Why I Finally Pressed Play on MeSsy
In my May 25 post, I talked about Selma Blair’s memoir Mean Baby. This year, both Christina Applegate and Jamie Lynn Sigler released their memoirs. I read them in back‑to‑back months and will eventually write about both. However, today I want to talk about their MeSsy podcast, which started in 2023 but only entered my world this year.
I remembered Christina’s diagnosis when I received mine in 2023. I am embarrassed to admit that I did not know of Jamie Lynn Sigler until I saw her in a commercial for an MS medication. Considering the popularity of The Sopranos and her marriage to the son of former MLB player Lenny Dykstra, I missed several opportunities to know her before MS entered the picture.
Oddly, that made reading her memoir refreshing. I learned everything about her for the first time, which kept me interested on every page.
How I Became a Podcast Listener Against All Odds
I heard of the MeSsy podcast before reading their books, but I never listened to podcasts in previous years. I was missing out on some entertaining listening. Thankfully my partner got me hooked on the Handsome podcast. After catching up on all its episodes, my partner asked if I had heard of anything good.
Suggesting the MeSsy podcast was a stretch. My partner usually prefers crime podcasts. Yet this one has been packed with great information and plenty of laughs. With over 100 hour‑long episodes, there is a lot of content to unpack if you are not already listening.
This pairing delivers unfiltered conversations about MS, life, and everything in between. Jamie and Christina bring honesty, humor, and vulnerability to every episode.
Why Their Dynamic Works So Well
Both hosts bring something unique to the show. Jamie offers empathy and helps Christina navigate toward a positive mindset. Jamie has lived with MS for several years, while Christina’s diagnosis is more recent. Christina brings humor to every episode. Her honesty is raw, and her experience is hard to hear at times, but it is also real.
I appreciate the balance. Jamie brings grounded optimism. Christina brings a PhD in keeping it real. Together, they create a space that is honest without being hopeless and funny without being dismissive.
My mindset since my diagnosis mirrors Jamie’s experience more closely. I relate to her approach. Christina’s perspective is completely understandable, and her journey is her own. It has taken me over two years to grasp how unique each MS diagnosis is.
The Episode That Hit Home: Jennifer Esposito
I just finished episode thirteen with Jennifer Esposito. She discusses her diagnosis of celiac disease and how fixing her gut health changed everything for her. While cleaning up eating habits is hard, I can relate to her story.
From my own experience, which is not medical advice, being strict with my diet for the first six months after my diagnosis changed my trajectory. I credit that period for where I am today. I wrote about this in a prior post about the book Beat Autoimmune.
Understanding how sugar, dairy, carbs, and gluten affect our bodies can be an alternate route for some people managing autoimmune diseases. Most MS medications focus on preventing progression. Diet changes can be an additional layer that helps support healing from earlier damage.
This approach may not work for everyone. However, in the last two years, I have heard many stories crediting diet changes for improvements in brain fog, fatigue, and overall well‑being. And I know this to be true from my own experience.
Where My Journey Meets Theirs
I am only on episode thirteen, but I am excited to continue. I want to hear more about their journeys, their guests, and the places where our stories overlap. MS is unpredictable, but community makes it less isolating. Listening to others share their truth helps me understand my own.
The journey continues, one episode at a time.
My MS Journey Series
- Homepage: My MS Journey
- Post #1: How My Grandma’s Legendary Fall Shaped My MS Mindset
- Post #2: Choosing MS Treatment with Humor and Panic
- Post #3: How My MS Symptoms Finally Forced Me to Listen
- Post #4: Why I Joined My First MS Research Study
- Post #5: Why I Spoke Up About NIH Funding
- Post #6: Feeling Like an Inflatable Tube Man at the Grocery Store
- Post #7: My First MRI Update Since Diagnosis: A Surprising Step Forward
- Post #8: Beat Autoimmune: The Six Lifestyle Keys That Changed My MS Journey
- Post #9: My First Ocrevus Infusion and the Three-Year Price Roller Coaster
- Post #10: Sixth Ocrevus Infusion, New Routines, and an Unexpected Family Emergency
- Post #11: The Mono Chapter I Never Expected to Matter
- Post #12: Mean Baby by Selma Blair
- Post #13: The Night I Went Searching for Answers at an MS Patient Event
- Post #15: You With The Sad Eyes A Memoir by Christina Applegate
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