Rooted in Community: Art, Disability Justice, and Growing Something Beautiful with Amaranthia Sepia

Running a Small Business as a Covid Long Hauler with Megan Wages

Welcome to S04E08 of A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast! I'd like to share that this will be the first installment of a change to the podcast: shorter episodes! Longer recordings will be chunked into more digestible episodes, for all our spoons. Six years ago, my friend Megan bit into a raw onion to see if she could taste it. She couldn't, and that's how her long covid story starts. She was my second guest on this podcast, and in this segment, she's back to give us an update on how she's feeling and to talk about what it's like to run a small business with your spouse when you get sick. Megan is the co-owner of Fancy Free Nursery [https://www.fancyfreenursery.com/] in Tampa, a first wave long hauler, and we discuss: * Long covid friendships * Perimenopause * GLP-1s (anecdotal! talk with your doctor! don't judge other people! don't compare yourself!) * Running a plant shop and floral nursery during lockdown * How plants saved the shop * Business collabs * Using and running social media when you're your only team * Branching out into silk florals You can find Megan Fancy Free on Insta [https://www.instagram.com/fancyfreenursery/?hl=en] Megan on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@plantedfloralz] A Friend for the Long Haul * A Friend for the Long Haul on Insta [https://www.instagram.com/afriendforthelonghaul/] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@afriendforthelonghaul] * Substack: https://f4lh.substack.com/ [https://f4lh.substack.com/] * The podcast playlist on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3n0GXLFRWqDJyifglNNM4K?si=VisM4zeSSPab1NvkonErcQ] Support this Podcast I'm a disabled lady doing this whole podcast on my own. If you would like to support the podcast, please subscribe and follow, engage with my posts, comment, and share episodes that resonate with you! Those are the biggest ways you can support me and my work. If you'd like to get some of my merch, check out my Bonfire shop! All proceeds are funneled back into the podcast for tech or used for community care and mutual aid. I don't keep the proceeds. I do have an Amazon wishlist [https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1F1EPRRPS71QH?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_C45QED5D0NF2EKHPXWGE] that I add everything I need or randomly like to and you can 100% track my state of mind, hyperfixations, and fears looking at it. --- If you'd like to be a guest on the show or suggest a guest, please use this form [https://forms.gle/HePSjfmHYp7DPCMr5]! Thank you for listening to A Friend for the Long Haul!

Finding the Magic in Surviving: Tarot, Self-Efficacy, and Reclaiming Joy with Megan Hamilton

Welcome to season 4 episode 7 of A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast! What can tarot have to do with rebuilding your sense of self after chronic illness? More than you might think. I sat down with Megan Hamilton, a professional tarot reader, speaking coach, musician, and host of the Embracing Enchantment podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/embracing-enchantment/id1777078567], for a conversation about identity loss, the grief of realizing you can't go back to who you were, and why the safety we thought we had was maybe never quite real to begin with. Megan introduced me to a concept called self-efficacy, which is the idea that keeping the promises you make to yourself, even tiny ones, builds the kind of trust with yourself that actually sticks. We talked about why celebrating a small win is genuinely neurological rewiring, not toxic positivity. And somehow we ended up at a very personal confession about how long I sometimes wait to go to the bathroom. We also got into tarot as a tool for accessing truth you can't reach through thinking alone, why ritual doesn't have to be elaborate to be meaningful, and what it actually looks like to find magic inside a life that's been turned upside down. Megan is one of those people who makes you feel immediately at ease and then quietly rearranges how you see things before you've realized it's happened. This one is for anyone who is learning, slowly and imperfectly, to treat themselves like someone worth taking care of. Find Megan's podcast information at embracingenchantment.com [https://www.embracingenchantment.com/] and follow Embracing Enchantment wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd like to book a reading with Megan, or work with her as a coach, check out https://www.impactwitch.com/ Resources & mentions in this episode:Mundane Magic by Molly Donlan [https://mollydonlan.com/] (Megan mentions "pub day" for this new book. We recorded this a few months ago and I've been delayed in releasing new episodes because of my TBI symptoms.) Self-efficacy: concept introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura Connect with A Friend for the Long Haul:Email: afriendforthelonghaul@gmail.com [afriendforthelonghaul@gmail.com]Long Haul Line: 720-432-9368Substack: f4lh.substack.comMerch: Bonfire shopAmazon storefront And on Instagram at both https://www.instagram.com/impactwitch and https://www.instagram.com/embracingenchantmentpod This show is just me. One AuDHD, queer, disabled lady with multiple chronic illnesses and one very mildly decent mic. I do everything you just watched with no team, no network, and no budget, which is either impressive or unhinged. Possibly both. If this episode meant something to you, I'd appreciate your kind support by sharing it with someone who would also enjoy it. You can also leave a review wherever you're listening, spoons permitting. It genuinely changes what this little show can do. There's also merch and a chaotic Amazon wishlist that help loads if you want to support that way. Okay. That's it. Low budget, high love, always. I'll see you next time.Connect with Beth:Email: afriendforthelonghaul@gmail.comLong Haul Line: 720-432-9368Substack: f4lh.substack.com [ f4lh.substack.com]Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/a-friend-for-the-long-haul/ [https://www.bonfire.com/store/a-friend-for-the-long-haul/]My Amazon Wishlist [https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1F1EPRRPS71QH?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_JBK6W6T5XCD1HQN6EB7S]Venmo: @afriend4thelonghaul

