New Yorker, Jennie Epland, suffered from depression and anxiety when her father passed away in her early 20's. To ease her sadness, depression and anxiety, she turned to movement and other healing modalities. Constantly witnessing her dad's struggle in movement and communication, Jennie soon became interested in healing and solving her own issues of emotional and spiritual imbalance. She found Pilates and Yoga for therapeutic teachings: alignment - emotional, mental, physical and spiritual. She was so greatly helped by these modalities (among many others), and has studied them for the last 10 years to help herself and others on the road to health and happiness.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Jillian Simon is a licensed clinical social worker who has spent over 15 years focused on improving geriatric services with an emphasis on patient centered care. Jillian currently works as the Vice President and Executive Director for WelbeHealth PACE, a program of all-inclusive care for the elderly, whose goal is to help medical frail seniors live independently in their home, thriving in their community and out of nursing homes and hospitals. As a veteran PACE and adult day health care executive, Jillian is passionate about promoting health, independence, and an overall increased quality of life for seniors and their families.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Dominican by birth, Caribbean for desire and Gringa by accident, Jimmy Lam is a writer living in Sexile. After a long, excruciating immigration experience that sent him to Montreal, Oxford (UK) and New York he eventually landed in Florida where he continues to write an interminable memoir, "Neurosis of my Own."
His book Sexile = Sexilio was published on May, 2017 and is available through all the major internet platforms including Amazon.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Sam's specialized experience is in learning and developmental work with children and adults who have profound and multiple learning difficulties, adverse childhood experiences and past trauma. Sam is currently studying for a degree in psychology, and has expanded his knowledge and expertise in communication aides such as sign language. Combining his passion of performance and purpose of education and inclusion, he has created Singing The Signs, a platform that brings the joy of music to audiences far and wide.
Episode Resource List:
Music Sam loves:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Fred Anguera is a filmmaker and activist. He talks about his documentary, “History in the Making”, which archives the grassroots efforts to legalize marriage for same-sex couples in the State of New York and at the Federal level.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday
WARNING: this episode contains strong language which may be unsuitable for children. Listener discretion is advised.
Catherine was adopted as a baby, but didn’t find out the truth of her adoption until she was in her 30’s. She also endured struggles with her identity because she was gay. As much love as she received growing up, her household was not the most openminded in accepting her truth.
After coming out, it took almost 8 years for her to be completely secure with herself. She grew to love herself, and with the love and support of her wife, they share a special love and bond. She is grateful for all her struggles in her life because without them she would not be the person she is today.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Louise Laffaille is a French and Swiss artist, whose works have been seen in galleries in Paris, Switzerland, and New York City. Inspired by luminists and Asian techniques, her water color on paper, and oil on canvas aim to stirringly and truthfully measure the moods of Nature with a constant fascination for the light and fog phenomena we all like to observe.
She is also the artist for the cover art of Intolerance.
Episode Resource List:
Books She Recommends:
Artists Who Inspire Louise:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Today's ALLY episode features the story of support for our SURVIVOR from episode 21. Our guest today has asked to remain anonymous to protect the identity of her partner, who shared his experience with intolerance of xenophobia.
Episode Resource List:
General Mischief Dance Theatre: "We Are Serious About Fun."
When you support General Mischief and other small 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations, your gift goes a long way (and is fully tax-deductible!)
Your support enables us to create life-affirming works that inspire audiences, -AND:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
This episode's guest wishes to remain anonymous. Having fled his birth country of the Dominican Republic, today's guest shares his experience as a survivor or xenophobia.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Mat Eistenstein is a keyboardist, conductor, composer, music arranger, and vocal coach. He has played keyboards in 40+ Broadway pit orchestras. He is also the composer and pianist for the opening and closing music of this podcast.
Episode Resource List:
Some of Mat's favorite musicians and musical artists:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie CaseyUnderscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Alan Lyons shares his unwavering support for his friend, Emily Pratt.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Emily Pratt shares her story of being a trans woman.
