The EMBER Project Podcast

In this episode we explore connections between precocious puberty, childhood trauma and the connection to teenage pregnancy. We are joined by Lisamarie, a nurse practitioner specializing in functional medicine. To learn more about Lisamarie and what she offers, visit her ⁠Facebook Page Here⁠ . To learn more about The EMBER Project, you can visit our ⁠website⁠ . To learn more about becoming a mento...

In this episode, we talk to Kristin, a woman who practically force to give her son up for adoption at 17. Her mother was controlling and manipulative, but in the end, she could not keep Kristin quiet. Kristen now runs Diva Donations, a formal clothing closet dedicated to uplifting students in our community from Jr. high through college. To learn more about what Kristin is doing, ⁠CLICK HERE.⁠ As a...

In this episode we meet Dee, the grown daughter of a teen mom. We get to hear how her mother’s struggle shaped her to be the independent successful woman she is. To learn more about The EMBER Project, visit us at www.theemberproject.org. To volunteer please ⁠CLICK⁠ Here and nominate a mother, ⁠CLICK HERE⁠ . As always, thank you for listening. Please like, share and subscribe.

My grandmother’s name was Violet, but she was neither shy nor delicate.. She was a fierce woman who protected her 3 daughter’s cost of losing 2 of the 3. This not sound like a story of empowerment, but listen anyway. Grandma Violet will stick with you long after this short listen. To ⁠VOLUNTEER⁠ please fill out the form linked. To ask to be considered for The EMBER Project, please ⁠CLICK HERE.⁠

In this episode we have the pleasure of talking to Melissa Winston, author of "Mothers of the Projects". You can find her book on Amazon by ⁠CLICKING HERE⁠ . I can't wait for my copy to arrive today! Remember, to become a volunteer or mentor, please ⁠CLICK HERE⁠ to fill out the volunteer intake form. Or to ask to be considered for the project as a mentee, or to nominate an early mother for conside...

In our first two part episode, we meet Megan. A young woman learning to navigate her mental health challenges at the same time as she learns what it means to parent a child on the Autism spectrum. Then, make sure you listen to part two on January 16th, when Megan and Noah share a VERY SPECIAL day with The EMBER Project and our listeners. Remember to like and subscribe to our podcast, and share it...

In this episode, we talk about an excerpt blog by Seth Godin about choosing your motivation and how choosing the wrong motivation can actually hurt you.

Serena was born into a story that seemed destined to repeat itself. Her mother became a young mother under tragic circumstances, carrying trauma that would echo through the generations. By sixteen, Serena found herself pregnant too, following a path that looked all too familiar. Growing up surrounded by abuse, poverty, addiction, and instability, it would have been easy to believe that this was si...

When we left Monica's story, she was standing at one of the darkest moments of her life. Isolated, exhausted, and overwhelmed by the weight of young motherhood, she had begun exploring adoption for her daughter and questioned whether she could keep going. What happened next would change the course of her life forever. In Part Two, Monica shares how a simple act of kindness reminded her that she wa...

What happens when a frightened teenager becomes a wife, a mother, and the sole person responsible for holding everything together before she's even had a chance to become an adult herself? In Part One of Monica's story, she takes us back to a childhood marked by upheaval and trauma, an unexpected pregnancy at 17, and the overwhelming reality of navigating marriage, parenthood, and poverty while st...

Welcome to Season Three!!!! In Episode 1, We talk about not only public figures born to teen mothers, but also the position of The EMBER Project as a whole. We discuss our new programs for 2026, as well as six public figures born to teen moms.

In this powerful and deeply honest episode of The EMBER Project Podcast, we sit down with a mother and daughter to explore what early motherhood looks like across generations — not through statistics or stereotypes, but through lived experience. Latresha became pregnant at seventeen, facing fear, judgment, and resistance while making a decision that would shape the rest of her life. What followed...

In this powerful conversation, Tori shares her journey into motherhood as a teenager while navigating unresolved trauma, grief, and a deep desire to feel loved and safe. She reflects on the close relationship she had with her father and the lasting impact of losing him at a young age, as well as growing up with a mother who struggled with mental health and emotional availability. These early exper...

In this episode of The EMBER Project Podcast, host Susan Sutton sits down with Angel, president of Shielding Angels, to shed light on what stalking really looks like in 2025 and why awareness is so urgently needed. January is recognized nationally as Stalking Awareness Month, and this conversation aims to help listeners understand the warning signs, trust their instincts, and take steps to stay sa...

In this powerful episode of The EMBER Project Podcast, I sit down with Jessica Brooks Woods for a conversation that goes far beyond statistics and into the systems that shape maternal health outcomes in this country. We talk honestly about maternal health equity, bias in healthcare, and why young mothers, especially Black and Brown mothers, continue to face disproportionate risk despite decades of...

This episode of The EMBER Project Podcast is both a year in review and a look ahead to what it truly takes to build something meaningful. I reflect on a year of extraordinary growth for EMBER, from a packed first fundraiser and community-wide support to real, tangible impact for young mothers. I also share the personal cost behind the scenes, losing the job that represented her security and identi...

In this episode of The EMBER Project Podcast, I’m joined once again by my friend Ra’Cole Taltoan, CEO of Rockbrook Business Services, LLC, accountant, nonprofit strategist, and community advocate, for an honest conversation about holiday debt, tax refunds, and financial recovery. The holidays may be over, but for many families the stress lingers. January has a way of bringing everything into focus...

The holidays are supposed to be joyful… but for so many early mothers, they are heavy, overwhelming, and emotionally draining. In this powerful two-part conversation, Susan explores the truth behind holiday burnout with both a mental health expert and a young mother living it in real time. First, clinical mental health counselor Nicki breaks down what really happens to our bodies and minds during...

In this powerful solo episode, I open up about my very first Christmas as a young single mom. I talk honestly about what it looked like to try to create a magical holiday with almost no money, a handful of used toys, super cheap decorations, and Christmas cookies paid for with food stamps. I share the pride I felt saving $180 in a Christmas Club account, the deep shame that came when some of the g...

In this episode of The EMBER Project Podcast, I sit down with my guest Mary, who became a mother just days before her fifteenth birthday. For the first time publicly, Mary shares how she navigated early motherhood, judgment, and a medically fragile newborn while fighting to build a life that no one believed she could achieve. Mary describes adding years to her age to avoid the reactions of strange...

In this powerful episode of The EMBER Project Podcast, I sits down with Lakeyta Johnson, a woman who turned years of bullying, isolation, and emotional abuse into a mission of self-love, faith, and healing. Lakeyta shares her journey from being a teenager bullied for her body and skin tone to finding validation in an older man’s attention, a relationship that led to pregnancy, heartbreak, and year...

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, I sits down at my kitchen bar on a rainy day with my friend Shannon, a woman whose story is equal parts heartbreak and healing. Shannon grew up in a home marked by alcoholism, violence, and fear, carrying burdens no child should bear. At just eighteen, she became a mother longing for love and stability. What followed was a journey through grief, trauma...

Welcome to The EMBER Project Podcast, where early mothers become empowered and resilient. In this second part of Surviving the Storm, I continues my conversation with our courageous guest, whose journey from trauma to transformation reminds us that healing is possible, even after the fiercest storms. In Part One, we heard about her painful childhood, marked by loss, abuse, and instability. In this...

Welcome to The EMBER Project Podcast, where early mothers become empowered and resilient. In this second part of Surviving the Storm, I continues my conversation with our courageous guest, whose journey from trauma to transformation reminds us that healing is possible, even after the fiercest storms. In Part One, we heard about her painful childhood, marked by loss, abuse, and instability. In this...

Welcome to The EMBER Project Podcast, where early mothers become empowered and resilient. In this emotional first episode of a two-part series, I sit down with a woman whose story of survival, courage, and faith reminds us that even in the darkest seasons, a spark of hope can still remain. Our guest shares what life was like growing up in Warren, Ohio, surrounded by poverty, instability, and traum...