EpiccaTalks #5: Joe Lenton 

In this episode, Cassie sits down with Joe Lenton, a personal authenticity coach from Norfolk. Joe was a linguist and professional musician before a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis reshaped his life and career. He shares how invisible illness led him through music, photography, and eventually coaching.

Topics covered:

• Joe's six-month journey to an MS diagnosis and his early symptoms
• The difference between being "tired" and being "fatigued" — including his and his wife's "tea and coffee" vs. "shoelaces" fatigue scale
• How losing guitar-playing ability due to MS impacted his mental health and identity
• Transitioning from music to photography as a therapeutic, pacing-friendly creative outlet
• Burning out as a commercial photographer and discovering he's autistic
• What positive psychology actually is (and isn't) — debunking "toxic positivity"
• Finding meaning through values and strengths, not just "what you're good at"
• Practical strategies for managing fatigue and energy as a coach to neurodivergent clients and small business owners
• The science of nature and how time outdoors (even passively) helps regulate stress
• Rediscovering authentic passions by reconnecting with childhood curiosity and play
• Advice for people who don't know where to start finding their passions
• The "out-of-pocket question of the day": horse-sized duck vs. 20 duck-sized horses

Learn more about Joe's work:

Go check out Joe's coaching at joelenton.coach or @joelenton.coach on Instagram!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical, mental health, or other professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your individual circumstances.

EpiccaTalks Episode 4: The Power Of A Piano + How Music Can Act As A Lifeline When Living With Invisible Illness

In this solo episode, host Cassie explores the often-overlooked role music can play in coping with invisible illness and chronic conditions.

In this episode:

• Cassie shares the story of her two-week hospital stay for Lyme disease treatment in summer 2023, and how a piano in the hospital lobby became an unexpected source of comfort
• How music offers an identity beyond being a "patient" — becoming a musician, creator, or fan instead
• Why music can be a physical emotional release when workouts aren't an option due to fatigue or pain
• Practical ways to bring more music into your life, whether or not you consider yourself a musician:
  • Playing solo or joining a music-making group (choir, band, jazz/folk group)
  • Learning an instrument on a budget — free YouTube resources, secondhand instruments, apps like Yousician and Simply Piano
  • The ukulele as a joint-pain-friendly alternative to guitar
  • Enjoying music without playing it — curated playlists, local live music at coffee shops and small venues

Studies on the physiological benefits of music:

• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17437199.2020.1846580
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26142566/
• https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/178400/

Connect:

• Follow on Instagram: @epiccatalks for guest announcements and bonus content
• Go check out our guest announcement for next week on Instagram!
• Challenge: what what music has gotten you through a tough time? Go comment on our Instagram or DM Cassie directly @epiccatalks.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical, mental health, or other professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your individual circumstances.

About This Episode

In the third episode of EpiccaTalks, Cassie sits down with Stephen Walters — entrepreneur, lecturer, mentor, and coach — for a deeply honest conversation about mindset, vulnerability, and the power of human connection. Stephen shares the formative childhood experience that shaped his life's mission, and unpacks why true positivity starts not with toxic optimism, but with radical honesty and vulnerability.

What We Cover

• How a traumatic night at age eight led Stephen to make three life-defining promises to himself
• Stephen's journey from the shop floor to the boardroom — and why he considers those 12 years his real apprenticeship
• The concept of your "internal pharmacy" — what it is, why everyone has one, and how to start accessing it
• The unexpected link between vulnerability and positivity — and why you can't have one without the other
• "Story sharing" vs. telling — a reframe that changes how you open up to others
• Baby steps into vulnerability: how sharing small things builds trust and confidence over time
• The power of replacing "I have to" with "I get to"
• Stephen's grandmother's advice that changed how he moves through the world

Connect
Connect with Stephen at https://www.askstephen.co.uk/, and check out his app Ask Stephen on the app store! For more EpiccaTalks, follow us @epiccatalks on Instagram. We would love to hear your story; shoot us a DM or comment here. 

Disclaimer
The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, mental health, or professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your individual circumstances.

EpiccaTalks — Episode #2: Finbarr Carter on Resilience, Compassion, and Finding Balance with Bipolar Disorder

UPDATE: New episodes of EpiccaTalks will now be dropping every week! Thank you to our listeners for your support.

About our guest
Finbarr is a qualified teacher, NLP business practitioner, and CTI co-active coach with additional training in process-oriented psychology and non-violent communication. He works as a Student Enterprise Officer at the University of East Anglia, has been part of his family's business Rebel Lion Sound System since age 18, and founded Roots Arena to support UK roots and culture artists. Above all, the role he values most is being a father of four.

What we cover

• What it's really like living with bipolar — the long depressive periods vs. the "touched by God" highs, and how each affects work, sleep, parenting, and relationships
• Daily wellbeing practices that help: nature walks, swimming, yoga, intermittent fasting, hydration, and staying socially connected
• The power of self-talk and self-compassion — and how years of therapy helped Finbarr drop self-degrading language for good
• Why "living with" bipolar (rather than "suffering from" it) reframes the relationship to illness
• The New Economics Foundation's Five Ways to Wellbeing: Connect, Be Active, Keep Learning, Give, and Take Notice (learn more about this framework by visiting the New Economic Foundation website, or by reading this report: https://new-economicsf.files.svdcdn.com/production/files/five-ways-to-wellbeing-1.pdf?dm=1584709195)
• The fear of stigma when disclosing an invisible illness — at work, with family, and in relationships — and why openness tends to build connection rather than break it
• How to reach out for support (and how to encourage loved ones to "reach in") using tools from non-violent communication
• Grief, guilt, and healing after his father's suicide, and how self-compassion work helped him process it
• Finbar's new project, Eulogies for the Living, celebrating people's lives while they're still here to hear it. Check out one of Finbarr's Eulogies for the Living here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/finbarrcarter_eulogy-for-the-living-part-three-this-one-activity-7488838881547669504-cmTC and follow him on LinkedIn to see more. Or, share your own eulogy to the living and tag him!
• A lighthearted close with our new segment, the Out-of-Pocket Question

Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide, depression, and mental illness. Please take care while listening.

Connect: Follow @epiccatalks on Instagram for guest announcements, and share your own story via DM or comment.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical, mental health, or other professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your individual circumstances.

EpiccaTalks — Episode #1: What Is An Invisible Illness? + What I Learned When My Invisible Illness Was Made Visible

Welcome to the very first episode of the EpiccaTalks podcast, a show for anyone navigating daily life with an invisible illness. In this episode, host Cassie introduces herself, the podcast's mission, and lays the foundation for Season 1.

In this episode:

• The host of EpiccaTalks, Cassie, introduces herself and shares her personal journey with Lyme disease
• What exactly is an "invisible illness"? A breakdown of the definition and examples; from chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, lupus, and Lyme, to chronic migraines, POTS, MCAS, Crohn's, endometriosis, and long COVID, as well as mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and PTSD (and how these conditions often overlap)
• A personal story from summer 2023: after a two-week hospital treatment for Lyme disease, Cassie began walking with a cane as a precaution, and experienced firsthand how people's treatment of her changed once her illness became visible
• Reflections on why invisible illnesses deserve their own conversation, and what people with these conditions wish others understood

Release schedule: New episodes every other week on Fridays, 5:00 PM GMT / 9:00 AM PST

Connect: Follow @epiccatalks on Instagram for guest announcements, and share your own story via DM or comment.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical, mental health, or other professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your individual circumstances.