What's It Like? with Stacy and Emily

Today's guest is Jill Pascarella, the principal at Carl Traeger Middle School in Oshkosh. Teachers and staff at her school will tell you she is a "say-it-like-it-is" woman, who supports her teachers, cares deeply about the students and wants the very best for the school and our district. Jill has a long history in the public school system and has so much wisdom to share. We had an absolute BLAST talking with her and we know everyone will love to hear what she has to say!

We loved our conversation with mental health and substance abuse counselor Lindsay Loewe so much one year ago, we asked her to come back and talk about how Covid has affected mental health and what we can do about it!As we expected, she had so much insight to share. We felt encouraged, better equipped and more aware of things we are struggling with as parents, wives, friends and employees during these crazy times!

Tammy and Julie are both awesome women, moms and they are both raising a child with special needs. On this episode, they share what it was like to first find out their child had special needs all the way to now, parenting a middle schooler with down syndrome and an adult with autism. You will appreciate their honesty and grow in empathy as you learn about the ins and outs of parenting and loving a child with special needs.

Paul Tackes, Emily's brother, shares real experiences about being black in America today. Paul is kind, smart and cares so much about his community and furthering the dialogue about racism. He is wise, full of grace and exceedingly honest about the reality African Americans face.We loved this conversation.

This chat is really a catch up session for Emily and Stacy. Life threw us all a major curve ball in March and like everybody else we have had to adjust. We talk about Covid-19, how our families dealt with the quarantine, the good and the hard of life slowing down. And we also talk about the BLM movement and protests and how we want to engage and be a part of the solution.It's so good to be back, we have missed you!!!

Andi Koth, a wife, a mom, a friend, a general all around kick-butt woman, is also a recovering alcoholic. She shares her story of struggling with addiction, what finally made her want to be sober and how she now uses her experience, empathy and wisdom to help other people. Such an important story and we are so thankful for Andi's courage and openness.

What do you do when life veers in a direction you never saw coming? How do you go on living after the death of your spouse? What are some of the small but significant ways loved ones can help when someone you care about is walking through deep grief?Michelle bravely talks about her love story with her husband Dave, and how she is figuring out how to live a life she didn't plan on.

We have discussed adoption and foster parenting on our podcast in the past. We have shared perspectives from parents who have adopted, and heard stories from people who were adopted themselves. This podcast is the story of a 19 year old girl making a hard and courageous decision to choose adoption for her daughter. 20 years later they have reunited.Stephanie Krueger is as real as they come. She shares candidly about the tough choices she was faced with as a young adult, the love she carried for the daughter she gave up for adoption and her gratitude for the chance to be a part of her life now. This is a feel good story and we are so grateful to Steph for sharing it with us!

This was a hard podcast to title. Bee Vang is our guest today. He is Hmong, became a refugee in Wisconsin when he was two. He is a father, a pastor and he has felt the hatred of racism too many times to list. This is the story of a young boy trying to assimilate into a foreign community and the amazing path his life took as a result of poverty, Hmong culture, the will to succeed and the gift of a few people who believed in him. You will LOVE this podcast!

Damascus Road is a non-profit organization in the Fox Valley dedicated to fighting for victims of human sex trafficking, and Lisa Sennholz is at the front of the battle. She started the organization and her dedication to serving the survivors of trafficking and advocating for their freedom is her heartbeat.Emily and Stacy had no idea how big and how wide the web of sex trafficking has spread, right here in our backyards. Lisa is a warrior, she's a voice for those who don't have one and she is compassion personified. Whether you know a little, or a lot about this issue, you are guaranteed to come away from this podcast better educated and inspired to join the fight against human trafficking!

School safety wasn't something talked about much 20-30 years ago. In recent years, parents, students and faculty have had to learn how to navigate a new normal where staying safe at school is a real and present concern. Months ago we had this interview with School Resource Officer and member of the Oshkosh Police Department, Officer Deana Brandl, scheduled for this week. The plan was to air it in 2020 during Season 3. Last week the reality of school safety and ALICE drills hit home as our community experienced an officer-involved shooting at one of the area high schools and we think this conversation is so important we are airing it now!The timing of this podcast can't be a coincidence and after talking to Officer Brandl about her job in our schools we were encouraged and our appreciation for all the resource officers and the local police department couldn't be higher. We know you will feel the same!

