This episode was recorded on June 18th, 2020, shortly after my grandmother passed away in her sleep. She was 90 years old and she had been battling lung and pancreatic cancer for many months prior. This mini-bite episode is an attempt at a goodbye and to acknowledge the nationwide and worldwide grief and vulnerabilities we're all experiencing right now.

Bring Your Own Baggage

Goodbye Grandma

Our guest, Kelly joins us on today’s episode to share her story of how she was repeatedly sexually abused by her paternal grandfather between the ages of 4 and 8 years old. Sexual abuse has been a common and very heavy topic on the podcast recently but it’s important to continue talking about it to raise awareness and give a voice to those whose stories aren’t believed by greater society. Personally, I came away deeply moved and in awe of Kelly’s resilience and how she has managed to take care of herself through all of this. Not only has she used her experience to write a memoir about taking her grandfather to trial and how childhood sexual abuse affected her throughout her life, but as you’ll hear, she has an incredible entrepreneurial spirit and genuine desire to help people that was born of some really traumatic childhood experiences.

Resilience from Trauma

Our guest, "T," joins us on the podcast today. He currently works as a history teacher here at a local high school in Michigan, and he brought this idea to me about sharing tales from his time teaching sprinkled with a few thoughts from his own school days. He shares some really great stories and insight throughout the episode, and his genuine love of teaching and working with his students really radiates from this conversation so I hope you enjoy it!

Tales from Teaching

Brad Watts joins us on the podcast to talk about his work as a licensed therapist with a specialty in sexual offenses and sibling sexual abuse at a residential center called Hallmark Youth in Virginia.  Though our conversation centers more around Brad’s work as a counselor and infusing hope that healing from any kind of trauma is possible, I understand that this is a very sensitive topic so I just wanted to give you an upfront warning because I know it may be triggering to some people. If that’s the case, I completely understand if you need to shelf this episode for the time being.

Sibling Sexual Abuse

Laura Misumi, Fatema Haque, and Fiana Arbab, three incredibly bright women who serve on the board of a group called Rising Voices of Asian American Families, join us today on the podcast. In this conversation, you’ll hear about how they're working on the ground floor to not only provide resources for people within their own communities but help to bridge connections between different groups to help bring us all to a better understanding of one another. We'll learn about the group's initiatives, systematic suppression and so much more.  

Rising Voices of Asian American Families

Carley Gordon joins us on the podcast today to revisit the topic of chronic illness. Carley has been living with a chronic condition known as Hyperadrenergic POTS which she will talk more in-depth about, and through her 7-year long journey to get to that diagnosis, she has come to know her condition and her body’s needs very well.

Hyperadrenergic POTS

Today we’re sitting down with the Retirement Answer Man himself, Roger Whitney, to talk about financial planning in the midst of a pandemic, how to keep your finances on track through the peaks and valleys of life, and strategies for both saving and generating income when you feel most strapped for cash. Roger had a lot of great insight and simple advice that we sometimes overthink so this is a good way to reroute all of us back to basics.

Retirement Answer Man

She’s back! My friend Kaori, who you might remember from Episode 9 where we discussed some of the cultural differences between Japan and the US, and I are BACK for an audio mukbang. Join us as we enjoy our respective pasta dishes and share some of our most embarrassing stories.  So grab a snack, come hang out with us, and enjoy!

Embarrassing Stories

Sat down to talk/catch up with one of my favorite humans on this Earth, my cousin Mason, who is considered an essential frontline healthcare worker in Nashville. This was an opportunity to pick his brain as a healthcare worker working through the first global pandemic of our lifetime, how he’s taking care of himself, and getting his perspective on how we, the public can better take care of each other during this time. Interested in coming on the podcast to share your story? Email byobaggage@gmail.com or fill out the guest form at the link below: https://byobaggagepodcast.com/be-my-guest

The Frontline Health Worker's Perspective

For the second episode in this mini season, we’re going one-on-one to talk about connection in the time of COVID-19 quarantine. There are so many cool things that people are doing that goes to show that just because we’re isolated doesn’t mean we have to be disconnected so let’s talk about it. Interested in coming on the podcast to share your story? Email byobaggage@gmail.com or fill out the guest form at the link below: https://byobaggagepodcast.com/be-my-guest

Connection During COVID-19

Since many of us find ourselves under a government-mandated quarantine, we're bringing back the podcast for a mini season of 4 episodes. In today's episode, I sit down to talk with my coworker and friend Olivia to discuss the very timely topic of hobbies vs hustle and how to fill this newly acquired space and time we have at home. Interested in coming on the podcast to share your story? Email byobaggage@gmail.com or fill out the guest form at the link below: https://byobaggagepodcast.com/be-my-guest

Hobbies vs. Hustle

In today's episode, we’re going one-on-one for the finale of Season 1 of the podcast. I started this season off talking about the grief and sadness I experienced and still carry with me surrounding my mother’s passing. Today I talk about anger and kindness and give a confession of sorts. Interested in coming on the podcast to share your story? Email byobaggage@gmail.com or fill out the guest form at the link below: https://byobaggagepodcast.com/be-my-guest

Anger & Kindness

In today's episode, I sit down with my aunt and uncle who have been my pillars of strength and truthtellers since my mom passed. We get into a discussion about forgiveness, what it looks and feels like to forgive someone, and they open up about their most difficult journies with forgiveness. Interested in coming on the podcast to share your story? Email byobaggage@gmail.com or fill out the guest form at the link below: https://byobaggagepodcast.com/be-my-guest

Forgiveness

In today's mini-bite episode, I do a follow up to last week's episode that I did with my soul sister, G, about chronic illness. I mentioned in that episode that I too have been living with a chronic illness for over 2 years now, and today I want to share my story. Interested in coming on the podcast to share your story? Email byobaggage@gmail.com or fill out the guest form at the link below: https://byobaggagepodcast.com/be-my-guest

My Chronic Illness

In today's episode, I sit down to talk with my soul sister who I refer to as G in the episode. G and I have had a similar journey in terms of the timing of our peaks and valleys in life, and most recently our journeys have presented us with challenging chronic illnesses that have forced us to slow down, reevaluate what’s most important, and learn how to better take care of ourselves.  This episode is chock full of diamonds and gems, and she is genuinely one of my favorite people on the planet to talk to and spend time with so I hope you get as much out of it as I did. Any references I make during the show or any afterthoughts I have will be posted on the blog the same day each episode goes live at byobaggagepodcast.com Interested in coming on the podcast to share your story? Email byobaggage@gmail.com or fill out the guest form at the link below: https://byobaggagepodcast.com/be-my-guest

Chronic Illness

Bring Your Own Baggage (BYOB) is a safe space in the form of a podcast to have constructive conversations about the personal baggage we all carry, the cultural and social issues that affect us, and the things most important to us through storytelling and discussion.