News and Happenings

If comedian Tig Notaro hadn’t had cancer, her life might’ve actually been worse. In those sobering moments post-diagnosis, she got up on stage and told a room of people all about it. “The crowd went wild” is an understatement and was only a taste of what was to come. Years after a recording of that standup set went viral and launched her into the cultural mainstream, Tig sits down with Stephanie to talk about living in a world of unknowns. Because as hard as her life was back then, Tig could have never imagined how good it was about to get.

Geena Rocero has yet to meet a stage she doesn’t like. As the reigning trans beauty queen in the Philippines, she was adored and envied with equal passion – all while being out and proud. But when she moved to America and became a model, she went back in the closet to protect her livelihood, at least until the secrecy began to do more harm than it was worth. Geena tells Stephanie how she was finally able to live without compromising what was most important to her, starting with the moment she reclaimed her identity, all while standing on one of the biggest and most pivotal stages in the world.

After getting engaged, Nikki Vargas was staring down a lifetime of white picket fences, suburbs, and 2.5 kids. And deep down she knew she couldn’t do it. So years into a confining relationship, and even deeper into a love affair with travel and journalism that compromised the future her fiancé imagined, Nikki had to make a life-changing choice. She talks with Stephanie about how, ultimately, that choice might just be the best one she’s ever made.

Kat grew up internalizing that it was her “responsibility” to be careful around men. But when a male friend sexually assaulted her after a frat party, Kat knew the burden wasn’t hers alone to bear. She needed to seek justice. In a deeply vulnerable and reflective conversation with Stephanie, Kat provides a glimpse into what happened after she filed a report against her assailant. She found herself in a struggle that consumed her entire college career — and that compromised who she’s able to be now.

Last Day listeners, today we’re sharing with you Stephanie’s conversation with Kate Bowler on her show Everything Happens. Kate is a professor at Duke University and someone who was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2015 that had already metastasized. She is now in remission, and spends lots of time talking to other people about the fact that everything just, well, happens! To hear more of Everything Happens, head to: https://lemonada.lnk.to/everythinghappens

Alyssa Elliott has always prided herself on being a responsible, by-the-book kind of person. And it was exactly those qualities that were taken advantage of when Alyssa’s parents came to her for help, putting her on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars. A twenty-something just trying to make her own way in the world, she was suddenly drowning in debt and, she’d eventually learn, a lifetime of deep anxiety. Alyssa tells Stephanie how severe financial insecurity has impacted her feelings of safety, her relationship with her parents, and her perspective on being a parent herself.

There are few modern photos more iconic than the image of Christine Blasey Ford with her hand raised in the U.S. Senate chamber, vowing to tell nothing but the truth about being sexually assaulted by then-nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh. From that moment on, Christine’s life was forever changed, exposing her to vicious hate and shaking the deeply rooted respect for government that had motivated her to come forward in the first place. Now, almost six years later, Christine sits down with Stephanie to give her a look into this new life. She shares how, even though many things got harder for her after her testimony, if she had the choice to do it all again, she would.

It’s early 2020. COVID-19 begins to spread around the globe like wildfire, and many people –– particularly in the US — are stunned. But then there are doctors like Craig Spencer, who specialize in public health and know all too well the devastation that infectious disease can cause. Having worked to combat Ebola in West Africa years before, Craig recounts what it was like to be on the frontlines of highly contagious and deadly diseases across the world. Nearly four years after COVID made its way to the United States, Craig sits down with Stephanie to reflect on where we are today — and how much further we have to go.

Four years ago, Brooke had the best day of her life — then two months later, she had the worst. The whiplash from the bliss of her wedding day to the reality of mourning rocked Brooke to her core. She sits down with Stephanie to recount the beauty that she experienced before the loss that she suffered, and how she’s tried to let the two exist side by side in the years that have followed.

Stefanie Wilder-Taylor was a cool mom who loved wine. As an author and blogger, she made a name for herself championing mom’s right to booze. What better way to unwind during naptime than with a drink? But despite her jokes, she could never quite quell the nagging internal voice that maybe she was drinking too much. After nearly 30 years of shoving that voice way down, Stefanie crosses an unthinkable line while drunk. She shares with Stephanie how her winding journey to sobriety included upending her public image – and discovering she wasn’t the only mom hearing the nagging voice.