Rob is back! We may make this a tradition to end every season of What's It Like with a fun, hilarious and enlightening conversation with our friend Rob.Per usual, Rob tells us what he's reading and we hear awesome and heartwarming stories about the U.P! We also talk about what it's like to be a stay-at-home Dad and also about aging. And we laughed folks, A LOT!Best of all, we got to sample some of the holiday cookies that Rigoni Bakery is whipping up and all of our listeners get 10% off their order if you use the code: WIL at www.rigonibakery.comThanks for sticking with us for Season 2 everyone - we appreciate you so much!

Our listeners know by now that we LOVE to hear stories about how God weaves families together. Susan and her husband Beau have their own story about how they have found themselves to be "mom and dad" again to their grand children. Some of their story involves hard, painful things. But the beauty far outweighs the ugly and we want to celebrate this family and how they made some tough choices to give their grand kids the family they need. Get ready to meet your new heroine!

This was such a fun and informative conversation! Lindsay Loewe, a mental health and substance abuse counselor at Collaborative Wellness in Ripon, WI, took some time out of her day to talk all things mental health with us. As we all know, mental health is generating a ton of buzz lately and for good reason. Younger kids and teens are experiencing a rise in anxiety and depression more than ever before and Lindsay has some fascinating insight into why. She's encouraging and passionate about her job and her patients. Join us in this conversation as we all could use a little more mental wellness.

Four women, over coffee dish on the perks, the challenges, the misconceptions and the judgement we all feel at different times and for different reasons in parenting.All of us come from different places, our lives look different, but we share similar insecurities and worries and the same deep desire to be a really good mom. We all walked away feeling heard, validated and able to offer a little more grace to each other and ourselves. There is no right or wrong way to be a mom, and when we take the time to listen to each other our village becomes stronger!

To quote John "Remember, it's all make believe and there's a craft to it!"John Pata is a movie maker right here in the Fox Valley who has made his childhood dream come true....to make horror movies! John and his friends are passionate about film making and have seen some of their projects find success on the film festival circuit and even make it onto VOD platforms!John dispelled our misconceptions about the kind of person who makes horror films. He is engaging, charming, kind and smart. His love for movies, and specifically horror movies started as a young boy. He cares about our community and he offers inspiration to those who want to create and achieve, right where they are.

Sandrah and Donte are like any other married couple with a bunch of kids. You will find them at their kids sporting events, you will see them at the grocery store or out to eat. What does make them unique is that Donte is deaf, Sandrah is not. This was a great conversation about family, survival, a desire to connect, isolation and how laughing your way through the tough times is sometimes the best medicine. Sandrah also speaks about the challenges they face as a couple and a family because Sandrah is white, Donte is black. Ultimately, we were reminded that as humans, we all share a desire to be accepted and included. And going outside of our comfort zones to engage people different than ourselves makes our community better and stronger!

Matt Lewis, head coach of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh men's basketball team shares what it's like to coach a championship team! A former college basketball player himself, Matt has a great perspective on how to coach, how to recruit and how to foster greatness in his players!He is a super like-able guy and we can't wait to cheer on the Titans this coming season!

It's the phone call you never want to get. It's the story you never want to live. Heather joins us on this podcast and shares the story about losing her son in a tragic accident, the immediate ripple effect it had on her family and how she has been able to continue to live well in the midst of the grief. One of things we loved about Heather is that she didn't sugar coat the pain, but yet she communicates hope by living faithfully, loving people well and being honest about how it's changed her.We are really thankful for this conversation.

