Beholden

Please note this episode discusses what culture would consider “challenging” topics, such as genitals, consent, and suicide while using direct, scientific, anatomical language. Similar discussions, similar language, similar topics are widely available online often without this warning; however, as a sign of respect and care, it is worth repeating - listener discretion is advised for the sensitive...

Mike Sawyer is a Jewish father, grandfather, and Vietnam veteran retired from military service, and currently volunteering for hospice, often sitting bedside for other veterans. In this episode, Mike discusses the importance of family, faith, and community, as well as how personal struggles around grief allowed him to sustain capacity to hold vigil. To learn more about death cafes, see https://dea...

Awilda Rivera empowers people to step into their fullest lives—now. A former law graduate who pivoted from a predictable path after a heart attack at age 26, she blends Certified Success Coaching, bespoke travel curation, and spiritual guidance to create transformational experiences that deliver measurable growth, balance, and joy. Her coaching pairs practical strategy with personal development to...

Qasim Rashid is a human rights lawyer, author, and former nominee for U.S. Congress. He received his BSc from the University of Illinois at Chicago, his JD from Richmond Law, and served as a visiting fellow at Harvard University. Qasim’s human rights work includes supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence, representing asylum seekers, and serving as a first responder to global disasters...

Beverly Trafton is a woman of trans experience, living in the western suburbs of Chicago. She is a licensed electrologist and owns her own business, Transcendent Electrolysis , where she is open to serving all but centers her care for trans and gender diverse folk. In this podcast, she discusses more about her mental health journey, including partial hospitalization program (PHP) and the use of th...

Jennifer Wright-Berryman (she/her), Ph. D. is an associate professor of social work at the University of Cincinnati. She studies suicide prevention and equitable death care for LGBTQIA+ communities. Jennifer recently published the book Equity at the End: The New American Way of Death with Dr. Staci Zavattaro (University of Central Florida). Jennifer is the co-founder (with Kat Vancil-Coleman) of E...

Christian Sundberg is a project manager for complex nuclear pump and valve manufacturing projects and a public speaker, having presented at over 100 events. Additionally, Christian’s life has had a unique spiritual trajectory, which includes out of body experiences and pre-birth memories. Christian shares his spiritual perspectives and experiences in a book called A Walk in the Physical. More info...

The broad intent of this podcast is to explore identity AND move beyond into a bigger view - that of interconnection, across humanity, generations, even species, living and non. (Interconnection, for the purposes of this podcast, is defined through an ecological, spiritual, and quantum physics lens). However, many of our identities are culturally made and handed to us by family and/or culture with...

Shannon Lane is a trans man and Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been working in the field of mental health services for almost 30 years. He is experienced in working with diverse populations including LGBTQ+, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, trauma, sexual assault, and domestic violence. In this interview, Shannon discusses his lived experience as a trans man, his job as a social worker, and the...

Katie Clark (she/her) is a public librarian, an aunt of ten, and a queer community builder. After giving up on ever finding an sexual identity that fit, she found out asexuality existed at age 32, and believes that more openness about queer identities when she was young would have changed her life. There's a special place in her heart for anyone recognizing and embracing their queerness later in l...

Lali Metta is a visionary designer, multimedia artist, and storyteller based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Through her brand Metta Visionary Design, she creates furniture and artworks that merge craftsmanship with spiritual resonance. She is also the founder of Holy Bananas Media, offering video production and social media storytelling services, and Golden Sol Surfskate, a lifestyle project inspired by...

Mary Marshall, a paranormal researcher, medium, medical intuitive, author, and educator, returns, by listener request, for a second episode to discuss more specifics regarding her experiences and the paranormal. To learn more about, support her work, or connect with Mary, see Instagram: @paranormalmd , her website , or her bio . For transcripts of this show, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville...

