Interview with Shauna Wilson

Monika: Australia is the home country of my guest today. Her name is Shauna Wilson, and she is an Australian nurse, transgender activist, and the author of “You Say Different; I Say Individual: My Journey In Finding The Woman Within” (2021). Hello Shauna!

Shauna: Hi Monika, thank you for the invitation to be a part of your blog.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Shauna: I am a 58-year-old trans woman who has been married to the love of my life for the last 7 years. I am a civilian practicing nurse in the military environment and very much looking forward to retirement at the end of next year.

Monika: What inspired you to write your biography?

Shauna: I had been told many times that I had a story to tell. The more I revealed to friends and colleagues the more I was encouraged. Unfortunately, I was my biggest doubter. Firstly I thought who would be interested in reading about me. Secondly, how much was I willing to share, and lastly could I go back and relive the trauma that had shaped me into the woman I am today?

Interview with Rebeckah Loveday

Monika: Today I have the pleasure of talking to Rebeckah Loveday, an inspirational Australian transgender advocate and activist from Melbourne, actress, fashion model, beauty pageant queen, and radio personality on Joy 94.9. Hello Rebeckah!

Rebeckah: Hi Monika! Thank you so much for the warm welcome and introduction. I really appreciate the opportunity to speak with you.

Monika: You are a woman of many talents. How would you define your vocation?

Rebeckah: Thank you, Monika. I really enjoy all the different avenues I embed myself in. I have always had a passion for helping others, and currently, I am working in Community Services supporting people experiencing homelessness. Alongside that, I do a lot of work within the trans community, creating projects that benefit the trans community through advocacy, awareness, and community collaboration. I think in a nutshell, I define my vocation as being a trans advocate and social activist.

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 Miss Rose

Monika: Today I am going to introduce you to you Miss Rose, an Australian trans escort girl, model, and former commercial skipper. Hello Rose!

Rose: Thanks for having me. I love being me and sharing my story.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Rose: When talking about myself I always find it hard, despite I have such a story to tell. I'm a post-op trans woman. I have had top, boobs, and bottom surgery, neovagina done, and absolutely loving it; it finally made me myself and I'm very proud of who I'm. It happened only a few years ago but it was so nice to be myself.

I'm an easy outgoing kind of girl, who loves catching up with friends and making new friends. Did I mention I love my job? 

Monika: Haha, I guess we can read it between the lines. When did you decide that you would like to be an escort?

Rose: In my younger years I was once a bit desperate for work, and I worked for a short time as a male escort. So after transitioning and finding out that no one would employ me in the marine industry anymore as a commercial skipper (my former occupation with teaching as well) I decided to become an escort. I had some contacts to help start me up, and haven't looked back.

Interview with Jamie Berthon

Monika: Today I am going to host Jamie Berthon, an Australian model, videographer, future personal trainer, social media influencer, and transgender woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Jamie!

Jamie: Hey Monika, I'm hoping to explore myself through this as much as anyone else wants to listen.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Jamie: Well, I'm Jamie and I am trying to kick start my career as a model, and learning about fitness to eventually become a personal trainer along with it. I started hormones in January of 2019 and properly came out in January of 2020. Along with those huge moments for me, I've been enjoying life to its fullest.

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

Jamie: I have had a lot of great friends over the Internet that I have helped in certain aspects, mostly regarding fitness. I want to share my experiences and knowledge to hopefully inspire other trans men and women to grow as themselves. That's the main reason I'm studying to become a personal trainer too, to help trans people be comfortable in the body they have, as I have found a lot of joy in fitness myself.

Interview with Destiny Maylas

Monika: Destiny Maylas is an Australian transgender advocate and vlogger of Filipino origin. Her Destiny Maylas vlog on YouTube can boast over 25 thousand subscribers that follow Destiny's recommendations about HRT, MTF transition, transgender life, surgeries, and everything related to being Transgender. Hello Destiny!

Destiny: Hello Monika. Thanks for having me.

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

Destiny: Thank you for asking. I am doing okay but I'd say things can be better, you know. I hope you're doing well too.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Destiny: I am a curly Filipina transgender woman of color who is very passionate about my advocacy of safe HRT for Trans Pinays, which is the main focus of my YouTube Channel, where transwomen all around the world who have no choice but to do DIY-HRT can benefit from.

Interview with Ashley-Marie Eden

Monika: Today I am meeting Ashley-Marie Eden, an Australian illustrator, writer, musician, engineer, poet, and thinker. Hello Ashley-Marie!

Ashley-Marie: Hi Monika!

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

Ashley-Marie: Fairly well all things considered. I work for a fantastic company in the defense and aerospace industry, and in an 'essential services role' so they looked after us very well and made arrangements for us all to work from home over a secure network. 

Personally, at first, I found the sudden change from a busy city office working life to one of almost total isolation quite difficult, especially because I live alone as well, but we adapt and move forward as best we can I guess.

Monika: Ashley-Marie is not a common name. Why did you choose it?

