On the morning of September 27, 2006, at Platte Canyon High School in the small town of Bailey, Colorado, everything was going as usual. Taylor Fraser, then 15-years-old and a sophomore, went to school, passed her mother at the front desk, and walked to class just like every other morning before that day. No one could ever have guessed that later that afternoon, 53-year-old Duane Roger Morrison would take seven female students hostage, kill one of them and then himself, and forever change the sm...
May 04, 2021•55 min•Ep. 40
Abuse within faith communities is something we hear from our community about a lot. In particular, how abuse and sexual assault in faith communities complicate recovery because our spiritual life becomes tied to the most intimate and terrifying experience of our lives. Where can we find sanctuary following compounded abuse? This episode is a panel discussion on Abuse of Power: How the Church Can Respond. Joining us is: Annette Cutino, Director, LEAD.NYC Boz Tchividjian, Attorney & Founder of...
Apr 14, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 39
In this episode, we are joined by one of our good friends and fellow entrepreneur, Nikki Innocent. Nikki is a 2-time TEDx speaker, certified women's leadership coach, diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) strategist, and the host of "Checkbox Other". Nikki shares with us how she's learned to trust herself enough to take the leap from her corporate career to becoming an entrepreneur. We also talk about the challenges of growing up as a second-generation biracial kid in a home with alcoholism, e...
Mar 23, 2021•39 min•Ep. 38
The first obstacle we have to overcome as a survivor is understanding what we're surviving. Jessica Dailey's earliest memories are with her father, but it wasn't until she was in middle school that she realized those memories were sexual abuse. In this episode, Jessica shares how she's healing from her abuse, how to break cycles of intergenerational trauma, and why sharing her story so that other survivors can heal is her life's purpose. What's remarkable about Jessica's story is how much she fo...
Mar 01, 2021•41 min•Ep. 37
By the time Chanel Dokun was in her mid-20s, she had reached nearly the top of her field, but, like most things, it wasn't without risk and grief. Chanel's parents were older when she was born and suffered from poor health in her teens. This made the priority of Chanel's childhood caring for her parents, so by the time college rolled around, she faced a tough decision. Stay and be the primary caregiver to her mom or move to California and pursue her dreams? With the insight that pursuing her cal...
Jan 26, 2021•44 min•Ep. 36
Welcome to I’ll Go First Season 2! We are so happy you’re here! To kick us off this season I’m finally sharing my personal story and how I’ll Go First was born. My BFF AnnaLynne McCord is a big part of why this community is called “I’ll Go First” so she interviewed me on this episode! (Real talk, I love celebrating other people’s stories, but it was a stretch for me to be interviewed by someone else but I'll go first!) We talk about how I'll Go First was born, my journey of overcoming childhood ...
Jan 05, 2021•34 min•Ep. 35
In this episode, AnnaLynne McCord joins us. She is an actress, humanitarian, writer, director, and producer. You may recognize her from 90210, Nip/Tuck, and Power. Oh, and she happens to be my BFF. Our goal on this podcast is to normalize the conversation around topics often stigmatized and silenced in shame and help you take those little steps towards healing. Coping with abuse and PTSD looks different for everyone. For some of us, dissociation helps keep us sane under the worst conditions. In ...
Dec 15, 2020•53 min•Ep. 34
Megan Evans is a personal stylist, image consultant, wife, adventurer, and invisible illnesses champion. At the tender age of 24 years old and on her way up the ladder as a celebrity stylist in New York City, she was diagnosed with MS. Now, 16 years later, Megan shares how she came to grips with her diagnosis, how she's balancing pursuing her career and managing a chronic invisible illness, and what treatment looks like on her terms. She also gives us tips and tricks for finding our unique style...
Nov 25, 2020•51 min•Ep. 33
In honor of Domestic Violence Month, this episode is a recording of a panel I moderated on “Domestic violence in a time of COVID” with the nonprofit Reveal Beauty. We talked about the definition of domestic violence, how to know if you’re in a situation of intimate partner violence, misconceptions, how to support a loved one who may be a victim of domestic violence, resources, and how to take care of ourselves while taking care of others. We are joined with Ileana Aguilar, Community Education Tr...
Oct 27, 2020•43 min•Ep. 32
Psychotherapist, poet, and writer Minaa B started her Instagram account as a way to share her poetry and musings. As someone who has overcome bullying, self-harm, suicidality, and depression, she wanted to help others heal too. That was before COVID. In the months following the global pandemic, Minaa’s Instagram presence and community have exploded. The message is clear, people are hurting, and people are yearning for a safe community that says, "Me too." In this episode, Minaa and I talk about ...
