Normal Adjustments with Nicole Faccio

Hoy me siento con mi querida amiga Blanca, para hablar sobre un tema que nos apasiona a ambas, el Feminismo. Como mujeres, nuestra imagen, valor, importancia y rol en la sociedad ha sido históricamente marcado por lo que el género masculino ha modelado para nosotras. Por muchos años colectivamente llevamos batallando por la igualdad de derechos y oportunidades, pero aún queda mucho camino por recorrer. Así que aquí, puestas para el lío, como dos mujeres independientes de este siglo, debatimos como vamos rompiendo con estos esquemas y nuestras experiencias. ¡Ojo! No somos expertas ni estudiosas en el tema, pero les aseguro que se sentirán identificadxs con nuestras anécdotas.

Just in time for Mental Health awareness week in the UK, this week we bring the topic of mental health in men with my friend and Dr. Louis Akindele. 

¿Pensarías que te pudieran diagnosticar con cáncer colorrectal a los 33 años? Pues hace exactamente un año Gaby recibió un diagnóstico que cambio su vida. Hoy nos sentamos con Gabriela, una de las hermanas que me regalo la vida para contarnos su diagnóstico, tratamiento y como ha cambiado su vida desde entonces. 

El cáncer colorrectal es el 4to cáncer más diagnosticado en el mundo. Se estima que en 10 años será el cáncer más letal en los adultos de menos de 50 años. 

Nacida en San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriela Urrutia es artista, orfebre y muralista. Tiene su negocio llamado Dos Pinceles junto a su hermana gemela, Patricia. Gabriela es amante de los perros, le encanta cocinar, diseñar y crear.

Encuentra a Dos Pinceles, sus piezas y arte en:

Today we meet with the creator of the most satisfying cookie making account in social media - The Graceful Baker. Grace Gaylord is the face, hands and creative talent behind The Graceful Baker, and newsflash... she is also a primary Lymphedema patient. Grace tells us about herself, her lymphedema journey, and how The Graceful Baker was born and exploded to now becoming her full-time gig. Did Lymphedema play a part in this decision? Tune in and find out. If you are curious about content creation, beautiful cookies (who isn't), and Lymphedema, this is the episode for you! 

Born and raised in Vermont, Grace recently transitioned from being an Arts Administrator to a full-time Cookie Artist and Content Creator. As The Graceful Baker, Grace enjoys creating satisfying and educational cookie decorating videos on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

La vida te da sorpresas, y de esa misma manera puede cambiar de un momento a otro. Hoy nos sentamos con Tony Domenech, un compositor y profesor de música moderna, que recientemente pasó por un derrame cerebral que puso en riesgo su profesión y movilidad para siempre. Tony nos cuenta su historia y sus anécdotas no tan solo del suceso, pero del proceso de recuperación que ha cambiado su vida, un proceso motivado por su pasión a la música y dejar un legado con su enseñanza que ejemplifica la normalidad en los ajustes. 

Sintoniza una de mis conversaciones favoritas del podcast, positiva y con una perspectiva refrescante y muy simple de la vida. 

Welcome to Normal Adjustments, Season 3! And I'm delighted to open a new season with my Lymphie sister, Olivia Eggers. We are here to talk about how it has been for both of us being born with a disability, our acceptance of that word, and the similar struggles that we have faced on that journey. When you are born with a chronic illness and/or disability, the standards via what society operates do not really accommodate to us. Reality is that it all disable us more. So we are here to talk all about it!

Olivia Eggers is a 24 year old legal assistant residing in the Boston area. She was born with global primary lymphedema which led her to develop a fierce passion for disability justice and acceptance. She believes we can all practice more empathy, always.

Hi everyone, my name is Nicole Faccio and this Normal Adjustments podcast. I'm a Primary Lymphedema patient and advocate, in a life mission to normalize imperfection. As a Chronic disease patient since birth, I am passionate about bringing awareness not only to Rare Diseases, but to the fact that all the challenges we face in life are not unusual, but actually normal.

