Special Episode with Brindley Brooks, MD Experts, & UCB

In this special Healing Space episode, Healing Space Host, Cara Nethery, is joined by HS Connect Founder & CEO Brindley Brooks and leading experts. for a powerful conversation on the silent struggles of living with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) — and why mental health support is just as critical as physical treatment.

Joined by Dr. Ginette Okoye, Professor and Chair of Dermatology at Howard University, along with Kajal Bhika from the UCB team, this episode explores the emotional toll of HS, including depression, anxiety, shame, isolation, and the impact on relationships, intimacy, and daily life.

Together, the panel discusses:
Why mental health is often overlooked in HS care
The hidden emotional burden of living with a chronic skin condition
How HS affects relationships, self-esteem, and identity
Barriers to accessing mental health support
The importance of community, validation, and patient-centered care
How Healing Space was created to fill critical gaps in emotional and mental health resources for people living with HS

This episode also highlights how Healing Space — supported by UCB — was built to provide accessible, judgment-free mental health tools, alternative therapies, and community-driven support so patients never have to navigate HS alone.
Whether you’re a patient, caregiver, or healthcare provider, this conversation offers insight, validation, and hope — and reinforces that HS is more than a skin condition. It’s a whole-person experience that deserves whole-person care.

Learn more and access Healing Space resources at hsconnect.org.

This podcast was made possible by UCB.

In this powerful episode of Healing Space, host Cara opens up a conversation many people living with chronic illness have never been given language for: the difference between capability and capacity. Drawing from real-life experiences shared across the HS community, Cara explains how chronic illness can shrink your daily capacity long before you ever sit down at your desk — and why this has nothing to do with laziness, weakness, or lack of motivation.

Through relatable examples, gentle reframing, and compassionate storytelling, Cara guides listeners toward a new way of measuring their day: one that honors what their body has already carried, not what they feel they “should” be doing. If you’ve ever felt shame for slowing down, struggled with unpredictability, or wondered why simple tasks feel impossible on flare days, this episode will help you breathe easier.

She also introduces a practical worksheet designed to help you explore your own capacity, reframe daily expectations, and create more emotional space for yourself — even on the hardest days.

Listen now and explore more tools, worksheets, and community conversation at hsconnect.org/healingspace.

This podcast was made possible by UCB.

In this gentle and grounding New Year episode, Cara invites listeners to rethink the pressure of “New Year, New You” when you’re living with a chronic condition like HS. While social media fills our feeds with highlight reels, transformations, and “best year yet” posts, Cara reminds us that every year looks different for every person — and that comparison is a natural, human response, not a failure.

Drawing from real experiences shared across the HS community, she explores what to do when comparison hits, not how to pretend it doesn’t. With warmth and honesty, Cara walks through practical steps for naming your feelings without judgment, anchoring your goals in your own reality, recognizing the strength in your quiet wins, and understanding what your jealousy might actually be trying to tell you.

She also reframes healing through the lens of seasons — reminding listeners that droughts, storms, and harvests each have their place, and no one’s timeline looks the same. This episode is a compassionate companion for anyone stepping into 2026 with fear, hope, exhaustion, or all three at once.

If you need a soft place to land this season, this episode is for you.
Explore more tools, episodes, and support at hsconnect.org/healingspace.

This podcast was made possible by UCB.