Rooted in Community: Art, Disability Justice, and Growing Something Beautiful with Amaranthia Sepia

Welcome to season 4, episode 6 of A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast! One of my very favorite people is back on the pod: Amaranthia Sepia, co-founder of Sista Creatives Rising [https://www.sistacreativesrising.com/], commissioned seed packet artist for Sista Seeds, and now digital media manager for the disability and design podcast Down to the Struts. Amaranthia is a 26-year-old Black, disabled, neurodivergent artist and organizer based in New Hampshire, and in this conversation we get to really dig into her story, not only as a creative behind Sista Creatives Rising, but as an artist whose work is rooted in her family's gardening history, her love of Black women and the land, and her own hard-won journey toward self-preservation and community. We talk about her stunning seed packet illustrations for Sistah Seeds [https://sistahseeds.com/], founded by Amirah Mitchell. From the website: "In 2021, Amirah founded Sistah Seeds to connect black and brown growers to our culturally-important seeds. Sistah Seeds is one of a small but growing number of black-owned seed businesses in the U.S., changing the landscape of the seed industry. Together, we are part of a multi-ethnic, multi-national movement of farmers and seed-keepers, working to preserve our heritage and create a strong agricultural future for our communities." We also talk about hydroponics, healing, and how growing food for her mom during a health crisis sparked something lasting. We talk about Amaranthia's new role at Down to the Struts [https://www.downtothestruts.com/], how an unexpected $3,000 Social Security notice lit a fire under her to pursue additional work, and why remote, disability-justice-rooted employment is the difference between thriving and burning out. We also discuss what it's meant to find a vibrant disabled community online after years of navigating bullying, racism, misogynoir, and ableism...including the assumption that being homebound automatically means your life is sad and small. (Spoiler: it absolutely does not.) We also talk about Lilette, the tiny blue masking frog who has become the mascot of Sista Creatives Rising and might just end up in a children's book. No promises. But also maybe. Links mentioned in this episode: * Sistah Creatives Rising: sistahcreativesrising.com [https://www.sistacreativesrising.com/] * Sista Seeds: sistahseeds.com [https://sistahseeds.com/] * Down to the Struts (podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/down-to-the-struts/id1534151379]on disability & design): downtothestruts.com [https://www.downtothestruts.com/] * Sista Creatives Rising on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sistacreativesrising/](for Lilette [https://linktr.ee/sistasuprisingfund?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=072788e6-be98-421a-9561-497b4afdc7ec&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnLaV-oMRWLZmw5yYlgOlFLpMusT5HnYiP9ImJc8oVmhltNHkLGAbEzRBJtmY_aem_ajGD2nRrbhPxumlcaqlung]merch & links) * The Sistas Uprising Fund micro grants [https://www.sistacreativesrising.com/the-sistas-uprising-fund] Mentioned or featured in this episode: * Katrina Dreamer [https://www.instagram.com/katrinadreamer/] (my pacing buddy, ep. 1, season 2 & season 3) * Lissy Donovan [https://www.instagram.com/lissy.donovan/] (long hauler and business owner, ep. 9, season 3) 📞 The Long Haul Line: 720-432-9368! Call or text to share a story, suggest a guest, or just say hi! 📧 Email: afriendforthelonghaul@gmail.com 📬 Substack: f4lh.substack.com [https://f4lh.substack.com/] I'm also on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/afriendforthelonghaul/]. A Friend for the Long Haul is a low budget/high love production made by a disabled one-woman operation. If it means something to you, share it with someone whose earballs need it. Thank you! You can support this podcast by checking out: * My online shop [https://www.bonfire.com/store/a-friend-for-the-long-haul/] full of long covid merch (tees, bags, etc) * Sending me something useful from my Amazon gift list [https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1F1EPRRPS71QH?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_VPQJNKZ6C0BEBXD8W223] * Sharing episodes, reels, and my unhinged memes Thank you!

