Happiness Is Peer-to-Peer Connections with Dr. Michelle Hu

Peer to peer connections are critical, and this interview actively demonstrates how having a common challenge creates an immediate bond. Today, I introduce to you Michelle Hu. Through our shared Audiology mentor, we were introduced through email.  Our connection was immediate!  Dr. Michelle Hu is a pediatric audiologist originally from Kent, OH and now lives and works in San Diego, CA.  She is also creator of Mama Hu Hears - an Instagram and website account where she shares her personal and professional experiences as an audiologist with hearing loss. She was inspired to create Mama Hu Hears when her own patients  started growing up and having children of their own & would ask her how she heard her babies if they cried in the middle of the night!  Join me for this upbeat and inspirational conversation.  

Be sure to connect with Dr. Hu at: https://www.mamahuhears.com/

For more information about Dr. Carrie Spangler- check out her LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-spangler/

For transcripts of this episode- visit the podcast website at: https://empowearaudiology.buzzsprout.com

Transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome to episode 16 of empowEAR Audiology with Dr. Carrie Spangler.
[00:00:16] Welcome to the empowEAR Audiology Podcast. My name is Dr. Carrie Spangler, and I am your host, a passionate audiologist with a lifelong journey. Living with hearing challenges in this vibrant hearing world. I wanted to have an empowering podcast for all of my listeners. Many of us learn and grow by being a communication and connection with others.
[00:00:40] It is my hope that all of my listeners will learn something new and be empowered after each episode, whether you are a professional parent individual with hearing loss, or just want to be inspired. I am glad that you are here with us today. I would be grateful if you take a moment to subscribe and give a positive rating for this podcast, also like the Facebook page empowEAR audiology and engage in the conversation about each episode.
[00:01:11] A transcript of each episode is also available on the 3C Digital Media Network webpage and the section of podcast. So one of my favorite topics to share about professionally is the critical need to have peer to peer connections. As humans, we thrive in community, many connections I've made because of a common bond, whether it is through work and activity, kids, a loss, or a celebration.
[00:01:41] Through my own personal and professional experiential hearing journey, I have found the need for peer to peer connection with those who share a similar hearing journey. And so today I am so excited to introduce Michelle Hu I cannot wait to have this podcast conversation because it really highlights the power of peer connection.
[00:02:05] We met recently because of a shared mentor and shared audiologist Dr. Carol Flexer, who suggested that we connect. And this connection was immediately. So let me share a little bit about Dr. Michelle Hu. Dr. Michelle Hu, who is a pediatric audiologist originally from Kent, Ohio, and now lives and works in San Diego, California.
[00:02:31] Something unique about Dr. Hu is that she also so grew up with a hearing loss and now utilizes bilateral cochlear implants. Because of our personal experience she feels especially equipped to work with children and their parents. She is the creator of mamahuhears; an Instagram account, where she shares her personal and professional experiences as an audiologist with hearing loss.
[00:02:57] She was inspired to create mamahuhears when her own patients and started growing up and having children of their own and asked her how she heard her baby cried in the middle of the night. So again, I am so excited to have you today. Michelle, welcome to the podcast. Thanks for having me. I know that we only recently met, um, but I've always heard about you in the past, through our mentors, through our mutual friends.
[00:03:27] And it's just so fun to actually get to connect and create something with you. So thank you. Yes, I thank you for being gracious to come on the podcast today. And I'm really excited to have a conversation, but I wanted to find out from you and for all of our listeners just to be inspired, but can you just share a little bit about your own personal hearing journey growing up and school and all of that good stuff.
[00:03:54] Yeah. So for me, um, I wasn't diagnosed with hearing loss until I was about three or four years old. I might have been born with hearing loss. I don't know because they didn't do hearing screenings in the hospitals back then. Um, so my preschool teacher actually told my mom. You might want to get Michelle hearing tested.
