Chronic Boss Unfiltered is the podcast where ambition meets women’s health. Hosted by Lilly Stairs—two-time founder and three-time autoimmune patient—this show dives deep into what it really takes to build a business or climb the career ladder while living with chronic illness. Each week, Lilly sits down with powerhouse women who are chasing big dreams while navigating flare-ups, fatigue, and everything in between. Expect raw, unfiltered conversations that move from the hospital bed to the boardroom, giving you both inspiration and practical insights to balance health and ambition.
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Chronic Boss Unfiltered is the podcast where ambition meets women’s health. Hosted by Lilly Stairs—two-time founder and three-time autoimmune patient—this show dives deep into what it really takes to build a business or climb the career ladder while living with chronic illness. Each week, Lilly sits down with powerhouse women who are chasing big dreams while navigating flare-ups, fatigue, and everything in between. Expect raw, unfiltered conversations that move from the hospital bed to the boardroom, giving you both inspiration and practical insights to balance health and ambition.
Meet the Woman Behind the Mic: From Hospital Bed to CEO with Lilly Stairs
Chronic Boss Unfiltered
44 minutes
3 weeks ago
Meet the Woman Behind the Mic: From Hospital Bed to CEO with Lilly Stairs
In this episode of Chronic Boss Unfiltered, our host Lilly Stairs opens up about her journey from chronic illness patient to powerhouse advocate and entrepreneur. With colleague and friend Lauren Perna stepping in as interviewer, listeners get a raw, honest look at the experiences that shaped Lilly’s mission-driven career.
Lilly’s story begins with early diagnoses—psoriasis at age seven and OCD during her teen years—and takes a life-altering turn when she is diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and Crohn’s disease at 19. These challenges sparked her passion for patient advocacy at a time when the field was still largely undefined.
Throughout the episode, Lilly traces the evolution of her career: establishing herself in advocacy, launching her consultancy Patient Authentic to elevate patient voices in healthcare, and creating Chronic Boss, a community for ambitious women navigating chronic conditions while pursuing big goals.
The conversation highlights core themes of Lilly’s work—owning your narrative, prioritizing mental health, recognizing burnout, and redefining ambition through a chronic illness lens. It’s a powerful reminder that resilience and drive can coexist, and that women with chronic conditions deserve space to lead, build, and thrive.
Themes:
OCD is widely misunderstood and often hidden in plain sight.
A lack of autoimmune awareness propelled her into patient advocacy.
Patient advocacy remains an emerging—and deeply needed—field in healthcare.
Lilly founded Patient Authentic to help organizations meaningfully engage patients.
Daily routines and boundaries are essential for chronic illness entrepreneurs.
Chronic Boss was built to empower ambitious women living with chronic conditions.
Owning one’s story creates personal and professional strength.
Burnout awareness is crucial for protecting mental health.
Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction 01:59 — Early Health Journey: Psoriasis and Childhood Resilience 04:06 — Mental Health in Focus: Understanding OCD 08:32 — Age 19: Diagnoses That Shifted Everything 12:21 — The Spark of Patient Advocacy 14:02 — Building a Career Rooted in Advocacy 18:00 — The Launch of Patient Authentic 21:44 — Patient Authentic’s Mission and Impact 24:32 — The Creation of Chronic Boss 27:32 — Empowering Ambitious Women with Chronic Illness 29:29 — Entrepreneurship, Flexibility, and Balance 33:38 — Burnout, Boundaries, and Mental Health 36:24 — What’s Next for Chronic Boss
Connect with Chronic Boss:
🖤 chronicboss.com🖤 Instagram🖤 LinkedIn🖤 TikTok
Connect with Lilly:
🖤 lillystairs.com🖤 LinkedIn🖤 Instagram
Chronic Boss Unfiltered
Chronic Boss Unfiltered is the podcast where ambition meets women’s health. Hosted by Lilly Stairs—two-time founder and three-time autoimmune patient—this show dives deep into what it really takes to build a business or climb the career ladder while living with chronic illness. Each week, Lilly sits down with powerhouse women who are chasing big dreams while navigating flare-ups, fatigue, and everything in between. Expect raw, unfiltered conversations that move from the hospital bed to the boardroom, giving you both inspiration and practical insights to balance health and ambition.
