trailer
Welcome to the Bandying Show
Welcome to The Bandying Show, my space to have conversations with you and my guests about chronic illness, mental health, joy, resilience, and all the strange, funny, deeply human bits in between. I recently realized that my autoimmune disorder, which I kept all to myself for more than 20 years, shaped me, my days, and the story of my life (Queue “The Story” by Brandi Carlile) more than I ever knew. Yes, there will be tons of music references!
This is the kickoff episode for me to do a soundcheck, and for you to get used to my voice, learn to not fall asleep to the baritone, or do, if it helps, calibrate your ears to my accent, and find out why we’re both here and “What’s In The Box?” Yes, there will be tons of Gen X references.
Most episodes I will pick one serious health topic where I draw you into the work it takes to survive the bad days, and to fight and compete to get better or even thrive, and another fun and joyful one that entertains you and cracks you up making the heavy stuff easier to take in.
So, less “Do the work!”, more “This is what it takes!” salt-and-peppered with music, comedy, Gen X nostalgia, some absolutely silly nonsense, and anything else I can think of that helps us stay positive, stick with the process, and make the best of our days.
You can have it all! In. One. Show. And you’re already on your way!
I hope this show is a good friend to you in a world where joy is in short supply and where we all need all the help we can get in getting better, being better, and in making and chasing our dreams.
Transcript
My name is Amrit Bandy, and after more
Speaker:than 20 years of not talking about
Speaker:my autoimmune disorder, I finally am.
Speaker:I recently realized that it
Speaker:didn't matter that I never
Speaker:made it a part of my identity.
Speaker:Every day of my life has
Speaker:been about this damn disease.
Speaker:Whether it's a bad day or year and
Speaker:I'm curled up in a ball, or it's a
Speaker:good one where I'm working around
Speaker:the disease, shooting my shots.
Speaker:And if I'm gonna talk about it,
Speaker:since I do have a voice for radio,
Speaker:probably a face for radio two, and
Speaker:I've never been a man of few words, I
Speaker:might as well make a show out of air.
Speaker:So welcome to the Bandying Show, a show
Speaker:where we are gonna talk about self-help
Speaker:our way through chronic and mental
Speaker:health issues, while also talking joy.
Speaker:Joy is in short supply
Speaker:in the world right now.
Speaker:It's important to talk about it,
Speaker:to bring more of it into your life,
Speaker:and it is understated how important
Speaker:it can be to long-term recovery.
Speaker:And we are also going
Speaker:to talk all things fun.
Speaker:Music comedy crushes the fun of being
Speaker:Gen X, interesting things in the world,
Speaker:and even things that are downright silly.
Speaker:Most episodes I will pick one really
Speaker:fun and joyful topic, and another
Speaker:that is a deep dive into a health
Speaker:issue that I unfortunately have
Speaker:in-depth survival experience with.
Speaker:There are many podcasts that
Speaker:talk mental or chronic health.
Speaker:My goal is to bring you a show that does
Speaker:it without drowning you or drowning me
Speaker:because I can't womp womp all episode And
Speaker:also a show that goes beyond the cliches.
Speaker:So whether it's a solo episode where
Speaker:I'm ranting or raving, or a conversation
Speaker:with an expert where we are learning
Speaker:to play it closer to the book, or I
Speaker:interview a friend where I'm gushing
Speaker:over them like they're a celebrity.
Speaker:The angel is in the details.
Speaker:In the conversations about the
Speaker:skills learned, the techniques and
Speaker:tricks we use to survive or even
Speaker:thrive, finding what works for you,
Speaker:what doesn't, how to make it work,
Speaker:successes, failures, and the deeper we
Speaker:go, the more fun, joy, and creativity.
Speaker:We are gonna need to
Speaker:pull ourselves back up.
Speaker:This has been key to my
Speaker:fight against my disease.
Speaker:But that being said, the biggest
Speaker:and baddest weapon I use in
Speaker:my recovery happens to be
Speaker:the sexiest word of them all.
Speaker:Process.
Speaker:I'm alive today past 24, 32, 40 only
Speaker:because each time my disorder comes from
Speaker:me and buries me deep down in a hole,
Speaker:I have gone back in and rescued myself.
Speaker:Lived a painstaking life of self-help
Speaker:that I discovered and designed
Speaker:out of need just to survive.
Speaker:I've prioritized it, lived it, refined
Speaker:it every day for more than 20 years,
Speaker:even to the point of creating the
Speaker:illusion of thriving and my favorite
Speaker:part, I did it with a smile on my face.
Speaker:I lay it all out in episode one.
Speaker:My medical history, the only episode
Speaker:low on the fun and joy options.
Speaker:This time I'm making this
Speaker:podcast a part of my fight back.
Speaker:Even if you know me for my national
Speaker:debate title, startups, bands,
Speaker:standup self-help, and staying
Speaker:positive is what I think about all
Speaker:day, and this is what I'm best at.
Speaker:With running my mouth being a
Speaker:close second, but I'm starting
Speaker:this podcast at a time that I'm not
Speaker:very well just like anybody else.
Speaker:I wanted to do this, something
Speaker:like this when I won.
Speaker:I know now that that day may never
Speaker:come in the way I dreamt of, but
Speaker:this podcast is something I couldn't
Speaker:do a few years ago, which makes it
Speaker:even more important for me to shoot
Speaker:my shot like a good Sagittarius.
Speaker:Now, while I still can, I will pour
Speaker:my heart and hurt into it, all my
Speaker:knowledge, all my pain, all my joy.
Speaker:Mix it together at the just right baby
Speaker:bear levels and bring it to you and
Speaker:maybe just, maybe it sets you off on your
Speaker:actual self-help journey, and maybe it
Speaker:helps me get a bit better too in return.
Speaker:Because if you have one of these
Speaker:disorders, it can be nice just
Speaker:to relate or even spark an idea.
Speaker:And if you don't, it can be great to know
Speaker:these words and thought streams in case
Speaker:something happens to your loved ones.
Speaker:Or if you start to feel the dips
Speaker:yourself to fight back preemptively.
Speaker:But even more people like me wonder what
Speaker:if someone who didn't have a disorder
Speaker:did all the things I do to stay alive?
Speaker:Would they soar?
Speaker:Could that be you?
Speaker:So if this combination of joy
Speaker:and self-help and fun and mental
Speaker:health sounds good to you, bandying
Speaker:might just be right for you.
