Ann Faison - Podcast Details

Shows

Are We There Yet?Ella and Tessa Fortich (ages 19 and 13)When I recorded this episode with Tessa and Ella Fortich in June, I didn't know it would be the last for a while, but it turned out to be the perfect season finale. My intention for this podcast has been to shed light on the experience of childhood and adolescent grief, and there's no better way to do that than to hear from kids and young adults themselves. Tessa and Ella Fortich set a great example by being open and honest about their feelings and what has helped them get through the last few months since their home was...

2025-08-1447 min

Are We There Yet?Michelle De Los Santos, LCSWThis highly informative episode focuses on how the trauma of fire loss, specifically the Eaton Fire, is affecting children and their parents, and how parents can help their kids manage. (I apologize for the unbalanced quality of this recording, which didn't manage to accommodate the low tones of Michelle's voice very well, and makes my voice louder.) I loved talking to Michelle because she's so knowledgeable about how to help kids manage after a traumatic experience or other stressful life events. She emphasizes the importance of parents taking care of themselves so they have the emotional stability and regulation...

2025-07-3139 min

Are We There Yet?Sitara FalconI always enjoy interviewing men because they tend to have a slightly different attitude about trauma and loss. Falcon and his family of four left their home up in the foothills of Altadena late on January 7 when the smoke was already thick and big embers were violently flying through the air. Their home didn't burn, but they could never go back because of the extensive damage and their landlord's decision to sell.Falcon is a TK/Kindergarten teacher, so he understands child development and has valuable insights to share. But on January 7th, he was in...

2025-07-1744 min

Are We There Yet?Daryl and Jessica BilandzijaIn this episode, I speak with two parents who lost their home in the Eaton Fire. Daryl and Jessica both teach in the community, so I was eager to find out how they see the kids in our area recovering from the destruction of their homes, schools, neighborhoods, and communities. They shared their unique experience of discovering their house was gone and processing the shock of seeing so many houses destroyed overnight. But they consider themselves lucky and are optimistic about what the future holds for their beloved Altadena. At the same time, they both expressed deep sadness over...

2025-07-0348 min

Are We There Yet?Staci MitchellStaci Mitchell has lived in Altadena all her life, but in this conversation she explains that it wasn't until the media coverage of the recent fires that she understood she and her family are at the center of the historic Black community there. Staci is a semi-retired professor of Pan-African Studies at CalState LA, as well as a playwright, yoga instructor, and all-around creative force. She talks about her and her husband's ancestors who came to Altadena during the Great Migration and how many of their extended family and their children still live in the area. So when Staci...

2025-06-1950 min

Are We There Yet?Ed RobinsonThis episode is a slight pivot from this season on the wildfires in Los Angeles because I felt I needed to do something in response to the protests and injustices happening right now. I had no idea when I interviewed Ed Robinson this morning that I would be staying up late to publish it tonight, but I found him so insightful and very helpful in this moment. Ed and I connected over podcasting and a mutual interest in grief, but Ed is a lifelong community organizer who has lived in L.A. all his life and was around during...

2025-06-1254 min

The Hoffman Podcast S10e15 Ade and Claudette Faison - Unlocking FuturesAde and Claudette Faison have worked in the field of human development for more than 50 years and 40 years, respectively. Together, that’s more than 90 combined years working to support others in transformation and lives of possibility. It’s no surprise, then, that they both came to do the Hoffman Process along the way. Yet, it’s all still fresh in their minds. They remember specific instances from their Process. Claudette shares her experience at the Process when she was having a conversation – a quad talk – with her intellect and Spiritual Self. She was asking her Spiritual Self, “Are you Budd...

2025-05-2936 min

Are We There Yet?Erin O'Toole-DelawariI'm so pleased to be able to share this deeply moving interview with Erin O'Toole-Delawari, a teacher and mother of four who lost her home in January when the Eaton Fire tore through her neighborhood. Erin is so thoughtful in her explanation of what happened to her and her family, their trauma responses, and her understanding of those responses now. It's an incredible story of what happens in a natural disaster and how Erin, as a mother and a teacher, carried the responsibility of caring for children and pets in a moment of having no control over what's happening...

2025-05-2947 min

Are We There Yet?Jen and Ted MullerThis week's episode is an interview with my brother and sister-in-law, Jen and Ted Muller, who lived through the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history. Ted was working in Paradise, CA, as an ER doctor when the fire broke out, and he narrowly escaped. Meanwhile, Jen was an hour and a half away, knowing Ted was in danger, but with no way to contact him. I wanted to ask them about this harrowing experience and how they explained it to their three kids, who were still pretty young. Jen and Ted returned to Paradise...

2025-05-1542 min

Are We There Yet?Best-Selling Author Laurel BraitmanWelcome to Season Three, a shorter season devoted to exploring how families and kids respond to the grief associated with fire losses. Laurel Braitman is the best-selling author of Animal Madness and What Looks Like Bravery, the latter of which is a memoir about losing her father when she was a teen, then her family home in a fire when she was an adult, and soon after that, her mother to cancer. Laurel knows a lot about adolescent grief and fire loss, so I knew she'd be a great guest to kick off this season devoted to the recent...

