Personally: Creation Myth - podcast cover

Personally: Creation Myth

Helena does not want kids. Her husband believes she’ll change her mind—she has so much love to give, she would be a perfect mother. That will never happen, she tells him. Again. And again. Until one day, he leaves. 


In the silence, doubt starts rushing in. So she asks her close friends, her mother, her sister, even a perfect stranger—did she make the right decision? What is the purpose of life? Center your pleasure, says one friend. Go for adventure, says another, and isn’t parenthood the biggest adventure of all? Be true to yourself, says a father who regrets his decision. But the voice she needs to hear is her own.


Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. This is what it sounds like to be human.


Hear episodes early and ad-free on CBC Stories Premium on Apple Podcasts.


Season 1 | Run, Hide, Repeat: a story of a childhood spent on the run.

Season 2 | Welcome to Paradise: a courageous escape from domestic violence.

Season 3 | Short Sighted: an attempt to explain what vision loss feels like by exploring how it sounds.

Season 4 | Sorry About The Kid: an emotional, deeply personal meditation on the loss of a sibling.

Season 5 | Toy Soldier: The unbelievable story of a Jewish boy amongst Nazis.

Season 6 | Forever is a Long Time: Every living member of Ian Coss' family who has been married has gotten divorced. Can his marriage end differently?

Season 7 | NO: Kaitlin Prest found herself wondering if the world forgot the lessons that shook 2017.

Season 8 | Resurrection: The story of Dane Stewart, a Canadian playwright, and what he did with a cache of love letters by a playwright named Daryl Allen, who died in 1991 from HIV/AIDS.

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Episodes

Episode 7: Orb of Calm

Four of Helena’s friends are pregnant. They’re spending more time with other mothers and mothers-to-be. Will there still be room for her? And while her friends experience the biggest transformation, Helena clings to her routines. Why can’t she be more spontaneous—like her sister! Her sister once got on a boat to the North Pole with six strangers to see vegetarian orcas. It did not go well. But it taught her the biggest truth on planet earth. Can Helena learn it too? Hear all episodes of Personal...

Mar 17, 202636 minSeason 9Ep. 7

Episode 6: The Nuclear Option

Since she can’t decide if she should get sterilized or not, Helena asks a stranger. A guy named Sam who doesn’t have any stake in her life. Sam regretted having his kid. He didn’t realize at the time what he was getting into, what he would be giving up. But he understood the moment his son was born. So when Helena asks, “Should I have a kid or no?” Sam is ready for it, “I thought you'd never ask.” Hear all episodes of Personally: Creation Myth now, early and ad-free, on CBC Stories Premium on Ap...

Mar 10, 202636 minSeason 9Ep. 6

Episode 5: All of it

Just like her grandmother, her great-grandmother, and her aunt, Helena gets depressed. She sits down with her mother Annika, to really talk about it. “It was as if your skin no longer fit,” her mother says. Together they unearth the painful moments that have shaped their relationship. After years of struggling with her mental health, Helena is left wondering what to do with the time she has left? Hear all episodes of Personally: Creation Myth now, early and ad-free, on CBC Stories Premium on App...

Mar 03, 202635 minSeason 9Ep. 5

Episode 4: Freedom Form

With her sterilization scheduled, Helena sits down with her new lover to explain her decision. But the conversation leads in an unexpected direction. More confused than ever, she reaches out to Alejandra, a woman who underwent the same procedure and doesn’t regret her decision—it confirmed her true identity. Helena is not so sure. The clock is ticking. What is she scared of? Hear all episodes of Personally: Creation Myth now, early and ad-free, on CBC Stories Premium on Apple Podcasts ....

Feb 24, 202638 minSeason 9Ep. 4

Episode 3: Doors Do Close

After her abortion, Helena’s marriage is at a tipping point. David still wants kids, and she wants her tubes tied. In a moment of despair, a conversation with Ama the poet shifts Helena's understanding of what a good life can look like. Maybe she can center her pleasure? Hear all episodes of Personally: Creation Myth now, early and ad-free, on CBC Stories Premium on Apple Podcasts .

