The Why Me Podcast

How to Advocate for Yourself When Something Feels Off

In this episode of The Why Me Podcast, Brianna explores one of the most surprising parts of sharing her health journey: just how many people quietly resonate with the experience of feeling “off” in their body without clear answers. From chronic fatigue and brain fog to feeling dismissed or brushed off in healthcare settings, this conversation reflects the emotional reality of navigating unexplained symptoms while trying to stay grounded, hopeful, and steady through uncertainty. Brianna also shares insights from her own diagnosis journey — including how she learned to advocate for herself, communicate symptoms more clearly, stay actively engaged in the healthcare process, and avoid tipping into overwhelm or obsessive searching while waiting for answers. This episode is not about fear or self-diagnosis. It’s about building trust in yourself, preparing with intention, partnering well with healthcare providers, and recognizing that your experience is valid even before everything is fully understood. Listeners will walk away with practical tools, reassurance, and a simple ChatGPT prompt they can use to help organize symptoms and communicate more effectively during medical appointments. Topics include: * chronic fatigue and brain fog * advocating for yourself in healthcare * anxiety vs. physical symptoms * tracking and organizing symptoms * navigating uncertainty * patient-provider communication * staying grounded during the diagnostic process * using ChatGPT as a health organization tool ChatGPT Prompt Mentioned in This Episode (copy/paste): I am experiencing ongoing health symptoms and need help organizing them so I can communicate clearly with my healthcare provider. Please help me: - Track symptoms over time - Identify patterns or triggers - Summarize my experience for an appointment - Create questions I should ask - Organize everything into a clear format Please do not diagnose me. I am only using this for communication and organization. Here are my symptoms, timeline, and experiences: Reminder: Awareness is helpful. Obsession is not. You deserve to be heard. You deserve to feel better.

The Psychology of Navigating Change: The 3 Phases We Move Through

In this episode of The Why Me Podcast, host Brianna Spurgeon explores the psychology of navigating unexpected change and the emotional and mental phases people move through when life shifts in ways they didn’t choose. Drawing on her background in strategy and transformation within large organizations—as well as her personal experience facing a long-term health diagnosis—Brianna breaks down how humans naturally respond to disruption, from initial shock and resistance to learning, orientation, and eventual integration. She reflects on how corporations invest heavily in structured change management systems to guide employees through uncertainty, while individuals in everyday life are often left without a framework or support system when facing personal upheaval. Through this lens, she introduces a simple three-phase model of change that helps listeners better understand what is happening internally during moments of fear, confusion, and transition. Brianna also discusses the psychological risks of information overload during uncertain times, including how comparison and exposure to extreme narratives can distort perception and increase anxiety. She emphasizes the importance of discernment, grounding information in personal context, and staying connected to what is actually true in one’s own experience. In the final phase of the episode, she highlights the process of integration and rebuilding—how people begin to reshape daily routines, redefine priorities, and live more intentionally within new circumstances. This episode offers a grounded and relatable framework for anyone navigating change, as well as for those supporting others through it, providing insight into how understanding the psychology of change can bring more clarity, compassion, and steadiness during life’s most uncertain moments.

What Is Life Asking of Me? | A Question for Burnout, Disruption, and Feeling Stuck in Life

In this episode of The Why Me Podcast, host Brianna Spurgeon explores a deeply personal reflection on burnout, disruption, and the search for meaning in everyday life through the lens of David Brooks’ book The Second Mountain. After reading one line—“What is life asking of me?”—Brianna begins to re-examine her own journey through corporate success, motherhood, identity shifts, and unexpected health challenges. What once felt like achievement and forward momentum slowly gave way to a deeper sense of disconnection, leading her into what Brooks describes as “the valley” between two mountains. Drawing from her experience in corporate America, stepping away from a high-achieving career, navigating early motherhood, entrepreneurship, and illness, Brianna reflects on the tension between external success and internal fulfillment. She unpacks Brooks’ framework of the “first mountain,” rooted in achievement, status, and identity, versus the “second mountain,” which centers on service, purpose, and contribution to others. Rather than offering answers, this episode invites listeners into a more grounded and honest question: What is life asking of me right now? This conversation is especially relevant for anyone experiencing burnout, life disruption, career dissatisfaction, or a sense of being “stuck” despite outward success. Brianna shares why this question has shifted her perspective on ambition, productivity, motherhood, and daily life—and how it has created a sense of peace in embracing a more present, service-oriented season. This episode is a reflection for anyone standing in transition—between success and uncertainty, exhaustion and clarity, or the first and second mountain. The Why Me Podcast invites listeners to turn hardship, disruption, and life’s unexpected detours into meaning, growth, and connection.

When Disruption Divides Your Life Into Before and After

In this episode of The Why Me Podcast, host Brianna Spurgeon explores why major life events—loss, success, illness, or unexpected change—often make life feel like it splits into a “before” and an “after.” We tend to describe these moments as identity shifts, where the future we were imagining no longer matches the life we are living inside of. Why does this happen, and what are we actually experiencing psychologically when life feels divided in two? This conversation is deeply informed by the work of bestselling author David Brooks, particularly his book The Second Mountain, where he explores how life often moves from a first stage of achievement and identity-building into a second stage focused on meaning, service, and deeper purpose. Brooks’ framework offers a powerful lens for understanding why some life changes don’t just alter our circumstances—they reshape who we are and how we see our future. Drawing from personal experience, listener stories, and the concept of the “Second Mountain,” this episode explores how expectations shape our sense of reality—and why certain moments fundamentally change the way we understand our lives.

INTERVIEW: Struck by Lightning, Shaped by Loss | Emily’s Why Me Story

In March 2012, high school softball player Emily Stuckwisch (Bobb) was struck by lightning under mostly clear skies during practice—an event that stopped her heart on the field. What followed was nothing short of miraculous: bystanders in the right place at the right time, resuscitation, and a second chance at life. In this episode of The Why Me Podcast, Emily shares the full story of that day from her perspective—what she remembers, what it felt like to wake up after being revived, and how that moment changed the way she sees life, faith, and resilience. But her story doesn’t end there. Years later, Emily faced another devastating “Why me” moment with the unexpected loss of her father—forcing her to once again navigate grief, identity, and meaning in the middle of life-altering change. This conversation explores survival, trauma, grief, and the quiet ways people rebuild after moments that divide life into “before” and “after.” Topics include: * Near-death experience; lightning strike * Grief and loss of a parent * Faith, identity, and resilience through hardship * Making sense of the “Why me?” question A powerful story of survival, loss, and second chances—and what it means to keep going when life changes without warning. News article: https://www.wave3.com/story/17174863/condition-of-teen-struck-by-lightning-improves/ [https://www.wave3.com/story/17174863/condition-of-teen-struck-by-lightning-improves/] Intro/Outro music licensed via Descript