2025-05-0838 min

Are We There Yet?Bonus Episode with Benji GablerI recorded this episode with Benji Gabler in October 2024 which seems like a lifetime ago. I had planned to publish it in January and then the fires happened and I shifted gears to try to address the losses of my community. But once I finished season 2 I still wanted to publish this episode with Benji, which is a beautiful conversation about fatherhood as it relates to early loss, something I haven't had an opportunity to address before. Benji lives in Isreal which added another layer of interest for me as I have always admired Jewish traditions around death and...

2025-02-2043 min

The Less Desirables The Less Desirables: February 12, 2025The Less Desirables Recorded in The Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza. Tim is joined by Tiffany Birdsong of the Fostering Faith Foundation as his special guest co-host. Together, they talk with the world-class and world-champion body painter and fine artist Cheryl Ann Lipstreu and Chef Extraordinaire Shanta Faison of Twin City Catering. Cheryl Ann and Shanta have started an event production company called CherSan Productions, and their first event is coming in late March. It is called A Regency Era Spring Ball. Think of a particular popular streaming program about the Regency Era and then think of “Dear...

2025-02-131h 06

Are We There Yet?Season 2 Finale With AJ JohnsonFor this last episode, I spoke with AJ Johnson about the early loss of her mother when she was 16, as well as how she's navigating the collective grief we're all experiencing here in LA. AJ is a hilarious person, and I was giggling throughout the interview despite the heaviness of this moment in our city. I met AJ at Comfort Zone Camp, so we talked about camp and the tools it has given her to manage her grief from adolescence into adulthood and how she's using those tools now. I especially love how she talks about asking for what...

2025-02-0651 min

Are We There Yet?Bella and Catalina (Age 22 an 19) On The FiresBecause I live very close to Altadena in Los Angeles and because of the fires that raged through here two weeks ago, I decided to pivot and record an episode with two people I love about how they're doing after losing their home in the Eaton Fire. This is all very fresh for them (and for me) and I only had a day to edit so the episode is longer and more raw than usual. But it is already one of the most powerful episodes I've done because my guests were so great, so honest, and real, and it's...

2025-01-2352 min

Are We There Yet?Volunteering At Comfort ZoneThis episode with Steve Pomerantz dives into why volunteering at Comfort Zone Camp is so rewarding. When I met Steve at CZC, he struck me as a bright light I wanted to get to know better. Steve brings so much energy and enthusiasm to camp that he epitomizes the joy and fun we have at CZC and why kids get so much out of it. Because Steve has volunteered at CZC for so many years, he has seen a broad range of grieving kids and was able to share his insights on the differences between different ages and how...

2025-01-0938 min

Are We There Yet?Talking With My Sister KateI recorded this episode with my eldest sister Kate last spring but it took some time to edit and release it. Listening to Kate talk about the loss of our mother highlighted for me how completely different our experiences were, largely due to our seven-year age difference but also our attitudes and views on grief, and because she moved to New Zealand and I moved to California when we were both fairly young. Because of these differences and distances, my sister Kate and I have had very few discussions about losing our mother, so this conversation brought up a...

2024-12-2633 min

Are We There Yet?Claudia and Olivia Biggs (Age 22 and 20)Claudia and Olivia Biggs lived through a very difficult and at times hellish period when their mother suddenly became seriously mentally ill. They were in middle and high school when it happened so their father John was caring for all three of them for several years. (I interviewed John Biggs earlier in the season and I recommend listening to his episode too because he tells a more chronological story of what happened over that period.) Their Dad was upset and overtaxed and struggled to support the kids emotionally while dealing with the pressure of all his responsibilities.

2024-12-1257 min

Are We There Yet?Ari Jalomo (Age 20)In this episode, I speak with the wonderful Ari Jalomo, a student at Kenyan College currently studying abroad in Spain. Ari and I met at Comfort Zone Camp this past summer, where she was participating in the young adults group and I was volunteering as the group's "mentor." I was so impressed by Ari, as a great example of someone who has clearly benefited from going to CZC over many years and having the opportunity to talk about her loss multiple times. Ari's father died by homicide when she was seven years old, and even at a young age...

2024-11-2947 min

Plan P Parenting, Grief, and Growth: A Conversation with Ann FaisonIn this episode, we’re in for a special treat as we sit down with Ann Faison—a mother of two adolescents, artist, author, teacher, wife, and so much more. Ann shares her powerful insights on parenting, particularly the intersection of grief and growth that comes with raising children through all stages. Ann opens up about her personal journey and the lessons she's learned along the way, especially the importance of providing consistency and encouragement for her children. She speaks beautifully about the challenges of miscommunication in parenting and how it led to transformative change within her fami...

2024-11-2034 min

Are We There Yet?Doneila McIntosh Studies Black GriefDoneila McIntosh, M.Div., M.A. is a researcher getting her PhD in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota. Her work as a therapist focuses on compassionate grief therapy, helping families navigate the intersection of grief and trauma. Her research is focused on disenfranchised grief among African American families particularly in the aftermath of violent death.It was amazing to talk to someone so knowledgeable about the disproportionate amount of death and loss in Black communities and studies the effects of that on families. Doneila works with families and prefers to think about grief...

2024-11-1452 min

Are We There Yet?Gina Troisi On Writing Childhood TraumaGina Troisi's Memoir The Angle of Flickering Light is a beautiful account of her confusing and often scary childhood through the eyes of her younger self. I was immediately drawn in by this book and Gina's ability to write so precisely from the perspective of a child about the complexity of her father's and stepmother's emotional abuse, which led to her having eating disorders at a young age, doing too many drugs, and other self-destructive habits.What surprised me most about Gina's story was how much I related to it even though our childhoods were radically...

