Misfits Among Us

This is a conversation about kink, shame, fantasy, relationships, desire, communication, safety, identity, and what happens when someone stops hiding the part of themselves they thought made them strange. Amanda Dames spent years believing something was wrong with her. As a child, she knew she was drawn to spanking before she had the language to understand why. As a teenager, she discovered BDSM t...

This is a conversation about sex, shame, confidence, motherhood, business, intimacy, judgment, freedom, and what happens when someone refuses to apologize for who they are. Whether you understand Michelena’s life, judge it, admire it, or completely disagree with it, her story raises a difficult question: What happens when someone stops hiding and starts living completely out loud? In This Episode:...

Peter Young’s story does not fit neatly into right or wrong. As a teenager, Peter became vegan, found the animal rights movement through punk rock, and quickly moved from protest into direct action. What started with stickers, protests, and late-night vandalism became something much bigger: breaking into facilities, rescuing animals, releasing thousands of mink, going on the run, living under a fa...

Allie Grack was adopted at birth, placed in foster care by age eight, and moved through 11 placements before adulthood. She learned early how to read danger, survive chaos, and become whoever the room needed her to be. But the child labeled “too much” grew into something much harder to ignore: a mother, a strategist, a business owner, and a woman who stopped apologizing for the messy, painful, per...

At 52 years old, Al Isaacs found out he was adopted after a casual call with his mother’s oncologist revealed a secret his entire family had kept from him. What followed was not just a search for answers. It was a journey through grief, identity, DNA testing, old adoption papers, family secrets, and one nearly impossible name: Mary Smith. In this episode of Misfits Among Us, Al shares how he disco...

Roxie Anderson’s story is one of the most unusual, emotional, funny, and deeply human conversations we’ve had on Misfits Among Us. Raised in a loving Mormon family, Roxie spent much of her life wrestling with faith, shame, depression, body image, identity, and the belief that she was never quite good enough. Over time, those feelings became harder to hold. After years of suppressing her creativity...

What if becoming yourself meant risking the one thing you loved most? In this episode of Misfits Among Us, Joey sits down with Dylan Holloway — singer-songwriter, storyteller, former X Factor artist, and the artist behind Dylan And The Moon — for a powerful conversation about identity, music, transition, family, fear, joy, and the courage to live authentically. Dylan grew up knowing he was differe...

Most of us spend our lives learning how to achieve. We learn how to perform, compete, lead, build careers, raise families, and push through adversity. What we rarely learn is how to navigate loss. In this episode of Misfits Among Us , I sit down with Dina Bell-Laroche , certified thanatologist, speaker, facilitator, and advocate for grief literacy, to explore one of the most universal—and least un...

When the Table Moves Without You | Ageism, Corporate Culture & Reinventing Yourself and realizing The Quiet Exit of an Entire Generation. For decades, Cassell Kaye did everything right. She built a successful career inside some of the world’s most recognizable companies, including Yahoo, Disney Interactive, Amazon, and Live Nation. She climbed the ladder, delivered results, led teams, and play...

What happens when the mission ends… but your mind never fully leaves the battlefield? In this episode of Misfits Among Us , Joey Marcus sits down with former Marine infantryman Mike Francis — known online as “Dirty Mike” — for a raw conversation about military service, identity, trauma, purpose, and the invisible war many veterans face after coming home. Mike served in both Iraq and Afghanistan af...

What if everything you think you know about politics… is incomplete? In this episode of Misfits Among Us, Joey Marcus sits down with Steven Woodrow—lawyer and member of the Colorado House of Representatives—to break down what the system actually looks like from the inside. This isn’t theory. This isn’t headlines. This is how decisions are really made. From corporate influence and class action laws...

What would make someone walk away from a full scholarship to medical school? For Zolal Habibi, the answer was freedom. Born and raised in the United States, Zolal could have pursued a comfortable life. Instead, she chose to dedicate herself to the Iranian resistance movement after witnessing the human cost of tyranny firsthand. Her father, a human rights activist, was murdered by the Iranian regim...

What happens when the thing you built… isn’t what people actually need anymore? Joey Marcus sits down with Erin Schirack, founder of High Society, to unpack what it takes to build, pivot, and lead in a world full of noise. From her early days as a fitness instructor to launching a digital platform during COVID, Erin found success quickly. But instead of holding onto what was working, she made a ha...

What happens when your life looks perfect from the outside… but no one is actually there for you? In this episode, Joey Marcus sits down with CJ to unpack a story that challenges what we assume about wealth, family, and stability. CJ grew up in a world that looked ideal—money, travel, opportunity. But behind it was silence, emotional isolation, and a lack of support. From being labeled and misunde...

What happens when someone spends a lifetime not chasing the spotlight, but learning how to listen? In this episode of Misfits Among Us , Joey Marcus sits down with veteran Chicago journalist Charlie Meyerson—a longtime voice in news who has watched media evolve from radio to the internet to AI. This conversation is about more than journalism. It’s about how stories are chosen, how truth gets shape...

004: Beauty, Identity, and the Mirror What if “beauty” has nothing to do with vanity… and everything to do with identity? In this episode of Misfits Among Us , Joey sits down with Natalie—aka Nurse Nat—who left the chaos of critical care nursing to build a concierge aesthetics business that quite literally meets people where they are… in their homes, in their lives, and often at their most vulnera...

Part 4 of 4 What happens when your identity, beliefs, and life story are completely turned upside down? In this episode of Misfits Among Us , Joey sits down with Charna Jacobson (The Unconventional Jew) to discuss trauma, identity, religion, spirituality, and what it means to rebuild your life after everything falls apart. Charna’s story is one of survival and transformation — from a childhood fil...

Part 3 of 4 What happens when your identity, beliefs, and life story are completely turned upside down? In this episode of Misfits Among Us , Joey sits down with Charna Jacobson (The Unconventional Jew) to discuss trauma, identity, religion, spirituality, and what it means to rebuild your life after everything falls apart. Charna’s story is one of survival and transformation — from a childhood fil...

Part 2 of 4 What happens when your identity, beliefs, and life story are completely turned upside down? In this episode of Misfits Among Us , Joey sits down with Charna Jacobson (The Unconventional Jew) to discuss trauma, identity, religion, spirituality, and what it means to rebuild your life after everything falls apart. Charna’s story is one of survival and transformation — from a childhood fil...

Part 1 of 4 What happens when your identity, beliefs, and life story are completely turned upside down? In this episode of Misfits Among Us , Joey sits down with Charna Jacobson (The Unconventional Jew) to discuss trauma, identity, religion, spirituality, and what it means to rebuild your life after everything falls apart. Charna’s story is one of survival and transformation — from a childhood fil...

What happens when you realize you don’t have to be just one thing? In this episode of Misfits Among Us , Joey sits down with entrepreneur, coach, and franchise consultant Kelly Amshoff to talk about reinvention, identity, and building a life that evolves with you. Kelly has built a career across multiple worlds — from fitness and wellness to business ownership and helping others find the right fra...

The conversation delves into the journey of Scott Bartosiewicz, from pursuing the dream of big agency life to leaving it behind and facing the aftermath of a rogue tweet. It highlights the resilience in the face of adversity and the impact of a social media faux pas, as well as the value of a supportive network in times of crisis. The conversation covers Scott's journey through career transitions,...

Everyone has opinions. We ask  why . Misfits Among Us  brings real people together for open conversations about life, culture, and the beliefs we usually avoid — with honesty, curiosity, and a sense of humor.