[00:04:14] Um, she's kind of sneaking off on her own during story time, she's reading her own book or she just sitting by herself in the corner. Um, and I got diagnosed with a mild hearing loss. I was fit with hearing aids pretty soon after that. And my mom tells me now she was, she was shocked, um, because I had pretty good speech and language.
[00:04:35] I would Respond to her, um, requests at home, whether it was English or Chinese, I would, you know, go get the shoe there, go get the plate, whatever it was. Um, so she was very surprised, uh, when I did get the hearing aids though, I was just in awe. Um, sound, I could hear the birds outside. I could hear my dad showering.
[00:04:58] I could hear the garage door opening when he came home from work. So it was, it definitely made a difference even with a mild hearing loss. And, um, at that young age, I. I knew that they were good for me. My mom said she never had a problem keeping hearing aids on me or losing them because I immediately attached that value of sound, um, to something positive.
[00:05:25] And she says she had it easy as a parent with hearing loss or a kid of a kid with hearing loss, because I was just that way. Um, My hearing loss is as a result of enlarged vestibular aqueducts, or EVAS as well as Pendred syndrome. Pendred syndrome is a recessive syndrome where both of my parents carried the gene and I was one in 25% chance of.
[00:05:52] Getting a hearing loss. My brother, I don't know. He hasn't taken a genetic test, but he has normal hearing. So he could be a carrier, um, or he could not have it at all. Um, so, and it's just a saliva test. My husband took it and, um, I know that all of my kids will be carriers, but they will not have Pendred or EVAS because he doesn't carry it.
[00:06:15] Um, so for me, because I had EVAS, every time I bumped my head, my hearing would get worse. So I was probably a cochlear implant candidate by maybe age 10, but I actually didn't get a cochlear implant until I was 27 or 28 when I was learning about them in school. When I was in school for audiology, um, I went home and I told my parents, Hey, did you know about this cochlear implant?
[00:06:39] Like, this is what I'm learning about. It's really cool. And my dad said, you know, We've known about it and we just never thought that you were a candidate number one, because you did so well in school. Um, and number two, they just weren't sure about the technology yet. Um, but with me learning more about it in school, knowing that it's not necessarily a last resort, it is an option for me.
[00:07:07] Um, I ended up getting my first cochlear implant and plan during grad school. So my classmates were there at my activation and, um, I don't recommend this, but I watched the surgery probably two weeks before my own because of my rotations. Um, and so that was a little, a bit nerve wracking when I was in, uh, um, surgery bay, just waiting to go.
[00:07:33] And I was like, wow. I know what he's going to do to me. Like, I'll be asleep for it. Um, I got my second cochlear implant out here in California, um, after I started working. So there were about three years in between my two cochlear implants. Um, and it's just been a wonderful journey. I've had definitely, definitely had ups and downs.
[00:07:57] It's very scary when you have a sudden hearing loss. Uh, I grew up afraid of hitting my head and, um, Just being challenged every single time, emotionally, mentally, physically, and needing to dig deep and figure out what am I going to do? What do I want? And then how do I get there? So that was kind of how that's my.
[00:08:20] Like my little hearing, hearing journey story. Wow. I have so many questions. I don't even know where to start. So I'm going to like back up a little bit. And so you grew up right down the street from me. I'm I'm older than you. So we never, crossed paths.. One thing, I know I'm older than you. And, uh, and I grew up in Stow and you grew up in Kent, so we were next door, like rivals.
[00:08:52] Uh, what was your experience like going through mainstream school? Do you have any things that stand out that listeners might learn from. A few things stand out. Um, I had a sudden at my hearing dropped in first grade, third grade, fifth grade, and then senior year of college, the first drop first grade, I, he said that I told my teacher, Hey, my hearing aids don't work.
[00:09:24] And my dad remembers bringing new batteries to school and they still didn't work. Um, I don't remember which time, but my mom said that she felt like it was the end of her world. You know, she didn't, she didn't have anybody. She didn't have the community that you talk about, not until she met Mrs. Lim and Dr.