2024-10-3137 min

Are We There Yet?Hailey Smith (age 25)Hailey is another amazing young adult who I met through Comfort Zone Camp. Hailey has been through a lot of turmoil in her life and she is just an amazing example of resiliency and learning to cope with the fallout of the losses she has experienced. While Hailey was in high school, two of her siblings died within the span of two years. Life at home was hard and her main sources of support were her best friend and a school psychologist who inspired her to become a school counselor.Hailey's brother Dillon died by suicide...

2024-10-1753 min

Are We There Yet?Dr. Julie KaplowIn this episode, we delve deep into the research and practical experience of Dr. Julie Kaplow, PhD, ABPP, a leading psychologist in the field of childhood grief and trauma. It is always gratifying to learn that the research aligns with what I've learned by interviewing people who lost a family member at a young age. Early in her career, she began to differentiate between grief and trauma while also recognizing the ways they overlap, particularly in children. She shares why it's important to understand the difference between PTSD symptoms and grief responses in kids and how she treats them...

2024-10-0342 min

Are We There Yet?Nora Martinez (age 24)Nora Martinez lost her father Ken to gastrointestinal (GIST) cancer almost twenty years ago when she was just five years old. As someone who has benefited from having support for her grief throughout her childhood and adolescence, Nora provides a fascinating window into childhood grief through her ability to reflect on it with clarity and perspective. I have encountered many people my age who lost a parent or other close family member in childhood who did not get much support and still struggle to talk about the loss or even admit that it has affected their lives.

2024-09-1943 min

Are We There Yet?Edwidge DanticatIt was an honor to interview Edwidge Danticat, one of my favorite writers on death, dying, and grief about her early losses and what she is trying to achieve in her work. We spoke about her new book "We're Alone," a collection of essays about her life as a writer straddling her life as a Haitian immigrant with strong ties to her home country. I also asked about some of her earliest books ("Breath, Eyes, Memory," "Brother, I'm Dying," and "Krik? Krak!") because she has written so beautifully about death and loss, both through the eyes of a child...

2024-09-0544 min

Are We There Yet?Mona Gable On Losing Her Mother To Mental IllnessIn this episode, I interview journalist and author Mona Gable about growing up in the 1950s with her mother who was mentally disabled by brain surgery right after Mona was born. Mona was never told what had happened to her mother which only contributed to her feelings of shame and isolation as a child growing up with a mother who was incapable of caring for her and instead required constant care. Mona says, "My mother was a complete mystery to me." All she knew was that none of her friends had a mother like hers. It's the kind of "...

2024-08-2247 min

Remarkable Content with Ian Faison Summer Baking Championship: B2B Marketing Lessons from Food Network’s Seasonal Baking Series with Director of Content Marketing at Splunk, Ann SmithWhat do marketers and competitive bakers have in common? Quite a lot, actually.Both work amid time constraints, follow recipes for success, and have to express creativity under pressure. And there’s a lot marketers can learn from these competitive bakers, so that’s what we’re talking about this week.In this episode, we’re taking B2B marketing lessons from Food Network’s seasonal baking series, Summer Baking Championship.Together with the help of our special guest, the Director of Content Marketing at Splunk, Ann Smith, we talk about putting your...

2024-08-2039 min

Are We There Yet?Maya Puterbaugh (age 24)This episode is jam-packed with wisdom from Maya Puterbaugh, one of my younger guests, who knows a ton about grief and overcoming the trauma of a fatal car accident. After attending Comfort Zone Camp, Maya became a volunteer Big Buddy and now trains other volunteers for Comfort Zone Camp. She is so knowledgeable and a true leader when it comes to advocating for grieving kids. Maya shares very openly about what she went through when she lost her mother at sixteen. Maya's parents were divorced, so her father regained sole custody which meant moving back to California after living...

2024-08-0859 min

Are We There Yet?Hospice Nurse Tim TattuTim Tattu left a creative career in film production to become a hospice nurse after studying Zen meditation with an instructor who asked him to help set up a place to care for people who are dying in Washington State called Enso House. His whole life story is fascinating and I loved talking with him about grief and dying and his own childhood losses. Tim brings so much presence, wisdom, and compassion to this deep discussion about grief and how it affects us early in life and as we grow older. The most powerful thing he had to share...

2024-07-2543 min

Are We There Yet?John Biggs On Losing His Wife To Mental IllnessIn this episode, John Biggs takes us through the heartbreaking odyssey of losing his wife Samantha to a sudden mental breakdown. Seemingly overnight, Samantha went from being an incredible mother and artist to someone who could no longer function when their kids were just 12 and 14. John is a very entertaining storyteller so we laughed even more than we cried as he recounted the years when he had to become a full-time dad, caretaker, and breadwinner as Samantha was in and out of institutions. John's honesty, vulnerability, and openness as he described the most challenging moments of his ordeal is...

2024-07-1152 min

Are We There Yet?Mackenzie Mazen (age 25)In this episode, I speak to the amazing Mackenzie Mazen about being a little buddy and then a big buddy at comfort zone camp after her father died by suicide when she was ten. Once again, I was so impressed by another GenZer who is open to sharing her experience of grief. Mackenzie is very light-hearted and loves to joke and laugh about her childhood trauma which made our conversation fun and engaging. She shared about all the grief support she had growing up and how she continues to engage and participate in multiple grief spaces while pursuing her...

