Out of the Loop

In this episode, Abygayl Alvarez recalls her journey from eighth grade dropout to master's graduate in public health. She talks ADHD, her marriage to Isaiah and her epilepsy diagnosis.

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Out of The Loop podcast with Jane Neal. This week's episode features storyteller TJ Rankin.

T.J. Rankin has lived in the Tyler area all his life. When he isn’t serving the patrons of Tyler Public Library, he’s either reading ghost stories or watching a good movie. In this episode, TJ talks about anxiety, exes, therapy and why everyone should read a banned book.

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In this episode, Hewan Knight talks memories of Ethiopia, adoption, fitting in and schooling high school friends on racism.

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In this episode, Tyler native Lisa Williams tells about her experience in the hospital the night her daughter was shot in the arm by a drive-by shooter. Williams' experience with the medical staff propelled her to become a healthcare advocate for her daughter and now, her patients, in East Texas.

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In this episode, Out of the Loop season 3 storyteller Renn Stein tells his story about creating bubble tubes using 3-D printing with Makers on a Mission, a club he helped found his junior year at All Saints Episcopal School. In the two years that have passed since Renn shared his story at Out of the Loop, he catches us up on his life and studies in college-- including his freshman year attending Stanford  University via Zoom from his home in Tyler.

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Out of The Loop podcast with Jane Neal. This week's episode features journalist and storyteller Tasneem Raja.

Tasneem is the Editor-in-Chief of The Oaklandside, a local newsroom serving Oakland, California. She is also the co-founder of the Cityside Journalism Initiative, a nonprofit parent organization powering both The Oaklandside and Berkeleyside.

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NOTE: This episode may be sensitive to some listeners. In this episode, Karina said her story has tremendously changed. Her 26-year-old son, Katlin, took his life in July 2020. Karina shared how she is coping in the wake of his death. If you or a loved one need help, please call the suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

Karina Caywood was born in Ecuador, lived in Venezuela, graduated in computer programming, and immigrated to Texas in 2004. She has lived in Tyler with her husband for about nine years.

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In this episode, we hear from Shruti Patil. Since she told her story about moving to Tyler from Hyderabad, India, Shruti has faced enormous challenges during the COVID travel ban. She's finally back in the United States and anticipating the birth of her child.

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In this episode of Out of the Loop podcsat, we catch up with season 2 storyteller La’Tashiana Washington. La'Tashiana is a community health worker at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital. She attended John Tyler High School, Tyler Junior College  and Texas A&M. She volunteers with the Nurse Family Partnership, and joined the Preeclampsia Foundation to raise awareness of this condition. She loves to write poetry, read, and spend time with friends and loved ones.

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Our guest in this episode is Mike Guinn, a nationally renowned spoken word, artist, author, poet actor, event organizer and mental health advocate and activist. Mike has more than 20 years of stage film, radio and public speaking experience. He is the director of Mike Guinn entertainment and founder of Uplift Your Life, a 5 0 1 C3, which addresses mental health and wellness globally. Mike has been featured in the Tyler Loop's COVID stories series and is currently working with the Texas Association against Sexual Assaults Men's Story Project.

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