The Story Collider

In this week's episode, two storytellers reclaim their power—one by challenging a broken system, the other by confronting the ways trauma continues to shape her life. Part 1: Kimberly Babiarz sets out to fight human trafficking, only to discover that one of the biggest obstacles is the lack of reliable data. Part 2: After years of therapy, Denise Cai believes she's moved beyond her trauma—until her family notices patterns she can't yet see. This story does include mentions of sexual assault and rape. In case you’d find them helpful, now or at any point in the future, we have some resources available on our website . Kimberly Babiarz is Research Director of the Stanford Human Trafficking Data Lab. A founding member of the lab, she works on the development and evaluation of new technologies to support anti-trafficking interventions and survivor support, quantitative research on trafficking markets and the protective role of public policy, and several direct collaborations with frontline anti-trafficking agencies. She specializes in large scale quantitative studies to evaluate the impact of public programs and interventions on health and well-being. Babiarz has conducted primary research on labor and sex trafficking, as well as large scale studies on global health initiatives in China, India, Malaysia, and Brazil. Her work has also included studies on fertility and family planning programs, infant and maternal health, and the gender dynamics of global health. Denise Cai, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai, which is ironic since her last science class was high school biology. Her two biggest regrets are not trying out for the cheerleading team and not starting antidepressants sooner. Both helped shape her path toward understanding how our past experiences guide who we become. She studies how the brain organizes and integrates experiences so memories can inform future choices and how this process changes with trauma or aging. Denise co-developed open source Miniscopes (tiny head-mounted microscopes) that let researchers watch neurons interact in real time. Using these tools, her lab has shown that memory systems are not tidy photo albums. They are more like chaotic group chats that constantly link, relink, and reshape our identities. Denise is passionate about fostering curiosity, creativity, and community. She believes that real scientific breakthroughs arise when diverse perspectives are welcomed and empowered. She still suspects she would have made a great cheerleader. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

This week we present two stories from our archive of people who learned something about their childhood later in life. Part 1: Growing up in the fifties and sixties, Jenice Matias senses there's more to her mother's occupation than she understands. Part 2: D.B. Firstman has always known their body is different, but at the age of thirty, they make a discovery that changes everything. Jenice Matias is a multifaceted artist—a dancer, singer, actress, comedy jenice matias is writer, dancer. Singer, comedian, improviser actress and storyteller. She has garnered recognition for her bold, fearless personal stories featured on popular podcasts. She has performed across various renowned storytelling platforms such as The Moth Risk. The Monti and The Story Collider. In addition to storytelling, she has written and performed in several solo comedy shows receiving accolades for her performance. You can learn more about her background and upcoming projects by visiting her official Jenice Matias Website. Now going by David Firstman and using he/him pronouns, he is a lifelong New Yorker born and raised in Queens. A career-long civil servant, he is a data analyst for the City of New York, crunching numbers in Excel and SPSS. A lifelong baseball fan, he had his work published on ESPN.COM and BaseballProspectus.com, as well as in the SABR Baseball Research Journal. His first book, “Hall of Name" was published in 2020 and his second book "Chasing 56" will be coming out early 2027. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

While we often like to think we're in control of our own lives, both of our storytellers learn that some things remain beyond our grasp, no matter how hard we try to steer the outcome. Part 1: After years of helping others safely navigate glaciers, Monte Montepare suddenly finds himself at the mercy of one. Part 2: Jessica Lee Williamson's OCD fixates on a single question: how will she die? Monte is a comedian, storyteller and adventure guide originally from Colorado. He’s been Keynote Speaker at The Ouray Ice Festival, is on the cover of The Alaska Packraft Guidebook, and is part owner of Kennicott Wilderness Guides in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska (all real things and places). Monte is a Moth GrandSLAM Champion, has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour and has a story published in The Moth's most recent book "A Point of Beauty: True Stories of Holding on and Letting Go." He lives in a little house on a hill with his partner Jillian, their kiddo Rocky and chiweenie Sage. Jessica Lee Williamson is a Los Angeles based television writer and comedian known for her work on I’m Dying Up Here, F is for Family, and The Big Leap. A first-generation American, she was raised by her Cuban mother in a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. After moving out west, Jessica graduated from The Second City Conservatory. In addition to developing shows for Netflix, F/X, and Amazon, her stories have been featured on This American Life, The Moth Radio Hour, and Lena Dunham's Women of the Hour. