In this episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we sit down with Janet Sperling, PhD, President of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation (CanLyme) and an accomplished entomologist whose research focuses on the bacterial microbiome of ticks across Canada. Janet’s journey with Lyme disease began when her teenage son was bitten by a tick during a family trip to California. His symptoms, starting with sinusitis and progressing to more severe illness, led to a long and frustrating medical journey involving multiple doctors, misdiagnoses, and eventually a clinical Lyme diagnosis supported by IGeneX testing.

Janet shares her personal experience as a mother navigating the complexities of Lyme disease, as well as her professional expertise studying common tick species in Canada.

Her research investigates the bacterial communities within these ticks, the role of bird migration in tick population spread, and the limitations of current microbiome analysis techniques.

Key Discussion Points:

• Janet’s son’s Lyme disease story and the challenges of getting a diagnosis
• Differences in tick species and their bacterial microbiomes
• How environmental factors like bird migration contribute to the spread of tick-borne diseases
• The importance of prevention and early intervention in tick bite cases
• Why understanding tick biology is essential for public health policy in Canada
• How CanLyme is advancing Lyme disease research

Lyme Disease Prevention Tips from Janet Sperling:

• Avoid tick bites by using protective clothing and repellents
• Perform thorough tick checks after outdoor activities
• Identify the tick species and feeding stage if bitten
• Consider tick testing when appropriate

Whether you’re a Lyme patient, caregiver, or simply interested in the science behind ticks, this episode offers a unique blend of personal narrative and cutting-edge entomology research.

In this powerful episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, dancer, actress, model, and Lyme warrior Renee LeeAnn Marsden shares her extraordinary journey of surviving late-stage Lyme disease, multiple co-infections, and autoimmune encephalitis. Once bedridden, disassociating, and in a wheelchair, Renee fought her way back through a combination of stem cells, peptides, neurofeedback, and faith — and now she’s thriving as a mother and advocate.

From being misdiagnosed with MS and Parkinson’s to discovering mold illness, from devastating Herxheimer reactions to life-changing treatments at Amen Clinics, Renee’s story is a beacon of hope for anyone battling chronic Lyme or feeling hopeless in their healing journey.

🎧 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Renee’s Lyme origin story – how years of tick bites, concussions, and a mission trip to South Africa triggered a health collapse.
• The neurological storm – how Lyme, autoimmune encephalitis, and brain inflammation caused terrifying disassociation, hallucinations, and hospitalizations.
• Treatment milestones – including IV therapies, ozone, stem cells (Infusio, umbilical cord stem cells), peptides, and PK Protocol.
• The Amen Clinics breakthrough – the brain scans, diagnoses, and therapies (SPM Active, neurofeedback, hyperbaric oxygen) that changed everything.
• The hidden enemy of mold – how mold exposure stalled Renee’s recovery until she identified and removed it.
• The power of mindset & faith – how saying “yes to life” even in crisis helped Renee keep pushing forward, from competing in Miss Tennessee in a wheelchair to inspiring others online.
• Motherhood after Lyme – how Renee navigated pregnancy and new motherhood after years of chronic illness.

📌 Why You Should Listen: Renee’s journey is a masterclass in resilience, faith, and integrative healing. Whether you’re battling Lyme disease, caring for someone who is, or looking for hope when treatments fail, this episode delivers insights on:

• Why prehab (building your body up) is critical before aggressive killing protocols.
• How trauma, concussions, and infections combine to impact the brain.
• Why you should never let Lyme become your identity.

🎙 About Renee: Renee LeeAnn Marsden – Actress, dancer, Lyme warrior, and founder of Bright Life Co., a faith-based wellness community for women.

✨ Key Quote from Renee: “You can’t wait until you feel better to live — you have to start saying yes to life where you are.”

