Stevi is a loving caregiver to her 103-year-old mother (technically her grandmother) – the hardest, most important and remarkable job she’s ever had. She’s living her badassery life as a confident woman who knows who she is and why she’s here: “to build community and protect animals”! She’s a badass biker babe who started a biker club for women, a devoted animal lover who has four special needs dogs of her own, and the co-host of the Badassery Life podcast who allowed us to turn the mics on her for this special episode.

Amber grew up in Decatur, Indiana, graduated from Purdue University, then went on to do amazing social work. Some who know her have called her a saint for the work she's doing, to which she responds "there are two requirements for sainthood: being dead and being in Heaven and I'm not either". Rose founded PeaceCycle, a small startup business that gives employment opportunities to Haitians. She talks about her journey in creating PeaceCycle (she admits to being naïve) , the challenges of living in - and starting a business in Haiti (including being robbed),  and the process of transforming a 4-ounce water bag into a treasure rather than trash.  Amber is an incredibly gifted social activist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and a true badass!

Learn more at peacecycle.com

In this episode the Badassery Life team decided to talk about the things going on in their lives. Stevi talked about caring for her 102-year-old mom, Kelly talked about a few new podcasts she's producing, and Ginny talked about her recent trip to Disney World - and all three talked about the upcoming holidays and whatever else was on their mind.

DeAndra Dycus feels vulnerable every time she hears about another shooting in our city. She admits it's tough navigating through so much grief. Her son, DeAndre, fell victim to gun violence at the age of 13. He was at a birthday party when a fight broke out and a gun was fired. 20 bullets were shot into the house. One bullet hit one person –  Dre. That one bullet – a bullet that shattered her son’s skull – permanently altered the course of his life and DeAndra's life. 

This episode tells a story of the incredible love a mother has for her son – a love so strong that when doctors advised her to remove her son from life support he opened his eyes. At that moment, she believed he was telling her to fight for him. DeAndra wants people to know that her tears and her sincerity are real - yet her fight comes with a cost. Hear more about that fight and how DeAndra is living her badassery life despite the most horrific tragedy. 

This badass woman is a two-time cancer survivor, a wife (to a husband who is currently living with cancer), a mom with three kids, the founder of Joy's House - a nonprofit in Indianapolis that provides adult day service and caregiver support for adults living with life-altering diagnoses and their families who care for them. She's also the only badass women we’ve interviewed who raises chickens and goats on top of everything else she has going on in her life. Tina McIntosh describes herself as a Christian, resilient and authentic.

We talked about starting a nonprofit, the role of a caregiver, fighting cancer, writing her first book, "Embracing Balance", (she's looking for a publisher), and what brings her the most joy.

Marisa handles investigations relating to social services and welfare issues, including child abuse and neglect, poverty, elder abuse, human trafficking, domestic violence and access to mental health services. While at the Indianapolis Star, she was among the investigative team that exposed officials at USA Gymnastics and their team doctor, Larry Nassar, in what turned out to be the largest sexual abuse scandal in sports. That award-winning investigation led to the documentary film, “Athlete A,” which was recently released on Netflix.

Marisa talked to us about her love of writing, mentors who have made a difference in her life, righting wrongs, and staying caffeinated in order to educate, inform, and entertain the public with accurate information. She’s passionate about the truth, sharing the truth with the public, and improving the lives of the communities she serves as a journalist.

Sara describes herself as an ever-evolving badass female, communicator, writer, reader, motivator, fitness trainer, adrenaline junkie, explorer, sister, daughter, wife, and friend. She is constantly pursuing opportunities to make the world a better place and has a deep passion for storytelling. She's a guest blogger and social media host for Fittest Travel, and the host of her own podcast, Facing Fear with Sara, where she features individuals who are living unapologetically authentic lives and defining success on their own terms.

Sara shared her top tips for facing fear, what makes her happy, why we should live unapologetically lives (she believes women apologize too much and life is too short for that), and why we should own our badassery lives. 

Saundra Mitchell is the author of nearly twenty books for tweens and teens. For twenty years, she was the head screenwriter and an executive producer with Dreaming Tree Films on their various teen filmmaking  programs. Saundra's latest book, "All the Things We Do in the Dark", is on the shortlist for the Indiana Authors Awards (winner to be announced Sept. 1). But before becoming a successful author, advocate, and mom, she overcome incredible grief, pain and anguish. Saundra grew up poor, was sexually assaulted by a stranger when she was 7, she was physically assaulted by both her first boyfriend and girlfriend (not at the same time), her younger brother died by suicide when she was 16, she was kicked out of the Army for being queer,  got pregnant and married young, AND spent a brief time homeless. But Saundra says she has a lot of spite. She's determined to keep going no matter how many times she gets kicked in the face. As she shared with us, "she still has MF-ers to prove wrong!".  

She talked with us about some of her personal experiences and how they are portrayed in her new book, how she got started as an author, how therapy and writing is helping her deal with her own pain, and what the future holds. After listening to her interview, we think you'll agree that Saundra Mitchell is a real badass!

When we asked this badass woman what, if any, challenges she faced, she said: "I'm a black woman in Indianapolis, where do I start?". We decided to start by asking her more questions. In this episode we talk with Jill English about racism, the disproportionality in the child welfare system, investing in change, addressing systemic racism, being vulnerable, and having difficult and uncomfortable conversations. Jill English has worked in child welfare for more than two decades  and although her roles have changed over the years, her mission has  remained steadfast - she has always been motivated by the kids and that  drives her work each and every day. Jill is the Director of Interrupting Racism for Children at Child Advocates.

This badass woman is a powerhouse business trailblazer and a leader in bringing farm-to-table dining to Indianapolis. She opened her first Indianapolis restaurant in 1989. She’s a former sex crimes prosecutor who has a lifelong passion for food – a passion that has led to a successful collection of establishments. She’s known as a tireless worker, a charismatic host and speaker, and an impassioned feminist and believer in “female capital.” 

We talked with her about growing up, the importance of family and food, her former career as a sex crimes prosecutor, her restaurants, and the Patachou Foundation - including the incredible work they're doing to serve 1000+ meals a week to food-insecure children. Martha shared with us what matters most to her, what brings her joy, and the three words that she thinks best describe her.