Patients Getting Paid: Recent Episodes
Kathy Reagan Young
A podcast to help people with chronic illness build a "chronicpreneuer" business - that’s an online business that allows people with chronic illness to take good care of their health while generating an income. The pod features inspirational interviews with patients that ARE getting paid, experts on things like maintaining your disability payments while making money and how to find health insurance while self employed, and trainings by subject matter experts on diverse topics such as how to build a website, all about e-commerce and affiliate marketing, building your social media presence, patient advocacy, and how to start a podcast. If it fits the chronicpreneur lifestyle, we'll be talking about it.
On the wall of Health Union's offices in Philadelphia is written CEO Olivier Chateau's favorite saying - "If you believe your dreams are achievable, they are too small. Dream bigger." No one could accuse Olivier of doing anything else!
Since founding Health Union in 2010, Olivier has been dedicated to integrating the power of human connection and technology, bringing people together in the shared experiences of living with chronic health conditions. Olivier and Health Union believe that the voice of personal experience from people impacted by a complex health condition is the most important voice in healthcare. Today, the Health Union family of brands includes online health communities for over 40 separate conditions.
Olivier's passion and enthusiasm for Health Union is contagious, inspiring the team to think bigger, be creative, and to constantly do what hasn't been done. In this interview, he talks about the ways that patients can advocate for themselves and have a real impact on the healthcare industry through Health Union's communities, all while getting paid!
In this episode:
- Health Union's mission and where it came from
- The roles that patient leaders play in Health Union's online health communities - and, what constitutes a "health leader"
- Olivier's definition of "Social Health" and why it's such an important concept for patients and the healthcare industry to understand
- What Olivier thinks the healthcare industry can do to better integrate the patient voice
- Health Union's future plans
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/paid-experience-health-union
Kathy visits with a PGP member to get their take on what has been most valuable about the PGP membership for their business.
This time she catches up with Kathy Chester, who was previously heard on Episode 16 (Making Your Passion Your Chronicpreneur Business). A valued member of the PGP community, Kathy C. says that the coaching sessions inside the membership can "breathe life back into you".
If you've been debating whether to join the PGP Community, visit PatientsGettingPaid.com for more information, but don't forget that there's a price increase right around the corner!
In this episode:
- A quick recap of how Kathy's career as a physical trainer was derailed by her double diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
- How she first heard about PGP
- The things that she has gained through being a member of PGP
- Details of how people with MS can take part in Kathy's upcoming fitness seminar
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/kathy-chester-membership-testimonial
If you're thinking about creating a new career that can be done remotely, a great option is being a Virtual Assistant (VA). It's certainly something that I've wanted to share with PGP'ers for a long time because it can fit into the chronicpreneur lifestyle perfectly.
But what is a VA, and what kind of things do they do?
To answer that and many other questions, my guest today is Tawnya Sutherland, one of the pioneers of the VA industry. Tawnya was working as a VA when she wanted to join a social network to support her work-at-home business. When she couldn't find one, she set up a forum of her own and invited a couple of friends to hang out there to socialize and talk shop (VA shop that is). In 2003 Tawnya founded VAnetworking, the largest and most active Virtual Assistant network today, with thousands of members worldwide.
If you've ever considered working as a VA, this episode contains a ton of information, including the full range of support that VAs can offer. Most interestingly, the riches are in the niches - so if you can offer more specialized skills (for example, in social media) you can get paid more!
Tawnya also talks about her FREE Virtual Assistant Summit and the upcoming course that she'll be holding exclusively within the PGP community. So if you haven't joined the membership yet, now's the time!
In this episode:
- How Tawnya began working as a Virtual Assistant
- The benefits that Tawnya sees in working freelance as a VA over being an employed 'secretary' - for the Virtual Assistant AND the employer
- The different roles that a VA can undertake
- Why Tawnya set up her VA membership and training course in 2003
- The importance of having an online presence
- Details of Tawnya's Virtual Assistant Summit, and the forthcoming workshop she'll be holding within the PGP Community
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/virtual-assistant-tawnya-sutherland
If you know me or have been following these episodes, you'll know that tech is… not my favorite thing, shall we say. But if you're embarking on a chronicpreneur journey, especially one that includes working remotely, you will need to grapple with tech at some point. And believe me, if I can do it, so can you!
I could not be more thrilled that Jackie Zimmerman, Queen of Getting Shit Done and previous podcast guest, is going to be working alongside me on Patients Getting Paid! And in these special Tech Talk episodes, we're going to be taking a deep dive into all the different technological bits and pieces that you're going to want to think about as you begin your life as a chronicpreneur.
Jackie received not one but two chronic illness diagnoses in her 20s (Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and turned to the internet as a way to cope and build a support system. Through the process of blogging and developing communities, Jackie honed her skills in digital communications by learning to design websites, create brand recognition and build online courses. She has now turned those into a full-time career in her digital marketing company Queen of GSD.
In this first Tech Talk episode, we're covering different pieces of software that can manage your schedule. You might say that you already have a calendar, but programs like the two we focus on here - Calendly and Acuity - can do so much more, including taking payments!
Don't forget, Jackie is now working alongside me on the Patients Getting Paid Community. So if you join up you'll be able to get her input on schedulers or any of the things we're going to be covering in the Tech Talk podcasts. Visit PatientsGettingPaid.com for more information, but don't forget that there's a price increase right around the corner!
