"We all have two lives. The second begins the moment we realize we have only one." Stories of people who have faced darkness and how those moments transformed them. 2 Lives is hosted and written by Laurel Morales. Valerie Shively is the assistant producer. Pod art and website designed by Christian Arnder, music from Blue Dot Sessions.
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Choose Your Struggle Presents: Made It, a documentary, serial-style podcast telling the story of a person who has made it back from the depths of trauma and created something extraordinary with their second chance. Season 1 is titled Stay Savage and focuses on Sarah Laurel and the harm reduction and recovery housing organization Savage Sisters.
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Discussing issues of Mental Health, Substance Misuse and Recovery, and Drug Use & Policy with host Jay Shifman, Speaker, Storyteller, and Advocate. Each week Jay chats with interesting guests as they seek to destroy stigma and advocate for honest, educational conversations that motivate positive change. You can learn more at https://jay.campsite.bio/. Choose Your Struggle has been streamed in over thirty-five countries and is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you get yo ...
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How Divorce And ADHD Diagnosis Become A Catalyst For Growth
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION After years of relying on cocaine and caffeine to focus Kathleen discovers she has ADHD. The diagnosis and subsequent tools help her achieve her dream of becoming a therapist. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. Valerie Shively is the assistant…
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Intelligence Analyst Goes From Capture Kill To Survive And Thrive Missions
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION After years of capture kill missions Kervin Aucoin now employs his military training to help people thrive. He says sharing his story keeps his PTSD at bay. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. Valerie Shively is the assistant producer. Christia…
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How One Music Therapist Discovers The Healing Power Of Her Voice
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION At 15 Meghan Callaghan was left alone with her grandfather for the day. What started out as a seemingly ordinary day became a defining moment in Meghan’s life. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. Valerie Shively is the assistant producer. Chris…
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Reporter Survives War, Now Faces Cancer From A Place Of Love
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION Rod Nordland, author of "Waiting For The Monsoon," doesn’t plan to die from an incurable brain cancer. He’s a survivor — of violence, war, and now disease. "Although it's been terrible, I wouldn't change it back, his partner Leila Segal says. "Even though I was in love with him and I loved him before, I would nev…
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Pop Artist Adaline Reconciles Queer Identity With Evangelical Upbringing
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION Shawna Beesley, known to most as Adaline, says there’s no dopamine hit like saving someone from hell. Today she finds that high performing on stage. She discovered she had to shed her golden child identity and reconcile with her evangelical upbringing to be true to herself and come out to her family. 2 Lives “The…
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION Coming up in season 10 of 2 Lives we’ll meet New York Times correspondent Rod Nordland, who survived dozens of war zones, but it took a terminal brain cancer diagnosis to discover the meaning of life. We’ll learn from music therapist Meghan Callaghan the power of music. At 14 she witnessed her grandfather having …
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Bonus: 2 Lives Creator Listens To Her Inner Voice
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION We’re working hard on season 10 of 2 Lives, which we’ll be bringing you just in time to kick off your summer. In the meantime I thought I’d share a bit about 2 Lives origin story. The following is a speech Laurel gave at the Flagstaff Women’s Leadership Summit. I love stories. I love listening to them. I love wat…
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Back From The Dead With Lessons On How To Live
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” TW: We mention an assault. Lauren’s heart stopped for 24 minutes. It took almost dying to realize she couldn’t get through life on her own. 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. Valerie Shively is the assistant producer. Christian Arnder is our illustrat…
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Blind Surfer Embraces Challenges To Recover From PTSD
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION Joshua "The Jedi" Loya lost his eyesight at 15, but that didn’t stop him from skydiving, surfing, Ju-Jitsu, and stand up comedy. Joshua says choosing sometimes the scary thing makes him feel authentically himself and helps him to live well with PTSD. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only o…
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Severe Burnout Pushes West Point Grad To Find Worthiness Beyond Career
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION It took a life threatening situation to give Kafi Joseph permission to make her own rules about what she needs. She learned that burnout was a symptom of a deeper worry that she wasn’t valuable unless she was driving hard. Now this West Point grad uses her can-do attitude to take care of herself. 2 Lives “The sec…
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Adrenaline Junkie Finds Peace, Recovery In Nature
