Unshaming

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Quan Huynh murdered another human being in gang related violence and was charged with second degree murder in 1999. He entered prison without remorse and left prison, a changed man. His story is not about his crime though — it's about his transformation during his 22 years in prison: humanizing himself as a person with grief, ambitions, and potential. He is the bestselling author of Sparrow in the Razor Wire: Finding Freedom from Within While Serving a Life Sentence. He now works as the senior post release program manager for Defy Ventures, a non profit helping those with a criminal past transform their lives through entrepreneurship. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

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Barb Zablotney was crowned Miss Wheelchair Pennsylvania in 2018. After a tragic car accident in 2007 that left her paralyzed from the waste down, she became a fierce advocate for women with disabilities. Although 61 million Americans live with a disability, why is that we know so little about this community? In this episode, Barb candidly shares how she navigates her daily routine, seeing friends, dating, and sex. She opens up about her own internalized ableism and how able bodied people can be more inclusive of folks with disabilities.
This episode contains graphic descriptions of Barb's car accident from 4:54 — 6:52.
#StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

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This episode contains frank discussion about mental and sexual trauma. The Brain and Behavior Research institute estimates that up to 1/20 Americans have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). If a person experiences 5/9 BPD symptoms, they can be diagnosed. In this episode Megan Brogdon speaks candidly about her BPD experience in an effort to end the stigma around living with a mental illness. You can learn more about BPD here. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

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34 million Americans are low-income according to the US Census Bureau. What’s life like for them? In this episode, Xiomara Contreras shares her memories of growing up on food stamps and living in a home where she shared a twin bed. When she became a teenager, she was selected to attend a prestigious boarding school on scholarship and later graduated from Northwestern and accepted a job at Google — all the while going back and forth between these two worlds. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

Erin Jorgensen has had four abortions and works for Shout Your Abortion, an organization dedicated to removing the stigma around abortion. In this episode she discusses how she unshamed her own abortions, the importance of representation in her community, and sense of belonging she found in telling her story proudly. If you'd like to learn more about abortion, visit Shout Your Abortion. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.