We are back in action with a brand new episode for y'all this week!  

New Year, same pandemic. Tune in today as we share the first Corona Diaries of 2021!  

On today's episode, we are joined by Curtiss Johns. Curtiss is a 36 year old actor from Colorado and recalls giving and receiving less than 10 hugs since the pandemic began last March. Having spent the previous 25 years of his life as a professional actor (mainly in live theatre), overnight, well really in a course of 11 hours, he found himself having lost all booked and upcoming shows. Listen in to learn how he and his friends reinvented what theatre could look like during these virtual times and where things stand now as we head into this next year.

Alton is the owner of Mac Nation Cafe in Indian Hills, Colorado. They feature 47 (wow!) kinds of mac and cheese in a beautiful setting outside of Denver. Alton is a native of this small town, and has carved out a loyal following for her family run business. Business was booming in the beginning of the year - Alton had just remodeled and added a bar inside when the COVID-19 lockdown hit the industry. Though this year has been an insurmountable challenge for many restaurants, thankfully Mac Nation is still in operation because of Alton and her family’s creative adaptations and loyal customer base. Check them out at https://www.mac-nation.com/ or stop by if you’re in Indian Hills!

Yousra joins us from Cairo, Egypt. She has worked remotely since before the pandemic, as an account executive for an American company, and for years was the only person in her community with a remote job. Things have changed this year, but she talks about the challenge in finding a remote job from abroad, the differences between Egyptian and American work culture, and the advantages of working for an American company abroad.

Beth joins us to talk about her experience parenting through a pandemic. She is a mother of a 6 year old daughter and two year old son, and while parenting is a challenge in the best of times, the COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges. In the formative years of a child’s life, each day is precious, and the norms we expect for child-rearing have been turned upside down, from limited social interaction, on-line schooling, and grappling to understand what the world is going through. In addition, as a registered nurse, Beth also wrestled with the question of whether to return to work - to help people in need, at the risk to her health and the safety of her family.

Jamie, our host and the creator of the OneWorldYourStory Podcast opens up for a solo podcast about her experience being single through the COVID-19 pandemic. Dating is tough, and the restrictions and fear that come along with the pandemic have made it even more difficult. Jamie talks about the struggle to find someone for the right reasons, with a heaping helping of self-love and respect. If you’re feeling alone, or wanting that special someone to hold through this difficult time, join us for this honest conversation.

Erica joined us for a conversation about mental health and trauma. Her younger brother passed away when she was just 4, leaving her family reeling from the loss. It took years for Erica to even address her feelings on the loss of her brother. Though trauma is a buzz word we hear a lot these days, it’s tough to pin down. Erica’s take: trauma doesn't have to be a life altering event; it can be a stream of endless worry and distress, or just a lingering emotional response that you can’t quite get rid of. There are so many manifestations of trauma, what really matters is that we acknowledge our feelings and work on ways to cope. Erica opens up about her struggle, her journey into therapy, and even some strategies she has employed for dealing with her anxiety and depression.

Rachel joins us for a conversation about sex, relationships, and choice. Rachel talks about how the lack of sex education in our culture can leave young people, especially young women at a loss. For her, it led to a long journey to become the confident woman she is today. She survived an abusive relationship, and a difficult decision to have an abortion at age 20. As hard as that decision was, she believes that it is about choice - “To overturn something like Roe v Wade is not just a threat to our physical bodies, but to our equal rights here in America in the global landscape.”

Chloe joined us on the podcast to have a refreshingly open discussion about women’s reproductive rights and her decision to have an abortion in 2015. For a topic that directly affects half the population (and it affects you too boys,) this is something that we tend to shy away from in our daily lives. Chloe courageously talks about her experience, her family history of the BRCA gene giving her an 87% chance of contracting breast cancer and 50% chance of ovarian cancer and how that affected her decision, and what she might say to government officials who seek to regulate women’s bodies and choices.

Chad is a self-described "creator," and that's an understatement. He is a graphic designer, printmaker, musician, blogger, and entrepreneur, all while holding down a full time job at a Fortune 500 company. Chad's passion for his varied pursuits overflows in our conversation, as we touch on his background in design, the charged political climate that inspired him to take his writing from social media to its own platform, and finding a passion that drives you, no matter the financial benefit.

Chad's website/blog/web store @theblxckmrkt (blxckmrkt.com) is a collection of art, fashion, music and writing, designed to celebrate the diversity within Black culture, while supporting other Black creators and their work. 

"Black Culture is not a monolith. We are a diverse collection of stories, Get experiences and accomplishments. We are shaped by our struggles as much as our successes. We are a story of perseverance. A story or hard-work. We are a story of hope.

The BLXCK MRKT was founded on the principle that we are far more complex that the environments in which we find ourselves. and that context is what we hope to bring to the light."

Diane Chang is a Brooklyn based chef and writer. She runs her own catering and private chef business called Eating Po-Po’s - a tribute to her grandmother, but when she was approached to open a Sichuan restaurant in Mexico City last year, she jumped at the opportunity. The restaurant was just 3 weeks away from its opening date of April 1 when Diane felt compelled to fly back to New York to be closer to her family during the COVID-19 pandemic. The small, majority Chinese community that her Mother lives in outside of Los Angeles had been whispering about a new pneumonia-like disease since November, and the prospect of a closing border was too much to bear.

Diane shares her experience with the loss of that exciting new restaurant project, but she has much to say about the positive impacts of the new world that we’re living in. She has begun volunteering in a community garden in East New York, returned to creating food in her own kitchen for Eating Po-Pos, and has hope that the restaurant industry will spring back in a more positive and inclusive way. We hope you enjoy this conversation!