Fierce Conversations with Toby

William, my oldest son is 33 years old. He's autistic, blind, and non-verbal. I decided to do a marathon and when I told William, he wanted to participate. My daughter joined in and it became a family affair. We had to push William in a wheelchair because he’s blind and it would be too difficult to lead him. Most of the race seemed to be uphill. But we finished!

Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews!

Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

Some of our fierce topics today:

[04:25] It was as if God had said “I'm going to send you some earth angels to come alongside you”. There were at least eight to twelve people who helped us up those hills. Pushed William up the hill. And one woman's name was Grace and she stayed with us the whole race.

[06:24] My daughter and a few of the people that she had met, cause she's a socialite. So she met plenty of people going up that Hill. And she sent help my way, “if you see a woman in a yellow sweatshirt, that's my mom.”

[08:05] And let me tell you something that was the best experience of that entire walk with all these different people. There was no competition because you got to understand that when you're doing a race, you're also getting timed. So everyone forgot about their time and helped us. I could do nothing but thank the Lord and just realize how much he is in my life.

[00:11:35] Discovering at 18 months old that William was autistic took me by surprise, and it took my husband by surprise. And, um, the one thing I really loved about our, our marriage and he's passed away. He just was a little cutie. And they said, you know, he's nonverbal. He's autistic. And I thought, okay. All right. Well, let's just go from here. And so we did all the things that every, uh, parent does when they find out they have a special needs child. But William's the one that led me. He, he really, he's the one that really showed me what he was willing to do and what he was not willing to do.

[00:14:40] Don't feel sorry for me. I think you have to look at how someone responds. I got a loving son.

About Karen Mitchell Grant:

Karen Grant is a Life Empowerment Coach, with Master’ Degrees in Conflict Management and Business Administration. After retiring from her management position as a Registered Nurse Karen began pursuing her passion, working with women. Nicknamed the Encourager that is what you will often find her doing. Karen loves to encourage women to know who they are and what they are capable of becoming. Karen believes in sharing her faith with others. Karen enjoys walking and training for 5K and 10K races with her two adult children. In 2024 she plans on running her first half-marathon.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Karen Mitchell Grant:

https://www.instagram.com/coaching_change_with_karen/

____________________________________

Toby Dorr:

Books and Audiobook

Website  

Patreon

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

Or head to https://linktr.ee/fierceconversations for all things Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Credits:

Created by Toby Dorr.

Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.

Theme song:

Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist

Caroline Parody: Piano

Tony Ventura: Bass

For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/

Trigger warning/disclaimer: This episode contains discussions about child abuse, divorce, and personal trauma, including personal experiences and journeys. The content may be emotionally intense and could be triggering for some individuals. If you find these discussions distressing, it may be advisable to skip this episode or listen with caution. Remember to prioritize your mental and emotional well-being.

Bathsheba Tolbert encourages women through inspiration, motivation and in building a sisterhood community!

Born the year before the major earthquake in California her dad said, “you should have told us you were coming. You were shaking everything up. You've been shaking everything up ever since.”

Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews!

Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

Some of our fierce topics today:

[00:05:03] Step back out of the emotion of it, of the devastation and say, how can I grow from this? Because I don't want to be bitter. I don't want to destroy me. I don't want to be the victim in this, even though in a sense I, we were, but how can I grow from it?

[00:05:32] I believe vulnerability is a growing block. It's a block that you need in your life in order to step into who you are. You can't really become Bathsheba, Toby. You can't become that person unless you allow yourself to see where you're at, how that affected you, and be able to step into your next step of purpose.

[00:08:11] The things, the bad, horrible catastrophes in our lives, are here to help others. I mean, that's the only way I can be and, and see that because if I don't see it that way, the things that happen, I'm like, I would be the most. dreadful, bitter person, you know, you wouldn't even want to look at me cause it's just not worth all of that. I think it makes us grow into the beautiful people that we are. Scarred, flawed.

