Shows
2 LIVES - Stories Of TransformationHow One Mom Changed From Conservative Christian To Passionate LGBTQ+ AdvocateToday Sara Cunningham gives free mom hugs to any member of the LGBTQ+ community who needs them after years of rejecting her son’s coming out because she had adhered to rules of her church. Still she doesn’t feel she’s done enough to make up for that lost time with him. 2 Lives “The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” 2 Lives is created by Laurel Morales. Valerie Shively is the assistant producer. Christian Arnder is our illustrator and website designer. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Subscribe to Laurel's Substack h...2025-05-0626 min
Living Beyond the Shadow of Doubt™Episode 193:The Power & Importance of Community with Sara Cunningham, founder Free Mom HugsSara Cunningham is an author, activist, and founder of the non-profit organization Free Mom Hugs. Her journey is a surprising one that began in conservative Oklahoma, when her son, Parker, came out as gay. As a woman of faith, Sara wrestled with the news until she began to study, research, and reconcile the two worlds. This journey resulted in her book How We Sleep at Night. She found herself on a journey “from the church to the Pride parade,” falling in love with the LGBTQIA+ community. In the wake of beautiful glitter-covered hugs and heart-breaking horror stories, the mission of F...2025-03-1939 min
We Need to ActSeason 2 | Ep. 15 - Community, behavior change and communication with Katelan CunninghamWhat power does the community have in helping us make informed decisions and change behaviors? How can we make our message more relevant to people and inspire action?In today's episode, we have Katelan Cunningham, a climate communicator driven by the power of community. She's also the host of the Second Nature podcast and Director of Content at Commons, a sustainable lifestyle app.Please give us your support by...Tune in and subscribe to the We Need to Act podcast via Spotify or Apple Podcasts.Support our show by joining our...2025-02-1220 min
1946 The Culture Shift TourFrom Oklahoma with Love: Free Mom Hugs and the Fight Against Conversion TherapyIn Episode 3, the team continues their journey, leaving Phoenix for Oklahoma City on a grueling 15-hour RV drive. Along the way, they bond over shared road trip challenges, humorous mishaps, and deep conversations about faith, family, and activism. The episode provides a heartfelt glimpse into their personal connections and the resilience that fuels their mission.Once in Oklahoma City, the team reflects on their experiences at the Mayflower Congregational Church, where they received an overwhelming turnout of over 250 people. They engage with community members, including Sara Cunningham, founder of Free Mom Hugs (FMH), and Katrina Kalb, founding...2024-12-0130 min
JUST DO YOU.S1E38 Sara Cunningham - The Hug That Created A National MovementJoin me this week as I sit down with Sara Cunningham, founder of FREE MOM HUGS based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Earlier this year, I attended a local pride festival and came upon a group of women wearing a t-shirt with FREE MOM HUGS emblazoned across the front. In addition to receiving the most amazing hug from one of the moms, I instantly fell in love with these women and needed to learn more about this incredible organization and their founder! During our time together, Sara shares her journey which included many years rejecting her son Parker's sexu...2024-11-2153 min
The Healthified Podcast106. It Does Get Better. How to Improve Your Health, Feel Aligned in Career, and Believe in Yourself, with Lauren CunninghamToday’s guest is Lauren Cunningham, health coach, entrepreneur, and founder of So Can I, which is a podcast and community that supports female founders.
Lauren graduated with a degree in accounting, but quickly realized she needed a place to channel her creativity. She now owns her own social media marketing agency, where she helps other female founders build their businesses online.
In June of 2022, Lauren launched her popular podcast, So Can I. Each episode covers a different female founder, and Lauren hopes her listeners leave each episode thinking, "if...2024-10-021h 06
Outside the Box with Dr. Janeane BernsteinValencia Foster Free Mom Hugs SoCal State Chapter LeadFree Mom Hugs’ mission is to celebrate the LGBTQIA community through visibility, conversation and education and hugs.
Valencia Foster is the Free Mom Hugs Southern California
State Chapter Lead, and a native of Los Angeles. Valencia has had a long and rewarding career in pharmaceutical and biotech sales and marketing. Currently, she is an Associate Director in field marketing as a Thought Leader
Liaison with a pioneering biotech company.
