Meet the Spoonies

Get To Know Us

— Bree is 23 years old and living with her husband, two cats, and dog in Madison, Wi. She has her BA in psychology and is pursuing her MFT. Bree spends her free time reading, hanging out with her pets, and doing any all forms of creative self expression. Bree has a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and Borderline Personality Disorder and works hard to make sure her disability doesn’t define her or hold her back.

— Jess is 19 years old and lives with her family of origin currently. She has a family dog, and expects to get a kitten when she moves to university next year. She spends her free time reading, playing piano, spending time with friends, and watching movies. Jess has primary diagnoses of Fibromyalgia, CPTSD, and various spinal issues. She is pursuing disability benefits because her symptoms impact her life enough that she cannot work.

— Emilie is 22, currently living with her two cats and her friend who has a dog. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and is applying to Anthropology PHD programs. Emilie spends her free time hanging with her cats, playing video games, and daydreaming about things she wants to write about - which occasionally turns into actual writing. She is diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and hypermobility, as well as ADHD and depression. She is also bisexual and loves giving advice to people who are questioning their identity.

— Sarah is 22 years old and living with her fiancé and their two dogs in the Greater Chicago Area. She has a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Communication and loves anything that has to do with words and expression. She works remotely at a startup and loves every moment of it. Sarah spends much of her time playing with her pets, reading, DIYing furniture, and watching sitcoms with her fiancé. Sarah has diagnoses including PTSD, sciatica, and facet arthropathy.

About

We are Fresh Out of Spoons, a group of friends talking about the daily lives and trials of living with chronic illness and disability. Our goal with FOOS is to create a safe space for candid (and entertaining!) conversation and education about the good, the bad, and the ugly of life with chronic illness.

We got our start as a group chat between four friends. Bree named the group chat Fresh Out of Spoons and it became a place for us to support each other on our life journey while navigating chronic and mental illness and disability. We started making jokes that our discussions should be on a podcast, and one day Bree announced that we were going to start that podcast. Within a week we had organized ourselves, bought our supplies, and recorded our first pod. Our intention was to share our conversations with others and we built that intention into something more; a safe space for people of all ability to learn, laugh, and be vulnerable, and a deeper friendship between all of us in the process. In the future, we hope to add special guests and highlight the voices of others in our community, especially those of differing identities and backgrounds than the four of us.

OH HEY, FOR BEST VIEWING, YOU'LL NEED TO TURN YOUR PHONE