The Queer Soul Spotlight

Ali (she/her) is my WIFE! In this special two part grand finale of season 3, we reflect on our wedding and the days leading up to it. Part 2 (that's this one!) focuses on all the things that went WRONG - the big disaster that almost derailed everything, a case of mistaken identity, two animals that left us with truly unforgettable memories of our big day, and more... you don't want to miss...

Ali (she/her) is my WIFE! In this special two part special episode, we reflect on our wedding and the days leading up to it. Part 1 focuses on all the things that went RIGHT - the beautiful details, some lovely surprises, and moments that made the whole day amazing. Tune in next week as we delve into the things that weren't so great and the big disaster that nearly derailed the entire wedding....

Ash (they/them) is a queer and nonbinary artist specializing in wire wrapped jewelry. We talk about the queerest college degrees you can get, how the same people wrongly claiming queer people are grooming children are the ones who sexualize their own kids, and passing as a cis/het person with their boyfriend. ASH'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to PINEGROVE:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/2gbT6GPX...

Abi (she/her) is a lesbian wedding photographer and plus size hiker based in Minnesota. We chat about plus size representation in the wedding industry and the outdoors world, getting aesthetic attraction and romantic attraction confused as a queer visual artist, and a truly cringe-worthy song I had the misfortune of performing in my musical theatre college program. ABI'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Check...

⚠️CONTENT WARNING: attempting to unalive yourself, thoughts about wanting to unalive yourself. Please skip this episode if this isn't something you can listen to safely. Jasper (they/them) is a trans nonbinary wedding photographer based in Iowa. We chat about the realities of living in a state rife with anti-trans and anti-queer legislation, the #1 way for people pleasers to commit to self car...

Christina (she/they) is a queer, nonbinary, poly photographer with a passion for creative self expression as a path to self love. We chat about community over competition, the power of a creative portrait photoshoot, and how to take the first steps towards cultivating unconditional self love. CHRISTINA'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to Christina's podcast, THE JOURNEY INWARD: https://open.spoti...

Ainsley (they/them) is a queer and nonbinary wedding professional and the director of marketing at Modern Rebel Co. We yell about old timey wedding traditions, the power of a Love Party, why it's so important to celebrate queer love these days, and the Sutton Foster episode of Say Yes to the Dress (sorry Sutton!). AINSLEY'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to PUNCH UP THE JAM: https://open.spotify....

Ramona (they/she) is queer, genderfluid, and in middle school. We chat about what it means to be "neptunic" (although since recording Ramona has decided that they're just into girls for the time being), what it's like to be out of the closet in middle school, queer terms in ASL, and.... Warrior Cats. RAMONA'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to WARRIOR CATS: WHAT IS THAT? https://open...

August (they/them) recently came out as trans and as August! They actually used their Queer Soul Experience photos to announce their new name and pronouns on Trans Day of Visibility this year. We chat about their Queer Soul Experience, how to tell if you might be trans, and really nice affirmations for any trans youth out there who need some extra love. AUGUST'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to DUNG...

Cameron (he/they) is a genderfluid trans teen living here in the Bay! We chat about how coming out has changed since I was in high school, setting healthy boundaries with potential partners, and looking to the future as a member of Gen Z. CAMERON'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to DUNGEONS AND DADDIES:  https://open.spotify.com/show/5Sffly5o4mPetmnTR9zsWh?si=5d8f0c3589dd4b7a Follow Cameron on Instag...

Kaitlin (she/her) is a Pinterest wizard, bisexual, and an all around amazing person! We chat about the military (and getting the fuck out of Florida), being loudly authentic on social media, and her perfectly casual queer wedding! KAITLIN'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to GUILTY PLEASURES:  https://open.spotify.com/show/3LlUqzJcmpHLBazGXmS6m8?si=b6c014089a1e48fa Follow Kaitlin on Instagram and Pint...

Kara (she/her) is a lesbian and a wedding photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia. We talk about how incredibly gendered the wedding industry is, best practices for wedding vendors (and all small business owners) to be inclusive of the queer community, and the importance of finding LGBTQ identifying vendors when you're a queer person getting married. KARA'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to THE SIX FIGURE...

Ben (he/him) is a recently engaged gay man and the most internationally well traveled person I know. We chat about his favorite (and scariest) travel stories, how he and his fiancé proposed to each other, and the unique issues that come with a cross-cultural (and cross-language) relationship. BEN'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to Ben's podcast, LIVE FROM THE HOSTEL KITCHEN: https://open.spotify.com/sho...