Valencia ‘s passions include her allyship advocacy for the
LGBTQIA community. She has held the position of Southern Chapter Leader for the national nonprofit organization, Free Mom Hugs, for th...2024-09-1332 min
Celebrate Your StoryEmbracing Love: A Mother's Journey to LGBTQ+ Advocacy with Sara CunninghamHow do we adapt when life takes an unforeseen turn, especially when it involves our loved ones? In this episode of Celebrations Chatter, I sit down with Sara Cunningham, author of "How We Sleep at Night" and founder of Free Mom Hugs. Sara shares her powerful journey as a mother struggling to accept her son Parker's sexuality to becoming a passionate advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. We explore the fears and challenges Sara faced as she learned to shed internalized beliefs, as well as the turning point that led to the creation of Free Mom Hugs. 2024-09-1129 min
On Campus - with CITI ProgramEvaluating and Awarding Credits for Prior Learning - On Campus PodcastAs enrollment levels for traditional-aged college students decline, credit for prior learning has become a vital topic of conversation within higher education. Awarding credit for previous work or certifications offers a promising strategy to boost enrollment numbers. In this episode, Dr. Sara Cunningham explores how organizations like the American Council on Education (ACE) can collaborate with universities to standardize prior learning. Dr. Cunningham is the Executive Director of One Dupont Ventures, leading initiatives to improve learner mobility and success as part of ACE’s Education Futures. She joined ACE’s Learning Evaluations team in 2018 to help develop digit...2024-07-1627 min
The Morning Brew with Andrew SchultzFree Mom HugsFree Mom Hugs is an organization that empowers the world to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. More importantly, it’s a movement of love, visibility and acceptance. Conflicted by her love for her son and her spirituality, Sara exhaustively searched for answers…and what she learned would transform her journey from the church to the pride parade! Founder of Free Mom Hugs, Sara Cunningham joined us to discuss the organization and her journey.2024-07-0811 min
Cinema CultEp.#6 - Naked Fear (2007) *DISTURBING FILMS*Tonight's episode is "Naked Fear" released in 2007 and is YET ANOTHER DISTURBING FLICK by loveable returning co-host Sara!!! Listen to the breakdown of this "inspired by true events" movie as well as all the despicable parts now!!!2024-06-291h 27
Stellar Teacher Podcast: A Podcast for Upper Elementary Teachers198. Shifting the Balance: A Conversation With Katie Egan CunninghamI’ve talked on this podcast before about the science of reading, the major components of it, and why it’s such a major topic in the field of education right now. And while I’ve researched and surrounded myself with all the information I can on it, there’s still so much to unpack and learn. Thankfully, my guest on today’s episode, Katie Egan Cunningham, is an expert on the topic. So, in this episode, Katie is sharing insights into the science of reading, the importance of evidence-based instruction, the idea of the science of happiness, and her new bo...2024-06-1027 min
Novel PairingsTen classic novels you should read this summerWe’re taking it back to the classroom in today’s episode! Chelsey and Sara reflect on their experience with high school summer reading as both students and teachers: the good, the great, and the hot takes. While we aren’t assigning any reading in this episode, we are sharing 10 classics that would make for great summer reads at any age! For an enhanced reading experience, pair a past Novel Pairings episode with each of these classics to listen as you go. Of course, our main summer reading recommendation is Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, our BIG summer...2024-06-0440 min
The Next DoseHealing Hearts: Sara Cunningham's Journey from Loss to Nursing ResilienceListen as Sara Cunningham shares her story and how nursing has impacted her life.2024-05-1749 min
Living Beyond the Shadow of Doubt™Episode 108: When Parker came out of his closet, I went into mine, Sara Cunningham, founder of Free Mom Hugs"To empower the world to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community through visibility, education, and conversation." -Mission freemomhugs.org
Sara Cunningham is an author, activist, and founder of the non-profit organization Free Mom Hugs. Her journey is a surprising one that began in conservative Oklahoma, when her son, Parker, came out as gay. As a woman of faith, Sara wrestled with the news until she began to study, research, and reconcile the two worlds. This journey resulted in her book How We Sleep at Night.
