Metabolically Speaking
Metabolically Speaking with Maridith Baker. Rare conditions, Real stories.
Living with a metabolic condition is about embracing more. More things you can do, more you can enjoy, and more adventures along the way.
Metabolically Speaking unpacks the perceived challenges facing individuals and families living with inherited metabolic conditions. Host Maridith Baker, who knows firsthand what it means to live fully with PKU, brings her unique spark, energy, and deep curiosity to every conversation.
Through expert interviews and real-world experiences, each episode blends metabolic knowledge with practical advice. Covering topics such as identity, relationships, mental health, advances in research and the ordinary moments that make life extraordinary.
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Metabolically Speaking
Navigating Mental Health with a Metabolic Condition – with Dr Kendra Bjoraker
This month on Metabolically Speaking, we’re joined by pediatric neuropsychologist Dr. Kendra Bjoraker. With specialized expertise in rare genetic and metabolic conditions, Kendra has dedicated her career to supporting individuals and families as they navigate challenges, celebrate strengths, and hold onto hope.
Kendra, and host Maridith Baker, dive into the realities of living with both a mental health condition and a metabolic condition, and how persistence, adaptation, and cognitive flexibility are essential parts of the journey. From formal definitions of depression and anxiety to stark statistics and practical coping strategies, Kendra sheds light on what it means to care for our mental health, just as we do our physical health, and how this can look different at every stage of life. She talks about the emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual processes involved following lifelong and life changing diagnoses.
At the heart of this conversation is connection and hope. Kendra leads us through her simple 5-4-3-2-1 activity to reset and recenter and shares with us her own quote on hope and the powerful story behind it; “When all you need is a drop of hope; and many times, a drop is all you have... For without hope there is nothing.”
Whether you are living with a lifelong condition or supporting a loved one, this episode offers validation, encouragement, and tools you can carry with you forever.
If you'd like to know more after listening to this episode, you'll find resources and links in the show notes below. Thank you for joining our conversation.
Show Notes
• Find out more about Cambrooke:
• Get in touch with Cambrooke:
o metabolicallyspeaking@cambrooke.com
• Dr. Kendra Bjoraker:
o Bjoraker Neuropsychology Consultants, PLLC | neurological care
• Maridith Baker:
o www.instagram.com/phenylketonuriaandme
o www.linkedin.com/in/maridithbaker
o www.facebook.com/maridith.baker
Organizations that Educate and Offer Help
- National Alliance on Mental Illness 1-800-950-NAMI (1-800-950-6264)
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America 1-240-485-1001
- National Institute of Mental Health 1-866-615-6464
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Mental Health 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)
- American Psychological Association 1-800-374-2721
- American Psychiatric Association 1-703-907-7300
- https://www.anxiety.org
- http://www.childanxiety.net
- https://locator.apa.org
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255