And Then Suddenly

While sailing in August of 1999, disability advocate Becky Curran felt numbness in her legs. It was the first sign of a progressive condition that could take away her ability to walk. After a successful back surgery, she encountered social changes as her friends in high school started excluding her because of her size. We talk about her life as a little person, misconceptions about the disabled community, and her mission to change the world for the next generation through the stories we tell.

Additional Resources

• Becky Curran: beckymotivates.com
• Harvard Business Review: Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling

Elizabeth Nelson was living in New York City and pursuing a career in the performing arts when one night on her couch she had an epiphany. Now the Marketing and Communications Manager for Berkshire Humane Society, we talk about how she changed careers, the world of animal welfare, and her future full of chickens.

Additional Resources

• Elizabeth Nelson: Little E Design
• Berkshire Humane Society
• ASPCA Kitten Nursery in NYC

At 107 years old, Anthony Mancinelli holds the Guinness World record for being the oldest working barber in the world. We talk about his wife Carmella, the 69 years they were together, and how he got into the barber business.

The new year is almost here! Share one unexpected moment that happened to you in 2018. Fill out the survey here: https://goo.gl/forms/elxAg8NSEf4KWj7I3

Additional Resources

• New York Times: "The World's Oldest Barber Is 107 and Still Cutting Hair Full Time"
• Guinness World Records: Oldest practising barber

Veteran Stephan Wolfert was working with the famous choreographer Twyla Tharp when she said something that clarified everything. We talk about his time in the Army, how he became an actor, his work with veterans through DE-CRUIT, and the scientific proof that Shakespeare and theater are the keys to healing trauma.

Additional Resources

• DE-CRUIT
• DE-CRUIT: science publications
• Cry Havoc, solo performance by Stephan Wolfert

Bill Monroe (Strokecast podcast) is a Generation X stroke survivor. He talks about what on June 4, 2017, his ongoing recovery, and how he has become a marketing guy who knows way too much about neurology and neuroplasticity.

Additional Resources

• Bill Monroe: Strokecast
• Strokecast Episode 28: The Slow Road to Better
• Ted Talk: Jill Bolte Taylor, My stroke of insight
• World Stroke Campaign: Facts and Figures

While on vacation in the late 80s, Ciaran Blumenfeld got on a bus in Israel in order to catch a boat to the Greek islands. The stranger who sat next to her on that ride began to say and do things that could be described as other worldly. We talk about travel, paranormal events, and what happens when you believe in the unseen.

Additional Resources

• Supernatural Travel Tales: Episode 1, The Universe Says, Joke's on You!
• Annie Jacobson: Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis
• Uri Geller: Key bend

Thirteen years ago, former teacher and lawyer Duncan Payne had a heart attack. We talk about strange responses to emergencies, how things forever change, and the fears that emerge and vanish after being in the belly of the whale.

Additional Resources

• The Poetry Society: Jonah's prayer by Aviva Dautch
• Smithsonian Magazine: "Could a Whale Accidentally Swallow You? It Is Possible"
• Joseph Campbell: A Hero with a Thousand Faces

Megan Bryan was loving the firefighter life when she decided to be a single mother by choice. She found a sperm donor and after numerous rounds of fertility treatments, her daughter was born and she suddenly had to confront the worst biases about herself and our society. We talk about parenthood, racism, sexism, and her partner and their growing family.

Additional Resources

• San Francisco Chronicle: "Black firefighter on inspection duty in Oakland hills gets videotaped, reported to police"

During her divorce, Debórah Eliezer Adabachi (theater artist, voiceover professional, Co-Artistic Director foolsFURY Theater, owner of Venado Retreat) did a theater workshop with Stephen Wangh. One physical exercise led to a breakthrough that changed everything. We talk about somatics, losing your voice, moving on, and learning how to finally say no.

Additional Resources

• Dr. Martha Eddy: Five College Dance Department Lecture (Hampshire College)
• Dr. Martha Eddy: A brief history of somatic practices and dance (Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices)
• Stephen Wangh: Acrobat of the Heart

During President Obama's second term, the military was scaled back. Brian talks about being impacted by the drawdown and what life is like after serving twelve and a half years in the Marines.

Additional resources

Center for Strategic & International Studies, "What Has the Budget Control Act of 2011 Meant for Defense?"

The Washington Post, "Obama announces new, leaner military approach" The New York Times, "Is It Wise to Cut Military Spending?"

PBS News Hour, "Fact-checking GOP candidate claims on Obama's military spending" PoliFact, "PolitiFact Sheet: Military spending under Obama and Congress"

The Washington Post, "U.S. military budget inches closer to $1 trillion mark, as concerns over federal deficit grow"