Showing posts with label USA14. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA14. Show all posts

Sunday 13 February 2022

Interview with Sheila Newsom


Monika: Today I have the sheer pleasure of meeting Dr. Sheila Newsom, an American physician, published author, public speaker, successful entrepreneur, experienced producer, and lifelong student. Sheila can boast a military background, including graduation from West Point and service as an Airborne Ranger. She spent 22 years in private practice focusing on nephrology and critical care. She is is the founder of Finding Metis, an in-home ketamine therapy service, and the author of A Calling from the Bones (2018), a biographical book that covers different aspects of her transition. Hello Sheila!
Sheila: Monika, I am honored that you would ask me to contribute.
Monika: Our road to womanhood is usually long and winding. Was it the same in your case?
Sheila: The first forty-two years of my life I constructed the persona of an alpha male. I was raised in West Texas within the bosom of a close and loving family. My parents were intelligent, supportive, hardworking people who were not afraid to display affection. My father owned the local grocery store that was the heart and soul of the community. Yet, paradoxically I see them now as an elegant pair, a power couple living in the bardoland.

Tuesday 8 February 2022

Interview with Jessica Potak


Monika: Today I am talking to Jessica Potak, an American social media influencer from Long Island, NY, YouTube vlogger, and a transgender woman that documents her transition on social media. Hello Jessica!
Jessica: Hayy Monika!!! Thank you so much for having me on and giving me a chance to share my story!
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Jessica: Well, I'm an almost 40-year-old post-op transgender woman from Long Island New York. I'm a single mother and have custody of my wonderful 13-year-old daughter Leah, who is one of my biggest supporters! I'm a visual artist, rock guitarist, model, and earth angel. I use social media as a way to outreach to the trans community and connect with the people that need a friend or mentor.

Monday 27 September 2021

Interview with Ella Feingold


Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Ella Rae Feingold, an American professional orchestrator, guitarist, composer, and producer, known for her collaboration with Bruno Mars, Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, and Ariana Grande, as well as a proud transgender woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Ella!
Ella: Hi Monika! I’m excited to have a chat with you. Thank you so very much for all that you do for our community. I’ve read a lot of your interviews before I was ready to come out and hearing others' stories will continue to mean a lot to me. I think this is a wonderful space that you’ve created.
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Ella: I’m a 40-year-old transgender woman. My pronouns are she/her. I am a professional orchestrator, guitar player, and music scholar. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with artists like Bruno Mars, Janet Jackson, Jay-Z as a guitar player and to orchestrate for Ariana Grande and The video game series Destiny. Music is something that has never let me down.

Friday 24 September 2021

Interview with Tiffany Ryan


Monika: Today I am going to introduce to you Tiffany Ryan, a talented woman from New York that happens to be a comedian and stand-up artist. Hello Tiffany!
Tiffany: Hi Monika -- it's great to connect with you!
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself? 
Tiffany: Like you said, I am a stand-up comedian. I am a parent to two puppies, Gretchen Wieners and Chauncey. I also work as an event planner and personal assistant. I've been trying my hand at acting recently as well. I was born in New Jersey and raised in Las Vegas. I'm currently living in New York City, so I was very excited for comedy clubs to open up when it's safe, so I can get back on stage.
Monika: You are not the first trans comedian that I interview. I am very happy to list you among Natasha Muse, Julia Scotti, Alison Grillo, Maryanne Marttini, and other talented ladies. It seems that our community can boast a surprisingly high percentage of ladies with a sense of humor... :)
Tiffany: Yes, and so many more -- Robin Tran is my current favorite! We're a talented community. I feel like humor was a defense mechanism I developed when I was growing up as an outsider in school and I'm thrilled that I get to use that talent to entertain people.

Wednesday 22 September 2021

Interview with Victoria Rubio


Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Victoria Rubio, who works in the field of recovery, and a proud transgender American woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Victoria!
Victoria: Hi Monika! It’s such a pleasure to speak with you today.
Monika: I am so happy that you have accepted my invitation. You are such an inspirational woman. Could you say a few words about yourself?
Victoria: I was born in Kansas City to a military family in 1976. There are eight siblings in my family. My father passed when I was only five years old. My beautiful mother became my heroine.
I came out as transgender in the very early 90s. I come from a mostly Latin background so my family had no idea what it meant to be transgender. I have an identical twin sister that is also transgender.
I was on a talk show called Montel Williams. I used the show to help educate my family and the world about what it means to be transgender. I found all these talk shows just made fun of trans women, so I wanted my participation in the show to educate others. I was only 16 at the time. In addition, I was able to speak at colleges and universities after the show aired to bring education to future teachers and professors as regards transgender individuals.