2024-06-2747 min

Are We There Yet?Dan Koeppel On Choosing (Quality Of) LifeIn this episode, I talk to journalist and author Dan Keoppel about how he centered his role as a father when choosing his treatment for bladder cancer. As a science reporter, he approached his diagnosis with curiosity and extensive research to figure out how to manage his cancer while being the Dad he wanted to be. Dan is so knowledgeable about his disease that he has been able to make the most informed decisions possible regarding his treatment. But his goal is not to "beat" cancer. Instead, Dan's aim is to live as well as possible alongside his disease...

2024-06-1348 min

Encouraged and Emboldened The Animating ForceOn Pentecost (May 19th, 2024), Rev. Matt Sapp discusses the power of the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into people, using biblical references and real-life stories to illustrate the concept of being called back to life.References & CreditsThe Vietnam pilot mentioned in the sermon is Barry McClenahan. The source material for his story is from an article on Baptist News Global entitled "A message for seminary graduates: What it means to be chosen"The Elizabeth from New York story is an old pastor’s story, a parable.The poem by T. S. Eliot is "The Hollow Me...

2024-06-0216 min

Are We There Yet?Staying Connected With Evin Rose TerranovaI had so much fun interviewing Evin Rose Terranova who I met volunteering at Comfort Zone Camp earlier this year. She has been volunteering at the grief camp for kids for several years and has learned a lot from supporting grieving kids. Evin was just eight years old when her father died by suicide and she was lucky enough to have an amazing mother who supported her beautifully with therapy and grief support. But even under those circumstances, grieving the loss of her Dad has been a long journey that challenged her sense of who she was and what...

2024-05-3043 min

Are We There Yet?Rethinking Resilience With Dr. Lucy HoneIn this deeply moving episode which is also packed with useful information, Dr. Lucy Hone shares her unique perspective, expertise, and personal knowledge of resilience. Resilience is a tricky word because it sometimes gets used inappropriately with kids as a way to discount their experience. We've all heard the phrase "kids are resilient" which is often true but is not an excuse to assume they don't need support to recover from a trauma and/or loss. As Dr. Hone explains, kids do better with the right support at home, but can also learn to strengthen their resilience given the...

2024-05-1651 min

Are We There Yet?Siblings Sarah And Ben SatzmanSarah and Ben Satzman are both in their early twenties and were very close to their grandfather Joel Satzman when he died unexpectedly last year. They were able to be with him at the very end of his life and that experience had a huge impact on them. You can hear in their stories about him how much they adored their grandfather and the unique role he played in their lives. He was a great support and strong presence, calling often and showing up to important events throughout their childhoods and they both depended on his special brand of...

2024-05-0245 min

Are We There Yet?Artist Terry ChatkuptTerry Chatkupt is a visual artist whose current show at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, California is about the 2020 lockdown and its effect on his family. This podcast was started, in part, to address some of the reporting on adolescent mental health in the aftermath of the pandemic that was sorely lacking. Stories in mainstream media missed an opportunity to interview young people and instead turned to experts who had little knowledge of childhood grief. So I was excited to do an episode addressing the pandemic from the perspective of one man investigating how it affected...

2024-04-1838 min

Are We There Yet?Author Sara Zarr on Grief for Young ReadersAcclaimed author Sara Zarr has published ten novels for young readers, as well as two books of non-fiction about creativity. She’s a National Book Award finalist and two-time Utah Book Award winner. Her first book, Story of a Girl, was made into a 2017 television movie directed by Kyra Sedgwick. She also hosts the podcast "This Creative Life," all of which you can find on her website below. I'm a huge fan of Sara's books because she writes about many different forms of loss and does it beautifully, realistically, and honestly without glossing over her characters' st...

2024-04-0444 min

Are We There Yet?Léa Greenberg (age 20) On Losing Her MotherI'm excited to kick off the second season with another interview with a young adult. In this episode I talk with Léa Greenberg, a junior in college, about losing her mother and maternal grandmother by age fifteen. Her mother and grandmother were both French so Léa also lost a big piece of her French identity. We could have talked for hours so it took a lot of work to edit our conversation to fifty minutes. Léa articulates why it was hard as a teenager to deal with pity from adults and all the other hard lessons of...

2024-03-2152 min

Are We There Yet?Léa Greenberg Bonus contentThis is an extra fifteen minutes of my conversation with Léa Greenberg. It won't make much sense if you haven't listened to the full episode but we talk about Harry Potter, holding onto her French identity and what she plans to do for her career.Please consider subscribing to the podcast on whatever platform you use or on my substack: I'm ListeningSpecial thanks to Josephine Wiggs for the song "Time Does Not Bring Relief" from her album "We Fall." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2024-03-2115 min

Are We There Yet?Coming Soon!!Coming soon! Season two is shaping up nicely and I should be posting the first episode in a couple of weeks. This trailer is about what you can expect from the next season and how my thinking about adolescent grief has expanded and changed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2024-03-0707 min

Are We There Yet?Season Finale with Grace MullerI'm so pleased that my daughter Grace Muller was able to come on the show for the last episode of the first season. Grace is an artist and a junior at Bennington College in Vermont, so we sat down to record while she was home for the holidays. It's a more casual, less edited conversation but we went deep into the ways that she understands her relationship to grief and I had no idea where the conversation would go. But it went in very interesting directions from talking about how she responded to loss as a toddler and small...

