Between Headlines

Shannon Watts is the founder of Moms Demand Action and author of the book "Fight Like a Mother: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World." Shannon shares her experience as a leader and organizer for one of the most divisive issues of our time. She tells Alison about the trajectory of her organization from a small facebook group to the largest grass-roots gun violence prevention group in the United States, and the success they've had enacting both cultural and legal change.  Follow Shannon and Moms Demand Action on Twitter @shannonrwatts and @MomsDemand Follow Alison on Twitter @alisonhallreporting 

Dr. Steven Phillips and Dana Parish are the co-authors of the new book, "Chronic: The Hidden Cause of the Autoimmune Pandemic and How to Get Healthy Again". Dr. Phillips was a renowned physician specializing in chronic conditions when he became a patient himself, suffering through a devastating bacterial infection that left him nearly paralyzed. Through his own research and self-diagnosis, he was able to find a cure for his illness and used his expertise to help others. Dana Parish is a singer-songwriter whose life took a turn for the worse after being bitten by a tick infected with lyme disease. She suffered long after initial treatment for lyme and finally found support when she became a patient of Dr. Phillips. Dana and Dr. Phillips talk about the sometimes murky diagnosis and treatment process of chronic illnesses borne out of infections and how to advocate for yourself as patient. 

Tashandra Poullard and Naveed Shah are United States Military veterans. Tasha served in the marines while Naveed served in the army. They are now both advocates for military reform and progressive politics. Naveed and Tasha share their reactions to the violent insurrection that took place at the Capitol on January 6th and the fact that some of the individuals involved have ties to the United States military. Naveed and Tasha also share their experiences with racism while deployed and their hope for the future for other BIPOC service people. 

Darron Cardosa, also known as "The Bitchy Waiter" is a New York City restaurant server, comedian, author and blogger. Darron has been working as a server for over 30 years. In that time, he started the well-known tell all blog, "The Bitchy Waiter" where he opines on the adventures of being a waiter and the various customers he meets. His blog became such a hit that it was turned into a book and one-man variety show. Darron shares what it was like to lose work during the pandemic, both his restaurant position and his theatre work, and then return to his restaurant position following strict safety guidelines.  Darron is an advocate for servers everywhere and shares his thoughts on sick pay, dining out and tipping during the pandemic.  Follow Darron on Twitter and Instagram: @bitchywaiter  Follow Alison on Twitter @alisonreporting and Instagram: @alisonhallreporting  This episodes transcript is available at wwww.betweenheadlines.com 

Adam Jenkins and Kristen Vermetten are partners and activists in Atlanta, Georgia. Adam is the founder of The Inmate Project which works to represent the overwhelming population of incarcerated black men and women in the United States. Adam wears a orange prison jumpsuit in everyday life, sparking conversation and dialogue about the justice system, racism and our implicit biases. Kristen works for the New Georgia Project which is working to register Georgian voters. Together, they make up an extraordinary couple who are using their unique voices to make change. They share their personal journeys to activism and what it is really like to be apart of the monumental Black Lives Matter movement of 2020 and why they say their work is only just beginning. 

Rebecca Alexander is an author, psychotherapist, extreme athlete, advocate and she has a rare genetic disorder called Ushers syndrome. Ushers syndrome for Rebecca means she has been losing both her sight and hearing since she was a teenager. Despite these extreme challenges, Rebecca has gone on to live a very full and active life, becoming a successful New York City therapist, group fitness instructor, motivational speaker and disability rights advocate. She shares what it has been like to navigate life while facing deteriorating sight and hearing. Rebecca shares what the pandemic means for her community and what she's learned about asking for, and offering help. 

