Episodes

There was a version of me in 2002—forty years old, a working chef, exhausted in ways that made no logical sense, and listening to doctors insist that every alarming symptom was “stress.” Now that sarcoidosis is a familiar par...

Living with sarcoidosis can feel like starring in a long-running medical sitcom where the plot twists pop up at the most inconvenient times, including when you’re on vacation trying to rest. Without giving too much away, let’...

Living with sarcoidosis is like starring in a medical drama no one else can see—one where you look perfectly fine on the outside while your organs do the cha-cha backstage. Back in 2011, when all of this felt new and terrifyi...

Between the dishes, the meds, and the chaos of chronic illness, it’s easy to wonder if you were meant for something bigger. But what if your true purpose isn’t grand at all—just one quiet, human act that changes everything? T...

Living with chronic illness and heart failure has taught me one thing—complaining doesn’t fix a damn thing. As a chef juggling sarcoidosis, a leaky heart, and life’s general nonsense, I’ve learned that silence isn’t denial—it...

Living with sarcoidosis is already its own exhausting full-time job, so the idea of a support group sounded…promising. Or at least not disastrous. But back in the early 2010s, when my lungs and heart were misbehaving like reb...

Before my MRI next week, a simple online check-in turned into a bizarre quiz about my private life, sprinkled with the usual sarcoidosis-related precautions—but what came next left me blinking at the screen and wondering who ...

Sarcoidosis may steal your breath, your energy, and—if you’re lucky—your voice, but it can’t take your sense of humor. As a chef living with chronic illness and heart failure, I’ve learned to navigate breathing tests, inhaler...

Send A Text To Tate Support the show This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, reflections, and lived experience are my own. To respond to this episode, use the text link in the episode notes, or send longer mess...

At sixteen, a quiet walk home turned into the scariest night of my life — and the moment I found the fighter hiding inside me. What began as terror became transformation, proving that courage doesn’t wait for permission. This...

When your doctors of twenty years suddenly drop your insurance, sarcoidosis and heart failure become the least of your problems. Here’s what happens when loyalty meets bureaucracy, and why choosing between good doctors and gr...

On Veterans Day, I find myself thinking about the soldiers who fought in wars they never chose—especially the Vietnam vets who came home to rejection instead of honor. As someone living with sarcoidosis and heart failure, I u...

Living with sarcoidosis and heart failure has taught me many things—chief among them? Asking for help often leads to more stress than it’s worth. If you’re chronically ill, fiercely independent, or just tired of being disappo...

Coffee snobs may insist that “real coffee lovers” drink it black, but I’m here to say flavor and joy matter more than bitterness and bravado. Whether it’s a caramel macchiato, a hazelnut oat milk latte, or a straight-up espre...

As a chef battling sarcoidosis and heart failure, debris from a life that refuses to behave, I’m here to tell you why Halloween — creepy skeletons, gore-fest lawns, serial-killer mannequin dioramas and all — feels wrong in a ...

Tired of rude medical staff and customer service that feels more like combat? As a private chef living with sarcoidosis and heart failure, I’ve learned that silence and self-control—not clapbacks—are my best defense against e...

After six months of delayed shipments, missing meds, and endless insurance headaches, I finally ditched Amazon’s PillPack and went back to my local pharmacy. If you live with chronic illness or juggle multiple prescriptions, ...

Living with chronic illness can be exhausting—but sometimes, the best medicine isn’t in a prescription bottle. For me, it came in the form of two tiny Gauls named Asterix and Obelix. This heartfelt reflection explores how nos...

I’m a chef, husband, pet-parent, and emerging novelist living with pulmonary sarcoidosis, heart failure and the wild ride of long-term prednisone treatment. If you’re juggling a chronic illness, creative ambitions and ordinar...

Nineteen years after my sarcoidosis diagnosis, I’m finally sharing the story of my open lung biopsy—the surgery that changed everything. From failed bronchoscopy to five hours on the operating table, this brutally honest acco...

Welcome. Let’s get to know each other. First, I’ll tell you a little about me., and then it’s your turn to share in the comments. Send A Text To Tate Support the show This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, re...