Jackie has often heard of autoimmune encephalitis survivors unlocking hidden creativity after their diagnosis. And while she turned to writing in her days of survival and recovery, she still believes her creativity knows a lot of bounds. But what does it really mean to be a creative? What happens when you bring your creativity back "home?" What does it mean to sing your heart out through cancer in your airways? How can our creativity help us heal? In this episode, Jackie brings in a new friend, Jessie Veeder, a REAL cowgirl, author, and musician, to talk about her creative life, surviving canc ..read more

In this episode, Jackie is joined by guest Mariah Botha of Dickinson, North Dakota. Mariah is the director of a rural healthcare foundation and is as smart as she is lovely. Upon reading Unwillable, Mariah had a lot of questions and Jackie (doubtfully) had the answers. So the pair decided to turn the tables and have Mariah host Jackie. In this unscripted conversation, Mariah and Jackie explore childhood anxiety, parenting children who may have anxiety, some of Jackie's biases towards mental health while she was writing her memoir, and Mariah's cats (Mariah is also the cofounder of Meowsers, a ..read more

Join Jackie and Sean as Jackie drops her ultimate wish (outside of a made for TV movie): the Unwillable soundtrack! In this episode, you'll hear more about the songs that influenced Jackie while writing the book, the eerie songs that played during her onset, and the songs she relied upon to get to the final destination of "I'm Still Standing!" To listen along to the Unwillable soundtrack, you can find the playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ZjPmn7dZrtsasGxk6epWy?si=8dfe78bdeb3d4bd9  Got a question or thought about Unwillable, autoimmune encephalitis, or Jackie's superb taste ..read more

Medical care can be complicated, especially for women. Women are always juggling hormones, stress, work, sleep, childbearing years, menopause, and quite a bit in between. In this episode, Jackie interviews an old friend, Adria, who is a Physician's Assistant at a women's primary care clinic. Join them as they demystify primary care and talk about it all, including mental health, weight loss, skin care, and more. And also join in for Jackie sharing a lot of laughs (mostly with herself). Please visit jmstebbins.com for more podcasts, Jackie's blogs and much more ..read more

Lawyers. If you know them, you know they're always "stressed out." If you've met them, you know they're "overworked." And chances are, you've probably heard them call their profession "toxic." Why is the legal profession so stressful and why are lawyers statistically at risk for a myriad of serious mental health problems? Why was Jackie persuaded that she suffered from work-induced depression and burnout before she learned she had autoimmune encephalitis? Why is Elton John so amazing? To answer these questions and a few others, Bismarck (retired) lawyer, Jackie, brings in special guest NYC law ..read more

In this very special episode, Jackie is joined by Miami native Juliana Ortiz who was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis at just fourteen years old. Juliana’s story of disruption at a young age to her brave recovery and how her diagnosis helped shape her college career path is one you don’t want to miss. She’s also the first AE survivor to guest the Brain Fever podcast! Join Jackie and Juliana in this episode to hear them riff about AE and ROAR ..read more

Join Jackie and Sean as they sing and dance their way into 2023 (kidding, there's no singing or dancing on this one). In this episode, Jackie discusses Brain Fever's spring lineup, her book Unwillable, and what she's been up to. She also drops a little secret info about an upcoming promotional giveaway and some exciting February news for World Encephalitis Day! Catch Brain Fever to get caught up on all things JM Stebbins and Unwillable ..read more

In this special episode, Stephanie Macdonald, the nurse practitioner Jackie credits with saving her life from AE, interviews Jackie for Humanities North Dakota’s One Book One ND event. In this conversation, the pair explore life after AE, writing Unwillable, and how Jackie stays busy. *Recording shared with permission and consent ..read more

When AE stares you in the face (or another chronic health condition) two questions come to mind: What if I can't work and how will I have health insurance? To tackle these complicated and scary questions, Jackie welcomes her longtime friend and colleague, Attorney Mac Schneider, as a guest. Mac walks listeners through the complicated puzzle of disability and health care, and Jackie tells old stories. Disclaimer: This episode does not provide legal advice and is for educational and informational purposes only. If you're in need of legal advice, please contact a licensed attorney ..read more

In this episode, Jackie and Sean discuss the release of Jackie’s memoir, “Unwillable: A Journey to Reclaim my Brain” (in a bit of a dazed and confused kind of way). Sean also offers his resignation as Jackie’s producer, but he’ll be back … To order your copy of Unwillable, check out unwillable.com or look for it on Amazon ..read more