Meet Mia Vivone. As a Professional Consultant and Life Coach, Mia specializes in the area of trauma and is a member of the Stop Stigma Sacramento Speakers Bureau. Stop Stigma is an organization funded by The Sacramento County Department of Behavioral Health, & their mission is to reduce stigma and discrimination around the topic of mental health. With a history of trauma that dates all the way back to childhood, Mia was a victim of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse as a child and survive...
Oct 18, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Part 2- With Tara's unusually perky and positive disposition, it's hard to imagine that her life was once consumed by severe trauma, as both a child and as an adult. From years of abuse and neglect to grief and codependency, her circumstances ultimately led to the manifestation of fibromyalgia, weight fluctuations, and a deep need for emotional healing. In this episode Tara walks us through some of her experiences. She describes the thought process that kept her moving forward despite a lifetime...
Oct 11, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Part 1- Meet Tara. A married mom of 4 and caregiver by nature who works in the healthcare field. With her unusually perky and positive disposition, it's hard to imagine that her life was once consumed by severe trauma, as both a child and as an adult. From years of abuse and neglect to grief and codependency, her circumstances ultimately led to the manifestation of fibromyalgia, weight fluctuations, and a deep need for emotional healing. When we witness the results of unresolved extreme trauma, ...
Oct 11, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Part 1- Meet Jumana. A 45 year old United States Airforce Veteran. She is a proud wife and mother, a personal development coach, a yoga teacher, and the author of two children's books. In 2002 Jumana was 24 years old, serving active duty in the United States Air Force when she gave birth to her first child. After receiving orders to deploy to South Korea when her son was just a baby, she faced the painful reality of leaving him for an entire year to serve her country. With a 13 hour time differe...
Oct 04, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Part 2- My conversation with Jumana continues. In this episode Jumana tells us a heartbreaking yet heartwarming story about her life as a noncustodial mother. In 2002 Jumana was 24 years old, serving active duty in the United States Air Force when she gave birth to her first child. After receiving orders to deploy to South Korea when her son was just a baby, she faced the painful reality of leaving him for an entire year to serve her country. Years later she came to find out that her child’s fat...
Oct 04, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Part 2- My conversation with Aimee continues. We discuss the fertility industry as a whole and the notion of capitalizing on desperation. We also talk about Aimee's plans going forward, scheduling infertility treatments around work, and her thoughts on surrogacy and adoption. Following her divorce at age 37, Aimee took her first steps into the world of infertility. Many of us spend our younger years avoiding pregnancy with the expectation of it coming easily later on, when we have the means to s...
Sep 27, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Part 1- Meet Aimee. A 44 year old single woman, an ICU nurse/ nurse practitioner, a long time yoga teacher, and owner/operator of Wellness Mobile IV Therapy. Following her divorce at age 37, Aimee took her first steps into the world of infertility. Many of us spend our younger years avoiding pregnancy with the expectation of it coming easily later on, when we have the means to support a child, or a partner to parent with…or both. We take for granted that when we choose to start our family that o...
Sep 27, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 13
PART 2- My conversation with Heather continues. She tells the story of what happened 3 years ago when her oldest son Austin was in a tragic accident that left him in a coma. His chances of surviving were slim, his chances of surviving without brain damage...even slimmer. Heather believed with every cell in her body that God would work a miracle and Austin would not only live, but he would go on to make a full recovery. Sure enough, defying all odds and mystifying the medical team in charge of hi...
Sep 20, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Part 1- Meet Heather Dubinetskiy. Married for 26 years and a mother to her 3 adult children. Heather is a philanthropist, a fashion & lifestyle influencer, and perhaps most notably, a woman of faith. The topic of our conversation is one that many people consider oddly taboo. We're talking about the topic of faith. Three years ago Heather's oldest son Austin was in a tragic accident that left him in a coma. His chances of surviving were slim, his chances of surviving without brain damage...ev...
