The Release Podcast

Melissa Petro was working a NYC elementary school teacher in 2011 when she authored a 700 word essay for the Huffington Post that changed her life. In it, she argued that Craigslist should not take down its sex services page based on the assumption that all callgirls on CL were underage or trafficked; she could attest to this, she wrote, having been a former callgirl on Craigslist herself. It wasn’t long before a reporter connected her name on that article with her job as a NYC public elementary school teacher, and over night, she was a mass media pariah.

Forced to resign by the DOE, the aspiring writer experienced humiliation on a life changing scale. And while she had never actually hidden it, Melissa also had not yet fully processed the violent backdrop of her childhood, the slippery slope from stripping to actual prostitution, or the escalating substance abuse that numbed her just enough. Today, Melissa has placed her moment in the unwanted spotlight largely in the rearview mirror, she is a journalist with a family of her own, and she has authored a book called SHAME: HOW TO BE A WOMAN IN THE AGE OF MORTIFICATION.

Melissa is no more immune to shame now than she was when, but she’s also no longer naive enough to think that a callgirl-turned-teacher would be a remotely resistible target. The good news is that  unlike many others who have been traumatized beyond resurrection by their mass media humiliations…Melissa Petro has just kept on going. And once you hear her story…you will see, just like I now do…why.

hhttps://www.melissa-petro.com/

https://www.instagram.com/melissa.petro/

For more on The Release Podcast:

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https://www.poonam.info 

Soraya Chemaly is the author of THE RESILIENCE MYTH: NEW THINKING ON GRIT, STRENGTH AND GROWTH AFTER TRAUMA.

To date, she is best known as the author of RAGE BECOMES HER, which was the topic of a prior episode of this podcast.

In her new book, The Resilience Myth, Chemaly has delivered a powerful manifesto for communal resilience based on in-depth investigations into history, social science, and psychology. We are often urged to rely only on ourselves for strength, mental fortitude, and positivity. But Chemaly challenges us to adapt our thinking about how we survive in a world of sustained, overlapping crises.

We will need each other now, to embody true resilience…now as much as ever. And looking back at history makes it clear that the reasons why are not up for debate. But the sooner we rid ourselves of this myth of solitary resilience, the sooner we can truly get ahead, as a team. Here’s hoping that we can admit it.

For more on Soraya: https://www.sorayachemaly.com/

For more on Poonam & The Release Podcast: https://thereleasepodcast.com/

https://poonam.info/

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To subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-release-podcast/id1746133355

Spotify Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/19OIBZMjxtHCyl94CBrZBa

Have you ever imagined what overnight internet celebrity might feel like? Wonder no more. Having a worldwide following of people who think they know you, can be exhilarating, and daunting. Take it from Peyman (AKA TikTok's sensation Pey.Pey33), who has been a mystery wrapped in a soundtrack, twirling a handkerchief over his head while dancing through life across the world on social media to the delight of his some 800,000 followers for years. But today the mystery is over, starting with his real name. Meet Peyman. He's ethnically Afghani, was raised in Germany after being smuggled across the border by his mother at only 7 months old, and is finally ready to share his story with the world. From a very conservative childhood to the 14-year relationship that defined much of his life before the pandemic. From the early sudden loss of his father, to the years when he cared for his mom as she descended, sadly, into dementia. To the legacy of being the only brown kid in a small town German classroom along with his twin brother, to finally landing in New York, where on some deep level, he finally feels like he belongs. Peyman is ready to share who he is and who he hopes to become. So far, his followers have been nothing but kind, and if you watch his reels you'll see why. The depth that underlies this happy-go-lucky dancing video persona is much more palpable in real life. He is a gentle soul, and to date the internet has been both welcoming and kind. Let's all hope he just keeps dancing.

https://www.tiktok.com/@pey.pey.33?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/pey.pey.33/

For more on The Release Podcast:

https://thereleasepodcast.com 

https://www.tiktok.com/@thereleasewithpoonam 

https://www.poonam.info 

Constantly achieving but still find yourself feeling empty? Join the club. It’s growing. Luckily, Dr. Adam Dorsay has a roadmap for that.

In his book, Super Psyched, he breaks down the roots of this underlying discontent that so many clients in his therapy practice present, along with ways to fight it. Dorsay is a licensed psychologist, executive coach and TEDx speaker, as well as the Host of the Award Winning podcast, Super Psyched.

On this week's podcast, we are talking about what Adam has learned about the roots…and the remedies for our collective discontent. It’s more than just connection, to hear him explain it. Although there are four types of connection which he utilizes him his framework for building a life you can be psyched about. And he came by his knowledge honestly, not just through his therapy practice, but through the journey to find his own diagnosis. It paved the path to pursue his calling.

And just as connecting with himself helped him to find his version of a life that’s super psyched…he makes pretty strong case for why the same is also possible…for you.

For more on Adam Dorsay and SuperPsyched: https://dradamdorsay.com/super-psyched-book-page/

For more on The Release Podcast: https://thereleasepodcast.com/

https://www.tiktok.com/@thereleasewithpoonam

https://www.poonam.info

#adhd #discontent #unfulfilled #psychology #podcast #mentalhealth

By some estimates the portion of America’s population categorized as "child-free" by choice is as high as 25%. These people are defined as adults who have actively chosen not to become parents (biologically, through marriage or through adoption).

The ranks of the child-free are going, not just in this country but worldwide, and Professor Zachary Neal of Michigan State University is one of the few researchers focused on documenting and understanding that trend.

On today’s podcast, we are talking about the categories of adults, from parents, to not-yet-parents, to the ambivalent, to the childless despite trying, to the childfree by choice. Society is changing, but is that what we’re seeing in these numbers, or are we finally seeing numbers that reveal the truth? Is the concern over the growing ranks of the childfree really about the population replacement rates, or is it something far more puritanical than that? What are our misconceptions about those who choose not to have children, and what do they say about us? Do the people who chose not to have children…live to regret it later?

And what does it mean for the country…and the world….when birth rates are plummeting while the aging are living longer? Stay tuned.

For more on Professor Zachary P Neal and the Childfree: https://www.zacharyneal.com/childfree

For more on The Release Podcast: https://thereleasepodcast.com/  https://www.instagram.com/thereleasewithpoonam/ https://www.poonam.info

#podcast #childfreebychoice #childfreelife #childfree #identity

Maddy Dychtwald is an expert on aging and the influence of older women on the global economy, as well as cofounder of Age Wave, a consultancy and thought leader on on issues relating to an aging population. Her latest book is called AGELESS AGING: A Woman's Guide To Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan.

- Women can expect to live seven years longer than men, but far less healthily.

- The average 50-year-old woman can expect to live another 35 years.

- More than 50% of the country's wealth is now in the hands of women.

- Women today make up 80% of centenarians, which are the fastest growing segment of the world’s population.

So, what are we going to do to maximize all of the extra years we get…and what are we going to do with all of our newfound monetary influence along the way?

For more on Maddy Dychtwald & Agewave: https://www.maddydychtwald.com/

Instagram: @thereleasewithpoonam

Cari Sietstra is a reproductive health warrior, a global women's abortion rights advocate, and the Director of The Period Pills Project. With a bachelors from Harvard and a JD from Stanford Law School, Cari has dedicated the past 20 plus years to keeping girls and women safe.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cari-sietstra-23271559/

For more on The Release Podcast: https://thereleasepodcast.com/

Instagram: @thereleasewithpoonam

#abortionlaw #abortionishealthcare #abortionban #abortionaccess #abortionpills #misoprostol #womensrights #womensupportingwomen #maternalmortality #postpartumrecovery #postpartumhemorrhage

Is your relationship stuck in the loop of defensiveness? What part do you play in the spiral?

Identity explosion is an internal shift in how someone perceives and/or expresses their place in the world (and it can include anything from gender to sexuality to motherhood, religion, and more).

Moraya Seeger DeGeare is a neurodivergent Black Biracial therapist, and the granddaughter of famed musician Pete Seeger. Growing up in Beacon NY in a home filled with extended family, music, art, activism and achievement, she learned early to be aware of the spaces that she occupied, and how she was perceived. Currently a couples therapist specializing in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Moraya also authors the monthly Refinery29 column called 'Can We Talk,' so she bears witness to a lot of what is changing about society…beginning on the inside.

Today’s podcast covers something that’s been coming up a lot recently in her sessions with clients. How to navigate the grief a person can feel when their partner experiences an identity explosion, while also staying supportive. Some explosions involve more externally visible changes than others…but they all alter the romantic relationship. In particular gender-based identity explosions can be complicated to navigate, but also a chance to grow closer, if handled with care. Are heteronormative relationships destined not to survive it? Are queer or gender fluid couples necessarily better equipped to work through the confusion in order to hold on to the love? What does working through something like a gender transition or a sexuality transition raise to the surface in terms of the assumptions we all make…in every relationship of our lives?

Email list: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/QfcGHMm/thereleasepodcast

#podcast #relationships #identity #transitioning #transgender #gender #genderideology #comingout #supportive

Soraya Chemaly is a Bahamian-American author, activist, feminist and the author of RAGE BECOMES HER. She’s written as a freelance journalist for The Atlantic, Time, The Guardian, Huffington Post and Ms. Magazine, among others, on topics including freedom of expression, gender, women's rights, sexualized violence, media and technology. She is also the Director of the Women's Media Centre Speech Project, and has been named among other things, one of Elle Magazine’s 25 most inspiring women to follow on Twitter.

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereleasewithpoonam/