Melissa McCurley, who started Bouncing Back after her own journey with autoimmune disease, sits down with Dr. Linda Bluestein an anesthesiologist specializing in hypermobility disorders and performing arts medicine, and host of the Bendy Bodies podcast. Dr. Bluestein opened her hypermobility clinic in late 2017 and shares how she finally got her own Ehlers-Danlos syndrome diagnosis in 2012, after years of unexplained injuries and symptoms.

Together they break down POTS, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), and MCAS three conditions that so often occur together including why MCAS risk jumps 35-fold in people with hypermobile EDS/HSD and POTS.

🎧 Hosted by: Melissa McCurley

🎤 Featuring:

Linda Bluestein is an anesthesiologist and specialist in hypermobility disorders, integrative pain medicine, and performing arts medicine. As the founder of Hypermobility MD and Bendy Bodies, she provides specialized care for complex conditions like hEDS, POTS, and MCAS. She combines personal experience with clinical expertise, hosts the Bendy Bodies podcast, and serves on committees for the International Consortium on EDS and HSD.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ How joint hypermobility, POTS, and MCAS can quietly explain a lifetime of unexplained injuries and symptoms

✔️ Why an accurate connective tissue disorder diagnosis can take a decade and what finally helped Dr. Bluestein get hers

✔️ The real difference between becoming a "patient" versus a "client" when seeking specialized care across state lines

✔️ What actually defines a POTS diagnosis and why you do not need to faint to have it

✔️ Why MCAS risk jumps 35-fold in people with hypermobile EDS/HSD and POTS

✔️ How to tell the difference between joint hypermobility, tissue fragility, and skin changes as core features of EDS

✔️ Where to find free, doctor-vetted education instead of relying on unmoderated Facebook groups

✔️ How to get informed and take ownership of your health before your next doctor's appointment

📇 Connect with Linda Bluestein:

🌎 Website → https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/

📘 Facebook → https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/

🎙 FOLLOW MELISSA & BOUNCING BACK:

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/groups/bouncingbackpodcast/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/melmccurley/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mccurley/

📺 Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@BouncingBackwithMelissa

📱Pinterest → https://www.pinterest.com/bouncingbackwith

🔖 DON’T FORGET TO LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, AND COMMENT BELOW!

In this episode of the Bouncing Back podcast, host Melissa McCurley sits down with Lauren Freedman—a menopause lifestyle coach, patient advocate, and host of the award-winning Uninvisible Pod.

Together, Melissa and Lauren dive deep into the "perfect storm" of chronic illness, neurodivergence, and perimenopause. They discuss why women are the "canaries in the coal mine" for broken societal systems, how to navigate workplace accommodations without fear, and the exact script you need to advocate for yourself when a doctor dismisses your symptoms. If you're a high-performing professional juggling a chronic condition or approaching perimenopause, this episode is packed with validating insights and actionable tools.

🎧 Hosted by: Melissa McCurley

🎤 Featuring: Lauren Freedman, Chronic Coach

Lauren Freedman (NBC-HWC, CNC, CIHC) is a nationally board-certified health and wellness coach specializing in chronic illness, neurodivergence, burnout, and hormonal transitions. Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Patient Advocacy, she draws on her personal health journey to help clients navigate complex conditions like autoimmune diseases and chronic fatigue. She also hosts the award-winning Uninvisible Pod®.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ Why neurodivergent women often experience perimenopause symptoms earlier and more severely.

✔️ Why the explosion of autoimmune diseases is a physical revolt against systemic stress.

✔️ How to understand your rights under the ADA and navigate workplace accommodations.

✔️ Why you shouldn't wait until you're 45 to establish a health and hormone baseline.

✔️ Exactly what to say to a medical provider who refuses to run the tests you ask for.

📇 Connect with Lauren Freedman:

🌎 Website → https://www.uninvisiblecoaching.com/

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/uninvisiblepod

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/chroniccoachlauren

🎙 FOLLOW MELISSA & BOUNCING BACK:

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/groups/bouncingbackpodcast/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/melmccurley/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mccurley/

📺 Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@BouncingBackwithMelissa

📱Pinterest → https://www.pinterest.com/bouncingbackwith

🔖 DON’T FORGET TO LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, AND COMMENT BELOW!

How do you build a successful, self-made career when your body won't always cooperate?

In this inspiring episode of the Bouncing Back podcast, host Melissa McCurley speaks with Gigi Robinson, a keynote speaker, bestselling author, and the force behind Host of Influence. Diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome at 11 years old, Gigi shares her powerful journey of pivoting from competitive swimming to forging her own path in the creator economy.

