For those that know me and/or have been listening through all 3 seasons, it will be no surprise that I met today's guest through sport. Maddie McPherson and I met playing on the same professional women’s football team in Pittsburgh. The thing I love about playing sports, especially demographically diverse sports, is how competing in sports provides an opportunity to bring folks from all walks of life to a single place determined to achieve a goal, mission and vision together. Truthfully, many of the people I have met throughout my life, wouldn't have been achievable without the sport we all choose. To be quite frank with y'all, I don't think I could have asked for a more messy and perfect way to expand how I see the world, nor could I have predicted how blessed my life would become encountering the full and beautifully rich spectrum the human story offers that can only be find sharing intimate spaces; In this case, humans I had the privilege to call "teammate". Maddie is one of those humans.

Maddie and I have known each other for ten years and have stay connected through sharing a love for learning the depth of human story and a thirst for knowledge that expands beyond the surface. Since she was a child, Maddie has sought to understand the world. With that desire, a humbling journey to understanding herself has inevitably followed. I can speak to my own growth I have gained personally gained from Maddie’s thirst to know and see the world intimately through our texts and conversations about hard things varying from policy to relating the world we perceive through music. Currently working toward her PhD in Criminology, Maddie stays focused on how to make the world a better place through facilitating personal connections between people and, ultimately, love. You can find Maddie on Twitter @Maddie_McP

This episode touches a deep place in my heart. Coming out is the journey of a lifetime. For those in the LGBTQ+ community, before we even say our truth out loud to the world, we spend hours inside of our heads reckoning with who we are, is it safe to share, and am I ready to risk belonging to stand in my truth. For those of us in the LGBTQ+ community, our coming out story is something we are asked to share with each other, and often, with the the world. But the reality is, you don't need to be a member of our community to have a truth you need to step into or a closet to hide in. Knowing our truths and releasing what no longer serves us takes courage and it is the work of the lifetime. Regardless of who you love, how you identify, the ways in which you pray/worship (if that is even part of your spiritual truth), or your race and ethnicity, we all have been impacted by what we have seen, who we spend our time with, the stories and narratives that we share, and are trying to figure out if that truth truly aligns with who we are and what we believe. 

I am incredibly grateful Greg took the time to share his story. Throughout our entire conversation, I was reminded the work of owning our truth and finding our purpose is never finished; And it most certainly isn't a linear path. To offer full transparency, this beautiful and raw conversation with Greg has some intense themes and may be inappropriate for children. I am so grateful for Greg, his story, and the sacred gift it offered me to be a listening ear on his journey.  Greg Elsasser has been a high school and junior high teacher in Los Angeles county for thirty years and is currently teaching English. He is a published playwright of eight plays, the novel The Field Trip, and the creator/writer of the award-winning television series The Adventures of Roman and Jorge, He has also been known to hypnotize a chicken and put it on YouTube.  He has three sons and lives in Southern California. You can connect with Greg on Facebook at Greg Elsasser or on Instagram @gregorythemediocre

Much of the ideas around Flex This were birthed through the conversations I have had with today's guest. Jessica Snyder (she/her) is a 5th grade English and Language Arts teacher at Pittsburgh Phillips K-5 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In addition to her classroom duties, she works with the PPS Queer Equity committee, where she advocates for queer students and teachers from an educator's perspective. Most recently, she completed the AFT's Teacher Leader program where she conducted research on the benefits of LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum and practices in public schools. Previously working with Jessi, I have always been in awe of how she uses her voice to advocate for those who are still trying to find their own. Jessi also has an innate ability to hold spaces that invite the exploration of feelings and ideas without judgement or fear. (I have seen this craft of meeting conflict with grace first hand.) You can find Jessi on Twitter @Jessinpgh or on Instagram @Jessimaepgh

There are people that cross your path and remind you of the goodness and grace that comes with being alive; Thomas is exactly that person. Thomas and I talk about the importance of aligning and honoring your truth even as it changes and evolves throughout your life. We share how we recognize things showing up in our own journeys to teach us more about ourselves and the benefits of leaning into that hard (but rewarding) work with gratitude and humility. Thomas and I discuss how the gift of authenticity modeled in our own lives empowers others to do the same in theirs and offers a safe space for people, even strangers, to explore their own authentic truth. My conversation with Thomas was a gentle reminder to my own soul of why I believe in the power and purpose of our own sacred truth. I am so grateful and honored for the stories and grace Thomas offers the world, and myself, in this conversation. You can find Thomas on Instagram @thomaswesleydouglas

I am really excited to share this conversation I had with Ashley Soro. We discuss triggers and trauma, how to heal and move forward, and how hitting your 30's is one of the best chapters in your life. Ashley has been a life long athlete. The lens in which she sees the world and how she uses that lens to reflect on herself really hit home for me. As an athlete, there always seems to be a goal to achieve and something new to chase. For me, this is one of the beautiful things about living in the human body: it's the one thing you have control over. I'm not saying you can become Olympic level athletes at the snap of a finger. However, you get to own how you treat, train, and love the body you were given. I appreciate Ashley's bravery in sharing how she works through the cloud of shame in her every day life and continues to pursue her own version of greatness every day. You can find Ashley on Instagram @ashleysorolifestyleandfitness or head over to her website https://ashleysoro.com/