Please note this episode discusses what culture would consider “challenging” topics, such as genitals, consent, and suicide while using direct, scientific, anatomical language. Similar discussions, similar language, similar topics are widely available online often without this warning; however, as a sign of respect and care, it is worth repeating - listener discretion is advised for the sensitive listener.

Brother K was born in Miami in 1947 and grew up in New Orleans. He studied journalism at the University of Illinois, where he earned his degree in 1969. He protested against circumcision at the California State Capital in 1980, a protest that the Associated Press and other media reported locally and across the nation. In 1986 he changed his name to Brother K in California Superior Court, an act of protest against his circumcision at birth. He formed Bloodstained Men in 2012 and has protested in cities from coast to coast.

Links to learn more about and connect with Brother K:

https://www.bloodstainedmen.com/ (with social media links at the bottom of this page)

https://www.bloodstainedmen.com/donate/ to support their work with donations

Papers mentioned:

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/130/3/e756/30225/Male-Circumcision

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/131/4/796/31907/Cultural-Bias-in-the-AAP-s-2012-Technical-Report

Person mentioned:

Leonard Glick https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ajs-review/article/abs/marked-in-your-flesh-circumcision-from-ancient-judea-to-modern-america/6DB0C9CB30C01C0622100219DCFBDA4B

https://www.anthropology-news.org/articles/leonard-b-glick/

Legal case mentioned:

2019 Michigan:

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2019/09/19/congress-female-genital-mutilation-detroit-michigan-prosecution-doctors/2369275001/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z1199xxe1199xxv003741d--41--b--41--&gca-ft=198&gca-ds=sophi

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/04/12/feds-abandon-female-genital-mutilation-fight/3445497002/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z1112xxe1112xxv003660d--40--b--40--&gca-ft=172&gca-ds=sophi

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35296812/

Background on female circumcision/FGM in the US (note that Playboy endorsed it in 1973 on their cover):

http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/history-of-female-circumcision-in.html

Related resources:

https://www.yourwholebaby.org/ An organization that offers education and support for parents

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ud-cTDfKd8 A lecture by Dr. Ryan McAllister

https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/ Doctors Opposing Circumcision, an organization for professionals and parents

https://tlctugger.com/ For those curious about a foreskin restoration device

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-biosocial-science/article/abs/ageincidence-and-prevalence-of-hiv-among-intact-and-circumcised-men-an-analysis-of-phia-surveys-in-southern-africa/CAA7E7BD5A9844F41C6B7CC3573B9E50 Study finds no difference in HIV status among circumcised vs intact men in South Africa

On religion and tradition:

https://intactamerica.org/ethical-debate-behind-circumcision/

On Judaism and circumcision:

https://intactamerica.org/rethinking-jewish-circumcision-brit-shalom-as-a-peaceful-intact-alternative/ (Jewish alternative to circumcision)

https://www.yourwholebaby.org/judaism?rq=jewish

On Islam and circumcision:

https://www.yourwholebaby.org/islam?rq=islam

https://applications.emro.who.int/dsaf/dsa54.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362248413_'Wounded_religious_masculinities'_Muslim_men's_opposition_against_male_circumcision_in_Turkey

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3516177/

On the history of circumcision in the US, early 20th century:

https://www.history.com/articles/dr-john-kellogg-cereal-wellness-wacky-sanitarium-treatments

Check out Brother K’s interview on Tosh 2.0:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyGwCcHLupE

For transcripts of this show, please email [email protected] with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services.

If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including sexuality and consent, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison.

*Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.*

If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email [email protected] with ‘Participate’ in the subject line.

To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website, Patreon, Substack or Linktree. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable.

Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier and/or flaws within recording equipment.

Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

Mike Sawyer is a Jewish father, grandfather, and Vietnam veteran retired from military service, and currently volunteering for hospice, often sitting bedside for other veterans. In this episode, Mike discusses the importance of family, faith, and community, as well as how personal struggles around grief allowed him to sustain capacity to hold vigil.

To learn more about death cafes, see https://deathcafe.com/

For transcripts of this show, please email [email protected] with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services.

If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including spirituality, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison.

*Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.*

If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email [email protected] with ‘Participate’ in the subject line.

To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website, Patreon, Substack or Linktree. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable.

Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier and/or flaws within recording equipment.

Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

Awilda Rivera empowers people to step into their fullest lives—now. A former law graduate who pivoted from a predictable path after a heart attack at age 26, she blends Certified Success Coaching, bespoke travel curation, and spiritual guidance to create transformational experiences that deliver measurable growth, balance, and joy. Her coaching pairs practical strategy with personal development to convert clarity into sustainable financial and life gains; Artemis World Travel removes the guesswork from meaningful journeys with 15+ years of industry expertise so clients simply pack and show up.