Gigi gets incredibly candid about the mindset shifts required to gamify your life, the power of focusing on what you can do, and the importance of unapologetic boundary-setting. She also dives into her podcast, Creator Etiquette, which bridges the professional development gap in the creator economy, and shares why self-advocacy is the ultimate skill you need to navigate corporate America with a chronic illness.

🎧 Hosted by: Melissa McCurley

🎤 Featuring: Gigi Robinson, Keynote Speaker & Creator

Gigi Robinson is a keynote speaker, bestselling author, and creator economy strategist. As the founder of the consulting practice Hosts of Influence, she helps creators and brands turn content into profitable businesses. Drawing from her own experience navigating chronic illness, she frequently speaks on the future of branding, business strategy, and digital wellness.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ How an early EDS diagnosis forced Gigi to pivot to building her own digital empire.

✔️ Why focusing on the "opportunity cost of illness" is a game-changing mindset shift.

✔️ How to unapologetically say "no" to social obligations to protect your physical energy.

✔️ How Gigi translates executive leadership skills for digital creators.

✔️ Why self-advocacy is the ultimate key to inclusive workplaces and remote work.

📇 Connect with Gigi Robinson:

🌐 Website → https://www.gigirobinson.com/

🌐 Website → https://hostsofinfluence.com/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/itsgigirobinson/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/gigirobinson/

Podcast → https://open.spotify.com/show/27IvxvPHrcUies6UnUxgXB

Podcast → https://open.spotify.com/show/0yhBemYdRiVcJqq6r28wqo

🎙 Follow the Bouncing Back Podcast:

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/groups/bouncingbackpodcast/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/melmccurley/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mccurley/

📺 Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@BouncingBackwithMelissa

📱Pinterest → https://www.pinterest.com/bouncingbackwithmelissa/

🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!

💎 Produced by Icons of Real Estate – https://iconsofrealestate.com/

Have you ever wondered if the emotional pain you are carrying is manifesting in your physical body? In this deeply moving episode of the Bouncing Back podcast, host Melissa McCurley sits down with author, speaker, and advocate Tiffaney Childers to discuss the raw reality of living with Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and the devastating impact of suicide loss.

Tiffaney shares her harrowing story of losing both of her parents to suicide within a year of each other, and how burying that emotional trauma for 18 years ultimately triggered a rare, debilitating neurological pain condition following a routine hip surgery. She opens up about the dangers of the opioid epidemic, how she regulates her nervous system to manage level-10 pain without pills, and why she dedicates her life to being a first responder for families affected by suicide. If you are struggling with chronic illness, grief, or invisible pain, this episode will inspire you to stop suffering in silence and make something beautiful out of your darkest moments.

🎧 Hosted by: Melissa McCurley

🎤 Featuring: Tiffaney Childers, Author of The Rise Back

Tiffaney Childers is the founder of Rise Savage and an author, speaker, and advocate focused on resilience after trauma and chronic illness. Living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), she shares a powerful perspective on rebuilding identity, regulating the nervous system, and creating a meaningful life through small, intentional daily practices. Tiffaney is also the author of The Rise Back: Reclaiming Life After Suicide Loss, Pain, and Silence, where she explores healing after profound loss and long-term pain.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ What is CRPS?: Understanding Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome and the agonizing reality of living with invisible nerve pain.

✔️ The Trauma-Illness Connection: How burying emotional trauma and grief can manifest as severe physical illness decades later.

✔️ Surviving the Opioid Epidemic: Why Tiffaney chose to manage her chronic pain holistically instead of relying on heavy narcotics.

✔️ Regulating the Nervous System: Practical, everyday habits (like getting 10,000 steps and journaling) to help calm a pain-induced flare-up.

✔️ Advocating for Suicide Survivors: An inside look at the LOSS Team (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors) and how to support families navigating unimaginable tragedy.

✔️ Finding Joy in the Pain: How to break out of a victim mentality and reclaim your life through gratitude.

📇 Connect with Tiffaney Childers:

🌐 Website → https://risesavage.com/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/tiffaneychilders/

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/tiffaney.childers

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffaneychilders/

📇 Connect with Melissa McCurley:

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/groups/bouncingbackpodcast/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/melmccurley/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mccurley/

📺 Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@BouncingBackwithMelissa

📱Pinterest → https://www.pinterest.com/bouncingbackwithmelissa/

🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!