Kaitlyn Oleinik is a chronic illness advocate and the author of Revival: My Journey with Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease. She was bitten by a tick at age six and spent much of her life fighting an invisible illness while being dismissed by the medical system. Diagnosed with Lyme disease and co-infections in her teens, Kaitlyn has endured everything from hallucinations and involuntary psych holds to IVIG and stem cell treatments. Her book and voice give a name to the unspoken pain of countless others living with Lyme.

Revival - My Journey with Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease is Kaitlyn’s searing memoir that chronicles her descent into neuropsychiatric Lyme, including psychosis, hospitalizations, Morgellons disease, immune collapse, and ultimately, healing and redemption. It’s a must-read for patients, caregivers, and practitioners seeking to understand the lived experience of chronic Lyme.

• Kaitlyn’s suspected tick bite at age 6 and onset of strange symptoms by age 10
• Dismissed by dozens of doctors who claimed she was “too pretty to be sick”
• The psychological toll of not being believed—and being told it was all in her head
• Her first psychotic break, caused by inflammation and medication interactions
• Misdiagnoses including delusional parasitosis and bipolar disorder
• Treatments: IVIG, antibiotics, glutathione, intranasal stem cells, exosomes
• 5150 hold and the trauma of being institutionalized without understanding
• How residential treatment helped her begin to recover mentally and emotionally
• Rebuilding her identity after gaining 100+ lbs from steroids and losing her hair
• How she lost everything—then reclaimed her voice, purpose, and health
• Writing Revival - My Journey with Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease as an act of truth-telling and healing

• “The trauma wasn’t just from Lyme—it was from not being believed.”
• “They said it was all in my head. But it was in my blood, my brain, my cells.”
• “Revival means coming back from the dead. That’s what this journey felt like.”

• Lyme disease can manifest as psychiatric illness.
• “Delusional parasitosis” and “antibiomania” are misunderstood and under-researched.
• Proper treatment can be delayed for years by misdiagnosis and stigma.
• Complex chronic illness often requires multi-systemic treatment and trauma-informed care.

Kaitlyn’s story is not just about Lyme - it’s about what happens when we stop believing women, ignore invisible illnesses, and turn away from complex suffering. Her story is a rallying cry for validation, medical reform, and hope.

In this powerful episode of the TIck Boot Camp Podcast, Dr. Jaquel Patterson, nationally recognized naturopathic physician and medical director of Fairfield Family Health, joins Matt Sabatello to explore the many layers of Lyme disease recovery – from hidden mold exposure to hormone balance and mental health support.

• Mold & Lyme Disease – Why mold toxicity can block Lyme recovery and how Dr. Patterson stages treatment so patients don’t get overwhelmed.
• Hormone Health – The vital role hormones play in energy, mood, joint health, and the ability to fight chronic infections.
• Mental Health & Lyme – How inflammation impacts the brain, leading to panic attacks, anxiety, depression, and brain fog — and how those symptoms can reverse with healing.
• Low Dose Immunotherapy (LDI) – What it is, how it retrains the immune system to stop overreacting, and why it’s helping Lyme patients stabilize.
• Inflammation & Flares – Practical tools like turmeric, hydration, and electrolytes to calm Herxheimer reactions and ease painful flare days.
• Environmental Toxins – How pesticides, polluted air, and contaminated water add to the burden — and realistic steps to reduce exposure.

💡 Episode Highlights:

• The patient case where mold, not Lyme, was the biggest roadblock to recovery.
• Why Dr. Patterson tests every patient’s hormones and what imbalances mean for recovery.
• How turmeric is one of her go-to remedies for both inflammation and mental clarity.
• Why hydration and detox aren’t “basic” — they can make or break a treatment plan.
• What makes LDI unique: a few drops every 6–8 weeks that can dramatically shift symptoms.

🎯 Who should listen?

