Best Overcomingtrauma Podcasts (2024)

1
Hope stands for “Hold On Pain Ends” (Revisited) 1:12:10

2h ago1:12:10

1:12:10

Hope Aldred is no less than an angel for families in recovery from addiction of all kinds. She gleaned her compassion from hard won experience with her own husband and having to explain to their two sons why Dad was dying. For her and those young men, it’s been quite the journey. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

1
Lucy Loves Life 35:01

7d ago35:01

35:01

The first conversation I taped for this podcast was one of the most difficult. My friend Lucy Lustig was dying and she knew it. She was lying in a hospital bed in her living room and reflecting on a life filled with art and rich friendships and second chances. I honor her courage and creativity in the face of her own imminent death. See omnystudio.…

1
I own it. 13:24

14d ago13:24

13:24

I’m talking ABOUT a woman this week: the woman whose car I plowed into on Friday afternoon. I would have been angry. She asked if I was OK. A study in grace and compassion - all hers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Stuart Watson

1
Courtney Humbaugh Fights For Adoptee Rights 55:25

21d ago55:25

55:25

For citizens like Courtney Humbaugh (and me), finding our most basic personal health history means fighting a maze of government laws and regulations. Orphans, foster kids… ANY adult can get their original birth certificates and the DNA history that goes with it no problem. Not adoptees. Now Courtney and many other adult adoptees, birth parents and…

1
A conversation with my youngest daughter, Colleen 56:52

28d ago56:52

56:52

Colleen makes it sound like I forced her to talk to me on tape. Judge me if you must. It’s hardest to listen to the women closest to me in my own family. Especially when what they have to say is, “You don’t listen.” My 28 year old daughter and I talk volleyball , HAIKYU!! (The Japanese anime series on Netflix), backpacking solo in Europe for 100 da…

1
Jamie Weiss: When Adoptees Become Parents (reprise) 50:12

1M ago50:12

50:12

Jamie Weiss was adopted as a child. Now she’s a mother herself. We speak from common personal experience as only adoptees can. Now Jamie and lots of us are asking Georgia lawmakers to treat adopted people the same as foster children, orphans and every other citizen - and give us our original birth certificates. Why is that so hard? See omnystudio.c…

1
Diana Merrifield: Healing The Motherless Child 56:10

1M ago56:10

56:10

I met Diana at a retreat for adult adoptees who never really worked on healing the inner wound created by losing your mother at birth. That was almost five years ago. WOW! Have we both come a long way. This is wisdom born of pain. Hint: No shame and no blame. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

1
Kenya Templeton’s Gorgeous Voice 50:54

2M ago50:54

50:54

I met Kenya in 2016 when we were in a play together at Spirit Square and a presidential candidate who shall not be named was campaigning in the next theater . Secret Service. Security. Crazy times. Kenya Templeton has a GORGEOUS singing voice. A clip from this podcast was featured on WBUR’s HERE AND NOW on NPR. This is a reprise of our original epi…

1
Dr. Octavia Cannon’s Thousands Of Babies 47:08

2M ago47:08

47:08

Dr. Octavia Cannon is kind. She’s been personally kind to me. And she’s kind to the women she treats. Unfailingly kind. Just listen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Stuart Watson

1
Mary Hopper Didn’t Leave The GOP; It Abandoned Her 45:22

2M ago45:22

45:22

More than 50 years ago, Mary Hopper needed a safe abortion. She found it in Mexico. She was a Republican… until the Equal Rights Amendment and the Reagan Right ignored women like her. She never went back. Could the US Supreme Court beholden to you-know-who sink GOP? A Reprise of our conversation several years back. See omnystudio.com/listener for p…

1
Wendy Hickey: “Art Mama” on ArtPop 57:28

2M ago57:28

57:28

Wendy Hickey relishes her nickname as “Art Mama” by lots of artists who have benefited from Wendy’s tireless support for local art! But you might not know how Wendy was a bit of a teen rebel who left home at 16. Relax! It all turns out well. Wendy combined her years of experience in billboard sales with her love of local artists to create ART POP! …

1
How Kim Alexander Found Purpose and Fell In Love With Life 1:00:22

3M ago1:00:22

1:00:22

Kim Alexander grew up in New Orleans, assaulted by her own father and grandfather. She turned her own life around after Hurricane Katrina and now works with boys and young men to show them a more hopeful future. Now Kim runs Our Daily Bread Foundation teaching young men to bake bread as an alternative to violence. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr…

1
Jennifer Szakaly (Sock-Eye): “What are we going to do about Mom?” 53:06

3M ago53:06

53:06

Dealing with an aging parent can be stressful and heartbreaking in the best of times. Add dementia and money problems or a health crisis and it strains families to the breaking point. Jennifer Szakaly (pronounced Sock-Eye) has decades of experience both personal and professional in precisely this field. She helps everyone just take a deep breath. H…