Saturday 18 September 2021

Interview with Iden Crockett


Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Iden Crockett, an American trans female artist working in collage, pencil, and ink, and a former firefighter. Hello Iden!
Iden: Hello! I am so excited to do this. It is an absolute pleasure to speak with you.
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Iden: Well, I am a forty-two-year-old bi-racial trans-female artist and writer. I work in pencil and ink but what I really do is make collages. Most of my drawing is in service of my collage work and I incorporate all of what do, the drawing, the poetry, into those pieces. I have three wonderful children and one amazing (A M A Z I N G!) wife, and we all live here in the U.S. in a small town called Yellow Springs.
Monika: How would you define your art?
Iden: Confessional. I was recently asked to write an artist's bio and I believe that I used the phrase "deeply personal." I came to art as a way of working through the difficulties I was experiencing with my mental health. I believe strongly that by being as open and candid as I can be about my own struggles, I can not only heal myself but also empower others to leave behind their secret shames as well.

Tuesday 14 September 2021

Interview with Mylee Blake


Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Mylee Blake, an American immersive experience designer and experiential gender and sexuality coach from Colorado, the USA that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Mylee!
Mylee: Hello! Thanks for asking to interview me. I love sharing my story, as other trans women's stories helped me along the way through my transition.
Monika: What does an immersive experience designer and experiential gender and sexuality coach do? Could you say a few words about yourself?
Mylee: Well, as an immersive experience designer, I create worlds and stories for participants to explore, play, and transform their perceptions of "reality". As an experiential gender and sexuality coach, I sort of do the same thing, just with a focus on exploring one's gender and sexuality, with exercises, real-life games, and a little bit of active listening.

Sunday 12 September 2021

Interview with Saigon Le


Monika: Today I have invited Saigon Le, a Vietnamese-born former model, actress, and now aesthetics nurse from the sunny state of California, USA. We will talk about her amazing life experiences and challenges related to her transition. Hello Sai!
Sai: Hi Monika it’s a pleasure to be a part of this so thank you for recognizing your fellow sisters.
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Sai: My name is Saigon, I am a transgender female from California. I’m the youngest of nine children but I feel because of my unique circumstances l have the oldest soul.
Monika: You can boast over 10 years of experience as a nurse. Why did you decide to become a nurse?
Sai: Well, first I’d like to emphasize that this career was not born out of self-belief. I had a very troubled upbringing and was on my own at age 17, I found a “tribe” of drag queens and queer club kids that performed at club ARENA and hung out, performed as well as lived together. I wasn’t very good on stage but I was just happy to be there. There was an electrifying and talented performer named Barbarella, she and I became very close. She was my drag mother and taught me how to wear eyelashes, corsets, and wigs.

Wednesday 8 September 2021

Interview with Natalie


Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Natalie, an American IT professional and transgender woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Natalie!
Natalie: Hi Monika and thank you for reaching out to me. I am happy to share a bit of my story.
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Natalie: I am a full-time IT professional, occasional illustrator, photographer, writer, programmer, mountain biker, puppeteer, and... I could go on for a bit. I have a bunch of hobbies that for the most part are visual and creative.
Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments via social media?
Natalie: When I first realized I was a woman and decided on transition is the answer to me back in 2007-2008, there was very very little out there in terms of positive stories, access to information or just documented stories. It felt like all you heard about were the cartoon depictions of trans women in media like Jerry Springer or vomit moments in comedies. It felt so empty and hopeless. It made me give up.

Monday 6 September 2021

Interview with Chelsea Brickham


Monika: Today my guest is Chelsea Brickham, an American model, beauty pageant queen, and actress that shares her transition story on social media. Chelsea was born in Maryland but she grew up in Texas, spent some years overseas in Japan with military parents.
After working in the engineering field for 14 years in New Hampshire, she decided to follow her passion and turn her cosplay/modeling hobby into an acting career. She debuted recently in the role of Kellie Maloney in "Knockout Blonde: The Kellie Maloney Story", an authorized documentary of Kellie Maloney, the famous British transgender boxing manager. Hello Chelsea!
Chelsea: Thank you so much for this opportunity to speak about my experiences! It’s a pleasure to join you.
Monika: You are a woman of many talents. Could you say a few words about yourself?
Chelsea: I love life and really just crave life experiences. I want to experience as many sides of life as I can because I want to know what it’s like to do different things well. Being trans is an incredible life experience gaining perspective from a male role and a female role in modern society. I consider myself fortunate to have had that life experience.

