The Unity Project

Hello friends. This week's episode is going to be very different from the others given the fact that I'm not interviewing anyone! As some of you know, one of my passions outside of podcasting is public speaking. Every year I get the opportunity to speak and share my story at a camp called RYLA, and this year I thought it would be fun to post it here on the podcast for anyone who wants to listen to check it out. Enjoy!

TW: Sexual assault, addiction, eating disorders, trauma, depression, suicidal ideation

If you'd like to book me as a speaker for your next event, email [email protected]

Follow me:

IG: @jackieg.tv

www.jackiegronlund.com

Podcast Music by Lucas Taffo

This week The Unity Project is back with a very important interview with Emily L. Depasse, MSW, M.Ed.

Emily is a sex educator, digital creator, and writer working to redefine the narratives around herpes and other STIs. Emily shared her story about getting diagnosed with herpes in 2015, and really how society sets us up for failure there in such a huge way. She and I talked about the importance of destigmatizing STIs like herpes, the intersection of ethics and sexual wellness and education, and more. 

Enjoy!

Follow me:

IG: @jackieg.tv

www.jackiegronlund.com

Follow Emily:

www.emilydepasse.com

IG/ Twitter: @sexELDucation

Podcast Music by Lucas Taffo

Today I got to talk to somatic educator, award-winning speaker, author, restorative justice advocate, and lesbian Jewish feminist, @marleeliss on The Unity Project Podcast. Marlee made history in the justice system when her sexual assault case became the 1st in North America to conclude with restorative justice through the courts. Since then, she has coached hundreds of women and non-binary folk in healing shame and transforming trauma. I had the privilege of talking with Marlee about her story and the correlation between sexual assault and eating disorders, somatic healing after sexual assault, and somatic sex ed. Enjoy!

Watch on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3X8RO0V

Follow Marlee:

IG: @marleeliss

marleeliss.com

2SLGBTQIA+ F*ck Comphet Support Club:

https://www.patreon.com/fckcomphetsupportclub 

Follow Me:

IG: @jackieg.tv

www.jackiegronlund.com

Podcast Music by Lucas Taffo

Hello people of the world, and welcome back. Oh, I have missed you. Season 4 of The Unity Project is kicking off with an incredible interview with the author of My Government Means to Kill Me, Rasheed Newson.

"My Government Means to Kill Me is an exhilarating, fast-paced, coming-of-age story that lends itself to a larger discussion about what it means for a young, gay, Black man in the mid-1980s to come to terms with his role in the midst of a political and social reckoning."

I learned so much reading his book and talking with him on the podcast about the AIDS crisis, and practical ways we can do so much better. Enjoy!

Follow Me:

IG: @jackieg.tv

www.jackiegronlund.com

IG: @rasheed.newson.author

https://www.rasheednewson.com/

Hello loves! This week on the podcast I got to talk with Manny Mac, a Trans-Deity and self-intimacy coach. In summary, Manny was AMAZING. I found him on Instagram and am soooo happy that I did. In our interview we talked about intimacy, queerness, representation, coming out as trans, spiritual trauma, gender, and so many things. Enjoy!

Follow Me:

IG: @jackieg.tv

www.jackiegronlund.com

Follow Manny

IG: @blacknqueerdivinity

Hello loves! This episode with Mac Curran was a blast to make. We're both partnering with Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services this month in their Time2Act campaign to bring awareness to opioid use in MO, and getting to talk in more depth on the podcast was incredible. 

Mac was so kind in sharing his experience with opioids, sobriety, and more. 

Enjoy!

Time2ActMissouri.com

Follow Me: 

IG: @jackieg.tv

Buy My Book: https://www.jackiegronlund.com/buymybook/p/finding-home

www.jackiegronlund.com

Follow Mac:

IG: @dna_mac300

Hello my friends! This week, meet Tammaka Staley. Tammaka was a JOY to talk to about her relationship with her body and all the work they are doing around sex education. She is the Founder and CEO of Youth Affirming Sex Education (YASÉ), LLC. YASÉ is a youth organization specializing in comprehensive, decolonized sex education for 12-19-year-olds. Their mission is to provide culturally sound workshops, curriculum, and one-on-one parent sessions to encourage healthy sex practices so all youth can have the tools to affirm themselves and their communities.

We talked about everything from masturbation to ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Follow me:

IG: @jackieg.tv

Twitter: @jackieeg7

Support this Podcast: Patreon.com/jackiegtv

Buy My Book: Gumroad.com/l/findinghome

Follow Tammaka: 

IG: @sexaffirminggoddess

Hello, my favorite people on the internet! Today I had the honor of interviewing Mikki Kendall. Mikki is a writer, diversity consultant, and "occasional feminist". She's the author of the NYT best-selling book, Hood Feminism, which EVERYBODY should drop what they're doing and go pick up a copy right now. She was so generous to share her story about her relationship with her body and had so much wisdom on topics like food accessibility, feminism, poverty, eating disorders, and more. Enjoy!

Follow me:

IG: @jackieg.tv

Twitter: @jackieeg7

Support this Podcast: Patreon.com/jackiegtv

Buy My Book: Gumroad.com/l/findinghome

Follow Mikki:

IG: @karnythia

mikkikendall.com

Buy Hood Feminism: https://mikkikendall.com/books-2/

Holy bajeezus I'm excited about this week's episode. I got to talk with sex educator Erica Smith on the podcast today about her journey with her relationship with her body. I've wanted to have someone on to talk about this topic with for a while and now feels like an incredibly important time. Erica shares so much of her story regarding feminism, queerness, being a riot girl, and proper sex education. Go listen, trust me. 

Follow me:

IG: @jackieg.tv

Twitter: @jackieeg7

Support this Podcast: Patreon.com/jackiegtv

Buy My Book: Gumroad.com/l/findinghome

Follow Erica:

IG: @ericasmith.sex.ed

purityculturedropout.com

Webinar on Sexual Communication: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N8yGjDSERI2goY3meAjyYg

Hello, my dear internet friends! This week I got to interview Brian Sonia-Wallace, the West Hollywood Poet Laureate, Harper Collins Author, and one of the most creative/ unique people I've ever gotten to talk to. 

In 2012, Brian set up a typewriter on the street with a sign that said “Poetry Store” and accidentally started their business: RENT Poet. Over 5,000 poems later, their book of essays, The Poetry of Strangers, profiles the communities they've written for across America, and the desperate desire to be listened to and heard that they found. Excerpts have been published in The Guardian and Rolling Stone, and they've been the official Writer in Residence for unlikely clients from Amtrak to the Mall of America.

I got to talk with this incredible human about what it was like traveling America with a typewriter, meeting countless strangers, and talking about what they need. 

We also talked about Brian's story of how they became who they are today, how their relationship with their body has grown over the years through outlets like bodybuilding and theatre, and what it means to be a poet.

Enjoy!

Follow me:

IG: @jackieg.tv

Twitter: @jackieeg7

Support this Podcast: Patreon.com/jackiegtv

Buy My Book: Gumroad.com/l/findinghome

Follow Brian:

IG/ Twitter/ Facebook: @rentpoet

www.briansonia-wallace.com

PRIDE POETS:

"This Poems for You" podcast debuts in June 2022.

ON JUNE 11TH: Call 202-998-3510 and poets will be standing by to write you a custom poem over the phone!

More info at www.weho.org/pride or @wehoarts.