This is Parkinson's

This is Parkinson's
  • 5.0 (2)
  • NON-PROFIT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

In 2014, journalist Lisa Volenec was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She stayed silent for years - until now. This is Parkinson's is her wayof breaking the silence and giving a voice to a community of more than 10 million people worldwide living with this incurable condition. Drawing on her years as a reporter, Lisa leads thoughtful, revealing conversations with people living with Parkinson’s, caregivers, and experts, because no two Parkinson’s journeys are the same. With episodes grounded in honesty, humor, and heart, this podcast is Lisa’s mission: to challenge stigma, build empathy, and create a place where people living with Parkinson’s feel seen, heard, and less alone. This half-hour + video/audio podcast will be available on Wednesdays on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. 🩵 Thank you for watching or listening! We appreciate your support. ꕤ For more information: thisisparkinsons.org ꕤ To help and donate: https://bit.ly/thisisparkinsonsdonate

Episodes

  1. 3D AGO

    Ep. 3 - Why I'm Finally Getting Deep Brain Stimulation.

    After living with Parkinson’s disease for more than two decades, musician Jim Goodfriend reached a point where the symptoms began interfering with the thing he loved most — playing guitar. In this episode of This is Parkinson’s, Jim shares his journey from diagnosis to choosing Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery in hopes of regaining control, independence, and the ability to once again express himself fully through music. Jim reflects on the emotional decision to pursue Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), the realities of living with Parkinson’s for over 20 years, and the role that creativity and music continue to play in his life. This conversation marks the beginning of Jim’s DBS journey — and we’ll be following along as his story continues. A powerful discussion that explores resilience, adapting to change, and the courage it takes to pursue new options when Parkinson’s begins to take more than it gives. ━━━━━━ ꕤ Support the Mission of This is Parkinson's Donate Here: https://bit.ly/thisisparkinsonsdonate ━━━━━━ ꕤ Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisparkinsonsdisease Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisparkinsonsdisease ━━━━━━ ꕤ About This is Parkinson’s: This is Parkinson’s is a nonprofit storytelling platform dedicated to sharing honest conversations about life with Parkinson’s disease. Through interviews with patients, caregivers, advocates, and experts, TIP aims to educate, reduce stigma, and build a community around the realities of living with Parkinson’s. Learn more: https://www.thisisparkinsons.org Contact: info@thisisparkinsons.org ━━━━━━ ꕤ 🔔 🩵 ⟢ Thank you for watching and supporting TIP. Your support helps amplify the voices of the Parkinson’s community and brings greater awareness to this disease. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    31 min

  2. 6D AGO

    Ep. 1 - I Have Parkinson’s. Now What?

    Parkinson’s doesn’t begin with tremors. It begins with fear, uncertainty, and the quiet decision of whether to tell anyone at all. In this premiere episode of This is Parkinson’s (TIP), founder Lisa Volenec sits down with Bob Sullivan, friend and co-founder of TIP, and her sister, Kris Volenec, for an honest conversation about her diagnosis, the grief that followed, and the courage it took to share her story publicly. Together, they discuss what it was like for Lisa to hide her diagnosis, grieving career changes, leaning into exercise and community support, and ultimately launching a nonprofit dedicated to elevating the real voices of those living with parkinson’s disease. This is where the journey begins. ━━━━━━ ꕤ Support the Mission: 🙏 Donate to help elevate voices and raise awareness: bit.ly/thisisparkinsonsdonate ━━━━━━ ꕤ Follow us: ➤ Instagram: www.instagram.com/thisisparkinsonsofficial ➤ Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisisparkinsonsofficial ━━━━━━ ꕤ About This is Parkinson’s: Our mission is to break stigma and build empathy through authentic storytelling that reveals the humanity of life with Parkinson’s. Founded and led by a journalist living with Parkinson’s themself, TIP brings real experiences to light to build connection, understanding, and a community of support. 🌐 Find out more: thisisparkinsons.org 📧 Contact us: thisisparkinsons.org/contact/ ━━━━━━ ꕤ 🔔 🩵 ⟢ Thank you for watching and supporting TIP. Be sure to like, subscribe, and share this episode — it helps us continue to elevate voices and build a stronger, more informed community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    47 min

  3. 6D AGO

    Ep. 2 - The Truth About Multi-Generational Parkinson's

    What happens when Parkinson’s isn’t just a diagnosis — but part of your family history? In this episode of TIP, Lisa Volenec sits down with Lisa Cote of Omaha, Nebraska, who was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s just two years after losing her father to the same disease. With Parkinson’s also affecting her grandmother and mother-in-law, this conversation explores what it means when the condition feels woven into your DNA. They’re joined by Lisa C.'s daughter, Sammy, for an honest discussion about generational Parkinson’s, genetic testing, fitness as medicine, family support, and how mindset can shape the experience of living with a chronic illness. Together, they talk about diagnosis day, navigating fear alone, raising children while managing symptoms, wedding-day joy without Parkinson’s taking center stage, and the power of choosing family, movement, resilience, and connection over defeat. This is a conversation about legacy, strength, and refusing to lose yourself. ━━━━━━ ꕤ Support the Mission: 🙏 Donate to help elevate voices and raise awareness: www.bit.ly/thisisparkinsonsdonate ━━━━━━ ꕤ Follow us: ➤ Instagram: www.instagram.com/thisisparkinsonsofficial ➤ Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisisparkinsonsofficial ━━━━━━ ꕤ About This is Parkinson’s: Our mission is to break stigma and build empathy through authentic storytelling that reveals the humanity of life with Parkinson’s. Founded and led by a journalist living with Parkinson’s themself, TIP brings real experiences to light to build connection, understanding, and a community of support. 🌐 Find out more: thisisparkinsons.org 📧 contact us: thisisparkinsons.org/contact/ ━━━━━━ ꕤ 🔔 🩵 -⟢ Thank you for watching and supporting TIP. Be sure to like, subscribe, and share this episode — it helps us continue to elevate voices and build a stronger, more informed community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min
  • 3 Episodes

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

In 2014, journalist Lisa Volenec was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She stayed silent for years - until now. This is Parkinson's is her wayof breaking the silence and giving a voice to a community of more than 10 million people worldwide living with this incurable condition. Drawing on her years as a reporter, Lisa leads thoughtful, revealing conversations with people living with Parkinson’s, caregivers, and experts, because no two Parkinson’s journeys are the same. With episodes grounded in honesty, humor, and heart, this podcast is Lisa’s mission: to challenge stigma, build empathy, and create a place where people living with Parkinson’s feel seen, heard, and less alone. This half-hour + video/audio podcast will be available on Wednesdays on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. 🩵 Thank you for watching or listening! We appreciate your support. ꕤ For more information: thisisparkinsons.org ꕤ To help and donate: https://bit.ly/thisisparkinsonsdonate

Information