Having seen the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) personally due to his wife living with the progressive form of the condition, in 2017 Jon Strum launched the RealTalk MS podcast channel and has hosted over 200 episodes. Jon Strum’s goal is simple:

‘To keep the conversation going until there’s no longer a need to talk about MS, except in the past tense.’

Each weekly episode focuses on breaking down the latest news, views, and research in MS that people affected by MS need to know about. RealTalk MS has an international audience, reaching on average over 9,000 listeners per episode in more than 100 countries around the world at the time of writing of this article (March 2023).

In 2020, MS in the 21^st Century (MS21) started their collaboration with RealTalk MS in an initial four-part series released over two years. With each episode, listeners were taken on a journey exploring key themes of MS, and all four episodes portrayed the viewpoints of both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and people living with MS (PwMS).

• Episode 1 covered the differences in priorities between HCPs and PwMS and discussed how two-way communication is critical to making better decisions in MS care.
• Episode 2 discussed family involvement in MS care and how it can create an environment of familiarity and support.
• Episode 3 touched on how PwMS can work together with their HCPs to develop a constructive dialogue about cognitive impairment in MS.
• Episode 4 addressed the sometimes challenging conversations that PwMS have with HCPs regarding MS progression.

Following these first four episodes, further collaborations between RealTalk MS and MS21 are planned. Keep a look out for new podcasts via the Living with MS page here or the RealTalk MS website and join the thousands of listeners already engaging with these important discussions around MS care.