2024-02-0148 min

Are We There Yet?Grief Is A Learning ProcessThis week I speak with Elise Gaul, a therapist specializing in grief and loss who works in multiple modalities including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitizing and Reprocessing) therapy. Elise explains why EMDR works well to address "covert grief," a term she coined for the parts of childhood grief that can profoundly affect a person's life, often without their awareness. Her stints as the executive director of a grief center called Peter's Place and the director of Camp Erin, a bereavement camp for children led us to talk about what parents and caregivers can do to minimize the long-term negative effects...

2024-01-1839 min

Are We There Yet?Lost and FoundI'm thrilled to have my son Skops Faison and his friend Sean Dillon on the show to talk about the grief that results from coming out as trans or nonbinary. Skops and Sean are both seniors in high school who came out to their families as trans during the pandemic. There are many parallels in their stories and many contrasts as well. The conversation was wide-ranging in terms of the many losses and gains that come with identifying as gender nonbinary. We talked about losing family, watching parents grieve their expectations of who their kids are, and the different...

2024-01-0436 min

Are We There Yet?It's Worth Digging Into The PastIn this episode, I talk with Fran Mason who lost her mother when she was 11 years old. It's interesting how different it was for her than it was for me because she was three years younger than I was when my mom died. Hearing Fran talk about going through early adolescence without her mom highlighted the difference it made to have three more years with mine. We talked about memory and how her perspective on her loss kept shifting as she was growing into adulthood. Fran is writing a book about her experience and shares how that process has...

2023-12-2138 min

Are We There Yet?Sometimes We Get StrongerVanessa Fierstadt started a counseling practice called Kintsugi Grief Center that's near me in Pasadena, CA. I wanted to find out what drew her to work with people who are grieving and our conversation was wide-ranging and fun. As Vanessa recounted her earliest losses it was clear that her curiosity about grief both helped her heal and find her calling. I loved Vanessa's take on creativity as a way to help support kids in grief, the importance of conversations about death, as well as her focus on ritual as a critical piece of healing. We talked openly about depression...

2023-12-0736 min

Are We There Yet?What Is Grief?When I started to Interview Peter Rukavina for this episode, I had no idea we were going to be exploring such overarching questions about grief. The story of raising his daughter Olivia after her mother died is extraordinary because of Olivia's intersectionality. Olivia is autistic and came out as trans in the wake of her mother's death, so her experience of grief, and Peter's, were multi-layered and complicated in ways I had never considered previously. Listening to Peter talk about raising Olivia throughout the many years of his wife's illness, I was struck by his clarity and even-handed thinking...

2023-11-2445 min

Are We There Yet?An Eighteen-Year-Old's Perspective on Losing Her DadThis episode took my breath away. Maddie McFadden lost her father Brad to cancer when she was fourteen and she has been through a lot in the four and a half years since then. From dealing with anxiety and depression, being in charge of her younger sibling, rebelling and fighting with her mom, Maddie learned a ton about growing up and taking responsibility for her choices. She talks about her anger and also her compassion for the adults around her who didn't appreciate all the weight she was carrying on her young shoulders. This conversation was deeply meaningful to...

2023-11-0944 min

Are We There Yet?Losing a Sibling at a Young AgeThis conversation is extraordinary in many ways. Laura Aviva is the only person I've interviewed so far who has lost a sibling, and her story is not what I expected. Laura was 23 when her brother Michael was killed at age 20. They were not teenagers, and Laura articulates how she feels she was already firmly who she was by the time he died. She talks about how her brother Michael was her "sage" and what he taught her about life and death, even before he died. He was not interested in living like other people. He took risks and chased...

2023-10-2631 min

Are We There Yet?The Woman Behind Comfort Zone CampLynne Hughes is an exceptional example of someone who has tremendous strength and fortitude despite her traumatic childhood. Lynne lost both parents by age twelve and had to move in with extended family, including an uncle who refused to acknowledge her presence, let alone her grief. For Lynne, summer camp was a place to grow and learn to create lasting bonds with friends and have fun doing it. She loved being a camp counselor and grew up wanting to create a space for grieving kids to discover tools to manage their grief, strengthen their bonds with their deceased family...

2023-10-1230 min

Are We There Yet?Hope Edelman On the Aftergrief of Early LossHope Edelman is my guest this week and I couldn't be more excited to share our conversation. Hope is the leading expert on historical loss for women who lost their mothers at a young age. She is the New York Times bestselling author of Motherless Daughters and many other books on grief and loss. She now has a thriving business as a grief and loss coach, and writing instructor, who helps women-identified people to reframe their early losses in a way that helps them heal and repair the lost connection to their mothers. Hope brings years of research to...

2023-09-2835 min

Are We There Yet?Life Is A Team SportCharlotte Maya's memoir Sushi Tuesdays chronicles the many years she navigated her grief and that of her kids and stepkids after her husband Sam died by suicide. Charlotte unexpectedly found love again with a widower whose wife had recently died. So when they married they became a family of six grieving individuals, trying to find love and stability all under one roof. In a way, this was like living in a peer support group, but it also had many challenges. Charlotte talks about how her faith was challenged after Sam died but ultimately she found it helped the whole...

