Podcasts about for sara

In this episode, Kim Somers Egelsee and Eden Sustin are joined by Dr. Sara Bivans. At one point Sara was heavily addicted to drugs and pushing a shopping cart, homeless on the streets. Now, she's sober, a Doctor, and helps other people who are struggling with addiction and more. Sara shares her challenging yet inspiring story of addiction & sobriety and how her time in prison showed her the positive changes she needed to make in her life. Plus she shares great information on the relationship between repressed emotions and marriages/families breaking up and how Eden saved her life recently. For Sara's servies: http://soberstages.com/

“Focusing on the children is what CO-PARENTING is all about.” - Sara Olsher   Sara Olsher is a mom to a little girl with a big personality, wearer of cowboy boots, and drinker of exceptionally strong coffee. In 2012, she packed up her 18-month-old and left her marriage. What followed was about four years of intense personal growth and the birth of Mighty + Bright.   Then in 2017, Sara was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at the age of 34. Rather than choosing to keep her daughter in the dark, Sara explained the diagnosis and treatment process to her six-year-old, included her throughout the year of healing, and documented her journey through cancer on her blog.   She started Mighty + Bright for the same reason many parents start companies: because she wanted to help her own daughter and invented a product to do it. But since then, it's become so much more. Sara has seen firsthand that the universe can deal with some pretty harsh blows. As parents, we want nothing more than to see our children thrive - and nothing is more painful than knowing that we can't fix everything when things go wrong.   Cancer taught Sara that what's important in life is our relationships. From the onset, her friends and family rallied around her, lifted her up, and showed her that much of what we spend our lives worrying about is unimportant. What is important is making sure that we stand by what matters to us, we focus on what is real, and we spend our time caring for ourselves and others.   Mighty + Bright is about helping families handle the really hard things in life. We can't control the cards we're dealt, but we can control how we respond to them, and the message we send to our kids. For Sara, the message is this: Live your truth. Don't hide from the hard stuff, because it'll come whether you try to avoid it or not.   Sara wholeheartedly believes that our darkest times are full of silver linings. It's a chance to get to know yourself (like, your real self, not the one who cares about what everyone else wants), a chance to learn how to graciously accept help when you need it, and a chance to show your kids how to handle the hard stuff head-on, with grace.   Sara's background is in psychology and illustration, and after her divorce, she used both of these skills to create tools to help her young daughter understand and cope with the major changes in her life. Her first product was the shared custody calendar, which combines research-backed methods of teaching children with bright, happy illustrations.    You can find Sara on SaraOlsher.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.   Check out Mighty + Bright on Facebook and Instagram.     Sponsor Today's episode is sponsored by Aura Merchandising, a proud women-owned full-service brand marketing, and global sourcing agency. Visit them at www.auralimited.com Find Us Online! Website: www.iamjuliethahn.com Instagram: @iamjuliethahn Twitter: @iamjuliethahn LinkedIn: Juliet Hahn FB: Juliet Hahn Fireside: Juliet Hahn Clubhouse: @iamjuliethahn YouTube: Juliet Hahn

Author and journalist Sara Davidson is an award-winning storyteller, and she says she learned that skill from her mother Alice. Every night before bed, Alice would tell Sara and her sister the next installment in a serial story about a miniature girl named P Winky Smith who was so small she could fit in your pocket. But that doesn't mean their relationship was idyllic by any stretch. For Sara, there were high highs and low lows in her childhood. Her mother was funny and once had dreams of being a comedic actress (she also had one of the first nose jobs in L.A.!) but she could also be derisive, mean and stubborn.Alice then developed dementia, and for Sara this was the first time she could truly love her mother, in part because ailing Alice had forgotten many of the things they had fought about.Together, Sara and Katie talk about dashed dreams, nose jobs, and the challenges of growing up with such a complicated mother, especially Alice Davidson, who was known as the “send-back queen” because she never settled for a dish that wasn't perfectly prepared in a restaurant.Artwork by Paula Mangin (@PaulaBallah)Music composed and performed by Andrea PerryProducers: Alice Hudson, Claire TrageserSocial Media: Ilana NevinsSpecial thanks to Sarge, for permission to use the clip  from his routine about the beleaguered Jewish husband.Mother Word Cloud: Please contribute the one word that best describes your mother to the Mother Word Cloud at www.ourmothersourselves.comNote: Our sister podcast, Mother Mine, has moved to a separate feed. Click here to listen to it on Apple Podcasts. 

Download Podcast TranscriptWhat do you think when someone says “networking”? Do you feel stressed or anxious? Sara Alepin found out that many people felt this way, and that’s why she founded District Bliss, a company for business owners that want to expand their network. Sara is an extrovert with a facility to make connections, and so she put her skills to good use on behalf of others. She knows that networking can be fun and that every event is an opportunity to find people to work or collaborate with.  Highlights: Sara created District Bliss as a way to connect people. Sara knows that every event is a networking opportunity, and it can have fun and creative activities.First impressions matter! Sara encourages you to do some research, choose the events that interest you, that speak to you. Then, you want to give a positive and memorable first impression. For Sara, it is ok if you talk about something not so conventional, or if you try to get a deeper conversation to know the other person. Don’t be afraid to be real.Are you an introvert, or don’t know how to approach people? Sara’s got your back. She is an extrovert that looks for the introvert in any event and then manages to introduce herself and this person to other groups or circles of people. Sara notices that many people are afraid to say the wrong thing. In her experience,  it is important to pay attention to how we say something instead of what we say.Sara knows that we, as humans, and especially as business owners, are constantly evolving, reinventing ourselves and our brand. And so it is ok to move forward and meet new people that are good for you at that moment, even if you disconnect from others.Are you ready to do some networking? Once you have checked the event, the brand, and decided that it does speak to you, you are ready to go. Sara recommends having a document with your personal links, being prepared will make you feel more comfortable. Paid attention to what others are asking, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Be honest with your intentions, and have an open mind. To know more about District Bliss, visit their website or follow them on Instagram. You can follow Sara on Instagram and check her podcast, Laughing with Gingers. Download our free guide to Clubhouse, and learn everything you need to know about this social network.Lara Schmoisman, CEO & Founder of The Darl and Marketing SimplificadoSupport the show (http://www.laraschmoisman.com)

In episode 2 of Let’s talk shop, I speak all things ethical and sustainable with Sara Collins, an ethical production consultant and brand owner of fashion brand Sister and Kin.   We talk about what it means to be an ethical and sustainable business and how we have to choose what is important to us as brand owners to prioritise first and Sara shares lots of tips that you can use to be more confident in your sourcing.   It’s so important to talk about this as it can be both scary and overwhelming to create a brand in line with your values and lifestyle. Even though we want to do it all at once, this is not always possible and it’s important to remember that it’s better to do something well and have a plan for how you can do more in the future than to do nothing at all.   Sara has seven years of experience working one-to-one with certified Fairtrade manufacturers around the world and have brought many collections of sustainable fashion, jewellery and homeware products to the European market. She now offers help, advice, and support to independent business owners who want to find social enterprises and local initiatives to work with. Sara is passionate about building partnerships with your manufacturers and helping brands navigate around the world of ethical manufacturing.   She also has her own ethical fashion brand which celebrates artisan craft and skill, creating fashion slowly and mindfully. For Sara, it's important to understand that as a brand owner she has an impact and it’s important to make it a positive one.   You can find all the links to connect with Sara below. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review over on Apple podcast as it really helps others discover the podcast too.   Connect with Sara and Sister and Kin https://www.instagram.com/saracollins.uk/ https://www.sarahelencollins.com/   https://www.instagram.com/sisterandkin/ https://www.sisterandkin.com/   Have a look at Sara and Lottie’s course that is currently open for enrolment: https://www.sarahelencollins.com/shop/p/ethicalproductionandsustainabledesign   Sara runs this course with Lottie Woods, you can find her over on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lottiewoodsdesign/   Megan and Frank source overstock and sustainable fabrics and you can find out more over on their website: https://pigeonwishes.com/   If you want help with your wholesale please get in touch either on my website, by email or Instagram.   Connect with me Website: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/small_business_collaborative/ Sign-up to my newsletter: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5df908bbf68c9d00263c9c21  