1
Darcy: When a White Christian Joins a Black Church 53:37

3M ago53:37

53:37

Darcy is a White woman born in Canada with an atheist father. Then as an adult in the American South, she was invited to attend a Black Church. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Stuart Watson

1
Laura Vinroot Poole on Women and Fashion 58:45

3M ago58:45

58:45

Laura Vinroot Poole has survived breast cancer and recently lost her mother. We talk about her wonderful Mom who just passed, her love for her native North Carolina, her Dad’s races for Governor, her black designer wedding gown she got for $75 at a thrift store in San Francisco, the NC Republican Party and whether it has a future, and too much abou…

1
Julia Greenfield Goes To The Statehouse 51:16

4M ago51:16

51:16

Julia Greenfield hadn’t thought about running for political office… until 2016. Now she’s going to the Statehouse in Raleigh. Her goal: make Roe v. Wade the law of the land. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Stuart Watson

1
LaToya Faustin: She Built This City 58:32

4M ago58:32

58:32

What education earns the biggest bang for the buck for young Lawyer or Master Plumber? LaToya Faustin encourages the next generation of women to enter the building trades. She does double duty home schooling her eight-year old son who’s a professional actor appearing in his first streaming TV gig on THE CONNORS on ABC and Hulu. (He tags along with …

1
Padma Nunna: The Lotus Blooms in Muddy Waters 56:32

4M ago56:32

56:32

Padma Nunna had three Masters Degrees, two daughters and one husband from an arranged marriage. Then “life happened.” Her husband left and her world radically changed. And in the midst of dark muck, she bloomed. Padma means lotus, the flower that is rooted in the dark muck at the bottom of a body of water. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in…

1
Maeya Carr: Baptist, Black Panther, Buddhist 1:16:07

4M ago1:16:07

1:16:07

Maeya Carr teaches Tai Chi which she came to through her love of the Martial Arts . But how she got there is an education that stretches back across hundreds of years which she learned from her Great, GREAT GRANDMOTHER (yes, TWO greats). Now Maeya passes on the tradition of non-violence and compassion to HER great-grandchildren. You’re gonna love t…

1
Ramona Holloway on Home Care for Her Mom 40:38

4M ago40:38

40:38

Ramona Holloway cared for her aging Mom, moving her into her home until she could no longer feasibly provide the best care. I admire Ramona both professionally as a broadcaster and personally as a friend. You’ll love this archive edition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Stuart Watson

1
Ellen Whiteside’s Sacred Grove Retreat 47:47

5M ago47:47

47:47

Ellen Whiteside was assigned to me as a partner in a Transformational Leadership Program almost nine years ago. I’ve learned from her ever since. We talk of spirit and she walks in spirit. You can hear her certitude and courage in her voice. Ellen owns and runs Sacred Grove Retreat near Gold Hill NC. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat…

1
Sarah Olin’s Legacy of Love 56:39

5M ago56:39

56:39

Sarah Olin loves people. And it’s not just a warm feeling. It’s years, decades of work. As a coach, mom and leader at LUMO, Sarah lives her values. Here’s what made her that way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Stuart Watson

1
Queen D Redux 1:00:20

5M ago1:00:20

1:00:20

Queen D gives me a manicure and a pedicure on those too-rare circumstances when I treat myself to some manly pampering. When we got to talking I found out not only that she did time in prison but that she had worked very hard to transform her life and not look back. She is a portrait in resilience. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio…

1
Jackie Harwood: a Wife and Mom on Trauma, Opioids, Prison and Redemption 46:18

5M ago46:18

46:18

Jackie Harwood is sweet, pretty, and soft spoken, a suburban working wife and mom to two sons. So acquaintances are often shocked to hear she once went to prison for forging prescriptions to support her addiction to opioids. But when you hear her whole story, the most surprising thing is that she got clean, kept her marriage intact, and renewed a l…

1
Jeanne Hall, MLK & The Bomb Threat 1:09:49

6M ago1:09:49

1:09:49

Jeanne Hall was on the same plane with MLK when someone phoned in a bomb threat. First hand experience with a moment in history of The Albany Movement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Stuart Watson

1
Sis Kaplan on the birth of WBBM and Big WAYS Radio 50:56

6M ago50:56

50:56

Sis Kaplan is a broadcasting pioneer. Her father signed WBBM Radio in Chicago on the air (from her grandmother’s ROOF)! She and her husband Stan brought Rock N Roll Radio to Charlotte, NC in the form of “Big WAYS Radio”. Now almost 90 years old, she’s living history. Meeting her was a revelation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