[00:11:22] I started journaling. I started writing them. What am I feeling? Why am I feeling it really delving in? What was that trigger for me? And the more I wrote, then I began to speak it, Oh, okay, this is why I am behaving this way, because. All of these other things, I became more aware and it's scary. Honestly, that first time of writing down those thoughts, I cried every single night.

[00:26:43] Before I tell you who's Bathsheba, I'll say this. I was born the year right before the major earthquake in California. And a month later I was born and my dad said, you should have told us you were coming. You were shaking everything up. You've been shaking everything up ever since.

About Bathesheba Tolbert:

Many people have been through hard times in life, and each one is an opportunity for growth and transformation. Not only can we become stronger through hard times, but our tough experiences can help us find ways to encourage those around us.

Bathsheba Tolbert is passionate about helping people heal and grow through vulnerability. She has her own story of overcoming adversity and helping countless others to embrace their broken sides and find strength in their vulnerability. Bathsheba is also a musician, singer, and mental health advocate with an extensive following who started singing professionally on national television at 21.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Bathesheba Tolbert:

https://linktr.ee/TheRealBathSheba

____________________________________

Toby Dorr:

Books and Audiobook

Website  

Patreon

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

Or head to https://linktr.ee/fierceconversations for all things Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Credits:

Created by Toby Dorr.

Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.

Theme song:

Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist

Caroline Parody: Piano

Tony Ventura: Bass

For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/

Trigger warning/disclaimer: This episode contains discussions about death, including personal experiences and journeys. The content may be emotionally intense and could be triggering for some individuals. If you find these discussions distressing, it may be advisable to skip this episode or listen with caution. Remember to prioritize your mental and emotional well-being.

“And so she (our daughter Anna who was nearly her college graduation) signed off her Facebook that morning with four words, “getting near the end.” That evening there was a knock on the door and two men dressed in black were standing there. It was the coroner and a deputy sheriff. That was their uniform. I didn't know who they were. I thought they were police. I thought they were fundraising…”

-       Cathy Harvey, creator of “from Cathy's Heart”, memoir author, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversation with Toby.

 Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews!

 Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

 Some of our fierce topics today:

 [11:32] Your daughter was riding her bike on Highway 45 and was hit by a car and killed.

[14:13] And I thought about the girls. They got on the bus this morning with a mom and they got off without one.

[20:31] We forgive him.

[23:48] But then we had the funeral, and then the next day, it's like the dust settles. Everybody goes home, and it's quiet, and the company went home, and Stephen's in the basement working on the computer, and I heard that still small voice say, call the mom. Call her right now and tell her it’s okay to have a happy mother’s day.

[23:48] But then we had the funeral, and then the next day,it's like the dust settles. Everybody goes home, and it's quiet, and the company went home, and Stephen's in the basement working on the computer, and I heard that still small voice say, call the mom. Call her right now and tell her it’s okay to have a happy mother’s day.

[00:36:05] We just had so much compassion for them because the Saturday after Anna was killed, my husband and I had a conversation and we concluded that they had the harder burden to bear. Their son killed a single mom of two little girls.

[00:47:37] And (the judge) said, “Your attorneys have explained to me the meeting and the letters you wrote. And in all my years on the bench, I have never heard of forgiveness. You have restored my enthusiasm for my job.”

About Cathy Harvey:

Cathy Harvey’s adult daughter Anna was riding her bike home from college. Only 2 miles from home, she was on gravel biking against traffic, when a driver got distracted and hit her almost head on. Anna’s daughters were 7 and 10 years old. It was Anna’s birthday. She was 4 classes away from finishing her college degree.

Her face went through the passenger side windshield. Some accounts say she died instantly, another said 15 minutes. A woman stopped and held her hand while she died. A truck driver stopped and said he was a first responder, and told the woman could leave if she liked, he’d take over. He warned her this would be hard. The woman stayed.

Anna’s family did not retaliate with hatred or revenge. They forgave the driver and even became friends with the driver’s entire family, sharing vacations and holidays together.

At the time this episode is released, it will be 11 years since the accident.