A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast: Strangely Optimistic, A Long Covid Film by Nina Storey

Hi! This bonus episode of A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast was recorded in the spur of the moment on our phones, so it's nowhere near studio quality! I literally called Nina to see if she was free, and she was in a parking lot with Bubsie in the backseat. --- What if dark humor and salt could help shine a light on the often invisible world of Long Covid, chronic illness, and disability? Nina Storey, a long hauler who is a singer, songwriter, and comedy writer, decided to create a short film capturing the unpredictable reality of living with Long Covid. Despite the struggles and a very tight deadline, Nina's film, Strangely Optimistic, is a powerful testament to finding joy amid chaos, and it was all crafted in just five days for the 13th Annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. In this bonus episode of A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast, Nina shares the story behind her dramedy and how her personal experience with Long Covid motivated her to push for greater awareness through storytelling. We discuss how she balanced creative vision with her physical health, why representation in media for invisible illnesses matters, and the key role humor plays in survival and advocacy. We speak of the strength of those of us living with chronic illness and disability, the power of community support, and the importance of authentic, unfiltered stories in changing perceptions. This isn’t just about Strangely Optimistic, it's about reminding us all that even in our darkest moments, humor and authenticity can pave the way for connection and understanding. If you’re living with chronic illness, caring for someone who is, or simply want to learn how storytelling can be a form of advocacy, this conversation offers inspiration and practical insight. Nina’s journey shows us that visibility is also about giving voice to the unspoken and challenging the stereotypes. And the occasional fart joke doesn't hurt.Find Nina’s film at https://www.strangelyoptimisticmovie.com [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbm5HX1lFNG1kZzRONVQwaFNQUWI0TnludUtfQXxBQ3Jtc0trRExsUVc2WU5lU2lETGtOWkx6UkxXd2NxZU12VUpRWXpxbU9yMWJhNVp4RlZlX0RmY092cjRVVUR1S01LTm5DMUxyS3pXRmxoNlhjNjdXS2xGMnlNUi1scTZoNkY3OHpFQlBaeXg0NldPZWR6cldxNA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.strangelyoptimisticmovie.com%2F&v=7mA2MghkNZE] or on the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge YouTube channel here:    • Strangely Optimistic - 2026 Easterseals Di...   [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaVmJvW16ok] Please engage with the video on the Easterseals channel - there are prizes for several different winning categories! Likes, comments, and shares of the YouTube video of Strangely Optimistic all contribute. Thank you! Oh, and if you watch the video and spot Nina's homage to me, comment on it and tag me! :) How to Support the Awareness Campaign: From April 4–13, the public can support the film’s mission by watching, liking, and commenting on the official Easterseals YouTube and Facebook posts. These engagement metrics directly contribute to the "Best Awareness Campaign" award, elevating the conversation