In this episode of the Bouncing Back Podcast, host Melissa McCurley sits down with Jessper Maquindang, founder of Family Lead Management Consulting and recognized 40 Under 40 honoree. Jessper Maquindang opens up about his personal health journey, recounting the life-changing moment in the eighth grade when he was diagnosed with asthma and told to lower his expectations for his physical abilities. Rejecting that narrative, Jessper Maquindang shares how he built a system of consistency and pacing that eventually allowed him to run a full 26.2-mile marathon.

Jessper Maquindang and Melissa transition this powerful metaphor into the professional world, discussing how high-achievers living with chronic illness or going through difficult seasons of life can advocate for flexibility, pacing, and middle ground in the workplace. Jessper Maquindang also shares his expert strategies for leaders looking to build high-performing teams, explaining why the old models of "command and control" are dead and why compassion is the true driver of long-term employee loyalty and success.

🎧 Hosted by: Melissa McCurley

🎤 Featuring: Jessper Maquindang, Founder of Family Lead Management Consulting

Jessper Maquindang is the founder of FamiLEAD Management Consulting, helping leaders build high-performing teams and strong cultures. He holds an Executive Master’s Degree in Leadership from USC and was recognized with “40 Under Forty” honors. Growing up with asthma, he overcame early limitations to become a marathon and ultra-marathon runner, bringing a unique perspective on resilience and growth.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ Trust Your Training: How Jessper Maquindang used pacing and consistency to go from an asthma diagnosis to running a full marathon.

✔️ The Power of Pacing: Why adjusting your timeline and slowing down is actually the secret to reaching your goals without burning out.

✔️ Advocating for Flexibility: How professionals living with chronic illness can advocate for hybrid or remote work by focusing on the unique talents they bring to the table.

✔️ Building Strong Teams: Why aligning team members on a "big picture" goal is the key to overcoming personality clashes and process disagreements.

✔️ Compassion Over Command: Why modern leadership requires making room for everyone—and how showing compassion builds unbreakable loyalty.

🎙 Connect with Jessper Maquindang:

🌐 Website → https://www.famileadconsulting.com/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/marathon_jessper/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmaquindang

🎙 Follow the Bouncing Back Podcast:

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/groups/bouncingbackpodcast/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/melmccurley/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mccurley/

📺 Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@BouncingBackwithMelissa

📱Pinterest → https://www.pinterest.com/bouncingbackwithmelissa/

🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!

💎 Produced by Icons of Real Estate – https://iconsofrealestate.com/

Are you running out of room in your "coping bank account"? In Part 2 of this incredible conversation on the Bouncing Back podcast, host Melissa McCurley sits down with cancer survivor, speaker, and positive psychology expert Les McGehee. Building on his journey through a life-altering diagnosis, Les dives deep into the science of human thriving and how we can literally rewire our brains for optimism.

Drawing from his certifications at UPenn and Yale, Les breaks down actionable frameworks like the PERMA model, the WOOP method, and why we must balance the exhausting act of "coping" with the intentional art of "savoring." Whether you are navigating a chronic illness or the everyday hurdles of business and life, Les provides the exact mental tools you need to find authentic success and leverage your unique signature strengths.

🎧 Hosted by: Melissa McCurley

🎤 Featuring: Les McGehee, Thought Leader & President of Rialto Academy

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ Savoring vs. Coping: Why you will "go bankrupt on coping" if you don't actively learn how to savor the good moments.

✔️ The PERMA Framework: The 5 pillars of authentic happiness (Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement).

✔️ Rewiring Your Neural Pathways: How the simple "What went well and why?" exercise can transform your daily mindset.

✔️ The WOOP Method: A practical tool (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) to anticipate roadblocks and achieve your goals.

✔️ Active Gratitude: Why spending $5 on someone else triggers the same neural reward as spending it on yourself.

✔️ Signature Strengths: How discovering your top 5 character traits via the VIA Institute can change your life.

📇 Connect with Les McGehee:

🌎 Website → https://rialtoacademy.com/

📘 Book → https://surl.li/wwrvkm

🎙 Follow the Bouncing Back Podcast:

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/groups/bouncingbackpodcast/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/melmccurley/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mccurley/

📺 Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@BouncingBackwithMelissa

📱Pinterest → https://www.pinterest.com/bouncingbackwithmelissa/

🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!
💎 Produced by Icons of Real Estate – https://iconsofrealestate.com/

In this episode of Bouncing Back, host Melissa McCurley sits down with Les McGehee, a speaker, author, coach, and serial entrepreneur whose background in improv comedy and positive psychology took on a whole new meaning when he received a sudden cancer diagnosis just two days before Christmas.