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION Morgan O’Kane spent much of his young life searching for meaning and a high. It wasn’t until he sacrificed alcohol for the love of his child that he reconnected with his true nature. Through train-hopping, mountaineering, music, fatherhood and two very special dogs, Morgan O’Kane found his way home. 2 Lives “The …
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Podcast Host Changes Dialogue Around Mental Illness Recovery
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION Content Warning: We mention suicide in this episode. After decades of telling people what she believed they wanted to hear, Helen Sneed shares openly her struggles with mental illness because it provides hope and ultimately saves lives, but it took many agonizing years of therapy, hospitalizations, and finally fi…
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Perfectionist Cures Chronic Illness And Burnout
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION Wenche Fredriksen is on a mission to help people accept they are enough after perfectionism took its toll on her. She suffered from years of chronic illness and back pain before a doctor told her she needed to recover from burnout. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is cre…
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How One Chicago Man Turned His Life Around In Prison
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION Yohance Lacour creates luxury hiphop sneakers because they represent both his humble beginnings on Chicago's south side as well as the high fashion person he became, but it took a decade’s long prison sentence to learn how to make the shoes and to work toward the greater good. 2 Lives “The second begins the momen…
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How One Woman Stopped Drinking, Stopped Dissociating, And Started Finding Her Way Back To Herself
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2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION Valerie Milburn was getting help for her mental illness but it wasn’t until her husband told her she couldn’t come home until she found stability that she turned her life around. It was then she began to fight for her recovery and to find the right treatment for her bipolar disorder and PTSD. Today she’s been mar…
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. Valerie Shively is the assistant producer. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Become a 2 Lives patron at https://www.patreon.com/2lives Drop us a note on Facebook,…
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ENCORE: 2023 Award Winning 2 LIVES Episode
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation After hating her body for 35 years Adiba Nelson became a burlesque dancer celebrating her curves and scars to show her daughter, who was born with a disability, how to embrace her own body. This episode won 2 Lives a 2023 Signal Award for best indie podcast (silver), as well as runner up for an International Wome…
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Queer Reverend Finds God After Decades Of Feeling Rejected By Church
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2 LIVES - Stories Of Transformation Alex Reegan became a reverend after two decades of feeling disconnected from God and after rejecting his ultra conservative evangelical christian faith. Today he helps other LGBTQIA folks on their spiritual journey. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel M…
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Blind Woman Turns Disability Into A Super Power
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation Beth Pizzarello’s blindness saved her life in a hurricane when she used her heightened senses to get to safety but she had to figure out a way to help herself before the Americans With Disabilities Act passed and when she didn’t qualify for disabilities. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have on…
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Surgeon Shares Burnout To Suicide Story To Take Away Stigma
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation Mike Ivy, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Yale New Haven Health, shares his story of burnout and suicide because its a crisis in the medical community and he wants to help other health workers but he fights taboos of shame around his perceptions of “weakness” and mental illness. 2 Lives “The second begins the mom…
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation L. Nichols has boundless empathy for their Southern Baptist community but embraces their found family because they helped L. accept who they are. Now having kids of their own, L. shows up for them in a new way. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morale…
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HALLOWEEN SPECIAL REPLAY: How A Writer Repaired Her Marriage After Her Husband Died
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After Jessica Waite's husband died, she was sent a box of his personal belongings that revealed one betrayal after another. But eventually with the help of a death doula Jessica was able to forgive him. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is written and hosted by Laurel Morales, story edited by Camila Kerwin …
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Therapist Breaks Up With Booze And 'Booze Bonds'
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation Therapist Sarah White broke up with booze and what she calls her ‘booze bonds,’ friends and family who could only connect through alcohol, after seeing their impacts on her life. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. Valerie Shively is the assist…
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After Conversion Therapy Left Him 'Broken,' Gay Man Finds New Way To Integrate
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation Simon Kent Fung devoted three years of his life to creating a podcast about an aspiring nun, whose life paralleled his own. He also sought out conversion therapy for nearly a decade to become a Catholic priest. Fung was compelled to understand the truth about what happened to her, and finally face what happened t…