In episode 2 of Let’s talk shop, I speak all things ethical and sustainable with Sara Collins, an ethical production consultant and brand owner of fashion brand Sister and Kin.   We talk about what it means to be an ethical and sustainable business and how we have to choose what is important to us as brand owners to prioritise first and Sara shares lots of tips that you can use to be more confident in your sourcing.   It’s so important to talk about this as it can be both scary and overwhelming to create a brand in line with your values and lifestyle. Even though we want to do it all at once, this is not always possible and it’s important to remember that it’s better to do something well and have a plan for how you can do more in the future than to do nothing at all.   Sara has seven years of experience working one-to-one with certified Fairtrade manufacturers around the world and have brought many collections of sustainable fashion, jewellery and homeware products to the European market. She now offers help, advice, and support to independent business owners who want to find social enterprises and local initiatives to work with. Sara is passionate about building partnerships with your manufacturers and helping brands navigate around the world of ethical manufacturing.   She also has her own ethical fashion brand which celebrates artisan craft and skill, creating fashion slowly and mindfully. For Sara, it's important to understand that as a brand owner she has an impact and it’s important to make it a positive one.   You can find all the links to connect with Sara below. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review over on Apple podcast as it really helps others discover the podcast too.   Connect with Sara and Sister and Kin https://www.instagram.com/saracollins.uk/ https://www.sarahelencollins.com/   https://www.instagram.com/sisterandkin/ https://www.sisterandkin.com/   Have a look at Sara and Lottie’s course that is currently open for enrolment: https://www.sarahelencollins.com/shop/p/ethicalproductionandsustainabledesign   Sara runs this course with Lottie Woods, you can find her over on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lottiewoodsdesign/   Megan and Frank source overstock and sustainable fabrics and you can find out more over on their website: https://pigeonwishes.com/   If you want help with your wholesale please get in touch either on my website, by email or Instagram.   Connect with me Website: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/small_business_collaborative/ Sign-up to my newsletter: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5df908bbf68c9d00263c9c21  

In episode 2 of Let’s talk shop, I speak all things ethical and sustainable with Sara Collins, an ethical production consultant and brand owner of fashion brand Sister and Kin.   We talk about what it means to be an ethical and sustainable business and how we have to choose what is important to us as brand owners to prioritise first and Sara shares lots of tips that you can use to be more confident in your sourcing.   It’s so important to talk about this as it can be both scary and overwhelming to create a brand in line with your values and lifestyle. Even though we want to do it all at once, this is not always possible and it’s important to remember that it’s better to do something well and have a plan for how you can do more in the future than to do nothing at all.   Sara has seven years of experience working one-to-one with certified Fairtrade manufacturers around the world and have brought many collections of sustainable fashion, jewellery and homeware products to the European market. She now offers help, advice, and support to independent business owners who want to find social enterprises and local initiatives to work with. Sara is passionate about building partnerships with your manufacturers and helping brands navigate around the world of ethical manufacturing.   She also has her own ethical fashion brand which celebrates artisan craft and skill, creating fashion slowly and mindfully. For Sara, it's important to understand that as a brand owner she has an impact and it’s important to make it a positive one.   You can find all the links to connect with Sara below. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review over on Apple podcast as it really helps others discover the podcast too.   Connect with Sara and Sister and Kin https://www.instagram.com/saracollins.uk/ https://www.sarahelencollins.com/   https://www.instagram.com/sisterandkin/ https://www.sisterandkin.com/   Have a look at Sara and Lottie’s course that is currently open for enrolment: https://www.sarahelencollins.com/shop/p/ethicalproductionandsustainabledesign   Sara runs this course with Lottie Woods, you can find her over on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lottiewoodsdesign/   Megan and Frank source overstock and sustainable fabrics and you can find out more over on their website: https://pigeonwishes.com/   If you want help with your wholesale please get in touch either on my website, by email or Instagram.   Connect with me Website: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/small_business_collaborative/ Sign-up to my newsletter: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5df908bbf68c9d00263c9c21  

Business Lunch with Roland Frasier Podcast Notes Key Takeaways Every week at dinner, Sara Blakely’s father would ask her to share one thing she failed at that week. Her father wanted her to know failure was okay and that when you take risks, you’re going to come across failure.“What he was doing was just reframing our definition of failure…The only failure for me is not trying” – Sara BlakelyAs a salesperson, Sara listened to several motivational speakers including Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, and many moreFrom listening to all these speakers, Sara learned about the value of visualizing your success and the power of positive thinkingWhat you don’t know can be your biggest asset in businessSara didn’t get Spanx into Neiman Marcus by doing trade shows, she simply called them and asked if she could get 10 minutes to present her product to them   How does Spanx decide what products to work on?“It’s really just based on need and listening to people and hearing where I see opportunities to make something better” – Sara BlakelyHow does Sara define success?For Sara, it’s following your passion, doing something that makes you feel alive, and helping other people along the wayRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgSara Blakely took on a declining industry and ended up changing the way women dress. She is the Billionaire Founder of SPANX and was named by Time magazine on their list of the 100 most influential people in the world (2012). Two years ago, we aired part of Roland Frasier's conversation with Sara Blakely. You can hear that here. Today, we're sharing some of the conversation that we held back: More questions that we think Entrepreneurs (and our business-minded listeners) will want to hear. Whether you're growing a successful business, dreaming up ideas, or struggling to navigate challenging times, this episode will encourage you on your Entrepreneurial journey.   "What he was doing was just reframing our definition of failure...The only failure for me is not trying" – Sara Blakely. Listen For How Sara Blakely - • Stays Motivated (and who inspired her to break through the ceiling)? • Wrote a profound (and very specific) goal in her journal two years before she had her billion-dollar idea. • Continues to get great ideas (by making her 5-minute commute last an hour). "I think a lot of my next inventions and ideas in the car" – Sara Blakely. Plus, Sara Answers... 1. How Spanx's customer acquisition channel has changed over the years. 2. Her strategy for maximizing customer lifetime value. 3. How she expanded Internationally. 4. Which Book has she gifted the most. 5. Does she ever take time off and recharge? Today's Top Takeaway What you don't know (in business) can turn out to be your biggest asset. Did You Know?   March is an extra special month for the podcast. We've also lined up the release of Roland's interviews with Sir Richard Branson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Marcus Lemonis, and a special International Women's Day episode too. Subscribe/Follow us on ApplePodcasts, so you don't miss it!  And don't forget to enter to win our Apple Giveaway! Here's that link. You can also find us on these platforms here.   Follow Sara Blakely On Instagram Check out The Spanx Foundation Follow Roland Frasier On Facebook  On Instagram  Through his Website  Follow Business Lunch Podcast On Twitter On YouTube

