The Paid Leave Podcast

How Family Tragedy Inspired a Surgeon to Become a Storyteller and Powerful Medical Social Media Influencer

In this episode of The Paid Leave Podcast, I speak with a doctor who I have followed for over a year on social media. Her inspirational storytelling has created her as a viral medical social media influencer, with over 150 million views and close to 900 thousand followers just on TikTok. Dr. Erin Nance is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and viral TikTok creator known as @littlemissdiagnosed, where she uses humor and storytelling to make medicine feel human again. She’s the bestselling author of Little Miss Diagnosed, co-host of The Medical Detectives Podcast, and the founder and CEO of FeelBetr, a new platform bringing doctors and patients together to share real, credible health stories in the social media age. Dr. Nance shares her journey to becoming a surgeon, influenced by a childhood experience with an orthopedic surgeon after she was injured. She discusses the importance of social media in raising disease awareness, citing her "31 for 31" campaign that reached over 100 million views. Dr. Nance highlights the significance of paid leave programs, sharing personal stories and the impact on her brother's life.  On her first day of residency, her brother had an accident in a swimming pool and became a paraplegic. He lives in Connecticut and has utilized bonding leave with Connecticut Paid Leave, when they welcomed their new child. To follow Dr. Erin Nance on social media go to @littlemissdiagnosed on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. Dr. Erin Nance 🇺🇸 (@littlemissdiagnosed) | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@littlemissdiagnosed] To get to the FeelBetr platform go to FeelBetr | The FeelBetr Founder Story: Meet Erin Nance [https://www.feelbetr.health/meet-erin-nance-founder-story] For more information on Dr. Erin Nance go toErin Nance, MD | Orthopedic Hand Surgeon | Midtown East, NY [https://www.nancemd.com/about/] For more information or apply for benefits go to ctpaidleave.org https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US [https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US] https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave [https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.instagram.com/ctpaidleave/ [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave]

Alzheimer's is a Robber in Progress

The United States is an aging nation and Connecticut is an aging state. Living with a disease that usually affects the older population - like Alzheimer's - is tough for the whole family. Caregivers of those with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia are usually family members who have to learn to navigate from diagnosis through the progression of the disease. CT Paid Leave can help by providing up to 12 weeks of income replacement when a caregiver is away from work to care for their loved one. Joining in the discussion are two CT Paid Leave advocates from the CT Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association - Carolyn DeRocco, Vice President of Programs and Education, and Christy Kovel, Director of Public Policy.  Carolyn and Christy realize how important the CT Paid Family and Medical Leave Act is for caregivers as well as for individuals who are newly diagnosed with this disease.  In this episode, we delve into what Alzheimer's is, how to diagnose it, preventative measures, treatments, and the new advocacy  work they are doing. For  more information on Alzheimer's Disease, visit  alz.org/ct or call their toll free hotline 24 hours 800-272-3900 For more information about CT Paid Leave or to apply for benefits, visit ctpaidleave.org. https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US [https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US] https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave [https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.instagram.com/ctpaidleave/ [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave]

The Holidays and Your Mental health

In this episode of the Paid leave Podcast, we discuss the holidays and the challenges that it can bring. The holidays are usually a joyful time of year, time spent with family and loved ones and time to reflect before the New Year. But for some people the holidays can bring on intense sadness if you have had a loss, or maybe you find yourself alone during the holidays. Perhaps you lost a loved one or went through a divorce or you are estranged from your family. It can be a tough time for your mental health. The holiday season can be a challenging time for individuals struggling with addiction, as it often brings heightened stress, triggers, and the pressure to celebrate. However, with the right strategies and support, it is possible to navigate these challenges. Domestic violence is high around the holidays for many reasons like stress, financial burdens, more family time, isolation, and alcohol and drugs can play a role too.  Holiday Season Anxiety and Seasonal Affective Disorder can both effect your mental health around the holidays, and healthcare professionals say they can be debilitating and impact your daily life and your job. CT Paid Leave can help with up to 12 weeks of income replacement if you are suffering from a serious mental health condition. Our guest is Mental Health Connecticut Clinical Care Coordinator and Licensed Master of Social Work, Patricia Seaver. Patricia explains how the holidays can exacerbate mental health issues, and she emphasizes the importance of self-care, planning, and seeking support during this holiday period. She highlights the role of caregivers and the benefits of Connecticut's paid leave program in providing time for mental health recovery. Patricia also discusses the increased risk of domestic violence, and addiction relapse during the holidays. For information or to get in touch with Mental Health Connecticut, please go to Homepage - Mental Health Services Education & Advocacy [https://www.mhconn.org/]. (mhconn.org) For more information or to apply for benefits please go to CT Paid Leave [https://www.ctpaidleave.org/?language=en_US]. (ctpaidleave.org) https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US [https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US] https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave [https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.instagram.com/ctpaidleave/ [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave]