Oct 20, 2020•42 min•Ep. 31
When Ben Ayers was 20 years old, he took $300 and moved from Maine to a remote village in Nepal. He did not know the language but he knew he wanted to support the porters who carry trekker’s climbing gear up and down Mt Everest. That was 23 years ago. Now, at 43, Ben is discovering the next evolution of his purpose, knowing himself. I met Ben when I was 20 years old. He is who inspired me to devote my career to human rights. He showed me that bringing our unique talents and giftings to the socia...
Oct 06, 2020•42 min•Ep. 30
Listening to Reverend Vahisha Hasan one can’t help but believe we can be more and do more. We know the conversation around race is fragile and charged. In this episode, Reverend Hasan helps us understand how to approach these conversations with grace and strength. She also shares how she found her faith and how faith is the core of social action and dismantling white supremacy. We laughed, we cried, and bonus: we learn how the Care Bears can inspire us to fight for freedom. Goodies from this Epi...
Sep 16, 2020•46 min•Ep. 29
Cynthia Hellen is the definition of a boss. She’s a serial social entrepreneur. She’s inspirational, ambitious, and stunning. She’s easy to love. On her way to building a future, her fiancé, Ryan, found out he had advanced liver disease. Ryan fought for over 18 months to overcome his diagnosis but it wasn’t enough. At the young age of 30, he passed away. Cynthia speaks candidly about her journey as the daughter of immigrant parents who fled from Peru to America as asylum seekers, being a young c...
Aug 25, 2020•50 min•Ep. 28
We have all struggled to answer the questions, “Who am I?” and “What do I want?” Those ‘simple’ questions can feel overwhelming, especially if you come from a culture or home where asking those questions was against the rules. Imani Movva is a psychotherapist and executive and business coach. She joins us in this episode to talk about how she forged her identity independent of harmful social and cultural norms, how to create safety in your life, career, and friendships and how to answer the big ...
Aug 11, 2020•34 min•Ep. 27
Do you know what makes you happy? Have you ever felt overwhelmed choosing where to eat dinner with friends? What do you want to do with your life? All of these questions have one thing in common - decision making. Little choices like where to eat and big ones like, what makes you happy can be stressful. If this has ever been you, we have good news. You can develop this skill set and create a strategy that’s unique to you. In this week’s episode Sharon Weinberg, Executive Leadership and Business ...
Jul 31, 2020•55 min•Ep. 26
Erine Gray, Founder of Aunt Bertha, was 17-years-old when his mom suffered an acute neurological illness that left her requiring around the clock care. Ten years later, just as Erine was starting his career, he took on full legal guardianship of her. Rather than being resentful of these new responsibilities, Erine found his purpose; to bring dignity to those receiving social service care. Erine shares with us how he’s made meaning of his story, how he found his purpose (and why he loves his job ...
Jul 21, 2020•40 min•Ep. 25
Dr. Colleen Batchelder is an outspoken advocate against racism and discrimination in the American Church. Her dissertation, “Exvangelical: Why Millennials and Generation Z are Leaving the Constraints of White Evangelicalism” not only raised eyebrows but elicited hate mail from her seminary and community. In this episode we talk about how to cultivate your own faith practices, keeping our identity intact in the face of adversity, social justice in the American church, and standing up for each oth...
Jul 07, 2020•45 min•Ep. 24
Obbie West is a 20 veteran of the United States Army, an outspoken sexual violence prevention advocate, an International Spoken Word Artist, and author of a book of poems entitled, “Blossom”. Obbie grew up in a home witnessing his mother endure domestic violence. In this episode, he shares with us how he became who he is today, how he’s learned to define what love means to him, and how we can decide how we want to be loved. Connect with Obbie: https://www.obbiewest.com/contact Learn about Obbie’...
Jun 30, 2020•44 min•Ep. 23
Merci McKinley is a Veteran Advocate, Military Sexual Trauma, and Dometic Violence Survivor, author, and poet. She speaks candidly about her experience of military sexual assault and domestic violence, fighting for justice against her perpetrators, advocating for justice reform, and what healing has looked like for her. She is a powerful voice for those of us who are working through what we've come through. Merci is a true testament of what it means to be a survivor and teaches us how to live li...
Jun 23, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 22
Kevin Adler, Founder and CEO of Miracle Messages, a nonprofit reunion service that reconnects people experiencing homelessness with their loved ones. In this episode, he shares the lessons he’s learned from helping over 300 people reconnect with their loved ones, often for the first time in 20 years. He offers step-by-step insights on where to start and what reconciliation looks like in our lives and the lives of our homeless neighbors. Goodies from this episode: Learn about Miracle Messages: ht...
