In this special Tick Boot Camp Podcast episode, Dr. Myriah Hinchey (ND) joins Matt Sabatello and Rich Johannesen from Tick Boot Camp to spotlight the 2025 LymeBytes Symposium, a physician- and patient-focused conference designed to shorten the healing journey for Lyme, mold illness, PANS/PANDAS, Long COVID, and other complex, infection-driven chronic conditions. We dig into why immersive learning accelerates progress, how an intimate format fuels direct access to top clinicians and vendors, and what attendees—both in-person and virtual—will actually experience over two packed days in Fort Lauderdale.
If travel isn’t possible, don’t wait—join virtually to access the same lectures, slides, and full-day recordings. And if you can make it to Florida, come say hi to Rich and the Tick Boot Camp crew in person.
👉 Register now: shop.lymebytes.com | Use code TBC100 for $100 off.
Recorded in person in Central Park, NYC just before Project Lab Coat at New York Fashion Week (NYFW), this Tick Boot Camp Podcast features Dr. Bill Rawls on what helps chronic Lyme patients move from overwhelm to progress. We talk immune-first strategy, why antibiotics often fall short in chronic cases, how to protect the gut, and a stepwise plan that reduces flare risk and builds confidence.
Dr. Rawls explains why stealth microbes like Borrelia, Bartonella, and Babesia grow slowly and hide in tissues, which is why a quick-fix antibiotic approach often disappoints in chronic illness. We discuss a four-phase healing framework — prehabilitation, assist the immune system, rehabilitation, and maintenance (PARM) — and how a gradual, system-calming on-ramp helps patients tolerate protocols without crashing. We also dig into gut protection, community support, and how AI can speed education and research.
Dr. Geoff Dow, CEO of 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals and former malaria drug developer at Walter Reed, joins the Tick Boot Camp Podcast to unpack the science and strategy behind treating babesiosis.
Drawing parallels to malaria, Dow explains why tafenoquine (brand: Arakoda), FDA-approved for malaria prevention, is being studied for Babesia, how coinfections (Borrelia, Bartonella) complicate care, and why chronic illness needs a different clinical approach.
He previews an upcoming Mount Sinai trial for chronic babesiosis focused on fatigue outcomes and discusses real-world diagnostics using FDA-approved blood donor screening plus PCRs from Galaxy Diagnostics and Mayo Clinic.
The conversation also touches on prophylaxis concepts, immune dysregulation, and building a clearer path from anecdote to evidence for the tick-borne disease community.
Geoff Dow, BSc, MBA, PhD CEO & Board Member, 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals Background: Biotechnology (Perth, Australia), PhD in malaria drug discovery, decade at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, MBA in the U.S. Leads clinical programs exploring tafenoquine for babesiosis.
In this special Tick Boot Camp Podcast episode recorded live at Project Lab Coat during New York Fashion Week (NYFW), we sit down with Colonel Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.).
Col. Malachowski, the first female pilot of the USAF Thunderbirds and a Lyme patient advocate, walked the runway with us at Project Lab Coat and served as the sole patient representative on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee that authored the landmark report on Lyme infection-associated chronic illness (Lyme IACI).
She shares her perspective on why this recognition is a historic milestone for the Lyme community.
Col. Malachowski is a retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, the first woman selected to fly with the USAF Thunderbirds, and a National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee. After contracting a tick-borne illness and being medically retired, she became a nationally recognized speaker and advocate for Lyme patients. She served as the sole patient voice on the National Academies committee that authored the landmark report on Lyme IACI, commissioned with support from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.
Project Lab Coat was a groundbreaking event held on September 13, 2025, during New York Fashion Week (NYFW). The show brought together prominent celebrities, researchers, doctors, and advocates who were invited to walk the runway to spotlight Lyme disease and raise funds for Lyme disease research.
For the first time, the global visibility of NYFW was used to highlight one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in the world. Tick Boot Camp co-founders Matt Sabatello and Rich Johannesen, together with Dr. Tal, walked the runway at Project Lab Coat, joining leaders from medicine, science, entertainment, and advocacy. Project Lab Coat demonstrated the power of mainstream platforms to bring awareness, credibility, and resources to the fight against Lyme disease.
In this special Tick Boot Camp Podcast episode recorded live at Project Lab Coat during New York Fashion Week (NYFW), we sit down with Dr. Michal “Mikki” Caspi Tal, Principal Scientist in the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT and Associate Scientific Director of the MIT Center for Gynepathology Research.
Dr. Tal is an immunologist and immunoengineer whose groundbreaking research focuses on the connections between infections and chronic diseases, including Lyme disease and long COVID. At her Tal Research Group lab, she studies why some people recover quickly after infection while others develop chronic illness, with a focus on the immune system’s different responses in men and women.
Project Lab Coat was a groundbreaking event held on September 13, 2025, during New York Fashion Week (NYFW). The show brought together prominent celebrities, researchers, doctors, and advocates who were invited to walk the runway to spotlight Lyme disease and raise funds for Lyme disease research.
For the first time, the global visibility of NYFW was used to highlight one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in the world. Tick Boot Camp co-founders Matt Sabatello and Rich Johannesen, together with Dr. Tal, walked the runway at Project Lab Coat, joining leaders from medicine, science, entertainment, and advocacy. Project Lab Coat demonstrated the power of mainstream platforms to bring awareness, credibility, and resources to the fight against Lyme disease.