around Long COVID on a global stage. Thank you so much! And thanks for listening to and supporting A Friend for the Long Haul! Also mentioned in this episode: Dr. Wes Ely's Reverse Long Covid Trial: https://www.reversinglongcovid.org/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGE0U2ZRWHc1VmxzQ0ltdy1TVnhkUVlYMXRjQXxBQ3Jtc0ttdElXVTg1X0V1SV9GT1hzVGVYUWtCRmlZeDhieHE5dHhvQm81bWtQdWJLZFRyUWpPaTVZTHNoQVNua3l6eVFodVAwR2NfdWVVVFdvZTBHT3d4QkZsNzJSOUo5UXlFLUxDQkNfNzZyT2lJZWZRM1gxVQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reversinglongcovid.org%2F&v=7mA2MghkNZE] Beth's "Rest is Medicine" shirt is by Dr. Julia Moore Vogel, and you can see her craftiness on her Instagram account:   / pineapple_sewing   [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbVFYZUxMY0czTTVUbXFPcjVSdXpJU1hBV2lMd3xBQ3Jtc0tuZHlnb2h5SmdlSkRadlNUdkNRdmlXTEdQN3JKRURnNWhjZG5maWpEVzFWTkp6UXJCYm8zbmxIWG5ZWmNxUlNMMmRKaUhFQ2RZcVFMdjAwMzF1TjRmYnpLLXFvUy0wczZaNUd1bnpiYlp1eHVzR2xrWQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fpineapple_sewing&v=7mA2MghkNZE] If you'd like to support A Friend for the Long Haul, you can do so by: Subscribing to this YouTube channel! Following on Instagram:   / afriendforthelonghaul  [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWhibGpDelB0cUwzeEE5LUVuNmVsdk9oekZ5d3xBQ3Jtc0tsRDQ3aFJPbDhWSWZPbWU0QlE2Zk04b2JCU01rM0hMa1pzVVdMTjdQcTlRYmhxRFFHZktlTnNuMEs2NERQRGg3c3FZbVFXUGZZMDZoVWgwS08tdHg2ZXh0Vmc4REhJMlJWREdKejRGdExJQ21hLXdsWQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fafriendforthelonghaul%2F&v=7mA2MghkNZE] Substack: https://f4lh.substack.com/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2JvZ3BpS0FnLUtna1ZReWtlTDhVU3NWNWlzZ3xBQ3Jtc0tsUzJGVHhFSXpnTUtIc3kxZVRtalg0MVdWWVF3SC1UN0ZpZVJ2dXp1aTB5RWZ3WEJlZkVDUDduSF8zRDVoLXBTWkdfdWgwYklpN1NxVnBkWG83THpMYUlmVWFGWmVONlhsNlRReW80RjBNVU94TlVEcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Ff4lh.substack.com%2F&v=7mA2MghkNZE] TikTok:   / afriendforthelonghaul   [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa3QwakdfOUIyYzYxOHdRLU9vZTBkN2d0Y3N3d3xBQ3Jtc0treHhRVDBJTm4wYW5McmIzVEpBblZ4Y3A5ZDdFVVVYd0M5d09OS0VBaVpJYTJLRC1ndUd0ZFA1LS00dTVNa2VmVEREckFxYkVKalQzMzZfclJ2Ny1PcTJXZVZ1VnZid2NOOTJlRU5FcS1LSzdqR0dScw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40afriendforthelonghaul&v=7mA2MghkNZE] Send me something helpful from my Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnJpZS1IU2dlVmprMDlMR2NnX3dJZVYyUUc4UXxBQ3Jtc0tsa0h0Q05ER1FIbHVtblBLaVVqZlA3QjVwVzNWVHdEeml4X0s4WnhFc2N3dlJrSHJGTTVsd09yNDk4OWRSdC1VQ2l1cFp6UnNLNFNGa3FsRWhaSXppOVBya0pVTV9ndk5PYzFxNEVvaTlWenBxdW1ERQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fregistries%2Fgl%2Fguest-view%2F1F1EPRRPS71QH%3Fref_%3Dcm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_YZHDK586WY9J2RX2TPWF&v=7mA2MghkNZE] Buy your everyday goods through my Amazon Storefront: https://a.co/d/05Dr2htO [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbjVmeXQ5bTZBZS02SE02dmxUWkVvVDdrWkVEZ3xBQ3Jtc0tuSWJnQWJtbnhaY1JNOUY2LVRkN0Nybjdzb1RlU3NFcFFjZXRodkRaR1VubVd6U0hNLWRjUkowT3FsQklBZjBJMnJiYXJGVjVSTzVpVDRJeXhTdzlHanBfNjl1VUhuOUozUEVxd3hnS0ROa3VidEktRQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fa.co%2Fd%2F05Dr2htO&v=7mA2MghkNZE] Like and share when an episode moves you! Thanks so much! I am a one-woman disabled by LC team!