Cathy journaled most of the journey. Together, Cathy and the driver’s mother have been speaking about this experience to groups all over the country.

Cathy is working on a memoir. Cathy’s website is titled 

from Cathy's Heart

purpose. forgiveness. friendship. hope.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Cathy Harvey:

https://cathyharveypurpose.life/

____________________________________

Toby Dorr:

Books and Audiobook

Website  

Patreon

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

Or head to https://linktr.ee/fierceconversations for all things Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Credits:

Created by Toby Dorr.

Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.

Theme song:

Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist

Caroline Parody: Piano

Tony Ventura: Bass

For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/

The symbol of the artichoke has great meaning for Judy in her teaching and writing. As she works with families, she sees that frequently only the outer edges are exposed, which can be prickly and sometimes bitter to the taste. But, as you expose the artichoke - and people - to warmth, caring, and time, gradually the leaves begin to open and expose the real treasure–the heart.

Judy has written more than 20 books, and hundreds of articles and speaks internationally on family, parenting, and relationship issues, including communication, encouragement, and end-of-life.

Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews!

Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

Some of our fierce topics today:

[05:30] My main passion has always been gathering stories. One of the things we found with the Montana Storykeepers is that when we allowed someone to tell their story, an end-of-life story, their pain went down. Their transition was so much easier, and I do think that people don't fear death, they fear being forgotten.

[07:37] My book is not how to write a memoir, but why you should and helping you narrow down into that particular pearl on a strand pearls. So you don’t get overwhelmed by the whole necklace.

[11:34] So my favorite color is red, and it's very powerful and a little story … When my mom was in a hospice unit, assisted living, I would wear bright red lipstick and I would always kiss her on her forehead. So, every CNA, every doctor, every cleaner that came in thought, “Oh, she is well loved. Somebody's in here. I better take good care of her.”

[15:43] I was walking to the mailbox with my 15-year-old, he's now 40. And he started telling me something and I said, “Andy, stop. I have listened to problems all day long. Go for a walk”. And he touched my arm, which in our family is a signal. ‘This is important to me’. He said, “Who do you want me to tell my problems to?” And I went in the next day and quit.

About Judy Helm Wright:

Judy is a life educator, family coach, and keynote speaker who has written more than 20 books, hundreds of articles and speaks internationally on family, parenting and relationship issues, including communication, encouragement, and end of life. She also focuses on personal issues like anxiety, depression, confidence, and self-esteem and works with many small and large organizations–from Head Start to child care resource centers.

Judy is a certified Pet Grief Coach who takes pride in her work with Animal Human Connection. She has written extensively on the topic of grieving and offers guidance, counseling, and communal sharing for many grief clients.

Artichoke Press is not Judy’s only self-starter project. Judy has owned and managed numerous small businesses. She and her husband Dwain, alongside their six children and foster kids, worked family businesses in order to teach them Responsibility, Respect & Resiliency.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Judy Helm Wright:

https://artichokepress.com/

http://memoirlifestorywriting.com/

Judy’s Book:

https://gracepointpublishing.com/bookstore/books-cards/write-your-family-story-leaving-a-living-legacy/

____________________________________

Toby Dorr:

Books and Audiobook

Website  

Patreon

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

Or head to https://linktr.ee/fierceconversations for all things Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Credits:

Created by Toby Dorr.

Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.

Theme song:

Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist

Caroline Parody: Piano

Tony Ventura: Bass

For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/

“It isn't that I had it all figured out, it's that I just focused on the next right step.”

 - Charli Hoffman, CEO of Time Hackers Unite, Founder of Sparkle Warriors Book Club, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby

Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews!

Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

Some of our fierce topics today:

[04:58] At 13, I came home from school one day and my mom had put all of my stuff in garbage bags on the porch and locked the house and told me I didn't live there anymore.

[06:39] Books were my salvation.

[07:49] I was in so many unsafe situations, but I could make someone laugh.

[10:11] There's great value in putting yourself in situations where you're not the smartest person in the room.

