Ep. 10- Alisha Barnard & the Ehlers-Danlos gap.

This episode closes out the first season of the gap cast with a deeply personal conversation between Jim Barnard and his wife, Alisha. They reflect on 20 years of marriage, Alisha’s chronic illness journey with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and how faith, humor, and honesty have shaped their family story.

In this episode, Jim and Alisha talk openly about vulnerability, neurodiversity in parenting, and what it means to live with constant expectation gaps while still choosing joy and trust. It’s equal parts testimony, marriage conversation, and practical encouragement for anyone navigating hard things.

Key topics

• Alisha explains her chronic illness in her own words, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, severe gastric issues, and the long road through diagnosis and treatment.
• The conversation covers the pain and awkwardness of “poop school,” biofeedback, and the emotional cost of living with a body that does not function normally.
• Jim and Alisha discuss how suffering has deepened their faith, making Jim less of a “nice Christian” and more of a desperate one who depends on Jesus.
• They name one of the hardest expectation gaps as the fear of being a burden to the people she loves, especially Jim and Anderson.

Timestamps

01:55 - Welcome to the Gap Cast and introducing Alisha as the guest

04:16 - Processing the Anderson episode (ep.1) and choosing authenticity

07:33 - Saying yes to tiller, nonprofit work, and faith-led risk

11:53 - Twenty years of marriage and why they still choose each other

16:44 - Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and the realities of gastric breakdown

20:26 - Mayo Clinic, diagnosis, and the road to answers

25:39 - Seventeen years of liquid diet life

27:54 - Wrestling with healing, suffering, and John 9

34:34 - Moving from a “nice Christian” to a desperate one

37:53 - The hardest expectation gap: feeling like a burden

43:17 - Carrying burdens like a Sherpa and casting anxiety on Christ

49:50 - Palliative care, meaning, and finding beauty in hardship

53:55 - Humor as survival, including dark jokes and perspective

56:34 - Launching into the “oldlywed game”

73:56 - How to pray for Alisha and what she wants people to know

76:09 - Closing the season, audience support, and what comes next

Notable quotes

“The power of God can be on display through you and through us, through our story.”

“I’m not in control, and it’s okay to not be in control.”

Resources & Links:

• tiller coaching.
• tiller instagram
• tiller youtube
• tiller substack