In today's episode I speak with Chase Crossno about teaching theater to medical students. She shares with us her personal experience with theater, how it helped heal her own trauma, and how she now uses it to teach medical students. She gives fascinating insight into many ways theater can be helpful to people. Chase is the Assistant Artistic Director & Assistant Professor of Medical Education at TCU school of medicine.

Lou Godbold is the director of Echo.   Echo provides trauma & resilience training for families, communities, professionals and organizations. There is always more to learn on this subject and Lou continues to graciously share her knowledge with me. When I talk to her I always feel more calm, more empathetic. We talk about how trauma affects the brain. She explains the concept of “power with” as opposed to the “power over”model, and how much more effective we would all be if fear weren’t running the show, which only creates more trauma

Pete Ferriero is the director of the 2021 documentary film, “Her Name is Chef” (Hulu). It was inspired by a first hand experience Ferriero had at a New Jersey female owned restaurant in which the owner was struggling to prove herself to her male counterparts. In the film, Ferriero tackles the topic of gender equality in a male dominated industry through the eyes of some of the most talented women chefs. The film has garnered wonderful press around it being discussed on Good Morning America, People, Bustle, and more. He’s currently Directing a documentary film ‘At This Performance’ which chronicle the life of understudies on Broadway. He’s also currently writing a book ’The Price of Film’ that details the behind the scenes of his first independent film, ’The Price of Fame’ as a guide for new filmmakers.  He hosts the popular ‘Beverly Hills, 90210 Show’ podcast with Original EP and Writers Charles Rosin and Larry Mollin. It was listed #5 on the Today Show’s ‘Best Pop Culture Things of 2020’. Ferriero now resides in the Pasadena area, formally he was from the Meadowlands area in New Jersey.

Tatiana von Furstenberg studied Modern Culture and Media, Comparative Literature and Education at Brown University and did graduate work in Applied Psychology at New York University. In 2016 von Fürstenberg conceived of and collaborated with the organization Black and Pink to create an art exhibit titled On The Inside which spotlights the work of incarcerated LGBTQ artists.  She uses the freedom of language to explore the adventures of her life, and make sense of them. Tatiana was born with an undiagnosed muscle disease, and spent years not understanding why she was out of step with others. Storytelling became Tatiana’s lifeline. The infinite vastness of language became a vehicle through which she could participate in the world. Tatiana von Furstenberg has crafted language and created narratives across many disciplines, most notably screenwriting (Tanner Hall), and writing lyrics for songs (Playdate).

In today's episode I speak with Katya Martin. She is currently starring in her breakout role as ‘Young Lettie’ on ABC’s epic, generation-spanning drama, PROMISED LAND. Her credits include BBC’s ROADKILL with Hugh Laurie, Lifetime's TEN opposite Dylan Arnold, Showtime’s THE AFFAIR with Dominic West and Ruth Wilson, and MY FIRST MIRACLE with Sean Patrick Flannery. Katya grew up between Spain and the United States and is based in New York City. 

Today on ROAR I speak with Max Frieder.  Max is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Artolution. He is an artist and educator from Denver, Colorado who is based out of New York City. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with honors and a degree in Painting with a focus in “Community Based Public Arts” and received his Education Masters in “Community Arts” in Art and Art Education from the Teachers College, Columbia University. He has worked with communities in different contexts across the globe. His work ranges from community building in refugee crisis, hospital workshops, abuse and addiction counseling through art, trauma relief, reconciliation and conflict resolution. Max shares powerful stories with us about the true healing that comes from art.

In today's episode I speak with Pamela Guest. She is an actress has acted opposite Gena Rowlands, Cathy Moriarty, Ed Asner and Mickey Rooney just to name a few. She is also known for her work as a Casting Director, Writer, Director and Producer. She founded and chairs the first, of its kind, SAG AFTRA LA committee for sexual-harassment and serves as an ambassador for the nonprofits: PAVE and VOICES in ACTION. Today she shares her own very personal story with sexual violence.  She is an incredible leader advocating for survivors everywhere and I was honored to speak with her today.

Today on ROAR I speak with Queen Ava and Stephannie about the difference between sex work, and trafficking, and how the law punishes the person that has been trafficked but rarely punishes the pimp that trafficked them. They are advocates for sex workers rights and both work with Swaidvegas.org, a fund created by sex workers for use by sex workers. This is a very real and personal conversation. I am really grateful to these two women for sharing from their personal experiences with us and bringing awareness to what is really going on with sex trafficking in this country. Queen Ava is 29 and lives in Arizona. She currently works as an adult content creator. Ava was trafficked when she was 17 and physically and sexually assaulted numerous times. You can learn more about Ava's story by reading her two books, available at http://queensbooks.net/ Stephannie Tucker, MS LPC, NBCC, is a sex worker rights advocate and trauma informed therapist who has worked with sex workers and trafficking victims, as well as advocated for legal changes on the state level.

Today I speak with Jeremy Norton. He grew up in D.C. where he studied literature, writing, and whatnot at Boston-area colleges; taught literature at former-military evangelical prep schools in Chattanooga, TN, then arrived in Minneapolis, MN in the fall of 1994. He joined the Minneapolis Fire Department in 2000 after becoming interested through an old high school friend (Jennifer Cornell) who became a mentor and inspiration. He is currently a Captain on Engine Company 17 in south Mpls. His interest in literature, human nature, cultural studies and the vagaries of human nature provide lenses through which he examines and strives to contextualize the wide range of people and situations emergency response provides him Jeremy has written a book about the EMS (medical) side of firefighting, to be published in the next year by Univ. Minn. Press. It addresses the gutter end of our health care system, the breakdown of our societal understanding of death and dying, the many forms and consequences of denial, race-class-gender issues in the fire service AND in emergency response, as well as the ongoing damages caused by traditional masculinity--both for emergency responders and for the general public.

Today on ROAR I spoke with Meredith Littas, a former executive who started a new career as a  multi-hyphenate writer, director, producer, and activist. She was born in Chicago and raised in Boston, Massachusetts and studied film at Syracuse University and graduated magna cum laude.  Meredith is active in counter-trafficking activism and working with  industry non for profits -- Women In Motion Pictures, Women In Film, and Film Powered where she connectsindustry executives to help package their projects and gives notes on their scripts. I'm inspired by Meredith's dedication to helping people that have been trafficked in finding their freedom.