LindaBP Podcast
LindaBP Podcast
E1: LindaBP Podcast Sneak Peak
Recorded May 6, 2024: My main goal for this podcast is for you the listener to get comfortable being uncomfortable and have a difficult conversation, anyway whether that's with healthcare professionals regarding your chronic condition, friends regarding their vote that puts you at risk, co-workers who cross boundaries, or loved ones who confuse you.
If I can share my uncomfortable truths with you - maybe it'll help you do the same.
Connect with me at: LindaBP.com or on IG @LindaBP68
Welcome to the LindaBP podcast. I'm Linda, a chick with MS who's getting nervous about the upcoming U. S. election. Since dictators don't like disabled people, I'm recording now while free speech and women with opinions still exist. I love podcasts. I listen to a lot of them, and I've always wanted to have one. I feel drawn to this medium because I like sharing ideas and information, I like to give my opinion, I really like analyzing people's actions and deconstructing situations and motivations. I enjoy talking about divisive things like religion and politics. I was the mom who hated playing Barbies with my daughters, but would have talked their ear off about the Barbie movie. I'm just a person that likes to talk about stuff. But I also think another reason for starting this pod is because I am bored out of my mind. I have multiple sclerosis, and not only has it affected my mobility over the years, but that decrease in movement has significantly decreased my interactions with others. Then COVID came along, and you know, for a while there, I had an even playing field again. Until the anti vaxxers showed up and then that forced me back into hiding. So four years of total and then partial isolation, not gonna lie, it's taken its toll. So I figure rather than sitting here withering away, I might as well put my thoughts out there and a podcast allows me to do that safely from my home. I also think that a podcast is an art form.........I mean, it's part information, part entertainment, uh, part creative expression, and I don't know. It could be fun to just start talking and see what this thing turns into. And I recently realized I actually consume a lot of non fiction art forms. Besides podcasts, I watch a lot of documentaries. I like to read memoirs. Most of the books I buy are non fiction books. I dig a lot of reality shows. I follow experts on social media. I read advice columns. Oh, I love a good advice column. I'm one of those weirdos who I'll Google song lyrics to try and figure out what the song actually means, you know, God forbid, I just interpret it for myself. What did they mean? Why did they write it? I want to know. And yes, I do like escaping and being entertained. But for some reason, I just have this very strange need to learn through the art I surround myself with. You know, the poet. Andrea Gibson, she once said that even when the truth isn't hopeful, the telling of it is. Which is really kind of interesting because usually art is the opposite of that, right? Artists are told, don't tell people how you feel. Show them yet. It's the telling of it not the showing or the abstract representation of it That seems to matter the most to me Maybe that's why I became a speech therapist to not only help people communicate clearly, but because it would help them tell people what they wanted those people to know instead of showing them they could very easily and effectively tell them Helping people transmit information intelligibly actually was a great job to have. Why they said what they said really wasn't my business. I mean, you could be a misogynist and my job wasn't to school you on feminism, but to point out that when you say you like to grab women by the pushy, that you were actually distorting the fricative S sound. It's not pushy. It's pussy. Say it correctly. Luckily for me, helping assholes talk clearly rarely happened back then, and now, 30 years later, honestly, I could give two shits about the speech distortions of a sexist. I mean, slur your words all you want, sir. I don't care. Why you think the way you do, that matters much more to me. Why is progress so threatening for some? Why do people with power cling to it so tightly at the expense of so many? Why the assumption that if I win, you lose? Why not assume there's plenty to go around for everyone? Besides the lousy treatment of marginalized groups, I'm annoyed by lots of things. For example, the disturbing things I've learned about the world as a disabled person..I'm kind of freaked out. about what I learned about humanity during COVID. I'm getting frustrated that once women hit a certain age, we're essentially put out to pasture, even though we have a ton of knowledge and skills to share. I do find pop culture and algorithms and social media fascinating, but they're also scary, and something I, I really need to better define in my life. I'm sometimes shocked but never surprised at how poorly people communicate with themselves, to each other, in groups, and definitely through mass media. I've learned a lot about managing a disease and I would like to share the knowledge I've gained about health and wellness, due to having MS for 15 years. I've not only consumed traditional and alternative healthcare, but I've also worked in both fields. I have tons of opinions on how to navigate each while dealing with a severe chronic condition. So these are some of the things that I want to explore. Another reason for the pod is, well, There's a U. S. presidential election in a couple months. Depending on who wins, I might not be allowed to voice my opinion next year. So I figure I better start speaking my truth now. I don't know about you, but I really think everything is on the line this November. The days of not talking about religion or politics and social issues, frankly, they're over. Politely avoiding these topics hasn't helped, and honestly, I think it's just led to more misunderstanding of all three. It's time to start having conversations about tough topics before it's too late. Politics, it affects everything. And yet there's still so many people, they feel funny talking politics with their neighbors and friends. So, my main goal for this podcast is for you, the listener, to get comfortable being uncomfortable and have a difficult conversation anyway, whether that's with a healthcare professional or friends regarding their vote that puts you or your family at risk or coworkers who cross boundaries or loved ones who confuse the hell out of you. Remember that Andrea Gibson quote from earlier? Even when the truth isn't hopeful, the telling of it is. As I thought more about this pod, her quote morphed into, even if your truth makes others uncomfortable, the telling of it still matters. And that's ultimately my intention here, if I can share my uncomfortable truths with you, maybe it'll help you do the same because it matters. And being free to share it, well, at least for now, makes me hopeful. Who knows? This time next year, we might not be free at all. And don't worry, it won't all be serious. I want to talk about other things, like, I don't know, weirdos that preach a prosperity gospel, or what I miss about growing up in the 1980s. Um, my favorite reality show villains, or oh, here's one, why Pittsburgheeze ah, it's my love language. I swear to God, if I hear Yinz want any pop annat, my heart. It skips a beat or how about, okay, this one's weird. Every time I hear John Denver sing, take me home, country roads. I tear up a bit. No kidding. I mean, in fact, most music makes me cry. What's that about? I don't get it. You should see me at like a Broadway musical. I'm a mess. Oh, and then there's some really cool stuff I found to help with MS that I definitely want to talk about. Um, what else? Oh, why I only work smart and not hard and should I rethink that? And we definitely need to discuss why I really, really don't like being your inspiration porn. Ugh. No disabled person wants that. Okay. That's not fair. I absolutely can't speak for all disabled people in the world. A lot of disabled people don't want that. Now there are a lot of other things you can say to us instead, and I promise we'll get into it. So here we are. My new podcast, Linda BP. I'll be releasing new episodes every Monday. Really excited. Really hope you'll join me. Thanks so much for listening. Please like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Links to any resources mentioned can be found on my website, LindaBP.Com, or you can follow me on Instagram@LindaBP68. Difficult conversations are always welcome. Manufactured outrage is not. Please comment accordingly.