With Normal Adjustments, I bring first-hand accounts of stories that validate the fact that the truth about normality is that it is anything but standard. I want to shed light on the “not normal” because rest assured, whatever it is you are going through, you are not alone.

Tune in to season 1 and 2 of Normal Adjustments and not only learn about me, but about all the fabulous people that have also exposed their vulnerabilities for the benefit of all of you. Humans for humans for the greater good.

And join me as Season 3 kicks off on April 6, with new episodes releasing every Wednesday.

Remember, not all tales are created equal, and neither the people that tell them.

Es el final de la temporada 2 y también el podcast cumple un añito hoy! Que mejor manera de cerrar la temporada reviviendo y reiterando el propósito y la misión que establecí en el primer episodio que salió en junio 9 del 2020, pero en Español para mi comunidad de habla hispana y a mis hermanos latinoamericanos que entiendo que tanto necesitan de este tipo de contenido. Como de costumbre, debato y reto el concepto de la normalidad y exhorto a todos a vivir su normal - sea la que sea. 

Gracias una y mil veces a todos por el apoyo en este año y a todos los invitados que han sido parte del proyecto. Los amo ❤️

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Today we have musician, life enthusiast, and my friend, Rafael Rosa. Rafa lives with type 1 diabetes since he is 21 years old. Little did I know that underneath his 6'4'' height and big wonderful smile, I was going to get such an inspiring story of pure drive, focus and resilience. Rafa decided to take charge of his health and went into a very strict journey to educate himself on nutrition, his disease and think like a pancreas, to be able to follow his passion. He used his love and admiration for music as a driver to find what allowed him to 'feel as normal as possible' at the worst of times, to find whatever protocol gave him energy to pursue his dream and be around the people he admires. 

Conversations like this is why I do this project, because like Rafa said: 'The beautiful thing about being a human is that we all need to inspire each other'. 

Some 1.6 million Americans are living with Type 1 Diabetes, including about 200,000 youth (less than 20 years old) and 1.4 million adults (20 years old and older). 64,000 people are diagnosed each year in the U.S. 5 million people in the U.S. are expected to have Type 1 Diabetes by 2050, including nearly 600,000 youth

Part 2 is here! We heard our ladies talk about their births stories on the last episode, now it's time to talk about what happens post birth, and that doesn't only mean having a baby in your arms. Raquel and Rachel both agree and elaborate on the massive gap of information that exists of the days after giving birth and how hard, challenging and overwhelming it is during the recovery period of both natural births and C-sections. 

Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Thank you baby Luca and baby Ava for allowing me to borrow your moms to have this 2hr conversation

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Having a child is one of the most wonderful things in life, but is not always that glamorous. Comes in Normal Adjustments to demystify a topic that is very under-represent and for which women get a lot of pressure to fulfil. My lovely friends Rachel and Raquel both join me today to talk about their experiences giving birth and in the pregnancy process. Both have very different stories and challenges but with a common theme: It was not easy and no one talks about how hard it is. 

A shout-out to all women that are in the process to have a baby or have given birth. You are all my heroes. 

Tune in to this amazing conversation - the first of a 2 part series. 

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El vientre de alquiler (surrogacy por su término e ingles), gestación subrogada, maternidad subrogada, gestación por sustitución, o subrogación (entre otros términos) es la práctica por la que, previo acuerdo con otra persona o pareja, una mujer se queda embarazada, lleva la gestación a término y da a luz a un bebé para esa otra persona o pareja, las cuales se convierten en progenitores del bebé. La práctica solo lleva en uso desde el 1970 gracias el nacimiento de la inseminación artificial y ha sido grandemente criticada y actualmente es legal en solo 7 países del mundo.

Pilar, luego de una terrible trayectoria con endometriosis, le toco buscar vías alternas para poder cumplir su sueño de ser madre y gracias a esta maravillosa práctica, hoy día tiene dos maravillosos niños. No obstante, esta historia no fue tan color de rosa desde sus comienzos, sintoniza esta increíble conversación para escuchar porque. Pilar es vivo ejemplo de superación, resiliencia y determinación. Me siento extremadamente agradecida por tener esta conversación en este proyecto y espero que los inspire igual que me ha inspirado a mí. Gracias Pilar, por tu honestidad y transparencia que sé que ayudara a muchos. 