In this episode:
- Why Jackie believes that scheduling software is a key thing to get organized right from the start of your chronicpreneur journey
- My own experiences of using Calendly to organize my two podcasts, my advocacy work, and the PGP community
- An overview of the various things that these programs can do for you, aside from managing your calendar
- A comparison of Calendly and Acuity, two of the major players in this game
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/tech-talk-scheduling-software
I can hardly believe it, but today's episode marks the first anniversary of the launch of Patients Getting Paid!
This community has long been a dream of mine - I've spent years learning how to find work that replaces a regular paycheck, but fits around my health condition. And once I found it, I knew I had to share it with my chronic illness community!
In this episode, I talk about my own chronicpreneur story and the birth of PGP, before we hear from a handful of people from within PGP about what they've loved about being part of the community.
Thank you for being a part of the Patients Getting Paid story so far. And if you're sitting on the fence about becoming a full member, check out what people currently inside the community are saying. And bear in mind that there's a price rise on the horizon! Now really is the best time to invest in yourself and begin living the chronicpreneur dream of work that fits around your health needs and that PAYS.
In this episode:
- How Kathy's first steps to a chronicpreneur lifestyle grew out of monetizing her blog
- What led to her decision to leave full-time work
- How Patients Getting Paid was born the moment she realized that she was making more money than when she was employed by someone else
- An overview of the different aspects that make up the PGP Community
- Messages from a number of PGP Community members
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/patients-getting-paid-first-anniversary
My aim in these podcasts and the PGP Community is to expand the minds of people with chronic illnesses about the kinds of paid work that are available. All of this took me years to learn, so I'm here to save you the time. It isn't solely for people that need to make the leap right now, but some of the things we talk about could lead you to an interesting side gig or a whole new direction.
Well, my guest today will blow your minds with her proven ideas of how your side gig could replace your regular income - and more!
Elena Saris is a semi-retired criminal defense attorney, a former stand-up comic, and a 7-Figure E-commerce seller. She walked away from a career she once loved to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams of personal and financial freedom. She is a sought-after speaker on how to break into the online business world based on her unique career path, her online success, and her incomparable ability to entertain while educating. She is the co-founder of the Create Profits Online Mastermind, an active community of online sellers who are starting and growing their own online businesses with 7- and 8-figure mentors showing them the way.
Elena shares so many nuggets in this interview, which is why we went long. But if you can believe it, she has EVEN more tips to share. So she is holding a LIVE workshop within the Patients Getting Paid Community - make sure you join today to avoid the price increase!
In this episode:
- Elena's work history and how she got started in online business
- The message that helped her make the leap - "It's called Chapter Two, and you're allowed"
- The three key elements of Print On Demand (POD), with Shopify, Amazon, Etsy and more
- Information about Elena's books
- Learn more about the Create Profits Online Mastermind community
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/online-selling-7-figures
There's a definite hierarchy of needs when it comes to creating your chronicpreneur lifestyle. First, you want to find a way to work that fits around your health condition. Secondly, you want to get PAID. That's why you're here, right?
As we've seen in the past, a lot of chronicpreneurs end up working in ways that can ultimately make life better for other people living with chronic illnesses.
Well, my guests today do all of those things. And on top of all that, they offer workshops through their business that can help individuals, groups and corporations learn about, communicate with, and be more accessible to people with disabilities.
Lainie Ishbia and Estela Lugo are friends, business partners - and chronicpreneurs. Using their own experiences of living with chronic illnesses, they created the EmBRACE It podcast and workshop series to empower people with disabilities and chronic conditions to look and feel their best and ultimately live their best lives.
Lainie and Estela are helping individuals living with physical challenges to improve their quality of life, while cultivating a true chronicpreneur business and lifestyle. You're gonna love meeting them!
In this episode:
- Lainie and Estela's diagnosis stories
- The work they did previously, how they transitioned to become chronicpreneurs, and the work that they do now
- The kind of workshops that Lainie and Estela offer to companies
- Information about their upcoming Disability Badass Academy
- Lainie and Estela's tips and tricks for any budding chronicpreneurs
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/paid-chronic-experience-workshop
Over the course of these podcasts - and within the PGP community - the topic of Patient Advocacy and how to get paid for sharing your patient experience comes up repeatedly. People can be a little shy in naming their price - I know I certainly was!
But now I say that you should not be shy about charging what your time and experiences are worth. Patient advocates have valuable skills and information in how they live their lives. And people will pay for it!
I'm pleased to say that today's guest agrees with me. Jenna Green is a patient advocate, content creator, consultant, and speaker living with Multiple Sclerosis, Dystonia, and IBS as well as depression and anxiety. As you'll learn, Jenna is an overachiever in all areas of her life!
Since her MS diagnosis in 2016, she has used her 20 years of experience in marketing, and a decade of self-employment to help bring awareness, support, education, and community to those who live with invisible illnesses, chronic pain, and fatigue. She’s dedicated to helping disabled and chronically ill people live their best lives and also works with companies that want to engage with the community.
At various times over the years, Jenna has had to rethink how she wants to define success or what her idea of a good life looks like. In our chat, she has a ton of advice on how to shift your career or side hustle into a new stage.
In this episode:
- The story of Jenna's pre-diagnosis career and how her numerous chronic illnesses changed her working life
- How the term 'passive income' doesn't reflect how much work it takes!