Author of Success Math: A Millennial’s Qualitative Approach, an ordained minister and 7th-generation shaman, she also leads the Diving Awakening Academy—a safe, collaborative space for seekers. Whether clients seek a roadmap to success, a life-changing trip, or spiritual advisement, she brings ethical rigor, heart, and a proven framework to help them claim freedom, direction, and lasting impact.

Links to connect with Awilda:

www.AwildaRivera.com

www.ArtemisWorldtravel.com

Divine Awakening Academy: https://www.skool.com/divine-insight-academdy-7603/about

[email protected]

For listeners that might be new to the concept of energy healing and universal consciousness, please check out previous Beholden episodes 10, 13, 16, 17, 21, as well as the intermissions . Additionally, while editing this podcast, Allison found an episode with the Telepathy Tapes that might interest the listener - Energy Healing Part 1 and Part 2

For transcripts of this show, please email [email protected] with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services.

If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including spirituality, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison.

*Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.*

If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email [email protected] with ‘Participate’ in the subject line.

To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website, Patreon, Substack , or Linktree. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable.

Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier.

Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

Qasim Rashid is a human rights lawyer, author, and former nominee for U.S. Congress. He received his BSc from the University of Illinois at Chicago, his JD from Richmond Law, and served as a visiting fellow at Harvard University.

Qasim’s human rights work includes supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence, representing asylum seekers, and serving as a first responder to global disasters. He has published numerous books, academic law reviews, and articles across the media spectrum in TIME, New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, and USA Today.

Qasim is the Founder and President of Just Win, a creator representation firm focused on social justice and human rights. He runs a popular human rights Substack with 177,000 subscribers titled "Let's Address This with Qasim Rashid,” and has more than 2.6 Million total social media followers. You can find him across platforms @QasimRashid.

Talk to me: Changing the Narrative on Race, Religion, and Education by Qasim Rashid can be found here.

For the listener wanting to learn more about topics discussed:

Articles on racial wealth gap:

https://ncrc.org/the-racial-wealth-gap-1992-to-2022/

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/black-wealth-is-increasing-but-so-is-the-racial-wealth-gap/

https://publicintegrity.org/inequality-poverty-opportunity/the-heist/racist-history-wealth-gap-redlining-maps/

Articles on incarceration, police brutality, and race

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7331505/

https://www.nacdl.org/Content/Race-and-Policing

https://naacp.org/resources/criminal-justice-fact-sheet

https://lawlibguides.sandiego.edu/policekillingsandassaults

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9540942/

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/racial_and_ethnic_disparities/

For those that prefer watching vs reading information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_(film)

Books mentioned in the podcast: Quaking of America by Resmaa Menakem

Radical as root or foundation, see the book The Conversation by Robert Livingston

For transcripts of this show, please email [email protected] with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services.

If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including emotional and social intelligence and anti-racism, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison.

*Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.*

If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email [email protected] with ‘Participate’ in the subject line.

To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website, Patreon, Substack , or Linktree. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable.

Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier.

Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

Beverly Trafton is a woman of trans experience, living in the western suburbs of Chicago. She is a licensed electrologist and owns her own business, Transcendent Electrolysis, where she is open to serving all but centers her care for trans and gender diverse folk.

In this podcast, she discusses more about her mental health journey, including partial hospitalization program (PHP) and the use of therapeutic ketamine. We also discuss the individualization of mental illness (ie pathologizing the individual) verses considering how relationship and community can contribute to or manufacture illness.

Content awareness: we discuss mental health challenges and trauma. These topics might be difficult for folks. If you are in a mental health crisis, please seek out the care of a trained mental healthcare provider, and/or please consider reaching out to The Trevor Project (which specializes in suicide prevention for LGBTQIA+ folks; if you are not LGBTQIA+ but have funds you wish to use to support those in crisis, please consider donating to The Trevor Project). Additionally, we discuss the therapeutic use of ketamine.We are not advocating for that use for individual listeners. If you are interested in the use of therapeutic or medical substances for your personal mental health journey, please seek out the assistance of a trained medical provider.

For more information on ketamine therapy, please see this link

For more information on trauma and the body, please see the works of Resmaa Menakem, Gabor Mate, Judith Lewis Herman, Zhenevere Sophia Dao, and Emily Nakoski as incredibly starting points.

For more information on trans folk, please see the WPATH; Trans Bodies, Trans Selves; GSRD model; Dean Spade’s work; AASECT as a resource for folks wishing to speak to a sexuality health professional.

Interested in listening to Beverly’s first episode?, here’s the link.

For transcripts of this show, please email [email protected] with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services.

If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including sexuality, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison.

*Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.*

If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email [email protected] with ‘Participate’ in the subject line.

To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website, Patreon, Substack , or Linktree. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable.

Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier.

Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

Jennifer Wright-Berryman (she/her), Ph.D. is an associate professor of social work at the University of Cincinnati. She studies suicide prevention and equitable death care for LGBTQIA+ communities. Jennifer recently published the book Equity at the End: The New American Way of Death with Dr. Staci Zavattaro (University of Central Florida). Jennifer is the co-founder (with Kat Vancil-Coleman) of Equal Deathcare, a website resource for LGBTQIA+ communities to access death care resources nationally and in their home state. Jennifer has also authored two novels, The Dying Five and The Dying Five, 2. More information about Jennifer and her books can be found on her website.

In this interview, Jennifer discusses her identities, the invisibility of non-heterosexual identities when married to a person of the opposite gender, privilege, "research poverty", fluidity of attraction and various intimacies beyond the sexualized, her work in bringing equity into death care, and her creative process and making time for writing.

Content awareness: we briefly discuss death and suicide. These topics might be difficult for folks. If you are in a mental health crisis, please seek out the care of a trained mental healthcare provider, and/or please consider reaching out to The Trevor Project (which specializes in suicide prevention for LGBTQIA+ folks; if you are not LGBTQIA+ but have funds you wish to use to support those in crisis, please consider donating to The Trevor Project).

For additional conversations about death, please consider attending a Death Café (these occur regularly around the world, virtually and in-person; Allison hosts these once a month) and listening to other episodes of this podcast (such as 3, 4, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17, 21).

For the listener that might be less familiar with the differences between equity and equality, please see a good descriptive article here. Essentially, equality works to treat folks equally, whereas equity acknowledges that systems treat folks unequally and works to level the systems by supporting folks in specific ways to make their experience on par with that of others. From this space of equity, equality can then be utilized more effectively.

For transcripts of this show, please email [email protected] with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services.

If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including death and dying, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison.

*Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.*

If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email [email protected] with ‘Participate’ in the subject line.

To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website, Patreon, Substack , or Linktree. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable.

Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier.

Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

Christian Sundberg is a project manager for complex nuclear pump and valve manufacturing projects and a public speaker, having presented at over 100 events. Additionally, Christian’s life has had a unique spiritual trajectory, which includes out of body experiences and pre-birth memories. Christian shares his spiritual perspectives and experiences in a book called A Walk in the Physical. More information about Christian, his experience, and his book can be found on his website here.

In this interview, Christian discusses a variety of existential and spiritual topics, including nonduality and paradox, fear and love, contrast as opportunity for growth, physical life as a highly sensitive human, psi skills, materialism, meditation, and the quantum field. (So buckle up listeners, this one is a journey that navigates through big topics. Please do come back for multiple listens as you process his words and work.)

Content awareness: we briefly discuss death and suicide. These topics might be difficult for folks. If you are in a mental health crisis, please seek out the care of a trained mental healthcare provider. For additional conversations about death, please consider attending a Death Café (Allison hosts once a month but these occur regularly around the world).

Resources mentioned include Tom Campbell’s My Big TOE trilogy (first book linked here), Tom Campbell in Spain YouTube video series, Silver Birch, Seth Speaks (channeled by Jane Roberts), and Mike Marable.

Additional resources that align with Christian’s work and might support the listener in their learning and deeper dives are that of Paul Selig, Lee Harris, and Gary Zukav.

Lastly, be sure to check out Episode 17 of this podcast with Lali to hear about her near death experience, a relative of a pre birth experience.

For related writings to this topic, please see my Patreon page as well, where I discuss relationship and spirituality, regularly, and have a post about my use of We as a pronoun here.

For transcripts of this show, please email [email protected] with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services.

If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including spirituality, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison.

*Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.*

If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email [email protected] with ‘Participate’ in the subject line.

To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website, Patreon, Substack , or Linktree. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable.

Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier.

Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

The broad intent of this podcast is to explore identity AND move beyond into a bigger view - that of interconnection, across humanity, generations, even species, living and non. (Interconnection, for the purposes of this podcast, is defined through an ecological, spiritual, and quantum physics lens).

However, many of our identities are culturally made and handed to us by family and/or culture without self reflection - how do we define those identities, do they fit, have they changed over the course of our lifetime?

In this episode, the listener will explore layers of identity via a guided meditation. If you as a listener are new to meditation, there are recommendations made within the podcast to assist you.

It is my hope that with this meditation, the listener will take away wonderment. Wonder at identity, how we define them, if they fit, what we are under these layers, and at the spiritual brilliance that makes you, the listener, you. Identity, ideally, should be a source of wonder, not a weapon or source of separation.

For information on Neem Karoli Baba and Bhakti yoga, please see https://nkbashram.org/, https://www.ramdass.org/ , or https://www.hanumanmaui.org/ (Ram Dass is the most well known student of Baba's). Although Kashi Atlanta has since closed, listeners can access the founding teacher's content here https://swamijayadevi.com/ Please note that my experience of identity, spirit, and Baba's teachings will likely differ from that of others, as they should.....my experience is based on just that - my being. Yours will likely differ, as will that of others. Revel in your unique experience.

