Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are thrilled to bring you our 150th episode! Donations make our podcasts possible – so we’d like to take the opportunity of this milestone to ask if you could support us.

As we mark this significant milestone, we are pleased to welcome Overcoming MS CEO, Alex Holden as our guest. Alex joined Overcoming MS in March 2023 and, during her time at the Charity, has completed a lot! In this episode, she talks to Geoff about meeting the Overcoming MS community, her experience at the ECTRIMS conference (the world’s largest research meeting in multiple sclerosis) and the exciting plans for the Overcoming MS charity!

Watch this episode on YouTube here. Keep reading for the key episode takeaways.

Topics and Timestamps:

01:17 Learn about Alex’s background, expertise and how she became CEO of Overcoming MS.

03:30 Alex’s view of the most compelling pillars of the Overcoming MS Program and changing your lifestyle based on evidence.

04:46 The mental and physical benefits of wild swimming.

05:56 Meeting the resilient and hopeful Overcoming MS community.

07:58 Abseil off the ArcelorMittal Orbit and other ways to support Overcoming MS.

10:22 How she keeps busy with her teenagers outside of work.

11:23 In-person Overcoming MS events taking place in 2024 you might like to attend.

14:15 Join the Live Well Hub – the Overcoming MS app – where over 2,000 community members are already sharing tips and advice.

17:43 Alex’s experience at the largest MS research conference in the world, the 2023 ECTRIMS conference (European and American Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis).

21:06 Future plans for the Overcoming MS charity.

Selected Key Takeaways:

Put respect for individuals at the forefront. 02:32 “Everybody needs respect, no matter what struggles they have, no matter what they've gone through. Understanding people's situations are so individual to them, I think that's shaped where I've gone with the rest of my career.”

Your diet can contribute to your well-being and energy. 03:42 “I've always been very interested in nutrition. At one point I did consider training as a nutritional therapist. So that's something that I'm really passionate about the importance of diet and how that contributes to your wellbeing rather than taking things out of your diet, how you look at what's contributing to energy.”

One of the main reasons Alex was drawn to Overcoming MS was because of the community 06:42 "It is such a strong community and a very giving community. People who have had really quite devastating news are managing to give each other so many levels of support, tips, positivity and hope. To be part of that community and amongst those people who have that mindset, I feel very fortunate.

As an organisation, we're really small. We are absolutely dependent on people who are in our Circles, our Ambassadors, and people fundraising for us. There are only twelve staff members, and most of us are part-time; the only way we can support a global community is through the community themselves.”

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More info and links:

• Connect with others following Overcoming MS on the Live Well Hub
• Fundraise for Overcoming MS
• Meditate with Overcoming MS facilitator Phil Startin and others
• Watch the ECTRIMS conference highlights webinar with Brett Drummond
• Learn more about the Neuroepidemiology Unit at the University of Melbourne
• New to Overcoming MS? Visit our introductory page 
• Visit the Overcoming MS website
• Read more about Alex

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