Alex Goldstein started the well-known twitter account, Faces of Covid. Faces of Covid features the stories of individuals who have passed away from the coronavirus. With thousands of people dying per day in the United States, Alex decided to put a face to the tragic statistics by sharing personal stories of real people taken by the disease.  The result - a beautiful space online where real people are celebrated for the lives they lived rather than the disease that took them. Alex shares his mission with Between Headlines, why it's so important to look at the human toll of the pandemic, how he has connected with families affected by covid across the country and what he's learned from his work about both grief and life.  Follow Faces of Covid @FacesofCovid Follow Alex @alexjgoldstein  Follow Alison @alisonhallreporting  #BetweenHeadlines 

Flore is a mother, college student and survivor advocate for victims of gender-based violence. After leaving her abusive marriage, Flore connected with the incredible organization, Sanctuary for Families which helped her navigate the legal and and personal matters associated with ending a marriage when violence is involved. She now works as a survivor leader and advocate, counselling and supporting domestic violence survivors. Flore shares with Between Headlines what it was like to stick up for herself and her family, and her experience shedding victimhood in order to thrive in her new life, while pursuing her education and raising children. With domestic violence cases on the rise through the pandemic, she talks about what to look for and how to be supportive if someone you know may be in danger. 

Dr. Calvin Sun is a New York City based emergency room doctor and owner of a travel company and blog, Monsoon Diaries. After a major international trip in early March, Dr. Sun arrived back to NYC for a shift in one of the several emergency rooms he works in and started treating the first wave of early covid19 patients. For the next few months, Dr. Sun and his colleagues worked tirelessly to contain the pandemic while the emergency rooms and hospitals in the city were bursting at the seams, all while having little access to new masks, gloves and face shields. Dr. Sun talks about what it was really like inside the hospitals while New York was under siege by the virus and how he managed his own mental health. He shares his experience returning to travel safely and what he wants us all to know about the healthcare heroes throughout the world fighting coronavirus. 

Jeanette Senerchia is the wife of the late Anthony Senerchia, the man who inspired the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised over $250 million dollars for medical research into ALS. Sadly, Anthony passed away in 2017 leaving Jeanette and their wonderful daughter behind. Jeanette opens up about life with Anthony, her role as a wife and caregiver, and how she and her family have handled grief.  Jeanette tells Between Headlines about the intimate, vulnerable and raw moments of life as a family coping with a debilitating illness and what helped them along the way. She emphasizes the importance as a caregiver of taking care of everyone, including yourself. 

Gianna Nino is a Stanford Medical student and seasonal farmworker. Gianna has harvested food since she was 14 alongside her mother who has been a farmworker for two decades. Between her masters degree and starting medical school at Stanford, Gianna returned to the fields to pick blueberries alongside her mother, in the middle of the Covid19 pandemic. Gianna tweeted about her experience in the fields, garnering a huge reaction online. Gianna shares what it's like to be an essential worker, helping put fresh food on tables nationwide despite extreme conditions for low wages.  She tells Between Headlines why she decided to become a doctor and asks us to acknowledge and appreciate the diverse human beings contributing to our food system. 

Marisa Renee Lee is a writer, founder and social impact consultant. Marisa's writing has been featured on Vogue, Glamour and CNN. Her work details her intimate relationship with grief and her experience as a black woman in America. Marisa says the black community is grieving through the violence and racial reckoning of 2020, and weighs in on how to be an effective ally. Marisa opens up to Between Headlines about grief in it's many forms, what it was like to lose her mother at 25, a recent pregnancy loss and her years long battle with fertility, all leading her to start Supportal, an organization that shares how to show up for people we love, facing life altering challenges. 

Diana Berrent is a photographer, lawyer, and as of recently, a Coronavirus survivor advocate. Diana was diagnosed with Covid19 in early March after attending a business meeting in New York City. She suffered through weeks of the disease in total isolation and 6 months later, still experiences side effects from her battle. While isolated, Diana dreamed up a coalition of Coronavirus survivors who would share their life saving plasma, participate in medical studies and connect on their experiences. That idea turned into, "Survivor Corps", a Facebook group that now has over 107,000 members. Diana tells Between Headlines what it's really like to battle Covid19, what she's hearing from survivors and Covid "long-haulers", and what we can all do to support each other through the pandemic.  Show Notes:  Transition music: Sneaky Adventure by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4383-sneaky-adventure License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Between Headlines follows journalist Alison Hall as she interviews the people behind top news stories. The podcast features regular human beings (who turn out to be far from it) whose stories will inspire, educate and challenge your views. Go beyond the 24-hour news cycle and listen in to hear guests’ unfiltered version of their story, how their lives were impacted and what they learned. New episodes will be released bi-weekly.