1
Peg Robarchek: Better Ex Time 1:04:17

6M ago1:04:17

1:04:17

Peg Robarchek grew to become a great ex-wife. I really admire her. Tell her I said so. Peg has just come out with her first memoir, WELCOME TO THE CHURCH OF I DON’T HAVE A CLUE. After writing dozens of books, this one is different. It’s brave. It’s bold. It’s real. It’s raw. And you should read it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio…

1
Bea McCormack: Bob’s Candy Company and Black History 57:49

6M ago57:49

57:49

Stuart Watson 6:10 PM (2 hours ago)to meIn my home town of Albany, Georgia a family owned candy cane company became synonymous with Christmas. Bob’s Candy Company was run by Bob McCormack. Bea McCormack was there. Bob was her brother. And she recalls how they did something unusual for the time in the Deep South: paid Black work…

1
Robyn Norwood goes to HOLLYWOOD! 54:17

7M ago54:17

54:17

Robyn Norwood went from a dirt road in West Virginia to an Executive Producer in Hollywood films . Oh and BTW she’s a mom to three great kids and grew her own real estate business to sell it for millions. Yet she still has regrets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Stuart Watson

1
Sarah, Nugget and The Whale Sharks 53:37

7M ago53:37

53:37

Sarah Knight felt lost and invisible. She was a teen and her big sister’s crisis took all her parents attention. It takes just a few questions to open up a fully formed young woman and to realize - WOW - there’s a lot here. The cool aunt to a niece “Nugget” who is TOTALLY into sharks - and a young woman who practices meditation on the daily just to…

1
The Late Judge Shirley Fulton: From Picking Cotton to Duke Law 57:39

7M ago57:39

57:39

Shirley Fulton was born in the low country of South Carolina and picked cotton with her mother as a child. She graduated high school at 16 and went to an HBCU (NC A&T, Greensboro) for college and another HBCU (NCCU, Durham) for law school. The first time she set foot in a classroom with white students was when she transferred to Duke Law. There wer…

1
Hannah Wilson, Waitress: What I Want To Be 40:24

7M ago40:24

40:24

Hannah Wilson serves up eggs and bacon and biscuits for tips but she has dreams. This is what happens when you actually get to know a little bit about what’s going on in the life of a waitress. Stuart talks to Hannah on her break at the diner. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Stuart Watson

1
Sarah Blake Morgan's World Adventures: From Missionary to Reporter to Soldier 43:57

7M ago43:57

43:57

Sarah Blake Morgan never got to meet her father, but no doubt he’s beaming somewhere, bursting with pride at the brilliant and accomplished daughter born two months after he died. Starting life as the only child of missionary parents, Sarah grew up as a little girl in Tampa rolling down the car window and greeting homeless men by name (since she br…

1
"Adopted Chameleon" Lorah Gerald Heals From Trauma 52:44

8M ago52:44

52:44

Lorah (loo-RAY) Gerald was given up by her birth mother to be adopted. She understood that. What she did not understand was her birth mother’s desire to never speak with her again. TRIGGER WARNING: EXPLICIT DISCUSSION OF SUICIDE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Stuart Watson

1
Sydney Cummings Houdyshell Tops 1.5 MILLION on YouTube 52:19

8M ago52:19

52:19

Sydney Cummings Houdyshell has drawn more than one and a half MILLION subscribers to her YouTube channel featuring regular workouts aimed at real women. Sydney offers a refreshing dose of authenticity and unabashed encouragement. She went to WVU on a track scholarship and has worked her butt off (literally) to get where she is. And my sense is… she…

1
Emily Swann Comforts New Moms' Anxiety About Breastfeeding, Sleep 58:38

8M ago58:38

58:38

Emily Swann breastfed her own cooing baby boy while talking about her classes for new moms. She says moms are off the charts anxious about feeding their infants and finding some time for sleep. Emily’s public parenting has drawn plenty of side eye from people critical of her approach. Emily is a bona fide lactation expert (an RN with NICU experienc…

1
Alice Yu, MD: Miss Asian Chicago Queen! 49:59

8M ago49:59

49:59

Alice Yu moved from NC to the big city of Chicago and competed in the Miss Asian Chicago pageant uplifting Asian Women and SHE WON! She’s the QUEEN! I met Alice Yu through my youngest two kids when they were at Chapel Hill and she was musical director for an a cappella group. She went to UNC undergrad, Duke for Med School and then off to Northweste…

1
Julie J On Healthy Tears and Laughter After Her "Surprise Divorce" 1:06:25

9M ago1:06:25

1:06:25

Julie J is half of the mom comedy team “The Family Jewels” (check out their new podcast on the Queen City Podcast Network). She talks candidly about growing up raising calves on a Virginia farm, her decision to have kids, her “surprise divorce” and her reluctance to be a comedy partner! A quality conversation! See omnystudio.com/listener for privac…