- Why working for herself with numerous chronic illnesses forced Jenna to redefine what success looked like to her
- The reasons why undercharging for patient advocacy work can harm the whole community
- Details of a very generous discount for the PGP community on Jenna's Business Brainstorming Planner
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/patient-advocacy-paid-work
Being diagnosed with a chronic illness is hard at any age. But my guest today was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 15!
Following her diagnosis, Melody Sapien has been managing her symptoms through nutrition and lifestyle practices. She now views it as her life's mission to teach others how to do the same, becoming a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner in 2019 and a Wahls Protocol Health Professional in 2021. Today, she works with clients to help them create a formula for vitality that is sustainable for a lifetime.
Listen in to find out how the pandemic was the kick-start that Melody needed for her business, how she uses social media to find all of her clients, and how she is able to work in a way that supports her health.
As we say in this interview, entrepreneur life can be a rollercoaster, with or without a chronic health condition. Get support by becoming a part of the Patients Getting Paid community.
In this episode:
- The story of Melody's diagnosis at the age of 15, and why she felt relief when her symptoms were given a name
- Why Melody chose to manage her condition with nutrition and lifestyle, and how she was able to turn this into her chronicpreneur business
- How Melody uses social media to grow her business, and how she works with her clients
- Melody's novel workaround for getting full health insurance coverage
- Why she recommends getting a legal structure in place from the start
- Where you can find Melody
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/nutrition-lifestyle-wellness-business
The medical establishment has finally realized that if you want to know how patients feel about their lives, you need to speak to them! And they recognize that our patient experience is VALUABLE, so they're willing to pay for our time.
But it can feel like you're only there to share your complaints and problems. And you are more than your health condition!
My guests today work at Merakoi, an agency that enables healthcare companies to collaborate with patient experts and their communities across multiple diseases and geographies.
For me, the key word in that description is collaborate.
Merakoi recognizes that patient advocates are highly skilled professionals with lived disease experience. So by getting to know their community, Merakoi ensures patients are enabled to deliver real-life insights and creative solutions to the projects that they work on. It's not just about sharing your problems, you get the opportunity to bring your skills across the entire product development lifecycle!
I think Merakoi is offering a uniquely human-centric way for patient advocates to work with health solution providers. So I'm proud that they are working closely with Patients Getting Paid, posting many of their opportunities with the PGP Community. It's another reason to join today!
In this episode:
- Where the idea for Merakoi came from
- Kathy's early experiences of patient advocacy, and why working with Merakoi is different
- How patient experts are recruited, and how they are selected for each project
- The big question! How much do patient experts get paid?
- Details of Merakoi opportunities inside the Patients Getting Paid community
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/getting-patients-paid-merakoi
The old line is “we all have a book in us." But international fame and a mega-bucks movie franchise notwithstanding, there are other ways that you can earn money through your writing.
Kyle Young is a writer for Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, CNBC, Psychology Today, Forbes, and Business Insider. He's the founder of Growth Solutions, LLC, a popular marketing agency.
In this episode, Kyle talks about his experience of writing for these major sites, and how writing can be a means of generating flexible, at-home income. Even more than that, he shares how you can turn the exposure that your writing gets into other PAID opportunities.
On top of all of this, Kyle is just one of the featured experts within the Patients Getting Paid Community, with an upcoming LIVE training workshop inside the membership. Visit PatientsGettingPaid.com for more information about how you can join.
In this episode:
- Kyle's professional background and why writing is such a great opportunity for people looking for flexible, remote work
- Everybody gets "No"s - so don't lose hope as you build your writing résumé!
- Writing for publications can lead to other opportunities - what these can be and how to get them
- What syndication is, what editors are looking for, and the importance of following up in order to build relationships with them
- Details about Kyle's writing course and the live workshop he is running inside the Patients Getting Paid community
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/how-to-earn-money-from-writing
Medical researchers have FINALLY realized something that we in the chronic illness space have known for a while - that the true experts are not necessarily those who have studied a condition but are in fact those of us who live with a condition 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Due to this realization, researchers now want to include our voices (as well as those of our family caregivers) in their studies. And we are getting paid for our time and input.
Because it can be difficult to connect with patients and caregivers, there are organizations that exist to join the dots. One of these is Rare Patient Voice (RPV), and my guest today is Mel Havert, the Patient Outreach Manager for RPV.
Mel's role is based around connecting with patients and caregivers, and inviting them to the RPV panel so that they can assist with research opportunities and make their voices heard.
Listen in to find out how you can be involved, improve medical research, and get paid for your time and experience!
In this episode:
- What is Rare Patient Voice and what does it do?
- How patients can join and how the RPV process works
- The key question - how much patients can be paid?!
- What RPV does (and doesn't do) with your personal data
- How patients can sign up to RPV via the PGP affiliate link
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/paid-research-patient-experience
As you build your chronicpreneur business, appearing on social media is one marketing channel that you're going to want to use. How else are you going to get your name out there without throwing money at advertising?
Of all the social media channels that are out there, I doubt that LinkedIn was the first to spring to mind. But my guest today should spark your interest, not least because of this stat from her website:
One post on LinkedIn is the equivalent of three posts, two reels, and appearing in your stories daily on Instagram
Read that again!
Megan MacNeill describes herself as a gin snob, beach bum, and book clubber. She works as a Personal Brand Strategist and LinkedIn is her magic power.
