This episode reflects personal experiences and discussion. It is not intended as medical advice. Always speak to a healthcare professional for individual guidance.   *Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yevhen Onoychenko⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠*

    41 min
  2. May 12

    Voices Making A Difference: Rebecca Beesley & The JAR Project

    Hello and Welcome to PsA HQ Podcasts -  I’m Mel Brooke, and I am hosting a podcast mini-series called “Voices Making a Difference”, highlighting people who have used their musculoskeletal or chronic condition experiences to drive positive change  - whether through advocacy, research, writing, or community support. In this conversation, I sit down with Rebecca Beesley from The JAR Project, sharing a powerful and honest story of living with arthritis, parenting through it, and finding a voice in advocacy. This is a gentle, real conversation about challenges, resilience, and what it means to turn personal experience into something that helps others. Please tune in again, follow this channel and help celebrate Rebecca and more people in this series – all making a difference in MSK.  Lived experience doesn’t just tell a story - it can drive real change. The JAR Project can be found here: https://www.jarproject.org And on Instagram they are @_jarproject    If you would like to share your experience or think of someone who would be a great fit for this series please get in touch.  My website and contacts can be found via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠one of my links here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and I would love it if you follow me on your listening platform for news of more episodes!  Disclaimer This episode reflects personal experiences and discussion. It is not intended as medical advice. Always speak to a healthcare professional for individual guidance. *Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yevhen Onoychenko⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠*

    44 min
  3. Apr 15

    Voices Making A Difference: Gillian Best 'CHRONIC: Understanding Pain' Book

    Hello and Welcome to PsA HQ Podcasts -  I’m Mel Brooke, and this year I am hosting a new podcast mini-series called “Voices Making a Difference”, highlighting people who have used their musculoskeletal or chronic condition experiences to drive positive change  - whether through advocacy, research, writing, or community support. In this episode, I speak to Gillian Best, author of "Chronic: Understanding Pain," we discuss her background and motivation for writing the book. She shares her experience living with multiple autoimmune conditions, including ankylosing spondylitis and Crohn's disease and how she wanted to find an answer to why Chronic pain is so poorly understood and hard to treat.  Gillian explains how the book began, shares how she reached out to researchers to help get an answer -   and why writing it has been part of a personal quest to find a cure for her conditions.  Please tune in, follow and help celebrate Gill and more people in this series – all making a difference in MSK. Through relaxed, meaningful conversations, each episode explores personal journeys, the motivation behind their work, and the impact they’re making. Because lived experience doesn’t just tell a story - it can drive real change.   Gills book can be found online via Amazon and in many high street book shops.  Also mentioned in the podcast was Gills instagram: @gillianebest   If you would like to share your experience or think of someone who would be a great fit for this series please get in touch. My website and contacts can be found via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠one of my links here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and I would love it if you follow me on your listening platform for news of more episodes! Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yevhen Onoychenko⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠ This podcast shares real conversations and insights to support people living with inflammatory arthritis and related conditions. It aims to amplify patient voices, improve understanding, and make information more accessible.   DisclaimerThis episode reflects personal experiences and discussion. It is not intended as medical advice. Always speak to a healthcare professional for individual guidance.

    44 min
  4. 02/20/2025

    Patient Involvement: a catch up with Russ Cowper

    Welcome back to PsA HQ! I’m Mel Brooke and I am on a mission to break down the barriers that can put people off getting involved in research! In this episode I’m joined by patient expert partner and friend Russ Cowper. We catch up on his role with the Psoriasis Association and research projects he’s currently involved in. We discuss some of the insights coming out of the PRP survey and Russ shares a poem from a recent community based project in Manchester and a few of his funny research experiences with us so listen out for those!   Links mentioned in the podcast: Psoriasis Association https://www.psoriasis-association.org.uk Manchester ARC.    https://arc-gm.nihr.ac.uk Health Innovation Manchester https://healthinnovationmanchester.com Manchester Memories e-book: https://arc-gm.nihr.ac.uk/projects/understanding-experiences-GM-covid-vaccination-programme If you would like to share your experience of research involvement from a patient or researcher perspective, or share a research opportunity or news please get in touch - send an email me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠psazzgroup (at) gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ My website and contacts can be found via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠one of my links here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and I would love it if you follow me on your listening platform for news of more episodes! Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yevhen Onoychenko⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠

    38 min

About

Welcome to PsA HQ! I'm your host Mel, and I'm passionate about fostering peer support within the Psoriatic Arthritis, Psoriasis and broader autoimmune and inflammatory conditions community. This channel is a space for sharing experiences and I believe in the power of discussion and knowledge sharing. Join me and my guests sharing lived experience, bridging communication gaps and helping to create an impactful research landscape. Remember, all opinions are our own or those of our guests. Always seek proper medical advice. Thank you for listening.