Dheepa R. Maturi is an Indian-American writer who explores ecology, culture, identity, and how they intersect. Her essays, poetry, and fiction have appeared in a variety of literary journals and anthologies, including Literary Hub, PANK, The Fourth River, Writer’s Digest, Sequestrum, Tiferet, and How to Write a Form Poem. Her work has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize, and she is the author of 108: AN ECO-THRILLER (GFB Press, 2025). 

DHEEPA R. MATURI

Website: Dheepa R. Maturi

@DheepaRMaturi on FB, IG, LinkedIn, YouTube

KARA KAVENSKY

Website: Kara Kavensky

@karakavensky on Substack, FB, IG, LinkedIn and Threads

Receive updates on Kara's new memoir release, TELL ME ABOUT JOY

Sponsored by: Adam Gibson Design and Remain Relevant, a corporate storytelling masterclass

Produced by: Marilou Marosz

Original music written and performed by: Adam W. Gibson

CHAPTERS

[01:05] Dheepa Maturi - writer and poet

[02:30] What sparked your interest in writing an eco-thriller?

[04:21] Personifying global climate change 

[05:45] The meaning of characters' names

[08:48] How did you start writing poetry?

[09:51] How did you approach writing the novel?

[11:30] What was most surprising about putting your book out into the world?

[13:45] Do not despair over ecological grief, landscape loss, and species loss

On November 28, 2016, Michael Reed lost his wife and both of his daughters in the wildfire that consumed Gatlinburg, Tennessee. As he stumbled and crawled down this unstable, broken road of grief, he’s learned many lessons along the way. Michael is the author of THE MILLION STAGES OF GRIEF: A GUIDE TO FINDING PURPOSE FOR YOUR PAIN.

Michael believes there is a purpose for our pain, and his purpose is to share his story and experiences to help others going through similar loss, trauma, or grief. 

SPECIAL THANKS

Garden & Gun. "Fire on the Mountain"

https://bit.ly/3WPTbnz

Knoxville News Sentinel. "Mountain firestorm: The story of the Gatlinburg wildfires"

https://bit.ly/4hT4p4d

News Channel 5 Nashville. "Top Stories Of 2016: Gatlinburg Fires Leave Historic Devastation"

https://bit.ly/3WL27uv

MICHAEL REED

Website: https://themillionstages.com/

Substack: https://substack.com/@themillionstagesofgrief

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alwaysreedstrong

Instagram: @reedstrong2020

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.reed.466666

KARA KAVENSKY

Website: Kara Kavensky

@karakavensky on Substack, FB, IG, LinkedIn and Threads

Receive updates on Kara's new memoir release, TELL ME ABOUT JOY

Sponsored by: Adam Gibson Design and Remain Relevant, a corporate storytelling masterclass

Produced by: Marilou Marosz

Original music written and performed by: Adam W. Gibson

CHAPTERS

[00:42]  Mountain Firestorm (Knoxville News Sentinel)

[01:57]   Michael Reed: The face of the Gatlinburg wildfires of 2016

[03:57]  More than five stages of grief

[05:10]  Changing the world one person at a time 

[06:41]  Family, community, and Dolly Parton

[10:50]  Top Stories of 2016 (News Channel 5 Nashville)

[11:57]   Dealing with unimaginable circumstances

[13:00]  Michael's book: THE MILLION STAGES OF GRIEF

[15:00]  It's time to talk about it

[16:05]  Kara on the healing power of storytelling

STAND author Kathryn Bertine returns to the podcast to share how she responded to the Record Scratch moment of losing her dad and the inspiration for her new book.

Kathryn is an author, athlete, activist, and documentary filmmaker. She finished what she and her father started: climbing the highest points in each state.

Before highpointing, Kathryn played an instrumental role in getting women into the Tour de France. Today’s eight-day Tour de France Femmes stems from her activism and you can read or listen to the wild, true story of what really happens when we fight for change in her book, STAND.

KATHRYN BERTINE

Website: https://www.kathrynbertine.com

Instagram: @kathryn_bertine

KARA KAVENSKY

Website: Kara Kavensky

@karakavensky on Substack, FB, IG, LinkedIn and Threads

Receive updates on Kara's new memoir release, TELL ME ABOUT JOY

Sponsored by: Adam Gibson Design and Remain Relevant, a corporate storytelling masterclass

Produced by: Marilou Marosz

Original music written and performed by: Adam W. Gibson

CHAPTERS

[01:09] Introduction - Kathryn Bertine

[01:48] Kathryn's 2nd climb of Mount Denali

[03:46] Highpointing with Dad

[05:07] Pike’s Peak this, Pike's Peak that

[06:20] A highpointing plan comes together

[09:14] Going solo with Hummingb'urn

[11:53] Discovering the Highpointer's Club

[13:12] Charles Mound, Illinois

[15:27] Next stop, Iowa. Stop!

[16:46] A journey bigger than highpointing

[19:12] The Land of the Midnight Sun

[20:59] Sexism and ageism on Mount Denali

[22:39] Top five states with the highest peaks

[24:22] The 2nd Denali climb - an all-female expedition

[26:56] Honoring Mom and Dad

[27:57] Female firsts on Mount Denali

[30:09] Finding inspiration in trailbreakers and social media

Licensed therapist and author Gina Moffa joins Kara Kavensky to talk about grief, trauma, and the modern landscape of healing. From how trauma lives in the body to practical ways to show up for others in pain, this episode unpacks the myths of “getting over it” and instead invites listeners to build compassion, safety, and self-understanding through loss.

Topics include:

•  The difference between grief and trauma

•  Somatic and holistic healing methods

•  How to support friends through loss without platitudes

•  The long tail of secondary and tertiary losses

•  Building safety in trauma-informed therapy

Mentioned:

•  MOVING ON DOESN'T MEAN LETTING GO by Gina Moffa

•  Upcoming book WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR FRIENDSHIP?

•  Kara Kavensky’s memoir, TELL ME ABOUT JOY (Sourcebooks, 2026)

•  Sponsors: Remain Relevant – Humanize, Organize, Weaponize your corporate storytelling | Adam Gibson Design | Tell Me About Joy by Kara Kavensky

Gina is working on her next book about the silent grief of friendship loss, which is due to be published in February of 2027.

GINA MOFFA

Website: ginamoffa.com/

Instagram: @ginamoffalcsw

KARA KAVENSKY

Website: Kara Kavensky

@karakavensky on Substack, FB, IG, LinkedIn and Threads

Receive updates on Kara's new memoir release, TELL ME ABOUT JOY

Sponsored by: Adam Gibson Design and Remain Relevant, a corporate storytelling masterclass

Produced by: Marilou Marosz

Original music written and performed by: Adam W. Gibson

TIMESTAMPS

[01:10] Introduction - Gina Moffa

[01:35] ZARA'S BIG MESSY GOODBYE

[02:36] MOVING ON DOESN'T MEAN LETTING GO

[05:41] Healing modalities

[07:12] Grief's sister, trauma

[11:28] Helping others recognize trauma and identify needs

[16:06] Trauma-informed care

[19:41] Coping tendencies or rhythms

[22:27] Responding to coping styles

[23:54] Platitudes vs] compassionate consolation

[25:13] How to be present for someone who is grieving

[28:49] Secondary loss and tertiary loss

[31:59] Losing friendships

Stephanie Sarazin never imagined she would work in “the grief space” until a devastating loss flipped her world inside out. Stephanie found her way through the pain and became a writer, an accidental grief researcher, a TEDx curator, and ultimately, an experiential expert in ambiguous grief. Her book, SOULBROKEN, A Guidebook for Your Journey Through Ambiguous Grief, is a Nautilus Book Awards winner and a runaway bestseller.