Listen in to find out more about Megan and how you can leverage LinkedIn to build your personal brand. Megan also has an exclusive offer for PGP listeners for her Building Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn course.
In this episode:
- What is a personal brand?
- Megan's work experience and how she became a Personal Brand Strategist
- Why Megan thinks that LinkedIn is integral to building a personal brand
- "Likes don't pay the bills" so be wary of "vanity metrics" - build engagement on LinkedIn the same as you would at a real networking event
- How to get a discount on Megan's Online LinkedIn course
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/blog/branding-linkedin-megan-macneil/
Kerstin Ramstrom worked on Wall Street and in finance for more than 20 years before brain fog and fatigue started to impact her ability to work. After receiving a diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, she quit the high-pressure job that was making her sick. Kerstin is now a chronicpreneur, holistic health coach, podcaster, and career advisor committed to helping people to improve their health.
As you'll hear, Kerstin didn't go looking for a chronicpreneur career. But it did come to her because of the connections she had made through networking. You have to get out there and tell your contacts what you're looking for in order to be open to receiving these opportunities!
In this episode:
- Kerstin's experience of working on Wall Street
- Her healing journey through diet and lifestyle change following her diagnosis
- When she realized that she didn't want to return to working in finance, and what she does now
- Why Kerstin started a podcast and how she monetizes other aspects of her business
- Kerstin's experiences with health insurance providers, how she stays organized, and her advice for budding chronicpreneurs
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/podcast/finance-medical-medium-kerstin-ramstrom
This mother and daughter duo were both career Army Officers until they were medically retired - Jean following a Traumatic Brain Injury, Lita with Early Onset Dementia. This gutsy pair started podcasting four years ago and continue to this day. PodcastDX showcases weekly interviews with patients, providing experience-based medical insight in a peer-to-peer format.
Their podcast is a labor of love and they don't draw income from it at this time, aside from a few affiliate links. They feel that it gives them both a purpose and a reason to get up every day.
About the same time they started the podcast, Lita and Jean began writing their book, "Lita & Jean: Memoirs of Two Generations of Military Women."
As you’ll hear, Lita and Jean see themselves as being in a privileged position, having been retired from the military. There is so much actionable wisdom in this conversation!
In this episode:
- Lita & Jean’s careers in the military, prior to their diagnoses
- Why they got into podcasting and, eventually, writing
- Their tips for other writers and budding chronicpreneurs
- Lita’s experience of being part of the PGP community
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/podcast/lita-jean-marie-podcasting-writing
Holly Bertone was busy climbing her career ladder when she was derailed by debilitating fatigue caused by breast cancer and autoimmune disease. She dealt with this by turning her hobby blog into a thriving healthy lifestyle community for other chronics.
After writing her Amazon.com bestseller, Thriving in the Workplace with Autoimmune Disease, she turned what she’d learned into a course for businesses - just as Covid hit and the world shut down. So she trusted in the universe, regrouped, and asked herself, what was her niche?
Now, she helps women view their chronic illness as a gift and unwrap resilience using a proven method to build fortitude with gratitude.
There are a lot of great nuggets in this conversation - not least, that your chronicpreneur business can be flexible and adapt to deal with whatever is thrown at it!
In this episode:
- Holly’s diagnosis story and what happened next
- The development of Pink Fortitude
- Holly asked herself, what was the gift of her illness? And how her belief that Gratitude Builds Fortitude led into her current business
- How she makes money through having a broad portfolio of revenue streams
- Holly’s advice for chronicpreneurs - the riches are in the niches!
- Details of Holly’s Gratitude Quiz
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/podcast/multiple-streams-income-holly-bertone
So far all the chronicpreneurs we’ve featured on the PGP podcast have been solopreneurs. But today we’re featuring two friends who have combined teaching Pilates with a thriving community into a business.
Cassie and Chelsea met teaching Pilates before joining forces to form a chronic illness support group in Wichita Kansas. During the pandemic, they moved their group online (The Wellness Hub), and started a podcast - The Real Life Show: Living with a Chronic Illness. They continue to grow their community while building their Pilates teaching schedules.
Of the two, Cassie is the chronic illness overachiever, while Chelsea has family links to the chronic illness community. But the fact that they don’t have a shared language of health experience is one of the things that really plays into how they work together.
I loved spending time with these two friends - and if you do too, you should join the Patients Getting Paid Community, because they’re both members!
In this episode:
- Cassie’s diagnoses, how she met Chelsea, and why they decided to work together
- Why their plans were upended by the pandemic but led to the formation of The Wellness Hub online community
- The importance of passive income to their business
- Problems they have both faced with regards to health insurance through being self-employed
- Their advice for other budding chronicpreneurs!
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/podcast/community-chronicpreneur-business
In a "former life", Kathy Chester was a corporate travel agent with a passion for being active, when she was hit by a double diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Against the advice of the time, her instinct was to keep moving!
She became a certified trainer, and after working in other businesses, she now owns and operates her own studio, Disrupt Fitness. The COVID pandemic led her to look closely at her business. She has now found safer ways that she can work and has niched down to service the MS and Autoimmune communities in particular.
As well as sharing her inspiring story, Kathy also relates her experiences within the Patients Getting Paid community.