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers uncover cracks in the education system that prove harder to ignore than they expected. Part 1: While teaching a summer school math class in Texas, Justine Ang Fonte realizes that many of her students have never received even the most basic sex education. Part 2: Guilherme Lichand uncovers a flaw in Brazil’s education system that leaves thousands of children with invisible disabilities unidentified and unsupported. Justine Ang Fonte, M.Ed, MPH is the child of Philippine immigrants and an award-winning sex educator, international keynote speaker, and professor based in New York City. She received her Master’s in Education in Teaching from the University of Hawai’i and her Master’s in Public Health in Sexuality from Columbia University. She has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, Glamour, and the BBC and Hulu docuseries, Planet Sex. Justine is the author and voice of the Audible Original, How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex and is the co-editor of the award-winning book, Fundamental Concepts and Critical Developments in Sex Education. Guilherme is proudly Brazilian. His research focuses on the sources of educational inequities in the global South and on solutions with the potential to overturn them. He is co-director at the Stanford Lemann Center and a faculty affiliate at the Stanford King Center on Global Development and at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood. He holds a PhD in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. He was previously the UNICEF Professor of Child Well-being and Development at the University of Zurich. Guilherme is also a co-founder of Brazilian EdTech Movva, a student success management system supporting vulnerable students graduate college. He was acknowledged by the Schwab Foundation as top-10 Brazilian social entrepreneur in 2020 (post-Covid legacy) and by MIT Technology Review as the top under-35 Brazilian innovator in 2014. His research has been published in numerous scientific journals, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and Nature Human Behavior, and campaigns featuring his work won multiple awards, including two lions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers explore the challenges, opportunities, and unexpected lessons they encountered as immigrant scientists in the United States. Part 1: Michelle Lanuza has her sights set on a career designing communication systems for airplanes, yet each new opportunity comes with the same obstacle: her immigration status. Part 2: For Saba Banaian, the opportunity to study biomedical engineering in the United States comes with a painful cost: she can't return home to Iran for five years. Michelle Lanuza is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State, originally from Guatemala. Growing up surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, she developed a love for nature, often spending my free time hiking volcanoes and backpacking. She enjoys reading, playing the piano, cooking with friends, and watching and playing soccer. Michelle’s passion for understanding how machines work and solving problems began in high school, inspiring her to pursue a career in engineering and, ultimately, to continue her studies in materials science. Saba Banaian, 25 years old, from Iran. She is a Ph.D. student at Boise State University and a professional violinist with the Boise State Symphony Orchestra. It has been a year since she moved to the United States to continue her graduate studies in biomedical engineering. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