Thursday 2 September 2021

Interview with Erika Dapkewicz


Monika: Today I have invited a special guest. Erika Dapkewicz is an inspirational woman. She is an American film editor, writer, musician, and composer, known for Vivo (2021), Lilo and Stitch (2002), and Puss in Boots (2011). In addition, her YouTube vlog Miss Mako attracted 150 thousand subscribers. Hello Erika! Thank you for accepting my invitation!
Erika: Thank you Monika for reaching out and asking me to be a part of your blog.
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Erika: Oh gosh… let’s see… I currently live in Los Angeles. I am a Transgender Woman and started my physical transition back in 2014. I have two kids. Both are in their early 20’s and live outside California. I live with my Cis-Girlfriend. I am a Professional Film Editor. Composer. Musician. Writer. Indie Director.
I have a band called, “Imaginarius”. And I also have a YouTube Channel listed under my internet handle, “Miss Mako”. I’m a member of the Academy Of Arts And Sciences (Academy Awards - Oscars) and I serve on the Animation Executive Committee. I am a member of ACE (American Cinema Editors). As well as ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers).

Wednesday 25 August 2021

Interview with Bree Fram


Monika: Today I have invited an inspirational woman. Lieutenant Colonel Bree Fram is the President of SPARTA, an organization that advocates and educates about transgender military service and is dedicated to the support and professional development of over 1200 transgender service members. She is currently the highest-ranking out transgender officer in the Department of Defense.
In addition, Bree is an active duty astronautical engineer in the US Air Force. Her writing has been featured in the Washington Post, Military Times, Inkstick, and LGBTQ Nation. She is the co-author of the forthcoming book With Honor and Integrity: Transgender Military Personnel in Their Own Words due out in November 2021. Hello Bree!
Bree: Hello Monika!
Monika: How are you doing in these crazy pandemic times?
Bree: We're getting by, though are concerned with the massive rise in cases of the delta variant. I'm hopeful that someday soon we can reach that magic of herd immunity with enough people getting their vaccines.

Monday 23 August 2021

Interview with Aliyah Tam Casari


Monika: Today we are going to the sunny state of California where my guest is living. I would like to introduce to you Aliyah Tam Casari, a U.S. Air Force veteran and air traffic control instructor that shares her story on social media. Aliyah and I are going to talk about being trans and the challenges related to her fascinating journey towards womanhood. Hello Aliyah!
Aliyah: Hello Monica! Thank you for inviting me to your interview and I’m very happy to be here and share my life story.
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Aliyah: I was born in 1965 in a small town called Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Around the age of eight years, I realized something was different about myself. I was interested in playing with the girls and doing things all girls do. Thus, there’s a whole story in between up until the age of about 52 that I began my transition as a transgender female.

Wednesday 18 August 2021

Interview with MikaelaVille


Monika: Today I have invited a special guest. Most of you know her as Mika or MikaelaVille - The Adorkable Girl Next Door. She is an American social media influencer, YouTube vlogger, parent, digital artist, gamer girl, and transgender advocate. Mika and I are going to talk about being trans and the challenges related to her parenthood and fascinating journey towards womanhood. Hello Mika!
Mika: Hi, thank you for having me. When I opened your message on Instagram and saw that you wanted to interview me, I couldn't be happier. Let me tell you, to open a DM and NOT see a stranger's genitalia is a real treat these days. So, I was honored and thrilled to receive your message.
Monika: Haha, so we have a nice introduction to our chat. Could you say a few words about yourself?
Mika: Oh wow, let's see. I'm 36 years old, which means I'm officially at that age where I can't get off a couch without grunting. I have 2 amazing kids who are quickly becoming more intelligent than me. I'm an Artist with a passion for creativity, and I've been a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service for the last 15 years. It's not my dream job, but it gets the bills paid. I've been on social media for the last 4 years, and I recently started a YouTube channel.