Jun 16, 2020•38 min•Ep. 21
Tiffany Yu, Founder of Diversability, was only 9 years old when she was involved in a deadly accident that claimed her father’s life and left her partially paralyzed. In this episode, she shares how she’s worked through past shames, brought silence and judgment out of the shadows, learned how to forgive herself and what it means to be proud of who we are. Goodies from this episode: Learn more about Diversability: http://www.mydiversability.com/ Watch Dr. Nadine Burke's TED Talk on ACEs (Adverse ...
Jun 09, 2020•50 min•Ep. 20
Chris Anderson is a childhood sexual abuse survivor. His story is all too common but not talked about enough. When people think of sexual trauma, they often don’t associate it with males, and yet statistics show that around half of all childhood sexual abuse survivors are boys. Chris courageously shares his journey of healing, what grooming and manipulation look like, and how he’s learned to love bravely. Goodies from this Episode: Find resources for healing at: https://malesurvivor.org/ Connect...
Jun 02, 2020•59 min•Ep. 19
Spiritual trauma can cut us to our core. In this episode, Tara-Leigh Cobble joins us. You may recognize her as the Founder and President of D Group, an international faith-based community, and "The Bible Recap Podcast" (20 million downloads and counting!) She shares with us how she's recovered from spiritual trauma, grief, and multiple heart surgeries as a young adult. She also shares with us how asking for help in her own life birthed one of the largest discipleship groups in the world and how ...
May 26, 2020•46 min•Ep. 18
Rasheeda Winfield is a producer and casting director. At 25, she accomplished what most people can only dream of, working at NBC Universal, 30 Rock (Yup, that one.) In this episode, she shows us how she made her dreams come true, how discovering what success actually is surprised her, and how she gave herself permission to let her dreams evolve as she grew into the woman she is today. She also offers tangible tips for ‘making it’ in TV and how figuring out who you really are makes you the most s...
May 11, 2020•42 min•Ep. 17
Jordan Wexler is a serial entrepreneur. He sold his first company at 24-years-old, became the COO of Agility.io at 28, and is just launched his second company, Early Bird , all before the age of 30. It sounds like a true American success story, young, accomplished, well-traveled. Just around the corner, however, and within two years, his dad suddenly died and his mother suffered a life-altering stroke that placed her 24/7 care. Nevertheless, somehow Jordan’s joy is boundless. He’s the kind of pe...
May 04, 2020•49 min•Ep. 16
Nicky Yates’ story seems like it’s straight out of a fiction novel and yet it’s true. As a professional, Nicky is a forensic traumatologist and researcher on the nature of healing from trauma and domestic violence. She is a humanitarian and uses her expertise to lift communities out of poverty in low-income countries throughout the world (26 countries and counting.) But landing where she is today is nothing short of a miracle. As a child, she experienced poverty, childhood abuse, and homelessnes...
Apr 20, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 15
Ivelyse Andino is an Afro-Latina health equity innovator born and raised in The Bronx. She is the founder and CEO of Radical Health and a Commissioner on the New York City Commission on Gender Equity. Ivelyse enjoyed a fledgling career in health tech, pioneering some of its first digital health solutions, including bringing the first mobile app prescribing platform to market and working with global clients such as National Health Service (NHS London) and Kaiser Permanente. While she routinely tr...
Apr 13, 2020•43 min•Ep. 14
Aaron Rodwin, LMSW, is a researcher on the use of hip hop and music to support empowerment and mental health. In this episode, he shares his journey of how his love for hip hop music started his career in mental health. Aaron walks us through his research on the use of hip hop and music to support mental health, explains the different types of trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), debunks some of the common misconceptions about schizophrenia, and emphasizes culturally responsive appro...
Apr 06, 2020•37 min•Ep. 13
Jennifer Haron, child sexual abuse and incest survivor advocate, shares her personal story of escaping a house full of terror and sorrow. She walks us through what healing has looked like for her as an adult. Jennifer also shows us how she has overcome painful narratives and how she has cultivated radical self-care. We talk about how self-advocate for yourself and advocate for others who might be going through something similar. Jennifer is a force of nature and we hope you know that you are not...
Mar 30, 2020•48 min•Ep. 12
Raleigh Sadler, president and founder of Let My People Go, makes the case that anyone can fight human trafficking by focusing on those who are most often targeted. In this episode, we discuss our role in the problem of human trafficking, but more importantly, our role in the solution. Goodies from this Episode: Learn more about Let My People Go: https://www.lmpgnetwork.org/ Vulnerable: Rethinking Human Trafficking: https://www.amazon.com/Vulnerable-Rethinking-Trafficking-Raleigh-Sadler/dp/153591...
Mar 23, 2020•49 min•Ep. 11