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Child Bride Quits Cult, But Still Struggles With Certain Brainwashed Beliefs
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation After years of being forced to be a child bride in a cult and keep it a secret, today Tamara belongs to herself, but she still struggles with certain brainwashed beliefs and remains angry with Sufi leaders. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. V…
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Husband Fights Black Maternal Mortality And Health Care Inequality
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation Shamony Gibson died after giving birth from an issue that could have been prevented. Omari Maynard and the rest of her family have made it their mission to prevent more BIPOC women from dying preventable deaths. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Moral…
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation I’d like to think every month is ‘Don’t Be a Bully Month,’ but the social media gods claimed August. Regardless it's a good reminder to listen to one of my favorite 2 Lives episodes featuring Coach Marty who has made it his life’s mission to put a stop to bullying. Coach Marty Heilman has made an impact on thousa…
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Coming up this season on 2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation We’ll meet Omari Maynard who's helping other BIPOC families cope with the loss of a loved one and raising awareness about health care equality after his wife died in childbirth. We’ll hear how Tamara MC is reclaiming her life after years of being forced into a cult and how she still strug…
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Stand Up Storytelling Remedies Comedian's Crohn's Disease
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation Ian Goldstein has found comedy to be the best remedy for his Crohn’s disease and fear of aging because he discovered he wasn't alone but he had to get comfortable being completely vulnerable on stage. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales, story e…
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Woman Embraces Body After Mysterious Near Death Illness
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CW: A head’s up we discuss disordered eating and body dysmorphia in this episode. For information about eating disorders go to the National Eating Disorders website or 2lives.org 2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation Stephanie Washington embraces her body and shows her daughter how to love herself because Stephanie wound up near death in the hospital…
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Once Isolated With PTSD, Today Teacher Connects Cultures
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2 Lives - Stories Of Transformation Audra Travelbee has dedicated her life to connecting people who feel isolated because she felt alone much of her life dealing with complex PTSD, but it took COVID and getting laid off from her teaching job to realize her mission. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is creat…
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After Loss And Breast Cancer, Perfectionist Learns To Surrender
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TW: This episode deals with a stillbirth. Katie Joy Duke is battling stage 4 metastatic breast cancer with grace and vulnerability because she’s survived the death of a child. It took relating to her daughter in a new way, accepting that she isn't perfect, and learning to surrender to the process. Since the production of this episode we are thrille…
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Brother Of Gunshot Victim Still Believes People Can Change
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Trevon Bosley has dedicated his life to protesting gun violence since his brother was shot and killed in 2006 but with the number of shootings he gets discouraged at times. That’s when he remembers historical events that have proven change is possible. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel …
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After Daughter's Suicide Ex-Vangelical Chooses To Listen To Her Inner Guide
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TW: A heads up we mention an eating disorder and suicide. For suicide prevention and mental health resources visit 2lives.org Lisa Sorrell was raised by Evangelical Christians who preached God heals, not doctors. After losing her daughter and feeling abandoned by her church, she chooses to listen to her own inner voice for guidance. 2 Lives “The se…
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An Arrest By Iran's Morality Police Forces Woman To Embrace Her Hyphen
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Her whole life Pardis Mahdavi tried to belong -- in the US, then in Iran. And finally she decided to be a bridge between two cultures but it took an arrest by the morality police and a crisis of identity to get there. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales, story edited by Ruxandra G…
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Sisters Connected To Black Dahlia Murder Shine Light On The Dark
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Sisters Rasha Pecoraro and Yvette Gentile are carrying their mother's torch shining the light on the darkness after coming to terms with the fact that their great grandfather George Hodel was the prime suspect in the most notorious unsolved murder of the 20th century. Their mother Fauna Hodel always told them: "You are not this supposed evilness th…
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2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales, story edited by Ruxandra Guidi. Lauren Vespoli is the assistant producer. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and web designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Become a 2 Lives patron at https://www.patreon.com/2lives Drop us a note on Facebook, …
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Sisters Rasha Pecoraro and Yvette Gentile have dedicated their lives to shining a light in the dark because that is what their mother deeply ingrained in them after she broke the shame cycle. They’ve just released the second season of their podcast “Facing Evil.” The sisters are better known for their first true crime podcast “Root of Evil,” where …
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A nurse teaches health professionals how to orchestrate a death after her two year old son died. She learned she had to experience his death with all her senses before she could accept and believe it. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales, story edited by Ruxandra Guidi. Lauren Vesp…
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Woman Of Science Embraces Super Natural Connection To Her Husband
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Michelle Grua is a woman of science. As a pediatric anesthesiologist, for many years she believed only what she could see, hear, and touch. She trusted data and research. But when her dead husband reached out from beyond the grave in ways she could not deny, she had to reconcile science with the super natural. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment …
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Czarina Salido Helps Native Girls Find Solace In The Stars
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TW: Mention of suicide. The national suicide prevention lifeline is 988. Czarina Salido helps Native girls get to space camp because as a child she found solace in the stars but no one looked like her in her math and science classes. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales, story edit…
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After Decades Of Self Doubt Dancer Turns To Burlesque To Embrace Her Body
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After hating her body for 35 years Adiba Nelson became a burlesque performer celebrating her curves and scars to show her daughter, who was born with a disability, how to embrace her own body. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales, story edited by Ruxandra Guidi. Lauren Vispoli is t…
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Mom's Depression Helps Her Forgive Her Own Mother's Suicide
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Stephanie Keeler raises her two boys with fierce honesty after her own mother hid her depression. But it took facing her own suicidal ideations before understanding how her mom got to such a dark place. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. Go to 2lives.org for more resources. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only…
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2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” Kiersten Parsons Hathcock became a reluctant medium after she discovered an unexpected psychic talent. Today Kiersten helps investigators around the country solve missing children cases, and the spirits have helped Kiersten uncover and heal from her own traumatic past. TW: We menti…
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Chef Heals Herself, Others Through Food and 'Comadrismo'
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2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” Stories of transformation. Just a few months before her baby was due Maria del Carmen’s own mother died. Still grieving the loss of her mom after her daughter’s birth she spiraled into postpartum depression. It was in a moment of despair that she realized she needed two things: to …
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2 Lives - Storytelling Podcast about the moments that transform us. "We all have 2 Lives. The second begins the moment we realize we have only one." We kick off our sixth season of 2 Lives December 13 celebrating stories of Arizona women. When Maria del Carmen Parra Cano cooks, she thinks of her mom. It was her mother who taught her to cook. When C…
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We’re busy working on the next season of 2 Lives which we will launch December 13. In the meantime we’re bringing you a podcast by Jay Shifman. You may remember we featured Jay on 2 Lives at the end of June. He shared his story of realizing he’d been overmedicated and how he overcame his addiction to prescription pills. Jay is the host and producer…
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Understanding Intergenerational Trauma Allows One Woman To Heal
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TW: Mention of DV and suicide Before she even knew the word for intergenerational trauma Manpreet Johal Bernie could see it in her own family. It wasn’t until her father died that Manpreet read a self help book about loving herself that she realized she didn't, and found help. Today Manpreet coaches people through their own intergenerational trauma…
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Special Feed Swap: Jay on the 2 Lives Podcast with Laurel Morales
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For more info on this episode, and to check out 2 Lives, visit their website! https://www.2lives.org/listen/jayshifman Made It is a member of the Shameless Podcast Network and a Choose Your Struggle production. Learn more at https://www.shamelessnetwork.com/ and at https://www.chooseyourstruggle.com/. Learn more about Sarah and Savage Sisters, incl…
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Special Feed Swap: Jay on the 2 Lives Podcast with Laurel Morales
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For more info on this episode, and to check out 2 Lives, visit their website! https://www.2lives.org/listen/jayshifman As always, you can find everything you need, including our social media links, at our Campsite page: https://jay.campsite.bio Reach out and let us know who you are and that you're listening at JayShifman.com or ChooseYourStruggle.c…
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