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I’m particularly excited about this episode because it embodies the very reason I started this podcast: to create connections! The purpose of this episode, along with telling a wonderful story, is to help someone launch her own podcast. And I made a new friend in the process!
Karen Kowalski, one of today’s guests, is an Occupational Therapist. She reached out to me because her clients’ stories about not only overcoming disabilities, but actually using them to springboard into new opportunities were so inspirational, she felt moved to get them out into the world. Her chosen medium is a podcast, although she hopes to include video. It will be called “Adjusting the Lens – Unbidden Triumphs”. So our podcast today is essentially a practice run toward that launch.
With Karen is one of her friends, Jen Orlick. It’s her amazing journey we’ll hear about today. Jen shares the story of her ovarian cancer diagnosis and how the treatments caused unexpected disabilities. As she struggled to learn new ways to live her life as fully as possible, an inspiration hit her.
Jen tells us how a childhood love of toy mice helped her to think outside the box. She went far beyond the typical therapy exercises focusing on regaining cognitive and motor skills. Her project started as building a house for the mice, but it evolved far beyond that. Jen has created an entire mouse world, complete with individual personas for each mouse, (Szusy, her husband Ralph, et al), activities, travel, environments, and even a following that spans the nation and an ocean! There is a move afoot to create their own Instagram account. That’s the story we’ll hear today.
We hope you’ll enjoy listening to this episode as much as we did recording it, and are inspired to watch for the launch of Karen’s podcast in the fall of 2024.
Please enjoy our conversation!
Check out my Facebook Page at I’m Frickin’ Lonely.How About You to see pictures of Szusy, Ralph, Szusy’s siblings, and the mouse house.