Long Covid, Mental Health, and Finding a Therapist Who Gets It: A Conversation with Olivia Belknap

Welcome back to A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast! I have wanted to have Olivia Belknap on this podcast for a long time, and I'm so glad we finally made it happen! Even though I was terribly late and embarrassed lol - Olivia was so kind and gracious! Olivia is a marriage and family therapist in California working with neurodivergent, chronically ill, COVID-conscious, and queer folks...basically all our favorite people. She's also a long hauler herself, which means this conversation is honest, specific, and zero percent "have you tried going outside more?" We talk about what it actually means to find a therapist who understands long COVID and chronic illness, and what it costs your nervous system just to get through a single day. We talk about why the therapeutic relationship matters more than any modality, more than EMDR, more than IFS, and why compartmentalizing your COVID consciousness in a session that's supposed to feel safe defeats the whole purpose. We also get into the messier stuff: the overlap of neurodivergence and chronic illness, interoception and why so many of us are simultaneously dissociated and hyperaware, the boom and bust burnout cycle, complex pandemic trauma, and the very specific exhaustion of being a chronically ill therapist who conducts sessions from the couch during a POTS flare while helping other people regulate their nervous systems. Olivia is also doing really important work to educate other clinicians because she doesn't think you should have to spend your session time teaching your therapist what long COVID is. That is not what you're there for. Topics covered: * COVID-informed and COVID-conscious therapy * Long COVID and mental health * Finding a therapist who understands chronic illness and disability * The overlap of neurodivergence and long COVID * Interoception, alexithymia, and body disconnection * Complex pandemic trauma and ongoing relational trauma * Pacing, burnout, and nervous system regulation for chronically ill people * Dynamic disability and how symptoms present in therapy * Barriers to accessing therapy as a chronically ill person * EMDR, IFS, and trauma-informed care for long haulers * The COVID-conscious therapist directory * POTS, MCAS, ME/CFS, and neurodivergent-affirming care Mentioned in this episode: * Olivia Belknap: @oliviabelknaptherapy on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oliviabelknaptherapy/]| oliviabelknaptherapy.com [https://www.oliviabelknaptherapy.com/] * Beyond Fatigue and Brain Fog: Help for Today's Cognitive and Health Issues [https://tcsppofficeofce.com/product/beyond-fatigue-and-brain-fog-how-mental-health-therapists-can-support-clients-with-cognitive-and-health-issues/]: presentation through the Chicago School of Psychology with Olivia Belknap, Erin Batali [https://www.erinbatali.com/], and Kate McNulty [https://autistictherapist.com/about] * The COVID-Conscious Therapist Directory * Disability Visibility [https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/about/]by Alice Wong * Internal Family Systems (IFS) | EMDR 📞 The Long Haul Line: 720-432-9368 - You can leave a message or text this number anytime - leaving questions, messages, or guest suggestions📧 Email: afriendforthelonghaul@gmail.com [afriendforthelonghaul@gmail.com]📬 Substack: f4lh.substack.com [https://f4lh.substack.com/] A Friend for the Long Haul is a low budget/high love production made by a disabled woman. If it means something to you, share it with someone whose earballs need it. If you'd like to help me keep the podcast going, you can: * get your Amazon staples through my Storefront [https://www.amazon.com/shop/afriendforthelonghaul] * grab me something I could use from my Amazon Wish List [https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1F1EPRRPS71QH?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_EBBSPMEQWDYS79XQ28ZF] * Purchase some long covid gear through my online store [https://www.bonfire.com/store/a-friend-for-the-long-haul/?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=store_page_share&utm_campaign=a-friend-for-the-long-haul&utm_content=default], where I sell tshirts, mugs, bags, etc * Check out my long covid stickers [afriend4thelh.redbubble.com] for sale