Les opens up about the chaotic and terrifying first eight weeks of his journey, the "horrible blessing" of learning how to accept help, and why he chose to advance rather than retreat when his life was threatened. Together, Melissa and Les explore the profound difference between comedy (a commodity) and humor (a deeply rooted human health condition), and how shared laughter can literally alter our biology, build trust, and foster life-saving resilience.

They also dive into the PERMA model of positive psychology, the historical medical definition of "humors," and how humor can be a light in our darkest, most humbling moments.

🎧 Hosted by: Melissa McCurley

🎙 Guest: Les McGehee

Les McGehee is the President and co-founder of Rialto Academy, a real estate education, coaching, and training organization serving professionals and associations across North America. He has delivered thousands of live and virtual presentations in the U.S. and internationally, authored the leadership book Plays Well With Others, and co-created the original The ONE Thing Trainer Certification Program based on the bestselling book The ONE Thing. Under his leadership, Rialto Academy’s training team was twice named the #1 training organization in the world by Training Magazine.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ How Les processed a life-threatening cancer diagnosis while on a comedy tour

✔️ The “horrible blessing” of learning to ask for and accept help

✔️ Why choosing to “advance” instead of “retreat” changed his cancer journey

✔️ The profound difference between comedy (a commodity) and humor (a human condition)

✔️ How shared laughter builds instant trust, connection, and physical resilience

✔️ The historical medical background of “humors” and positive emotion

✔️ How the PERMA model in positive psychology can help you navigate dark moments

✔️ The story of how Les got his start in comedy (and his first gig opening for Sinbad!)

📇 Connect with Les McGehee:

🌎 Website → https://rialtoacademy.com/

📘 Book → https://surl.li/wwrvkm

🎙 Follow the Bouncing Back Podcast:

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/groups/bouncingbackpodcast/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/melmccurley/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mccurley/

📺 Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@BouncingBackwithMelissa

📱Pinterest → https://www.pinterest.com/bouncingbackwithmelissa/

🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!
💎 Produced by Icons of Real Estate – https://iconsofrealestate.com/

In this episode of Bouncing Back, host Melissa McCurley sits down with Meagan Harold, an integrative mental health and registered health coach who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at just 24.

Meagan opens up about the early symptoms, the long road to diagnosis, and the grief that can follow — not just once, but again and again through flare-ups and life changes. Together, Melissa and Meagan explore what it means to “live in two places at once”: acknowledging the hard reality of chronic illness while still holding onto light, hope, and small choices that restore a sense of agency.

They also dive into the mind–body connection, how stress and emotions can amplify pain, why all-or-nothing thinking makes flare-ups harder, and how Meagan’s “Five Foundations of Thriving” gives people a practical roadmap for managing daily life with more stability and self-trust.

🎧 Hosted by: Melissa McCurley

🎙 Guest: Meagan Harold

Meagan Harold is a certified Integrative Mental Health Coach (via the Nickerson Institute) and a Registered Health Coach with the Health Coach Alliance, dedicated to supporting individuals navigating life with chronic illness. Her own journey through anxiety, depression, OCD, and a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 24 has given her deep empathy and insight into the challenges of chronic pain, shifting identity, and the emotional burden of chronic health conditions.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ Why grief is a major (and ongoing) part of diagnosis

✔️ How to hold space for both pain and hope at the same time

✔️ What “agency” looks like when you’re at your lowest

✔️ How stress and emotions can intensify pain perception

✔️ Why all-or-nothing thinking makes flare-ups harder

✔️ How to build a flare-up toolkit that actually works

✔️ Meagan’s “Five Foundations of Thriving” framework

✔️ What support systems help most — including “incognito” spaces

✔️ Why coaching bridges the gap between advice and real life habits

📇 Connect with Meagan Harold

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577579484511

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/tenaciousmeagan

🌐 Website → https://www.tenaciouswellnesscoach.com/

🎙 Follow the Bouncing Back Podcast:

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/groups/bouncingbackpodcast/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/melmccurley/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mccurley/

📺 Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@BouncingBackwithMelissa

📱Pinterest → https://www.pinterest.com/bouncingbackwithmelissa/
🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!

💎 Produced by Icons of Real Estate – https://iconsofrealestate.com/