Mark is a Christian, a father, a nurse practitioner specializing in slow-growing blood cancers, with a young son, Eli, who was diagnosed with leukemia. Mark is also Allison (the interviewer)’s brother. In this interview, he discusses his son’s diagnosis, the impact that diagnosis has had on his family, as well as his supports, like his faith and his wife. With the care of his hospital team and fam...

In this interview, Kurt Johnson discusses his challenges reintegrating into society after serving time in prison following a murder conviction. Listener discretion is advised, as the topics discussed are for mature audiences. For more information on Kurt, please see his website , YouTube channel , and Twitter . To contact him, please use the contact page on his website. For those interested in add...

Donna Callaghan is a Doctor of Divinity, Personal Growth Coach, Hypnotherapist, Shamanic Practitioner, teacher, and a workshop presenter. To connect with Donna, her website is https://www.journeyofthesoul.net/ and her email is donna@journeyofthesoul.net For transcripts of this show, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line. *Please note that the opin...

In this brief episode, Allison reviews the intent of this podcast as an intermission, speaking more in depth about the remembrance of ourselves, humility, and building capacity to hold difference. For listeners that want to deeper dive into humility, spirituality, and building community, here are some resources to consider (in no particular order and not exclusive): Rumi, Kabir, Joanna Macy, Gary...

Diana Hawken Torres is a founder and current Vice President of ALMAS (Alliance of Latinos Motivating Action in the Suburbs), the first Latino-led and Latino-serving nonprofit in Naperville. Diana also participates in a variety of other service organizations to foster a diverse and supportive community. In this interview, Diana discusses her identities as a Latina, an immigrant, and a mother and th...

Mary Marshall is a paranormal researcher, medium, medical intuitive, author, and educator. In this interview, Mary discusses her spiritual gifts and identity as well as the marginalization related to her gifts. Mary also dives into her understanding of the afterlife. To learn more about or connect with Mary, see Instagram: @paranormalmd , her website , or her bio . For transcripts of this show, pl...

Kara Strauss is a Jewish, atheist, pelvic floor physical therapist that works to see other people’s humanity and advocate for her own. In this interview, Kara discusses identity, marginalization, consent-based practice, her history with anxiety, and the importance of family and community. If you are interested in learning more about Kara or working with her, please see Instagram: @karastrauss_dpt...

Bryana Sergott is a trans, disabled veteran, a student, and a friend. In this interview, Bryana discusses the pedestal of identities, carving our own paths, and the importance of self-love and immersion in other cultures. For transcripts of this show, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line. *Please note that the opinions and experiences of those in...

J Currie is a life coach, meditation instructor, author, and founder of Awake Oneness Tribe Listeners can find more information about J here In this interview, J discusses identity, spirituality, some of the challenges of masculinity, building community, and the importance of deeply listening to one another. Resources mentioned in this episode are the Awake Oneness Festival (https://www.awakeonene...

In this brief episode, Allison reviews the intent of this podcast as an intermission, speaking more in depth about holding similarity AND difference with dignity, changing language, and the importance of self-definition. For transcripts of this show, please email ignitewellbeing.naperville@gmail.com with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line. If you are interested in participating in a future podcast,...

Kyla is a naturalist, mother of two, wife of 20 years, organic gardener, food enthusiast, and lifelong learner who grew up in the southern suburbs of Chicago and now lives in the southwestern suburbs. She currently works for a conservation organization creating and supporting programs that connect people with nature and the environment and she's studied communications, business, finance, sociology...

Content warning: discussion of suicide and the prevention of sexual harm/violence Patty is a cancer survivor, an artist, and a person of faith that actively works to build bridges and love all people, particularly those that are marginalized. In this episode, Patty discusses her journey with cancer, what life has taught her as a person that directly faced mortality, the loss of an important friend...

Content Warning: discussion of suicide. Andy Weiss’ son died by suicide in 2012. He is a Jewish elder and activist working to prevent suicide and support suicide survivors.; he currently assists as a TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) mentor and care group facilitator. Andy discusses what he has learned from his grief as a suicide survivor as well as how to support suicide survivors....