Em (she/they) is nonbinary, bi, and on the asexual spectrum! This episode gets a little spicy, so if you don't want to hear about sex go ahead and skip this one (this is mainly aimed at the one child that I know listens to this podcast). We chat about the transition out of mormonism, sex and sexual attraction (or lack thereof), the wide world of intimacy, and the uncontested greatest Dance Moms ep...

For this special Valentine's Day episode, we have our first couple! Sarah and Stephanie (both she/her) got married last year and I was lucky enough to photograph their big day. We chat about the Hallmark-movie-caliber story of how they met, how they wove their personalities and cultures into a wedding that was uniquely them, the two things that went wrong on their big day, and the biggest advice t...

Jamie (she/her) is a lesbian who works in the nonprofit sector and is also a 2023 bride! We chat about planning a wedding after the loss of a parent (tw parent death, grief, etc) , the story of how she met her fiancée and their TWO heartwarming proposals, and the trials and tribulations of navigating the wedding industry as a queer bride.  JAMIE'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to POP CULTURE HAPPY...

Christin (she/her) is an award-winning director, Emmy nominated producer, founder and chief director of A Baker Production, and founder of Tello Films, the first LGBTQ+ network to receive an Emmy nomination! In this episode, we talk about the importance of hopeful, positive queer representation in film and TV, the power of positive queer storytelling, and what's coming up next for her (it's some p...

Paige (they/them) is a nonbinary and pansexual zero waste specialist based in the south Bay Area. In this episode, we talk about the joys (and issues) we experience being neurodivergent, the positive power of labels, and how the pandemic allowed them to finally meet the person they are when they aren't masking or being perceived.  PAIGE'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Follow TORNSEY on tiktok: https://www...

Maizie (she/her) is a lesbian and a PA (production assistant) living in LA. We talk about the power of queer community, the positive side of LGBTQ+ stereotypes, and redefining the idea of mob mentality to describe how it's so much easier to work past any self-consciousness and express your queer identity loudly and proudly when you're in an exclusively queer space with other people doing the same....

Ali (she/her) is a queer preschool teacher and also (more importantly) my fiancée! We chat about what tv characters made us gay, growing as people together and individually, how we met, and all the weird parallels in our childhoods we've been discovering for the past six years.  ALI'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to MY DAD WROTE A PORNO: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nYCARKKZ5UvaUedL6KEu3?si=0e29...

Jess (she/her) is a bisexual woman based in Massachusetts with a regular nine to five PLUS she performs with a band of dads and is a fiber artist too! We talk about our time at Emerson, how there are a million valid ways to use a performing arts degree without moving to New York and being on Broadway, and the greatest band probably ever, Little Jed and the Phat Daddies (plot twist: Jess isn't litt...

Suzie (she/they) is a bisexual creative and performer who works in New York City creating educational media for kids about climate change. We talk about our time at Emerson (with special mentions of our mutual friends Sawyer Fuller and Elliot Masters), the playing-boy-roles-to-nonbinary-AFAB-person pipeline, their tortoise Derbis, and a realistic look at what you should ACTUALLY be doing about cli...

Anna (she/her) is a lesbian and owner of Wildly Connected Photography, celebrating ALL couples in Minneapolis, MN and the world! We talk about how to outsmart the wedding industry, the value of feeling safe during photoshoots as a queer person, and ideas for our hypothetical merch line. ANNA RECOMMENDATIONS: Listen to WE CAN DO HARD THINGS with Glennon Doyle: https://open.spotify.com/show/0eFL5HJe...

Desiree (she/her) is a lesbian preschool teacher living in Los Angeles. We talk about couples therapy, our cats, how complicated it can be when you're a queer couple planning a wedding, and words that we ALWAYS pronounce wrong because english is a ridiculous language!  Heads up: this episode has LOTS of laughs and a crazy-how-the-universe-works "how they met" story, but also a touch of religi...

Cleo (they/them) is an omnisexual nonbinary person currently living in Seattle! In the last couple of years, Cleo was finally able to leave the religious cult they were raised in and start a life on their own terms through curiosity, self reflection, and sheer persistence. This is part two of Cleo's incredibly moving story; check out part 1 if you haven't already! Please consider supporting Cleo t...