[00:09:45] Flexer. Um, she. She literally didn't know what to do. So the options were, you know, you need to do sign language, which is fine. Um, we just didn't have that much of a community, um, around us. And I also, I already had so much spoken language at age three to four, you know, I'm sprouting out sentences. I'm talking to everybody who would listen to me.
[00:10:13] Um, but I remember my first grade teacher. When my hearing dropped my mom went to school with me. Like she sat in the classroom next to me and helped me with whatever lesson we were doing. And my first grade teacher, who I’m am still friends with Mrs. Johnson taught my mom, Mrs. Hu you need to go home. She's going
[00:10:38] She's going to do okay. She's going to be just fine. Um, That's one thing that sticks out to me when I lost my hearing again, senior year of college, that might've been the most devastating for me. And it was because I. Had a plan I was studying for LSAT. I wanted to go to law school, my hearing dropped and I was like, how am I going to hear in the courtroom?
[00:11:12] How am I going to hear lectures? Um, and my mom was sitting next to me in the waiting room at Cleveland clinic, waiting for hearing tests. She looked over and she said, you might be a good audiologist. Have you ever thought about that? Hmm. And she knew at that time, I was like, I think I'm going to go to law school.
[00:11:30] I don't know if I, I just didn't know what my, I had a plan, but I wasn't sure. Sure. If it was a short plan, if that makes sense. And, um, I emailed Dr. Flexer probably that day. I said, what do I need to do again? The audiologist, can I do this? Luckily, my prerequisites of pre-med biology, anatomy that transferred over, um, and she wrote a recommendation to the admissions board and I got into grad school then.
[00:12:03] Right. Luckily like, I mean, it was kind of like a fate or kismet happening. Um, but it just goes to tell me that from tragedy or from darkness can come amazing opportunities and doors open. You just need to open up your eyes to see that they are there for you. With my hearing loss, there have definitely been ups and downs.
[00:12:30] And I think it was community, it was positive attitude, positive mindset. My parents are very, um, where's the silver lining type of people. And that if, if that's the only thing that I had I think is what fueled me to kind of be here where I am today, because my job, I really feel like. Is a place where my whole entire life, all of my experiences are optimized and utilized, um, with the children and the parents and the families that I work with.
[00:13:10] I'm sure you feel the same way with your job. I do. I do. And it's hard to see that sometimes. And I think reflecting on all of those moments really makes. Yeah, by the audiologists. And you think about those things and then you implement programs or you implement different opportunities within your practice for families because and children, because it was built out of your own need, right?
[00:13:40] Your own need for support or. Whatever you are having to face too. So what of questions? Well, what do you think was your greatest challenge? And I w do you think it was your senior year? That was definitely the most challenging situation. Um, but I think one of the greatest challenges actually stems from.
[00:14:09] My parents didn't treat me any differently than my brother. Like maybe because maybe more protective because I was a girl or something, but, um, in terms of be a good person, get good grades, you know, be respectful of your elders. Um, they had the same standards as a human being for me then as my brother.
[00:14:34] And I think that. That was the best thing that they could have done for me, because it kept me motivated. It showed me you can accomplish anything that you put your mind to. There isn't anything wrong with you. But on the flip side of that, I didn't know. I didn't, I didn't know. I didn't have the words and the safe space to know that I was different.
[00:15:17] I knew that I was different, but I didn't know how, like, um, like I knew I had hearing loss and I knew nobody else had hearing aids besides me and one friend Stacy and a mutual friend. Um, so I had. Like a twist in my brain or something that wasn't acknowledged, if that makes sense. Um, and it was challenging for me because I think I did choose to define myself with hearing aids or hearing loss.
[00:15:52] And, um, I felt very alone. I felt like I was the only one. Navigating. Macgyvering my way through school. Uh, listening situations, church, um, listening to my brother within a youth symphony orchestra, listening to that. And I didn't know that it could sound different until I got my cochlear implant. I didn't know that you could hear individual stringed instruments or horned instruments.
