Warning: you may NOT like this post, but here goes a 5 Things You Might Not Know About Me – including drinking & driving with narcolepsy (but not at the same time):

1. My car is named Delicious. There’s a minor character named Delicious in my fav Curb Your Enthusiasm episode and around that time “Delicious” was my besties and my fav word after a certain shrimp scampi incident with my friend Melissa. Yes, I talk to my car like she’s a person. And yes, I drive as a person with narcolepsy. Not everyone does but I do, I am on treatments that reduce my symptoms, I’m aware of my remaining symptoms & navigate accordingly.

2. I am an introvert & a systems level change kind of person. I never imagined that by becoming an author & advocate, I’d need to balance my drive for system-level change (aka creating a book, tools & videos) with a lot of talking to people & providing individual support services. I receive 10-50 new messages per week across various platforms with questions & requests to call or Skype. All legitimate outreaches. My heart aches. Providing emotional support is not something I was trained in & isn’t where i thrive, but i try my best. I dream of a professionally-staffed call line for narcolepsy in the US someday. Everyone deserves support.

3. Champagne and Jell-O shots are my fav bevies. I’m known by neighbors here at Melrose Place as Jell-O shot Julie or Jenga Julie (I built a giant Jenga for our pool parties). In my memoir, i talk about not drinking due to my nighttime medication but now i drink on occasion, 1-2 drinks at least 4-6 hours before considering starting my meds, so I love day-drinking.

4. I am a vegetarian. It’s a true fact about me but not central to my identity. Ive cheated about 4 times in 6 years, all cheats for crab rangoons. (I realize my love of gelatin-based gummy candy and jello makes me not a great animal lover, but oh well.)

5. I love to dance and you can prob catch me dancing around my apartment almost every night bc it makes me happy.

So this is me. I may not fit into certain notions of how a person with narcolepsy or a non-profit organization leader should be/act/feel. But i will forever be exploring my boundaries, creating joy in my own life & hopefully making some positive change for others.