STEPHANIE SARAZIN

Website: https://stephaniesarazin.com/

Instagram: @stephing_thru

Facebook: @stephanie.sarazin 

Linktree: stephing_thru

KARA KAVENSKY

Website: Kara Kavensky

@karakavensky on Substack, FB, IG, LinkedIn and Threads

Receive updates on Kara's new memoir release, TELL ME ABOUT JOY

Sponsored by: Adam Gibson Design and Remain Relevant, a corporate storytelling masterclass

Produced by: Marilou Marosz

Original music written and performed by: Adam W. Gibson

TOPICS

[01:10] Introduction: Stephanie Sarazin

[01:57] Writing about grief

[02:42] Feedback on book and non-death loss grief

[04:40] Using visualization for healing

[07:28] Hope and ambiguous grief

[10:18] External hope vs. internal hope 

[12:45] Ambiguous grief is valid and real

[13:49] Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD, books and research

[14:48] Ritual as a response to loss

[16:21] The role of memory in healing

[20:56] Witnessing the grief of others

Author of 68 books, former lawyer-turned-legal thriller novelist, William Bernhardt had a rough road to publishing. Resilience serves him well, as he never gave up and achieved his dream of becoming a writer. Bill’s latest book is an accurate nonfiction account of Jerry Siegel, the creator of Superman, who spent decades fighting to get credit for his beloved, iconic character. Bill is also the founder of WriterCon, a popular conference that is held over Labor Day weekend every year in Oklahoma City.

THE SUPERMAN WARS: A BATTLE FOR TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND AN AMERICAN ICON, from Simon & Schuster, officially releases April 28, 2026, and is available for pre-order on Amazon and everywhere you buy books.

WILLIAM BERNHARDT

WriterCon

LinkedIn

KARA KAVENSKY

Website: Kara Kavensky

@karakavensky on Substack, FB, IG, LinkedIn and Threads

Receive updates on Kara's new memoir release, TELL ME ABOUT JOY

Sponsored by: Adam Gibson Design and Remain Relevant, a corporate storytelling masterclass

Produced by: Marilou Marosz

Original music written and performed by: Adam W. Gibson

[01:08] Introduction: William Bernhardt

[01:57] A love of reading and libraries

[03:41] Becoming a lawyer

[04:44] Submissions and rejections

[06:05] The Ben Kincaid series

[07:41] Leaving the law to write full time

[09:01] Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and Superman

[10:53] Early precedent for Intellectual property [IP]

[15:05] The original sin of comics

[16:36] Superboy and another precedent

[18:31] Struggling yet still fighting for credit

[19:32] Adult comic culture and a Hollywood blockbuster

[23:00] Founding WriterCon

[26:59] ComicCon, GenCom, and Kurt Vonnegut

*Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide.*

Mesa Fama is a writer whose lovely words are found in the New York Times, The Mighty, and Medium. She is a reader, keeper of secrets, scars, and stars. Mesa is a hope dealer and suicide survivor and is currently writing a memoir.

MESA FAMA

Substack: @mesa - Let the Words Fall Out

Instagram: @mesa.fama

KARA KAVENSKY

Website: Kara Kavensky

@karakavensky on Substack, FB, IG, LinkedIn and Threads

Receive updates on Kara's new memoir release, TELL ME ABOUT JOY

Sponsored by: Adam Gibson Design and Remain Relevant, a corporate storytelling masterclass

Produced by: Marilou Marosz

Original music written and performed by: Adam W. Gibson

[00:56] Welcome to Record Scratch with Kara

[01:07] Introduction - Mesa Fama

[01:54] Connection via Elizabeth Gilbert's Substack

[02:36] Mother's death by suicide

[05:18] Dealing with grief

[06:49] Letter writing to cope with loss

[07:45] Writing about mental health

[09:33] Being published and going viral: The Mighty and the NY Times

[12:08] Writing Tiny Love Stories for the New York Times

[14:46] Shoutout: Writing in the Dark with Jeannine Ouellette

[15:16] Essay: Please Stop Saying Suicide is Selfish

[18:06] Suicidal ideation and the memoir: LET THE WORDS FALL OUT

[21:07] Benefiting from parasocial relationships on Substack

Ariel Curry is an author, book coach, and editor with Sourcebooks. She co-authored HUNGRY AUTHORS, and after reading the intro, I knew the book had to have been written for me — and all other memoirists who are guided to put their work out into the world. However, it’s her personal journey that truly drew me in. Ariel, like many women, struggled with fertility issues. She and her husband have been foster parents and have adopted three beautiful children, proving that you have the power to create your own happily even after.

Ariel Curry is Sr. Editor for nonfiction at Sourcebooks. As an editor, she enjoys brainstorming and outlining new book ideas, bringing clarity and purpose to prose, and helping authors find resilience in their writing journey. When she’s not working on books, you can find Ariel practicing yoga, playing piano, or reading with a cup of coffee. She lives in Chattanooga, TN, with her husband, three children, two rescue dogs, a kitten, and a beehive.

ARIEL CURRY

@arielkcurry on Substack

Hungry Authors: https://hungryauthors.com/

Ariel on Pregnantish: https://pregnantish.com/?s=ariel+curry

KARA KAVENSKY

Website: Kara Kavensky

@karakavensky on Substack, FB, IG, LinkedIn and Threads

Receive updates on Kara's new memoir release, TELL ME ABOUT JOY, here

Sponsored by: Adam Gibson Design and Remain Relevant, a corporate storytelling masterclass

Produced by: Marilou Marosz

Original music written and performed by: Adam W. Gibson

[01:39] - Introduction - Ariel Curry

[02:24] - Hungry Authors book and podcast

[03:17] - Miscarriage and loss

[05:16] - IVF, IUI, and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome

[06:49] - Foster parenting

[11:10] - The joy of adoption

[16:09] - Support during fertility journey

[17:27] - Rituals for healing

[21:12] - Motherhood after adoption

[24:57] - Writing about fertility journey

[28:01] - Upcoming projects for Hungry Authors

Literary Agent extraordinaire Katharine Sands of the Sarah Jane Freymann Agency joins me to discuss the job of an agent in today’s ever-changing publishing industry. Note: Katharine is my lit agent.

She is also the author of MAKING THE PERFECT PITCH: HOW TO CATCH A LITERARY AGENT’S EYE.

+++++++++++++

KATHARINE SANDS

Katharine Sands, Literary Agent

Sarah Jane Freymann Agency

Here’s where I found Katharine, and where you can find an agent: Manuscript Wishlist

See also the Manuscript Academy podcast

KARA KAVENSKY

Website: Kara Kavensky

@karakavensky at Substack, FB, IG, LinkedIn, and Threads

Receive updates on Kara's new memoir release, TELL ME ABOUT JOY here.

Sponsored by Adam Gibson Design

and Remain Relevant, a corporate storytelling masterclass

Produced by Marilou Marosz

Original music written and performed by: Adam W. Gibson

++++++++++++++

[01:39] - Becoming a literary agent 

[04:11] - Working at the Sarah Jane Freymann Agency 

[05:47] - Building a career as a literary agent 

[07:37] - Navigating changes in the publishing industry 

[09:16] - Choosing writers and projects from proposals and query letters  

[10:33] - The submission process for TELL ME ABOUT JOY (previously FINDING JOY) 

[13:56] - Developing a campaign and submission strategy for getting a publisher 

[18:47] - How the author can support the literary agent 

[20:35] - Successful clients and unique proposals 

[22:47] - Representing Jarvis Jay Masters, author of FINDING FREEDOM and THAT BIRD HAS MY WINGS 

[24:50] - Finding the right literary agent and book editor 

[29:20] - How writing a book can change your life 

[30:48] - Learning from MAKING THE PERFECT PITCH: HOW TO CATCH A LITERARY AGENT'S EYE  

Welcome to Season 3 of Record Scratch with Kara!

A lot has transpired since we wrapped up Season 2, and we are excited to share the updates in this introduction.

Every episode this season is about a healing journey. Episodes drop on Thursdays.

Thank you for listening.

KARA KAVENSKY

Website: Kara Kavensky

@karakavensky on Substack, FB, IG, LinkedIn and Threads

Receive updates on Kara's new memoir release, TELL ME ABOUT JOY, here

Sponsored by: Adam Gibson Design and Remain Relevant, a corporate storytelling masterclass

Produced by: Marilou Marosz

Original music written and performed by: Adam W. Gibson