First thing we noticed about Ashley when we met her is that Emily and I NEVER looked as cute as she does when we were pregnant with our kids :)You all probably know what a surrogate is, you have seen it in the news or know that celebrities often have children via surrogate. But to hear firsthand about Ashley's experience taught us so much about what it really means to carry someone else's baby. It's a fascinating, hilarious and tender story about a super normal kindergarten teacher and mom of three who considers herself a "really good babysitter" for another family. We learned a ton and walked away inspired!

We are back!!!! And so excited for another fun season of podcast interviews with everyday people who have interesting, amazing and sometimes heart-wrenching stories to share. Join us for a quick kick-off conversation to start our 2nd season!

This is a fun one! Picture three friends, sitting around a table, hashing out the world's problems. Emily and Stacy are two of the friends - the other friend is a dude from the UP (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) whose story telling and jokes are legendary. There is no clear topic or agenda here folks. The conversation goes in many different directions, but one thing is clear......this podcast was a blast to record and we loved our chat with Rob!

What's It Like.....to be adopted?What's It Like.....to find out the child you are about to adopt may not become legally yours?What's It Like.....to reconnect with birth families?What's It Like.....to be the adoptive parent?All these questions are touched on during our conversation with Dr. Jeff Goldman. He is a wickedly smart man, whose attention to detail and story telling has made him a favorite of his patients and a wealth of adoption insight.

What's it like to be the first person a victim of assault comes into contact with at the hospital? What's the protocol? What's the science behind collecting evidence in the aftermath of an assault? What's it like to care for the emotions and heartache of someone who has just been traumatized?Brenda is a forensic nurse, which could also be called a sexual assault nurse. It takes a special person to oversee the technical details that are critical in these cases, while still having deep compassion and care for her patients. We think you will be amazed by Brenda and her story.

Tyrese Haliburton, local Oshkosh basketball star, Iowa State recruit, and major contributor to the Cyclones 2019 successful basketball season - tells us his story. Tyrese is the whole package - a huge talent on the basketball court, an incredibly nice guy who seems to never take for granted his blessings, he's loved by his friends and family, and his dream to play in the NBA is actually within his grasp!You will want to cheer him on after listening to this podcast, just like we do!

It's the news you hope to never hear....."You have cancer."Patty, our dear friend, reflects on her diagnosis and treatment, what it was like to tell her kids, how her husband stood by her side and how a community of friends and neighbors loved her well during her battle with cancer. A heart-warming story and a good reminder to us all about the power of positive thinking and having a sense of humor in the midst of the battle.

What's It Like......to be an ex-convict?What's It Like.......to be in a gang?What's It Like......to change your entire life?All of these could have been our title for today's podcast with Barber Rich. His story is a fascinating journey from an angry kid picking fights at the mall, to serving over a decade in prison for armed robbery, to creating a successful community barber shop, starting a family and giving back. We adore this guy!

Biological, adopted, foster - these moms have all three kinds of children in their families! There is no shortage of laughter, sadness, hope, grief, loneliness and joy when it comes to being a foster parent. Hannah and Lindsey share stories about their experiences, their children and they give us a glimpse of what it's like to be a foster family. We hope you love this candid conversation and get a taste of how amazing these women are, both as moms and as friends.

Is racism still real?Are people of color just being too sensitive?Is it hard to be a young black woman?Joy, our guest on the podcast today, shares real stories of what it's like to be a young black woman today. She's honest, funny, open, and we think you'll fall in love with her like we have. Get ready... "this is not a guilt trip, it's a field trip."Thanks for listening!Stacy and Emily

Does social media form your identity? Can you voice your honest opinion on a college campus?How do students form connections at college?Ellee, our guest on the podcast today, gives us some honest, smart and fun answers to these questions and more. A lot of her story will be recognizable to parents and young people alike. Thanks for listening!Stacy and Emily

Hey everyone! Welcome to our first podcast - What's It Like with Stacy and Emily!Today you will hear about our vision for our podcast and a little bit about What's It Like.....to be Stacy and Emily. We are super excited and a little nervous to start this journey, but we are thrilled to have you join us!Thanks for listening!Stacy and Emily