More than a name: Sohigian truly is Thriving Over Surviving

Edie Sohigian had no intention of focusing on Multiple Sclerosis when she developed the direction of her podcast.

Sure, she has a first-person understanding of what it’s like living with MS – Edie was diagnosed in 2015 – but she had crossed the disease off her list. She instead was looking at hosting a podcast that had a feel along the lines of Brené Brown, a respected author and podcaster known for her honest conversations exploring the human experience.

All it took was an MS group on Instagram to convince Edie that she already had found her focus.

“There on Instagram was a group of people in our MS community who were living with the challenges of this disease, but they weren’t wallowing,” she said. “They actually were lifting me up because what all these people were doing was thriving over surviving and it was then that I realized I could spread their messages of hope and help lift other people up.”

Producing an approachable MS podcast

Edie launched the Thriving Over Surviving Podcast on July 10, 2021, and Jennifer and I are convinced this is one of THE best listens of all Multiple Sclerosis podcasts. Perhaps this is because at the core, Edie told me she had set out to create a podcast that was uplifting and also taught people new things and offered new insights and perspectives.

“I do a lot of research in the MS space trying to figure out what the listeners need from me,” Edie said. “It’s a lot of listening and learning so I can figure out how I can support them.”

Yes, Edie is the host, and she chimes in with brief commentary and perspectives from her own experiences. But this is far from being the Edie Sohigian show. It is a show about each of the guests who have appeared on the 63 episodes that she has posted in the 20 months since the podcast premiered.

Edie asks the questions, and then it’s as though she instantly becomes a member of the audience. She sits back and listens to the guests’ responses and then follows up with more questions based on the answers. Almost as though she’s there as an advocate for the listeners and asking the questions she senses we also are wondering.

As Edie said earlier, she does a lot of listening to people who are living with Multiple Sclerosis.

“I said, ‘Wow. This is a relapse.’”

It truly helps that she has shared experiences with the rest of us in the MS community. She knows what it was like to not know what was causing the mysterious symptoms, to hear the words “You have MS” and then to wonder what your life was going to be like now that you have progressive illness.

Edie was flourishing in her career as an educator within a large school district in Florida. She held various positions that ranged from classroom educator to top administrative roles.

She was serving as an assistant principal when she was diagnosed with MS.

“I knew I had MS; I just needed the doctors to confirm the diagnosis. It was so bizarre to me that they didn’t have the answers right away,” Edie said. “When they formally diagnosed me, I was like, ‘Finally! Let’s get going with treating it.’ But I didn’t really understand the impact it was going to have on my life.”

The reality of what having MS hit Edie one Saturday after distributing technology devices to students. In the 90-degree Florida heat. And the air conditioning was unexpectedly down.

Edie went home that evening totally wiped out, and the next day her left hand started feeling numb. The sensation, or lack thereof, started to move up her arm.

 “I said, ‘Wow. This is a relapse.’ I soon realized that this is what MS can do to me,” she said. “I told myself, ‘You have to pay attention to this, and you have to slow down.’”

Living with a greater sense of purpose & no end goal in sight

She eventually stopped working as a school-based administrator and began taking on more of an administrative district role with areas ranging from data to student growth outcomes within the district’s elementary and middle schools.

It took Edie more time than she expected to let go of her fast-paced work schedule. And when the pandemic hit, she, like so many other people across the country and worldwide, had to adjust to working from home.

This also gave her time to look for things she enjoyed and would give her a greater sense of purpose. Edie soon adopted her Yorkie puppy, Lilly. And it was during this time that she started looking into launching a podcast.

In the liner notes for her initial bio episode of the Thriving Over Surviving Podcast, Edie wrote, “In this episode, I shared my story with Multiple Sclerosis and how I got to where I am today, which is still a work in progress.” 

The podcast is well into its second season and is growing in popularity. When I chatted with Edie for this article, I asked her if she felt like it still is a work in progress.

“At the end of the day, we all need to succeed, and I feel I’ve helped people to make connections and thrive. I want to continue to be authentic and help other to live their best lives,” Edie said. “I think the podcast will be ever-evolving, and for the first time in my life, I’m doing something without an end goal in mind.”

Then again, maybe Thriving Over Surviving is more than just the name of her podcast. Perhaps that is the immeasurable end goal she wants for all of us in the MS community.