2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” We won an International Women's Podcast Award! In this 100th episode and our podcast finale Valerie and Laurel turn the microphone on each other and share their own 2 Lives stories. 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. Subscribe to Laurel's Substack . Subscribe to Valerie's Substack . Listen to our ...
Jul 01, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Season 12Ep. 8
Before 2020 Laura worked night and day to achieve her dream of being on Saturday Night Live. Then she got Covid and months later woke up from a coma completely paralyzed and unable to communicate. Today she lives with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome caused by scarred lungs and a whole new outlook. With new found grit and purpose Laura shares her humor on TikTok and hosts a podcast called "Iconically Ill." 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created ...
Jun 17, 2025•36 min•Season 12Ep. 7
After two scary surgeries Rachel Stone lived in fear of a rare orbital tumor returning. It was only when she left the corporate world to pursue her writing dream that her tumor shrank. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Subscribe to Laurel's Substack here . Support 2 Lives at https://ko-fi.com/2li...
Jun 03, 2025•40 min•Season 12Ep. 6
Alysse Dalessandro posted a picture of herself in a bikini because after years of bullying she finally understood that being confident in her body and telling her story changed hearts and minds. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Subscribe to Laurel's Substack here . Support 2 Lives at https://ko-...
May 20, 2025•33 min•Season 12Ep. 5
Today Sara Cunningham gives free mom hugs to any member of the LGBTQ+ community who needs them after years of rejecting her son’s coming out because she had adhered to rules of her church. Still she doesn’t feel she’s done enough to make up for that lost time with him. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Ses...
May 06, 2025•26 min•Season 12Ep. 4
Amy’s at the top of her game as a marketing consultant and journalist doing what she loves but it took a major setback before she could fully embrace this second chapter and reinvent 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 assistant producer. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Subscribe to Laurel's Substack here . Support 2 Lives at https://ko-fi...
Apr 22, 2025•23 min•Season 12Ep. 3
In her twenties Amy Downs was living what she calls a complacent, shallow existence. When she discovered her husband couldn't fix her life, she coped by eating. It wasn't until tragedy struck on April 19, 1995, that she made a promise to change 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 assistant producer. Halle Hewitt helped produce this episode. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website design...
Apr 19, 2025•43 min
Stacy Blemaster loved being up on stage because she knew what role to play. It took a bipolar diagnosis, many years of therapy and Emotions Anonymous before she fully accepted herself as she is. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Subscribe to Laurel's Substack here . Support 2 Lives at https://ko-...
Apr 08, 2025•15 min•Season 12Ep. 2
Susan Lieu shares her family’s trauma in a one-woman show and memoir in an effort to find understanding and healing, despite the fact that her family refused to talk about it and saw her as "too emotional." But by using her voice she found she could let go of the shame and help others at the same time. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website...
Mar 25, 2025•33 min•Season 12Ep. 1
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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Subscribe to Laurel's Substack here . Support 2 Lives at https://ko-fi.com/2livespodcast You can learn more about how to support the show here . Or order merch here . Drop us a note on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter ....
Mar 11, 2025•2 min
TW: We describe a violent situation in this episode. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence go to thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Darcy Alexandra course corrects and unlearns the violent messages and behaviors she was taught as a child. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. Camila Kerwin of the Rough Cut Collective edited this episode, which originally dropped in February of 2022. Valerie Shiv...
Feb 25, 2025•24 min
This is a conversation with wilderness guide Scout Wilkins about resilience of the natural world, trees specifically, and how she has found her own resiliency by being a part of it. 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 who reported this episode. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Subscribe to Laurel's Substack here . Support 2 Lives a...
Feb 11, 2025•30 min•Season 11Ep. 7
Rattled by the loss of a loved one and how little she knew about death, Sairey Luterman found her true calling as an end of life counselor to help others be more prepared. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Subscribe to Laurel's Substack here . Support 2 Lives at https://ko-fi.com/2livespodcast Yo...
Jan 28, 2025•26 min•Season 11Ep. 6
TW: Mention of suicide. Rachel Zients Schinderman helps people heal through storytelling because that is how she and her mom dealt with her dad’s death by suicide, but she’s learned to make way for new stories. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Subscribe to Laurel's Substack here . Support 2 Live...
