Uniquely Qualified

Representative Phillip Ensler represents Alabama's 74th District. Born and raised in New York City, Phil's Jewish faith led him to early interest in civil rights and political activism. From service in President Obama's administration to Teach for America to law school to advocating for a better world for his constituents, Phil has spent a majority of his adult life giving back. In this episode, we learn about his career path and desire to follow in the footsteps of civil rights leaders in our modern era.

Phil relates to many of our Uniquely Qualified community members in recently becoming acquainted with deep grief. In 2023, Phil's father Stefan passed away. At the close of this episode, we discuss death and mourning traditions in the Jewish faith while Phil fondly remembers the special bond he had with his dad.

Representative Ensler's website:

Taylor waited her whole life to meet her sweet son. After a healthy pregnancy, Taylor experienced an unexpected, traumatic, life changing birth. Between 52 hours of labor, medical complications, and well-intentioned medical professionals making in appropriate remarks, Taylor is among the 45% of births considered traumatic.

In this episode, Taylor shares her story hoping to generate awareness on the prevalence of birth trauma. She also outlines how to be kind to traumatized postpartum parents and access compassionate community as a part of the healing process.

March of Dimes, traumatic birth fact sheet:

See all other show notes on our Instagram page @UniquelyQualifiedPod

Jessi's profound grief and joy were activated by losing two close family members while also being a new, first-time mom to a beautiful, healthy son, born with hearing impairment.

Jessi's story is one of resilience, the importance of community, and the transformative power of love and connection. From learning American Sign Language (ASL), to immersing herself in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) community, to discovering the complexities of parenting in a world that often overlooks the needs of differently abled children, Jessi is a powerful example of the limitlessness of a mother's love and a rally cry for us all to be kind, curious, and aware.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Uniquely Qualified Podcast

00:59 Jessi's Family Dynamics and Loss

03:54 Navigating Joy and Grief

08:07 The Birth Experience and Initial Concerns

12:07 Hearing Tests and Diagnosis

20:10 Coping with the Diagnosis and Learning ASL

36:43 Navigating Parental Fears and Emotional Struggles

39:02 The Importance of Community and Communication

42:41 The Weight of Expectations and Self-Compassion

45:13 Understanding Hurtful Comments and Their Impact

51:21 The Reality of Hearing Loss and Parental Awareness

55:20 Language Acquisition and the Importance of ASL

01:00:26 Empowering Choices and Identity in Deaf Culture

01:10:15 Navigating Resources and Advocacy for Deaf Children

01:12:28 Building Community for Children with Hearing

01:15:00 Navigating Educational Choices for Hearing Impaired Children

01:22:31 The Importance of Communication and Awareness

01:30:09 Embracing Technology for Better Communication

01:35:23 Understanding Deafness and the Brain

01:37:23 Encouragement for Parents of Hearing Impaired

Host Liz Ficken discusses her motivation to start Uniquely Qualified, normalizes holiday grief, and provides some suggestions for how we might care for ourselves during the 2024 holiday season.

Happy go lucky Jenna never wanted to be a burden to anyone. She spent years suppressing grief, a grief almost no one new she carried. But when Jenna's grandmother passed away in 2023, she knew she couldn't continue to suffer at the expense of her own quality of life any longer.

Jenna leaned into discomfort, contacted a therapist, and opened herself to the grieving process.

In this episode, Jenna embraces the dissonance of the human experience by sharing the unconditional love of her family while acknowledging her father's addiction, harmful choices, and his accidental fatal overdose in 2007.

Jenna embodies the spirit of Uniquely Qualified in embracing grief, "doing the work" in therapy, and reminding fellow children of addicts that they are not alone.

SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers from the Harry Potter and A Court of Thorns and Roses are a topic of discussion in this episode.

High achiever Emily internalized the prevalent toxic diet culture of the early 2000s. Starting when she was a sophomore in high school, Emily's eating and exercising served one purpose: keeping her body as small as possible.

But when Emily off to college and saw how toxic diet culture harmed many of her peers, she started to wonder if maybe health and fitness didn't have to be so all consuming.

Seeing other women at her gym enjoying their lives in a non-controlling way, Emily experienced an internal shift and wanted to help other people reject society's damaging messaging and embrace their own strength. with significant industry experience and education and hand, Emily founded HeartMyBody Fitness LLC in 2018 with the goal of helping women love their bodies.

Emily embodies the spirit of Uniquely Qualified in embracing vulnerability, walking the talk, and empowering clients in all phases of their fitness journeys.

Helpful Links:

After a typical, healthy pregnancy and the birth of her first daughter, Shannon’s world turned upside down when she suffered back-to-back miscarriages, experiencing unexpected loss and grief.

After publicly and authentically sharing her grief journey on Instagram, Shannon realized just how many women are impacted by miscarriage and how few openly acknowledge the often acute, disenfranchised grief that can accompany pregnancy loss.

Shannon embodies the spirit of Uniquely Qualified in embracing grief, living out loud, and making herself available to other women navigating the same loss.

Books we refer to:

Andrea watched her mother and best friend Darlene battle acute myeloid leukemia 3 separate times. In 2015, the disease ultimately took Darlene’s life, forever altering the course of Andrea’s.
From seeing a loved one navigate the medical system as a cancer patient, to years of grief and constant change, to eventually deciding to pursue a graduate degree in clinical mental health, Andrea courageously turned her pain into purpose and is now a practicing therapist.
Andrea embodies the spirit of Uniquely Qualified in navigating grief, “doing the work” in therapy, and empowering her clients to heal and grow.

Episode Links: