Two V's in a Pod

Everything you ever, or never wanted to know about Menopause. 

Apparently it took a pandemic for us to reunite. Scheereen and Jeanette talk life during Covid-19, and then some. 

Together we learn about MS with Kristen King and Don Fraser. Kristen King is an actress and musician suffering from the disease who wrote a song about her journey. Don is the founder of Bike the US for MS, and the son of a woman who battled MS. Join me as we gain two perspectives on MS. 

For the third week in a row we explore the letter N , this time with a focus on National parks. Join me this week as we learn about the National Park Service and all things related. 

Our exploration of the concept of normalcy continues. In this episode I chat with a minister who is doing something normal in a very abnormal way. Or is it perhaps the other way around? Tune in to find out. 

Today's episode is brought to us by the letter N, as in NORMAL. What does it mean to be normal? Are you normal? Join me as I explore the topic of Normalcy and learn the story of Cea Person (author of "North of Norma"l and "Almost Normal") and the strange upbrining that had her craving to be normal almost all her life. 

Today's episode is brought to us by the Letter T and the word Transformation. We explore the transofrmative life experiences of a journalist, chef and former gang member. Our main guest today is Eduardo Garcia who shares with us the near death experience that transformed him physically and revealed parts of him mentally and emotionally. You can learn more about his experience by watching his Documentary: Charged . 

Exploring what it means to be an adult through story, conversation and sharing. 

Sister Mary Sean is committed to seeing the good in others, especially those sentenced to life in prison. Join us as we learn about PREP , the program she runs, and the good work she does. 

Jeffrey Weiss is a journalist, husband and son who has been told that he has brain cancer and 12-16 months left to live. Despite such bleak news, Mr. Weiss remains happy, positive and determined to make the most of his time. We talk about his ability to see a silver linning and so much more. 

This week I chat with Monique and Kenny from San Francisco about their sabatical from the 9to5 in exchange for 4 months of unscheduled bliss, in a van on the road. 

Scheereen and Jeanette are back. They take a ridiculous BuzzFeed quiz or two, to figure out just how grown ass they really are. 

A young latino man is brought to the United States by his parents at the age of 2.  For this man the U.S. has been the only home he knows and loves. He pays his taxes, works hard and considers himself American, and yet 28 years later he is still fighting to be recognized as a legal citizen. This week we look into the complex and heartbreaking side of immigration that is rarely heard.

So often we wonder if people can really change. I always want to say yes, and this time I have proof. Scott Shepherd is a prime example. Scott once was a racist, a former Grand Dragon in the KKK to be exact. Today Scott is a reformed racist and activist, and this is his story out of hate and racism. 

How many of us are willing to make a drastic change in our belief system? How many would be willing to do it twice? Join us as we speak to Lynn Wilder to discuss her time with the LDS church, why she entered, why she left and -true to GAK form- a whole lot in between!

Erik Gordon is the owner and operate of Carabiner Coffee. He drives across the country in his VW van making and selling coffee. We wanted to understand how this venture came to be and asked Erik if he would talk with us. Here is our discussion. 

This week with chat with Derrick Scott about his difficult youth growing up on the streets, and how it landed him behind bars. Now that he is on the other side of the bars, Derrick is a father, an actor and a wonderful young man. But the journey to his current self, wasn't all that easy. This is Derrick's story...

1 in 5 adults experience mental illness in a given year. This means that there is a good chance that you or someone you know will battle depression, anxiety, etc. in your life time. However, due to the invisible nature of these illnesses, it's not easy to recognize when someone is battling a mental illness. It's a common response to think that someone who is mentally ill is careless, heartless, self involved or wild. So often we see the behaviors, but not the illness. We rarely consider that a mental illness may be at play.  In an effort to shine some light on mental illness, Scheereen and I speak this week with Diana Noble, a woman who has suffered from Bipolar disorder for most of her life. Mental illness devastates both the sufferer and their loved ones. So often people suffer alone due to a lack of education and understanding. This conversation is our attempt to further our understanding of mental illnesses. This is Diana's journey...

Tommy Edison has been blind since birth. His experience in the world has been different from those that are sighted from day one. Tommy started a video series that allows us to look (no pun intended) into his life. It's called "The Tommy Edison Experience" and it can be viewed on Youtube and Amazon. But we wanted more. So in this episode Tommy allows us to ask him about his life and what it's like to be blind. We learned a lot, and laughed a whole lot more!

Glynn Washington is a storyteller, but once he was a believer, a believer of things he no longer believes in. In today's episode, Glynn tells of how he grew out of believing... in a cult. These days Glynn curates and tells stories along with fellow producer Mark Ristich. Mark and Glynn along with a small army of snappers, produce the hit NPR show: Snap Judgment , from their headquarters in downtown Oakland. Enjoy!

Jeanette reads some ridiculous Headlines and Stories. 

Scheereen and Jeanette are back to talk about nonsense with a Holiday slant. 

Meet Keith and Reina. Keith has wanted to walk across the U.S. since he was kid, and this year he finally made it happen when he met Reina. But he didn't stop with just one walk, he is currently in the process of walk number 2. This is his story. 

Last month while traveling through Portland I encountered a young man working at the Society Hotel. We spoke briefly, and he has me at: My mom use to invite the circus over for dinner. The is the tragic and adventurous tale of Antonio. Little is held back in this story of a complete stranger growing up in California. 

This is my conversation with Jocelyne, a trans woman residing in Reno, Nevada. Jocelyne was kind enough to welcome me into her home for an open conversation about her life and journey to self discovery. This is a slice of her story.

I've never been in a book club, but I imagined that if I was part of one that everyone would read a book, we would gather over coffee to discuss it and at the end of the meeting perhaps catch up on life. Wanting to test this assumption, I asked Scheereen and Sarah to read: My Life on the road, by Gloria Steinem, and gather for a discussion. This is what really ended up happening. 

Camp grounded is a summer camp where adults bunk in cabins, play dodgeball, put on talent shows, sit around camp fires, play pranks and get their hands covered in paint. However, in 2015 we have so many distractions that make it near impossible for us to unplug and fully enjoy a camp experience. This is why Camp Grounded enforces a digital detox.  This is my conversation with Levi Felix, founder and CEO of Camp Grounded.  Note: We experienced some technical difficulty with reception and static interference, so I ask for your audio forgiveness. I cleaned up the file as best I could, but some clicks and pops remain. Thanks!

This is the story of Ramon Sotelo. Ramon is a Mexican American who grew up in Central California and found that at times he was too brown for some...and not brown enough for others. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!! Assuming you are in America and celebrate it. If not you can laugh at us silly Americans. I asked random people while I was out in about in Sonoma County today, several questions about Thanksgiving. It's surprising how little some of us know about this day many celebrate. It's also pretty funny. Enjoy!

Marlee and Me (sorry I couldn't resist)... continue to talk some more, only this time we have a case of the blues. 

This week I am in conversation with Seattle's woman of radio, television and blues... Marlee Walker. This is part one of our two part conversation that delves into everything and anything about media, blues music and her career in radio and television. I am a radio nerd, I love to have voices keep me company throughout the day. I met Marlee a little over a year and a half ago at one of her Blue's events and we got into a quick conversation about radio and podcasts. I was excited to meet someone who loves radio. I immediately wanted to know more about her. Marlee wanted to start a podcast and I was just getting into podcasting, so we decided to sit down and have a conversation about this new media, radio and blues... even if it took us close to two years. Better late than never !

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to spend the day in someone else's shoes? Well Renee Spears did. She wondered what it was like to be homeless on the streets of Portland, OR. Of course a day alone will not allow a person to understand the plight or to know what it really means to be homeless, but it can foster compassion and understanding.  I reached out to Renee after I learned of her story and asked her if she would sit down with me and share her experience.  This is our conversation. Enjoy!

Dallas Clayton writes Children's books. He has been lauded by many as a modern day Dr. Seuss. And while I tend toagree, I also find him to be a bit of a modern day philosopher, but perhaps the two go hand in hand.  I came into this conversation knowing only that I wanted to speak with the man that Isaw a few years back reading a book for kids to a group of adults. I don't think it getsmuch more punk rock than that.  P.S. - please excuse the audio quality 

This week I converse with creative "thinker-upper"  David Tobin about the mini audio movies he has created and how they evolved from game night entertainment to educational tools to expand the imaginations of both children and adults alike. We discuss everything from Audiojack to his years working at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip , living on a budget and chasing dreams. 

Ryan Keating educated me on the possibilities of Psychedelics being used to promote health and wellness. For the girl scared of drugs I was way too open to the possibilities. I must be on drugs And yes kids...this is a long one.  I figured that was ok since I have been away for so long. 

It's time for another host chat. This week Scheereen tells me all about the gross bugs in South Carolina and dealing with bad news . This of course takes us on an detour into the topic of death , the confederate flag and so much more. 

 It has been a year since I first spoke with Randy and became aware of his personal goal to walk around the Salton Sea and get fit. A year later his goal became a reality and the purpose of the walk expanded into something bigger than anticipated. In this episode I learn about the dangers of quick sand, the Salton Sea disappearing and holding yourself accountable. 