She found herself on a journey “from the church to t...2024-02-2149 min
TarHeal Wellness: A Podcast for ResidentsEpisode 29 - Dr. Carrie Cunningham: Unmasking Physician Mental Health Part IIIIn this episode, host Dr. Sara Helvey continues her conversation with Dr. Carrie Cunningham, Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Section Head of the Massachusetts General Hospital Endocrine Surgery Unit, Associate Director of Mentoring in the Department of Surgery and the immediate Past-President of the Association of Academic Surgery. Dr. Cunnigham draws parallels between her profession and addiction as mentioned in her presidential address, "Removing the Mask," (available from the link below), continuing to draw from her own experiences. The conversation closes with direct advice to listeners currently struggling and those who want to help others who m...2024-02-2029 min
TarHeal Wellness: A Podcast for ResidentsEpisode 28 - Dr. Carrie Cunningham: Unmasking Physician Mental Health Part IIIn this episode, host Dr. Sara Helvey continues her conversation with Dr. Carrie Cunningham, Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Section Head of the Massachusetts General Hospital Endocrine Surgery Unit,Associate Director of Mentoring in the Department of Surgery and the immediate Past-President of the Association of Academic Surgery. They dive deeper into points from her powerful presidential address, "Removing the Mask," (available from the link below), linking her lived experiences with mental health and substance use disorders to the wider issues so many physicians face in their daily lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaNBH4UP...2024-02-1524 min
TarHeal Wellness: A Podcast for ResidentsEpisode 27 - Dr. Carrie Cunningham: Unmasking Physician Mental Health Part IIn this episode, host Dr. Sara Helvey speaks with Dr. Carrie Cunningham, Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Section Head of the Massachusetts General Hospital Endocrine Surgery Unit, Associate Director of Mentoring in the Department of Surgery and the immediate Past-President of the Association of Academic Surgery. During her presidential address (available from the link below), she gave a powerful speech called "Removing the Mask" which brought attention to the private struggle that many physicians have with mental health and substance use disorders through her lived experiences. Dr. Cunningham has become an advocate for struggling providers in he...2024-02-1332 minNovel PairingsTo the Lighthouse by Virginia WoolfToday, Chelsey and Sara explore TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf, investigating Woolf’s intention to put “real life” on the page, analyzing her prose and structure, discussing themes and characters, and contextualizing historical references. For a deeper reading and listening experience, check out our episode on A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN and our bonus episode on Patreon all about The Bloomsbury Group. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts about Woolf’s masterpiece. Order your Novel Pairings University Sweatshirt today! Our shop closes on 11/30. Follow us on Instagram, subscribe to our newsletter, and join our P...2023-11-281h 20
This Is Not Church PodcastOctober Rebroadcast: Free Mom Hugs: An LGBTQIA+ Affirming Conversation with Sara CunninghamThis Quoircast episode is brought to you by The Seeds of De(con)struction by Nat Turney. The book is published by Quoir and available now. In this episode we chat with Sara Cunningham.Sara Cunningham is an author, activist, and founder of the non-profit organization Free Mom Hugs. Her journey is a surprising one that began in conservative Oklahoma, when her son, Parker, came out as gay. As a woman of faith, Sara wrestled with the news until she began to study, research, and reconcile the two worlds. This journey resulted in her book How We Sleep at Night. She...2023-10-111h 11
So Can IHow to Build a Thriving Photography Business with Sara EdmondsonToday I am joined by Sara Edmondson. Sara launched her photography business in 2016 after graduating, and since then, she has blossomed into a world-renowned photographer whose work has been published internationally (Marie Claire Australia, E! News, and a 10 page spread in Hello! Canada Magazine to name a few). Her client list includes celebrities, top athletes, and renowned photographers. Based in Tampa Bay, where she resides with her husband and daughter, Lucy, Sara has become a prominent tastemaker in the area. Originally from Massachusetts, Sara's love for classic interiors, charming towns, and stunning coastal landscapes is evident in her work. 2023-07-1835 min