Happy 2022 and welcome to the premiere episode of Living Well with MS. We are thrilled to launch the 4th season of our podcast with a very special episode celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Overcoming MS charity. What better way to mark the occasion, and the start of a hopeful new year, than an in-depth conversation with OMS CEO Grazina Berry. Since assuming leadership of the organization almost 18 months ago, Grazina has led a transformation that has been focused on strengthening Overcoming MS’s ties with its community, health care professionals, and the MS community at large. In this episode, we will learn about the exciting changes that lie ahead as OMS cements its place as the world’s leading MS lifestyle charity. 

Click here for a full transcript of this episode.

Grazina's Bio:

Grazina Berry joined Overcoming MS in July 2020 as CEO. She has had an extensive career, as a senior and board executive, in the public and not-for-profit sectors.    

Grazina is passionate, driven and committed to making a positive difference to the lives of all communities and helping OMS achieve its vision – that every person with MS is empowered to take control of their lives, is making informed lifestyle choices and can lead a full and healthy life.   

Over the last year and a half, Grazina has been working tirelessly with the OMS community, the team, trustees, and partner organizations to implement OMS’s new strategy, focused on informing, supporting and empowering people with MS and their families to lead healthy lives. A collaborator at heart, Grazina is a firm believer in working in partnership with people with MS, their families, professionals, and other MS focused organizations, so we can learn from one another, adapt to the ever-changing and complex world around us, and create long-lasting impact, together. 
 

Intro: 

Happy 2022 and welcome to the premiere of the 4th season of Living Well with MS, the podcast from the world’s leading MS healthy lifestyle charity. This is our season opener and 77th episode to date, and to mark the occasion we are proud to welcome back the Chief Executive of Overcoming MS, Grazina Berry. Thanks for being on the program again, Grazina. 

Questions: 

  1. Our 4th season is just one of the milestones that Overcoming MS is marking this year. Most notably, it is the organization’s 10th anniversary. What kind of birthday party are you planning to celebrate a decade of helping people with MS live healthier and better lives? 

  1. In your view, how has OMS evolved over the past decade? 

  1. As CEO, what are some of the key initiatives that you’re introducing or have introduced to align with the organization’s 10-year anniversary? And in the vein, what might be some of the specific banner projects OMS will be rolling out this year? 

  1. If OMS was a person and disposed to making new year’s resolutions, what would its resolutions be? 

  1. How have you seen the MS landscape, and more broadly the holistic health and healthy lifestyle space, change over the years? Has it evolved for the better, worse, or neutral? 

  1. How has OMS kept pace with some of the changes in the MS landscape you’ve noted? 

  1. What are your most important considerations in leading OMS into its next decade? 

  1. What are some of the challenges you feel lie ahead? 

  1. How do you feel OMS has changed as the result of the deeply impacted, particularly from the physical and mental health perspectives, post-Covid world? 

  1. How do you feel OMS is making deeper inroads into its community, strengthening its ties with them as well as their ties with each other? 

  1. If there is one thing you can choose to etch as OMS’s legacy for the next decade, what would it be? 

  1. And finally, what are you personally most excited about for the year ahead? 

Links: 

About Grazina Berry 

About Overcoming MS 

OMS 2021-23 Strategy 

New! OMS Advocacy 

Coming up next: 

Please join us on January 24th for the season premiere of Living Well with MS Coffee Break, our podcast series dedicated to the voices and stories of our diverse global community. In Coffee Break #27, meet Vickie Hadge, the Ambassador of the OMS Circle in Connecticut. Vickie is an avid plant-based foodie and speaks about her experiences living well with chronic illness on YouTube. We hope you can drop in and get to know her! 

Don’t miss out: 

Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast app. For your convenience, a full episode transcript is also available on all platforms within 48 hours of each episode’s premiere. If you like our program, don’t be shy and leave a review wherever you tune into the show. And feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. 

 

S4E46 transcript_Grazina Berry.pdf