Episodes

Celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month. As we wrap up Pride month, I chat with Queer Cartoonist, Educator, and Scholar, Justin Hall. Justin and I discuss the history of comics, Queer comics, and their work in creating True Travel Tales, Hard to Swallow, and Theater of Terror: Revenge of the Queers, as well as their work chronicling some of the Queer history of San Francisco. We also discuss the education of future Comic Creators, and the Myth & Realities of Mental Health. Listen, and share. Links: https...

I chat with Rupert Kinnard (he/him), who is a BIPOC & LGBTQ identified Cartoonist and Creator of Cathartic Comics. His collective work has been gathered together and is being release by StackDeck Press as OOOPs, I just Catharted! 40 years of Cathartic Comics. Please listen, check it out, and support this part of our BIPOC & LGBTQ History. Links: OOOPs, I just Catharted! 40 years of Cathartic Comics Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stackeddeckpress/ooopsi-just-catharted-50-years...

Today I chat with Cassie Walker (they/them) of the Woke Mental Wellness podcast. We talk about their journey to becoming a mental health professional and to becoming a tabletop games player and streamer. Lamia (Cassie) is a Black Queer Social Worker, Trauma Therapist, Streamer, Storyteller, Death Doula, Consultant, Activist and generally your mysterious neighborhood mental health cryptid. They enjoy podcasting and playing games for fun and professionally. Woke Mental Wellness is their podcast. ...

I am once again joined by Mercedes Samudio as we discuss the recent Marvel movie Thunderbolts. Mercedes works with parents around the world in developing a healthy parental identity with her revolutionary Parental Identity Development Model and incorporating her Shame-Proof Parenting philosophy to help reduce the shame parents experience as they raise healthy children. Mercedes is also trained in trauma-informed modalities which she uses in her work with parents to help them heal the past traum...

Today I chat with game designer Sylvan Lawrence. We talk about how they got into game designing, their new game Before the Flood, Gravemire and the concept of "play to grow", as well as the other games, including solo journaling games, they've worked on. Sylvan Lawrence (they/them) is a librarian and the director of Clawhammer Games. They are the co-author and creator of Before the Flood, and the creator of Gravemire, bestselling solo journaling game Athanor, two-player TTRPG Singularity, and m...

Today, I chat with Liam Stevens. Liam is a Maori game designer and consultant descended from the Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa iwi. His works are always framed through a cultural lens and his credits include Tomb Raider: Shadows of Truth, Death Match Island, Monster of the Week, and Hull Breach. He has provided cultural consultation on many projects, including Candela Obscura and Ironsworn's Sundered Isles. We talk about KiwiRPG, projects Liam is working on, the Toa Tabletop Podcast, why people a...

I chat once more with Mercedes Samudio, DSW, licensed clinical social worker, bestselling author, international speaker, and visionary entrepreneur. We dissect Ryan Coogler's new horror film Sinners and the use of imagery, metaphors, and history to explore the African-American experience. Mercedes works with parents around the world in developing a healthy parental identity with her revolutionary Parental Identity Development Model and incorporating her Shame-Proof Parenting philosophy to help ...

I chad with Mercedes Samudio, DSW, licensed clinical social worker, bestselling author, international speaker, and visionary entrepreneur. She works with parents around the world in developing a healthy parental identity with her revolutionary Parental Identity Development Model and incorporating her Shame-Proof Parenting philosophy to help reduce the shame parents experience as they raise healthy children. Mercedes is also trained in trauma-informed modalities which she uses in her work with pa...

I chat with Susanne Mariga, author of Profit First : Minority Business Enterprises (MBE). We discuss the Profit First system for managing money in a business, as well as some of the mental health concerns of being a Minority Business Owner.

I chat with Dxtr Spits, Spoken Word Artist, Entrepreneur, and Creator of "#HowMenCry". We talk about Black Men's mental health and expression and how "#HowMenCry" can support men. Dxtr also shares several pieces of their work about their life experience.

I chat with Dr. Stanford W. Carpenter, a Cultural Anthropologist, sometime comic creator, former archaeologist. His forthcoming book for Fantagraphics Press explores the cultures and histories of Black comics, creators, and characters. We talk about his experiences as a Black man in comic creation and his working process, as well as the concept of the Ethno-Gothic. Links: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-09-19/from-horror-hope-normal-theater-screens-ethnogothic-film-series https://www.comi...

I chat with Mark J, a TTRPG performer, producer, and co-founder of Apochromatic Unlimited, an all POC gaming space. Mark J is also the host of the nOne-shOt podcast, where he connects with fellow gaming professionals about culture, race and the TTRPG space. We talk about playing TTRPGs as POCs and the unique stories we can tell. Links: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gmmarkj.bsky.social Apochromatic Unlimited: https://www.apocunlimited.com/who-we-are nOone-shOt: https://rss.com/podcasts/nones...

I chat with fellow LMFT, Larry Lariosa. Who is the creator of the documentary flim "Searching for Kapwa". Which follows his quest to understand his ancestral roots and find his place in the arc of history. As a child of immigrants and a queer brown person living in polarized America, Larry’s journey unpacks the complicated history of the Philippines, and its lasting impact on the diaspora. Links: Psychotherapy & Coaching: https://www.larrylariosapsychotherapy.com Film: www.searchingforkapwa.co...

I chat with James Mendez Hodes, Who is an ENnie Award-winning writer, game designer, and cultural consultant. We discuss their story and work to becoming a Cultural Consultant. Their part in the creation and introduction of the "X-Card" as a safety tool in TableTop Gaming, and how martial arts lesson are part of their work as well. Listen, learn, and share. Links: https://jamesmendezhodes.com/ Bluesky: @lulavampiro? Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mndz? Twitter: @LulaVampiro? Facebook: lula.va...