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.

Search This Blog