For too long, chronic Lyme patients have been told their symptoms are “all in their head.” Dr. Tal’s work at MIT proves otherwise by measuring the real biological differences in immune system responses. This research not only validates patients’ experiences but also charts a course toward better diagnostics, clinical trials, and personalized treatments.
In this episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we sit down with András Pal Bozsik, co-founder of Lyme Diagnostics Ltd and coordinator of the EU-funded DualDur® project, to discuss a disruptive new diagnostic technology that promises earlier, more accurate detection of Lyme disease.
For decades, Lyme testing has relied on indirect serological methods that often miss early infection and fail chronic patients. András shares how his father’s pioneering work on Borrelia detection inspired the development of DualDur®, an AI-driven, direct detection system capable of finding Borrelia burgdorferi in blood samples at all stages of infection.
We cover:
This groundbreaking conversation bridges science, technology, and patient care. It gives hope to millions of Lyme patients seeking a reliable test and effective treatment strategies.
🎧 Listen now to learn how DualDur could transform Lyme disease diagnostics and bring long-overdue answers to patients worldwide.
In this powerful episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we sit down with Ciara Gaglio, a 37-year-old from Woodside, Queens, New York, whose life was completely transformed by Lyme disease. Once a vibrant, social, and creative digital media professional, Ciara’s health began to unravel in her late 20s. What followed was nearly a decade of relentless symptoms, countless misdiagnoses, and visits to over 100 doctors before finally receiving a Lyme disease diagnosis at age 36.
Ciara opens up about her devastating symptoms, including unrelenting fatigue, neurological issues, full-body pain, kidney distress, and the emotional toll of isolation. She shares her treatment journey—beginning with antibiotics like doxycycline and Rocephin through a PICC line, and later expanding to supportive therapies like herbs, probiotics, yoga, ozone therapy, and more.
This candid conversation sheds light on the financial, emotional, and social impact of chronic Lyme disease, as well as the resilience required to keep advocating for yourself in a medical system that too often dismisses patients.
Listen to Ciara’s journey of courage, humor, and persistence in the face of chronic Lyme disease. Her message is clear: be kind to yourself, advocate fiercely, and never give up.
In this episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we sit down with Janet Sperling, PhD, President of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation (CanLyme) and an accomplished entomologist whose research focuses on the bacterial microbiome of ticks across Canada. Janet’s journey with Lyme disease began when her teenage son was bitten by a tick during a family trip to California. His symptoms, starting with sinusitis and progressing to more severe illness, led to a long and frustrating medical journey involving multiple doctors, misdiagnoses, and eventually a clinical Lyme diagnosis supported by IGeneX testing.
Janet shares her personal experience as a mother navigating the complexities of Lyme disease, as well as her professional expertise studying common tick species in Canada.
Her research investigates the bacterial communities within these ticks, the role of bird migration in tick population spread, and the limitations of current microbiome analysis techniques.
Key Discussion Points:
Lyme Disease Prevention Tips from Janet Sperling:
Whether you’re a Lyme patient, caregiver, or simply interested in the science behind ticks, this episode offers a unique blend of personal narrative and cutting-edge entomology research.
In this powerful episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, dancer, actress, model, and Lyme warrior Renee LeeAnn Marsden shares her extraordinary journey of surviving late-stage Lyme disease, multiple co-infections, and autoimmune encephalitis. Once bedridden, disassociating, and in a wheelchair, Renee fought her way back through a combination of stem cells, peptides, neurofeedback, and faith — and now she’s thriving as a mother and advocate.
From being misdiagnosed with MS and Parkinson’s to discovering mold illness, from devastating Herxheimer reactions to life-changing treatments at Amen Clinics, Renee’s story is a beacon of hope for anyone battling chronic Lyme or feeling hopeless in their healing journey.
🎧 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
📌 Why You Should Listen: Renee’s journey is a masterclass in resilience, faith, and integrative healing. Whether you’re battling Lyme disease, caring for someone who is, or looking for hope when treatments fail, this episode delivers insights on:
🎙 About Renee: Renee LeeAnn Marsden – Actress, dancer, Lyme warrior, and founder of Bright Life Co., a faith-based wellness community for women.
✨ Key Quote from Renee: “You can’t wait until you feel better to live — you have to start saying yes to life where you are.”
Kaitlyn Oleinik is a chronic illness advocate and the author of Revival: My Journey with Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease. She was bitten by a tick at age six and spent much of her life fighting an invisible illness while being dismissed by the medical system. Diagnosed with Lyme disease and co-infections in her teens, Kaitlyn has endured everything from hallucinations and involuntary psych holds to IVIG and stem cell treatments. Her book and voice give a name to the unspoken pain of countless others living with Lyme.
Revival - My Journey with Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease is Kaitlyn’s searing memoir that chronicles her descent into neuropsychiatric Lyme, including psychosis, hospitalizations, Morgellons disease, immune collapse, and ultimately, healing and redemption. It’s a must-read for patients, caregivers, and practitioners seeking to understand the lived experience of chronic Lyme.
Kaitlyn’s story is not just about Lyme - it’s about what happens when we stop believing women, ignore invisible illnesses, and turn away from complex suffering. Her story is a rallying cry for validation, medical reform, and hope.