You’d never guess that Drew Dixon quit guitar lessons at 7 years old. But through this same childhood whimsicality, a journey began in which he discovered a deep belief in music’s effects on the brain and the soul. Now Drew has a successful music career that his 7-year-old self would never believe — including his recent hit "Running." (Stay to the end for an acoustic play of it!)

Drew shares his songwriting process, what it actually takes to survive the music industry (full rooms, empty rooms, overnight tours — you play them all), and his work doing music therapy with hospital patients. And how he manages all of this while managing his epilepsy.

We rewind and talk about the normalcy of keeping epilepsy a secret as a teenager and why Drew didn’t even tell his childhood friend who *also* has epilepsy and what happened when he did….you might recognize this friend! Dr. Dan Snelgrove (re: “The Pitt” episode) joins the convo to talk about his and Drew’s journey co-founding Electric Minds Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing joy — and Disneyland — to kids with epilepsy.

Check out Electric Minds Foundation: https://www.electricmindsfoundation.org/

Shout to Neurelis, SK life science, Epilepsy Foundation, Danny Did Foundation, & Epilepsy Alliance America for believing in this podcast!

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Never did Katie Czyz think she'd become an expert in AI. She started using it while trying to process her epilepsy diagnosis and quickly realized it could be something much more than a chatbot—it could be a thought partner. That experience changed the trajectory of her career and inspired work that eventually landed her in the New York Times Modern Love column.

We talk about the promise and responsibility of AI, why it should help us think instead of think for us, and how technology can create space for reflection during some of life's hardest moments. We also get into getting drunk in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, killing an embarrassing number of plants, and the strange ways a diagnosis can send your life in a direction you never saw coming.

Check out Katie's writing!

Substack -- A Voice Returned: avoicereturned.substack.com

New York Times Modern Love: "Learning to tell the truth to those I love"

Huge shout to out the folks who believe in this podcast! Thanks sponsors Neurelis & SK life science and community partners Epilepsy Foundation of America, Danny Did Foundation, & Epilepsy Alliance America!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It started with jokes on Twitter. Now comedian Jake Lambert is touring internationally with his stand-up show, The Sunshine Kid. Jake joins the podcast to talk about building a comedy career while living with epilepsy, surviving a schedule where nights are work and days are recovery, and why he started joking about seizures in his act.

We get into epilepsy running in his family, varying audience responses to his epilepsy jokes, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, and trying to explain a completely ridiculous aura to another person. We also discuss Jake's attempt to convince the BBC that epilepsy was more interesting than competitive slapping.

Come for the comedy. Stay for the seizure stories, weird auras, and British accent.

Subscribe to Jake's newsletter to stay up-to-date on his tour schedule: www.jakelambertcomedy.com

Shout to Neurelis, SK life science, Epilepsy Foundation, Danny Did Foundation, & Epilepsy Alliance America for believing in this podcast!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.