[20:09] It isn't that I had it all figured out, it's that I just focused on the next right step, just the next right step…

About Charli Hoffman:

“I’m a Clarity Coach & Meditation Teacher as well as a survivor of sex trafficking, homelessness, child abuse, and domestic violence. I’m also an adoptee and suicide survivor living with cPTSD, anxiety, chronic illness & ADHD. I teach people about designing a life where they can thrive no matter their trauma, capacity, and background.”

Charli (they/them) is a non-binary queer Clarity Coach, Meditation Teacher, Speaker and International Book Club Host. They are the CEO of Time Hackers Unite, a community of humans committed to exploring their relationships with our only nonrenewable resource: TIME, and the Founder of Sparkle Warriors Book Club which supports over 500 humans on their personal growth journeys.

They have reached over 250,000 people on TikTok teaching tips to navigate humanity while healing from chronic stress and trauma. They have an intuitive gift for asking questions; value psychological safety and personal integrity; and help ambitious humans to get clear and confident in their voice & direction so they can bring their dreams to life.

Charli's goal is to help to eradicate hunger & homelessness through the education and empowerment of their fellow humans and in the creation of a life skills university.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Charli Hoffman:

https://www.facebook.com/timehackersunite

____________________________________

Toby Dorr:

Books and Audiobook

Website  

Patreon

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

Or head to https://linktr.ee/fierceconversations for all things Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Credits:

Created by Toby Dorr.

Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.

Theme song:

Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist

Caroline Parody: Piano

Tony Ventura: Bass

For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/

“And the point is, you can do it. You have more strength than you think you do. You can go through these tough situations. You move through that adversity, and you move through those struggles. And you keep going.” 

•       Susan J. Godwin, fervent educator, writer, freelance artist, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby

Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews!

Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

Some of our fierce topics today:

 [03:28] It shouldn't be called breaking up, because that implies a quick break. It's more like a taffy pull.

[04:50] I discovered a female court of writers in the late 17th century.

[09:31] Crazy David was my boyfriend who faked his own death and then showed up at my house in the middle of the night a couple weeks later. 

[13:22] I was cocktail waitressing in LA at the world-famous Palomino Club and I waited on Manuel (designer to the stars) and we fell in love and got married and had a baby.

[17:19] But it felt if I didn’t leave him I would get cancer and die – it was such a toxic unhealthy moment.

Susan Godwin is a fervent educator, writer, and freelance artist whose world has always been steeped in books, from Harold and the Purple Crayon; she couldn’t resist drawing on her bedroom wall, no matter how many reprimands; to her first job as a library book mender in her Shaker Heights High School basement to teaching English at the prestigious University School of Nashville. A former Oxford scholar, Godwin has received writing awards from the University of Michigan, Middle Tennessee State University, and Bread Loaf School of English. Though writing is her true passion, she is also a visual artist working primarily in oils and pastels. Her home is outside of Nashville, in Dickson, TN, on the banks of a winding Tennessee river, in a hayloft renovated by her sweet, sexy husband, Tony; with help from their rotty, Roady! 

Links mentioned in this episode:

Susan J. Godwin:

https://susanjgodwin.com

____________________________________

Toby Dorr:

Books and Audiobook

Website  

Patreon

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

Or head to https://linktr.ee/fierceconversations for all things Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Credits:

Created by Toby Dorr.

Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.

Theme song:

Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist

Caroline Parody: Piano

Tony Ventura: Bass

For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/

“And the point is, you can do it. You have more strength than you think you do. You can go through these tough situations. You move through that adversity, and you move through those struggles. And you keep going.”

-       Pat Black-Gould, Ph.D., clinical psychologist award-winning children’s book author, fiction author, playwright, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby

Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews!

Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

Some of our fierce topics today:

[09:19] The Paperclip project, is a teacher’s desire to show her students just how big a number is.

[11:43] Turning a children’s book into a ballet performance…

[13:04] Creating a staged production with a dramatic reading of the book, an artistic collage, music and dance.