Business Lunch with Roland Frasier Podcast Notes Key Takeaways Every week at dinner, Sara Blakely’s father would ask her to share one thing she failed at that week. Her father wanted her to know failure was okay and that when you take risks, you’re going to come across failure.“What he was doing was just reframing our definition of failure…The only failure for me is not trying” – Sara BlakelyAs a salesperson, Sara listened to several motivational speakers including Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, and many moreFrom listening to all these speakers, Sara learned about the value of visualizing your success and the power of positive thinkingWhat you don’t know can be your biggest asset in businessSara didn’t get Spanx into Neiman Marcus by doing trade shows, she simply called them and asked if she could get 10 minutes to present her product to them   How does Spanx decide what products to work on?“It’s really just based on need and listening to people and hearing where I see opportunities to make something better” – Sara BlakelyHow does Sara define success?For Sara, it’s following your passion, doing something that makes you feel alive, and helping other people along the wayRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgSara Blakely took on a declining industry and ended up changing the way women dress. She is the Billionaire Founder of SPANX and was named by Time magazine on their list of the 100 most influential people in the world (2012). Two years ago, we aired part of Roland Frasier's conversation with Sara Blakely. You can hear that here. Today, we're sharing some of the conversation that we held back: More questions that we think Entrepreneurs (and our business-minded listeners) will want to hear. Whether you're growing a successful business, dreaming up ideas, or struggling to navigate challenging times, this episode will encourage you on your Entrepreneurial journey.   "What he was doing was just reframing our definition of failure...The only failure for me is not trying" – Sara Blakely. Listen For How Sara Blakely - • Stays Motivated (and who inspired her to break through the ceiling)? • Wrote a profound (and very specific) goal in her journal two years before she had her billion-dollar idea. • Continues to get great ideas (by making her 5-minute commute last an hour). "I think a lot of my next inventions and ideas in the car" – Sara Blakely. Plus, Sara Answers... 1. How Spanx's customer acquisition channel has changed over the years. 2. Her strategy for maximizing customer lifetime value. 3. How she expanded Internationally. 4. Which Book has she gifted the most. 5. Does she ever take time off and recharge? Today's Top Takeaway What you don't know (in business) can turn out to be your biggest asset. Did You Know?   March is an extra special month for the podcast. We've also lined up the release of Roland's interviews with Sir Richard Branson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Marcus Lemonis, and a special International Women's Day episode too. Subscribe/Follow us on ApplePodcasts, so you don't miss it!  And don't forget to enter to win our Apple Giveaway! Here's that link. You can also find us on these platforms here.   Follow Sara Blakely On Instagram Check out The Spanx Foundation Follow Roland Frasier On Facebook  On Instagram  Through his Website  Follow Business Lunch Podcast On Twitter On YouTube

“When you look at running and why we’re doing this, the ultimate pinnacle goal is to be an elite medalist but really to be an Olympian and have that title. For Sara (my wife) and I, when we think about why we do this, it’s to try and qualify for the Olympics or give it our absolute best shot. When you talk to someone who is not closely tied to the running world, that’s what they’re looking for. When they describe you to your friends, they’re thinking, ‘This guy is training for the Olympics’ or ‘He’s trying to make the Olympics’ and it’s so cool to them but if you take the Olympics out of it, it loses the allure of what we’re doing. It’s very unique.” Consider this Part II to last week’s conversation with Sara Sutherland since we now get to interview her husband, Riley Masters. For those who may not be familiar with him, Riley was a standout runner at Maine before transferring to Oklahoma. He’s got personal bests of 3:36.49 for the 1,500 meters and 13:16.97 for the 5,000 meters. He serves as an assistant coach at Colorado where he works closely with his own coach Mark Wetmore. Riley hasn’t raced in 2020 because he’s making his way back from getting surgery to correct Haglund's deformity, which is a bone growth on the heel bone. I’ve known Riley for years and as he’s now in his 7th year of running professionally, we were both together in Europe in 2013 for our rookie seasons at the top end of the sport. We catch up on what he’s learned in that span of time, why this year is the worst one that he’s faced but keeps him motivated to explore what’s possible in 2021. For all my OG Real Maine fans – the documentary that brought some hype behind guys like Riley and Kyle Merber – we touch on the lasting legacy of that film. Plus: An epic tale of a Jeep Cherokee being stolen and totaled in a drug-related bust...Riley’s Mt. Rushmore of runners from Maine and much more. Follow Riley on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/riley_masters/

When a Sara Porter gets swept away by a man almost twenty years her senior, their marriage is nothing short of rocky. For Sara, falling for an older man had seemed like a dream, but she soon realized she had gotten more than she had bargained for. In a marriage filled with fighting, possessiveness, and controlling behaviors, it can only end in one way. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ghastlygalspodcast)

Have you ever been invited to do something only to wonder…why did I agree to that? My guest today went through something like that, and ultimately, it might have saved her life and the lives of her children. Today, I’m going to share with you the story of CDR Carlos and Sara Estevez, USCG. Carlos is a medical officer assigned to the US Coast Guard Academy. He and Sara arrived at the academy in 2016, and almost immediately got plugged into OCF through Carl Crabtree, the OCF field staff rep based in New London, CT. As for Sara, she homeschools their three kids, and like Carlos, helps teach Bible studies to the cadets. For Sara, being a mentor is an important part of their ministry. Sara was approached by then-cadet Deb King, whom she had been mentoring, who asked her to sign up for a Spartan Race. Deb is an Ensign now, serving as the support officer aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Active. Little did Sara know that the role she began as a mentor to Deb in 2016 would come to have a profound impact on her life and the lives of her children a few years later. On the afternoon of April 12, 2019, Sara and the kids packed up, arranged for the neighbors to watch their two dogs Nellie and Moose, and headed for New York City, where Carlos would join them as Sara planned to compete in the Spartan Race the next day. However, in the early morning hours of April 13 while the Estevez family was away, their house was destroyed in a blaze that also claimed the lives of their beloved dogs. In this episode, the Estevezes share the details of their story in the weeks leading up to the devastating fire, how they responded when they received word of the fire, and some of the things they’ve learned about their faith in the aftermath of the fire. You’ll also hear about how God miraculously spared some love letters and other personal items from the fire, and how Deb King rallied the USCG Cadets to help out the Estevez family. And in the middle of everything, Sara was wrapping up a Bible study she had written on the life of Jeremiah—it’s a 10-week inductive study—and as Sara pointed out to me, Jeremiah also knows a thing or two about loss since his entire book was burned by King Jehoiakim. If you want more information about the Bible study, it’s called “Born to Lead: From Complacency to Calling.” And be sure to check out Sara’s website for more resources. Finally, there’s also a mention of two previous guests to Crosspoint: Michelle Qureshi from episode 41 Brigit Jogan from episode 44

For Sara er lyden av bestikk som skrangler og glass som klirrer som den deiligste vuggevise, og det går ikke en dag uten at hun virkelig nyter og sanser seg gjennom en god kopp kaffe eller et hjemmelaget måltid. Gjerne med et glass vin til.Med over ti års erfaring i vinbransjen er Sara en vinkjenner med både nese, smak og ikke minst hjerte for hva vinen representerer. For vin er så mye mer enn å smake; vin er nytelse, noe sosialt og noe stas.I tillegg til å skrevet boka «Vin til folket!» ser hun det som sitt samfunnsoppdrag å gi befolkningen mer og bedre folkeopplysning om den fantastiske og komplekse vinverdenen, og at alle skal få en bedre mulighet til å lære seg å kjenne vin, og å nyte den til det fulle. La deg inspirere. Skål!

