Interview with Kelly Denithorne

Monika: Today I am going to interview Kelly Denithorne, also known as Nadine Spirit, an American maths teacher, blogger, podcaster, transgender advocate, and happy wife that documents her transition on her blog called Unordinary Style. Hello Nadine!

Kelly: Hi Monika. Thank you so much for wanting to interview me. I super appreciate being included amongst so many other fabulous humans.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Kelly: I chose to transition in the summer of 2017. My first few steps were to get a gender therapy specialist as well as my first hormone provider. I changed my hormones July 3rd, 2017. However I didn't actually socially and legally transition until a year later on June 28th, 2018. I am now in my 4th year of my transition. I remain married to my lovely wife of 25 years. And I continue to teach at the same junior high school that I taught at prior to my transition.

Interview with Angela Scholl

Monika: Today I am talking to Angela Scholl, a young American transgender woman from Texas that documents her transition on social media. Hello Angela!

Angela: Hey Monika! 

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Angela: Of course! As you said, my name is Angela Scholl, and I'm a 23-year-old non-binary transwoman from Texas, USA. I started my transition just over two years ago on March 14th, 2019, and have been out publicly since June 30th, 2020, although I had been posting online long before that.

I've known that I was transgender since my adolescence, and had many instances of trying to come out in my teenage years, only to return to the closet due to factors such as family, friends, or personal beliefs.

I'm a big advocate for people feeling that it's okay to be themselves authentically. I'm also a recent graduate from Texas A&M University in College Station, where I studied Industrial Distribution, and I currently work in Sales!

Interview with Chloe Pickard

Monika: Today I am going to take you to Melbourne in Australia where our guest Chloe Pickard lives. Chloe is one of my favorite YouTube vloggers. In her videos, she covers all aspects of her transition, providing inspiration to thousands of her followers. So I am going to chat with her about all that trans girls and women are curious about. Hello Chloe!

Chloe: Hi Monika, I love your blog!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Chloe: Sure, I'm a Trans woman who lived a pretty stealth life (I still do in Australia) and has gone through some rough patches to become the woman I am today.

Monika: Chloe is such a nice name. Why did you choose it?

Chloe: Honestly, it wasn't difficult. In the very early stages of my transition, the name just came to me and I was like: Yeah I feel like Chloe, haha!

Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments on social media?

Chloe: When I began my YouTube channel, it was when I lost my job after coming out as Trans. I began sharing as I felt like I was living this double life. In my day to day, I went to work (at my new job) and could never talk about being Transgender, in case I became unemployable.

Interview with Cassandra Grace

Monika: Today I would like to introduce to you Cassandra Grace, an American entrepreneur, change management consultant, the President and CEO of Graceful Change LLC, and author of Grace in Transition: The First Four Seasons (2021). Hello Cassandra!

 Cassandra: Hi! Thank you for this opportunity. I'm excited to talk with you!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Cassandra: Funny. Hot. Creative. Hot. Ambitious. Intense. Sweet. OK... those are a few words about me. :) Oh, you want me to go a little further? OK, cool. I am a very late-blooming trans woman who is incredibly grateful for the ability to finally be comfortable in my own skin.

I treat my transition as a literal miracle and try and appreciate every day of my life as a day that I never thought I would be able to experience. The joy that you see on my Instagram or the desire to help people that I express through my company is real, it is sincere, and it comes from a place of gratitude for this miracle. I'm also kind of funny. And hot. Did I mention that?

Interview with Josephine Radler

Monika: Today I am going to host Josephine Radler, a Swedish transgender woman from the capital city of Stockholm that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Josephine!

Josephine: Thank you, Monika. I feel honored to be featured and interviewed for your site. It feels like a safe environment.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Josephine: I was born like a half-century ago in a quite conservative family but with a mother who could see my need to express my femininity as a young child. Neither she nor I had the language/idiom back then to put what she saw or I felt about myself. Nevertheless, it took me nearly 50 years of struggle with my gender identity before I came out.