Recuerden: Eres más fuerte de lo que crees.

Neurodiverse applies to a community of people whose members are neurodivergent. Neurodiversity is an approach to education and ability that supports the fact that various neurological conditions are the effect of healthy changes in the human genome. Conditions such as ADHD, Autism, Dyspraxia, and Dyslexia make up 'Neurodiversity'. 

Today Dom joins me to tell his last 5 years exposed to this topic due to his daughter's diagnosis and recently a turn of events he didn't expect. With a wonderful ability of storytelling, Dom educate us about Neurodiverisity and his path to educating himself only to validate that we are all very much different, including in our brains and the way we think. Tune in to this very insightful conversation.  

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Lipedema isn't rare, but it is rarely diagnosed. It is estimated that more than 11% of the women population might have this fat deposit disorder, known by the pain patients experience with it. Today we have blogger, speaker, podcaster, Lipedema patient, compression garment model and eternal optimist, Caroline Sprott to tell us her story with Lipedema, her life with the chronic condition and her journey to acceptance. Caroline got diagnosed with Lipedema at 21 and after going through very challenging times and several disappointments, she decided to adopt a method she calls 'Fashion Therapy' to lift her spirits to work with the compression garments instead of working against them. She now inspires many others, like me, to wear the garments proudly and that compression is not our enemy. She teaches us many more lessons about the power of a positive mindset, but for those you will need to tune in and listen to this amazing conversation. 

Caroline, thank you for being you, and for becoming my Delusional sister ;)

Globally, 107 million people are estimated to have an alcohol use disorder. Alex joins us today to tell us his story with alcoholism, or as he describes it, 'Alcoholic Career'. With a wonderful use of worlds, a willingness to learn and an inspirational recovery journey, today we learn a bit more of what it means to be an alcoholic and the important decision of being sober and staying sober. With a new respect for the small things, a great sense of gratitude towards his new life, and a renewed relationship with his family, Alex shares a vault of words of wisdom about this journey and those adjustments that have changed him forever. Tune in to listen to this amazing human, a testament of commitment, and more lessons of the importance of taking things 'One day at a time'. 

Yari es conocida por su espíritu aventurero y los viajes de los que tanto habla en su blog. Detrás de las sonrisas y las fotos de la naturaleza, hay una historia de superación y de búsqueda de sanación. Batallando con Fibromialgia desde los 25, ha enfrentado muchos retos con medicamentos y agotamiento extremo, para los que ha tenido que ajustar su vida de muchas maneras para mantenerse saludable y funcional. Hoy nos cuenta su historia y en que ha constituido este camino que ella ampliamente describe como la sanación y que herramientas cambiaron su vida para bien. 

¡Una conversación bien cool que espero que disfruten! Ah, y sí, somos primas :)

There are over 130 different types of brain tumours. Tumours can start in any part of the brain or spinal cord. They are usually named after the type of cell they develop from. Of the nearly 80,000 brain tumours diagnosed in the U.S. each year, approximately 32% are considered malignant

Only 20% of people with a high grade Astrocytoma survive for 5 years or more.

In 2015, my colleague Chris was one of them. Join me today as Chris tells us his fascinating story after being diagnosed with a brain tumour and his journey with cancer treatment for nearly 2 years. Great sense of humour, amazing human, smart, insightful, slightly quirky, but most of all massively inspirational. Chris's respect towards his ability to live life is something we should all learn from. Thank you, Chris, for your amazing story telling, your refreshing take on life, and your epic analogies. 

Absolutely in love with this conversation, hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Remember to subscribe and share!