1
Shelby Perry Loses An Eye And Gains A New Outlook 44:14

9M ago44:14

44:14

Shelby Perry lost an eye three years into her sober journey. She had to be thinking “And I got sober for THIS???” She gained a whole new outlook, launching a business EYEHESIVE.COM AND finding a whole new community THE ONE EYE GANG. She is a walking talking inspiration! Just listen! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

1
Kim Matone's Hard Won Experience With Depression Now Helps Others. 1:00:59

9M ago1:00:59

1:00:59

Kim Matone desperately needed good mental health care as a teenager with Type One Bipolar Disorder. She needed it again as a young mom with Post Partum Depression. And thank God she got the help she needed! She is now a mental health professional herself helping girls and women who are right where she was. TRIGGER WARNING: FRANK TALK OF SUICIDE. TA…

1
Jaime Lane Launched Her Non-Profit To Connect With Isolated Seniors 39:24

9M ago39:24

39:24

Jaime Lane always loved and respected her elders. She was always close. When her grandparents died, holidays were hard. So she launched her own non-profit charity to connect with seniors right in the height of COVID isolation. SEASONS OF GIVING took off like a big ole rocket, growing exponentially. She’s made SOOOO many friends. Just listen! See om…

1
Julia Barno Grew Up Watching Gilda Radner on SNL. Now SHE takes the mic on stage and podcast. 53:49

10M ago53:49

53:49

Julia Barno describes herself as “culturally Jewish” after growing up with a divorced Mom in Buffalo NY. She went to a decidedly Jewish summer camp where she once met Larry David. Her family turned to her for reliable laughs to defuse tension. Julia was a natural. Now comedy is a calling she dares to answer. We sit down in her office in her Plaza-M…

1
Dr. Margaret Brennan uses her own cancer to fight for better patient care. 52:39

10M ago52:39

52:39

I became friends with Dr. Margaret Brennan decades ago in Nashville because she graduated from Vanderbilt University Medical School and practiced as a cardiologist. I met Margaret through my dear friend Dr. Maggie Stolz. Both women are devoted Irish Catholics who practice their faith through their kindness in helping others heal. Now Margaret’s own…

1
Carline Watson: From Jamaica to NPR 53:11

10M ago53:11

53:11

Carline Watson was born in London, raised in Jamaica and educated at Columbia University in NYC. She and I and her wonderful husband Walter Ray were in the same seminar taught by the late great Charles Ogletree who knew Barack Obama at Harvard Law School. But enough name dropping. The most fascinating stories in her rich beautiful voice speak to th…

1
Maura Sullivan Was Going Broke Caring For Two Sons With Autism 44:41

10M ago44:41

44:41

Maura Sullivan took out equity from her home. Then she sold it. All to pay for two sons with profound autism. She went to the statehouse as part of a grass roots movement to get insurance to cover needed services for autism. They asked lawmakers for help. And they got it. Tens of thousands are benefiting from this law. With distrust of politicians …

1
Amy Bristle Benfield: Child Actor Grows Up 1:01:16

11M ago1:01:16

1:01:16

Amy and her sister each won little Miss Ashe County NC so of COURSE their mother moved them to NYC for careers as child actresses. She did a pudding pop commercial with Bill Cosby and a film for Gary Marshall and a film with Matt Dillon. Then she moved home. Amy and I bond over stories of WRAL and our crush on CBS’ Jim Axelrod. (We’re both big fans…

1
Allison Modafferi Breathes Her Way to a Better Life 36:26

11M ago36:26

36:26

Allison Modafferi is a great daughter, sister and mom who took the helm at Be Yoga Collective and applies it’s principles of movement and breathing to live a peaceful life in a loud world. She is a delight, the daughter of a teacher who went on to become a teacher herself. Listen and learn! I know I did. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info…

1
Larissa Leaves Billy Graham For Jesus 57:58

11M ago57:58

57:58

Larissa Miller Honeycutt had a fundamental problem. A great career at the Billy Graham Evangelical Association but she knew in her heart she was gay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Stuart Watson

1
Lashelle Bolton: From the Bronx to the Sahara 42:03

11M ago42:03

42:03

Lashelle Bolton bonded with the daughter she gave birth to at age 14 by taking her deep into the Sahara Desert in north Africa. She says she felt the presence of God. As she looked at waves of endless sand stretching out in all directions she thought, “The same Creator that made all this made me.” It was a long odyssey for the Bronx woman who found…

1
Euralis Figueroa Pays It Forward Mentoring Girls 59:09

11M ago59:09

59:09

Euralis Figueroa was a girl who never heard the word college. She’d never even thought about it. An amazing mentor changed all that and now she’s paying it forward by mentoring Latina girls just. like. her! Wanna feel better about the next gen? Just listen to this pod. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

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