Ashley-Marie: Hmmm, to be honest, I can't really tell you. Everyone just calls me Ash of course but as to why or where it came from I don't recall.

Interview with Jasmine Anderson

Monika: Today I am going to host Jasmine Anderson, a qualified hairdresser, part-time model, and social media influencer from Brisbane in Australia. Hello Jasmine!

Jasmine: Hello Monika! Thank you for the opportunity to share my story with you. I applaud you for all the great work you are doing with this blog.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Jasmine: Well I’m a 34-year-old transwoman from Australia. I’ve been transitioning for 3 1/2 years medically and have been married to a lovely man for just over 2 years now. I was lucky enough to meet him a month into my transition. I like to live life to the fullest and appreciate every moment I have on this earth. I hope I influence others' lives in a positive light.

Interview with Selena

Monika: Today we are going to Germany where I am hosting a special guest. Selena is a German space scientist and transgender woman that documents her transition on social media. I am going to talk to Selena about her amazing journey towards womanhood. Hello Selena!

Selena: Hello Monika, thank you for interviewing me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Selena: Well, I am a 56-year-old trans woman from Berlin, of Australian origin. I began a physical transition 2 years ago. I had a brief period 23 years ago when I prepared myself for transition, but I unexpectedly met my darling wife. She knew about the doubts I had over my gender, but the relationship was so unexpectedly lovely that we both thought I could stay male for the sake of it. She thought her acceptance could cure my pain, and I thought I could live with my doubts as to an "envy". And for the first years of our relationship, this worked.

We have brought two sublime children into the world. As a stay-at-home parent, I was heavily involved in the pretty much all-female world of childcare, and I had some lovely first Mum friends who didn't seem to see my gender - they just treated me as one of them. So that soothed me for several years too.

Interview with Aleana Robins

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Aleana Robins, a former skier, grave digger, performance car driver, small business owner, farmer, artist, radio announcer, blogger, parent of 7 children from Riverside, California, and the author of the biographical book titled “The Shadow of Ally” (2016). She lives in Launceston, a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia. Hello Aleana!
Aleana: Hello and thank you for taking the time. I promise you can ask anything but I will not promise you will like my answer (smiles). Though I would love to say that the start of my journey began in California but I have lived all over the western side of the US. I moved to Australia in 2002 to be with my former spouse.
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself? The number of your talents and jobs is really awesome …
Aleana: I grew up in a middle-income family with a mother who did not know how to care and a father who was lost in his battles with PTSD from Vietnam. I think in some ways my teenage years while dysfunctional was also a place where I gained so many talents. I have enjoyed playing several musical instruments learned to have a love for music and the arts that have only grown in age. I love skiing and the sound of fresh powder under my skies. I am a proud parent of seven children, I know people think wow a breeder, lol. But I would not change their love and the experiences that come with them in my life for all the Tea in China.

Interview with Melissa Seymour

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Melissa Seymour, a writer, a novelist from New South Wales, Australia, the author of “Mel's Fantasy Life” (2016) and “Mark's Real Life” (2017). Hello Melissa!

Melissa: Hi Monika, Thanks, I now reside in Melbourne, Victoria, which is an awesome place to live.

My novels have been renamed for a new broader website I have discovered. The names are now “Mel’s New Life” and “Mark’s Pathetic Life”—that is due for worldwide release July 30th, 2017 as I have made some minor adjustments.

“Mel’s Fantasy/New Life” is the first in my series, each part allows the reader to use their imagination as I stop sections abruptly. I also end each part on a Cliff-Hanger to hopefully maintain interest.

Interview with Nikola Piława

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Nikola Piława, a young Australian video blogger that documents her transition on YouTube. Hello Nikki!

Nikki: Hello Monika! Thank you for having me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Nikki: My full name is Nikola. I’m 20 years old and I reside in Australia. I grew up in New Zealand, only recently moving here to start my career as a makeup artist. Creating YouTube videos documenting my transition from male to female is something I do to help educate and help other people. I also have an unhealthy obsession with makeup and dogs.

Interview with Brenda Appleton

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Brenda Appleton, an Australian transgender activist and strong advocate for improved rights for trans and gender diverse people. Hello Brenda!

Brenda: Thanks Monika for the opportunity to discuss the trans community and how and where I fit into the community in Melbourne.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Brenda: I am now 65 and have been retired for 7 years. I was born in NZ but have lived in Australia, mostly Melbourne, for more than 20 years. I transitioned more than 14 years ago when I was working for a multinational organization and have not had a moment of hesitation that it was the right decision for me.

Interview with Christie De Vries

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Christie De Vries, an Australian writer, former nurse, showgirl, the author of the biographical book titled “Down the Rabbit Hole...: An Autobiography by Christie De Vries” (2015). Hello Christie!