[00:16:27] And I was like, Wow. So I remember back to his concerts, it was just loud, like bump up. Um, you know, and I don't think I developed a music appreciation until later on, so I don't know. I'm getting back to the question. I don't know what label or what specific challenge it is except to call it. I. Wasn't sure who I was.
[00:17:00] Yeah. And that's hard. I think throughout, especially that adolescent teenage years, when every teenager is trying to figure out who they are, and then you add on hearing loss on top of it and being the one and only, and thinking, wait, why am I the only one going through this? And I don't know anybody else who's going through this that I found that.
[00:17:25] To be hard as well, going through. Did you haven't any mentors or role models or anything. So my first model, who I just interviewed too, was I'm Karen MacGiver-Lux, and she is an audiologist, but I met her. Probably going into my right before I started my freshman year of college. So going through it was later, it was a lot only those developing years of trying to figure out who you are, what you are.
[00:18:00] Um, what to say when people ask, we all had to, we, you and I both had to come up with it on our own. Yeah. I had some crazy thing I would say, Oh, their radios on my ears are in the winter, their ear warmers. You know, I mean, now we have Bluetooth devices nowadays, so people could believe you, but yeah, they can be, I got wearables.
[00:18:26] I'm just wearing my wearables. So yeah, it was. I think the first time I realized that I was truly different as like nobody else that I was friends with had any hearing loss was when I went to a sleepover and. It was one of my first sleepovers. And I remember there being probably five or six girls or whatever, and they turned the lights off and they're still talking.
[00:18:56] And I was like, what people can hear in the dark. It was kind of this light bulb that went off and I thought, Oh, I can't do the same things that everybody else can do in the same way. Yeah. So that was kinda my light bulb. I remember like then taking a flashlight from now on and like putting it under people's mouth during, when they would turn the lights off.
[00:19:26] So I thought I could see them. Are you afraid of the dark, that, that show where they hold them?
[00:19:35] Remember when sleepover? Um, we all went to bed. And I woke up the entire room of like 10 girls, because I rolled over on the taboo buzzer. And you didn't know, I checked my ears, my hearing aids off I, this buzzer is going to be waking up everybody. And I'm just like asleep.
[00:20:00] But also like playing games, like telephone were terrible that you did not want me anywhere in that line because I would completely change up that message. Right. Either you want me to number one, the first one to start it up or you don't want me in the game? Yes. That situation were very stressful. And I.
[00:20:27] Like what you just said. I didn't have the words to explain to my friends why this game isn't going to be good for us to play right now. I tried to just, I guess, muddle through whatever, you know, plow with the way where it, and try to fit in instead of. I'm saying something different. I feel like you're very similar with, to me though, you have a very positive mindset.
[00:20:54] Like, do you feel like I've been asking people, do you feel like it's just a personality trait or what was that that helped you And I, you know, Not be so down about it or not be so negative. What do you think? Well, when you described yourself, as far as, you know, being identified about the same time, I was about four and I was a pretty outgoing person, even though nobody could understand what I was saying.
[00:21:29] Cause I think I was born with, with the hearing loss. So my speech was not that great, but I always. I was always the one going up to strangers and talking to them. Um, so my brother who was little younger than me, he was the shy one. So he was, yeah. And he has normal hearing. So I don't know if it's that.
[00:21:53] Are you firstborn? No, I'm the baby. They thought my brother had hearing loss because I was talking and yeah.
[00:22:06] So I think it is part personality trait. I think it is part of what you said. My parents were the same way. Like I was expected to get good grades and, you know, do my best and be nice to people and participate in activities. And I love that I was involved in sports and have that, you know, friendship community there.
