Interview with Cassandra Heart

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Cassandra Heart, an American transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com. Hello Cassandra!

Cassandra: Hi there! I feel really honored I was asked to do this.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Cassandra: I am a software engineer with a deep passion for cryptography, machine learning, and distributed systems. I’m also married and polyamorous.

Monika: Why did you decide to share your transition details on social media?

Cassandra: When I was young, my exposure to transgender people was entirely through mainstream media depictions, which were frequently unfavorable. While the world is thankfully a much more understanding and accepting place today with significantly more positive depictions seeing time in the spotlight, the actual process of transition, what to expect strictly from hormone therapy versus additional procedures, is not as open.

Interview with Lindsey

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Lindsey, an American transgender woman that documents her transition on Instagram and Reddit.com. Hello Lindsey!

Lindsey: Hi Monika! As someone who has read your blog, it is an honor to do this interview with you!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Lindsey: I am a 35-year-old intersex and transgender woman. I have a wife and two amazing kids, have started several businesses and brands, I model and I am an advocate for LGBT+ rights whenever I can be. I started transitioning when I was 32.

Interview with Bobbi Dare

Monika: Today it is my honor and pleasure to interview Bobbi Dare, a Canadian poet, writer, and transgender activist that documents her transition on Reddit.com. We are going to chat about her amazing journey to womanhood and other related topics. Hello Bobbi! 

Bobbi: Hi Monika, good to be here thank you for inviting me.

Monika: Could you introduce yourself to the readers of my blog?

Bobbi: First of all I want to say that Bobbi Dare is a pen name that I have used for about 20 years. I am an out trans woman so I will share that my real name is Roberta Jane Heggie. I am 56 years old and I live in Toronto, Canada.

Professionally, I work in technology as a senior project/ program manager for diverse companies and I am a member of PMI - The Project Management Institute. I do volunteer work for PMI, being a past president of the Toronto Chapter, currently, I am the Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for PMI Toronto and the Executive Director for the Chapter.

Interview with Hannah Decker

Monika: Today my guest is Hannah Decker, a Canadian transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com. Hello Hannah!

Hannah: Hello Monika and thank you for contacting me. It never occurred to me that anyone would want to interview me but I’m happy to share my story.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Hannah: I am a 59-year-old freelance photographer/designer living in Canada. I have been married for over 20 years to a wonderful woman. I transitioned socially 9 months ago and started on hormones almost 6 months ago.

Monika: Why did you decide to share your transition details on social media?

Hannah: I did it for one reason. To hopefully inspire others who are doubting themselves like I was. I usually post in r/translater because I’m “older” and I found that people of my age needed more inspiration and hope than younger people. When I receive comments saying I have inspired them I feel so good. Unlike many people, I make a point of posting before and after photos to show the incredible change that can happen when you believe in yourself and follow your heart.

Interview with Danielle Marie

Monika: Today I am going to host a special guest. Danielle Marie is an American transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com. We are going to chat about her transition journey and inspirations. Hello Danielle!

Danielle: Hello Monika! Thank you very much for reaching out to me. I appreciate the opportunity to share my story with others and I love that you're helping provide a platform for people to share their journeys with others.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Danielle: So I am a 33-year-old trans woman. I'm coming up on a year of HRT in January of 2021. It's definitely been an interesting year to start transitioning during, for sure. I am pretty geeky, and have a passion for entertainment. Whether that be movies, television, books, comics, or video games, entertainment has always been of interest to me.

Interview with Eirin Grinde Tunheim

Monika: Today I am taking you to Tromsø, a city in northern Norway, which is a major cultural hub above the Arctic Circle. This is the town of Eirin Grinde Tunheim, a young Thai-born girl from Norway, beauty pageant queen with university degrees in dentistry and economics. In 2019, Eirin competed in the Norwegian edition of the Miss Universe Pageant to become the first transgender woman in the history of this competition. She speaks five languages, and I am happy that one of them is English, so I can share her amazing story with you all. Hello Eirin!

