MY FIRST YEAR
CREATING HUMAN CONNECTIONS, ONE EPISODE AT A TIME. MY FIRST YEAR podcast series explores the human experience through conversations with every-day people about their major life transitions, from first time becoming a parent, to first year on the job to first time losing a loved one.
Each My First Year episode weaves together human connections through heart-felt, embodied story-telling. When we feel a visceral connection to someone else’s story, we realize we’re not alone. That recognition – that our experiences echo in others – is where healing and understanding begin for all of us.
Creator, Executive Producer and Host: Sophia
Senior Producers: Gabbie Watts, Samira Tazari, Rosabelle Heine
Creative Director: Shareen Anderson
Co-hosts: Gabbie Watts, Samira Tazari, Rosabelle Heine, Adoley Ammah-Tagoe, A.C. Valdez, Shareen Anderson and Casey Georgi
Theme Music: Nana Simopoulos
Episodes
18 episodes
My First Year Living Abroad - Moving to Denmark for Love: Finding Belonging, Safety, and Music in Copenhagen | MacKenzie Kermoade
In this episode of My First Year, hosts Sophia and Shareen interview Washington native MacKenzie Kermoade, an international environmental governance professional and musician (Mack Marcel) living in Copenhagen. MacKenzie t...
Weekly Spotlight - Signal Award Finalist: Thomas Greene on Fatherhood, Storytelling, and Grief After Losing a Child
🎙️ A Special Encore Episode — And We Need Your Vote!We’re revisiting one of the most moving conversations from My First Year as a Father.SOPHIA and A.C. Valdez sit down with acclaimed novelist and essayist Thoma...
Weekly Spotlight - Kayla @ Cooper Union: Expectations, Confidence and Finding Her Voice
In today’s episode, co-hosts Sophia and Rosabelle speak with Kayla, a 2026 graduate of Cooper Union School of Engineering in New York City. Kayla describes growing up in a competitive, tight-knit town with strict parents, a childhood centered o...
Weekly Spotlight - Aaron @ University of Florida: Identity, Belonging and the Freedom to Be Yourself
In today’s episode, we speak with Aaron, a sophomore at the University of Florida. Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Miami, Aaron describes growing up in a largely Hispanic community, learning English quickly after moving to the U.S. with his...
Weekly Spotlight - Shreya Sophie @ University of Georgia: Presence, Nostalgia and Seeing and Being Seen through Poetry
For all the students arriving at college for the first time this week, hear from Shreya, a University of Georgia student, writer, poet, and founder of the autism advocacy nonprofit Color Me Blue.Shreya reflects on leaving behind t...
My First Year as a Widow - Nikki Darling: Love, Loss, and a Relationship That Continues
Nikki lost her husband Rob to cancer when she was only 46. She talks about leaving her first marriage where she was a self-described tradwife and young mom of three, meeting Rob with whom she had a profoundly close bond and a beautiful marri...
My First Year in America Official Trailer - the Human Stories of the American Immigration Experience
What does it feel like to leave behind everything you've ever known—and begin again?My First Year in America is a new podcast from Sophia Media exploring the deeply personal stories of immigrants and the first year that changed th...
My First Year with My Dog Official Trailer - A Podcast about Dogs, Life and Love🐾
What happens when you bring a dog into your life? From Sophia Media comes a new podcast exploring the profound transformation that begins when a dog enters your universe. Whether it is your first dog or you...
My First Year in College Official Trailer - The Year That Changes Everything
How is Gen Z really experiencing college? In Season 1 of My First Year in College, hosts Sophia and Rosabelle talk with college students and recent grads about the dreams and expectations they arrived with-and the anxiety, loneliness, joy, disc...
My First Year as a Caregiver - Eric Heimdale: Caring for Wife with Dementia
Tulsa resident Eric Heimdale became a full-time caregiver for his wife Patty, who showed early dementia signs around 2014–15. Eric recounts meeting Patty in 1991, blending their families, and a serendipitous earlier connection through a shar...
My First Year as a Mother Official Trailer - A Podcast about Motherhood, Life and Love❤️
What really happens when a woman becomes a mother?Beyond sleepless nights and diapers, motherhood transforms every part of life—our identity, relationships, careers, priorities, and understanding of love.In My First Year as a M...
My First Year as a Father Official Trailer - Talking Fatherhood💙
Send us Fan MailMy First Year as a Father is an interview-style podcast that centers on the often unheard stories of fatherhood, especially during that pivotal first year. By ...
My First Year in America - Twiggy's Journey from Acapulco to San Fran
Hosts Sophia and Adoley interview Twiggy Damy, a care manager in the Bay Area, about her immigration journey from Acapulco, Mexico to California in 1991. Twiggy recounts losing her father at age five, being raised largely ...
My First Year with My Dog - Brian Berger with Christie Brinkley, a Pit Bull Rescue
In this episode of “My First Year With My Dog,” Sophia and Samira interview Brian Berger, who shares his story of adopting a rescue dog with his wife, Amy, after years of wanting a dog. They initially sought a small dog but connec...
My First Year in College - Dagny @ NYU Gallatin: Artist, Intellectual, Athlete Meets The Big Apple and New Relationships
In today’s episode, co-hosts Sophia and Rosabelle speak with Dagny, a Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter and NYU Gallatin graduate who created her own college major (“Language Curation and Ethics”). Dagny recounts growing up homeschooled in...
My First Year as a Father - Andrew Sterman: Musician, Mystic, Spiritual Teacher on Fatherhood
Concert musician, food book author and Asian philosophy, Qi-Gong and Chinese medicine teacher Andrew Sterman recounts how he decided to have children with his wife Anne, a master acupuncturist, marked by a ceremony inviting “universal creative ...
My First Year as a Mother - Casey Georgi: Intention, Perseverance and Discovering Her "Maternal Gene"
Sophia introduces “My First Year: The Anthology” and kicks off with an episode from the upcoming podcast “My First Year as a Mother.” The series is co-hosted by Sophia and new mom, Casey Georgi. For this episode, we learn more about Casey’s ...
Official Trailer: My First Year. Real Stories. Lasting Transformation.
From Sophia Media comes a new podcast series exploring the moments that shape us. My First Year is a collection of deeply personal conversations with people from all walks of life, reflecting on the experiences that transf...