Thursday 12 August 2021

Interview with Jessica Crockett


Monika: Today I have invited a special guest. Jessica Crockett is an American actress, model, and admirer of Arabian horses. She was the first-ever trans actress to play a trans woman on American television in an episode of Dark Angel (2001), the well-known TV series with Jessica Alba in the main role. Hello Jessica!
Jessica: Hi Monika! A pleasure to meet you.
Monika: How are you doing in these crazy pandemic times?
Jessica: Very well thank you. Staying safe and fully vaccinated.
Monika: It has been 20 years since your appearance as Louise in the Dark Angel series. How do you recall this role?
Jessica: The first thing that comes to mind was how hard it was to land in this role. In the business, it's called a principle role. Lots of barriers to overcome. The audition process was super grueling. I was prepared though. I was obsessed with the art of acting and studied with the best.
My very wise acting coach said, "Forget everything you've learned and be yourself." That was the hardest part. Playing a trans character was extremely challenging for me. 20 years ago survival was the main priority. To survive back then you had to blend in. Be stealthy.

Sunday 8 August 2021

Interview with Jessa Kay


Monika: Today I would like to introduce to you Jessa Kay, an inspirational woman from California, the USA, that shares her story on social media. Jessa and I are going to talk about being trans and the challenges related to her fascinating journey towards womanhood. Hello Jessa!
Jessa: Hi Monika!!! Thank you for selecting me to interview.
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Jessa: I’m a 39-year-old transgender woman. Originally from West Virginia, currently living in Los Angeles, CA.
Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments via social media?
Jessa: There was a time when I was coming to terms with my internal struggle of knowing that in my heart, mind, and soul that I was a woman. I took comfort and drew inspiration from other transgender women who were brave enough to share their journey. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, I feel it is my responsibility to share my journey with other budding transwomen who might need some comfort and inspiration.

Wednesday 4 August 2021

Interview with Aeri Gosselin


Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Aeri Gosselin, an American scientist and transgender woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Aeri!
Aeri: Hi Monika! Thank you so much for the introduction and for taking the time to chat with me!
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Aeri: I am a 27 year old transgender American, raised in Vermont. When I wasn’t in school or skiing I was generally eating fresh maple syrup on snow from a horse trough. I have just completed a five-year Ph.D. program in inorganic chemistry where I studied a class of porous materials known as porous coordination cages.
And most recently I’ve moved to Berkeley CA to begin a career as a synthetic chemist making materials to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When I am not in the lab I enjoy spending time in nature, reading, painting, and caring for my plants!

Wednesday 28 July 2021

Interview with Greta Brown


Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Greta Brown, an American businesswoman, and transgender woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Greta!
Greta: Hello Thank you for this opportunity. I've never done this type of Q & A, so please forgive me for any disjointed content.
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Greta: I've always been a free thinker and felt a strong connection with the underdogs of the world. I'm a little older and a child of the '60s. I very much identify with LGB'T'Q+ community even before I transitioned or knew I was transgender. Come this year I'll be 53, I have waited long enough to be my true self. Life is too short to NOT be happy. The most difficult thing to overcome other than dysphoria is to find self-love, both are things I/we constantly strive to find peace with.
Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments via social media?
Greta: I don't know how intimate any of these moments really are. The platform you solicited me on has a bit of anonymity, however, if someone really wanted to find out about me they could. So I am open to an extent, as well as I want to let others know it's okay to be yourself. I don't have 2 fucks to give. I am proud of WHO, and proud of WHAT I am!

Sunday 25 July 2021

Interview with Juliana


Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Juliana, an American Mom, geek girl, musician, guitar player, and transgender woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Juliana!
Juliana: Hey Monika! Thank you for thinking of me. No one's ever asked to interview me like this before, I'm a bit nervous. :)
Monika: Haha, do not worry, I am sure you will be OK. Could you say a few words about yourself?
Juliana: I grew up as a shy, quiet only-child in the suburbs of Long Island, NY. My mother had a background in art, and my father played guitar, both of which heavily influenced my childhood years. The guitar became my outlet for self-expression, which led me to play in bands starting around 6th grade. I was always the kid who would teach anyone that wanted to learn, which is a trait that I still have today. As computers became more of a household item in the very early 90's I immersed myself in them, and by my junior year in high school, I was doing tech support part-time at a major news company.

Friday 16 July 2021

Interview with Sarah Wolf


Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Sarah Wolf, an American business consultant, businesswoman, and transgender woman from Seattle, Washington, that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Sarah!
Sarah: Hi Monika. Thank you for the opportunity to chat about my background.
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Sarah: Well, I grew up in Colorado and Nebraska and have lived all over the US, but for the last 20 years I have lived in Seattle, Washington. I also work as a business consultant along with running a small business on the side.
Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments via social media?
Sarah: I have always been open about my experience and having transitioned nearly twenty years ago, I wanted to offer my perspective on life and the experience of being a transgender woman who transitioned before the advent of social media.

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