Solo Agers Are Changing the Conversation About Aging Independently After 50

There are over 17 million people over the age of 50 who are aging alone in our country, without a partner, children, or family involvement in their daily lives. There are at least 250 thousand solo agers in Connecticut. Connecticut Entrepreneur Jill Kovalich, is a solo ager herself, and she founded SoloAgersConnect.com to provide resources and a community for this demographic. Jill highlights the challenges solo agers face, such as financial planning, home safety, and mental health, emphasizing the importance of Connecticut's paid leave program, which allows caregivers to take time away from their jobs to help with serious health conditions of a loved one. For solo agers who are still working and will be possibly into their 70's, paid leave allows them to take time away from their job to take care of their own serious health conditions. Jill also notes the stigma around being a solo ager and the need for more support and resources to help them navigate aging independently.  To get in touch with Jill go to, solo@soloagersconnect.com [solo@soloagersconnect.com].  The Facebook page to find out about solo ager coffee hours and information go to, solo agers connect.  For information or to apply for benefits please go to,  ctpaidleave.org. https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US [https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US] https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave [https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.instagram.com/ctpaidleave/ [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave]

An Entrepreneur Says Paid Leave Supports Growing Families and Compassionate Businesses

In this episode of The Paid leave Podcast, we connect a business and paid family leave. November is National Family Caregivers Month and National Family Health History Day is November 28. Here to talk about the importance of CT Paid Leave for bonding leave, mental health, caregiver leave and how it helps small businesses is Samatha Alzate, she is a licensed clinical social worker and the founder of Mindful Transformations LLC, a holistic group therapy practice based in Farmington and West Hartford, Connecticut. Her practice focuses on supporting individuals through life transitions, trauma recovery, and personal growth by blending traditional psychotherapy with mindfulness and integrative healing approaches. As a small business owner and mother, Samantha understands firsthand the importance of programs like CT Paid Leave. She brings both a clinical and personal perspective to conversations about balance, mental health, caregiving and the realities of running a practice while raising a family. Samantha is a big fan of CT Paid Leave, because she and her husband both used bonding leave when they added to their family with their third child. She said they both feel that it was the best time of their parenting experience. She also knows how important it is to her small business. She believes it helps her employees and creates a happy and healthy environment by offering them the paid leave benefits, which some have already taken. She says it helps her to retain quality employees. Samantha wrote and Op-ed piece about CT Paid Leave and said it was a lifeline for her and she is also in a CT Paid Leave commercial about the benefits to small business owners. To get in touch with Samantha Alzate and Mindful Transformations LLC go to Mindful Transformations LLC | Holistic Therapy in CT [https://www.mindfultransformationllc.com/]. To read the Op-ed piece Samantha Alzate wrote A Lifeline for New Parents and Small Businesses - CT Examiner [https://ctexaminer.com/2025/08/12/a-lifeline-for-new-parents-and-small-businesses/?fbclid=IwY2xjawORJ5lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFjUnJGTWtsZHg2djVmb1Rrc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHnzBTTOy7UGv5BYRUpqAiKHF1bKlks4koC-7_Lj9CQJgNenSYbYwFZQjpM0s_aem_TeibwQg9bI1QyLGmJQKumQ] For more information or to apply for benefits please go to CT Paid Leave [https://www.ctpaidleave.org/?language=en_US]. https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US [https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US] https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave [https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.instagram.com/ctpaidleave/ [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave]