Shhh! Don't Talk About It

This week Megan and Reyna are talk with new parents Emily and Amber who join us to share their experience with fertility treatments and their journey to becoming parents. Emily and Amber's story started in 2018 with their first attempt at pregnancy and ended in 2022 with the birth of their daughter, conceived via in vitro fertilization. 

The couple graciously shares with us their experience with the fertility industry and topics covered include

Thank you so much to Emily and Amber for sharing their story! 

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This week Reyna and Megan are joined by guest Tyler to talk about what it's like to get a vasectomy. In light of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade we are proud to make space for a conversation about how men can step up and protect their partners from unwanted pregnancy. In this episode we talk about 

Thanks to Tyler for sharing his story! 

Content warning: The start of this episode discusses some aspects of child birth that may be difficult for sensitive listeners. 

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This week Reyna and Megan are joined by three guests from Catcall Magazine to talk about bisexuality. We cover coming out as bisexual, the challenges and excitement of figuring out our sexuality, bisexual erasure and biphobia, and what it means to find community in the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Catcall is a digital collective uplifting Midwest writers, photographers, and artists. We focus on telling important community stories through an intersectional feminist lens that call out and dismantle systemic inequalities; uplift and illuminate the experiences of women, non-binary folks, the queer community, and allies in the Midwest; and connect us all as we catcall back at the patriarchy. This week's guests are: 

Kelcie McKenney, Editor-In-Chief / Founder

Kelcie (she/her) is a writer, editor, and artist who is passionate about intersectional feminism, local activism, queer representation, and strengthening community. You can find Kelcie reading (probably smut or Twilight), talking astrology, hanging with her three-legged cat and four-legged dog, or trying to overthrow the patriarchy.

Emily Park, Managing Editor

Emily (she/her) is a Kansas City-based journalist, passionate about giving a voice to those who don’t always have one. From news to features to business-to-business reporting, she’s done it all. In her free time, you can find Emily reading (probably fantasy smut), playing board games with her partner, or cuddling up with her dogs and cat.

Max Sheffield-Baird, Contributing Writer

Max Sheffield-Baird (they/them) is a writer and marketing strategist who’s passionate about racial and economic justice. Max is a parent of a rambunctious infant and is a student at Colorado State University and is expected to graduate in July 2021. In their dwindling free time (hello parenthood!), they enjoy podcasts, reading fantasy and non-fiction, and educating people on kyriarchy on the internet.

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This week Megan & Reyna tackle recovering from and surviving infidelity. We share our personal experiences with affairs and breaches of trust in romantic relationships and focus on how to rebuild trust and self confidence after an affair. Infidelity is something that creates shame for everyone involved, and we believe it's important talk about it - cheating happens in a large number of adult relationships and it's time to stop pretending it doesn't happen. 

In this episode we cover

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This week Megan and Reyna are honored to talk with Alexis Hourselt, host of the DNA Surprises podcast, about her own DNA discovery. In the summer of 2021 Alexis had an experience that is becoming more and more common, but is still rarely talked about. 

Upon receiving the results of a commercial ancestry DNA test she learned that one of the parents who raised her was not her biological parent, leading her down a path of uncovering family secrets, discovering a new self-identity, and learning to deal with the repercussions of decisions her parents made when she was just a baby. 

Alexis's experience - known as a "non parental event" or "not parent expected" - has become more and more common with the rise of at home DNA tests and she has excellent advice for others who find themselves in the same position. Her story is an inspiring one of growth, healing, forgiveness, and self discovery. Thank you Alexis for coming on the pod to share! 

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This week Reyna and Megan continue the conversation about drinking, drinking culture, and alcohol abuse. Inspired by last episode's conversation with Morgan about her journey with alcohol addiction, Megan and Reyna look at their own drinking habits and explore their relationship with alcohol.

According to the National Institutes for Health, millions of Americans struggle with binge drinking, problem drinking, and alcohol addiction leading to significant legal problems and health issues and 14.5 million Americans are diagnosed with Alcohol Use Disorder and 95,000 people die from alcohol use a year.

Curious if you're drinking has reached a problematic point? Check out this 10 question survey to assess where you are at. 

If you are worried about your alcohol use and would like to seek help check out the resources below: 

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On today's episode Reyna and Megan are joined by Morgan who shares her experience navigating alcohol addiction from the start of her problem drinking, through her journey with addiction, to hitting her "rock bottom," and starting down the path to recovery. Morgan is currently four years sober, and her story is one of pain, courage, healing, and growth. Thank you so much to Morgan for her courage in sharing her story.

According to the National Institutes for Health, millions of Americans struggle with binge drinking, problem drinking, and alcohol addiction leading to significant legal problems and health issues and 14.5 million Americans are diagnosed with Alcohol Use Disorder and 95,000 people die from alcohol use a year.

Curious if you're drinking has reached a problematic point? Check out this 10 question survey to assess where you are at. 

If you are worried about your alcohol use and would like to seek help check out the resources below: 

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Megan and Reyna are back for season 4, broadcasting from a whole new city. Last time you heard from us, we were recording from an empty living room in Portland, Oregon just a few weeks away from our big move to Los Angeles. Now that we're settled in we're launching season 4 with an update on our lives and lessons learned from uprooting our lives. This episode covers:

We can't wait for you to see what's in store for the rest of season 4, so stay tuned in all season long.

Special acknowledgement: This episode is coming out 7/12/22 on the two year anniversary of our friend Joseph's death. His passing was a major inspiration for this podcast, and we thank him for all that he brought to our lives during the years we were connected. Thanks Joe Joe, we miss you! 

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Reyna and Megan are back from break with a bonus episode and some big news - we are moving to Los Angeles! In this episode we talk about what it's like to re-locate to a new city in mid life (it's a lot harder than just picking up and going in your 20s), why we each decided to move (turns out the last two years of trauma were a great motivator), and what we are learning as we navigate this major life transition. 

We hope you enjoy this between season episode, and we'll be back full time for season 4 in June.  

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The holiday season is supposed to be a time for joy, connection, and celebration - but for most of us it's really a time for experiencing the stress, anxiety, and feeling totally overwhelmed. Does it have to be this way? This week Megan and Reyna tackle how to break free from the expectations that come with the holidays and how to stay connected to ourselves during the most triggering time of the year. We also tell on ourselves sharing stories of times that we've ruined family holidays (oops!) and talk about what we are hoping 2022 will bring us. 

To all our listeners, thanks for sticking with us this year! We will be on hiatus until early 2022 so that we can practice what we preach, relax, and take care of ourselves. 

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