This week, we're re-airing two classic stories about finding friends. Science can be a lonely job -- but it can also connect us to others in ways we'd never imagine. Part 1: Feeling isolated in her new job as a particle accelerator operator at Fermilab, Cindy Joe finds comfort in the friendship of her unconventional pet. Part 2: Patrick Honner starts to doubt his lifelong love of math when graduate school becomes a lonely experience. Cindy Joe is an engineering physicist working with several of Fermilab’s experiments studying neutrinos, tiny particles that might hold the answers to some of the universe’s biggest mysteries. A first-generation college student, she grew up dreaming big in the back of her family’s Chinese restaurant in a small town in Arkansas. While obtaining her bachelor’s degree in physics, she also became a licensed senior reactor operator at Reed College’s nuclear research reactor. She then moved to even bigger machines, working as a particle accelerator operator in Fermilab’s Main Control Room for seven years. Cindy is deeply passionate about science outreach, and has spoken to audiences from elementary school to members of Congress. A 2-time presenter at Fermilab’s Physics Slam and a contributor to PechaKucha Night Batavia, she currently lectures in Fermilab’s Saturday Morning Physics program for high school students. Patrick Honner is an award-winning mathematics teacher who lives in Brooklyn, New York. He has taught everything from introductory algebra to multivariable calculus, and currently teaches calculus, linear algebra, and mathematical computing at Brooklyn Technical High School, where he also serves as instructional coach. Patrick is in his fourth Math for America Master Teacher Fellowship; he is a New York State Master Teacher; a Sloan award winner; and a Rosenthal Prize honoree. And in 2013 he received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Patrick writes about math and teaching for Quanta Magazine, the New York Times, and on his blog . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share the unconventional paths that led them into science journalism. Part 1: Keren Landman always wanted to be a writer, but her family didn’t see it as a practical career — so instead, she went to medical school. Part 2: When Adithi Ramakrishnan gets to college, she only sees two career paths ahead of her: medical school or scientific research. Keren Landman, M.D., is an independent health reporter and author of the newsletter Landmansplained. Her freelance writing has appeared in a range of publications, including The Guardian, The Atlantic, National Geographic, NPR, and the New York Times, and she has also worked as a staff reporter at Vox. She is trained as an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist, with experience serving as a disease detective at the CDC and conducting HIV and malaria research in resource-poor countries. Adithi Ramakrishnan is a science reporter with The Associated Press and covers space, dinosaurs and the occasional tadpole. She told this story while she was a science reporting fellow with The Dallas Morning News where she wrote about solar eclipses, sweltering Texas summers and the science of spicy food. Adithi has a degree in neuroscience from The College of William and Mary and was a 2021 AAAS Mass Media Fellow at North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

What does it actually mean to “be a man”? In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers grapple with masculinity and are forced to confront what manhood means to them. Part 1: As a teenager, Mike McFadden realizes one part of his body isn’t developing like the other boys his age. Part 2: Ricky Ortiz believed that to be a good husband, father, and provider, he could never show weakness. Mike McFadden works in the television industry, based out of NYC. He is also indie arts producer intersecting storytelling, clown, and film. Ricky Ortiz is a founder, husband, father, and avid storyteller. As a firm believer in the significance and the power of vulnerable stories, Ricky aims to speak to the heart and build connection with others to help them think deeply about what they believe, why it matters, and how it impacts the world around them. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In a perfect world, getting the health care you need wouldn’t require fighting for it. But in this week’s episode, both of our storytellers discover just how hard they have to push to get the treatment — and validation — they need and deserve. Part 1: Cooper Joslin is determined to get a hysterectomy to finally stop the debilitating symptoms of endometriosis but all the doctors won’t seem to let them make decisions about their own body. Part 2: As a PTSD survivor, Adrianne Frost assumes her dissociative episodes are simply part of living with trauma. Cooper Joslin is a web developer, artist, and activist. They made their DC theater debut at Capital Fringe 2022 with their solo performance, Atemporal, earning a "Best of Fringe" designation from DC Theater Arts. Cooper has also performed at the Kennedy Center with Story District and off-broadway at Joe’s Pub in New York City with Generation Women. Their visual art has been featured in collections at the DC Commission of Arts & Humanities' I Street Gallery, the Rhizome, DuPont Underground, the DC LGBTQ Center, and As You Are. With a background in journalism, Cooper now uses their expertise to document the modern history of the transgender community through