Sara de Jong began her scientific career in her home country, the Netherlands. She received her master's degree in critical theory and politics from the University of Nottingham, where she completed her PhD as well. In October 2012 she came to Austria with an Ernst Mach worldwide scholarship and spent a year conducting research at the Department of Development Studies at the University of Vienna.Her research is situated in the area of ​​migration and development, especially at the interface between those who migrate and "develop" and those who work with them. This is where the so-called "cultural brokers" play a special role, a term for people who mediate between cultures. “Cultural brokers” have existed since the start of long-distance trips and travels, because humans have always been confronted with “the stranger” and have been in need for not only linguistic, but also cultural "translation".For Sara de Jong, politics is not primarily party politics. Rather it means to look at the larger picture of the functioning and existence of society and language from a political point of view.

Napoleon Hill Foundation Instructor Tom Cunningham (too tall) and Intergenerational Communication Expert Brad Szollose interview Sara Gabriella. Sara Gabriella is a writer, poet and producer. Her personal mission is to use her creative superpowers to speak truth and expand awareness through the art and craft of storytelling.  She's published across a variety of mediums including: fiction, poetry, local and national media, blogs, screenplays and marketing content.  Her recent entrance into the best-selling author’s club with Journey’s to Success: 21 Millennials Share Their Astounding Stories Based on The Success Principles Of Napoleon Hill, is especially meaningful given that Hill’s Think and Grow Rich and Outwitting the Deviltransformed her way of thinking, and her life. Opening the “Think and Grow Rich Summit” in 2014 with a spoken word performance of “There is a Voice”, her original poem based on “Outwitting the Devil,” was a highlight of her career as a poet and a drastic turning point in her consciousness. She came away from the Summit with a valued mentor and a resonating belief in her life’s purpose. For Sara, stories have always been a way to connect to profound truths and to something bigger than her own reality. She believes stories connect us all in a powerful, visceral way that only the arts can. Harnessing the power of the human imagination and mastering the craft of storytelling is her lifelong passion and her most profound purpose.  http://saragabriella.com/

Sara, with 5 months and 10 days of sobriety, tells us how she did it. [9:21] Paul introduces Sara Sara has been sober for 5 months and 10 days, or a total of 163 days. Sara is feeling better than she has ever felt, which is a common response in early recovery. Sobriety has not been all wonderful colors, tastes, and smells. Sara's experience  so far has been overall great, but not without challenges; she has had to overcome some adversity. Which is a very big foundational pillar of life, as nothing comes easy in sobriety, and getting sober is a blind leap of faith. Sara is originally from Louisiana, currently living in New Jersey, she is a psychiatrist who is married with no children. For fun, she does everything she used to do but is learning to do it sober. One of her best sober activities she has enjoyed was attending a Coldplay concert, in which she remembered every single minute. The concert was amazing, as was Sara's first sober football game, feeling every emotion so much more. One not so cool activity in sobriety was joining friends bar hopping after a football game. Sara struggled, but realized she is no longer "that guy" and could drive home sober.  [13:21 ] Talk to us about your Elevator. When did you hit bottom? Sara made small attempts to stop two years prior to her sobriety date. During that time, she read a book titled "Freedom from Addiction," which inspired her; only until an invite to socialize and drink. She would start again and not be able to stop. Eventually, Sara was at a happy hour followed by dinner with lots of drinking. She thought she was good to drive home. She ended up in an accident after which the entire night was a blur. Realizing that she could lose her life and career, even though there were no legal ramifications involved. Sara realized how lucky she was to come out of that situation safe and not in a legal battle. Paul shares his driving while intoxicated experiences. Sara woke up the next day and through the next week she was dazed and confused her memory was foggy as she was self-blaming herself. Everting in her life was going well other than drinking, she questioned why she was sacrificing everything for drinking. [16:27] How much did you drink? Sara drank vodka in airplane size bottles, they were easier to consume, leaving no evidence. She would usually drink a few throughout the day, over time it progressed. Her consumption amounts were often up and down, Sara was never one that could have just one or two at dinner, she would always continue drinking through the night. When she decided to stop drinking, she was up to 6-7 drinks per night, and was starting early in the day. For Sara, her disease progression was more about the time of day she started rather than the amount. Usually a couple glasses of wine and some shots of alcohol. Sara tried to put multiple plans of control in place; only drink on the weekend, only after work, no hard liquor. Paul realizes the question of control is a dumb question. The thought that one day we can drink normal must be dismissed. [19:38] How did you do it? Walk us through the first day, the first week. Sara's first week she doesn't remember much, but had a lot of family events and weddings with open bars where she was put to the test. After she got through all the events without a drink, she wondered why she drank when she was loving everything she was doing sober not understanding why she ever started in the first place. Sara's first few months have been filled with new activities; biking, hiking, gym. She has replaced drinking with trying new things.   [21:00] Tell us about your program. Sara didn't enlist any kind of program. Yet, even before the accident she was listening to sobriety podcasts, as she was contemplating sobriety. Sara then found RE which became her program. While doing her morning routine she has the podcast playing as her preferred recovery resource, along with fitness and other new routines. Paul reminds us that willpower is exhaustible and finite, eventually running out, leading to relapse. We need a daily affirmation to remember why you don’t drink. [24:07] Sara shares her fears about being "found out" on the podcast: Being a psychiatrist and worried about people learning of her addiction. A lot of friends still don't understand, and see alcoholics as worst case scenario. Images of bums is the picture normal people have. Sara knows that is not alcoholics are like, but struggles with the stigma even though she knows that is ridiculous. Paul sees Sara's alcoholism as an untapped asset in her career. Sara chats with addicts face to face in a hospital setting and listens to their struggles. Many of her patients have been through been recovery. Sara's advice to her patients is to take it one day at a time, she tells them about podcasts as many haven't found a program. She is also able to offer resources that she uses herself. Paul suggests she uses her own experiences. Sara hopes to get to that point. She remembers to focus on the similarities not the differences. She is just not realizing that she has a problem. Paul is curious when she will get there. Sara realizes she needs to get rid of the fear of judgement. Paul shares how he came out as an alcoholic. Everybody knows somebody in recovery. Paul feels within time her superiors will admire her strength. What if she tells her first patient tomorrow? Sara was trained to never put focus on yourself, but you make exceptions to help with the rapport of the patient. How prevalent is addiction in the ER? Most of the ER is filled with intoxicated people, or those who are experiencing withdrawals; mostly in the evenings on weekends, and during the holidays. Paul knows counselors who have succeeded because they are also in recovery. Sara feels like telling Paul was her first big step going out into the digital world. Sara wants to connect with more people, and thinks she is in the right direction to come out of the closet about her sobriety. [32:02] How do you stay sober today? Sara is awake at 5 AM does yoga, meditation, and plans her day. Sometimes she works out. After work Sara comes home and starts her evening routine: working out, meditation, and/or some planned quality time with friends and family, tennis lessons, or something new. Sara hopes to try out martial arts. She plans to do something new every few months to continue to grow and bring happiness to life. [33:00] What is on your bucket list at one year? Sara hopes that after one year she is more involved in the sober community; she doesn't have any support right now. Besides Cafe RE. She plans to surround herself with more people like her. [33:57 ] What have you learned about yourself through sobriety? Sara learned that she doesn't need alcohol to have a good conversation with people, she is OK just being herself. That has been the most intoxicating thing about being sober. Everything is even better without alcohol. [34:41] What are your plans to stay sober during the holidays? Sara thought the holidays would be hard, luckily for her she has a lot of family functions that were once her crutch, have become growth experiences. She doesn’t even think about drinking anymore; she auto looks for non-alcoholic beverages. While she misses the one glass of wine once in a while, she is content with beet juice now in a wine glass.   [36:01] Rapid Fire Round What was your worst memory from drinking? Night of car accident and the day after; blackout Did you ever have an “oh-shit” moment? Sara has had a lot, mostly waking up not remembering what she did What’s your plan moving forward? Using Recovery Elevator and other podcasts. Paul recommends the Bubble Hour podcast What’s the best advice you’ve ever received (on sobriety)? Taking it one day at a time What parting piece of guidance can you give listeners who are in recovery or thinking about quitting drinking? Stop trying to define if they are an alcoholic or not, wasting too many thoughts. Not drinking makes your life better “You Might be an Alcoholic If…” Your idea of dieting is doing straight shots instead of mixed drinks. Paul’s Life Hack: ? 7:10-8:40 PM 11/17/2016 - - - 6:10 - 6:50 AM 11/19/2016