[00:22:32] And, you know, I, so I never. Used my hearing loss as a crutch, I didn't know to even do that. So I think that's the positive of it. But I agree with you. I didn't know anything about my hearing loss, except that I had hearing loss and I had to wear hearing aids. And that was about the most I knew about.
[00:22:58] About it. So, yeah, that's why I feel like being an audiologist and you probably feel this too, what we can do to empower a kid to know more about why they have a hearing loss, why they have communication struggles. How do I navigate those in a positive way is really important for kids. And to have that connection with someone, Oh, connection is so big and community.
[00:23:26] One thing that I do tell parents, um, often is that it's harder to acquire a hearing loss than grow up with it. Because we don't know better when you're older and you're used to things sounding the way they do and things, something happened, either your hearing loss, hearing deteriorates, or you have a sudden hearing loss, you miss what you had.
[00:23:50] You keep looking back instead of forward. Whereas children, I think one of my professors said, um, Does a three legged is a three legged dog any less happy than a four legged one? No, like you see them at a park and they're still going crazy after that ball. Right? Um, it was just a fun analogy to hear and say, yeah, like, of course, when you're young, all you want is snacks and toys and games, and to hang out with your family and everything is provided for you, you're taken care of.
[00:24:30] So you don't know any better. Versus when you're an adult and you acquire it later, I think it's much more difficult, um, that you don't have that safety net of people surrounding you taking care of you, which is why when we're older community is just so much more important. Especially now with COVID, it's really hard.
[00:24:52] And that is yeah. That I I'm ready to be done with, but I guess, so you didn't have any mentors growing up, like going through Kent then like going through your grade school or middle school or high school? Mrs. Lim Stacy's moms. My mom and I at mama me at a library one day. And, um, I think she saw my hearing aids and she told my mom, your daughter has language continue with that.
[00:25:23] Get into speech therapy, um, utilize what she already has get in touch with. I'm not sure if she connected us with Dr. Flexer, but, um, I got my first pair of hearing aids Uh, A, I think a general audiology office and then switched over to U of Akron with, um, Dr. Flexer. Um, and she
[00:25:51] Stacy and I became family friends. So my mom and hers are still close friends to this day. But I feel like we never talked about hearing loss, which we didn't, I don't feel like we need to, we just need people around us that, um, have gone through or understand the similar situations. But looking back, like that challenge that you asked me about, I wonder if we ever, you know, did a few exercises of practicing explaining what my hearing aid was or what a hearing loss was.
[00:26:26] That would have prepared us more for school situations, um, conversations or how to be an advocate for ourselves. Dr. Flexer was very good at, um, empowering me, you know, uh, telling me what I needed, what I needed to do. Um, But having other peers I bet would have helped. So that's kind of how I, why I started mamahuhears is on Instagram because I'm able to, what I love about my job is I'm able to give parents hope and.
[00:27:05] An open window just by me being me. Um, more times than I can count, parents have looked at me and said, Oh my gosh, my kid's going to be okay. And I said, absolutely, she's going to be okay. Your child is still perfect. They can still do whatever they decide they want to do. They can achieve anything. Um, But when it it's, I want to be able to give children, adults, anybody, the words and what to do or say so that, um, In, in difficult situations that they're uncomfortable.
[00:27:45] If they don't have a community, if they don't have a friend who's been through it before, you know how like mothers, they claim to their mama tribes, because they're not the first person in the world to have a baby. Right. And you know, how do I potty train? How do I, how do I do, how do I handle a terrible two tantrums?
[00:28:07] You ask somebody else. You say, what, what worked for you? What worked, what didn't work for you, you listen to stories and you navigate and you take in, take what works for you and what didn't work for you. You toss it away. Um, but same with hearing loss. That's what, that's why I created my account. I really wanted to have a safe space and, uh, to provide.
[00:28:28] Dialogue or tools to help people with hearing loss or moms with kids, with hearing loss, um, navigate that journey because it really is a journey. It's not just a one-time situation. It's the life. It's the life. It's the lifetime. It's the lifestyle, right? Yeah. Your kids are always going to be your kids, right.
