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The MSing Link
249. Spilling the Tea: My Interview on the Messy Podcast with Christina Applegate & Jamie-Lynn Sigler
00:24:49
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Hello. Thank you so much for tuning in today. I was recently interviewed on the Messy Podcast hosted by Christina Applegate and Jamie Lynn Sigler. And ever since then I have had so many people missing Link members, friends, family members asking me what was it like and they want me to just spill the tea on exactly what happened and had so many questions. And I asked my social media audience if you would want a podcast episode on this topic and if so, what questions do you have and a ton of questions were submitted. So I thought, why not spill the tea? And that's what we're going to do today.
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The big question is, how does someone with Ms. Actually improve their mobility, strength, energy independence? The list goes on. My name is Dr. Gretchen Holley, physical therapist and multiple sclerosis specialist. Welcome to the Missing Link podcast. Tune in as I share the top strategies and exercises to help you gain control over your life with Ms. Using research driven insights and advice from top industry experts. Whether you're newly diagnosed or have had Ms. For over 30 years, whether you have relapsing Ms. Or progressive MS, this podcast is for you. You're sure to feel empowered and inspired after each episode.
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Ready?
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Let's dive in.
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Before I dive into the recap, I just wanted to quickly share something I'm super excited about. And this is probably a very nerdy thing to be excited about, but if you're just listening, you won't be able to see a difference in the video that I'm recording right now. But I purchased a brand new mic stand and I'm so excited about this because I tend to think very deeply about how everything that I do affects people with Ms. And I know that for lots of people with ms, cognitive overload is real. And even if you don't have ms, cognitive cognitive overload is real and applies to a lot of people daily. But with Ms. It can happen more frequently and with less triggers, less stimulus, it still happens. And so prior to today, anytime that I have recorded a podcast episode, I had a mic stand that just sits on my desk. But in order to get my microphone close enough to me, you could see a bit of the mic stand, which I felt made the video look cluttered and overwhelming and overstimulating. And I don't share all of my podcast episodes on YouTube, but for the ones that do, it had that image in it. So I finally just decided that it bothers me enough where I want to make a change. And so I got this new mic stand and all you can see is the microphone as well as just a Very thin. You know, actually don't even know what it's called. Thin beam is the word coming to my mind extension that the microphone is connected to. And it looks so much cleaner. So for those of you that do watch some of my podcast episodes on YouTube, hopefully this will be easier for your mind and less cognitively overstimulating. All right, so let's dive in. When I was first asked by family members of tell us what happened? How did this ever go down? I started at, well, we met on Zoom, and they were like, no, no, no, no, no. Start from the beginning. Like, how did you even get invited to be on this podcast? Or did you have to pitch yourself? Like, how did this all start? So what happened was In June of 2025, I got a random DM from the Instagram handle Messy Podcast, which I can only assume is the podcast producer reaching out to me asking if I wanted to be on the podcast. And I immediately remember feeling like my heart leaped with joy. I was so excited because I have been a fan of the Messy Podcast for even before it started. I was actually working one on one with Jamie before it even launched, and she had told me about it, and I was so excited for it to launch. So I've been fangirling over Messy podcasts and ever since then and never reached out, though. I guess I just was fangirling from afar, just, you know, an admirer nonetheless. But when they reached out to me, I was actually at my parents. It was on a Wednesday, and every Wednesday I bring my daughter and I over to my parents and we meet up with my sister and her son, and we just have a very casual family dinner. So we had had dinner for some reason afterwards, I opened up my Instagram and I saw that and I freaked out. I said to my mom and my sister, and I think my dad was around as well, like, oh, my gosh, you'll never guess who I just got a message from. And they were all, well, my dad isn't super tech savvy and doesn't know of the Messy Podcast, but my mom and my sister were super excited for me, and it just asked if I had any interest in being on, and if so, can I let them know what my email is so that they can email me to set up a time? So immediately I say, yes, absolutely, here's my email. So then I was communicating back and forth with their podcast