• Anyone with Lyme disease who feels “stuck” or plateaued in their healing
• Parents of children with PANS/PANDAS or chronic infections
• Listeners curious about LDI, mold recovery, hormone balance, or functional medicine

📍 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:

• Project Lab Coat – NYC Fashion Week Lyme Awareness Event
• Turmeric Forte by Mediherb
• CurcuPlex 95 by Xymogen
• Dr. Jaquel Pattesen, ND

🌟 About Dr. Jaquel Patterson: Dr. Patterson is a naturopathic physician and ILADS member known for her integrative work in Lyme disease, mold illness, mental health, hormone health, and immune system support.

In this powerful episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Daniel Warren of Envita Medical Center, a leading voice in the field of regenerative and integrative medicine, to break down the multi-layered complexity of chronic Lyme disease and its treatment.

Dr. Warren takes us deep into the root causes of persistent symptoms, highlighting how chronic Lyme often results in immune dysregulation, biofilm-protected pathogens, co-infections, and central nervous system inflammation that go untreated by conventional protocols.

The conversation explores the use of VSELS (Very Small Embryonic Like Stem Cells) to regenerate damaged tissue and rebalance immune function, as well as IRAD (Insulin Receptor Antibiotic Delivery)—Envita’s proprietary method of delivering antibiotics past the blood-brain barrier to treat neurological Lyme disease.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of how precision diagnostics, immune modulation, and regenerative medicine can be integrated to support lasting recovery from chronic Lyme and tick-borne disease.

• How Lyme disease disrupts immune signaling, leading to chronic symptoms
• Why traditional antibiotics often fail to reach the central nervous system
• How IRAD (Insulin Receptor Antibiotic Delivery) delivers antibiotics directly to the brain to treat neurological Lyme symptoms like brain fog, memory loss, and neuropathy
• How IRAD also helps rebalance neurotransmitters, reduce brain inflammation, and support better sleep
• The science and therapeutic promise of VSELS, stem cells that remain dormant and ageless until activated
• Why mitochondrial dysfunction, neurotoxins, and immune collapse are central to persistent Lyme cases
• How Envita’s diagnostic model uses advanced testing to personalize treatment protocols
• The role of co-infections, mold, and environmental toxins in complicating Lyme recovery
• How Dr. Warren and Envita are changing the landscape of chronic illness treatment with integrative, root-cause care

Dr. Daniel Warren is a regenerative and integrative medicine specialist at Envita Medical Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. His clinical focus includes treating chronic, treatment-resistant conditions using a combination of targeted antimicrobial therapy, stem cell science, and immune reprogramming. Through protocols like VSELS and IRAD, Dr. Warren helps patients reclaim their lives from debilitating infections, neurological symptoms, and immune system failure.

• Learn more about Envita Medical Center
• Follow Tick Boot Camp on Instagram
• Subscribe to the Tick Boot Camp Podcast

If you or a loved one is facing neurological Lyme symptoms, chronic fatigue, or treatment-resistant co-infections, this episode may hold the answers you’ve been searching for. Share it with your community and join us in raising awareness about the future of Lyme healing through regenerative medicine and targeted immune therapies.

In this powerful episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we welcome Dr. Diana Stafford, a conventionally trained MD turned functional medicine expert. Dr. Diana shares her personal and clinical journey into treating chronic illness, mold toxicity, Candida overgrowth, and Lyme disease using a science-based, root-cause approach.

Learn how she helps patients reclaim their health through gut healing, vagus nerve support, mold detox protocols, and functional diagnostics not typically covered by traditional medicine.

• How Dr. Diana transitioned from conventional medicine to functional medicine
• The 4 Pillars of Detox: Protect, Open, Mobilize, and Bind
• How mold illness mimics chronic Lyme and other conditions
• Why gut health is essential to healing from chronic disease
• Tools and protocols she uses: butyrate, binders, GI mapping, peptides, and more
• The role of nervous system regulation in detox and recovery
• How her husband’s health journey inspired her clinical passion
• The dangers of misdiagnosis and gaps in conventional care

Dr. Diana Stafford is mold certified by Dr. Jill Crista and has advanced training from IFM and Evan Brand. She's co-author of Conquering Mold, Candida Detox, and The Inner Journey. Widely recognized as TikTok’s top Candida expert, she empowers her community with accessible health education and functional strategies for true healing. Also, check her out on Instagram!