[00:28:47] No matter how old or young they are. So you're always going to be a parent to them and how you support them. Yeah. And I would say just as a side note, going through that, the cochlear implant process just a year and a half ago, not even, not really. I guess brought back that need for, to have those peer connections who were different, you know, people who have already gone through the process.
[00:29:20] I mean, and like what you said you were going, you were learning about it in school, right? I mean, as professionals, we know the process and. An ENT can say, I'm the greatest surgeon in the world and your mapping audiologist can say this, but there were questions that only someone that has gone through it can answer.
[00:29:43] And that was my safety net and really what I relied heavily on going through the pre cochlear implants. Thought process and then going through the process. And then even now I still have questions about what I should be doing and or what it sounded like to somebody else. Yes. And to put ourselves in a patient role.
[00:30:11] Oh, I know. I was like, Oh, I'm on the other side of the table. Now I know how my families feel on the other side of the table. And I know this information and they are hearing this for the first time. So it really puts in perspective, all that emotional support that is so needed along the way. Or even the mental and emotional thoughts that you have in the booth when you're being tested, like, you know what they're doing on the other side, but you also need to not be the doctor and let them look at you objectively.
[00:30:51] Which is really hard, isn't it, it's so hard for me to be that patient and when it comes to myself, but I wanted to ask you more and you brought up mamahuhears. And just tell me more about some of the stories that you shared. And you said you got, it started because of your own experience of having kids.
[00:31:17] So share a little bit more about that. Yeah. So, um, I was on maternity leave and I actually missed connecting with my patients. Um, so. And something that I've also never really been able to do is be friends with my w be friends with people, with hearing loss, that community that you speak about. I didn't have it really until I started this account.
[00:31:43] Um, because I was usually their clinician. I was like, well, HIPAA says, no, sorry, I can't be friends with you. Um, Because some, a lot of moms have asked me, you know, can we exchange numbers? I feel like we would hang out in real life. And as much that I wanted to, I just couldn't. Um, with Instagram, I'm able to reach out to more people.
[00:32:08] I feel like I'm able to help more people this way, whether it be just by an infographic. Um, about audiology information or, uh, things, life hacks that I've done, it started with. Um, how do you wake up at night when your baby's cry? And, um, a lot of times I would say, well, my husband can hear, he can, he can make me up, but he travels a lot for work.
[00:32:35] So what am I going to do? Um, What I do is I have my baby monitor. I have a baby monitor next to a sound alert, and that sends a signal to a receiver. That's hooked up to my alarm clock and my alarm clock. Um, it blinks a light as well as shakes. Uh, Has a shaker that I put underneath my mattress. I put it underneath my mattress or my pillow, um, depending on the situation.
[00:33:03] Now it's under my pillow because if I put underneath my mattress, my husband would wake up too. Got it. I did with that. And I just realized the experiences, experiences that I've had can help other people. And. Like we talked about young kids. They don't know any better. I didn't, I don't really know any better.
[00:33:29] What I do is different from somebody else until people started pointing it out to me. Hey, what do you do? You know, can you drive. Yes, I can drive. And I'm actually much more observant of my surroundings because I'm used to needing visual cues to survive. Um, and it's been about a year now since I've had my Instagram and my goodness, the community, the question that come up, the, um, the.
[00:34:01] The messages that are full of gratitude from moms or followers it just really fills my heart. And I know that I'm making an impact. I'm helping moms of kids with hearing loss, and I'm helping people with hearing loss that might be struggling in their journey, or just need to know, Oh, somebody else is out there.
[00:34:23] And she hates that situation too. Doesn't like the word “nevermind”. Um, or. Has, you know, is trying to figure out how to wake up from a nap or do they wear their devices to sleep all of those situations. So it's. I'm going to continue it. I have to, um, it fills my heart because I'm able to connect with people.