In this episode:
- Kathy's life and career before getting her double diagnosis
- The reasons why she decided to focus on lifestyle and exercise, against the prevailing medical wisdom of the time!
- Why she decided to change her fitness practice to focus on helping people with autoimmune conditions – and the reason Kathy decided to stop training in other venues and begin working with clients in her garage
- Kathy's experiences of being a part of the Patients Getting Paid community
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about, and join, the PGP community
- Visit Disrupt Fitness
- Follow Disrupt Fitness on Facebook and Instagram
- Listen to the Move It Or Lose It podcast
- Tools mentioned in this podcast include MindBody app, Google Suite, Calendly, Square, Venmo, QuickBooks
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
My guest today, Kelley Tredwin, says that your chronicpreneur career does not have to be a straight line. And you don't have to stop changing. As if to prove the point, since this interview was recorded she has changed her business focus!
After what she calls a "wake-up call" in 2013, Kelly left her Development and Marketing job in the health space. Due to seeing the benefits of Yoga in dealing with her chronic migraines, Kelley made this the center of her first chronicpreneur business. At the time of our conversation, she was working as a health coach. And now she has gone into business with her husband as a Wealth Advisor.
In our chat Kelley shares a lot of relatable wisdom about mindset and shares some of her top tips for managing your health and everyday life while building your ideal job (or should that be jobs?!) By adding different skills at various points, her career has evolved naturally - it's not a straight-line path.
In this episode:
- Why Kelley calls leaving her full-time job the best thing ever
- How she defines success - and why she views failure as just one more step on the path
- Kelley's journey to chronicpreneurism
- Why she chooses to move outside her own pain narrative and practice "radical self-compassion"
Full notes and resources at https://patientsgettingpaid.com/podcast/kelley-tredwin-switch-career-change
It can be an exciting time when you begin your chronicpreneur journey. But you can find yourself in trouble if you haven’t thought through the potential legal issues of owning a business.
Joel Ankney is a lawyer who has been helping freelancers start and run businesses for over 25 years. AND - he's my attorney!
Joel is also the author of Before You Leap, a great book that walks freelancers through some of the most important legal issues involved in starting and running a business. And he's here today to help us think through what legal needs we may have when starting a chronicpreneur business, answering some of the questions which I've seen in the PGP community.
Not only that, he's also giving away a limited number of audiobook copies of "Before You Leap" to listeners of the Patients Getting Paid podcast. Just email joel@jalawoffice.com, mentioning Patients Getting Paid, to request a download code.
In this episode:
- Joel's definition of the gig economy
- Why I decided to get a lawyer for my patient advocacy work in the first place
- Do chronicpreneurs need an LLC or a corporation?
- The difference between being an employee and a contractor - what Joel calls the principle of worker clarification
- Commonly overlooked legal issues when running a freelance, consulting, or service business - including how to set up contracts that make sure you get paid!
- How much does all of this cost?
- The bare minimum you need to be thinking about getting right from the start - and how much would it cost to hire an attorney to sort this all out?
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about, and join, the PGP community
- Buy Joel's book, Before You Leap: What a Lawyer Wants You to Know About Starting a Gig Economy Business affiliate link
- Email joel@jalawoffice.com to request a code for a free audiobook copy of Before You Leap
- Visit Ankney Law
- Connect with Joel on LinkedIn, and check out his YouTube channel
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
If you have a chronic health condition, there are many benefits of working from home. You can choose your own hours, you can take time to recuperate when you need to, and your commute is no more than a minute! But it also means that, if required, you can pick up and relocate in a second.
My guest today is Christina Mathers. She describes herself as a Lyme-thriver, mother, wife and dog mom. Although she maintains a patient advocacy website about managing her condition, she also works from home as a premium auditor at an insurance company. And since moving from Pennsylvania to Florida, Christina and her family could not be happier or healthier.
In this episode:
- Christina's work in insurance and the benefits of working from home, both for her and her husband
- How Christina and her family were able to relocate for the good of all their health
- Christina's attempts (and future plans) to monetize her Living Well With Lyme website - including affiliate links and eBooks
- Kathy's experience of registering as a limited liability company (LLC)
- Christina's advice for budding chronicpreneurs
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about, and join, the PGP community
- Visit Living Well With Lyme
- Connect with Christina on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok
- Tools mentioned in this episode include Canva and CoSchedule
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
When you’re starting on your chronicpreneur career, you’ll know that you need to get organized. And if you’re anything like me, and you have “shiny box” syndrome, you’ll look around at what other people are using and buy a plethora of productivity tools and subscriptions, each of which will promise a new and more methodical version of you.
And then a couple of months down the line your desktop is littered with programs that you never worked out how to use. But what if there was a way to manage your workflow, by using tools that you already work with every day?
My guest today is Dara Sklar, the productivity expert you never knew you needed. She’s a powerhouse of Google Tools and her goal is to stop people from feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of getting their business systems organized. And I know from first-hand experience that it's achievable!
Dara is another of the featured experts within the Patients Getting Paid Community. Visit PatientsGettingPaid.com for more information and to see her special deep-dive workshop.
In this episode:
- Kathy’s own experience of Dara’s transformational Get Productive With G Suite course
- Why working in a corporate job led Dara to believe that a course about using Google Workspace to be more productive was needed
- Should you choose Google Tools over other organizational tools?
