This week's story is Maria's story.

Maria is an exuberant book lover who teaches and LOVES teaching first grade. Maria and I chat for awhile about books and the magic of stories and literature, but we dig into her story of pursuing teaching and what it is about teaching that she loves to do, regardless of the struggles facing helping professions. This conversation, like most between friends, is a little bit of everything, and I hope that you'll feel energized and inspired by Maria the way that I do.

Content warning: grief over loss of a parent

You can connect with Maria on Instagram at @riareading

This week's story is Allie Gaines's story.

Allie is a 26 year old woman living in Indiana, raising her daughter alongside her husband, and carving out her own space in the "bookstagram" world. Allie shares with us her diagnosis of postpartum anxiety and eclampsia, the conflicting emotions of being a mom, as well as her history of religious trauma. Allie and I talk for a WHILE about various topics, including a discussion on the ever-present overturning of Roe v. Wade. We wrap up our conversation talking about the books we love.

Content warning: anxiety, religious trauma, abortion

You can connect with Allie on Instagram at @unwrittenpages_

This week's story is my own story of being diagnosed with and learning to live with generalized anxiety disorder.

In hindsight, I can see that I've been living with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) my entire life, but it wasn't until this past winter that it became so debilitating that I arrived at a diagnosis. This week I'm sharing some of the things I was experiencing and feeling at my worst, some of the things that I've learned in therapy that have helped me, and how I've gotten to a place where I can experience joy despite external circumstances, despite also feeling anger, fear and exhaustion. My hope is that my story might help someone feel less alone in their struggle and/or recognize some symptoms they maybe didn't realize was associated with GAD.

Content warning: anxiety, episodic depression and hopelessness

This week's story is that of Deandra Hamer.

Deandra is one of my dearest friend, and is in fact, the inspiration for the other person in the art for this podcast! Deandra teaches us about holding space for whimsy and the heaviness at the same time - she's an incredible person who's no stranger to difficulty. Her predilection for whimsy isn't due to the absence of pain, but rather the intention of creating joy, finding light in the darkness. Deandra personally inspires me every day to find magic in ordinary moments, and I hope she'll inspire you too.

Content warning: chronic illness, mental health

You can connect with Deandra on Instagram at @deandra.hamer

This week's story is that of Samantha Jaxon.

Samantha is a romance writer, advocate and a woman who has experienced several broken systems. This may be one of the most intricate and varied stories we've had to date - Samantha shares her story experiencing pregnancy and miscarriage, learning disability, chronic illness, sexual assault, advocacy, and the ongoing process that is healing in ways that may surprise you.

Content warning: chronic illness, pregnancy, miscarriage, sexual assault, abusive relationship, brief mention of forced sterilzation

You can connect with Samantha on Instagram at @books_by_ssjaxon

This week's story is that of Nicole Fong.

On Tuesday, May 3rd, women across the US woke up to the news that a document had leaked from the US Supreme Court detailing a preliminary decision that would effectively overturn Roe v. Wade - the case that provided federal protection for women seeking abortion. That morning, Nicole reached out, willing to share her story of abortion - to address misconceptions, and to hopefully make any woman listening who has had or is considering having an abortion, feel a little less alone in that. But just like Nicole is not defined by her abortion, you'll hear so many other facets of her story come through on this episode including growing up with a learning disability, her struggles and triumphs in her career, and motherhood. Nicole's story is such a sweet reminder that we are not defined by our worst or hardest moments, that we are so much more.

Content warning: abortion, abusive relationships

You can connect with Nicole on Instagram at @disneygirlnf

This week is part two of my story as a fat woman.

Last week I shared my story of dieting since a young age and living in a body I hated for the majority of my life, as well as the hurdles I've faced getting good care simply because I am a fat woman.

This week I wanted to share more about what I've been learning and unlearning recently that's helped me, the healing I've been undergoing with my body and body image and some resources that helped me in my healing, as well as some things I wish people knew and/or would stop doing or saying regarding fatness and fat people.

Again, I hope you'll approach this with curiosity and empathy and a willingness to be wrong if you've engaged in any of these micro-aggressions in the past - I know I have. We are often so well intentioned, but harm can be done even when the intention is good, and impact is more significant than intention.

To my fellow fat people, you deserve dignity.

Content warning: weight stigma, anti-fatness, disordered eating, body shame

This week is part one of my story as a fat woman.

I've put off this episode for weeks because a) I wanted to do it RIGHT and b) it's incredibly vulnerable. I also know that a lot of people are deeply uninterested in listening to the story of fatness. Our society deeply wants us to erase fatness and thus the stories of fat people, particularly the ones of people who are not trying to erase fatness in themselves.

My hope is that as you listen to this two part series, you'll walk into this with the first goal of listening with a curious mind and an open heart. There are moments that may challenge you, I've been challenged quite a lot in the past few months dismantling my own internalized anti-fat bias, but I hope you're up for the discomfort and the challenge because fat people deserve better. I know now that I deserve(d) better.

This week's episode is specifically my history of dieting, body-shame and my personal encounters with really poor medical care.

Content warning: suicidal thoughts, weight stigma, anti-fatness, disordered eating, body shame

This week's story is that of Emily Woodfield

Mom. Emily is a mom, but she's not only a mom. She's a wife, daughter, friend, sister, and someone excited about her career. In this episode, Emily shares with us how she's changed in many ways since she's become a mom a year ago, but how she's also continued to pour into herself and her identity as a multifaceted reality. Whether you're a mom or not, Emily's story is relatable to anyone who's struggled to find the magic in who they are while grappling with comparison, perfectionism and just figuring it out as you go.

Content warning: postpartum

You can connect with Emily on Instagram at @emily.woodfield

This week's story is that of Noelle Bechtel.

Noelle lives in San Francisco with her husband, dog and cat. She's a veterinarian, friend, daughter, sister and devoted aunt. As Noelle transitions into a new phase of life, starting a family, she opens up with us about her process of learning she would struggle with fertility, undergoing fertility treatment, and what she's learned to grieve and process along the way. Noelle and I have a very candid conversation about women's health in this episode as well as the grief surrounding infertility and pregnancy loss.

Content warning: infertility, pregnancy loss, BMI and weight/weight stigma

You can connect with Noelle on Instagram at @schoettlebug