Being Human... and Other Sh!t

Melissa and I don’t live in the future, but the weight of what tomorrow might bring is hard to ignore. As two queer women, one mixed, we face the looming threat of losing our rights while a spineless figure clutches a Bible—one whose commandments he conveniently ignores when it comes to his own sins. Sins like stealing choices from the women he assaulted. But here’s the twist: even in our darkest...

Take TWO! Our boys are back! Mark and Marques join us back on the pod today and they catch us up to speed on how they've been since our last sit down with them. Great convo with some great friends. Enjoy! This episode was recorded on the ancestral homeland of the Nisenan people. We acknowledge them as the past, present, and future care takers of this land. Anyone that may be struggling or fee...

WE ARE BACK BABY!!! After an extra long hiatus, we are back for a post summer catch up sesh. This episode was recorded on the ancestral homeland of the Nisenan people. We acknowledge them as the past, present, and future care takers of this land. Anyone that may be struggling or feel like they just don’t belong, know that you are not alone and YOU ARE HERE ON PURPOSE! All of our stories look diffe...

This is the last one of the season y’all and double the love, double the fun! Meet Sarah, a fearless single mom who embarked on the adventure of motherhood solo and ended up with twice the joy. After navigating the rollercoaster of insemination, she welcomed two bundles of chuckles and endless cuddles into her life. Now, Sarah is mastering the art of parenting twins with flair and finesse, proving...

The man, the myth, the LEGEND Joey Saragoza FINALLY joins us on our next episode of Being Human. Joey walks us and talks us through fatherhood, his decision to get sober and honestly just life. As big big lovers of Joey and his energy (listen to any episode and you will hear his name A LOT) we both never had the opportunity to explore his reasoning for choosing sobriety. For any of you listening a...

Happy Valentine's Day!  What gives you "the ick"? Staci and I may have got a little cray sharing some of our icks. Hope you enjoy! Let us know if we share any icks. Anyone that may be struggling or feel like they just don’t belong, know that you are not alone and YOU ARE HERE ON PURPOSE! All of our stories look different. We just need to meet each other with love and kindness and do...

Guess who’s back?!?! Mama Ruth returns to Being Human… and she’s serving up that good good. I may be bias, since she is my mama, but this woman is beyond AMAZING! Truly a light to us all! 🤗 She is a beautiful example of community, purpose, compassion, resilience, empathy, authenticity, and so much more.  She shared with us the highs and lows of her life long weight loss journey, as well as her vi...

Two gals, one apartment.  Imagine meeting someone at a tiny hell hole of a restaurant, asking them to move in with you, and then spending eight beautiful years of your life watching them become THAT BITCH. This is my experience with my beautiful and silly friend Chef Kate Sutherland . Melissa and I could’ve probably had my good sis on two years ago but it wasn’t time. It wasn’t right for her to sh...

Some of us have a family tree, our buddy Maui has a FAMILY FORREST. We had the pleasure of sitting down with our friend, a man who is the epitome of generosity and lives in a constant state of gratitude. The love and appreciation he has for his family, his friends, his community and his life, is beyond admirable.  He shares with us stories of his Palestinian Jordanian heritage. He talks about love...

How many ways can grief hit?  1..2..3…and to the the 4! Melissa and I DEEP dive on Episode 1 of SEASON 3 y’all. To keep it so real I didn’t even know how this episode would hit in ways that didn’t just include physical loss. We got to spend our time together in the safe zone discussing not only the stories y’all were gracious enough to share but really explore our own processes of personal grief....

Our mid season finale ends with Staci and Melissa sharing 10 important photos each and talking about why they are so significant to them. It definitely gets weird. Have a lovely summer everyone! See you back in Fall. 

Q&A time with my favorite Babe! We asked and y'all delivered. During this episode, Staci answers questions for teachers, about teachers and everything in-between. Staci is speaking strictly from the perspective of an early childhood special education teacher. Staci talks about the education system, challenges, joys... keeps it real of course, and gives a ton of booty juice content. Enjoy!...