2023-09-1446 min

Are We There Yet?Why Write About Adolescent Grief?This week I talk to author, screenwriter, essayist, and producer Emily Ziff Griffin about her latest project, her recent New Yorker essay, and her 2017 novel, all of which have something to do with her father's death from AIDS when she was fourteen. I have written extensively about losing my mother at that age but I don't know too many writers who have chosen to write about this deeply complex subject from personal experience. So it was pure pleasure to delve into that experience with Emily, someone who has written about the positive outcomes and other strengths that the experience...

2023-08-3139 min

Are We There Yet?Why Grief Support Is Crucial for KidsOn this week's episode, I talk to Lauren Schneider, the clinical director of child and adolescent programs at Our House, the only grief support center in Los Angeles, serving the second-largest school district in the country. Lauren has been doing this work for over 20 years and she understands adolescent grief better than anyone. We talked about grief as it relates to child development, therapy versus grief support, and why peer support is the absolute best thing for kids who've lost someone close to them. She also shares insights into how we are only now beginning to see the effects...

2023-08-1745 min

Are We There Yet?After A Death by SuicideThis week health reporter and author Rachel Zimmerman shares her story of raising two young daughters after her high-achieving husband suddenly died. She had no preparation for how to deal with telling her kids what happened but she instinctively kicked into gear and got the advice she needed. This is an amazing story of strength and love in the aftermath of a death no one saw coming. Meanwhile, her kids are amazing examples of how grief can strengthen relationships and grow into something beautiful. I loved listening to Rachel recount how she prioritized her kids and how that has...

2023-08-0352 min

Are We There Yet?Losing a FriendParents, there's a bit of profanity in this one but it's a great episode. My friend Mark Lightcap was a young punk when his best friend and bandmate was diagnosed with cancer. Listening to Mark share this amazing, often funny story, I was struck that losing a friend is less destabilizing than losing a family member and allows grief to feel more liberating in some ways. Losing his friend made Mark aware of death and respectful of the immediate aftermath as a unique opportunity for spiritual and intellectual growth. It's a great story. And listen all the way to...

2023-07-2041 min

Are We There Yet?Discovering What's Most Important"Kids make you better," Heather said, talking about how much she's learned from parenting her kids after their father died. Heather's husband died a year before the pandemic hit, so she was in survival mode, trying to support her family, be there for her kids and deal with all the uncertainty of Covid. Fear was the undercurrent until she eventually realized she needed to slow down and take care of herself in order to be able to support her kids in the best way possible. It's a great conversation about how Heather carved out her own path, relaxed the...

2023-07-0638 min

Are We There Yet?A Crash Course in Parenting Grieving KidsThis week I'm talking to Austin Liston who entered parenthood fast when he started dating Chad, his now husband, who already had two kids. Then they decided to have more kids and ended up with four foster children. Austin co-hosts the wonderful podcast Best Wives Club with his best friend, Amanda, who happens to be Chad's ex-wife. We talked about how the loss of their birth parents affects his young kids and how he and Chad try to make space for all the feelings that come with that. For someone who had little experience parenting before he found himself...

2023-06-2242 min

Are We There Yet?The Many Faces of Adolescent GriefIn this episode I talk to the first of several professionals in the field of childhood and adolescent grief, Jana DeCristafaro from The Dougy Center in Portland, Oregon. Jana is also the host of Grief Out Loud, a great podcast about grief and early loss. The Dougy Center was founded on the idea that grieving teens know how to support each other, in ways that adults might find challenging. Jana explains how this works from the perspective of working directly with adolescents, in their peer-to-peer support groups. "How do we know if a teen is grieving? We know someone...

2023-06-1546 min

Are We There Yet?Parenting Grieving Kids While GrievingThis week I talk to Kimberly about how she did her best to navigate her kids' grief, as well as her own, in the wake of her husband's death. Having lost her mother to cancer a few years earlier, Kimberly knew how to deal with medical insurance and doctors, treatments, and surgeries. But as her husband's prognosis worsened, Kimberly and her husband had to do a constant calculus to prepare their kids as much as possible, without overburdening them. It wasn't easy, but she and her kids got through it. After her husband died, Kimberly began the process of...

2023-06-0141 min

Are We There Yet?Grief Strengthened Their MarriageIn this episode, I talk to Nancy and Eric, a couple who didn't realize (or don't remember knowing) that they were in the same club when they met. The club of parent loss is one that no one asks to be in but its members often enjoy lasting bonds. For Nancy and Eric, it has resulted in a long marriage that has endured many hardships. Even though every early grief experience is unique, the impression it makes on young people is often similar. Eric, Nancy, and I had fun discussing the contrasts and the parallels between our histories and...

2023-05-1836 min

Are We There Yet?A GenZ Perspective on GriefIn this episode, I interview my sixteen-year-old son, Skops, who has a lot to say on the subject of grief. He reminded me that I'm doing a show about adolescent grief, so I should have younger guests on, sooner than later. I was intending to save that perspective for later in the season but decided to listen to him. This podcast is all about making adolescent grief more visible by talking about it and listening to all kinds of perspectives on it. Skops had a lot to share about the loss of his older sibling, Keirnan, who died before...

