To kick off another season of the Brain Fever podcast, Jackie welcomes special guest Jeremy Norton. Jeremy is the author of Trauma Sponges: Dispatches from the Scarred Heart of Emergency Response. Jeremy has an MA in creative ...

In this episode, Jackie hosts a dear old friend from law school, Amber Gustafson. Amber just happens to be a former lawyer turned judge, mother of three, Iraq veteran, and avid walker. She also happens to be a young widow. In 2021, on what star...

Jackie has often heard of autoimmune encephalitis survivors unlocking hidden creativity after their diagnosis. And while she turned to writing in her days of survival and recovery, she still believes her creativity knows a lot of bounds. But wh...

In this episode, Jackie is joined by guest Mariah Botha of Dickinson, North Dakota. Mariah is the director of a rural healthcare foundation and is as smart as she is lovely. Upon reading Unwillable, Mariah had a lot of questions and Ja...

Join Jackie and Sean as Jackie drops her ultimate wish (outside of a made for TV movie): the Unwillable soundtrack! In this episode, you'll hear more about the songs that influenced Jackie while writing the book, the eerie songs that p...

Medical care can be complicated, especially for women. Women are always juggling hormones, stress, work, sleep, childbearing years, menopause, and quite a bit in between. In this episode, Jackie interviews an old friend, Adria, who is a Physici...

Lawyers. If you know them, you know they're always "stressed out." If you've met them, you know they're "overworked." And chances are, you've probably heard them call their profession "toxic." Why is the legal profession so stressful and why ar...

In this very special episode, Jackie is joined by Miami native Juliana Ortiz who was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis at just fourteen years old. Juliana’s story of disruption at a young age to her brave recovery and how her diagnosis hel...

In this episode, four-time breast cancer survivor, speaker, and author of "Dig in Your Heels," Karla Baptiste, joins Jackie to talk about life with and after breast cancer. Karla's motto of "One Life to Live, Many Lives to Touch," and her story...

Join Jackie and Sean as they sing and dance their way into 2023 (kidding, there's no singing or dancing on this one). In this episode, Jackie discusses Brain Fever's spring lineup, her book Unwillable, and what she's been up to. She also drops ...

In this special episode, Stephanie Macdonald, the nurse practitioner Jackie credits with saving her life from AE, interviews Jackie for Humanities North Dakota’s One Book One ND event. In this conversation, the pair explore life after AE, writi...

When AE stares you in the face (or another chronic health condition) two questions come to mind: What if I can't work and how will I have health insurance? To tackle these complicated and scary questions, Jackie welcomes her longtime friend and...

In this episode, Jackie and Sean discuss the release of Jackie’s memoir, “Unwillable: A Journey to Reclaim my Brain” (in a bit of a dazed and confused kind of way). Sean also offers his resignation as Jackie’s producer, but he’ll be back …<...

In this episode and in honor of April 29th's Make-A-Wish Day, special guest Amanda Godfread, Regional Director of Make-A-Wish North Dakota, joins Jackie for a discussion on the difficulties families face with a sick child and the wonderful effe...

On March 1, 2022, Jackie interviewed "Brain on Fire's" Susannah Cahalan for a Humanities North Dakota event, "One Book, One ND." Jackie and Susannah had a riveting conversation about autoimmune encephalitis, life, motherhood, mental health, wri...

In this episode, Jackie is joined by Dr. Stephen Rush, a psychiatrist at the University of Cincinnati as they try to answer Jackie's unending question of, "Autoimmune encephalitis, what the heck is going on here?”***Disclaimer-this epis...

Happy 2022! Join Jackie and Sean as they recap on 2021’s peaks and valleys, share exciting upcoming news, and do some polka dancing.

In this episode, North Dakota native Mandy B. Anderson joins Jackie to discuss life with Cystic Fibrosis. Their conversation follows Mandy's story of "Dangerous Hope," where she swore off the medication and treatments necessary for her to live,...

In this episode, Jackie interviews special guest Maria Burns Ortiz. Maria is a decorated writer, teacher, digital entrepreneur, and leader. She is also the co-author of My Fight/Your Fight, the New York Times bestselling memoir about the storie...

In this episode, guest host Dr. Ava Easton, CEO of the Encephalitis Society, interviews Jackie about three years of seizure free remission, her writing, her identity, and her newfound anxiety. 

In this episode, Jackie is joined by special guest and longtime friend, Kaitlyn, who witnessed a suicide while in college. Kaitlyn shares her insight about trauma and the journey to wellness. *Warning, contains adult content.*

In this episode, Jackie and her dear friend and Philosopher, Dr. Jack Russell Weinstein, of the University of North Dakota, discuss how philosophy is relevant to encephalitis and mental health.

In this episode, special guest Dr. Ava Easton, CEO of The Encephalitis Society, joins Jackie to discuss her book, and the impact of encephalitis narratives.

Mother, psychiatrist, and one of the four co-founders of the Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance, Dr. Helen Egger, talks about having a child with AE and gives hope to other AE parents. 

In this episode, Jackie welcomes Caterri Woodrum, CEO of the AE Alliance. They discuss AE statistics, and how the AE Alliance can help patients and carers.