The Kidney Collective

A podcast that gives voice to the many facets of living with kidney disease. Learn more at kidneyfund.org/podcast.

The Kidney Collective is a health podcast hosted by American Kidney Fund, with 21 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

American Kidney Fund hosts The Kidney Collective, a health show with 21 episodes published.

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  Episode #3

  S3E3: "We Don't See the Depression or Anxiety", with Lupita Ayala

  Sep 22, 202630 minS3

  When You're On Dialysis: Lupita Ayala joins Tamara and Mike to share her experiences managing her mental health while navigating her kidney disease journey. After a urinary tract infection (UTI) recurred for two months, Lupita was eventually diagnosed with stage 3 chronic kidney disease. The three discuss how challenging it was for Lupita to accept her diagnosis and how having a nonjudgmental provider who took the time to explain her condition helped her take the steps needed to care for herself. Lupita describes her reluctance to begin dialysis and vulnerably shares how she struggled with depression and anxiety throughout her experience. However, she shares how leaning on her husband for support, opening up to others and talking with a therapist helped her through those challenges. She explains how receiving a kidney transplant came with a mix of emotions, including surprise, excitement and relief along with grief for her donor and anxiety about the potential of losing the kidney. They also talk about the stigma around seeking out mental health help and advise others to use resources available, even if they don’t have a personal support system. More resources: Mental health and kidney disease Mental health and support after transplant New to dialysis Home dialysis Step Forward: Living Well with Stage 3 Kidney Disease AKF community resource finder Your Mental Health Matters (Dialysis at Home) Become a Kidney Health Coach Join our Advocacy Network Your kidney care team AKF blog post: Why community matters for kidney disease and mental health

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  Episode #2

  S3E2: "We Were Learning It As We Were Living It", with Kelly Harris-DeBerry and Naomi DeBerry

  Sep 8, 202641 minS3

  When Your Loved One Has Kidney Failure: Tamara and Mike are joined on this episode by a mother-daughter duo: Kelly Harris-DeBerry and Naomi DeBerry. Kelly’s husband and Naomi’s father, Jarvis, was diagnosed with kidney failure and began doing home dialysis treatments in 2019. In February 2020, he received a new kidney from a living donor. In this episode, we talk with Kelly and Naomi about the impact of Jarvis’s kidney disease journey on their lives. Kelly shares how she and Jarvis navigated his focal segmental glomerulosclerosis diagnosis when they were still newlyweds; the challenges they faced deciding when and how much to share with others, including their daughter; and the stress and isolation she felt before she allowed herself to lean on her community. Naomi also explains how she didn’t necessarily understand what her dad was going through, but that she could sense the fear and stress when he began at home dialysis when she was six years old. Kelly and Naomi share how Disney World® became “the happiest place on Earth” in a different way when Jarvis learned he would get a new kidney on their trip, and how Naomi was inspired by their family’s journey to write a book, “My Daddy Needs a Gift.” They also tell the hosts about Naomi’s love for LEGO builds and ambitions to become a transplant surgeon. More resources: Mental health and kidney disease Caring for someone with kidney disease Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) Home dialysis Kidney donation and transplant Naomi DeBerry’s author site

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  Episode #1

  S3E1: "Honor Your Feelings", with Dr. Molly Kierein

  Aug 25, 202632 minS3

  When You're Adjusting to Your Diagnosis: AKF President and CEO LaVarne Burton kicks off a new season of The Kidney Collective focusing on the mental health impact of kidney disease by interviewing Dr. Molly Kierein. Dr. Kierein is a licensed clinical psychologist in California and the founder of the Kidney Psychologist, which provides individual and group therapy for kidney patients living in California. Dr. Kierein shares her Alport syndrome diagnosis, which led to kidney failure, a kidney transplant and ultimately, to a new direction for her clinical practice. She explains how surprised she was to realize how few mental health resources are available to kidney patients and how she decided to pursue the lesser-known field of renal psychology, with the goal of seeing exclusively kidney disease patients someday. Dr. Kierein and LaVarne also talk about some of the common mental health struggles people with kidney disease face at each stage of the disease—including symptom, education and decision burden; feelings of powerlessness; and getting comfortable in your own body again with a new organ. More resources: Alport syndrome Mental health and kidney disease Your kidney care team Balancing work, family & travel Kidney donation and transplant Types of living donor kidney transplants Immunosuppressant (anti-rejection) medicines Kidney Psychologist The Hope Line

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  The Kidney Collective

  Special Episode: "A New Frontier", CKM with Dr. Chiadi Ndumele

  Aug 11, 202636 min

  On this episode of The Kidney Collective, Mike Spigler is joined by guest co-host, Dr. Pranav Garimella, a nephrologist and AKF’s chief medical officer. They interview special guest Dr. Chiadi Ndumele, director of obesity and cardiometabolic research, director of the Heart Failure Prevention Program and associate professor of medicine and epidemiology in the Division of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Ndumele serves as chair of the cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome guideline writing group. For his leadership efforts related to CKM health, Dr. Ndumele was awarded the American Heart Association Award for Meritorious Achievement in 2024. The three discuss what CKM syndrome is and why the guideline, released in June 2026 by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, is an important step to addressing the rise of multiple chronic conditions in the U.S. Dr. Ndumele walks through the stages of CKM syndrome and explains how identifying the syndrome is not about labeling people, but reflecting what healthcare professionals are seeing in patients. The guideline is part of an effort to address the interconnected nature of heart, kidney and metabolic conditions (including diabetes and obesity) to improve patient outcomes overall. They also discuss the new PREVENT equation, a tool that patients and clinicians can use to determine someone’s risk and CKM stage. Finally, they talk about new therapies like GLP-1s and SGLT2 inhibitors and the importance of community-based health education programs and clinicians having a compassionate, nonjudgmental approach to help improve health outcomes. Our thanks to the American Heart Association for helping bring this crucial conversation on cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic health to The Kidney Collective! More resources: CKM syndrome (AKF) CKM syndrome (AHA) New CKM syndrome guideline: What it means for kidney health AHA PREVENT™ Equation CKM guideline Heart disease and CKD GLP-1 RAs SGLT2 inhibitors Kidney Health Coach® Kidney Health Coach: All in This Together: The CKM connection

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  Episode #8

  S2E8: "You Turn Your Pain Into Purpose", Alport Syndrome with Ellie Kugler

  Jul 6, 202630 minS2

  Mike and Tamara are joined by Ellie Kugler, an AKF Ambassador, Kidney Health Coach and bodybuilder who is living with Alport syndrome and lupus. Ellie talks about the difficulty she faced getting a diagnosis and how the relatively new understanding of Alport syndrome—along with misconceptions about who it can affect—played a role. Ellie describes how she started educating herself and others about her disease, participating in clinical trials and talking to legislators on Capitol Hill. She also shares the bittersweet story of her kidney transplant, which was a directed donation from a deceased donor. More resources: Alport syndrome 'Do the hard work': How AKF Ambassador and bodybuilder Ellie Kugler navigates living with Alport Syndrome Genetic testing and counseling for kidney disease Kidney biopsy Proteinuria (protein in the urine) Hematuria (blood in the urine) AKF Ambassador network Become a Kidney Health Coach

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