2023-05-0440 min

Are We There Yet?The Importance Of GoodbyeMy close friend, Vivian (Trimble) Lewine died this month so I am dedicating this episode to her.This interview with another close friend, Raequel London, was the most meaningful one, for me personally, to date. Raequel lost her mother to breast cancer when Raequel was in her twenties. Because she was older, she had the opportunity to see her mother's death coming and to be with her at the end. This brought up old feelings of regret for me since I didn't have that experience. The result is a very moving and healing conversation for both...

2023-04-2155 min

Are We There Yet?A Violent Death Is DifferentIn this episode I talk with Trilby, a former schoolmate, about the aftermath of her mother's murder in 1980. We go into depth about how she tries to support students, as a teacher, when they are going through something hard. We also talk about what it was like to deal with people's responses to her family's traumatic loss and how she and her siblings managed to support each other as they grew up.Music by Josephine Wiggs from her Album "We Fall." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023-04-0646 min

Are We There Yet?Overshadowed GriefIn this episode, I talk to Diane, whose father died on Veteran's Day, 1963, eleven days before the assassination of President Kennedy. Diane was born in the aftermath of World War ll so she is from a different generation and grew up in a different culture than I did. She also had to help support her family right away so there wasn't much time for grief. We talk about the difference between our generations and what happens when we have no choice but to put off the grieving process. Diane shares openly about how she coped and how present her...

2023-03-2331 min

Best Wives Club 6. A Loving Container (with Ann Faison)CW: pregnancy loss, death, and certain information about Santa Claus. The Best Wives Club shares the floor today with author, artist, grief specialist, and best wife Ann Faison. Ann shares her compassionate wisdom on how to apply the paradigm of grief to everything from bedtime temper tantrums to picky eaters, and the journey that brought her this wisdom. "Are We There Yet?" Podcast by Ann Faison "I'm Listening" Substack by Ann Faison Books by Ann Faison Step Inside and Meet the Wives

2023-03-211h 41

Are We There Yet?Punk Rock RefugeIn this episode, my friend and fellow artist Ivette and I go deep into our earliest experiences with shame, grief, and art. For Ivette it was theater, and, for both of us, music, clubs, and dancing. Ivette also talks about the culture of grief in her large, Mexican-American family which was quite different from mine. We also get into shame and how it weighs on kids who have an early grief experience.Music by Josephine Wiggs from her Album "We Fall." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023-03-0947 min

Are We There Yet?When Grief Catches Up With UsMy older brother Shep talks about how he managed to escape his grief by traveling and becoming a foreign correspondent. But it all came back when he began his new life as a father and faced a personal crisis. We also talk about the responsibility older siblings feel toward younger ones in the wake of losing a parent. Music by Josephine Wiggs from her Album "We Fall." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023-02-2327 min

Are We There Yet?The Same But DifferentAs I get my feet wet recording interviews, I decided to start with the people most familiar to me: My siblings! In this episode, I interview my sister Quinn Faison about her experience with adolescent grief and how it has affected her as a friend, a parent, and a parenting coach. Quinn and her wife Sarah have a coaching business called Plan P where they support parents through the challenges of raising responsible, caring, young adults. Although Quinn and I have talked throughout our lives about grief, there were a lot of questions I had never asked her before...

2023-02-0937 min

Are We There Yet?The Backstory (aka My Story)For the first episode of this podcast, I will lay the groundwork by talking candidly about my most significant losses and how they intertwine. It's a surprising story about how losing my mother at a young age helped me decades later to grieve a child and mother my other children as openly and honestly as I know how.I also discuss my book, "Dancing with the Midwives: A Memoir of Art and Grief" which is available on Amazon.Music by Josephine Wiggs from her Album "We Fall." Hosted on Acast. See...

2023-02-0921 min

Are We There Yet?Why We Need to Talk About Adolescent Grief"Are We There Yet?" is about gaining a better understanding of grief by looking at the consequences of an early loss. It's also about helping kids and their communities better understand the short and long-term consequences of grief. Ann Faison is an artist and grief specialist who has read, researched, and written extensively about grief since losing her mother to cancer when she was fourteen. In this trailer, she discusses why grief still fascinates her and why she interviews other adults who have grown through and thrived from an early loss. There are dozens of podcasts about grief, but...

2023-01-2105 min

Monsters, Madness and Magic EP#141: Bathed in Blood and Shadow - An Interview with Anders HoveJoin Justin as he chats with horror icon Anders Hove about becoming Radu Vladislas, growing up in Greenland, theater, drunken sword fights, Romania, and the fate of Subspecies 5!Anders Hove bio:"Anders Hove was born in Greenland on the 16th of January 1956 to a mother who was a nurse and a father who worked as a meteorologist. His father was politically involved in Greenland and helped the country work towards the government it has today. Spending most of his childhood there, Anders later moved with his parents to Thisted in Denmark when he was 14 years...

