Episode #96: Elizabeth Tikoyan
Elizabeth Tikoyan was born and raised in the Washington D.C. Metro area. She graduated from Northern Virginia Community College Summa Cumma Laude and the University of Virginia with High Honors, and was inducted into the Raven Society, the most prestigious honorary society at the University of Virginia. During her high school years, Elizabeth was misdiagnosed for over 4+ years, which left her partially paralyzed, with severe memory loss, nerve damage and speech impairment. Though she recovered, she became disabled due to years of medical malpractice.
Inspired by her health battle with Lyme Disease, Elizabeth founded Riley App, a health tech platform that connects patients to community and resources to get to healing faster. She was voted CBIC Student Entrepreneur of the Year, Top 32 Student Startups by Student Startup Madness, and is a National Geographic Women of Impact. Elizabeth has been recognized by Senator Mark Warner( D-VA), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for her impact in the disability and patient space. Elizabeth is a Harvard SVMP Alumni and Forbes Under 30 Scholar. Elizabeth’s life mission is to #ChangeTheStigma around life with a health condition/ disability, and is proud to pave the way to change how patients/ the disability community is seen across the world.
Elizabeth Tikoyan didn’t always share her health story the way she does now. Diagnosed with Lyme disease in high school, she was very aware of the stigma around having a health condition. She didn’t want people to feel sorry for her or to feel burdened by knowing the reality of her challenging symptoms. On today’s episode, Elizabeth tells me about her journey to get diagnosed, and how misdiagnosis after misdiagnosis led to her Lyme symptoms reaching a chronic stage--and how that rocked her life and what she had imagined for herself. We talk about how she navigated college, setting herself up for success by asking for help and accommodations where she needed them. Finally, we talk about her decision to open up about her health once she had reached a level of success she was proud of, and how her story is an authentic part of Riley App’s founding story.
“I stopped caring what people thought. I started putting my story out there. I brought my humor to the table. I brought my essence— like who makes me me—out to the public. And yeah, I got people who didn’t like that. But then I got a whole other side of the spectrum where people were like, ‘Holy crap, I got you.’”
Here are some of the things Elizabeth and I chatted about:
The ways her symptoms were dismissed during high school, and what finally led to a diagnosis
The chronic stage her condition had reached when it was discovered, and what that meant for her
What it was like to be Type A and ambitious and suddenly facing a new and very different reality
Advice to not talk about her health when raising funds for her app--even though it’s a health app
Her decision to open up about her health story, even though she knew the risks that came with it
How her emotional journey was often very solitary--she didn’t want others to feel burdened with it
The worst of the symptoms she experienced, and how she managed them as a college student
Her choice to always disclose her health situation to her professors and ask for accommodations
The misconceptions around the concept of disability, and how she understands disability in her life
The importance of being able to take breaks--without having to always say, “Hey, I need a break”
Entrepreneurship and its challenges, whether you have an invisible illness or disability or not
Founding Riley App, and discovering that many people experienced the same loneliness she had
Creating the platform to find the people she wanted to meet--people thriving despite health issues
Her decision to talk about her health--once it could be viewed as part of her identity, not all of it
Why people who understand your dream will come to you--and not everyone will get it or like it
“It’s just a part of me, it’s not my whole identity. I have so much more that I bring to the table.”
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