The Head Start: Embracing the Journey

Most of us have probably heard “Suck it up!” or “Get over it!” at some point. But when you’re living with Chronic Migraine, these phrases are far from helpful. In this episode, Nora talks to Air Force veteran Ivan Perry who is pushing back on a culture that measures strength by silence and a lack of struggle. He channels the resilience he developed while living with Chronic Migraine by founding Operation Aspire Group, guiding companies to build and create more inclusive environments. Ivan emphasizes the importance of recognizing diverse experiences and meeting people where they are in their journey. Click here for Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://bit.ly/3BlbaHG.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pressures of hustle culture can be nonstop. In this episode, Nora and guest, Lauren Browning, get vulnerable about navigating Chronic Migraine in the unforgiving and unrelenting world of entrepreneurship. Building a working environment that fits her life, Lauren shares what drove her to create the sustainable swimwear brand, Ricki Beach Club. She talks about bringing your authentic self to your work, even on the most challenging days, and managing her Chronic Migraine from the drawing board to the boardroom.   Click here for Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://bit.ly/3BlbaHG.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nora McInerny returns with all-new conversations exploring personal stories of people living with Chronic Migraine. If you’re new to the series, there are eight episodes of our first season worth binging. Let’s learn a little more about Chronic Migraine together.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Head Start: Embracing the Journey, Nora explores the impact and importance of storytelling and advocacy in people's lives and how it can help people feel seen and heard. She speaks with Paula Dumas about how her advocacy work in the migraine community is about more than just changing perception and policy. It's about connecting people living with migraine worldwide through their shared experiences. Being the producer and co-host of the Migraine World Summit and a former board member of the American Migraine Foundation, Paula has been able to see how sharing her own story has created a space to connect with hundreds of other people living with this disease. Nora shares how her own journey of storytelling as a writer and host has opened her eyes and changed her perspective on the importance of her work, and she learns from Paula the best ways to support someone living with Chronic Migraine.   Click here for Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://bit.ly/3BlbaHG.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Head Start: Embracing the Journey, Nora explores what a support network can look like and how to shape one that feels right to you. She has been connecting with people for years by sharing her personal journey to find support. Nora takes a look at the different types of support - interpersonal, creative, and even the more traditional medical support - and what that looks like for someone living with Chronic Migraine. She speaks with guest Meg Donnelly, a cinematographer working on the set of TV shows and movies, about how she has found a treatment plan and support network that works for her.   Click here for Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://bit.ly/3BlbaHG.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Head Start: Embracing the Journey, Nora dives into the ever-blurring lines between work and life. Nora has made a career of sharing moments from her life to connect with others. That makes it nearly impossible to have any sort of separation between her work and life. She speaks with guest Winnielyn Bautista about how she tries to find and set boundaries between her career and personal goals amid the constant threat of a migraine attack. Winnielyn shares her thoughts on how to navigate difficult conversations with bosses and co-workers, especially when you might not feel comfortable sharing personal details - a situation those living with Chronic Migraine know all too well.   Click here for Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://bit.ly/3BlbaHGSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Head Start: Embracing the Journey, Nora explores how modern-day parenting is made even more difficult for those living with Chronic Migraine, including guest Marina Medved-Lentini. Marina is the founder of the online community Parenting With Migraine, which creates content trying to educate, support and help parents who are already overloaded with information and pressures on how best to parent their kids. Nora and Marina take a closer look at the realities of being a “gentle parent” and what that may mean for those parents living with Chronic Migraine.   Click here for Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://bit.ly/3BlbaHG.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Head Start: Embracing the Journey, Nora tackles the idea of having a creative outlet to express your struggles which, as her experience shows, may not be as straightforward as expected. Nora is joined by artist Priya Rama who uses her art as a way to show what she is feeling during her migraine attacks. This has not only become an outlet for Priya to communicate her experience but also a way for other people to better understand the experience of someone living with Chronic Migraine. Nora and Priya dive into how creative outlets can be a necessity for some people with Chronic Migraine and how finding those outlets must be an organic journey.   Click here for Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://bit.ly/3BlbaHG.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Head Start: Embracing the Journey, Nora chats with Alicia Wolf, aka The Dizzy Cook, on how she has been able to use food as a way to help manage her migraine triggers. Some people have foods that can be triggers for headaches or even migraine attacks. Alicia Wolf is a cook, recipe developer, and cookbook author who has pushed through her own condition to find that healthier eating has helped. Rethinking the food you eat doesn’t need to include an all-consuming diet plan; that doesn’t work. Nora and Alicia discuss some realistic eating habit changes that can be easily worked into even the busiest schedule. Click here for Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://bit.ly/3BlbaHGSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Head Start: Embracing the Journey, Nora speaks with Qasim Amin Nathari about the stigma around men seeking help for physical andmental health issues, in particular men of color. Qasim is an author, scholar with Chronic Migraine and advocate for Black male representation within the migraine community. He openly shares his struggle balancing migraine attack triggers as he maintains a busy life, often flying to his speaking engagements throughout the country. Through this eye-opening conversation, Nora gets a new perspective on the migraine attacks she saw her dad endure and how she can be a better ally to people with Chronic Migraine around her.   Click here for Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://bit.ly/3BlbaHG.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the first episode of The Head Start: Embracing the Journey, Nora McInerny gets to talk to living legend Kristin Chenoweth about the pressure and power of living in the public eye. There is a push and pull between the nerves or fear of being judged and the addicting adrenaline rush of performing in front of a community of people that seems to understand you. Kristin and Nora share their stories of struggling with the pressure to work through their vulnerabilities in a public forum and how much harder Kristin’s journey has been because of battling Chronic Migraine. She’s had to literally lean on her co-stars for support, cancel gigs, and has even gotten sick on stage. But through all of that, she really just wants to help others find their inner strength and lean into a community that understands. Click here for Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://bit.ly/3BlbaHGSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nora McInerny hosts The Head Start: Embracing the Journey, a new podcast from iHeartRadio and AbbVie, a space to share open and honest conversations acknowledging the struggles we all face, while leaning into the hope and optimism we all share. We’ll hear from doctors, experts, and everyday people who will be sharing their experiences, migraine coping strategies, and major wins, all while building a community of support around an invisible disease that makes every day uncertain: Chronic Migraine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.