[14:42] Pat discusses her work as a prison psychologist and discusses the problems faced by those who never had a mentor figure to look up to. 

About Pat Black-Gould, Ph.d:

Pat Black-Gould, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and an award-winning children’s book author, fiction author, and playwright. Her children’s book The Crystal Beads, Lalka’s Journey, tells the story of a hidden child of the Holocaust. The book is the recipient of the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, the Northern Lights Book Award, and the Vinnie Ream Award. Pat is currently turning her book into a stage performance featuring dance and music composed specifically for her work.

Pat and co-author Steve Hardiman will publish their first novel in 2024. All The Broken Angels is a coming-of-age story set during the Vietnam War era.

As a psychologist, Pat has worked on an inpatient Deaf unit and, along with co-author Dr. Neil Glickman, published in the field of mental health and Cultural Deafness.   Pat has also worked as a neuropsychologist and a forensic psychologist in an inpatient forensic unit and at a men’s state correctional prison, working primarily with maximum security level inmates.

In addition, Pat worked for the Veteran’s Administration with a special focus on Vietnam Veterans. She was also the coordinator for the LGBTQ+ veteran population. 

In her early career, Pat was a director and playwright in professional theater and ran a summer stock theater company and a murder mystery theater company. 

Links mentioned in this episode:

Pat Black-Gould:

https://www.patblackgould.com/

____________________________________

Toby Dorr:

Books and Audiobook

Website  

Patreon

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

Or head to https://linktr.ee/fierceconversations for all things Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Credits:

Created by Toby Dorr.

Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.

Theme song:

Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist

Caroline Parody: Piano

Tony Ventura: Bass

For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/

Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews!

Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

“The women of Framingham (Prison) sought a way out and their struggles gave them dignity. I could hear their voices speaking out of the darkness.”

 - Jean Trounstine, author, activist, professor emerita at Middlesex Community College in Lowell, Massachusetts, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby

Some of our fierce topics today:

[02:57] I began working with people in prison and, it changed me, it turned me into a prison activist, and it turned me into a writer.

[04:50] If my students tackled Shakespeare, a writer they thought beyond reach, they would also be learning to take on what was most difficult in life.

[30:33] My new book is called Mother Love and it's a book of short stories about ten different women whose child killed someone.

[38:35] Poetry comes to you when you need to say something that comes so deep from the heart that you can't say it unless you do it in a poem. 

More about Jean Trounstine and her work:

Jean Trounstine

I prefer to talk about how I became an activist, working in a prison, writing books to change things. 

I have written 6 and write currently as well for the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.

Shakespeare Behind Bars

I believed that if my students tackled Shakespeare, a writer they thought beyond reach, they would also be learning to take on what was most difficult in life.

The women yearned for change and growth.

Eventually the program took on a philosophy: art has the power to redeem lives.

I came to realize that most women in prison are not dangerous. What characterizes them more than anything else is their heartache. Instead of frightening me they seemed lost, with tragic lives.

I knew nothing of the fellowship that exists in prison. Women inmates seek relationships, thrive on it.

It is this prison community that sustains women who do time. It is this community that taught me to value the prisoner’s lives, to like and respect them, and to understand that they are more than news stories tucked away on a back page in our local papers.

While it is true that prison is a repressive environment, the one who offers hope in the classroom has the potential to effect change.

The women of Framingham sought a way out, and their struggles gave them dignity.

I could hear their voices… speaking out of the darkness.

Boy With a Knife

The United States was a county that set controversial boundaries where childhood ended and adulthood began in terms of criminal responsibility. Until 2005, the US was the only nation that still sanctioned the death penalty for youth.

These boys and girls, barely having earned their driver’s license, too young to vote, too young to legally buy alcohol or cigarettes, are locked away with adult men and women. This in spite of the fact that 90 percent of juveniles, even those convicted of murder, grow out of criminal behavior as they age.

Putting young people in state prisons essentially silences them.

Sending juveniles to adult prisons doesn’t make us safer.

