Billy Dees Podcast

Growth: A Mother, Her Son, and the Brain Tumor They Survived
by Karen Debonis (Author)

Can a woman who never learned to stand up for herself find the courage to speak up for her son?

Karen is a happily married, slightly frazzled mother of two when her eight-year-old son, Matthew, develops a strange eye-rolling tic. Matthew's tics quickly multiply. He becomes clumsy and lethargic, a gifted program dropout.

Karen tries to get her husband and their pediatrician to acknowledge what's happening, but they dismiss her concerns. As a people-pleaser, Karen lacks the skills to assert herself and stifles the growing dread in her heart. For three years, Matthew steadily deteriorates while Karen questions if she has the fortitude required of motherhood. Finally, desperation breaks through her fear of conflict, and she demands answers, only to be horrified by the truth.

Matthew has a brain tumor.

A delicate surgery and promise of complete recovery convince Karen her battle is over. But she is wrong. The ensuing years launch her on a journey of perseverance and personal growth she never imagined, teaching Karen just how weak she is--and then exactly how strong.

On this episode Karen shares her journey with her son’s health battle and why she decided to chronicle the story in her book.

More about the author here at https://karendebonis.com/

Jessica Guerrieri is a mom to three fierce, young daughters and has spent the past decade as an advocate for addiction recovery. Jessica enjoys competing in Spartan Races all over California and in May of 2023 she celebrated a decade of sobriety.

Jessica has a BA in English from UC Davis with an emphasis in creative writing. Her articles have been published on Scary Mommy, Yahoo Life, Mom.com, BluntMoms, Filter Free Parents, and Sonoma Family Life and Mendo Lake Family Life magazines.

“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” is book (being queried now) about an alcoholic mother’s obsession with her mother-in-law’s perfectionism which ultimately forces her to reexamine the enemy in the mirror.

During the interview Jessica shares her personal journey of recovery into sobriety. She also shares the trials and tribulations of being an author going through the query process of getting published. Jessica’s website is www.jessicaguerrieri.net

You can find her on Twitter and IG @witandspitup

Have you been following the news about UFOs? It seems like every day there is a new disclosure or video that is being released. However, has it really been determined that these objects are from space and have an intelligent source?

We speculate on this subject with our guest, Asherz. She is a self-proclaimed “Weirdo from Ohio” (as is the host) and is a Ufologist.

Its fun to wonder and speculate, isn’t it? Sit back and enjoy a fun and light-hearted episode on the
Billy Dees Podcast.

You can find Asherz on Twitter

@itsasherz https://twitter.com/itsasherz?lang=en

You can also find Billy Dees on Twitter

@BillyDees https://twitter.com/BillyDees

Thank you and we hope you enjoy the podcast!

On this episode we are talking about AI and some of its applications. Our guest is Glenn Werstler who is the owner of Recastio and Tour Stop.

The conversation covers what some of the positive and negative implications are of Artificial Intelligence. Then, the subject matter shifts to ChatGPT and how Glenn has utilized this type of technology for a new app called Tour Stop.

To find out mote about Tour Stop, please visit
TourStop.net https://tourstop.net/

Glenn’s other website
Recastio.com https://www.recastio.com/

You can find Billy Dees links and social media here:
https://linktr.ee/billydees

“Making It Home - Life Lessons from a Season of Little League” By Teresa Strasser

Teresa Strasser is an Emmy-winning writer for her work at Comedy Central and Emmy-nominated television host regarding her talents at TLC.

Teresa has been a contributor to the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Arizona Republic, The Jewish Journal, HuffPost, and The Today Show. Her first-person essays have garnered three Los Angeles Press Club Awards, including Columnist of the Year. Teresa has appeared on The View, CNN, Good Morning America, The Talk, and Dr. Phil.

Radio and podcast audiences know Teresa Strasser as Adam Carolla’s co-host.

Her first memoir, “Exploiting My Baby: Because It’s Exploiting Me” was a Los Angeles Times bestseller and optioned by ABC.

On this episode Teresa is talking about her book, “Making It Home - Life Lessons from a Season of Little League.”

After the deaths of her brother and mother just months apart, Teresa explains how baseball helped with her grief and to renew a relationship with her father. Even for readers who are not necessarily big baseball fans, the book is an excellent manual for navigating their way through loss.

The book is available as of June 6, 2023 wherever you buy books.

Teresa Strasser’s website http://www.teresastrasser.com/

You can find Teresa on Twitter @teresastrasser https://twitter.com/teresastrasser?lang=en

On this episode of the podcast, we are discussing two topics: AI technology and the possibilities of hydrogen as a fuel source.

Billy Dees is joined by guest cohost, Chris Weakly. Chris is a technology enthusiast and is an advocate for autism.

You can find Chris on Twitter at @kryptoglyfics and his YouTube channel, Logical A Meets World.

There is a lot of rhetoric, particularly around AI, and our discussion is an opinion driven mini forum designed to give a balanced overview around the subjects of burgeoning technology and alternative fuel sources. We hope you enjoy it.

You can find Billy Dees on Twitter at @BillyDees

Our guest is Kimber Silver, the author of “Broken Rhodes,” published August 16th, 2022.

During this interview Kimber discusses her early life and how it impacted her writing, as well as some of her writing techniques. Kimber is a believer in sticking with a schedule to maintain progress as a writer.

You can visit Kimber’s website for short stories, book reviews, interviews, and photos.
https://kimbersilver.com/

April 24th, when this episode was recorded live on Fireside, was a seismic day in cable news.
CNN and FOX both made changes in their lineups. Billy talks about these changes as well as riffs about cable news in general, big pharma, and the Kennedys.

Follow the Billy Dees Podcast on Twitter @BillyDees and on Fireside.

On the podcast for this episode is trauma survivor, mental wellness advocate, and educator, Shaman Isis.

She is also the author of the book, “Unleash the Empress.”

Central to her message is that people can come to terms with their trauma and mental wellness challenges and find the courage within themselves to heal and build a life they will love. Shaman Isis grew up in care and endured a shocking list of traumas that had her steeped in shame and depression. She felt at times that her future looked bleak…but it wasn’t, and through courage, she found freedom.

Shaman Isis’ most important message for anybody going through trauma is that hope endures.

During this podcast she also discusses why it can feel impossible to heal and how to know when it is indeed time for healing to begin.

You can find out more about Shaman Isis on her website: www.shamanisis.com

This podcast contains content that some listeners may find triggering.

Melissa M. Monroe

“Mom’s Search for Meaning: Grief and Growth After Child Loss”

Paralyzed by guilt, grief, and PTSD after her 2-year-old daughter Alice died in her sleep of unknown causes, Melissa Monroe was determined not to become a victim in the story of her life. While taking the advice she had given to many grief and trauma patients throughout the years, hoping she could create a meaningful life without closure, she took notes throughout her healing process.

Struggling to advance her timeline beyond that of her daughter's - and still eager to be the keeper of Alice's stories - Melissa began to write about Alice's life and the impact of her death. She became her own lab rat, trying various approaches to healing with the hope that her experience might be helpful to others stuck in a trauma time loop.

During this interview Melissa talks about her experience with child loss, her career, and the process of writing.

Melissa's website: https://www.melissamariemonroe.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/tripleMMeaning