I work as a guide/hostess at a museum a bit outside of Stockholm. I live in Stockholm city and love it. I love clothes/fashion, makeup - I have a dream to become an MUA. When I’m free/off work I like to be at my sister’s and my country house, meet friends, have dates, go out for fine dining. And I’m a sucker for oysters and seafood.

Monika: Josephine is a nice name. Why did you choose it?

Josephine: Oh that is a long story. Before I came out I used several names: Jenny, Jennifer, Josephine; all of them begin with J, don’t ask me why. And then when I came out and I was about to transition socially and chose a name, I put a lot of thought into it.

Interview with Nikki

Monika: Today I am going to interview Nikki, a transgender woman from Canada that documents her transition on social media. Hello Nikki!

Nikki: Hello Monika! Thanks for having me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Nikki: I'm a person who after college works currently in the support working field. My next step is to go to university for my Bachelor of Performing Arts (BPA). I'm a gamer and a trans community leader on Animo. Full of smiles and sass.

Monika: Animo? What is Animo?

Niki: Amino is an online community app with a large number of different communities.

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

Nikki: I wanted to share my transition on social media for some interesting reasons. To start, it is to show how proud of myself I am! To show how far I have come in my transition.

Interview with Victoria Caram

Monika: Today I have invited an amazing woman. Victoria Maxima Caram is an Argentinian hairstylist, makeup artist, model, media personality, adult entertainment producer, and former stage performer living in the Netherlands. She is the Executive Director of Miss Trans Star International, a well-known transgender beauty pageant that is held every year in Barcelona, Spain. Hello Victoria!

Victoria: Hello Monika, I feel honored to be here today. I’ve seen so many talented and famous women in your interviews that I still don’t believe I am here.

Monika: You seem to be a woman of many talents. Could you say a few words about yourself?

Victoria: Well I wouldn’t say talents, I am a well-prepared woman, but above everything, I have been persevering with an almighty faith.

Monika: Victoria is a nice name. How did you choose it?

Victoria: In Roman mythology, Victoria was the name of the goddess of victory.

Monika: Before we have a closer look at your amazing professional career, I would like to ask you about your years in Argentina. Did you have a happy childhood there?

Victoria: Not at all, I was a kid with ADHD, so there were moments that even I did not want to be with me, hahaha. I come from the north of Argentina, Tucuman, from a very wealthy family; I went to the best elite schools. My mother is a doctor and my father is a businessman.

Interview with Tara Wels

Monika: Today I would like to present to you an inspirational woman. Tara Wels is an Algerian-born restaurant owner and transgender activist. Her restaurant "Oh! Quai Latin" is a lovely place in Paris, which is friendly to the LGBTQ + community. Hello Tara!

Tara: Hello Monika! I am Tara Wels, a transgender woman in Paris in France. I try to transmit kindness to the LGBTQ + community by facilitating the diversity of genders in my restaurant called Oh! Quai Latin.

Monika: How are you doing in these crazy pandemic times?

Tara: This period is very difficult to live for everyone but I try to stay positive and to create new ideas for the future.

Monika: You were born in Algeria. Did you have a happy childhood?

Tara: Yes, I was born in Algiers in a caring, loving family, surrounded by love. I was the only boy with 3 sisters.

Interview with Catriona

Monika: Today I have invited Catriona, a Scottish transgender lady, LGBTQI+ advocate, gamer, and photographer that documents her transition on social media. Hello Catriona! 

Catriona: Hi Monika, thank you for having me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Catriona: I am a 37-year-old transwoman from Glasgow, Scotland. I began my transition at the age of 34 and began documenting it shortly after.

Monika: Why did you choose Catriona for your name?

Catriona: Quite simply if I had been assigned female at birth, Catriona would have been my name.

Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments on social media?

Catriona: There is still too much misinformation and incorrect assumptions about what it is to be a transgender person. By sharing snippets of my life and experiences I hope to show people that whilst I am a transgender woman that is only a small aspect of my life.