Eirin: Hello, Monika. Thank you for inviting me for the interview.

Monika: You were born in Thailand. When in 2006 you came to Norway with your whole family, what did you expect to see and achieve in the country that is so different from Thailand?

Eirin: Back then, my mom told us that Norway is a country where the weather is very cold with less sunlight. My siblings and I watched the Narnia movie and tried to have that expectation. However, we did expect to live in a country with a good education, health system, and quality of life. I grew up with my grandparents and father, therefore I always wished to live with my mom wherever she lived.

Interview with Cynthia Luna Frost

Monika: Today I would like to share with you the story of Cynthia Luna Frost, a young Swedish vocalist, poet, and alternative model. Cynthia is the founder and vocalist of the band called Snow I.U. and the founder of the Snowfest festival. Hello Cynthia!

Cynthia: Hello! Thank you for having me!

Monika: You are a woman of many talents. Do you feel more like a band vocalist or poet?

Cynthia: I see myself as a source of inspiration. Be that by being an entertainer with my musical works, an eloquent writer with my lyrical and story-driven poetical narratives, or as a gracious alternative model in front of the lens of a camera. I seek to inspire and empower people, to show the world that being different and unique is something that we all should strive for. I want people to be the best version of themselves.

Interview with Krysten

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Krysten, an American transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com. Hello Krysten!

Krysten: Hello Monika! Thank you for asking to interview me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Krysten: Sure, I'm a trans woman located in the state of Pennsylvania. I am presently 38 years old, starting to socially and medically transition at 36. I was married for 6 years prior to deciding to transition. I also work as a licensed therapist, being certified in trauma therapy. I'm also a huge fangirl at heart.

Monika: Why did you decide to share your transition details on social media?

Krysten: I started to share on Instagram back in February of 2019. The original intention was to get feedback anonymously so I could become comfortable prior to coming out to others. At first, it was to test makeup attempts and to get a true picture of how steep of a journey I had ahead. I'm happy that early criticism was kind.

Interview with Ella Marques

Monika: It has been three years since my last interview with Ella Marques, a Portuguese-American writer living in Boca Raton, Florida. In 2017 Ella published her biographical book ‘I was born a boy, from Venus. It’s time to be yourself’. Today’s interview has been triggered not only by the fact that I missed her but also her two newly-released books: “Coming home to Venus” and "Eva's world". Hello Ella!

Ella: Hi Monika, It is such a pleasure to be here with you.

Monika: How are you holding up in the pandemic times?

Ella: Business-wise it has been a disaster but from my own personal perspective it has been an incredible year. I usually travel a lot, about every second week and in March we had a lockdown here in the US, so I took advantage to finish my second book “Coming Home to Venus”, then I got the idea to write a fiction novel Eva’s World.

Interview with Brooke

Monika: Today I would like to share the story of Brooke, a Canadian transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com. Hello Brooke!

Brooke: Hi Monika, it’s a pleasure to speak with you!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Brooke: Sure, I’m a 38-year-old Canadian woman. I am blessed with a beautiful fiancé and daughter, and like everyone else, I’m just trying to find my own little slice of happiness in life.:)

Monika: Why did you decide to share your transition details on Reddit?

Brooke: Well, mainly because my formative years were long before the Internet and the information accessible there. It was due to sheer ignorance that my own transition was delayed for so long, so I wanted to do what I could to provide as much information as possible for those questioning.

Interview with Stana

Monika: Today I am going to host Ms. Stana, an American influencer and owner of the popular blog called Femulate where she covers different aspects of femininity for ladies that opt out to be women without any operations and hormone treatments. Stana is the author of Fantasia Fair Diaries (2015) and evangelizer of the normality of crossdressing at colleges and universities. Hello Stana!

Stana: Hello Monika and in honor of our mutual Polish roots, “Dzień dobry!”

