Badass: Tales of Resilience
Badass is a podcast that showcases authentic conversations about our most difficult life experiences. We explore not only the hurt these experiences cause, but also how we are transformed by them. Badass is hosted by Marabai Rose, a licensed clinical social worker, and therapist.
Episodes
On the episode of Badass we are talking to Kel McBride about how her own brush with death set her on her path, and how for Kel, resilience came in the form of taking what she had learned from a difficult experience, and sharing it with others. We will also be talking about death. Fun topic, right? Well, you might be surprised, Kel is known as the Lively Death Lady.
On this episode of Badass we explore what it is to be with others in their pain, while we dance with our own, and the healing that can be born of that alchemy. Heather Maritano, a gifted therapist, educator, and activist, describes her path to thriving in adulthood after a childhood that held some very difficult moments. This is a sweet, intimate interview, with moments of delight and joy, as well as sorrow. I hope you enjoy it. Pl...
Black and brown women experience significantly higher rates of violence than do white women, and while all violence against women is important to acknowledge and take action on, many black and brown women have had the experience of being dismissed, having their pain go unrecognized, or being blithely told that they are strong, and can handle it. On this episode of Badass, we are sharing with you an essay that lays bare the pain and...
Today on Badass we are pulling out of the shadows just one of the 2,755 people who died of a drug overdose in Indiana in 2021. We are giving him a name, we are sharing his story, and the story of those who were left behind. His name is Joshua Cole, people who knew him called him Josh, and when he died in February of 2021, he left behind 3 young children, and a wife who was 7 months pregnant, her name is Lindsey Maxwell. We hope you...
You may have heard the world renowned neuroscientist, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, talk about the intricacies of the brain, but you haven't heard her talk about her brother's schizophrenia. Today on Badass we have an intimate conversation with Dr. Taylor about growing up with a schizophrenic brother, the impact on her family, and the direction it sent her, and her father in. We shine a light on the dysfunction of the mental health system...
On this episode of Badass we are talking with Mary Sexson about her upcoming book of poetry, Her Addiction, An Empty Place at the Table. The poems contained within it provide an unflinchingly honest look at addiction, the impact it has on families, and the endless orbit between fear, despair, and hope that parents find themselves in when their child struggles with chaotic drug and alcohol use.
Badass is back!!! Check out our season preview for info on all the cool, smart people we are featuring this season. Our season 2 line-up includes a world renown neuroscientist, poets and writers who will move you to tears, scholars who will teach you about the badassery of black and brown women throughout history, medical professionals who were in the trenches at the height of the pandemic, and so much more! The really fun part is ...
On this episode of Badass, Jennifer Crossley shares the story of losing her 23 year old brother, Leroy, to gun violence when Jennifer was just 20. We explore the impact this had on Jennifer’s family, and also how it has spurred Jennifer to speak out for gun control on behalf of families like hers. We also discuss the harmful racial dynamics in the gun debate, and how those dynamics continue to affect black and brown communities.
In this episode we turn the tables on Marabai. Laura Gordon interviews her about her new book, Holding Hope: One Family's Odyssey through Lyme Disease and Psychosis. Marabai reads excerpts from the book, and shares with Laura what living through a life changing illness, and her husband's psychosis was like.
In this episode of Badass we return to April Hennessy's story of surviving her time at a Christian "reform" program, and her challenging childhood. April tells us about the vulnerable and liberating period of her life when she walked away from a culture that had been so harmful to her, yet had to brave being totally alone in the world to do so. We explore the idea of found family, and the beautiful relationship between two young wo...
On this episode of Badass, April Hennessy shares her experience of being sent to Camp Tracey, in Jacksonville, Florida, at age 15. After April began running away from home to escape abuse, she was labeled a “troubled teen”, and ultimately forced to go to a Christian based residential program to “reform” her. The program was actually a forced labor camp, where teens worked 12 hour days doing grueling agricultural labor, and violent ...
In this episode of Badass, Kate shares the story of her son Keenan’s birth, and the terrifying period of time shortly thereafter, when Keenan hovered between life and death. His tiny body was wracked with seizures that were damaging his brain, and at first Kate struggled to get help for him, all the while knowing something was terribly wrong. Finally, Kate was able to get a Dr.’s attention, and at that point it became clear that ba...
On this episode of Badass, Anna Miller allows us into a very difficult period of her life. At 14 Anna was raped by her boyfriend, who was 16 at the time. It was an experience that derailed her for three years. She withdrew into herself, and tried to make sense of what had happened to her. Just after emerging from that experience, and finding herself again, Anna was raped by a stranger in a parking lot at knife point. This second ex...
In 2019 Cathleen Weber's whole life changed in an instant, when she sustained a traumatic brain injury in a car accident. On this episode of Badass, Cathleen shares with us the experience of suddenly losing so many of her abilities, and her tenacious walk towards wellness.
On this episode of Badass Dana Malan shares the story of her son Victor’s Leukemia diagnosis at age 5. We explore her family’s sudden entrance into the world of childhood cancer, which involved painful, and sometimes traumatic treatments for Victor. Dana was called on to be an advocate for her son, a task that is not easy in a world that often labels women who speak up as "extra". Dana found herself navigating this while working fu...
On this episode of Badass, Emily Reynolds shares with us her experience of being a survivor of domestic violence, or as she likes to call it, a victor. In March of 2022 Emily’s abuser was convicted of Felony Domestic Battery. It is rare for a survivor of domestic violence to see this kind of justice. Emily shows us the tenacity required on the part of the survivor to see a domestic violence case all the way through. She also illumi...
On this episode of Badass, Laura shares with us the story of being ushered into the wilderness by a nameless illness that took hold of her while she was pregnant with her second child. An illness that robbed her of her most basic abilities, and changed every aspect of her life.
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