Christie: Hi Monika! So lovely to meet you. Must say I'm chuffed that you contacted me from Poland!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Christie: Hmmm, I guess I'm just like everyone, trying to find sense in a very crazy world. I try not to watch too much news, the events in the world are just overwhelming. Being Transgender certainly isn't an easy life path to choose. There seems to be more tolerance to transgender children these days and that's wonderful.

It was a difficult journey and I wouldn't want to ever have to go through all that again! These days, I enjoy writing, spending time with my dog Jess and see a few select friends. I love the beauty of nature and flowers.

Interview with Katherine Cummings

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Katherine Cummings, an icon of the Australian transgender movement, librarian, sailor, activist for transgender people, award-winning author; she works at Sydney’s Gender Centre – an organization set up in 1983 to help people with gender issues – and is the information worker and edits the Centre’s quarterly magazine Polare.

Hello Katherine!
Katherine: Hello Monika. I am honored (and flattered) by your introduction. You could just have said, as Deirdre McCloskey did in her book, Crossing, that I am a gender saint (please don’t guffaw too loudly).
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Katherine: If there is such a thing I’d say I am a fairly typical transgender. My wish to be female goes back as far as memories go but I only found out that my impossible dream could be a possible dream when I was seventeen, in my first year at university, when Christine Jorgensen was outed. Up to that point I had known about gay people, female impersonators, and intersex (although we didn’t call them intersex in 1952) and knew I was none of those things.

Interview with Kelly Star

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Kelly Star, an Australian model, and celebrity. Hello Kelly!

Kelly: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Kelly: I am strong, passionate, and driven with an aura of kindness. I am also compassionate to all living creatures living a Vegan lifestyle, which I believe keeps me looking young and radiating love all the time.

Monika: You hit the headlines in March 2015 when the American and Australian media presented you as a woman who claimed to have the “Largest Boobs in Australia.” Does the media attention help you with your career?

Kelly: Yes, by exposing myself (in more ways than one) I am hoping to further my career. It is a risk I am taking right now.

Interview with Michelle Diamond

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Michelle Diamond, an Australian transgender activist, and the first-ever Transgender Goal umpire for Australian Rules Football, making history for the trans community in Australia. Hello Michelle!

Michelle: Hello Monika, thank you for this opportunity.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Michelle: Well for starters I am a pre-op transsexual who has been transitioning for about 4 years now, been an activist for most of those years until I retired at the end of 2012 to follow my dreams. I ended up following my dreams and wanted to get involved in Australian Rules Football as a goal umpire and so I trained hard and worked on it to make sure I achieved my goals and make my dreams a reality, on the 26th of April 2014 I made history by becoming the first-ever transwoman to become a goal umpire here in Australia.

Interview with Kathy Anne Noble

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Kathy Anne Noble, a transgender activist from Australia, the founder, and president of Agender Australia, and Changeling Aspects, a support group for transgender people located in Brisbane and Australia. The author of “Two Lives: A Transsexual's Story and the Fight for Recognition" (2011) now out of print. Hello Kathy!

Kathy: Hi Monika, good to catch up at last.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Kathy: Oh dear, that is rather a problem, as I have done so much in my nearly 80 years. I was born in London, lived through the Blitz, married twice, to sisters, served 2 years of National Service in the RAF. Spent most of my working life in the financial field, as a financial advisor both in the UK and Australia.

I Moved to Australia in 1980 and became a Citizen in 1988. I have 4 kids from both marriages still living, 7 grandkids and 8 Great grandkids. My kids are spread across the world, in Australia, the UK, and America. I finally transitioned in November 2001 on the Gold Coast, 45 minutes South of Brisbane. This year sees my 13th birthday as Kathy. Both of my wives are now deceased, and I miss them both.

Interview with Michela Ledwidge

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Michela Ledwidge, artist, director, and most recently the co-founder of Mod Productions, a production studio focused on interactive entertainment. Hello Michela!

Michela: Hi Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Michela: I’m a 40something artist and director living in Sydney, working on multi-platform media productions. I transitioned when I was 25. 

Monika: You are said to be a geek since you have been involved in the development of so many inventions…

Michela: That’s fair. I’ve been a technologist since the 80s when I used to sneak into my parent’s bedroom to play with Dad’s Commodore 64 which I wasn’t supposed to touch without supervision. I’m still mucking around with new tech all these years later and enjoy writing words, code, and music. I was fortunate enough to be exposed to the internet early on and networked communication has been the basis of my approach to media making ever since.

Interview with Lindsay C. Walker

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Lindsay C. Walker, an inspirational Australian artist, comics illustrator, and digital artist, the illustration author of such popular franchises as: “The Phantom”, "Street Fighter", "Darkstalkers", "Voltron", "Kolchak the Night Stalker", "Shi", "King Kong", "The Pro", "Hack/Slash", and "Zombies Vs Cheerleaders". Hello Lindsay!

Lindsay: Hello Monika!

Monika: When did you decide to be a professional illustrator?

Lindsay: For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be an artist. When I was small I always thought I’d be an animator. But I don’t have the patience for that.