Episode Resource List:
Book recommendations
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Valerie Moore is an executive coach and leadership development trainer with 20 years of experience. Her calling is to support people to become more confident leaders and powerful change-agents in the world. She ran her own learning and development company for over 15 years and recently joined a top Tech company to help their leaders cultivate the ability to transform their teams and the world. Valerie is also the creator of Women's Anger Release workshop, which allows women a supportive space to tap into the wisdom and power of this often-suppressed emotion.
She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. She enjoys traveling, tacos, painting, and swearing.
Episode Resource List:
Other outlets for Anger Release:
Valerie’s healing journey song list:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Angela Root is a seasoned television producer with more than a decade of experience working to create original content for networks such as MTV, A&E, TLC, and Travel Channel, and she has been an outspoken ally to the BLM movement since 2015.
2020 looked to Angela the way it did to many other freelance producers: bleak. But, after a summer of spotlight on the nationwide police brutality epidemic, she decided to channel her rage into more than just protesting. She went back to school to study psychology with the intention of aligning her next career with her passion for social justice. She currently lives in Sacramento, California, with her husband.
Episode Resource List:
Instagram Accounts to follow:
YouTube:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Shervin Talieh was born in Turkey to Iranian parents and raised in the USA. As a teenager who identified as American, his family moved back to Iran, where Shervin experienced intolerance from xenophobia and dealing with his own form of identity crisis. These early childhood traumas assisted in spiraling his adulthood into long-term dependancies with alcohol. Now sober, Shervin shares his journey with Athena and the resources and tools that have helped him along the way.
Episode Resource List:
Book Recommendations:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Aimee & Bryan Wingen are owners of Wingen Bakery in Livermore, California. They started as a licensed cottage bakery as a way to make an income and stay close to their newborn daughter, Waylynn, who was born with a rare genetic disorder called Zellweger Syndrome. Waylynn tragically passed away at only 8 months of life. They have continued on with the bakery, opening a brick and mortar space, giving back to the community who has lifted them up during this difficult time.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
Eman is a Palestinian, Canadian comic based in New York City. She talks openly with Athena about her life as an international stand-up comic and how her various identities have shaped who she is on stage and in real life.
Episode Resource List:
Podcast:
Documentary:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Mina Samuels is a writer, speaker, playwright, performer, and in a previous incarnation, a litigation lawyer and human rights advocate. She is trained in Non-Violent Communication and offers workshops and one-on-one facilitations on the transformative power of the body-mind connection and how it nourishes our whole self. She is also an athlete and meditation practitioner and has created and performed two award-winning solo shows and an ensemble play.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other
David Lewis is a mechanical engineer and husband and ally to previous guest, Dan Floyd. While he, too, had to leave the mormon church when he came out as gay, he shares his story of support and allyship for his husband and his community.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Dan Floyd is the owner and creator of Dan Good Cookies, a sweet confectionary of cookies and baked goods in San Francisco's East Bay. Dan shares his story of leaving the Mormon church when he came out as gay, and a very public display of homophobia at his local Farmer's Market.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
C. K. Edwards is a professional dancer, actor, and singer. With a long list of Broadway and touring credits, he shares his love affair with music, tap dancing, performance, and faith.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Haley Eagleston is a home designer and renovator and mom. She is also the sister to our previous guest and Survivor of religious intolerance, Coley Campany. Haley shares her story of support for Coley, and bonds with Athena over their love of female music artists.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Coley Campany - SURVIVOR of religious intolerance
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Sara Raymond is the owner of The Mindful Movement, helping others develop a deeper understanding of themselves, to build confidence in their own body, and to feel safe and cared for.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.
Amy Pittel combines her passions for LGBTQIA issues and supporting youth in writing young adult fiction with queer stories and themes. She talks about her support of Daren and how she, in his time if need, took him in as one of her own children.
Episode Resource List:
Host: Athena Casey
Producer: Debbie Casey
Underscoring: Mat Eisenstein
Cover artwork: Louise Laffaille
Sponsor: YouniquelyFit
New episodes drop every Tuesday and every other Thursday.