[00:34:47] I get ideas from them all the time too. And it just gives me a sense of belonging, you know, like you and I, we're not, um, completely submersed in the capital D deaf community. I didn't grow up around it at all. Um, but, but we do have hearing loss. But we can still hear and speak. So, you know, we're in between.
[00:35:12] And, um, I'm actually in the process of putting together a video of in-betweeners and, um, we're a growing population that needs to be heard, needs to be recognized. And, um, we're there, we exist and we're honestly, we are, uh, Huge group of bad ass people. Right. I love it. Yeah. Well, and I think that's so true because you know, the Deaf community, which is awesome that they have this amazing community and it's very, I think visible, it's visible and people see, you know, the sign language and see ASL and you see it on TV.
[00:35:54] You see it everywhere. And so where that is invisible in between where the like, Oh, she's got a cochlear implant. She has a hearing aid. She must be okay. And, but we still have the same, you know, we still have struggles of communication and, um, barriers that we need to figure out how to navigate on a daily basis and having that community, having that community really helps you get through that.
[00:36:28] So, one question, what is your, um, Do you have a post to something that got the most attention on your Instagram that you posted? For me, it was the invisible load of hearing loss or invisible burden of hearing loss. Um, I think it really hit a tone or a button, um, for people because. It's just a picture of, um, the load or the weight, the mental weight that we have on our shoulders.
[00:37:01] We have extra appointments. We have, uh, electronic devices that breakdown. sometimes. we have difficulty on telephone. Now we have difficulty with mask communication. I look at listening. Fatigue is a huge one. All of those things. Um, I think. Or the post in particular, I think gives my audience or people with hearing loss a means to explain it.
[00:37:33] And they don't have to come up with the words on their own. A lot of my followers have shared it with their family or they posted it in the kitchen. Like they print it out and put it on the refrigerator, just an FYI, like. I am carrying all of these things that you don't see. So that one was well received and, um, I've been translating it to different languages as in Korean and Spanish and Italian and French.
[00:38:01] My mom is doing in Chinese right now. Um, so that one just really struck a chord because. It gave people the words and a tool to be able to say, Hey, this is what, and I'm going through. Can you, could you look at it for me? And then the people that were reading it, who might've had normal hearing, or like, Oh my gosh, like I get it now I get why you're tired.
[00:38:26] You know, you're, you, weren't angry or frustrated directly at me. If you have a lot of weight on your shoulders, um, growing up and living with hearing loss. So. Yeah, we live in a very noisy auditory world that we have to take in so much information. And, and especially now we can't have one-on-one conversations with everybody or anybody anytime you want.
[00:38:51] Yeah. So I. Didn't ask you that you want to share with us because I think your story is amazing. Your Instagram is amazing. I I definitely have to get the the link for all of our listeners, and we'll put it at the end of the show notes. So people can link right to your Instagram account and follow you.
[00:39:17] I, I. It's going to be great for people, but is there anything I didn't ask you that you want to share? I feel like you and I could talk for hours on end, but, um, my Instagram is mama.hu.hears. I also just, um, opened up my website is mamahuhears.com. Um, that. So then people who aren't on social media can find me and, you know, take a look at some things there.
[00:39:49] I'm trying to link a blog on there, but, um, that is just a work in progress. And hopefully I'm, I'm in the works of a children's book because I really want to give children the words and the scenarios and a safe space that I didn't have when I was younger. So stay tuned for that. Yay. Well, Michelle, I just want to say thank you again for coming and the, empowEAR Audiology Podcast.
[00:40:15] It was a great conversation and I'm sure all of our listeners are going to really benefit from having your resources, whether they're professional or a parent or an individual with hearing loss, we need to have that peer. To peer connection and to learn from each other. So I'm so grateful for everything that you have done for our community, and I cannot wait to connect further and, and hopefully do something together in the future.
[00:40:43] Yes, please. Thank you, Carrie. Thank you. This has been a production of the 3C Digital Media Network.