their growing oral history archive, The Trans Guide. Originally from Central Florida, Cooper now resides in Baltimore, with their wife, two cats, puppy, and a cherished queer chosen family. Adrianne Frost is an awarding winning storyteller and performer. Most recently, she performed with Generation Women at Joe’s Pub, and has performed in Awkward Teenage Stories, Rejected, Two Truths And A Lie, Just One More Thing, and is a Moth Slam Champion. She began her own storytelling show in 2022 that runs every month at QED in Astoria called “New Tricks Stories”, in which all of the storytellers are over forty. @newtricksstories Originally from Louisiana, Adrianne Frost has been acting and performing for over 30 years. She has been seen everywhere from The Daily Show and Late Night With Conan O’Brien to the Law and Order franchise and the occasional independent film. Her true love is live performing and she has performed solo improv and her award-winning monologues all over New York City and at the Boston, Chicago and Orlando Improv and Comedy Festivals. Adrianne has written one book, I Hate Other People’s Kids (Simon & Schuster) and is featured in two anthologies, including the 2004 Signet Book of American Humor. She has written for several humor websites, including Mc Sweeney’s. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers come face to face with one of their deepest fears: the ocean. Part 1: When the children’s TV show host Carly Ciarrocchi is assigned a scuba diving episode, she’s forced to confront a lifelong fear of the ocean. Part 2: Growing up, Darcie Little Badger was wary of the ocean. But when she takes an oceanography class in college, she begins to question her fears. Carly Ciarrocchi (she/her) is an Emmy-nominated host, writer, musician, and producer. A true multi-hyphenate, she has spent most of her career in children's media, making and hosting TV shows and podcasts with collaborators like Universal Kids, Disney+, Nick Jr, Nat Geo Kids, Sprout, Tinkercast, Sesame Workshop and the LEGO Foundation. She's a Moth Story Slam winner and has told tales with Stories from the Stage (PBS), Generation Women, the Artichoke, The Tell, Soup and Stories and more. She teaches clown-theatre classes at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective. In everything she does, she hopes to create the conditions for people of all ages to access their most authentic state of play. www.carlyciarrocchi.com Darcie Little Badger is a Lipan Apache writer with a PhD in oceanography. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Elatsoe, was featured in Time Magazine as one of the best 100 fantasy books of all time. Her second fantasy novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, received a Newbery Honor and is on the National Book Awards longlist. Her third novel, Sheine Lende, is the prequel to Elatsoe and has received six starred reviews. Darcie is married to a veterinarian named Taran. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s Best Of episode, we present stories from people who navigated our changing relationship to technology. Part 1: As a kid, Samy Kamkar discovers his superpower -- hacking. Part 2: When Jordan Bush's father-in-law-to-be is diagnosed with cancer shortly before her wedding, she finds a creative way to help him attend. Samy Kamkar is a hacker-turned-security researcher building tools to highlight security implications of everyday technologies. Exiled from computers and the Internet as a teenager by court-order for developing the fastest-spreading virus of all time, his work post-ban has been cited by the NSA, triggered hearings on Capitol Hill, and has advanced the security from the device in your pocket to the ones surveilling you from the sky. Jordan is finishing up her dissertation in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Her research focuses on when and where lizards fight over territories. She asks that you not confuse her obsession with lizards as a general interest in all reptiles - she does not like snakes, keep your snakes to yourself. After graduating, she has a real goal of becoming a professor at a liberal arts college, and a secret goal of becoming a science journalist and children's book author. She currently lives in Knoxville, TN with her wonderful husband, two babies, and two dogs. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s episode, both storytellers discover just how far people will go for the ones they love. Part 1: When Bailey Swilley’s dad goes into cardiac arrest, she watches her mom care for him and starts to reevaluate what love really looks like. Part 2: At rock bottom, Pam Stepansky turns to her dad for support with her alcoholism. Bailey Swilley is a writer, comedian and storyteller from Memphis, Tennessee. She is a Moth StorySLAM winner and hosts the monthly storytelling show We ❤️ a Theme at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn. In 2026, she is performing a new show, A BABY FOR ME? NO THANK YOU, PLEASE!. Follow her on Instagram @heybailay for future show dates. Pam Stepansky is a writer, stand-up comedian, and actor who splits her time between New York City and Puerto Rico. A mostly-Jewish millennial from Long Island, she blends snark, sincerity, and joie de vivre into a creative perspective that’s as dazzled as it is befuddled by the facts of life. She lives with her husband, Adam, and their spirited tuxedo cat, Gumbo. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s episode, storytellers share stories about carbs, control, and the unexpected ways bread shapes our lives. Part 1: When everyone in Rich Tackenberg’s family is diagnosed with celiac disease, he’s forced to confront a terrifying possibility: life without his emotional support carb. Part 2: During the pandemic, Aditya Surendran sets out to conquer making a 36-hour baguette. Rich Tackenberg has now lived in Los Angeles longer than he grew up in New York. He is a Managing Director in executive search, specializing in media, entertainment, and nonprofit placements. He has been married to an amazing woman for almost twenty five years and is most proud of not screwing that up. At least not yet. Aditya Surendran is a lawyer, comedian, and storyteller. How stories explore the mundane suburbs in search of laughs and deep meaning—though deep meaning is optional. A successfully launched Kickstarter now means you can get his book, CheeseDosa: The Book! on his site and through most national retail chains. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s episode, we’re bringing you two stories about navigating the uncertainty, hope, and heartbreak of trying to have a baby. Part 1: After a pregnancy loss, Annie Tan channels her grief into rescuing an injured mockingbird. Part 2: Kibby McMahon is convinced she can will her way into pregnancy, but her body refuses to follow the plan. Annie Tan is an educator, activist, writer and storyteller from Manhattan's Chinatown. Annie’s work has been featured in Huffington Post, New Republic, PBS’ Asian Americans, RISK! and twice on The Moth Radio Hour on NPR. Annie is writing a memoir about connecting with her immigrant parents despite not sharing a common fluent language. Find more at annietan.com . Dr. Kibby McMahon is a licensed clinical psychologist, researcher, and digital health entrepreneur who’s obsessed with the emotional complexities of relationships. She earned her BA from Columbia University and her PhD in clinical psychology from Duke University, where her NIMH-funded research focused on how regulating our own emotions helps us connect more deeply with others. She has held research and clinical roles at Duke University Medical Center, Columbia University, Weill Cornell Hospital, and the Max Planck Institute. Dr. Kibby is a family caregiver and breast cancer survivor- experiences that reshaped how she understands vulnerability, resilience, and what it means to care for others while holding yourself together. These threads came together when she co-founded KulaMind, a digital mental health company that supports loved ones of people with mental illness through evidence-based skills, coaching, and AI-powered tools. She also hosts the podcast "A Little Help for Our Friends," which explores the invisible emotional labor of loving someone who is struggling with mental health or addiction. She lives in New York with her tornado of a son, a fluff of a dog, and a partner-in-crime husband. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s Best Of episode, we present two stories of people who had to leave home to find a new home. Part 1: When Ph.D student Ali Mattu's girlfriend tells him she is moving to New York City, he has to make some tough decisions about where home is. Part 2: Arlo Pérez Esquivel struggles to define his boundaries with his father while he is pursuing his education in another country. Ali Mattu is a cognitive behavioral therapist who helps kids and adults with anxiety disorders. Through YouTube, Dr. Mattu teaches a global audience how to use psychological science to achieve their goals. He’s created over 100 videos for his YouTube channel, The Psych Show, which have been seen over 1,400,00 million times. He has been interviewed by the New York Times, appeared on Buzzfeed, MTV, CBS, NBC, PBS, and has the honor of being referenced, and not made fun of, on HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Dr. Mattu is a licensed clinical psychologist and was an assistant professor at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of The Story Collider and creates curriculum for the Pop Culture Hero Coalition. He has served in a variety of leadership roles within the American Psychological Association. Arlo Pérez Esquivel was raised in Mexico until the age of 16, when he left for the United States. There, he moved across multiple states, and lived in the homes of different friends and relatives in order to finish his education. During this constant movement, Arlo developed a passion for street photography. His work attempts to investigate the “sense of place” by capturing people, their environment, and the relationship between the two. He is now a Digital Associate Producer for NOVA on PBS, currently working on a ten-part digital series on how life and science are done in Antarctica. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers reflect on the ways we try to hold onto the people we love. Part 1: Gwendolyn Napier is left heartbroken when harsh Atlanta weather destroys the trees planted to honor her family members. Part 2: Bimini Wright looks back on her childhood spent aboard a research boat, studying tuna alongside her larger-than-life fisherman father. Gwendolyn J. Napier aka “Miss LuvDrop”. Native of Atlanta, Georgia. Retired Educator from Fulton County Schools. Founder of LuvDrop Productions - The “Heart of Storytelling” sharing One Story at a Time. Fun Educational Entertainer - Storyteller, Singer, Poet, Drummer, Workshop Facilitator and more. She has been performing as a Storytelling Artist for over 16 years. Performing and Teaching Artist for the Georgia Council Of the Arts Registry. Performing Year-Round Storytelling Artist and Docent for the Wrens Nest House Museum in Atlanta, Retired Atlanta Ambassador for the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Children and currently serving as the President of the Georgia Storytelling Network. She has performed in many Venues celebrating Juneteenth as the Historic Portrayal of Harriet Ross Tubman in “The Annual Atlanta Parade” for the last 8 years, Clarkston Georgia Juneteenth Events, Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival, Georgia Storytelling Network Conference, National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. Conference and Festival, Acworth Storytelling Festival, National Storytelling Network, Story Collider, Trees Atlanta, Roswell Roots Festival also including Schools, Churches, Libraries, and Performing Arts Theatres. Miss Napier has portrayed many other historical Women in History as Harriet Tubman, Bessie Coleman, Mahalia Jackson, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, Maria Van Burton Brown and more. Member of Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia, National Associations of Black Storytellers, Inc. including the Adopt-A-Tellers Program, Georgia Storytelling Network, & the National Storytelling Network. Bimini Wright is a writer, performer, and actor based in Brooklyn. She grew up in the tropical rainforests of Australia before trading it for the concrete jungle of New York. Her work spans theater, journalism, comedy, and live performance, with stories that blend humor, vulnerability, and sharp observation. She is also, at times, a professional mermaid and the reigning Miss Subways 2025. When she’s not onstage or on the page, she can be found crafting something weird and hanging out with her adopted pet pigeon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales about whales. Part 1: As a child, Brittany Munson dreams of growing up to be a whale trainer. Part 2: As a marine scientist focused on living creatures, Maya Santangelo is convinced that diving to explore an old whaling shipwreck in the Antarctic will be boring. Brittany Munson is a Lead Educator at the California Science Center, where she engages public audiences in exploring various science topics and activities. With a degree in Aquatic Biology from UC Santa Barbara, she has chased her passion for the ocean from the coral reefs of the Bahamas to the icy waters of Alaska, where she spent two seasons as a naturalist. Most recently, she served as a Lead Science Communication Fellow aboard E/V Nautilus, sharing deep-sea exploration with the world in real-time. When she isn’t advocating for marine life or planning her next expedition, you can find Brittany tending to her indoor jungle as a devoted plant mom or salsa dancing on Sunday nights. She calls Long Beach home. Maya Santangelo is a professional nerd, diver, and marine scientist. Working in the dive and expedition industry for more than 15 years, Maya's experiences as the 2016 Australasian Rolex Scholar of the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society cemented a passion for science communication and ocean education to enhance meaningful travel experiences. Since 2017, Maya has worked as an Undersea Specialist with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic, diving and filming underwater around the world to share what would otherwise be out of sight, out of mind. With a focus diving in the Antarctic for the past 6 years, she has become especially interested in researching and educating about marine conservation through fisheries management and sustainable seafood choices. Alongside this role, Maya works above and below the surface to research the habitat use of the critically endangered