From Airwaves to In-Person Waves: Join My Journey

Attend 'The Cosmos of Care' Workshop and Listen to My Take on Health and Queerness on 'Talking Head Pain'

Image Description: Christa (a fat, non-binary, light-skinned Filipine-American person) sits on a bench in a goat barn. They are wearing aviator glasses, a brightly coloured printed button-down, black leggings and sneakers. They are surrounded by five goats of various sizes, shapes and colours.

I’m not going to lie to you: I used ChatGPT to write the headline and subtitle of today’s email. I’m disabled and neurodivergent—the heart of this missive is human-powered. To be fair, I’m bad at advertising myself! I also promised myself (and you all) that I wouldn’t write anything new (of note, AKA essays!) until my presentation. Whether that means I’m feeling good about the presentation or whether the presentation happens first (pssst—information down below) is anyone’s guess. (I have ADHD, so it’s probably going to be me not posting anything new until mid-August!)

So, instead, you get this AI-generated headline and subtitle. But onto the heart of the post!

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Listen to my interview on ‘Talking Head Pain’

I’m not posting any previous content or an essay this week because an episode I recorded with Sarah Shaw of the Global Healthy Living Foundation (and a new friend) a few weeks ago dropped this past Wednesday (June 26th). It’s about 25 minutes long (sorry everyone, this is cut down from an hour’s worth of interview material). We chatted for about an hour and a half! We talk about our queer and disabled identities because it’s Pride Month. I never considered myself someone who suffered from migraines before, but having menstrual-related migraines kind of stinks. I also swear a lot, so she probably had to cut a bunch of that too. (Oops! It felt like talking to a friend, so I never knew!)

creaky_joints

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I’ve entered the peak of what I’ve deemed ‘podcast season,’ because I recorded episodes and interviews for two other podcasts this week. I enjoy the process of getting to know other community members, elders, and leaders and their stories. Sarah and I belong to a community of queer people who have endometriosis, and she posted about migraine as a potential symptom. I reached out immediately, and we booked a time to chat about our intersectional identities. I’m grateful to have this platform and thanks so much to my new friend and disability advocate.

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Come to Midwest Love Fest in Indianapolis this August!

southwestlovefest

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I’m doing a lot of research on this presentation, and I’d love it if you joined me in Indianapolis on August 17, 2024. The schedule is up and I’m in the late afternoon, so perfect for those who like to sleep in or are coming from further away. If you want to register and have a 10% discount, use my code ‘CHRISTALEI’ when you buy a pass.

This workshop is a labour of love, brought to you by my lived experiences and the wisdom of the elders who came before. I applied for this conference on a whim, and was surprised to hear that the organizers chose me to present. While not my first presentation, it’s my first on non-monogamy and disability. It’s one of the first presentations where I can exist as my most authentic self. Which is something that I’m celebrating during this last week of Pride.

I hope that you all are doing well, friends.

I’ll see you again soon. Thanks for putting up with this, and thank you all for your support. It means the world.

xo