- The biggest challenges to getting more productive with Google Tools
- Why incremental changes can help even the most tech-phobic people
- Dara’s “quick wins” for you to try right now!
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community - and join the community to get access to Dara’s training
- Get instant access to Get Productive with G Suite (with Dara Sklar) [affiliate link]
- Learn more about Google Workspace
- Here’s a link to download Dara’s "Top 40 Time-Saving Google Hacks You'll Wish You'd Been Using All Along"
- Connect with Dara on Instagram, Linkedin, and Facebook
- Visit Learn.WithDara.com
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
This is a special one, as my guest is not only my podcast editor and friend but also an actual Patient Getting Paid, who I helped to get started!
Steve Woodward from the UK is a self-confessed audio geek and musician who has been involved with home and studio recording projects since he was at school. Alongside this, he worked in arts marketing for over 20 years, specializing in the writing and editing of clear and concise copy.
After losing his full-time position in late 2016, he eventually founded the Podcasting Editor brand, and now melds his audio and marketing skills to work on a growing number of podcasts - including this one!
As well as covering the ins and outs of how he got here, we cover health care and disability benefits in the UK, as well as more practical elements of chronicpreneur life - like, how to get paid when you’re working for people from around the world.
In this episode:
- How Steve and Kathy met
- Steve’s employment history and how he became a podcast editor, with a little help from Kathy and PGP guest expert Jackie Zimmerman
- Steve’s experience of attitudes to remote working in the UK
- How he is able to support his family - plus his experiences of the UK’s disability benefits system
- The sense of purpose that can come from being productive and serving others
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
- Check out Kathy’s FUMS Podcast
- Visit Steve at PodcastingEditor.com
- Listen to episode 007 of the Patients Getting Paid podcast: Websites 101 - Do You NEED One??? With Chronicpreneur Jackie Zimmerman
- Tools mentioned in this episode include Audacity, Hindenburg, Wise (affiliate link), and Stripe
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
Maybe you have boxes of old photos in your house. Or maybe you’re a digital native. But whichever you are, you can’t deny that people are taking more and more photos every day. And who is going to sort them out?
I only became aware that a Photo Manager was a thing when I became overwhelmed dealing with boxes of pictures that I inherited from my parents, alongside many photos of my own children growing up. Luckily I found Cathi Nelson’s website and I found a lot of information that was super helpful for that project.
Cathi Nelson is the leader of a global photo organizing movement. Her end goal is to educate and encourage people who have comfort with technology and a love of photos and stories to learn about the growing need for professional photo managers and to consider this as a profession.
As soon as I found Cathi it occurred to me then that photo organizing would be a great remote work opportunity. So I’m delighted that Cathi is my guest on the PGP podcast.
Cathi is also one of our PGP experts offering a deeper dive training inside the membership, with a workshop called "How to Turn Your Love of Photos into a Business''. If you’d like access to that workshop and the 2 free books that she’s offering exclusively to our PGP community, go to PatientsGettingPaid.com and join us on the inside for this and many other trainings for chronicpreneurs.
In this episode:
- How Cathi got into Photo Organization
- Why does the world need professional photo managers?
- What are the characteristics of a successful photo manager?
- How being part of a community can help out the “non-techies” amongst us
- Details of training available through Cathi’s website and within the PGP community
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
- Check out Kathy’s FUMS Gift Guide
- Visit The Photo Managers Academy
- Details of Cathi’s "Become a Professional Photo Manager" membership
- Follow The Photo Managers on Facebook and Instagram
- Check out the Advice from the Photo Organizing Pros Facebook Group
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
What’s not to love about affiliate marketing? If you get it set up correctly, it’s a way to make a little extra money without having to do a whole lot of anything.
In the past, it had a bit of an unethical reputation, with people promoting whatever products would get them the most money. But as businesses all over have recognized the worth of personal recommendations, companies are increasingly interested in building relationships with their communities. As an example, I have been publishing a Holiday Gift Guide on my FUMS website for several years, and this is now so popular that I leave it online all year round. It’s a win-win situation, both for me, the companies that I promote, and the end-user because I only include items that I genuinely value!
If you’re interested in the idea of affiliate marketing but don’t know where to start, my guest today is Jay Clouse, community experience director for Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income. We talk about what affiliate marketing is, how people can use it as part of their business, and - also - how much they can make.
Creator and host of the Creative Elements podcast, Jay wants to help you build a life of creative independence, giving you the freedom to invest your time and creative energy into projects that you choose. He is also a featured expert within the Patients Getting Paid Membership Community. Visit the website to find out more and join today!
In this episode:
- How COVID has only increased a desire for community connections, integral for our personal lives but also for business
- Jay’s definition of affiliate marketing, why it might have once had a poor reputation, and how you can combat this by making sure that your incentives are aligned - ensuring that the right products and businesses get in front of your audience
- Do you have to have a website for affiliate marketing or can you use social media solely?
- Kathy’s own experiences of affiliate marketing, and why she has seen real benefit from building affiliate programs with small, relevant businesses
- Can people just solely do affiliate marketing or is it most often a complementary income stream to an existing business?
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
- Check out Kathy’s FUMS Gift Guide
- Visit Jay Clouse
- Connect with Jay on Twitter and Instagram
- Listen to the Creative Elements podcast
- Read The FTC’s Endorsement Guides, and the specific section about Affiliate or Network Marketing
- Visit Sarah McAllister’s Go Clean Co
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
Susan Wheeler-Hall was born with a progressive physical disability and worked hard to build a career where her disability was an asset, not a problem. So, for over twenty years, Susan was a professional counselor and therapist, specializing in disability, alongside working as a disability advocate.