Sep 20, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Please be advised that this episode contains descriptions of sexual abuse and self harm. Content may not be suitable for children, listener discretion is advised. Meet Maddie Reynolds. A 20 year old college senior who grew up in a happy healthy home with two loving and supportive parents. She lived in a nice neighborhood, did well in school, and had lots of friends. Yet for 7 years, unbeknownst to her parents, Maddie was a victim of childhood sexual trauma at the hands of an extended family memb...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Meet Michelle. She is a former Chico State college athlete who grew up in a nice home with two loving parents. Michelle is a happily married wife with 3 adult thriving children, and she has worked in the field of education as both a middle school teacher and a high school principal for the past 20 years. With a happy childhood, college education and teaching degree, combined with her achievements in college basketball that earned her a spot on the Chico State athletic hall of fame, there was no ...
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Our conversation with Yelena continues. After traveling through life at 100mph, a mixed bag of on-going health symptoms took control of the wheel and slammed on the brakes, sending her head first into a brick wall. The brick wall we're referring to is chronic illness. Days, weeks, and sometimes months in bed sleeping can elicit harsh judgment and criticism from others, and from ourselves. While the details of this story are unique to her own life, the sequence of how they occurred is textbook an...
Sep 01, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Meet Yelena Chernyy. This type A high energy young woman faced a mother's worst nightmare following the birth of her first child. Her infant daughter was born with a condition that made it nearly impossible for her to grow and thrive. Yelena spent years trying to keep her daughter alive, meanwhile her own body was deteriorating. After traveling through life at 100mph, a mixed bag of on-going health symptoms took control of the wheel and slammed on the brakes, sending her head first into a brick ...
Sep 01, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 7
My conversation with Rachelle continues on the topic of homelessness. She tells just a few of the many stories that exist of folks who have relaunched their lives and legacies with the tools that City of Refuge has to offer. Rachelle shares the expansion plans that are underway for a Restorative Housing Community for Children & Families, called Return to Wonder. This community will be located on Martin Luther King Blvd. in Sacramento, and is scheduled to break ground in March of 2024. Visit ...
Sep 01, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Meet Rachelle. She is the Co-founder & executive housing director at City of Refuge Sacramento. a community-based organization offering services for the following: Individuals experiencing homelessness, women that have been victimized by sexual exploitation and trafficking or abuse, at-risk youth engagement programs, workforce development, community outreach and life development programs. In this episode we tackle the stigma attached to the issue of homelessness. The judgements are harsh and...
Sep 01, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In my continued conversation with James, a path to redemption is revealed. After years of self destruction, James embarks on a road to recovery after the birth of his daughter, and he transforms into the man we know today. A man of integrity, accountability, and humility. Visit our website at https://humanityunlockedpodcast.com/ and send us an inquiry if you’d like to be a guest on the show. Follow us on Instagram at @humanityunlockedpodcast...
Sep 01, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Meet James Arends. A 38 year old husband and a devoted father to his 11 year old daughter. With approximately 165lbs of lean muscle, James is covered in both tattoos and piercings. If someone were to judge him based solely on his appearance, you might say he is the perfect picture of toxic masculinity. But you would be wrong. Born into an alcoholic and abusive family, James clawed his way through his adolescent and teenage years, getting stuck in a repeat cycle of addiction, crime, homelessness,...
Sep 01, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Our guest today is my good friend, Kateri Ross. Kateri is an LMFT (licensed marriage and family therapist) who has worked in the field of psychology for over 20 years. I have offered Kateri a recurring guest spot on select episodes of the Humanity Unlocked podcast to help walk us through some of our more delicate discussions involving trauma. With her level of expertise, I am confident Kateri will be a tremendous asset to both our guests and listeners as we work together to understand life in so...
Aug 02, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 2
It is clear we are living in unprecedented times and we are more divided than ever as a human race. This needs to change and that is the reason for this podcast. Over here, in my little corner of the universe, I have friends, relatives, and acquaintances from all walks of life. What I know is this. The more I know about a person’s story the more I understand why they do what they do, think what they think, and say what they say. And the greater my understanding is, regardless whether I agree, th...
Jul 26, 2023•9 min•Season 1Ep. 1
