Off the Fucking Rails with Kim Griffin

Fellow mom in the trenches, Amanda Atkins, joins Kim & Allie to share about the experience of having a child with a rare genetic syndrome, in this case, Prader Willi Syndrome. Amanda is a Chicago-based therapist, whose Instagram feed is dedicated to helping others process the grief, and disappointment that can often accompany parenting a child with a disability. Amanda's openness and willingness to share her vulnerability make the questions and subject matter flow easily, whether discussing NICU time, the Britney Spears case, hashtags, or locked cabinets. Join them as they discuss their experiences of diagnosis, the challenges of early parenting in isolation, and their efforts to confront their own ableism, in this conversation from July 2021. 

To learn more about PWS, or to donate toward research and programming, please visit the Foundation for Prader Willi Research. If you'd like to know more about Amanda, her practice, or to engage her services in finding a therapist for YOU, please visit her website: http://www.amandaatkinschicago.com/.

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Lance Rubin is an author, performer, dad, and someone who genuinely seems to use their gifts for good. This interview was recorded way back in May. We had a great time discussing belief in oneself, writing and publishing books, the inanity of arts criticism and how bad screens are for us! It's a blast! ⁠Kim even improvises a song (really more of Rage Ditty) about the filibuster. Please visit us on instagram @otfrpod or on our Pod Blog for more about Lance and all the goodies in this episode. 

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Sometimes random classes on the internet lead you to lifelong friendships. Such is the case with Kim and Jacqueline. Jacqueline Raposo is a writer, creator, chronic illness advocate and fascinating human being. Kim and Jacqueline caught up in May to discuss the process of getting to know oneself, what to do when you can't feel your feelings, and how to get help when insurance and finances thwart your every effort. As someone living with chronic pain and illness, Jacqueline shares her insights into the experience of the pandemic for those in the chronically ill and disabled communities, urging us to consider the limitations that "Going Back to Normal" entail. Jacqueline is the type of friend you need to keep a note open in your phone to collect the juicy offerings and amazing pearls of wisdom she's constantly dropping, so we have all her genius recommendations up on the otfr blog. Be sure to subscribe! Tons of juicy episodes coming your way with some spectacular guests. 

For more on this episode and past guests, visit: thekimgriffin.com/otfrpod

Associate Producer: Allison Beauregard // @allison.beauregard 

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Season Two is off with a bang as Kim and Allison spend a morning with cool-as-fuck Laura Benanti: a woman who has conquered Broadway, toured the country with her own vaudevillian cabaret show, made us laugh through our fear and misery as the Bonkers Melania impersonator on Colbert for four years, and single-handedly started a movement for lonely artsy high schoolers during COVID with her inspiring doc Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020 with HBOMax. She's also just a lady trying to figure out how to parent and unpack her privilege, feeling like an Imposter much of the time, like the rest of us. (Unbelievable, but true.) Dive in for some delightfully deep conversation with a fierce advocate, and capital-A Artist we genuinely wish could be everybody's ballsy best friend. 

For more on this episode and past guests, visit: thekimgriffin.com/otfrpod

Associate Producer: Allison Beauregard // @allison.beauregard

Find us on social media @otfrpod

An International traveler, family ancestry hobbyist and first generation American, there's not much that isn't fascinating about Avelino Pombo. This Venezuelan-born creator and director of video storytelling for a major beauty brand is actually AP Jared Alexander's cousin! Join Kim & Jared as they discuss the transformative and life-sustaining power of story, and get to hear how Avelino actually had literal dreams of his life as a showrunner as a boy. Jared and Avelino share about their meeting, Kim talks about getting cancer on her face, and how our ideas of beauty are shaped by what we see. 

More at: thekimgriffin.com/otfrblog/avelinopombo

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As we move toward a New Moon on Saturday, it seems fitting to share this discussion with Ramona Sidlo (( @alohamones )) astrologer, healer, and a vibe-lifting wonder of the first order. For those of us struggling with the messiness of being human, sometimes a healer can aid in lighting the path a few feet ahead of us in our darkness. Ramona works with energy, which can be confusing for those of us raised in a world that pretended magic was relegated to the Bible, but the relief from even one remote healing session will make a believer out of just about anyone. Ramona shares her journey to healing, which is a lot more like "Almost Famous" than the tale of the Buddha, taking us from Missouri, escaping via the Grateful Dead Tour, conquering Manhattan at the peak of early aughts excess, and realizing that having it all won't actually mean you're happy. Recorded in the fall of 2020, some of the astrology isn't current, but the way of thinking about and looking at retrogrades and planetary placements is dynamite. For more information about Ramona, please visit: www.ramonasidlo.com and book a Consultation or Reading with her! ⁠  

CONTENT WARNING:⁠ This episode weaves in and out of several triggering/upsetting topics, including but not limited to: suicide, IV drug use, addiction, recovery, dysfunctional home environments, PTSD and more. Please proceed with caution if these issues present challenges for you.

Recorded in October 2020, multi-passionate Goddess of Hilarity Liz Jenkins is the source of wisdom and clarity we all need right now. Maybe you know her as the delightful Principal Biggs from ABC's Blackish, or maybe you binged Werk the Series (which she co-wrote and produced with the incredible Molly Fite - another future dream guest - and which is available on YouTube) but we promise you wanna get on board before her star completes it's rise. In this episode we discuss advocating for yourself, how white actors need to get comfortable playing racists, the importance of knowing what you can handle, and the delight of discovering boundaries late in life only to realize that they are your Love Language. We love Liz's refreshing candor, and hope you will join us in following her on twitter, checking out her many episodic television appearances, and expanding your own perspective to be more inclusive. As always, you can find more about O.T.F.R. and our amazing guests at thekimgriffin.com/offthefuckingrails or join our Patreon for more insider-y goodness as we wrap up the first season and move into The Deep with Season Two!

In the wake of interviewing Representative Virgin, the pandemic raged on in America, eventually impacting her family. This is an update about experiencing the virus firsthand. We also hear from Jared Alexander, OTFR Associate Producer, currently living with and taking care of his grandmother in Connecticut. This is a short one, with no real final words or moment of zen, because this goddamn plague seems never-ending and I'm still sitting here watch the GOP be callow and sell us out for Christian Nationalism. 

Just wear a fucking mask. Please. 

This episode of Off the Fucking Rails with Kim Griffin was cobbled together in the in-between moments of Kim's parent/teacher/mental load hellscape. Please forgive any and all sound issues. 

Recorded in what already feels like another world, this interview from September 2020 with Oklahoma's House Minority Leader, Emily Virgin of Norman, addresses the importance of mental health transparency and the value of compassionate leaders. We cover family values, knocking on doors as an anxious person, and get a horrific look at the harsh realities of the prison industrial complex -including the reckless endangerment of those who are unfortunately incarcerated during a politicized pandemic. 

A lot has happened with Rep. Virgin, the pandemic, Norman politics, coup kerfuffles and more since we sat down - all covered in our BONUS "Wear A Fucking Mask!" Episode, which will be live this weekend. Stay tuned for more. 

Questions or Compliments? Get in touch! You can find us on Instagram & Patreon: otfrpod 

This episode was created with the help and input of associate producers Allison Beauregard & Jared Alexander, and edited by the rockstars at Pingcroft Loft.