Monika: I must say that our chat is going to be a bit different compared to all my previous interviews. Given my own experience, I usually focused on the experiences of women that transitioned into womanhood with a little help from surgeons and hormones. However, we should not overlook the fact that many ladies will never go that path due to many reasons. So I am happy that I am making up for this now…

Stana: Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story or should I say “our” story because I have discovered that there are a lot of women in the same high heel shoes as me.

Interview with Hailey

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Hailey, a young American transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com. Hello Hailey!

Hailey: Hi Monika, thanks for taking the time to reach out to me, and I’m really happy to be doing this interview with you today.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Hailey: Absolutely! I’m a 28-year-old trans woman who has been on Hormone Replacement Therapy for 21 months as of now. I love meeting new people, working on my social media, and playing video games. Although it hasn’t happened much in 2020, I do generally enjoy going out and doing stuff too.

Monika: Why did you decide to share your transition details on social media?

Hailey: It was actually a big deal for me to decide to publicly share my story as I wasn’t sure if I wanted everyone to know I was trans at the time. I decided to share me with everyone because pre-transition there were so many women who were there for me when they transitioned before me.

Interview with Farrah Mills

Monika: Today I am hosting Farrah Mills, one of the most inspirational ladies from the United Kingdom, a London model, singer, entertainer, former adult movie actress, and YouTube vlogger. We are going to chat with Farrah about her career, music and movies, collection of Barbie dolls, ups and downs of show business, as well as her fascinating journey to womanhood. Hello Farrah!

Farrah: Hi there!

Monika: How are you holding up in the crazy COVID-19 times? Do you have any new projects now?

Farrah: I think like everyone this has been a tough and challenging time. I have just tried to stay safe and keep my family safe. Currently, I'm working on a new EP with my singing group called Tparty.

Monika: I guess this is the first trans ladies band in the UK, right? The band was formed in 2014 and it comprises you, Viktor Victoria, and Antonia Wood. Could you elaborate more on your music and the origins of the band?

Farrah: That's correct. The name Tparty was originally a once-a-month clubnite in London that Viktor started, and I and Toni were hostesses. Then we all decided to turn it into a group instead. Our sound is a blend of pop, electro, R&B, and '80s. Viktor writes 90% of all our original songs and I arrange the vocals and harmonies.

Interview with Eleanor

 

Monika: Today’s interview is with Eleanor, an American software engineer and transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com as eleanorPDX. Hello Eleanor!

Eleanor: Hi Monika, thank you for interviewing me today!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Eleanor: I live in Portland, Oregon, with my wife Evan and our cat Percy and dog Riley. We're originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but we moved to Oregon five years ago because Oregon is much more accepting of LGBTQ people than Oklahoma is. We have not visited Oklahoma in several years due to safety concerns. For employment, I'm a software engineer.

Interview with Andréa Colliaux - Part 2

Monika: It has been almost seven years since I interviewed Andréa Colliaux, a French stewardess, transgender activist, the author of the autobiographical book titled "Carnet de bord d'un steward devenu hôtesse de l'air", one of the most inspirational women that I had the pleasure of talking to. Therefore I am extremely delighted that Andréa has decided to chat with me again. Bonjour Andréa!

Andréa: Hello Monika, long time, no see but I always have a look at your page on Facebook and I am always delighted to read the stories of all these extraordinary women who have chosen to transition from one gender to another and to live their life as a woman.

Monika: Andréa, you look so lovely! It seems that beautiful women never get old!

Andréa: Yes, I'm 55 years old now... and I feel like I am still 25 in my head! Still in the '80s. Listening to ABBA, and I think that growing old is not so bad especially when you feel so young in your mind. And I assume the fact is that I have had plastic surgery and injections recently. 

Growing old is not a problem to me, but in good health, physically and mentally. And then I sometimes wonder if the air conditioning in the plane does not preserve me like an old mummy!!!