The Lighter Side with Jay

Alicia Rodriguez is pursuing her Master's Degree just as she rounds the bend toward 60. And, she isn't planning to stop there either.  Soon we will have to call her Dr. Rodriguez. Alicia and I talked about current events, but also through her turbulent childhood, raising her sons Jared And Tyler (former guests of the show), and having not one, not two, but three weight loss surgeries after her lap band eroded into her stomach. Good times! 

Alicia told me she is always reinventing herself, but I think the current version is doing just fine. 

Steve Schuth has been teaching English while living in Spain for the last 16 years. This came after he took a random trip to Holland, during which he decided almost immediately to leave his suit and tie job in NYC for an uncertain future in Amsterdam. Now, two decades or so later, Steve has a pretty unique take on all of the uhh... stuff going on in his old country. 

Danny Rodriguez and I went to high school together. Manalapan class of '97. We didn't really know each other. He was the wrestling and football guy and I was the theater guy. Danny went into law enforcement, suffered multiple injuries, and wound up being prescribed Oxycontin. What followed was an unfortunate spiral into substance use disorder.

But, happily, Danny is doing amazingly well these days. He is coaching wrestling and football, and has shed over 100 lbs. He has been clean and sober for 8 years and is the proud parent of 2 little boys who love to workout as much as their Dad does. It was really great to talk to Danny, and I'm honored that my show is one of the first times he has publicly told his story. 

Rich Monahan is a writer, storyteller, and producer living in Los Angeles. His writing has been featured in The New York Times, VICE, McSweeney's, Esquire, the list goes on. He also won the Moth GrandSLAM, and co-hosts/produces That Reminds Me, a live monthly storytelling show in Los Angeles, which uhh...isn't happening right now.

We talked about our shared mental health disorders, most notably OCD, which is always a great time. Please check out all things Rich Monahan at this big old link. 

Trevor Gates's kidneys went into total failure. He died and was revived. He was eight. Unfortunately that was not the end of Trevor's health issues, as he slowly but surely lost his vision and required a cane to get around by the time he was 22. This likely contributed to the debilitating mental health issues he suffered with as an adolescent and young adult. 

Now, Trevor has robo eyes, which you'll learn all about when you listen. He is also in control of his future, and well on the road to becoming a therapist. He is a vastly impressive young man, and you must check his story out. 

Anita Kelly is the host of the "Lez Talk About Books, Baby!" podcast, on which she interviews LGBTQIA+ authors in order to create more awareness of works that may slip through the cracks. She has worked as a counselor and an advocate, and as a person in recovery, has used her life experiences to help others on both a personal and an institutional level. 

We had a fabulous chat, and you should listen to this, and then go listen to her show! 

Nicole Calabrese was supposed to be in a show right now. She's a dancer and a musical theater performer whose show got canceled due to COVID. One of the MANY performers who are out of a job and facing an uncertain future.  She was ALSO supposed to get married this summer. So, there's a lot of pivoting going on in Nicole's house. 

But, she is a positive thinker and a really great conversationalist, so we managed to keep it nice and breezy. She told me what it was like when the Bucks County Playhouse doors were barricaded shut because the theater was seized from the awful human who owned it! Enjoy! 

Christy O’Connor is an artist, curator, and arts advocate. She is an interdisciplinary artist, whose work examines gender, feminism, cultural and social norms, politics, history and perception.  It's also just really, really cool, and you can see it all on her Instagram.

As an artist in residency, with two planned exhibitions being canceled, Christy has certainly been affected by the pandemic. As an empath and anxiety sufferer, Christy has CERTAINLY been affected by the pandemic. (samesies). Christy is the first visual artist that I've had on this audio production, but let me tell ya, she translates. 

EPISODE 90 in 90 DAYS: Black Trans Lives Matter 

Shauntelle Rose Hammonds is a black trans woman living in Richmond, VA. She is also a person in recovery, after suffering with substance use disorder for most of her life. She bravely told me her story, and it is one that shouldn't be ignored: the lives of black trans women are in danger, and their names must be spoken. 

Names like Bree Black, Summer Taylor, Meri Mack, Shakie Peters, and the other 20 or so black trans women who have been murdered in 2020. (That we know of). Shauntelle is living as her true self for the first time, and doing so in this environment is certainly stressful, but she is an amazing, strong woman, and I know she is on her way to doing amazing things for her community 

Howard Whitmore is a Middle School Choir Director in NJ, where he also advises the African American Culture Club and the Gender & Sexuality Alliance. He is also the president of Mystic Vision Players, a non-profit theatre company based in Linden, NJ, and a seasoned performer who has performed in hundreds of shows. 

Howard and I talked about the current state of the world ,what it was like growing up as a black, gay man, what he learned from a recent panel he held on racism in NJ Community Theater, and lots more! Howard is a genuinely kind and compassionate human being, and everyone's world would be made better with him in it. Enjoy!