Narcolepsy Navigators Podcast

·S1 E4

Advocacy Series S1E4: The App Built From a Father's Love: Nabu AI's Origin Story

May 6
53 mins

Episode Description

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Episode Summary:

What happens when a brand strategist — someone who's built campaigns for Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, Samsung, and Levi's — suddenly finds himself standing in front of a wall of machines keeping his newborn daughter alive? For Steve Lewis, it became the beginning of the most important work of his life.

In this episode of the Narcolepsy Navigators Advocacy Series, hosts Kerly and Iris sit down with Steve Lewis, founder of Nabu AI and director of Emotions.org, to talk about how a single sentence from his daughter Bowie — "Dad, I want to go to my own appointments" — sparked a mission to put patients back in control of their own health story.

What We Cover:

  • How Steve's career in entertainment and brand strategy came to a screeching halt when his daughter Bowie was born with complex, lifelong health challenges
  • The painful reality of transitioning from pediatric to adult care — and why retelling your medical story over and over is a form of trauma
  • What Nabu AI actually is (hint: it's not a tracker — it's an advocate) and how it works as a single source of truth for your entire health journey
  • The "Three Columns" framework Steve uses to understand human, social, and cultural needs in healthcare
  • Why Steve believes the patient is the biggest unsolved problem in health — and how to fix it with the right information at the right time
  • The safety, encryption, and compliance features built into Nabu AI, including background checks for support workers
  • What the UAE's "Al Nor Center" gets right that most of us don't — referring to disabled people as "determined people"
  • Why invisible and rare conditions are superpowers — and how society loses when it excludes difference from the conversation
  • What gives Steve hope: the passionate frontline workers he keeps meeting all over the world

About Steve Lewis: Steve Lewis is a seasoned brand strategist and product designer with 30+ years across music, film, fashion, and food. In 2007, the birth of his daughter Bowie changed everything. Now the founder of Nabu AI and Director of Emotions.org, Steve is on a mission to ensure patients are better informed, better supported, and achieve better outcomes. Find out more at [nabu.ai] (coming soon to iOS & Android).

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Quote of the Episode: "Your true calling is where your great gladness and the world's deepest needs meet." — Frederick Buchner, shared by Steve Lewis

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***If you find these symptoms relatable, please seek medical advice.***


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