The international standard for incarceration of juveniles for the most serious crimes is ten or fifteen years prior to parole eligibility.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Jean Trounstine:

https://www.concordfreepress.com/request-a-book-motherlove

https://www.jeantrounstine.com/

____________________________________

Toby Dorr:

Books and Audiobook

Website  

Patreon

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

Or head to https://linktr.ee/fierceconversations for all things Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Credits:

Created by Toby Dorr.

Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.

Theme song:

Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist

Caroline Parody: Piano

Tony Ventura: Bass

For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/ 

“For eight years, I was ashamed of my story. I learned that my story is freeing. Other people need to know that in telling their own story you can take your power back. And it takes away the power of those who are holding your story against you. Don't be the person others believe you should be just because you're a felon. 

I am enough. And so are you.”

-        Tanaine Jenkins, best-selling author, TedX Speaker, Director of The Florida Safety Coalition, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby 

Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews!

Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

Some of our fierce topics today:

[03:49] Sentences don’t end when you get out of prison…

[08:43] I believed what society said about me. But when you change your mindset, everything changes.

[10:59] A person that fails to plan, plans to fail.

[13:52] The children of incarcerated parents need just as much help as their parents do.

[18:01] I help others through the process so they never have to feel like they are not enough.

About Tanaine Jenkins:

After giving 10 years of her life to the Florida Department of Corrections, Tanaine Jenkins has dedicated her voice to shining a light on the Second Sentence that Returning Citizens face once they are released from confinement. Tanaine is the best-selling author of From Prison to President: 7 Ways to Succeed in Your Second Chance, the President of Everything I Am LLC, the CEO of The Loc’d Line, a member of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition Policy Council, and a 2022 TEDx Jacksonville speaker. She has also been featured in Forbes, on the CW Channel and PBS. Through her company, Everything I Am, Tanaine has helped hundreds of returning citizens and justice involved individuals find their 'Why' and learn the power of self-forgiveness.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Tanaine Jenkins:

https://www.tanainejenkins.com/

____________________________________

Toby Dorr:

Books and Audiobook

Website  

Patreon

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

Or head to https://linktr.ee/fierceconversations for all things Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Credits:

Created by Toby Dorr.

Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.

Theme song:

Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist

Caroline Parody: Piano

Tony Ventura: Bass

For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/

“I feel like it's gotten to the point where we're so scared of crossing a boundary that we just say nothing.”

-        Hannah Rumsey, developmental editor & writing coach for Sara Connell Coaching, Inc., creator and host of the podcast “Friends Missing Friends”, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Find the video interview here!

Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

Hannah Rumsey talks with those who have experienced the death of friends, grief experts, and more, to normalize the complex grief of losing a friend in a world that often doesn’t understand. “I lost a dear friend several years ago. Now, my goal is to create a loving community of people who know what it’s like to grieve a friend. It’s a specific, unique type of loss, and I think it’s important that we come together and talk about it. If you’re grieving or missing a friend, I’m here for you. I understand.”

About Hannah Rumsey:

Hannah studied Creative Writing at VCU and Northwestern University and has a Certificate in Editing from the University of Washington. In her spare time, she loves podcasting, watching movies (and complaining about how the book was better), filmmaking, and all things comedy. She lives in Chicago, IL. 

Some of our fierce topics today:

[05:52] Hannah’s podcast is about the beautiful relationship between friends.

[09:04 ]Learn how her friend composed her podcast theme song.

[13:59] None of us can avoid death. It's just beautiful that you provide an outlet for such a difficult and ignored topic. Nobody wants to talk about death, but when I listen to your podcast, I hear beautiful stories that inspire me.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Hannah Rumsey

https://www.friendsmissingfriends.com/

https://www.hannahrumsey.com/

____________________________________

Toby Dorr:

Books and Audiobook

Website  

Patreon

YouTube

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Facebook

Or head to https://linktr.ee/fierceconversations for all things Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Credits:

Created by Toby Dorr.

Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.

Theme song:

Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist

Caroline Parody: Piano

Tony Ventura: Bass

For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/