Sarah’s Child Susan Jane Bigelow Once, I dreamed that I had a son named Sheldon, and my grief tore a hole in the fabric of the world. In my dream I walked through the halls of an elementary school, and I went into the office. Everything was gray and blocky, but somehow not oppressive. I was certain, then, that it was the elementary school in my old hometown, and that I was both myself and also not myself. Full transcript after the cut ----more---- Hello! Welcome to GlitterShip episode 28 for May 24, 2016. This is your host, Keffy, and I'm super excited to be sharing this story with you. Our story this week is "Sarah's Child" by Susan Jane Bigelow, read by Amanda Ching. Susan Jane Bigelow is a fiction writer, political columnist, and librarian. She mainly writes science fiction and fantasy novels, most notably the Extrahuman Union series from Book Smugglers Publishing. Her short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Lightspeed Magazine’s “Queers Destroy Science Fiction” issue, and the Lamba Award-winning “The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard,” among others. She lives with her wife in northern Connecticut, and can be found at the bottom of a pile of cats. Amanda Ching is a freelance editor and writer. Her work has appeared in Storm Moon Press, Candlemark & Gleam's Alice: (re)Visions, and every bathroom stall on I-80 from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis. She tweets @cerebralcutlass and blogs at http://amandaching.wordpress.com. Sarah’s Child Susan Jane Bigelow Once, I dreamed that I had a son named Sheldon, and my grief tore a hole in the fabric of the world. In my dream I walked through the halls of an elementary school, and I went into the office. Everything was gray and blocky, but somehow not oppressive. I was certain, then, that it was the elementary school in my old hometown, and that I was both myself and also not myself. I asked for Sheldon. “Ms. Harp is here,” someone said, and then there he was. He was blond, maybe five or six, with a round face like my sister’s. He smiled toothily up at me. I took his hand. “Come on, honey,” I said. “Let’s go.” And then I woke up. Janet snored softly next to me. I touched the space on my body where my womb would have been, if I’d been born with one, and ached. It was a mistake to tell Janet. “So you had a dream,” she said, crunching her toast. She ate it plain, no butter. “So what?” She was wearing that muscle shirt that made me melt, and her short hair was a mess from sleep. Janet was athletic, butch and pint-sized, and she wore her queerness like a pair of brass knuckles. I was lucky to have her. “I don’t know,” I said. “It just seemed so real.” “I dreamed I was a hockey player,” Janet said, popping the last piece of toast into her mouth. “But I ain’t one.” “I know.” I stabbed at my breakfast, not feeling all that hungry. “Never mind.” She came over and kissed the top of my head. “Sorry, babe. I know it bugs you sometimes.” She put her dishes in the sink. “You aren’t gonna start asking about sperm donors or anything, right? Did you freeze yours?” “No,” I said. “And no. I didn’t.” There’d really been no point. When I had my surgery I’d been in the middle of the divorce with Liz. Kids were out of the question. “Cool. You gonna be okay?” I nodded. “All right. I gotta hit the shower. See you at the game tonight!” She headed off to the shower, humming happily to herself. She usually took half an hour in there, so I’d be long gone by the time she came out. I poked at my scrambled eggs again, then tossed them out. I couldn’t shake the dream, though, so I went through my day in a fog. People at work asked me if I was all right, and I just shook my head mutely. Sure. Fine, just a little haunted. I didn’t go directly home that night. Instead, I drove the half hour north to Elm Hill, and parked outside the elementary school. School was long over, though a few kids played on the ball fields and ran around the swings. I shut the car off and got out. There was a hint of fall in the air, though the leaves hadn’t turned yet. I walked through the playground, passing by my own ghosts on the steps, by the wall, on the baseball field, and up to the fence. There was a little rock there, smaller than I remembered. I sat on it, and thought about Sheldon. This was silly. It was just a dream. I’d had dreams about motherhood before. Pregnancy, babies, those dreams came with the hormones. Everybody had them, or said they did. So why wouldn’t this one let me go? I sighed. Somewhere across the playground, a father with two daughters was watching me. I waved at him, and he turned quickly around again. Dads don’t like me. Impulsively, I rummaged in my purse and found the little reporter’s notebook I kept handy. I’m not a reporter, I work in layout and design for the magazine, but somewhere along the line I’d picked up a few of their habits. I pulled a pen out of my purse and started to write.   Hi Sheldon My hand shook. What was I doing? This was stupid. There was no Sheldon. But my traitor hand kept writing.   I hope you’re doing okay. I hope you had a nice day. I used to play on this rock when I was little, like you. I hope you have a lot of friends, and that you’re happy.   Your friend, Sarah I couldn’t bring myself to sign it ‘Mom.’ My phone chimed, and I pulled it out. There were two texts there. One was from Janet, wondering where I was. Guilty—I’d forgotten her game—I texted her back that I’d be there in about half an hour. The other was from a number I’d never seen before. It was a weird combination of letters and numbers, and there was no name. From: AC67843V-D Hey I can take Sheldon Friday txt me back –D Angry, I texted back—   Not funny, Janet —and put the phone away. I folded the paper up and thought about chucking it away. Then I folded it again and stuck it in a little crack in the rock. Maybe somehow it would find its way to him, wherever he was, and he’d leave me alone. Janet was a little peeved that I’d missed the start of the game. She took softball seriously, and the fall league was special in some way that I’d tried my best not to understand. But I got there in time for the fourth inning, which meant I got to see her steal third base, so it wasn’t a total loss. “Where were you?” she asked as we were downing beer and pizza with the team after. “Just got held up,” I said. “At work. You know how it is.” “They exploit you,” she said, pointing at me with the business end of a slice of pizza. “You shouldn’t let them do that. It’s cause you’re trans—” I winced. Tell the whole pizza joint, why don’t you? “—that they think they can take advantage, cause you’re desperate for work. You shouldn’t take it.” “No,” I said. “It’s fine.” “Damn it, Sarah,” said Janet. “You gotta stick up for yourself! You never do. You just let Liz roll away with your house and car and money, and you let your boss get all kinds of unpaid labor out of you. You need to grow a spine.” And I let you boss me around, too, I thought, eating a slice of pizza. So what? “You didn’t have to send me that text,” I said. “What, I just wanted to know where you were!” she said. “No, the other one. The Sheldon one? That was mean.” She blinked. “I never sent you anything about Sheldon. Who’s Sheldon?” That night I dreamed about driving around the streets of my hometown. The town was different in that way familiar things change in dreams, but I still knew it was Elm Hill. I took a turn and pulled into the parking lot of a condo complex. “Home, home,” sang a little voice in the seat next to me. I looked over and there was Sheldon, smiling up at me. I got out of the car and walked around to his side, my heels clicking on the pavement. I opened the door and helped him out. I glanced in the window, and saw reflected back a face that was and wasn’t mine. I woke up, the feel of Sheldon’s cold little hand in mine burned into my memory. My mother was no help at all. “Your sister’s pregnant,” she announced when I called her over lunch. “Again?” I asked. Patty seemed to get pregnant with alarming regularity. This would be her fourth. “So she says. I hope it’s a summer baby. They could name her June. Such a pretty name. I wanted to name you June, if you’d been a girl.” I’m a girl now, I thought, but didn’t say. “The baby would be born earlier than that, right? It’s only September.” “Well, you never know. And think what an interesting story that would be! ‘This is my daughter June, she was born in May!’ Wouldn’t that be an interesting story?” “Sure. How’s Dad?” I asked, quickly changing the subject. “Same as ever,” she grumped, launching into a long story about how he was out with his golf buddies all the time and never home. Not that she wanted him home, of course. I almost told her about Sheldon. He was still haunting me. But what would I have said? Instead, I listened as she told me about Dad, passed judgment on the sorry state of my career, and questioned whether Janet was right for me. I made the appropriate noises at the appropriate times, and excused myself to go back to work when the time came. That evening I found myself pulled back to the parking lot of the elementary school in Elm Hill, looking out over the playground and thinking wistfully of what might have been. Maybe I should find a therapist, I thought. Maybe I should get help. I got out of the car and strolled across the field, trying not to look guilty. I didn’t see the dad from yesterday. I sat myself back down on the rock, and sighed. The piece of paper was still wedged into that crack. This is ridiculous, I thought. Why was I even here? I was lucky. I knew I was. I had a home, a cute girlfriend, and a job. I didn’t get abuse on the streets. I wasn’t young anymore and I was never pretty, but so what? So what. Why did I want what I could never, ever have so badly? Suddenly furious, I ripped the paper out of the wedge in the rock. I was about to tear it to shreds when I noticed that the paper was a soft blue color. My notebook only had white lined. Curious, I opened it up. There, in a child’s blocky script, was written: HELLO I like beinG on the Rock. I make Believe its a SPACE SHIP. My mommy is nice and a DIKe and is coming to pick me up soon. Do you like Dinosars?   SHELDON My hands began to shake. This had to be some trick. I turned the paper over, looking for signs, but there was only the name of the paper company on the back. “Bloomfield Paper - Made in the R.N.E.” was stamped next to a little pine tree flag. There was no other mark, nothing to indicate where this had come from. I got out my pen and paper again, and wrote another note.   Hi Sheldon   I like space ships, and I like dinosaurs. I’m very glad your mommy is nice. I hope you had a nice day today, too.   Sarah I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Before I lost my nerve I wedged the note back into the rock, and left quickly. I went back to the rock the next day, and sure enough, there was another blue paper stuck in the crack. This time it was a crude picture of a dinosaur, signed by Sheldon. For Sara, it read, spelling my name wrong. I smiled, touched, and tried not to think about what a creep I was being to somebody’s poor kid. I tucked the drawing into my purse. Just then my phone rang, and I almost jumped out of my skin. I checked my phone; it was that same combination of letters and numbers as the text from yesterday had been. AC67843V-D. Hesitantly, I answered it. “H...hello?” “Hey, June,” a man’s bored-sounding voice said. “I can’t take Sheldon on Friday after all. Sorry.” Sheldon. “I’m sorry,” I said, trying and failing to keep the quavering out of my voice. “I’m not June.” “What?” The voice on the other end sounded very confused. “Oh. Huh. Wrong number, I guess. You sure you’re… you sound just like her. Weird.” “I’m Sarah,” I said. “And you’re on your own phone?” “Yes.” “Huh. Well, if you see June tell her David can’t pick up Sheldon Friday.” The line went dead, leaving me shivering in the bright sunny afternoon. That night I couldn’t sleep. I lay in bed, listening to Janet snore, turning it all over in my mind. At last I got up and paced, restless and weary at the same time. I fixed myself a cup of tea and sat in the living room, surrounded by books, stacks of DVDs, my old board games and framed prints of the brassy 40s pin-up girls Janet was obsessed with. The place felt like us, and calmed me down a little. I took the picture and the note Sheldon had sent me out of my purse, unfolded them, and smoothed them out on the coffee table in front of me. “Hey,” Janet said. I jumped, knocking my tea onto the floor. “I’m sorry!” I said, leaping up. “Didn’t mean to scare you,” she said, smiling sleepily. “I’ll get some paper towels.” I sat back down, trembling. Janet returned and mopped up the tea on the floor. “I’m sorry,” was all I could think of to say. “Eh, that floor’s tough. I’ve spilled way worse on it.” Janet sat next to me and noticed the drawing and the note. She picked them up and looked them over. “What’re these?” “Nothing,” I said too quickly. “Just some old things I found.” Janet looked like she wanted to say something, but swallowed it. “Come back to bed,” she said eventually, and padded off back toward the bedroom. I put the picture and the note away, and followed. I finally fell asleep about 3 AM. This time I dreamed I was at a café, talking with my mother. Except she wasn’t exactly my mother: she had longer, grayer hair, and was thinner and better dressed than my mother usually was. “And I found it in his backpack,” I was saying, in a voice that wasn’t quite mine. “I thought he had a girlfriend or something. But doesn’t this look like an adult’s writing?” She pushed a piece of paper across the table at my mother. I was somehow not surprised to see the note I’d written to Sheldon sitting there. My mother picked it up and frowned that distinctive thoughtfully disapproving frown. “There’s no teacher there named Sarah?” “None,” I confirmed. “He says he just finds it in the rock.” “You should ask the principal to look into it,” my mother said. “Or tell your deadbeat ex. Wasn’t he supposed to take Sheldon today?” “He was,” I sighed. “Then he backed out without telling me. He swears now that he did tell me, but I don’t know.” “Does this have to do with that Janet woman?” Janet? “Ma, I told you, I don’t know any Janets.” “She seemed awfully friendly. Little Xs and Os in her text.” My mother narrowed her eyes in that way she had when she knew something was up. “June, you’re hiding something. Is it true, what David said? That you’re a… you know?” My mommy is nice and a DIKe, Sheldon had written. What had this David person been telling him? I drummed my fingers on the counter, stalling, but just then Sheldon came back from wherever he’d been, and we talked about nothing else besides him until I woke up. “Didn’t sleep at all?” said Janet, taking in my bleary expression that morning.   “Some,” I said, cradling my cup of coffee with my trembling hands. Thank goodness it was Saturday. “I had more dreams.” Janet sat, not looking at me. “Sarah? If you were in some kind of trouble, or if something was really wrong, you’d tell me, right?” “I’m not in trouble,” I said quickly. “At least, I don’t think so.” “But you can’t sleep,” she pressed, still not looking at me. “You’ve been home late. You had those notes from a kid last night. And… you look like you got hit by a truck this morning.” She visibly braced herself, then gave me one of her very serious looks. “What’s going on?” I thought about coming up with some half-assed excuse. I thought about saying “nothing” again and pretending it was all fine. I thought about being reassuring and hiding my pain like I always did. But I was so tired and heartsick that I told her everything. When I was done, Janet just sat there for a few minutes. “Wow,” she said at last. “I know.” “What do you think this all means?” she asked. “I don’t know,” I said, feeling utterly helpless. “I’d say it’s just bad dreams, but, what? You think the drawing and the note mean it’s real somehow? Sarah…” “I know, I know,” I said, miserable. I felt more exposed sitting there at the table than I ever did when I took off my clothes. “I’m sure there’s explanations. But the phone calls, the way June had my letters to Sheldon in my dream…” “June?” Suddenly Janet was alert. “Who’s June?” “Sheldon’s mother.” I shook my head, reaching for an explanation that made sense. “I… I think she’s me, or who I could have been. June is what my mother would have named me, if I’d been born a girl.” Janet pulled out her phone and paged through it, brow creased. “I’m sorry,” I said, trying to hold back the tears. “I know this is weird! I just want to have a quiet morning. I shouldn’t have said anything.” She handed me the phone. “I sent you a text the other day,” she said. “I got this back.” From: AC88534J-J I’m not Sarah, who is this? My name is June. I just stared at it for a moment, shocked. Then I pulled out my own phone and showed her the text from “D,” who I now suspected was David. “I’ve never seen phone numbers like that,” said Janet. “But they’re similar to one another.” I started piecing it together in my mind. “Where were you when you got that text, Janet?” “A contract up in Elm Hill,” said Janet slowly. “Why?” “That’s where I was when I got the text, and the call,” I said excitedly. “That’s where the school is!” “But look, it gets even better,” said Janet, taking back the phone and poking the screen. “I got another one a few minutes later.” From: AC88534J-J Please don’t tell, but I think I’m gay. I have to tell someone. “Oh my God,” I said. “I thought it was someone pranking me at that point,” said Janet as I digested the text, agog. “Like Lisa. She does shit like this, and she knows how to do stuff with phones.” She tapped the phone thoughtfully. “But now… Jesus. Sarah, is this real?” “It is,” I said firmly. “It has to be.” “What’s going on?” Janet asked. “Why do you have such a connection with this Sheldon? I mean, he’s not your kid, right?” “No, not exactly. But June… She’s got my mother, the name I would have had.” “She’s you,” said Janet. “Or who you would have been, if…” “Yeah. If.” I said, and an entire world was contained in that world. “So what do we do about it?” Janet asked. It was a good question. Our parallel lives were crashing together, I was driving myself nuts from lack of sleep, and all I wanted was everything she had. This couldn’t go on. “I want to try to talk to them,” I said. I spent the whole weekend a wreck, trying not to think about the plan . I had more disjointed dreams about Sheldon and June, enough to know that June was talking with a therapist but couldn’t bring herself to say what she needed to say, and Sheldon was going through a serious dinosaur phase. I stayed far away from Elm Hill until Monday, though, when I drove up in the early morning to deliver a final note. I got the answer Monday afternoon. They’d be there. That night I dreamed about June, who was sitting up alone, looking at the notes I’d sent Sheldon, drinking. Tuesday afternoon came at last. Janet drove us up to Elm Hill; we didn’t say anything the whole way. When we got to the school, I had to sit for long moment, just staring out at the playground. A light rain had begun to fall, and there were no other children that day. Probably for the best. At last I steeled myself and got out of the car. “You’re sure they’ll show?” Janet asked dubiously. I nodded, clutching Sheldon’s note in my pocket. He’d said they would come. I believed him. “This is a bad idea,” said Janet, staring dubiously out at the damp playground. “You want to go home? We should go home. I can make dinner. You like my dinners.” “No,” I said firmly. “I’m going. You can stay here if you want.” Janet was speechless for a moment. I never stood up to her. But then she got out of the car. “Right behind you,” she said, giving me a little smile. Together, we marched across the damp grass to the rock. “So what happens now?” Janet said, crossing her arms and shifting from side to side. I was about to answer that I didn’t know when sunlight streamed in from somewhere just to my left. I jumped back, and shielded my eyes. The first form I saw was Sheldon’s. He stood there, holding his grandmother’s hand. She looked shocked as she saw us. She was so like my mother that the lack of recognition in her eyes was awful. And there… holding Sheldon’s other hand. She was shorter than me by a good six inches, and she had the narrow shoulders and face of my sisters. But she looked a little like me, too. We had the same eyes, the same mouth, the same hair. “June,” I whispered. “Are you Sarah?” June said. I nodded. I didn’t trust myself to speak. “Sarah!” said Sheldon. He waved. “Hi Sheldon,” I said, voice catching. June hesitantly reached out a hand toward me, then drew it away again. “Are you… me?” I nodded again. “How? I don’t understand. You don’t look like me.” “No. I was born a boy.” “Oh?” Her eyes widened. “Oh!” Her eyes fell on Janet. “And you…?” “Janet,” my girlfriend said. “Hey.” “And you’re with… her?” Janet took my hand. I squeezed it, grateful “Awful,” said June’s mother. “Hush,” said June shakily. “Now what?” Janet asked softly. “Now we resolve things,” I said firmly. I understood it now, the way that June looked at Janet. The text she’d sent: I have to tell someone. We both had something the other one wanted. June had Sheldon, and everything he represented. And I… I had Janet. I looked, really looked, at Sheldon, and I felt an ache so bad that I began to cry. Janet put an arm around me, and pulled me close. I straightened. “June?” June looked at me, fear plain on her face. “She’ll be okay,” I said, nodding at her glowering mother. “You can tell her. I told her about me, a few years ago, and she wasn’t thrilled. But… we dealt with it and moved on. You have to, to be happy.” June shook her head furiously. “You don’t understand.” “I do,” I insisted, amazed at how calm I suddenly felt. “Better than anyone. You and me… everybody pushes us around. But we’re made of iron underneath. There’s a part of us that won’t bend.” June looked at me and I saw how helpless she must have felt. I remembered feeling like that… just before I changed my life forever. “I did it,” I said. Behind June and Sheldon was blue sky and bright sun. “You can, too.” June turned to her mother. “I’m gay, Mom,” she said softly. “I am. I am.” June’s mother huffed miserably. “I figured that out, genius. So what? See if I care. You’re still my daughter.” Chills ran down my spine. So what? my mother had said, all those years ago. See if I care. You’re still my child. June gave her mother a long, hard hug, then turned to me. She seemed to be standing straighter. “Iron,” I said. “Nice job,” said Janet, trying to be charitable. June laughed. She had this perfect voice; she was so beautiful in all the ways I wasn’t. And she had Sheldon. My heart cracked a little more. “I don’t suppose there’s one of you in my world?” she said to Janet. “Can’t hurt to check around,” said Janet. She pulled me close, possessive. “But I’m taken.” The sunlight began to dim, and June, Sheldon and June’s mother started fading. “Sarah,” said June. She looked more ghostly now. “If you want a baby… have one.” “I can’t,” I said. “I don’t even know if that’s what I want.” “It is,” said June, her voice the whisper of wind through the trees. “If you’re anything like me.” And then they vanished completely, leaving us alone in the rain. Janet rubbed my back as we drove home. “You okay?” she asked. I nodded. “I think so.” “Is it over?” “Yes,” I said, and I was certain. “She got what she wanted.” “You didn’t, though,” said Janet nervously. “I… think I did, though,” I said. “Somewhere in there I stopped wanting to be her. She has Sheldon, she’s short and pretty, but she doesn’t have you. And I like having you.” We drove on as the rain started coming down harder. I turned the wipers up to maximum. “We can talk it over, if you want?” Janet said hesitantly. “The, uh, baby thing.” I couldn’t say anything for a moment. “Really?” “Really,” said Janet. “I mean, I don’t hate the idea. I just hated the idea of having to, you know? And being pregnant…” She made a face. “I guess I can do it.” “You don’t have to,” I said quickly. “Yeah, but we can’t exactly adopt,” she said. “We’re a weird couple on a number of fronts.” “I know. But I’d rather have you than a baby.” Janet laughed, eyes bright. “That kind of talk makes me wish you had banked sperm. I’d bear your children right now.” “Maybe I can scrape out an old gym sock,” I said. She laughed again. I loved that sound. I loved how easy we were with one another. Janet snuggled against my arm. I was shocked; she almost never did that, even when I wasn’t driving through a rainstorm. “I’m glad you’re you, too, you know,” said Janet. “I didn’t like June. Too many lingering straight girl hang-ups, you know?” “Thanks, I think,” I said. “What I’m saying is… let’s just take it a little at a time. We’ve got time, right? We can have time.” She groaned in frustration. “I’m saying that wrong.” I slipped an arm around her. “I know what you mean,” I said as we drove south through the rain and back to our lives. “I know just what you mean.” One time I dreamed I had a son named Sheldon. I could never any sons of my own, or daughters. But I did have Janet, and better, I had myself. I wasn’t like June. I was like me. It was enough, and then some. END "Sarah's Child" was originally published in Strange Horizons in May 2014 and was reprinted in Heiresses of Russ 2015. This recording is a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license, which means you can share it with anyone you’d like, but please don’t change or sell it. Our theme is “Aurora Borealis” by Bird Creek, available through the  Google Audio Library. Thanks for listening, and I’ll be back on June 7th with a GlitterShip original. You can support GlitterShip by checking out our Patreon at patreon.com/keffy,  making a donation at paypal.me/keffy, subscribing to our feed, or by leaving reviews on iTunes. [Music Plays Out] Support GlitterShip!