*Please take care of your body, with positioning and breathing needs. By participating in this meditation, the listener/participant assumes all risks. Note that this meditation is crafted with the beginner/intermediate practitioner in mind. If you can tolerate longer silences between guidance, please do pause the recording to allow for longer processing time. *

Additional guided meditations are currently being created for release in the near future.

For transcripts of this show, please email [email protected] with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services.

If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including spirituality and diversity, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison. Allison reads over 150 books a year, mostly nonfiction, and many of these books are phenomenal resources for common life considerations and needs, such as meaning-making, relationships, and social justice.

If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email [email protected] with ‘Participate’ in the subject line.

To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website, Patreon, Substack or Linktree. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable.

Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier.

Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

Shannon Lane is a trans man and Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been working in the field of mental health services for almost 30 years. He is experienced in working with diverse populations including LGBTQ+, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, trauma, sexual assault, and domestic violence.

In this interview, Shannon discusses his lived experience as a trans man, his job as a social worker, and the importance and joy of community.

Listeners can find more info about Shannon and his professional practice here, and they can find more information on the distinctions between secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue here.

Deepest bow to the Kimberle Crenshaw, law professor and activist, who originally coined the term intersectionality based on Black feminist studies and her recognition of the framing of power and multiplicity of discrimination that Black women experience through the construction and experience of gender and race – pivotal work in understanding the virulence and amplification of bias, racism, and sexism, and additionally applied across identities and isms. Understanding intersectionality has expanded my worldview and recognition of self-truths since I learned of it decades ago. May her work continue to enlighten and enliven others.

For transcripts of this show, please email [email protected] with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services.

If you are interested in book recommendations related to topics discussed, including gender diversity, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison. Allison reads over 150 books a year, mostly nonfiction, and many of these books are phenomenal resources for common life considerations and needs, such as meaning-making, relationships, and social justice.

*Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.*

If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email [email protected] with ‘Participate’ in the subject line.

To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website, Patreon, Substack , or Linktree. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable.

Sincere apologies for sound artifacts resulting from impaired WiFi connectivity from a major communications carrier.

Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.

Katie Clark (she/her) is a public librarian, an aunt of ten, and a queer community builder. After giving up on ever finding an sexual identity that fit, she found out asexuality existed at age 32, and believes that more openness about queer identities when she was young would have changed her life. There's a special place in her heart for anyone recognizing and embracing their queerness later in life.

In this interview, Katie discusses her asexual and aromantic identities, what those can teach us about intimacy and love, as well as her later in life autism diagnosis.

To connect with Katie, please consider following her on Bluesky (katiec1212.bsly.social) or emailing her ([email protected]). To connect with Belong Fox Valley, see their website. For more information on gender detachment, see this article.

Terms used in this interview that might not be familiar to all listeners are: AFAB (assigned female at birth; this includes trans men, nonbinary folk, and cis women, among others), ace (short for asexual; other phrases include ace-spec, meaning ace spectrum, as asexuality, like many other manifestations of sexuality, exists on a spectrum), relationship anarchy (a good resource is Dean Spade's new book Love in a F'cked up World), relationship smorgasbord, and masking (a term used by people with autism in reference to how they might consciously or unconsciously modify their behaviors to closer align with 'neurotypical' individuals). For more information about the practice of and training for certified sexuality educators and sexuality counselors, see AASECT (Allison is listed there).

For transcripts of this show, please email [email protected] with ‘Transcripts’ in the subject line and/or check your favorite podcast provider, as oftentimes they supply transcription services.

If you are interested in more book recommendations, please see Allison's bookshop on Bookshop.org Purchasing books through Bookshop offers greater support to authors as well as curators, such as Allison. Allison reads over 150 books a year, mostly nonfiction, and many of these books are phenomenal resources for common life considerations and needs, such as meaning and relationships. Books included in Allison's shop address asexuality and relationship anarchy.

*Please note that the opinions and experiences of those interviewed in this podcast are not necessarily the opinions and experiences of the interviewer. One of the intents of this podcast is to interview a variety of people with a variety of experiences and opinions.*

If you are interested in participating in a future podcast, which involves thoughtful, caring, and connecting conversations to encourage proximity and a sense of interconnection, please email [email protected] with ‘Participate’ in the subject line.

To learn more about Ignite Well-being, in the suburbs of Chicago, and/or the host, Allison, please see their website, Patreon, Substack or Linktree. Listeners may schedule with Allison on Calendly. Deepest bow to the paid supporters on Patreon, who make this work more financially sustainable.

Thank you to Pixabay and SergePavkinMusic for the song used in the podcast. And thank you to cloudconvert and Audacity for making podcasting more accessible.