We had the pleasure of, once again, sitting down with our beautiful friend, who also happens to be a Queer Latinx Psychotherapist in Sacramento, CA, and really just an all around pretty freakin' amazing human being, Adriana Rodriguez.  Some of you may remember Adriana from S1E12, Oops... I Said Too Much, where she walked us through her own journey to becoming a LMFT and why she feels therapy...

Who the hell said being a family man is easy?!?! AND then you throw in the trauma of your own childhood? Tony sits down with us this week and gives us the horrifying details of the abuse he endured at the hands of his own parents and how it has shaped the way he treats his own family. Melissa and I got to sit in his beautiful home with his beautiful family and ask him the hard questions regarding...

Our "geriatric" friend Olivia was so generous and kind as we both went cross eyed learning new things about the female anatomy. She shared with us the ups and downs of her and her husband's fertility journey. Everyone has their very own reasons for deciding to start or not start a family and whether or not to explore fertility treatments when the good old fashioned way proves to be...

During our Holiday Special episode, we decided we'd do a little Q&A with each other. We discuss some sticky situations and both respond right on brand. Sending you all the LOVE you need and then some to spread around! So much GRATITUDE to the following folks that made this all possible: Guests: Just Us Hosts: Melissa Whitley and Staci Ruiz Editing: Melissa Whitley Motion Design: Jeannie M...

Our dear friend, Tess, walks us through her transformative experience at Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica where she partook in her second Ayahuasca Ceremony. Tess was so generous and vulnerable throughout our entire chat. We are certain you will love her as much as we do. For those of you wondering what Ayahuasca is... Ayahuasca, also known as Yage, the Tea and Caapi, is a potent psyc...

Steven is the absolute coolest and sweetest soul around... oh and he also happens to be a medium. He has been reading tarot cards for over 30 years. Steven was kind enough to share his time with us and school us on all things tarot. He shared pieces of his beautiful journey with us and is definitely a man that honors his gift. This conversation left us feeling so full.  To make Steven even cooler....

Generational curse is defined as an intergeneration transmission of trauma. Severe trauma and abusive treatment can persist throughout generations.  It can also be in our neurobiology as well, changes to our people can affect our brains so much, it passes on to our children’s brain chemistry. Liz and Leilani generously share their own experiences with generational trauma. These two lovely ladies a...

Come through Season 2 🔥 We’re starting it off with the fabulous Matty Amen and the road to finding his peace ☮️. Matty walks us through his combo of breath work, therapy, community, and art to come to terms with himself and explores his own internalized homophobia along the way. One thing we left knowing about Matty is he RIDES for his city. Stockton is lucky to have a man committed to letting pe...

That's a wrap for Season 1! Thank you to everyone for the amazing love and support you all blessed us with this last year. Stay tuned for Season 2. We'll be back in August.

You never know how tough a woman is until she talks about her vagina ripping down to her b hole. We had NO IDEA what to expect with these labor stories and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. Katie and Allison walked us through the trauma of labor and the aftermath of what their bodies still go through today because of it. The mamas in our society deserve a cookie, medal, vacation, and a dri...

Emma Schwartz is authentic, funny, and unfiltered. She talks to us about surviving a cult and part of her family's journey throughout. Her story is not an uncommon one, however it is one many are too afraid or overwhelmed with shame to talk about. We are beyond grateful for the time and stories shared during this unforgettable conversation. Thank you Emma!! You can find some of Emma's wo...

Keyko is funny and generous as she shares what being polyamorist means to her. Anyone that may be struggling or feel like they just don’t belong, know that you are not alone and YOU ARE HERE ON PURPOSE! All of our stories look different. We just need to meet each other with love and kindness and do our part in dissolving the stigmas and prejudices that surround us. Sending you all the LOVE you nee...

Ruth and Mary generously share their story... Two sisters who met in their 50's and 60's. We hear about their individual upbringings, as well as their humble beginnings. They CHOOSE joy! Anyone that may be struggling or feel like they just don’t belong, know that you are not alone and YOU ARE HERE ON PURPOSE! All of our stories look different. We just need to meet each other with love an...