2022-07-0730 min

Today In Nerd History Today In Nerd History January 13Today In Nerd History, January 13, Dark Shadows (Revival), Rick and Morty "M. Night Shaym-Aliens!", Richard Moll, Penelope Ann Miller, Charlie Brill, Jill Wagner, Matthew Faison and Conor O'Farrell.#TodayInNerdHistory #January13 #Podcast #DarkShadows #Revival #RickAnMorty #MNightShaymAliens #RichardMoll #PenelopeAnnMiller #CharlieBrill #JillWagner #MatthewFaison #ConorOFarrell #TheNerdHerd #NerdHerd #Nerd --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

2022-01-1313 min

What Else Is Going On? With Taria S. Faison "Privileged Spinners" ft. Kristina Ann ReadSend us a textIn this episode I got to talk to Kristina Ann Read @readkristina and when I tell you I truly enjoyed myself and we had a ball...we really had a ball! We of course talk all things Bravo and housewives. We talk about the ladies of RHOBH (we see you Erika) and our ladies over in Potomac (do you only fellow spinners get Candiace?) And we issue a challenge to the listeners that is both terrifying and also extremely exciting! Here’s a hint: swiper YES to swiping! I...

2021-11-122h 13

My Favorite Flop A Current Affair"It's time for a cheer-up song" because hosts Bobby and Kristina are finally back after an extended intermission to discuss 1978's A Broadway Musical on the act two opener of My Favorite Flop. ABOUT A BROADWAY MUSICAL Based on the real-life experiences of the creative teams' journeys working on the original Broadway productions of The Wiz and the musical version of Golden Boy, A Broadway Musical tells the story of a sleazy white theatre producer's attempt to adapt an African-American writer's serious play as a commercial stage musical. The musical features a book by...

2021-08-0348 min

Laugh It Up Fuzzball Laugh It Up Fuzzball #239 – A moment on the geek timeline…Welcome to the place where I get to let my geek flag fly and talk about all things geek. Basically a fuzzy guide to life, the universe, and everything but mostly geek stuff. This is where I look into the world of geekdom and some geek news, comics, The Simpsons, Star Wars, and whatever randomness finds its way onto the recording. This level of the podcast includes: Merchandising! Two new designs hit the teepublic store The Suicide Squad trailer Mortal Kombat release pushed one week to April 23 Netflix sign Rian Johnson to 400 million deal...

2021-04-181h 20

Dark Valley We're All Friends HereEpisode NotesContent Warning: Disordered eating of a child, a hospital rehab, siren type alarm (sound effect)Episode 6: We're All Friends HereKristen Bryers and Jenna Green head to their daughter’s school after an incident, only to find that 6 year-old Zoe has made a secret friend.This episode was written and directed by Mark Zurek.Kristen was played by Rachel FaisonJenna was played by Cara PiconeMr. Hoffman was played by Gerrard JamesZoe was played by Cole WhitmoreDr...

2021-03-0424 min

Life Free of Anxiety Talking to Regis Philbin about Anxiety & AgoraphobiaWhen I heard this weekend that Regis Philbin passed away, I knew that we had to push back our regularly scheduled episode and put this one up instead. We are bringing you the audio from a segment Regis did, focused entirely on anxiety and agoraphobia.At the time, CHAANGE was helping so many people recover from anxiety and panic attacks that Regis Philbin brought Faison Covington (who you know from this show!) and Ann Seagrave, two of the founders of CHAANGE, on to tell their stories to his audience....

2020-07-2816 min

Bushwick Variety Show 94: National Black Theatre: Liberation of a People: Ritual of ResilienceThis episode is a special edition sharing a conversation Alec III participated in curated and facilitated by National Black Theatre https://www.nationalblacktheatre.org/ as part of Founder's Month celebrating the legacy of Dr. Barbara Ann Teer who founded NBT in 1968. This conversation, NBT @ Home Founder's Month Edition Part 1 featured original NBT Company Members Ayodele Moore and Adé Faison https://www.instagram.com/ade_faison/ as well as the Writer and Director of last summer's 125th & Freedom Ebony Noelle Golden https://www.instagram.com/ebonynoellegolden/ and cast member SHESHE Dance https://www.instagram.com/sheshedanz/ moderated by Chelsea Dee h...

2020-07-021h 05

Indie Bands Radio Blog Great Dane Production Studio Tennessee Bluegrass ReviewLets talk about the latest up and coming bands that are sweeping the internet waves.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGI3-F1sOUAMike WebbWebsite: www.unsigned.com/mikewebbKeith BradfordWebsite: www.unsigned.com/kmarecordsJodi AnnWebsite: www.myspace.com/jodiannthebeginningWebsite: www.cdbaby.com/cd/jodiannSteven MintonWebsite: www.facebook.com/stevenmintonbandWebsite: www.reverbnation.com/stevenmintonbandSapling GroveWebsite: www.saplinggrove.usJW CombsWebsite: www.unsigned.com/jwcombsJody...

2016-11-0231 min

Women of Substance Music Podcast Volume 1 #269 Music by Danielle LoPresti, Idina Menzel, Jogo, Deborah Denise, Laurie Horn, Jodi Holley Hudson, Kelli Ann, Lorrie Newman Keating, One World (R)evolution, Emily Zuzik, Michele McLaughlin, Bree Noble, Marsha Bartenetti, Faison D’Etre, Anelda Spence,To get live links to the music we play and resources we offer, visit This show includes the following songs: Danielle LoPresti - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Idina Menzel - Holly Jolly Christmas Jogo - Tis The Season Deborah Denise - All I Want For Christmas Is You Laurie Horn - Silent Night Jodi Holley Hudson - My Favorite Season Kelli Ann - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Lorrie Newman Keating - Away in a Manger One World (R)evolution - It's Christmas Time Emily Zuzik - Silver Bells Michele McLaughlin - O Come Emmanuel Bree Noble - Gabriel's Me...

2015-12-011h 08