Instagram has done it yet again, and connected me with another individual for a podcast. This week I speak with Mahdi about growing up in Iran.  Mahdi and I connected over nature photos and the simple act of liking one another's photos. I reached out and asked him if he would like to podcast and he graciously accepted the challenge. Challenge is a bit of an understatement as he is not fluent in English, Iran has a horrible internet connection and I had to learn to speak slowly (which us English speakers take for granted). 

This episode is a host episode, in which Jeanette and Scheereen use the podcast as an excuse to catch up, while weaving in and out of conversations about babies, keeping secrets, rebelling against workplace dress codes and receiving unexpected packages. 40 is the new 19!

Dipti and I met 5 years ago on the set of a Bollywood film shooting here in the states. Text messages and emails aside, we haven't spoken since then. However, last week we spoke for the first time since March 2010 . I wanted to discuss what it is like to grow up in India, and see how her environment influenced who she grew up to be. Given that Dipti is from Bombay, she was the perfect candidate. But it became clear very fast that India was merely a location in her life. Instead it was the upbringing and support of her parents that shaped and affected how she grew up and who she grew into. This episode reminded me that we as humans have more in common than we often think. We aren't always divided by state lines and continents. 

I had the honor to speak with a friend about her experience growing up in an abusive family environment, and growing beyond it. 

In this episode we chat with friend and fellow filmmaker Lynsey Jones about that one time she spent two months walking the Southern Portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. White folks be crazy. 

This week we use the podcast as an opportunity to catch up and chat about Scheereen's current venture into adulthood. Scheereen is just settling into South Carolina as I am preparing to pack my bags and leave Colorado and head back to California. We talk about everything from critters to Stephen Hawking, deep conversations and Southern Hospitality. This is a long one (that's what she said). 

Thank you once again Instagram for allowing me to meet another cool person. A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of speaking with Ben Staley, a filmmaker that I stumbled upon while on Instagram early one morning. He had posted an image of the two story log cabin he was raised in while growing up in Alaska with no electricity. I was immediately hooked, I had to know more about this childhood that seemed so foreign to me. What did it look like? What did it feel like? What sort of grown up do you become when you grow up in Alaska and now live in L.A.? As a storyteller, Ben likes to share some of his life's stories on a blog he hosts on his website. I encourage you to check them out, especially the ones about his youth in Alaska. In the hour I spent on the phone with him, I was able to take an audible snap shot of a self sufficient storyteller with a thirst for knowledge and an Emmy at home!  http://www.dailystaley.com/stories/

Burning man is that annual event that takes place out in the desert where adults feel free to act like kids... and smelly people and druggies, etc. This episode I got to investigate a little further to see if Burning Man was really all the drugs and dirty r(c)ock and roll that it is made out to be. And perhaps in many ways it is, but on top of that is a layer of so much more... I think . Join us as we chat with Ryan and Reiff about what really happens for a week every August in Black Rock City. 

Join us as we continue the conversation from last week with guest Sarah Crews. 

In this two part series we are joined by one of our top fans: Sarah Crews.  From California, to Colorado and  all the way to North Carolina I talk with Scheereen and Sarah about online dating and the world that is Tinder. These ladies are fearless, hysterical and honest in talking about the world of dating , or the attempt to do so. 

In this extra long episode we talk about belongings, things , and stuff. Do we really need to own and have so much? Scheereen and I also divulge stories involving our cars that we some how forgot to mention to one another. Feel free to listen to this in segments, but since we have been MIA for a while, go ahead and binge on this episode. Season 3 is off to a slow start , but it's a start none the less. Thanks for checking us out and enjoy!

Season 3 begins with a lengthly discussion between Scheereen and Jeanette about living in places that are NOT Los Angeles. Change is in the air, and it's not pennies. 

A walk around the shoreline of the Salton Sea is 116 miles to be exact. I came to learn about this one evening while posting a picture on Instagram that I took at the Salton Sea a couple years back. I added the hashtag #saltonsea and immediately was connected to a new user on Instagram:  Saltonseawalk. The account was set up in anticipation of  a Summer 2015 journey to walk around the Salton Sea. For the past two years I have been drawn to tales about people taking to the road and traveling. From Craigslist Joe to Arthur Hitchcock, I was hooked.  For those of you who don't know much about the Salton Sea, it is a barren waste land/ghost town. In the 50's it was a hot spot for families to get away and vacation. These days it looks nothing like its former self. There are boats sticking out of the middle of the desert , heat that will stroke you and people living on the outskirts of society. So why the Salton Sea? I had to know, so I immediately contacted Randy Brown  the owner of the "saltonseawalk" account. He was more than willing to talk, so please have a listen. 

This week I sat down with my little sister to chat about the youth of today and what she wants to be when she grows up, since she is heading off to college in the fall. This episode made me feel like a grown ass adult... "kids these days".