Jan 14, 2025•30 min
Jeff Morris has made it his mission to prevent suicide after he attempted to kill himself six times but it wasn’t until he received a bipolar 2 diagnosis and figured out how to manage instead of cure his depression that he learned how to live. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Subscribe to Laurel...
Dec 31, 2024•30 min•Season 11Ep. 5
2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” For most of her life Viki Stein has struggled to learn so much that she became a teacher to help other kids who felt frustrated and dumb. It wasn’t until age 53 that she learned that she had dyslexia and became better trained to understand herself and help others like her. 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...
Dec 17, 2024•29 min
At 31 a psychiatrist finally solved the mystery inside Joan Kopczynski and told her she could manage her mental illness. But first she had to reconcile a series of traumatic events that would plague anyone with or without schizoaffective disorder. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. You can learn h...
Dec 03, 2024•22 min•Season 11Ep. 2
2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” Anna Runkle calls herself the crappy childhood fairy and has helped a million people deal with their Complex PTSD. But it took 11 therapists and dozens of self help books before she found a name for what she has and a practice that worked. 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. Valerie Shively is the assistant producer. Christian Arnder is our pod art illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Learn how to su...
Nov 19, 2024•31 min•Season 11Ep. 1
2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” Subscribe to Laurel's Substack here . We had planned to launch season 11 today with a new episode. But at the last minute the guest we interviewed asked us to hold off. At 2 Lives we share the script with the person we interview before the story is finalized to make sure we got everything right. We do that for two reasons: one, because I’m often asking people to share their worst day and I want them to feel comfortable with the ...
Nov 05, 2024•50 min
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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Become a 2 Lives patron at https://www.patreon.com/2lives Or give a donation at paypal.me/2LivesPodcast You can learn how to support the show here . Or order merch here . Subscribe to Laurel's Substack here . Drop us a note on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter . ...
Oct 22, 2024•5 min
Kiersten Parsons Hathcock became a medium after discovering an unexpected psychic ability. Today Kiersten helps investigators around the country solve missing children's cases, and the spirits have helped her uncover and heal from her own traumatic past. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Become a...
Oct 08, 2024•41 min
When Heather Straughter’s son got sick, her perspective shifted. She discovered how fragile life is. She had to keep pivoting, when she was forced to change her expectations and recalibrate hope. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Become a 2 Lives patron at https://www.patreon.com/2lives Or give a...
Sep 24, 2024•33 min•Season 10Ep. 8
2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION As a teenager Michael discovered he was a great tennis player. He fell into a flow state that he spent decades studying and striving to achieve again. He became a psychologist in the process. After years of telling clients to face their fears, Michael Brady has taken his own advice and confronted his perfectionism, but it’s still difficult to let go. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. Valer...
Sep 10, 2024•26 min•Season 10Ep. 7
2 LIVES - STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION For years Sonia Kahlon succeeded by her parents’ and husband's standards, but it was only after getting sober and volunteering at a women’s prison that Sonia found her true calling. 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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Become a 2 Lives patron at https://www.patreo...
Aug 27, 2024•32 min•Season 10Ep. 6
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 producer. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Become a 2 Lives patron at https://www.patreon.com/...
Aug 13, 2024•30 min•Season 10Ep. 5
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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Become a 2 Lives patron at https://www.patreon.com/2lives Or give a do...
Jul 30, 2024•32 min•Season 10Ep. 4
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. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Become a 2 Lives patron at https://www.patreon.com/2lives Or give a...
Jul 16, 2024•25 min•Season 10Ep. 3
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 never have got the relationship I now have with this man unless this had happened. Not only to him, to me too, because of course I've had to change." "Le...
Jul 02, 2024•32 min•Season 10Ep. 2
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 second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. Valerie Shively is the assistant producer. Christian Arn...
Jun 18, 2024•36 min•Season 10Ep. 1
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 watching them. I love reading them. And I love making them. But when I’m consuming stories, I’m tuning out the world and my inner voice – my source of c...
May 21, 2024•11 min
