Episode #59: Hannah Olson
Chronically Capable CEO Hannah Olson is a Lyme survivor who has deep roots within the chronic illness community. As a global ambassador for InvisiYouth Charity, a National Lyme Ambassador, a Mighty Well Friend in the Fight, and a frequent panelist for diversity and inclusion events, Hannah has a strong platform to spread Chronically Capable’s message. Recent features include Forbes, Fast Company, and Medium.
When employers come to Hannah Olson and ask her why they should hire people who have chronic illness, she has a lot to say. Hannah is the founder is Chronically Capable, a platform that connects people who are chronically ill or disabled with meaningful remote work. Hannah’s own experience navigating her career while undergoing intensive treatment for Lyme disease sparked the idea for her company, but now her mission is inclusive of lots of people; one of her big goals is to completely eliminate the unemployment gap between disabled and non-disabled Americans. On today’s episode, Hannah and I talk about what it was like to balance her first post-grad job with managing her health (spoiler alert: it was not easy). We also talk about what makes people with chronic illness so wellequipped for the workforce, and how she hopes to help employers not just hire people with chronic illness and disabilities, but retain them.
“If we’re predicting that half of our population is going to live with at least one chronic illness by 2020, we need to wake the fuck up.”
Here are some of the things Hannah and I chatted about:
Her treatment for Lyme, which included four different PICC lines (and what a PICC line is)
Considering an ode to her fight with Lyme (and how it links to Episode #33 guest Ally Hilfiger)
How her experience entering the workforce was made more difficult due to her condition
Why she opted for heavy antibiotics and IV therapy, and saw it as a way to nip Lyme in the bud
Managing her own PICC lines, despite being a recent grad without a medical background
Dealing with the emotional side of illness, like being stared at or throwing up in a trash can
The tipping point in her life that made way for the opportunity to start Chronically Capable
The statistics about employment in the U.S. for people with disabilities and chronic illness
Why the year 2020 kept sticking out to her as she researched statistics about chronic illness
Competitors in the remote work market, but why they aren’t always a great fit for job-seekers
The benefits, from an employer standpoint, of hiring people with chronic illnesses/disabilities
What Chronically Capable offers to job-seekers and employers (with more in development)
The encouraging response and positive press the company has received in the past year
Getting used to the uncertainty that comes with entrepreneurship, and also with chronic illness
How her dog helps her create a routine, get outside, and take breaks from work during the day
“These people are already working for you. You just might not know it.”
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