Welcome to Affirmed: Stories of the Trans Experience. In this initial episode Valerie introduces herself, letting you all get to know a bit about her and what this podcast will be.

02: The Moment of Self Discovery

Hi! I’m Valerie, a trans woman in my 30’s.I didn’t discover anything about my gender until my early 30’s. For years I thought I was a straight cisgender man.My life since discovering my true self has been full of joy, love, gratitude and appreciation. There have been rocky times too but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. When you finally love yourself there is no going back.My hope in telling my story is that I may inspire even one person to let go of the chains of societal expectations. To be a version of themselves that they always wanted to be. I hope others can find light and joy in what can be a complicated experience, especially as our community faces so much hate.So join me for a peek inside life as a transgender person. We’ll discuss childhood trauma, homophobia &amp; transphobia, self image, self worth, yearning to be more, learning to love yourself, finding euphoria as well as dysphoria. We’ll talk about gender affirming care, surgery, the potential of regret and living life proudly as your full authentic self.