producer, Allison, who is amazing and just so sweet as well, and we actually set up a time to speak two weeks later. So it was pretty quick. Turnaround. Meanwhile, I was launching or getting ready to launch a brand new course called Ms. Research Made simple. And I was going live in my Instagram stories just explaining what work was going into it, what the different topics were. And I also had shared a story about my past as a physical therapist student before I was even a pt, how we all had to take this research class and it was the worst. Everyone hated this class, myself included, because it was dense and the way that the research was explained was with medical jargon that was just confusing. And it's ironic to me that I created a Ms. Research based course due to that experience, but it made me realize that research is really important, especially in the Ms. Space. There's constant research coming out, but it's so hard to understand. And I wanted to make that easier to understand because with Ms. You should understand what's going on in research because some of it might apply to you and result in you getting better care. So anyways, I'm sharing this on my Instagram stories and Jamie reaches out to me saying oh my gosh, can we have you on the podcast to talk about this? And of course I responded saying yes, absolutely. And it was already in the works. Her podcast producer had already reached out, but just confirmed that they really wanted me. They wanted to hear my thoughts, my expertise, my values on their podcast, which was just so affirming and just felt really great. Another question I received was, did you know Jamie or Christina beforehand? So I did know Jamie and this was mentioned on the Messy podcast, but I actually met up with Jamie, gosh, maybe a year and a half ago now. Oh no, because my daughter's a year and a half. I was 30 weeks pregnant, 31 weeks pregnant. I was very pregnant. When her husband reached out to me. When Jamie's husband reached out to me saying, hey, it's around Christmas time and I would love to gift Jamie a session with you in her parents home because they were going to be visiting their hometown, which was only about like six, six and a half sevenish hours from me. And so of course I was like, yes, absolutely, let's set it up. And so when she was visiting home for Christmas, I went there and worked with her. One on one side note, it was the worst winter storm ever. It was supposed to take about six and a half, seven hours, which it did take that amount of time to get there. But to get home we hit the worst storm and it took probably 10 hours, maybe even longer. We had to drive so slow, it was so icy on the roads and it was just a 24 hour trip. We left on a Friday and then I treated her and came home on a Saturday. So it was a very quick trip, but so amazing working with her and just getting to see what her goals are and help her figure out different ways to reach those goals. And then from there we continued working together virtually up until I went on maternity leave, which was about three months later. But I had never met Christina before. We've been in similar atmospheres where, for example, she partnered with the company neowalk Walking Sticks, and I partnered with them at the same time. So Christina and neowalk came up with an Ms. Specific walking stick. It's black and clear and it says F U M S on it. And anytime someone purchased an FUMS walking stick, I actually gifted my ebook. So we had that overlapping collaboration, but I never actually spoke to her. So this was my first time getting to actually speak with Christina. One question that I got from almost everyone was, were you nervous? And the easy answer is, yes, I get nervous before speaking on stages, but I don't typically get nervous before podcast interviews. But the level of nervousness that I had felt was the same nervousness as right before I'm about to step on stage and give a presentation. My heart was racing before we even hopped on to record. I was sitting and we recorded on an app called Riverside, which is where I record as well. So I was used to that platform, which was nice, but I was waiting in the waiting room, waiting for them to hop on and just my heart was racing so much I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. Excited for sure, but also nervous. And I realized that one reason, the main reason I think that I was nervous was because I didn't know what to expect. Expect. They didn't send me any questions in advance of what they wanted me to talk about. And I didn't ask for any either because, you know, being a listener of their podcast, their conversations just kind of flow. And I knew that's what would happen here as well. And I didn't want to push for an agenda, a script, or specific questions if it's not what felt natural in the moment. So they didn't send any questions, I didn't request any. But I had never heard an episode on their podcast before from a physical therapist or really I'm trying to think of, of all the episodes I've listened to, really a health care professional. And so, and they have had some episodes of people who are health care professionals or clinicians, but they were being interviewed because they had a Chronic illness, but I do not have Ms. I don't have a chronic illness. And so I really didn't know. Are they going to want to pick my brain as a physical therapist and a multiple sclerosis certified specialist and it's going to be more like, hey, what do I do for this symptom? Or what do I know about this or that? Or are they going to want to hear stories about being a physical therapist or about my patients and what they've overcome? Or is it going to be about my journey becoming a physical therapist and working with people with ms? And I know that those kind of overlap. As I'm saying them out loud, they kind of overlap, but in my mind they felt totally separate and like my mind was just bursting with how many possibilities there could be of what they ask me. And I didn't know what approach to take. Do I take the physical therapist expert stance or sharing stories? Stance and relatability and trying to share my expertise through stories versus through. Here's what research says and if you listen to the episode, I do think it overlapped. It was a bit of both. But I was so nervous because I didn't know what vibe to go with or what was going to be expected of me or what I should share. So that was definitely nerve wracking. One question I got was, what did you wear? So this is such a fun question. I actually just wore a T shirt that I felt comfortable in and jeans that I felt comfortable in. And after the episode was recorded, I went downstairs to tell my husband all about it and he was like, is that what you wore? And I said, yeah.
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Why?
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He's like, why didn't you wear your missing link logoed T shirt? I was like, well, I didn't want to be visually seen as an expert. I guess I wanted it to feel like a conversation, a relatable conversation. And I don't know, I just felt like by wearing my work shirt with my logo on it, it just has a completely different vibe than, hey, we're all friends here, let's sit down and chat. And that's the vibe that I was going for. But for a second there I was like, oh my gosh, did I make the wrong choice? Should I have worn my Missing Link shirt? But then quickly I was like, no, I stand by my decision. I wanted this to feel casual as they had told me it would, and just feel like, hey, we're all just friends in this room chatting about Ms. And pt. And that really was the vibe for the whole conversation. It was Very casual. If you listened to the episode, you can probably tell that. But we went into so many different types of conversations, which I really love. There were definitely conversations about physical therapy specific things and physical therapy exercises specific for Ms. And we lightly touched on red light therapy and an exercise for sensation and real tangible things to help with certain symptoms and weaknesses from Ms. But we also touched on mindset and that actually that component of mindset is what the majority of people who listened to that episode and then found me on social media, what they have messaged me saying, is that the conversation that we had around mindset and the gap in the gain and goal setting and how we view our progress, that part is what made the biggest impact. I didn't necessarily feel pressure to say the right thing, but I did feel pressure to explain my knowledge and experience in a way that was relatable. Because while the majority of their listeners, I'm sure, have multiple sclerosis, I know that they also have listeners who don't have Ms. They might have Parkinson's or another type of chronic illness. And even if you do have ms, Ms. Hits everyone so differently. And so I wanted to make sure that whatever my answers were, the listener could see themselves in that situation and would be able to apply what I'm saying to their specific life with Ms. I also received a question around, like, did you guys get to talk much before or after? Or was it just immediately press record? Like, how did that go down? And how much did you talk to them? And we didn't really spend too much time before or after talking. Most of it was the actual podcast recording. We hopped on. Of course, we did say hello. It was actually really funny because as I mentioned earlier, I've met Jamie, I've worked with Jamie, we talk every now and then, but I've never met Christina. And it really took me aback because Jamie and I were like, hey, how are you? Nice to catch up. And Christina just kind of chimed in as like, hey, we love your work. And she just kind of immediately jumped in as if we were already friends. And. And I mean, I absolutely love that it was so interesting in the moment because I kind of felt like, you know me, like, I didn't know that she even knew who I was. I guess I had assumed that maybe Jamie or their podcast producer wanted me on, and Christina was just like, yeah, sure, whoever this chick is. I mean, I know that they have mentioned me on their podcast before, which I'm saying super grateful for, but it just really took me aback that Christina really acted as if we're already friends, no need for introductions. And she made it a point several times to share how she does follow me and she loves my work and that was really cool to hear that she knows me on that level. A part of me felt like, of course I know who Christina is, but she doesn't know who I am, so I'm going to have to introduce myself and let her know what I do. And it's, it felt like an uneven advantage. Like I know everything about her from what she's shared, you know, on the messy podcast and publicly, but she doesn't know me, but it turns out she does. And so that was just really cool. But overall, Jamie and Christina are just the nicest people. I love how real and raw they are, which you guys know if you listen to their podcast. But even pre recording, just those few minutes that we had at the very beginning and at the very end, who they are on the podcast is exactly who they are off of the podcast. Just so sweet and welcoming and it was, it truly just felt like a conversation with friends and we just kind of dove in and picked up wherever it felt right. Another question I received was, Jamie mentioned working one on one with you. Is that an option for out of state? So at this time I am only offering group coaching. I don't have the availability anymore for one on one coaching. So it is small group, usually six people. Every now and then I get a seventh and I just can't get myself to turn anyone down. So sometimes it's seven people. So as of right now, if you're looking to work with me, then the best way would be through that group coaching experience. And I do have a wait list for that. I will be opening the wait list for our next round soon. I usually offer this around four times a year, so even if within the next few months isn't a good timing but you know you're interested at some point, then I would recommend filling out the wait list application so that when we do open it up, you're going to be the first person along with anyone else on the wait list that we open it up to. Typically, so far, every time that I have launched a new group coaching group, I go to my missing link members first to see if anyone wants a spot and then the wait list and between those two places all the spots get taken. So I haven't even advertised it publicly because we have so much interest. So we'll put that link down in the show notes if you are interested in that. And then the last question that I got, which I think was a great way to wrap this up, which was what were your overall thoughts? And overall, I will just say it was such an amazing experience. Again, Jamie and Christina are so nice. It just felt like a casual conversation. I felt so welcomed and the nerves that I was feeling right before they let me in from the waiting room had almost immediately dissipated just as soon as Jamie was like, hey, how have you been? Immediately they just kind of floated away, which is how it typically happens. But in the moment, it doesn't feel like that's the way that it's going to be. So it was such a great experience. I am so grateful. I've had several people who listen to the podcast come and follow me on Instagram, Instagram or other social media platforms, some over on YouTube and they've reached out to me sharing that they came from that episode and that the episode helped them in so many different ways. And it's been so fun connecting with all of them. So if you are one of those, thank you so much for coming on over and yeah, it just, it means the world to have been on their podcast. I did invite them to be on the Missing Link podcast just yesterday, so I have not heard back yet, but fingers crossed. I think that would be super great to get their perspective over on my podcast as well. And I think this goes without saying, but I would absolutely be on their podcast again. I love that, as I said earlier, they just keep things so real and raw and they just talk about what they're going through each day and how that affects them and what support looks like and what support doesn't look like. And it's such important conversations to have. Because at the end of the day, I think what their podcast does brilliantly is help people with Ms. Feel less alone and less crazy for different symptoms that they're feeling, especially when their doctors might not be validating those symptoms. And I'm so grateful that their podcast exists and just the fact that I was on it and is everything. Thank you.
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Thank you for listening to today's show.
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I am so grateful to have you as a listener.
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If you'd like extra resources, such as a video of one of my seated exercise classes, my favorite core exercises, and the opportunity to ask me your questions, head to missinglink.com insider. That link will be shared in the show notes along with links to my social media handles. If you loved this episode and think a friend or family member with Ms. Would benefit from listening, please go ahead and text or email this podcast to them right now. Sharing this podcast will help me educate and empower as many Ms. Warriors and as possible. Thanks again for joining, and be sure to tune in next week for another episode of the Missing Link podcast.