The Stories We Leave You

In this episode, we’re getting brutally honest about parenting—the good, the bad, the exhausting, and the parts nobody really prepares you for. What started as a conversation about why having a baby won’t magically fix a struggling relationship quickly turned into a candid discussion about sleep deprivation, overstimulation, anxiety, social media pressure, and the reality of raising four kids. We...

In this episode, we’re telling the story of our two weddings—and why we ended up having both. Long before marriage equality became the law of the land, we found ourselves navigating proposals, wedding planning, legal roadblocks, family opinions, and figuring out what marriage actually meant to us. What started as a conversation after a baby shower eventually led to not one proposal, but two, and t...

In this episode, we're talking about one of the most meaningful traditions in our lives: Pride Float. What started nearly 20 years ago as a random camping trip turned into lifelong friendships, chosen family, and a community that has supported us through some of the biggest moments of our lives. From spotting rainbow flags across a campground creek to becoming part of an annual LGBTQ+ traditi...

In this episode, we finish the story of how we got together—and honestly, it’s a miracle we made it. After breaking up, moving to different cities, dating other people, making questionable decisions, and repeatedly finding our way back to each other, we finally share the messy middle of our love story. This is the chapter where long-distance, jealousy, bad timing, and a whole lot of emotional conf...

In this episode, we’re finally telling the full story of how we got together—and spoiler alert: it was messy. What started as a friendship through a summer job turned into flirting, late-night conversations, complicated feelings, and a relationship that definitely didn’t take the easy road. We take you back to 2006 and 2007, when we first met working at summer camp, became friends, and eventually...

In this episode, we’re talking about boobs—loving them, hating them, feeding babies with them, and in Ryann’s case, getting rid of them altogether. What starts as a funny conversation about aging bodies and “sad little pancake boobs” quickly turns into a deeper discussion about breastfeeding struggles, body image, gender dysphoria, and the complicated relationships we can have with our bodies. Jul...

In part two of this unexpected family story, we finally meet the half-sister Julie discovered through a DNA testing website—and things get even more emotional. After weeks of processing the shock of learning she existed, Julie shares what it was like preparing to meet her 16-year-old sister for the very first time. From the nerves and overthinking leading up to the visit, to instantly clicking dur...

In this episode, we share one of the wildest plot twists our family has experienced so far: finding out Julie has a 16-year-old half-sister she never knew existed. What started as a casual search into ancestry and possible Canadian citizenship quickly turned into a shocking DNA discovery through AncestryDNA. We talk through the moment the “half-sister” match appeared, the emotional spiral that fol...

In this episode, we dive into one of the biggest reasons relationships either survive or completely fall apart: communication. After nearly 20 years together, we’re talking honestly about how our completely opposite personalities, childhood experiences, and conflict styles have shaped our marriage—for better and for worse. From explosive arguments and shutting down emotionally, to learning how to...

In this episode, we shift perspectives and dive into Ryann’s childhood—offering a very different experience from the trauma-filled upbringing shared in previous episodes. Ryann reflects on growing up in a suburban, middle-class household, where life looked “normal” from the outside but still came with its own challenges. From parents who met on a blind date and quickly knew they’d get married, to...

In this deeply personal and emotional episode, we continue the story with Part 2 of Julie’s childhood—diving into the reality of growing up with a parent struggling with drug addiction, abuse, and instability. From discovering her dad’s meth use to witnessing the paranoia, manipulation, and fear that followed, this episode paints a raw and honest picture of what life looked like behind closed door...

In this deeply personal episode of The Stories We Leave , we shift the focus to Julie’s childhood—growing up in a small rural town in Missouri with young parents, a close-knit family, and a life that from the outside might have looked simple. But beneath that surface was a home shaped by control, fear, and instability. Julie shares what it was like navigating an abusive household, where everything...

In Part 2 of Ryann’s coming out story, we move beyond the internal journey and into the real-life moments that follow—telling family, navigating reactions, and figuring out what happens next. From coming out as gay in college to later coming out as trans, this episode dives into the fear, uncertainty, and emotional weight that comes with saying the words out loud. We talk about what it feels like...

This episode is where everything starts to shift. We’re going all the way back—before the labels, before the language, before any of this made sense—to talk about Ryann’s earliest memories, identity, and what it felt like growing up without the words to explain it. From being labeled a “tomboy” in the 90s to that first holy shit moment of realizing “I’m a lesbian,” this episode walks through what...

In this episode of The Stories We Leave You , Julie and Ryann continue their journey into LGBTQ+ family planning and share the real, unfiltered story behind growing their family beyond twins. Picking up where they left off, they dive into what it looked like to revisit the idea of having more kids after feeling overwhelmed, how “baby fever” crept back in, and the very real, very quick decision to...

In this episode of The Stories We Leave You , Julie and Ryann take a deep dive into one of the most requested parts of their story — how they built their family as an LGBTQ+ couple. From always knowing they wanted kids to realizing just how complicated that journey would be, they walk through the emotional, logistical, and often unexpected realities of trying to conceive without a “traditional” pa...

In this first episode of The Stories We Leave You , Julie and Ryann introduce themselves, their family, and the real reason this podcast exists. From raising four kids in a loud, chaotic household to navigating identity, transition, and parenting in real time, this episode sets the foundation for the honest, unfiltered storytelling to come. What started as a way to leave behind stories for their c...

In this episode of The Stories We Leave You , Julie and Ryann dive deeper into who they are as individuals and as partners, sharing the very different paths that shaped them long before they built a life together. From Julie growing up in a low-income household with early responsibility to Ryann’s more traditional middle-class upbringing, this conversation explores how those differences show up in...

In this episode of The Stories We Leave You , Julie and Ryann take a deeper dive into their origin story — from awkward early impressions to becoming best friends, falling in love, and navigating a relationship that didn’t exactly start the “traditional” way. What begins with humor (yes… including fart stories) quickly turns into a real, unfiltered conversation about how they met, what they first...

Welcome to The Stories We Leave You — a storytelling podcast about queer parenting, coming out, transition, trauma, love, marriage, money, and the messy, heartbreaking, healing moments that shape a life. This started as a simple idea: record our stories for our kids, so they’d always know who we were, what we lived through, and how the hell we got here. But we realized our kids aren’t the only one...