Trauma Bond with Theresa Bateman

This week, Theresa sits down with LA based writer, performer, and psychotherapist Lena Morgana to discuss their pre-covid time in the LA Stand up comedy scene, how Covid has changed us, why it's ok to bully cis gay men, and the real way to measure life and time: by the amount of existential crises you've had since you last saw each other.

Lena Morgana is a writer, performer, and psychotherapist raised and based in Los Angeles. She is transgender, intersex, and neurodivergent. Her comedy has been featured on Amazon Prime and at live shows and festivals across North America. She provides liberation-focused psychotherapy free of cost to transgender, gender-expansive, and intersex folks across the state of California through the Transgender Health & Wellness Center.

For more information about free therapy available to TGI+ folks in California, visit the Transgender Health & Wellness Center at www.trans.health

You can support Lena's gender-affirming surgery fundraiser at www.gofundme.com/Lena4Liberation

Tune out all noise that doesn't come from your body, because we have the Arrowyn Ambrose in the house today. The lessons gleaned from our conversation with this purveyor of healing overflow throughout - from reclamation of self after trauma, creating practices with death, and whether it's worth it to buy off brand Heated Rivalry merch. An episode meant for all the animals looking for a home, we hope you enjoy your time with her.

Arrowyn Ambrose is a Los Angeles–based writer, facilitator, and interdisciplinary artist working at the intersection of the erotic, the mythic, and the embodied. Drawing from depth psychology, mythology, alchemy, and lived experience, her work explores intimacy, desire, heartbreak, and neurobiology—where humor lives alongside the sacred. She is completing her MA in Depth Psychology & Creativity at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where her thesis and performance project, This Sex Which Is Not One, merged spoken word, movement, mimesis, and ritual exploring femme pleasure beyond patriarchy. She believes the erotic is creative intelligence: messy, holy, and alive. Arrowyn writes the Substack Abundance Whore, a mythic memoir-in-progress about CPTSD, longing, motherhood, and the strange alchemy of staying awake inside desire. You can follow her on ig @arrowynambrose

This week Theresa is joined by LA based comedian, writer and host of the V Single podcast, Alison Stevenson. They talk Heated Rivalry, the world of stand up comedy and what it's like to get an "aww" instead of a laugh, the toll the superstition of the evil eye took on Alison's mental health, and how the words fat and ugly are NOT synonyms.

Alison hosts the weekly LA comedy show Loose at Nico's Baby Battista, the monthly comedy show Blessed at Zebulon and the bi-monthly comedy show "What Does it All Mean?" at the Philosophical Research Society. You can find her on instagram at @justaboutglad

Follow comedian and writer Ashley Ray as she takes Theresa through a labyrinth of bisexual cliches, the ethics of canceling Italians, and when the stranger you find on tinder is just a bit too strange. While we omitted some gossip that was for our ears only, trust us - there's plenty left for you.

Ashley Ray is a comedian and writer based in LA. You may have seen her stand up on Cracked or HBOmax, or her writing on Adult Swim's Alabama Jackson. You can follow her @theashleyray

This week, Theresa is joined by nonbinary, queer, black performer & astrologer Camirin Farmer for a much needed talk on the current state of this country, the process of birthing a new world, reminders to slow down, reflections on the cycle of life, how we cannot separate ourselves from nature and a little thing called The Color Purple Breakfast.

This week join Theresa as she sits down with comedian, writer, stylist and interior designer Caitlin Ackerman. Together they take a journey through the highs and lows of their years in the stand up scene, sex, gender roles, and why people texting you feels like being hunted for sport.

Caitlin Ackerman is a West Coast Girlina, born and raised, a lifelong artist, actor and writer, now branching into creative directing, styling and interior design. You can find her on socials @las_bestgoth

In this week's episode, Theresa sits down with comedian Cara Connors to discuss their feeling on cybertrucks, why straight people should be arrested for the way they light a room, the art of telling dark jokes and some of the gorgeously inappropriate media their parents let them consume as children.

Cara Connors is a comedian, actor, and writer originally from Chicago. Her debut stand-up comedy special, Straight for Pay, is streaming now on Amazon Prime. The hour was recently named one of "6 Terrific Specials From 6 Very Different Comics" by the New York Times and one of Paste Magazine's best comedy albums of the year.

In the first episode of 2026, Theresa sits down with comedian, actor, dancer, and soup enthusiast Erin Lampart. They cover a LOT of ground here as they wade through the difficulties of experiencing so much death at such young ages, dating LA actors, the perfect way to enact revenge on men who have ghosted you, the beauty of the LA dance community, and how no one rallies quite like the comedy community in crisis.

Based in Los Angeles, Erin has been bringing her unique brand of dark and silly physical comedy to stages all over the country. You may have seen her open for touring musician Marco Benevento, or on TV acting her face off (Comedy Central, TruTV) or simply stuffing her face full of soup in the corner of a dark diner.

If you're in the LA area, check out her monthly movement class Lamp Heart Moves coming up on Sunday January 18th 1:15pm at the Pickle Factory in Frogtown.

On this week's episode, Theresa sits down with multi-hyphenate actor, playwright, writer and clown Orin Calcagne. This discussion is a truly wild ride along a range of topics including the toxicity of Coporate Gays, how Orin almost ended it all over a rejection from NYU, cyber bullying, and whether or not ADHD is technically real.

Orin is a playwright and actor. His first play "A Finger Pointing At The Moon" had two sold out runs last year and his most recent work "Mommy" was presented at REDCAT November 2025.

In this episode writer Alex Torres divulges his indulgent strategies of handling the grief he's encountered. Theresa follows him through a maze of Berlin kink clubs, mismatched lovers, and literary praxis to uncover how he nurtures a life of joyful satire.

Alex Torres (@alex.g.torres) is an LA-based writer. He co-hosts the podcast Gay, Interrupted with his gay bestie, Davis Benz.

Content Warning: Drug Use, Overdose