Amanda is the Director of Scholar Development at Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School. She coordinates career days, college visits, mentor programs, and meets with every one of her 8th graders’ families to help plan for their daughter’s high school future and beyond. In this episode, we talk about first-time teaching experiences, urban education, race, secondary trauma, teacher retention, and the complicated lottery system for Baltimore City high school placements.

Links:

Lillie May Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LMCJS/

Places to donate and volunteer in Baltimore (from Amanda’s blog): https://writingamandy.com/2018/07/06/paint-baltimore-kind/

Andy and I met in a knife-sales training class. Then he went on to become an Orioles tour guide, hotel concierge, whoopie pie salesman, comedian, casting producer, and eventually, his dream job: special education teacher (working mostly with children who have autism) and DIR/Floortime Provider. Listen to find out how he found his career during one of the most difficult times in his life. 

Anna is the founder and CEO of Outgrowth Today. She is an experiential education expert and die-hard advocate for immersive travel with experience traveling & working in over 25 countries. 

She's also one of the most optimistic and hard working people I know. 

Here's where you can find her and her amazing business online:

https://www.outgrowthtoday.org

insta: @outgrowth.today

linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/outgrowth/

In this episode we interview Tiffany Nelms, the Executive Director of Asylee Women Enterprise (AWE) which is an organization that provides transitional housing, companionship and community to asylum seekers by offering a safe and nurturing home, opportunities to connect within the larger community and each other.

Yeah. AWE is dope AF.

Links

http://www.asyleewomen.org/about-us

http://www.interculturalcounseling.org/about/en

In this episode we discuss the movement #MeToo and where/why it originated. We share our #MeToo experiences, observe the public discussion, and talk about the influence race has on reporting sexual assault and listening to victims.

Links

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/opinion/metoo-sexual-harassment-believe-women.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region®ion=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/11/09/the-waitress-who-works-in-the-diner-needs-to-know-that-the-issue-of-sexual-harassment-is-about-her-too/?utm_term=.0f949194cabb

CARE to Stop Violence at UMD - http://health.umd.edu/care

In this episode, we talk polyamory with a couple of outstanding individuals who have been in a relationship with each other for almost a decade, and practicing polyamory for about six of those 10 years. We talk about why it works for them, what it was like coming out to family members, and what polyamory can teach us about monogamy (see: jealousy).

Bios:

Anthony is a queer writer and educator living in Baltimore City. He is currently wrapping up a PhD in English and he is a proud co-parent to Chickpea, a Brussels Griffon.

Ann Marie is a queer feminist who can talk forever about mental health, self-care, and cute dogs. She lives in Baltimore and on Twitter, where you can find her at @annmariebrok. 

Links:

The Ethical Slut - https://www.amazon.com/Ethical-Slut-Practical-Relationships-Adventures/dp/1587613379

Anthony twitter: @anthonywmoll

Ann Marie twitter: @annmariebrok

Chickpea the dog: (Instagram) chickpeathedog

In this episode, we discuss meditation while Mary’s cat, Nona, purrs into the microphone. Then, we talk to Austrie Martinez Duarte about coming out, her first love and heartbreak, getting pregnant with the sperm of her partner’s coworker while in the military during “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” and how she taught her kids about sex. 

Links:

Buy Austrie’s book, Toad Season:

https://austriemartinez.squarespace.com/

The Care and Keeping of You (American Girl Book we discussed)

http://www.americangirl.com/shop/ag/bookstore/the-care-keeping-of-you-2-f1098

In this episode, Mary and I rehash our life-altering summers, post our Pittsburgh recording of the final episode of Season 1. We discuss new relationships, divorce, low points, high points, creativity, and bloody dog ears. 

WELCOME BACK TO SEASON 2, DEET DARLINGS!

In this episode, we talk to Laura Keyser, (Mary’s) physical therapist, who specializes in pelvic and perinatal health and works at Metta Integrative Wellness Center in Hampden.

We learned: 1. that 30-40% of women in the US have pelvic floor issues! 2. which muscles make up your pelvic floor 3. connections between sex, culture, and psychology 4. Laura’s work in the Republic of Congo.

Links:

The Panzi Foundation: http://www.panzifoundation.org

Metta Integrative Wellness, Hampden: www.metta-wellness.com 

Books: 

Headache in the Pelvis, David Wise

The Camera My Mother Gave Me, Susanna Kaysen