Welcome! My guest today is Sara Eckel, who lives in New York state with her husband. She is the author of It’s Not You: 27 Wrong Reasons You’re Single. Sara has been a freelance writer since 1997 and has written for numerous publications. Sara is a nationally syndicated columnist in the USA and has also written short fiction. She is a student of meditation and Buddhism. Let’s catch up with Sara! What you’ll hear in this episode: For Sara, living without children is a combination of choice and circumstances. She met her husband at age 39, but they didn’t marry until a few years later. It was a bigger priority for Sara to have a relationship with the right partner, rather than have children, even though they were totally open to it happening. She and her husband spent a year “not” not trying, but no pregnancy resulted. They stopped using birth control and so were happy to becoming pregnant at any point. They chose not to embark upon the journey of IVF, which is not without its challenges. Sara realised that life was hard enough without putting herself through the uphill climb of making her body do something it wasn't doing naturally. Sara discusses the very small percentage of a chance that she would ever get pregnant, either with or without intervention, at this point in her life. Since she married later in life (comparatively speaking), there was no pressure from family or friends to have kids. Sara enjoys her work, her friends, and spending time with her husband. She expresses her creative feminine energy by trying to be useful—not successful--in the world. For Sara, writing columns and books and coaching other women is extremely fulfilling. Women in this generation have options that those in previous generations did not have. “Women today don’t HAVE to get married and are not dependent on men.” Sara shares her thoughts on the “child-free vs. childless” terminology. Sara has some set responses when people ask if she has kids; she doesn’t go into detail or “take the bait” to get into conversation about it. Women should be empowered to define what womanhood means. Relationships are important, but they don’t define who we are. The major benefits of a life without children for Sara are being able to continue the work she does and facing its challenges, rather than having a set salary. The financial stress of being a writer would have been extremely difficult if her life included motherhood. Find Sara at www.saraeckel.com  (Look for the link to download a free bonus chapter of her book, sign up for her newsletter, and click on the link to purchase her book!) I do hope you enjoyed this episode. Please go to michellemariemcgrath.com for more episodes of these valuable conversations. Thank you!

