Brian and his wife Diana never had in their birth plan the events that unfolded the day they decided they wanted to start a family. They never expected it to be so hard ,first ,to get pregnant, but then to have a healthy pregnancy for mom and baby. When we make that initial plan we do not see what lurks in the shadows , the unforeseeable.

What lay ahead for Brian and Diana was a crash course in parenting a micro preemie , when in order to save Diana , their 26 week old baby boy needed to be born. To make it even more intense, they were in Mexico. Far from family, far from technology as we know it in the states . What they didn't understand until later that their one pound baby was going to have one heck of a fight on his hands.

Brian shares with me the experience , the helplessness he felt, the disbelief and the shock of what do I do ? We talk about what its like to put your faith in the doctors, your prayers, your community , even if only online and of course your faith in God. Brian shares that there are more prayers said in a NICU than in church. I believe him.

Breathe , Eat , Poop , Grow became their song to their one pound miracle

Walking out of Shame is exactly what you do when you take the path of healing. Aly McDonnell sums it up in the title of her book. To me ,a generational survivor of familial abuse as well, this conversation was paramount to my own healing. The mental toll it takes. The anger from everyone who was involved . The anger toward everyone who knows and does nothing. Aly lived it, walked through it , then walked out of shame by sharing her story.

I was given in this conversation a new perspective from a time in society where it was normal to marry at 15. A time where the women had no say in their basic human rights. Girls were seen differently and patterns began to emerge. From those patterns came a life of living feelings of fault. Blamed . Stigmatized. Out-casted. Silenced.

Most often the secret dies with the victim , but even though the secret goes, events sometimes go on to repeat. Today Aly is a crusader for healing. By speaking up and speaking out she is letting people know that healing is for everyone. No matter how worthless you think you may be. No matter what you overcame your story is nothing to be ashamed of . Enjoy our talk of self love, compassion, overcoming and being able to claim the light in life once again.

Danielle Reedy grew up the way most of us do. She was a swimmer all through school, but wasn't the MVP of the team. She has a passion for swimming but never did she think that in her twenties she would have the opportunity to go to the Olympics!! Yes the Olympics!! She did!! One phone call with a friend changed her life. She knew if she said no this would only come to her once. She decided to take a chance of a lifetime to get on the team. Through mindset work and determination Danielle worked tirelessly and she made the team, here is her story.

Matteo wrote the following after we recorded our Conversation. I chose to interview Matteo because he was a playwright with a play debuting off off broadway but…as they do this conversation went all ways!! Matteo is a man with autism who has been bullied. This is what he has to say:

Shakespeare once wrote "All the world's a Stage, and we (As in People) are nearly players"

That line couldn't be further from the truth, but what he didn't mention is: life is not a normal experience. It's a hard experience for each and every one of us.

People are not normal! Why? Because we are individually influenced by many many things, from what our parents say and do, to what the media says, to what the latest gadget is.

All those things don't matter at the end of the day and unconditional love should matter the most.

People lack unconditional love, and it makes my emotions run. You see, I'm autistic, and most times jokes, sarcasm and teasing bother me, especially when someone in public says it to me. Then I react, whether it be insulting them and/or assaulting them. They think "What's that person's problem?!" when they should know the world is not normal. It's not an excuse, it's not an explanation, it's a fact!! Then, some may call me, the autistic person that "has a problem" ignorant for not understanding society's ways.

My question to all of us, including myself, is why are we still "following society and its ways" when we live in a world that is not normal? The answer is more complex than we all think!!!

Matteo Esposito

Canadian Autistic Playwright of Sorting It Out

Your a young boy who is targeted by predators all around you. Your scared, and you feel unsafe in your own home. You are groomed not to tell or bad things will happen. Young Sonny found the courage to tell and the things his abuser told him came true. This was the message received by Sonny at a young age. To make matters worse he went to prison at a young age. He was made an example of. He was given the long haul. Once inside he was put in the position of having to make a name for himself or be forever victimized. Standing up for his own basic rights he was again sentenced to more punishment. It wasn't until a voice called out " Hey white boy" did his life begin to change for the better