If you’re battling Lyme disease, mold illness, or Candida overgrowth, this episode is your roadmap to hope and healing. Dr. Diana Stafford delivers clinical insight with compassion and clarity. Listen, learn, and start your journey to wellness today.

In this episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Tracey Gaslin, a dual-certified Pediatric and Family Nurse Practitioner and the CEO of the Alliance for Camp Health (ACH). Dr. Gaslin leads the Fight the Bite initiative, a national campaign designed to prevent Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses through science-based public health education.

She discusses how camps—often overlooked as public health allies—can play a critical role in early detection, prevention, and education for tick-borne disease. With over 3,500 staff trained and 25,000 kids protected, this conversation is packed with insights and action steps for caregivers, clinicians, and camp professionals alike.

• Dual-certified Pediatric and Family Nurse Practitioner
• PhD in Educational & Organizational Leadership
• CEO of Alliance for Camp Health (ACH)
• National leader in pediatric care and camp-based health safety
• Program lead for the Fight the Bite Initiative, a partnership with SC Johnson

• Why tick-borne illness prevention must start before symptoms appear
• How ACH and SC Johnson are transforming summer camps into frontline health defenders
• The science behind prevention and the blind spots in current clinical models
• How parents, educators, and camp staff can be empowered—not panicked—by prevention tools
• Real-world strategies to protect kids in outdoor settings

Together, we can reduce Lyme disease risk through community action and smart prevention. Whether you're a camp director, healthcare provider, or concerned parent, this episode will empower you to fight the bite—starting today.

In this powerful episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we welcome Austin Shubert, a 27-year-old outdoorsman, hunter, and field technician from Zebulon, Georgia. He shares his deeply personal and emotional journey from vibrant health to chronic illness and back toward recovery. Raised in the woods, surrounded by ticks since childhood, Austin never imagined that a single tick bite could change his life.

• Austin first experienced panic attacks in 9th grade, without ever knowing what they were.
• He developed intrusive thoughts and severe anxiety while unknowingly living in a mold-infested home.
• Years of symptoms like OCD, fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, weight loss, and heart palpitations left him broken and confused.

• Doctors misdiagnosed Austin with mono, anxiety, depression, and sinus infections.
• Despite clearly debilitating symptoms, he was told to “let it run its course.”
• LabCorp and Quest tests failed to detect Lyme or co-infections, leading to months of continued suffering.

• A conversation with a friend who had Lyme disease opened Austin’s eyes to the possibility of tick-borne illness.
• He discovered the Genesis Center in Georgia, led by Dr. Sloan.
• Using Vibrant and MDL Labs, he tested positive for multiple Borrelia species and Alpha-Gal Syndrome.

• Austin began treatment with SOT therapy, gut protocols, binders, methylene blue, and detox supplements.
• 3 months post-SOT, Austin is 70–75% recovered, has returned to work, and is off Prozac.
• He’s also planning to begin peptide therapy (BPC-157 and TB-500) to address lingering leg weakness.

• Austin shares how his Christian faith and relationship with God carried him through his darkest moments.
• He discusses helping his neighbor—who was also unknowingly battling Lyme—and how this has reinforced his belief that his suffering had a greater purpose.

• Lone Star ticks don’t carry Borrelia but can cause Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) and other tick-borne illnesses.
• Mold exposure and environmental toxins can drastically weaken the immune system, leading to chronic Lyme activation.
• Standard testing (LabCorp, Quest) frequently produces false negatives—specialized labs are critical.
• Early detection and spiritual resilience can significantly influence the Lyme healing journey.

• “There is purpose in your pain. God put me through this for a reason—to help others.” – Austin Shubert
• “For the first time in this journey, I felt validated. I wasn’t crazy. I had Lyme disease.” – Austin Shubert