The Nocturnists

3d ago

Physician and writer Francis Southwick tells a deeply personal story about love and illness. Growing up queer in rural Colorado, Francis experiences mysterious episodes of sudden paralysis triggered by intense emotion, beginning in adolescence and persisting for decades without a diagnosis. After years of shame, misattribution, and near-abandonment of dreams, Francis falls in love with Judith, builds a life with her, and finally receives a diagnosis of type 1 narcolepsy with cataplexy—explaining why moments of beauty, joy, and love literally caused collapse. Frances originally performed this story at Medicine Story: on the meanings of healing, a live storytelling event produced by Dr. Rebecca George from the Sierra Valley Health Center in Nevada City, CA in 2025. This event was generously funded by the California Health Care Foundation , as a part of our S atellites Program . The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association and donations from listeners like you. This episode of Stories from the World of Medicine is sponsored by The Physicians Foundation . and our friends at the podcast Unleashed: Redesigning Health Care .

Dec 11

Community health workers Alicia Ashorn and Anthony Thigpen share their personal stories—Alicia's journey through addiction and recovery, and Anthony's path through grief, transformation, and reentry work—and how these experiences shape their care for people returning from incarceration. In the conversation that follows, they reflect on the power of storytelling, the emotional complexity of supporting clients in crisis, and the wisdom required to balance compassion with boundaries. Through vivid anecdotes from the field, they illuminate the essential yet often unseen role of community health workers as bridges between the clinic and the community, offering trust, dignity, and hope to people navigating systems that routinely fail them. Alicia and Anthony originally told their stories at Journeys of Healing: Stories of Resilience and Transformation , a storytelling event presented by Transitions Clinic Network in Los Angeles in 2025. The event was made possible by a generous grant from the California Health Care Foundation in support of our program, The Nocturnists Satellites . The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association and donations from listeners like you. This episode of Stories from the World of Medicine is sponsored by The Physicians Foundation . and our friends at the podcast Unleashed: Redesigning Health Care .

Nov 26

Sharon Fennix spent 38 years incarcerated before becoming the hotline coordinator for the Transitions Clinic Network (TCN), where she now supports people returning to the community with empathy, compassion, and lived experience. In this episode, she talks with Emily about reentry, the power of peer support, and the creative life she built inside prison—evolving from seamstress to playwright, director, and storyteller whose productions bridged divides and transformed her own sense of self. Sharon was a producer for Journeys of Healing: Stories of Resilience and Transformation , a storytelling event presented by the Transitions Clinic Network in Los Angeles in 2025. The event was made possible by a generous grant from the California Health Care Foundation in support of our program, The Nocturnists Satellites . The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association and donations from listeners like you. This episode of Stories from the World of Medicine is sponsored by The Physicians Foundation .

Nov 13

Nurse practitioner Linda Wick has spent more than four decades in medicine, beginning her journey as a six-year-old watching nurses care for her injured brother. In today's story, she recalls the early lessons that shaped her career—from the strict nuns who taught her at the College of St. Scholastica to the life-and-death responsibilities of the ICU and dialysis unit. When a medical emergency reunites her with one of her toughest teachers, Sister Helen, Linda is forced to confront the words that haunted her for years. Linda originally performed this story live on stage at Intersections, a live storytelling event produced by the Center for the Art of Medicine in Minneapolis in 2024 through our program, The Nocturnists Satellites . The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association and donations from listeners like you. This episode of Stories from the World of Medicine is sponsored by The Physicians Foundation .

Nov 6

Birth doula Sarah Auna has attended nearly 500 births. Today, she shares the story of one particularly powerful birth—an experience that unfolded not only in the body, but in the mind and spirit of everyone present. Through vivid storytelling, Sarah reflects on the physiology and psychology of labor, the art of creating safety in moments of intensity, and the lessons birth has taught her about trust, presence, and self-knowledge. Sarah originally performed this story live on stage at Intersections, a live storytelling event produced by the Center for the Art of Medicine in Minneapolis in 2024 through our program, The Nocturnists Satellites . Music by Rachel Kurtz (song: "Lioness") The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association and donations from listeners like you. This episode of Stories from the World of Medicine is sponsored by The Physicians Foundation .

Oct 30

Infectious disease Physician Meghan Rothenberger grew up feeling uncertain and disconnected from her body. As a teenager, she struggled with an eating disorder, trying to make sense of the changes of adolescence and the cultural messages around her. Years later, as a medical student studying anatomy, she began to see the body not as something to control, but as something wondrous and worthy of care. In this conversation, Meghan talks with Emily about growing up, navigating an eating disorder, and finding healing through science, pregnancy, and the everyday miracle of being alive. Together, they explore how understanding the body can open the door to compassion, connection, and belonging within oneself. Meghan originally performed this story live on stage at Intersections, a live storytelling event produced by the Center for the Art of Medicine in Minneapolis in 2024 through our program, The Nocturnists Satellites . The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association and donations from listeners like you. This episode of Stories from the World of Medicine is sponsored by The Physicians Foundation .

Oct 16

Physician Jessica Zitter and chaplain Betty Clark to explore their partnership and the making of their film The Chaplain and The Doctor . The documentary, set in Oakland's Highland Hospital, captures the real work of palliative care and spiritual care, alongside a growing friendship between two women who cross lines of race, power, and professional hierarchy. They discuss what it means to listen with compassion, how bias and racism manifest at the bedside, and how storytelling, humility, and friendship can become acts of healing. From funny hospital moments to scenes of deep moral reckoning, this episode shows how two healers learn from each other, and how humanity itself can be the best medicine. Find show notes, transcript, and more on our substack and website . The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association and donations from listeners like you. This episode of Conversations is sponsored by The Physicians Foundation .

Oct 9

Pediatrician and author Perri Klass joins us to discuss the dramatic fall in child mortality, drawing from her book The Best Medicine. She traces how clean water, vaccines, antibiotics, and neonatal care transformed family life, revisits once-feared diseases and the breakthroughs that conquered them, and reflects on the cultural shift that made childhood death unacceptable. We also explore the return of measles amid misinformation, the evolution of pediatrics from infection-fighting to child development, and what it means to raise kids in the most medically protected era in history. Find show notes, transcript, and more on our substack and website . The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association and donations from listeners like you. This episode of Conversations is sponsored by The Physicians Foundation .