Interview with Angelica Volkonskaya

Monika: Today I am going to talk with Angelica Volkonskaya, a businesswoman, model, and transactivist from the capital city of Minsk in Belarus that shares her transition story on social media. I have never interviewed a sister from Belarus before, so I am very happy to meet you. Hello Angelica!

Angelica: Hello everyone! Hi Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Angelica: I am from the glorious city of Minsk. I am very glad that my passport includes the same information that I have always wanted to correct. And I am proud to say that according to my passport data, I am already Angelica. This is not an easy way, but it is worth living as you always wanted and felt.

Monika: You seem to be a woman of many talents.

Angelica: It is very difficult to talk about myself. Usually, other people talk about us because they can give a more accurate assessment. To say how good I am, I am not interested. I know only one thing, I constantly challenge everything and everyone, because I understand that in order to achieve something I must be strong in spirit.

Interview with Marissa du Bois

Monika: Today my guest is Marissa du Bois, an American software engineer working on AAA Games for a fortune 50 company. She is an award-winning LEGO maker and contributor to CodeProject.com. She is the inventor of multiple DIY LEGO electronic devices including two point-and-shoot cameras, a digital picture frame, a LEGO computer, and a self-orienting panoramic camera. Marissa has contributed multiple props for a series of commercials for the LEGO group. Marissa is an Ally-Award winning corporate LGBT employee resource group leader and helped influence an Amicus Brief in support of Bostock vs. Clayton County as well as the Business Statement for Transgender Equality. She is an avid gardener and lives in Oregon with her husband of 10 years. Hello Marissa!

Marissa: Hi thanks for interviewing me. I read your interviews frequently and I appreciate the candid first-person perspective of the people you feature.

Monika: How are you holding up in these crazy pandemic times?

Marissa: Doing well, got my first vaccine dose, and hopefully seeing the light at the end of the tunnel soon. The quarantine has allowed me to focus a lot of my energy on engineering, gardening, and 3D printing hobbies, but I’m looking forward to getting out and spreading my wings soon.

Interview with Alessia Bergamo

Monika: Today I am going to interview Alessia Bergamo, an Italian model, showgirl, beauty pageant queen, and TV personality, holding the title of Miss Trans Italia 2013. Hello Alessia!

Alessia: Hello Monika! With this interview, I hope to give courage and esteem to all the transwomen who are facing this difficult transition path like me. I would like to make it clear that we too can become accomplished, beautiful and famous on TV as much as cis women.

Monika: You are a woman of many talents. Could you say a few words about yourself? 

Alessia: Like the majority of transgender women, in the past, I had a bad life full of difficulties. I put a lot of effort to be fulfilled as an artist and known throughout Italy on TV as a columnist and soubrette.

For many years I have been working in the best Italian clubs as a sexy star with my burlesque shows. I am also a model of artistic nude, glamour, and cosplay photos. I could achieve it thanks to the first place I won in the national beauty contest of Miss Trans Italia, which gave me a lot of visibility throughout the nation.

Interview with Louise Croucher

Monika: Today I am going to interview Louise Croucher, a British aspiring writer from London who has recently put down the pen to start her own handmade candle-making business. She is the author of “The Butterfly on Fire: Mind, Body and Soul” (2017), “The Butterfly on Fire: Caterpillar to Chrysalis” (2018), and “Horned Winged Blessed” (2019). Alongside her career as a writer, she is now the founder of The Arlete Way Ltd., a company that promotes better well-being and standard of mental health through a three-week routine that involves a wonderful selection of essential oil gift sets. Hello Louise!

Louise: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Louise: Well, you already know the main points of interest about me! I grew up in South East London, and other than my time living in Japan, I have lived in London all my adult life. A few years ago I moved into my own flat in North West London, and I love it there.

I'm a transgender woman, and write mostly dystopian fantasy. The transgender element is usually incorporated naturally, to show how societies could potentially just treat it as a normality - which is my ultimate goal and outcome.

Monika: Louise is a nice name. Why did you choose it?

Louise: It was what my parents said they would have chosen if they had given birth to a natal girl. I liked it. So that was that! I specifically wanted to go with something simple and perhaps even mundane, so that I could blend in when I have to.