Claire Hennessy presents: The Bonkers Brit

I was thrilled, not to mention thoroughly over-excited, to interview my two best friends, Tanya and Bucket. We talk about what life was like at an English boarding school back in the early 70’s, including lumpy horsehair mattresses and apple-pie beds, formidable and sadistic matrons, school uniform and why we had to wear TWO pairs of knickers (panties), plus why food was such an important part of our lives and not always in a good way! We spill the beans on the strange and secret games we got up to after lights out in the dormitories, including spanking competitions, midnight feasts and unusual dares. And, of course, the punishments, always the punishments, as we got caught by matron all the time! If you ever wanted a candid glimpse into another life, this is the podcast for you!

I virtually met the wonderful and talented Ambassador of Fun, Robin Gelfenbien during the COVID-19 shut-down. She’s a New York based comedian, storyteller, podcaster, writer, producer and coach. She was a delightful and effortless guest, talking about storytelling and the yummy ice cream cakes she makes for her in-person New York show “Yums The Word”. She is fearless, with balls of steel, when it comes to getting famous guests to come on her shows, such as Tim Gunn from Project Runway. She also sings for me – something I avoid at all costs – a funny little ditty called “Jesus Steals my Thunder” because her birthday is the day after Christmas (Boxing Day to us Brits!) ... with a last line to watch for! She talks about the time she shared the stage with Hannah Gadsby and then finishes with a funny story which restored her faith in humanity at a low time in her life. I could have talked for hours so I hope to have Robin on again in the future.

Sidney, 37, from Nerds on a Couch once again guests on my show to talk about the Black Lives Matter movement. We were joined by two young activists: Journey, 21, training to be an EMT and Joy, 19, student at San Diego State University while also working for a non-profit. They talk about what they feel is different about the current situation, what types of conversations are now happening and what these two young people feel about on-going racism. Sidney talks about some personal experiences she has had to go through in her life which brings it home what some people have had to go through. Joy and Journey share their worries and concerns as well as discussing some positive solutions, and how forgiveness should also be part of the equation.

Because she was so great, I had to bring Mary Carouba back to talk about a subject I am inordinately interested in – prisons. Instead of dreaming of getting married or becoming a doctor or lawyer or famous artist, Mary spent her childhood scheming how to survive in prison! She was convinced she was headed there, and it was only the Delancey Street Foundation that saved her. Part of the philosophy at Delancey Street was to “Act as if” and Mary describes how she used this to completely change her outlook on life. This also helped when Mary took a Delancey Street initiative into prisons. She gives a fascinating glimpse into what daily life is like in prison, how gangs totally rule, how inmates are treated really badly, but also how successful the initiative has been in stopping violence and giving inmates some self-respect.

I was thrilled to invite Mary Carouba back, this time to talk about her very interesting life. In fact, it was so interesting, I have had to split this into two episodes. In Part 1, we start off talking about rats and squirrels for some bizarre reason and then get back on track and talk about how receiving a life-saving liver transplant from a 14-year-old boy had the consequence of Mary performing 100 acts of kindness. Mary then talks about her traumatic childhood, where she received a lot of physical and emotional abuse. She shares the different roles that kids play in dysfunctional families and then goes on to explain how her unusual upbringing prepared her for her career in Child Protective Services. Rather than being a victim, Mary takes full responsibility for her life and explains how she has total forgiveness for all the people who have mistreated her in her life. We also had time to talk about why she wrote the critically acclaimed book “Women at Ground Zero – Stories of Courage and Compassion” about the incredibly brave women who were completely unacknowledged and unseen after 9/11.