Click to learn more about:

LuNa

Co-Host, Writer, Designer

sheLLI

Co-Host, Executive Producer

tIFFaNy

Producer, Graphic Design

OuR MISSIoN

We explore the health and wellness concerns of people on the hypermobility spectrum from diagnosis to management, asking those on the forefront of research and treatment how to help all of us on the hypermobility and connective tissue disorder spectrum including the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes.

We speak loudly so fewer of us get diagnosed with these genetic conditions too late in life and so more of us can be proactive earlier in our health.

We've been symptomatic since childhood, but weren't diagnosed until middle-age.

The Full Story

Hacking Hypermobility is a project brought to you by Luna and Shelli to bring awareness to our mutual special interest in all things related to life as a "Zebra." After finding each other on TikTok (of course) we found a kinship that can feel so rare for people with our health conditions.

So, here we are trying to bring us all together...

Why the Zebra?

An adage taught to medical doctors in training is:

"When you hear hoof beats in the night,

look for horses — not Zebras."

Student doctors learn to begin treating the most obvious explanations rather than rare conditions. The axiom was first taught in the 1940s by Theodore Woodward, professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

But, some horses do indeed have stripes. More recent medical study shows the more common types of inherited connective tissue disorders including Hypermoble Ehers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder are more common than previously thought.

Luna

Podcaster, Writer, Designer

I'm a Hypermobile human and momma passionate about bringing visibility to the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes to encourage earlier intervention, giving voice to our need for further medical research in understanding and treating the connective tissue disorders, advocating for the awareness of comorbid neurodivergence, and finding ways to improve the quality of our lives, leaving a healthier legacy for my daughter.

I'm a Zebra Sun,

Autism Moon,

and ADHD Rising

Shelli

Podcaster, Writer, Editor

Shelli has been the first at many things in her family and friends group. First to go to college. First to get married. First to have a kid. First to have an autistic kid. First to spend 20 years looking for a diagnosis. First to, first to, first to.

It was hard for Shelli, but she doesn't want it to be hard for you. That's why Shelli is passionate about sharing her life experience, all of it, so it's easier for you. Find out more about her journey on her website: Help, I'm Alive!

Tiffany

Producer, Graphic Designer

Tiffany joined the podcast team in 2023 as a producer/helper, after discovering the podcast while searching for answers to why everything in her body seemed to be broken. Luckily, she was able to get some answers and discovered her new Zebra family!

She's a disabled neuro-sparkly graphic artist, cat lady, maker of things, and yarn addict. Originally from Ft. Lauderdale, FL by way of Tucson, AZ, she along with her husband Jeremy, now live in the woods of rural Virginia along with their 2 Zebra children, 3 cats, rescue dog, and a crawfish that mysteriously showed up in her front yard (Appalachian Mountains: can't explain it, just go with it.)