school shark, the diet and trophic ecology of the widely distributed leopard seal, and the remote population of manta rays in French Polynesia’s Marquesas Islands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers are forced to confront the terrifying unknown and decide how to live in the shadow of what might come. Part 1: After three generations of women in her family develop Alzheimer’s disease, Mary Jo Pollack enrolls in a study that could reveal whether she’s next. Part 2: When Sabrina Samuel is diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and told to wait a year before surgery, she must choose between living in fear or embracing the time she has. Mary Jo Pollack lives life out loud, not only as an award-winning storyteller but also as a general life philosophy. She has appeared at Odyssey Storytelling, Female Storytelling (FST!), Tellers of Tales Tucson, Phoenix Moth, which she won twice, and numerous virtual shows, including the 2022 Toronto Storytelling Festival. Mary Jo loves the 99-second storytelling format. Southern Nomad, photographer, and nature lover; Sabrina Samuel is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. She enjoyed a childhood full of outdoor adventures with her little sister and their many beloved ponies, ducks, goats, cats, dogs, and rabbits. After studying art at the University of Georgia, she traveled to India and lived there for many years. In 2002, she returned to Atlanta with my husband and 2 kids. Currently, she owns and operate a small real estate photography business, Sabrina Samuel Photography. When she’s not working, she enjoy long walks visiting her tall forest friends - Trees. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

When her twenty-five year marriage unexpectedly fell apart, science writer Florence Williams (author of Heartbreak ) felt shocked and blindsided. Such heartbreak led to a new range of intense feelings and, trained as a journalist, Florence set out on a journey to understand the science of heartbreak. She tried novel forms of therapy, immersed herself in nature, and consulted cutting-edge research on the science of awe. But her greatest discovery came when she tried an alternative to “hacking” heartbreak. This episode is from A Slight Change of Plans, hosted by cognitive scientist and bestselling author Dr. Maya Shankar. On A Slight Change of Plans, Maya explores how we experience change and provides strategies we can use to better navigate moments of upheaval. Whether it’s a sudden pivot or a slow transformation, each episode reveals how change can give us an opportunity to reimagine who we are and unlock greater possibility. Find A Slight Change of Plans wherever you get podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers build shields to protect themselves and discover what happens when those defences fail. Part 1: As a lonely teenager searching for connection, Christopher Moncayo-Torres turns to an unlikely disguise—a giant Clifford costume—in hopes of bridging the gap between himself and the world around him. Part 2: JP Flores has always been the family’s “smart kid,” a role that becomes his armor in college—until the pressure of living up to that identity begins to crack. Christopher Moncayo-Torres is an Ecuadorian-American writer, actor, teaching artist and live storyteller, born and bred in Queens, NY, and new-ish to living in LA. Most recently, he performed alongside his Ecuadorian father (yes, really) in "No Sabo", an award-winning, solo-ish show about rekindling their once estranged relationship, despite their language barrier. He's now working on a live-ish cooking show with his mother. He also hosts the monthly storytelling-workshop show, Fail Better Story Time at Studious Coworking Space in LA's Chinatown. More info can be found at www.failbetterarts.com He's an instructor and host for The Moth. He's also a 3x Moth StorySLAM winner who has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour podcast. JP Flores recently completed his PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology from UNC Chapel Hill, where he studied how DNA folds in 3D space to control when, where, and why genes turn on. He calls this the origami of gene regulation. Originally from Los Angeles, he's also pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Innovation for the Public Good, blending his love for bridging science and society. He’s a HHMI Gilliam Fellow, a podcast host (From Where Does It STEM?, a Spotify Next Wave Award winner), and is passionate about turning science communication into community connection. He is also a co-founder of the nonprofit organization, Science For Good. Outside the lab, JP plays guitar and gigs around North Carolina, and lives with his very opinionated and stubborn wiener dog, Vienna. As a first-gen college student, he’s driven to make science more community-centered and for the public good. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .