Trauma Bond with Theresa Bateman

Esteemed writer and former meme creator Amanda-Faye Jimenez is on the pod to unpack all things queer aging. The stories start coming and they don't stop coming. What's it like to raw dog reality without medication? Or think that a sad Carl's Jr tattoo is a good idea? Curious about context? Then tune in now!

Amanda-Faye Jimenez is a writer and comedic performer born and raised in Los Angeles. She is mostly known for being a lesbian about town for truly decades and as a friend of all dogs. She is writing a memoir about failure, lip gloss, the 90s, and being an aging party girl on Dopamine Books, due out in 2027. You can follow her @failureprincess

With breath so bated, we lovingly present our episode with pod royalty himself, Steven Ray Morris! With his tender reflections, he guides Theresa through the end of the grindcore mindset, making plans as an adult, covid move ins, breakups, and the terror of our healthcare system. This one is for all those who are gentle hearted.

Steven Ray Morris is a Los Angeles-based podcast producer (formerly Ologies with Alie Ward and My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark). Host of See Jurassic Right (a podcast for curious adults), he has three beautiful cats named Ripley, Wendy, and Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.

Heeey Trauma Bonders - tune in for a special announcement that our episode cadence will officially be switching to biweekly! We gotta keep up this good quality and not burn out but we'll be back to weekly as soon as we're able. Stay tuned! And tune in for next week's very special guest. Some might say they're...Podcast royalty :)

We also wanna hear from you! Email us at [email protected] with your trigger of the week or a story that would answer one of the questions we as on the pod and maybe we'll read it on air and give you a lil shout out!

As far back as we can remember, we always wanted Kari Dramé on the pod. In this explorative episode Theresa and Kari sit at the intersection of glimmers and triggers—diving into Philadelphia, first lesbian heartbreaks, and imagination as a radical act. So sip on some mugwort tea (or original recipe 4loko) and keep your journal handy, because class is in session.

Kari Dramé is a shooting star who upon falling to earth transformed into a sentient dewdrop in the shape of a human being. Jury is still out on which mode of existence they prefer, but being a sentient dewdrop has its perks: number 1 being having a form which allows them to make music, dj, write poems, go on long walks, smell flowers, flirt, have beautiful meals, experience the feeling of warm sun and cool breeze etc.

123 focus on this episode because producer Ali Giordani steps up to the mic. Together, Theresa and Ali commiserate on what it means to grieve best friends, the need for ugliness, and the joy of curating lives worth living.

Ali Giordani is a film programmer and writer based in Los Angeles. Their passions include loud music, slow cinema, and gossiping. She co-produces Trauma Bond with Theresa Bateman, a podcast exploring things we aren't supposed to laugh about. Her writing can be found in Full Stop, New Life Quarterly, and on the zine shelf at your local bookstore. If you're down to clown, find them curating chaos on substack @flickswithbenefits, instagram @agony_varda, and letterboxed @lighted_match.

Content Warning: Dicussions of sexual assault.

How whacky and wise can one guy be? On this episode, Pete Zias drops in to tell Theresa some of the wildest anecdotes in pod history. From driving around with a baby monitor to calling in bomb threats to school dances, Pete leaves no stone unturned in his divine quest for revenge.

Pete Zias is an alum of and regular performer at The Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles. He performed his solo show, The Teddy Teddy Show, at the NYC International and Hollywood Fringe Festivals. He hosts his IG Live and stage show "Total Trash Live!" where he reads from his extensive tabloid collection, which The Hollywood Reporter listed as one of their guilty pleasures! Pete has appeared on OUT TV's "Dr. Jackie" and The Sherry Vine Variety Show. His film credits include "Grandmother's Gold", "The Never List", "Cock N' Bull 3", "Pig Hag" and "Ganymede!" He studied Theatre at Marymount Manhattan College. You can follow him @petezias

This one is for the ADHD girlies! This week, Theresa sits down with LA based actor, dancer, writer, producer and community organizer Leonora Pitts to talk responding to texts in your head, the art that shaped them, the beauty of their dance community, and the ADHD rabbit hole of wanting an answer to a simple question, but somehow landing on an anti glyphosate campaign as you creep on Ryan Cabrera's wife's instagram.

The boy is back in town! This week our inaugural guest Tolliver returns for some truly unhinged gossiping. Did you know RuPaul watched someone drown? What about a piping hot take on Sinners? Or curious about what it's like to see sex on screen way too young and a little thing called being "bricked up in the living room"? This is the episode for you!

Tolliver is an LA based funk singer, journalist and DJ drawn to the humor in every story, the dance floor and the best BBQ spot in every city. He's written for Reuters, produced video for LA Times, Glamour, Vogue, TOMS shoes and OutTV, interviewed some of the biggest celebrities of our time, and hosted a weekly radio show at KQBH in Boyle Heights dedicated to afrofuturism. Musically, he's appeared on the Late Late Show, gave a TED Talk and performance at the 2023 conference, has toured all over the US and Europe and is in constant rotation on KCRW. He's also the founder and executive producer of Exotic Fruits Fest, an annual music and film event that benefits local non-profits. He loves his cats (Jean-Michel Basquicat and Nina Simeown) more than anything and works only to buy them the finest pate. You can catch him every Thursday on NPR's "The Middle" with Jeremy Hobson, performing in LA and around the country, or haunting Akbar's halls.

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Do all roads lead back to stand up? Or is there a path that will take us to a peaceful village with Totoro? This week comedian and known communist Brodie Reed ponders being the strongest personality at the party, how to process trauma artistically, and whether it's normal to never see your parents kiss.

Brodie Reed is an LA based comedian, writer, actor, filmmaker and sword enthusiast. He wrote and starred in the short films $16,000 and Take Me to Your Merch. Follow him @brodie.reed.okay

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This week, Theresa sits down with stand up comedian, improvisor, writer and actor Pallavi Gunalan to talk the world of stand up comedy, mental health, animal rescue, what it was like to grow up as one of very few brown girls in a sea of white mormons, and a very important message... #NotAllComedians. Tune in and laugh with us, it's real nonstop giggles on this one.

Pallavi Gunalan is a stand-up comedian, improviser, writer, and actor. She's written for Lovett or Leave It with Crooked Media, has been featured on Dropout.tv and Pretty Gay, and has performed all over the US and India, including in festivals such as SF Sketchfest and New York Comedy Fest. She's been on house improv teams at the Upright Citizens Brigade, Second City, and The Pack Theater, and has opened for Bassem Youssef, Sammy Obeid, Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall, Maria Bamford, and Adam Conover. She co-produces live monthly stand-up shows Facial Recognition Comedy (The Comedy Store) and Second Screens Comedy (The Elysian) in LA. Pallavi loves comedy, animals, and mutual aid. You can follow her everywhere @PallaviGunalan