217: Julie Flygare, President & CEO of Project Sleep: When Doctors Miss Your Sleep Disorder—and One Woman’s Stand for Change

BIO:
Julie Flygare, JD, serves as President & CEO of Project Sleep. Flygare is an internationally recognized patient-perspective leader, an accomplished advocate, and the award-winning author of Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy. In March 2022, she delivered the TEDx Talk, “What Can You Learn from a Professional Dreamer?” In 2024, Flygare was awarded the Sleep Research Society's Public Service Award for significantly advancing the mission of the SRS through advocacy and public policy efforts.
 

SHOWNOTES:

😴  Julie shares her terrifying moment of realizing something was deeply wrong with her sleep?

😴  The turning point in Julie’s diagnosis journey (and how it almost got missed)

😴   How one sports therapist’s comment cracked open the mystery behind Julie’s symptoms.

😴   Facing Narcolepsy: How Julie came to terms with it.

😴   Why Project Sleep exists and who it’s trying to reach first

😴   Struggling with sleep but don’t know where to turn?

😴   Learn about Project Sleep’s helpline

😴   The science behind why storytelling matters in public health education.

😴   Truth behind federal funding for sleep—and how Project Sleep is working to change it.

😴   Sleep equity: Reaching underserved communities

😴  New program you should know about: 

• Sleep Apnea Education Program - Led by advocate Emma Cooksey, this program supports people from diagnosis to treatment and beyond.
• Visit project-sleep.com/helpline
• Training opportunities via the Rising Voices Program

😴  And so much more!

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GUEST LINKS:

Website: https://project-sleep.com

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieflygare/


DISCLAIMER:

The information contained in this podcast, our website, newsletter, and the resources available for download are not intended to be medical or health advice and shall not be understood or construed as such. The information contained on these platforms is not a substitute for medical or health advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation.

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