When an increase in her disability led to a career break, Susan pivoted into tech training and web design work and reinvented herself as Suzy Web. Now, 13 years later her online business is her happy place.
At SuzyWeb.com she teaches people how to make a business website using WordPress or she can build one for them! Listen as Susan/Suzy talks about how her chronicpreneur business enables her to be her workaholic self while working around the needs of her health.
Plus she has a GREAT offer, exclusively for the PGP community, for her WordPress Overeasy course.
In this episode:
- How Suzy was able to find a career where her disability was an asset
- Why, in her online business, Suzy only works with people who help people
- The one-page medical profile tool Suzy created, to ensure that important medical details can be communicated during emergency situations
- Being a workaholic while taking care of your physical and mental health, and the benefits of having something productive to do
- Why Suzy feels that marketing is all about building and nurturing relationships
- Suzy’s best advice for people wanting to build their chronicpreneur life
- An exclusive offer on Suzy’s WordPress Overeasy Course
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
- Get 20% off the price of Suzy’s WordPress Overeasy course by using code PGP20 when you check out
- For Suzy’s coaching services, visit her Website, YouTube channel, and Twitter profile
- For Suzy’s tech services, visit her Website, YouTube channel, and Twitter profile
- Tools and resources mentioned in this episode include WordPress, Stream Deck Mini, Trello, Book Like A Boss: Booking Page Builder, LMS Plugin by LifterLMS, Plutio
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
Jackie Zimmerman works HARD. After receiving not one but two chronic illness diagnoses in her 20s (Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease), she turned to the internet to find a way to cope and build a support system. She became a professional blogger and public speaker, and later formed a nonprofit to uplift women living with Inflammatory Bowel disease.
Through the process of blogging and developing communities, Jackie honed her skills in digital communications by learning to design websites, create brand recognition and build online courses. She has now turned those into a full-time career in her digital marketing company Queen of GSD (Getting Shit Done).
In this conversation, Jackie shares her digital marketing expertise and offers some top tips for chronicpreneurs about whether they need a website for their business and how to get it made even if they are afraid of tech.
On top of all of this, Jackie is a featured expert within the Patients Getting Paid Community. Visit PatientsGettingPaid.com for more information, and when you join you'll be able to see Jackie’s special deep-dive workshop and have access to an exclusive PGP discount of 20% off her website-building services.
In this episode:
- How Jackie developed her skills in blogging and community-building when her career was derailed by her diagnoses
- Why she "impulse quit" her high-stress, high-pressure job, and why it was both the best and worst feeling!
- Jackie's issues with health insurance while working freelance
- Do new businesses need a website when there are so many social media channels? Jackie’s pro-tip for anyone looking to build a website: make sure that you own everything!
- Choosing to build your own site or hire a professional. How much will it cost, and where do you find the right person for you?
- Where to find and connect with Jackie
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
- Visit Kathy’s FUMS website
- Vist Jackie at Queen of GSD
- Visit Jackie Zimmerman to learn more about her patient advocacy
- Connect with Jackie on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
- Tools mentioned in this episode include Wix, WordPress, Squarespace, Weebly, Linktree
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
For Christa Fairbrother, living with arthritis and teaching yoga are closely linked. She has had arthritis and lupus ever since she was a child, even though she was only diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disease at the age of 41. Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is sometimes called an overlap disease because it has all the signs and symptoms of a number of disorders.
Christa credits her yoga practice for her lack of pain, and specifically aqua yoga because it’s kind to joints. And because she knows that it works so well for her, it has now become the basis for her chronicpreneur business!
Christa now gets paid to do what she loves, training other yoga professionals in this particular discipline, as well as running her own classes and selling a number of related resources, including online courses, equipment, and books!
In this episode:
Christa’s varied work history and how she discovered that aqua yoga could help with her chronic symptoms
- How running an aqua yoga business is particularly beneficial to Christa’s health
- The various ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her business - and how Christa has been able to adapt what she offers
- How Christa’s online classes and courses work - and why she has branched out into a number of related areas
- The support she has received from family, friends, and local business organizations
- Christa’s advice for other chronicpreneurs and where you can go to find more information about the work she does
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
- Check out Kathy’s e-book, Bowel and Bladder Issues in Multiple Sclerosis by Two Pee Brains With Potty Mouths Talking Shit About MS
- Visit ChristaFairbrother.com
- Connect with Christa on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook
- Sign up for Christa’s FREE Aqua Yoga starter kit
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
When you listen to this interview with Whitney West, you might find yourself wondering, “When does she nap?!”
A born overachiever, this inspirational chronicpreneur was born into a family of teachers. So she didn’t want to go down that route. When she was diagnosed with Fibrosing mediastinitis, she didn’t want to write about it or make her chronic illness the center of her career.
But unfortunately for her - and luckily for us - she now uses her platform to transform the lives of ambitious women with chronic illness by demolishing their barriers to abundance. A speaker, coach, and advocate without an ounce of “give-up” in her, she believes that living a life you love should not exclude the chronically ill.
Listen as she explains the beauty of chronicpreneurism and how, by making herself invaluable, she ensures that her needs are met in work situations.