For Sara. PROGRAMA de 03 De Novembro De 2014   1. parte: 1 - Catherine Morisseau - Myriades - Dans Les Gares 2 - Vincent Delerm - Les Amants Paralleles - Ces Deux-Là 3 - Vincent Delerm - Les Piqûres D'araignée - Ambroise Paré 4 - Keaton Henson - Romantic Material (Ep) - La Naissance 5 - Keaton Henson - Romantic Material (Ep) - Sand 6 - Shannon Wright/Yann Tiersen - Yann Tiersen And Shannon Wright - Something To Live For 7 - Lisa Germano - No Elephants - ... And So on 8 - Moonface - City Wrecker (Ep) - The Fog 9 - Christina Vantzou - No2. - Brain Fog 10 - Grouper - Ruins - Holding 11 - Ben Lukas Boysen - Gravity - Nocturne 2 12 - Chris Garneau - El Radio - Hands On The Radio 13 - Will Samson - Light Shadows - Colliding With Oceans (Benoît Pioulard Rework) 14 - Windy & Carl - We Will Always Be - Remember 2. parte: 15 - Peter Broderick - Satellite (Colours Of The Night) (Ep) - More and More (Mouth Trumpet Version) 16 - Kyle Bobby Dunn - The Infinite Sadness - Overture De Peter Hodge Transport 17 - Goodbye Ivan - The Lost Tape - Doucer 18 - Tonny Decker - Prayer & The World - Under A Magician's Sky 19 - Sumie - Sumie - Speed Into You 20 - Tiny Ruins - Brightly Painted One - White Sheet Lightning 21 - Vashty Bunian - Heartleap - Heartleap 22 - Mazzy Star - Among My Swan - Flowers In December 23 - Castanets - Decimation Blues - Tell Them Memphis 24 - Water Music - Wolves - Tide 25 - A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Atomos - Atomos VI 26 - Yann Tiersen/Lisa Germano - L'Absente - Le Méridien §