Feb 17, 202642 minSeason 9Ep. 3

Episode 2: Pregnant

Helena does not want kids. Her husband does. For years they’ve battled it out. Then, while he is on his way back from a surfing trip, she finds out she’s pregnant. What will she tell him? What should she do? She calls her dear friend Joshua for help: he’s wise, he’s a parent, he knows her well. But she doesn’t have a lot of time. Her husband will be home in an hour. This episode was a 2025 Tribeca Official Selection. Hear all episodes of Personally: Creation Myth now, early and ad-free, on CBC S...

Feb 10, 202637 minSeason 9Ep. 2

Episode 1: Nothing Complicated

Helena knows she doesn’t want kids. She’s sure of it. Almost. It was a constant topic of conversation with her friend Sigrid in her 20s. Sigrid would try to convince her, but having children was not what she wanted for her life. Then one day in Paris, she meets David. Hear all episodes of Personally: Creation Myth now, early and ad-free, on CBC Stories Premium on Apple Podcasts .

Feb 10, 202640 minSeason 9Ep. 1

Introducing: Creation Myth

Introducing the new season of Personally, called Creation Myth. Helena does not want to have kids. Kid, child, baby - not for her. She’s just not parent material. So why is she obsessed with parenthood? Why does she ask her friends who are parents for every detail? She’s in her forties now. The door is almost closed. And suddenly, she wonders. Does she want a kid?

Jan 20, 20262 min

Resurrection, Episode 8: San Francisco, 2022

The final chapter in our series on Daryl Allen. We end the story where it started. Email us at hi@resurrectionpodcast.com The creation of this podcast was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Conseildes arts de Montréal, le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Dec 15, 20251 hr 8 minSeason 8Ep. 8

Resurrection, Episode 7: Mustang Zero-One

We share Daryl's play with the world. The creation of this podcast was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Conseildes arts de Montréal, le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Dec 08, 202553 minSeason 8Ep. 7

Resurrection, Episode 6: What Happened in Vietnam

This is the story of what happened in Vietnam. The creation of this podcast was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Conseildes arts de Montréal, le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Dec 01, 202546 minSeason 8Ep. 6

Resurrection, Episode 5: Janet

Janet's side of the story. The creation of this podcast was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Conseildes arts de Montréal, le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Nov 24, 20251 hr 2 minSeason 8Ep. 5

Resurrection, Episode 4: Kansas (Part Two)

In the second part of our trip to Kansas, we go on a hunt for the Allen Family Farm. The creation of this podcast was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Conseildes arts de Montréal, le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Nov 17, 202534 minSeason 8Ep. 4

Resurrection, Episode 3: Kansas (Part One)

In this episode, we go to Kansas. The creation of this podcast was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Conseildes arts de Montréal, le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Nov 10, 202535 minSeason 8Ep. 3

Resurrection, Episode 2: Four Christmases

Daryl and Dan were in love, until something happened that changed everything. This is the story of the evolution of Daryl and Dan's relationship; a queer love story set against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis. The creation of this podcast was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Conseildes arts de Montréal, le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Nov 03, 202539 minSeason 8Ep. 2

Resurrection, Episode 1: San Francisco, 1979

Daryl Allen always wanted to be a playwright, but before his art found success, his life was cut short by HIV. Before he dies, he leaves one of his scripts with an ex-boyfriend, asking his ex to do something with the play. 25 years later, the script is given to Dane Stewart, a playwright living in Montreal, and he falls down the rabbit hole. The creation of this podcast was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Conseil des arts de Montréal, le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Qu...

Nov 03, 202534 minSeason 8Ep. 1

Introducing: Resurrection

In a moment of fate in 2017, Dane Stewart is gifted a bundle of love letters and theatrical scripts, written by a queer man named Daryl Allen before AIDS took his life in 1991. Along with the letters, Dane is given a task: tell Daryl's story and give his art the audience it lost when his life was cut short. Part investigation, part documentary, and part love story, Resurrection asks us what we leave behind when we go. Daryl proves that for every person lost to AIDS, there's a life story just wai...

Oct 31, 20253 min

NO, Part Four: Questions

Many listeners were left with a lot of lingering questions and thoughts after the first three episodes. In the final installment of ‘NO’ we respond to some of the questions that we heard a lot of. What do I tell my kids? What if my no DOES mean yes? Additionally, some of the producers and trusted sex educator, Samara Breger unpack some of the blind spots and larger themes from the last three episodes.