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So excited to welcome Danny Defreitas to the Normal Adjustments family! This fabulous make-up artist, hairstylist, content creator and as most of you better know him, 'Influencer' joins me today to talk about his career journey that has not been short of challenges and haters, but how he has persevered with his vision to achieve success. Beyond the social media person we get to know and admire, there is also this wonderful and empathetic human I'm so honoured to have as a guest and call my friend. 

Tune in to listen to this very insightful conversation!

March 6 is World Lymphedema Day and to celebrate the writer and creator of Loving life with Lymphedema blog, Allie Callahan, joins me this week. Wife, stay at home Mama, domestic extraordinaire, dog Mom, Melanoma survivor and secondary lymphedema patient due to her multiple episodes with cancer, including a current one. Regardless of life’s challenges, Allie is the definition of a fighter and faces it all with her amazing sense of humour and a beautiful smile. She also has the most positive mindset I’ve ever seen. Today, she tells us her journey with Melanoma that caused her the secondary lymphedema in her right leg, or better known as, Bertha. Hope you enjoy this very inspiring story, and thank you, Allie, for your honesty! 

It is the Season Finale! So I thought it was only appropriate to take my turn in the hot seat and tell everyone my story. This is not a story about Lymphedema, but how Lymphedema has shaped by life and allowed me to discover a life beyond the norm. 

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Bianca, besides being my cousin (I swear this is not a biased opinion), is a fighter, a go getter and wonderfully resilient, and she joins me today to speak and educate us about her journey with Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI). POI is one of the causes of what is known as Early Menopause (EM), which is said to have a prevalence of only 3% worldwide, but increases with age from 35 and older. Interestingly enough, it is said that around 12% of the population might experience EM.

Tune in as we discuss the taboo subject of Infertility, in a very brave, deep and emotional conversation in light of making this subject a little bit more normal. 

Thank you, Bianca, for your honesty and courage. I love you.

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My fave joins me again, but this time to tell us his story and to speak about his truth: Homosexuality. Don't have much more to say but - you have to listen to one of the most amazing conversations I've ever had. Enjoy!

Naiara Falto - Supermujer, psicóloga y paciente de diabetes tipo 1 desde los 4 años. 

!Bienvenida Naiara! Hoy ella es la experta y nos educa sobre la diabetes y relata sus experiencias de vida con esta enfermedad que afecta a 1 de 11 personas de la población mundial. 

Tenemos una conversación espectacular y en la que compartimos anécdotas de crecer con una discapacidad - los momentos difíciles, el proceso de aceptación, y los sustos por tratar de ser rebeldes - que nos ha enseñado que se puede vivir una vida saludable, con sus ajustes ;) 

Gracias Naiara por tu honestidad y por contar tu historia, estoy segura que como me has inspirado a mí, tendrás un impacto en muchos más.

¡Espero que lo disfruten!

Mental health is one of my favourite topics, and my dear friend Taylor Kite joins me today to talk about our relationship with anxiety and our ever evolving journey with it. As amazing and brave Taylor is, she goes into the depth of her fears, triggers, and ups and downs with anxiety, giving us all her tips and tricks to manage it and live life with it - not for it.

As a very frequent passenger to this journey, I share my story too and what has helped me get through tough times. It is one for the books - or should I say, the ears ;)

Welcome Eve Nichol! This brilliant, gorgeous and brave lymphie tells us her story with Lymphedema, her prolonged diagnosis and her journey and still ongoing acceptance of the condition. We speak honest and raw about our moody legs, our fascination with...

Alba Enid, mejor conocida por su marca de trajes de baños, nos narra su trayectoria creando y emprendiendo su propio negocio, que aunque super exitosa, llena de retos.Tenemos una conversación super honesta y transparente de las realidades de emprender y...

Andy is back! As lockdown is coming to an end in the UK, we do a recap about our last 2 months tied to the hip. We talk about how we kept single and sane in unprecedented times and how the world has changed beyond the pandemic, in the global front and the most unprecedented of times.

As the world comes to a close with the COVID-19 pandemic, my flatmate, Andy, and I, are forced to be together 24-7, and we narrate what lockdown in the City of London has been like so far. And no, we haven't killed each other yet.