In this episode:
- Whitney’s journey to chronicpreneurism and how she helps others in her business
- Her belief in radical self-acceptance, and why it can be both empowering and good for your health
- Why Whitney employs someone to manage some of her social media channels, the benefits of hiring people to allow you to focus on your zone of genius, and how she found her VA
- Tools and applications that she finds useful in her business life, especially those that help with planning
- Whitney’s advice for other chronicpreneurs - including the positive benefits of rejections!
- Where you can find Whitney
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community and how to join
- Visit TheWhitneyWest.com
- Follow Whitney on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook
- Tools mentioned in this podcast include Calendly, QuickBooks, HoneyBook, Mighty Networks, Toggl Track, and Mojo animated stories
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
If you’re new to the chronicpreneur world, then this episode is packed full of info-bombs!
Julie Croner is on a mission to advocate for ALL advocates. A psoriatic arthritis patient leader, she's also the Vice President of the Patient Leader Network at WEGO Health and has been featured by Stanford Medicine X, the National Psoriasis Foundation, Everyday Health, WebMD, HealthLine, and more.
Julie is one busy chronicpreneur, as well as being a very involved mom! Listen in to find out what drives her, as she talks about her own journey to make her passion her career, before covering her work at WEGO Health and the support that their incredible community of patient leaders offers.
In this episode:
- Julie’s struggle to accept her diagnosis and subsequent depression
- How she began connecting with patients online as a way to educate herself
- How a fateful trip to Florida relocated her badass gene and why she started her blog the very next day
- The benefit of putting yourself out there as you never know where it will lead
- How Julie gradually realized that she could get paid work because of her experiences, not despite them
- Information about how Julie became involved with WEGO Health and her work there
- Where to go to find out more about Julie and WEGO Health
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about and JOIN the PGP community
- Julie’s blog, ItsJustABadDay.com
- It’s Just A Bad Day on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
- Visit WEGO Health and connect on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
The life of a chronicpreneur doesn’t necessarily mean settling for one different career path. As my guest in this episode proves, you don’t even need to stop at two… or three!
Alexa Randolph graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor’s in Communications and the dream of becoming an event planner. While visiting family in Las Vegas she was involved in a serious car accident. The Emergency Medical Services checked her out, said she was fine, and sent her on her way. But Alexa was plagued by debilitating after-effects and it wasn’t until some time later that she was diagnosed with a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Central Pain Syndrome.
Having to give up her dream career path - coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic - eventually led her to blogging, podcasting, and founding her own LLC (limited liability company), which covers a wide range of business endeavors that all fit around her condition, including her own design company!
In this episode:
- The story of Alexa’s accident, the difficulties she faced in her regular job, and the encyclopedia of misdiagnoses and messed-up treatments she had to deal with
- How she began remote-working part-time in marketing and eventually created her With Love Alexa brand, and Alexa Randolph LLC to run alongside
- How the COVID-19 pandemic enabled Alexa to establish her blog and the With Love Alexa podcast
- How Alexa is building her business and how her family is supporting her - even though they don’t quite understand how the online chronicpreneur world works!
- How Alexa stays organized, makes money, and maintains her health - including how she manages her health insurance
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community
- With Love, Alexa on Instagram and Facebook
- Listen to the With Love Alexa podcast
- Visit Alexa’s Etsy store for WithLoveAlexaDesigns
- Check out the Amazon page for Alexa’s books
- Visit The Mighty
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
Megan Harrison was already stepping out into an entrepreneurial life, even before being diagnosed with Crohn's disease shortly after leaving university - so she was Getting Paid, even before she was a Patient Getting Paid!
Based in Leicestershire in the UK, she is a freelance content creator and writer, blogging on her own website about wellbeing and sustainability, while also supporting brands that share these values with their content creation.
Being honest about what she wants to do and how she wants to work has made a huge difference to Megan’s health as she has the freedom to focus on her wellbeing at the same time as working. Megan is grateful to have flexibility in her work.
In this episode:
- Megan’s entrepreneurial story, her long-standing interest in social media and writing, and her diagnosis with Crohn’s disease
- What Megan does and how she gets paid!
- The importance of her business and how it affects and accommodates her health condition
- How Megan markets her services, and how she deals with rejections
- Tools and applications that she finds useful in her business and her personal life
- Megan’s advice for other chronicpreneurs
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community
- Visit Hearth by Megan
- Follow Megan and her work on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest
- Sign up for Megan’s Mindful Journal newsletter
- Tools mentioned in this podcast include Asana, Calendly, QuickBooks, and Planoly
**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com
Patients Getting Paid (PGP) is a private, safe, membership/mastermind community for people with chronic illness to learn of the abundance of flexible, remote work possibilities available to them that can accommodate their health.
In the podcast, I’ll be talking to fellow chronicpreneurs about how they’ve found fulfilling, paid work opportunities that accommodate their health conditions better than the regular 9-to-5. Additionally, I’ll be interviewing experts that can help us all do it better!!
In this episode:
- Meet host and founder of the Patients Getting Paid community, Kathy Reagan Young
- The story of how Kathy’s career was blindsided by her diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis
- How she was able to find paid work opportunities that not only fit into her lifestyle but also pay her more than she was earning in a full-time position!
Resources:
- Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about the PGP community
- Kathy’s Linkedin profile
- PGP on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com