Sep 30, 202533 minSeason 7Ep. 4

NO, Part Three: Answers

The third episode of NO: Kaitlin’s search for the answer to why coercion is so omnipresent lands her in one obvious place. Straight, cis-gendered men. In this episode, Kaitlin consults the men in her life that she loves, her friends, her father, her exes to see if they had ever pressured someone into having unwanted intimacy. But she knows she cannot end her search here. She must reach out to the men who have transgressed her to get their side of the story.

Sep 30, 202541 minSeason 7Ep. 3

NO, Part Two: Inheritance

In the second episode of the series, we catch up to Kaitlin while she is in her mid-twenties, waiting to fall in love. Over the years she has become an expert at advocating for her own pleasure. She has learned how to say no to the sex that she doesn’t want to have with tact and grace. Just as Kaitlin thinks she has figured out the art of sexual negotiations, another unsettling experience becomes a catalyst for a search for answers.

Sep 23, 202534 minSeason 7Ep. 2

NO, Part One: Advance

We meet Kaitlin in her youth as she learns to navigate her first sexual experiences along with the confusion of her desires. Kaitlin learns how to decline unwanted sexual advances and the difficulty of advocating for her needs. But what is she to do when her words are ignored and her agency is taken from her? "Advance" a non-psychedelic trip into my girlhood was originally produced in May 2017 and features sound design and composition by Shani Aviram. 2025 UPDATE: Drove by North Dundas the other...

Sep 23, 202517 minSeason 7Ep. 1

Introducing: NO.

Revisiting NO. After 8 years and several disappointing hook-ups wherein KP found herself wondering if the world forgot the lessons that shook 2017, she decides it's high time to listen again to the series that brings you inside of a 'no' that sounds like a 'yes', and all the 'yes's that really wanted to be 'no's. CREDITS NO. written and produced by Kaitlin Prest, scoring and composition by Shani Aviram, editing by Sharon Mashihi, editorial feedback and production support from Mitra Kaboli, Phoeb...

Sep 16, 20256 min

Personally Introduces: We’re Doing The Wiz

In 2004, a racial controversy erupted at a small, mostly white performing arts high school in rural Massachusetts. There were protests. TV news crews. A tense all-school assembly. And then, an announcement: the school would stage an iconic American musical that no one saw coming. We're Doing The Wiz from Radiotopia is the story of that production. Radiotopia Presents premiers short multi-episode series in one podcast feed, unified by bold, inclusive storytelling pushing the boundaries of audio. ...

Jul 29, 202540 min

Forever is a Long Time, Part 5: Aunt Rari

My aunt Rari divorced her husband so completely and so long ago that I don’t even know the man’s name. She tells me that story and about the life she built without him. It makes me contemplate the value of a life spent alone — but also of lifelong companionship.

Jul 14, 202532 minSeason 6Ep. 5

Forever is a Long Time, Part 4: Uncle Eric

Most divorces in my family bring some sense of relief. It may take three years to get there, or it may take thirty years, but once it’s over, it feels pretty clear that this is for the best. But it’s not so clear for my Uncle Eric’s relationship.

Jul 08, 202530 minSeason 6Ep. 4

Forever is a Long Time, Part 3: Aunt Mia and Uncle Paul

The idea of a lifetime commitment can feel impossible, when it can still fall apart in year 20, or year 30, or 35. My own parents’ marriage never made it that far, but some of my aunts and uncles did, only to find that after all those years, they too were better off apart.

Jun 30, 202532 minSeason 6Ep. 3

Forever is a Long Time, Part 2: My Grandmother, Marianne

My grandmother never sent presents for birthdays or holidays, and didn't expect us to either. She seemed to resist anything that felt like authority, convention and tradition; which is why it's so strange that she was once married to my grandfather — a Harvard-educated lawyer.

Jun 23, 202536 minSeason 6Ep. 2

Forever is a Long Time, Part 1: My Parents, Ellen and Tom

My parents divorced when I was eight years old — young enough that I don’t have a lot of clear memories of it, but old enough that I was definitely watching, listening, and learning. So I asked them both to tell me what happened, and got two pretty different stories.

Jun 16, 202532 minSeason 6Ep. 1

Introducing: Forever is a Long Time

When I decided to get married, every living member of my family who had ever been married had also gotten divorced. Apparently, I thought my marriage would end differently. Listen to Personally: Forever is a Long Time starting June 16, 2025.

Jun 11, 20254 min
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