Safe Space Convos

We’re back for part 2 with the man of the hour, Jared Villery! If you missed part 1, Jared was our brother’s best friend in prison who also helped litigate his case from behind prison walls. He was recently released from custody after serving 21 years, and has come to lovingly share his story with us! On today’s episode, we talk all about his release from prison, what he learned about humanity from his time incarcerated, and what his plans are moving forward in his newfound freedom! We’re so grateful to him for being here and hope you enjoy :)

Safe Space is growing up, people! We have our first guest! In today’s episode, we speak to our chosen brother and friend, Jared Villery. Jared was our (real) brother Ryan’s best friend and lawyer while incarcerated! After spending 21 years in prison for something he also did not do, Jared is finally free and has come to tell us all about his experience in the system, how he started practicing the law while incarcerated, and of course share some sweet memories of him and Ryan :) He’s a very bright mind with an absolutely wild life story and we really think you’re going to love him just as much as we do. Thank you Jared for sharing with us!! *Disclaimer: this episode includes conversations about violence, crime and some graphic language. If that will upset or trigger you, you may want to skip this one and come back next week!

I think we all know there’s a lot going on with the collective right now! So in response to that, today’s episode is a short and sweet life update, briefly filling you in on our New York trip and talking about how wild it is to be a human in this world. We discuss the idea of “sonder”, how pulling on your own thread can help to unravel the collective cloth of suffering in the world, and also have a ton of goofy moments. Cacey is getting a cold so everyone please pray for her.

Happy Thursday, beautiful people! Sharing Ryan's story last episode was so cathartic and important, but like with any long story, we felt like there were a few things we missed that matter to mention. Consider this a little follow up, if you will! In this week's episode, we continue the conversation around him and his journey incarcerated. We also dive deeper into some of the current advocacy work we are doing and where we hope to head with it.

If you’ve followed us on Instagram for even just a few days, chances are you’ve seen our brother Ryan posted somewhere along the way. We've shared bits and pieces about Ryan's wrongful conviction, his death, and our grief journey as a family, but we haven't felt ready to dive deep into what happened until now. It wouldn't be possible to explain his whole life or the extent of our brother's vibrance or importance to us in one podcast episode. Rather, our hope for today’s episode is to further contextualize not only the work we do in justice reform, but why we are so passionate about sharing Ryan and his beautiful humanity with the world the way that we do. We couldn’t be more proud to be your baby sisters, Ryry. You’ll live through us forever. We miss you. We love you.

Spirituality can be an uncomfortable subject to speak openly about! Everyone has their own belief systems, as they should, and we hope our take encourages open mindedness and tolerance of others - whether you have zero connection to spirituality or you are heavily invested in your faith journey. We talk about some of our personal sticking points with religion, what opened us up to the concept of spirituality, and where we're at with it today - including things we haven't fully decided on where we stand! We hope regardless of your beliefs that you feel safe in this conversation. Love you

Our first video episode and we chose such a light topic - grief! We recently experienced the 5 year anniversary of our brother's passing and we had some thoughts and memories to share about who he was, and our experience moving through grief. We sprinkle in plenty of laughs too because how the hell does anyone get through life without laughing?? Love you guys.

Humans spend a lot of energy not wanting to be confined or defined by anyone else, but isn't it strange how much we put ourselves into boxes without even realizing it? Today we talk about letting ourselves become new versions of who we are as often as we want, and not playing small to appease anyone else or to feel "safer". We also talk about the trap of dating to land someone, versus evaluating for yourself what you truly need out of a partnership... and more. Enjoy!

Today we're chatting about tough scenarios that are all too common in life, and how we think we would navigate them. Do you tell your friend if you know she is getting cheated on? Are you ever allowed to hook up with a friend's ex? Is it our job to elevate other women whenever we get the chance? We shall see

Today we wanted to talk about the experience of lacking trust in your decision making abilities, and how to build trust with yourself when experiencing self-doubt. We mostly framed the conversation in the context of dating and romantic relationships, but this journey to build self-trust could apply to any realm of life, truly. If you've lacked trust in yourself, we feel you. Hopefully this gives you the belief and the knowing that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with your discernment, and that learning lessons is a crucial part of building a life that you love. We believe in you!

Today we want to talk about body image; a struggle that in today's world does not discriminate. Both of us have had a long journey toward self-acceptance, and our struggles with body image and eating disorders are both similar and different. We hope that by being candid, other people can feel validated and understood for their version of suffering, and hopefully your healing as well. We love you guys and just to be clear, if you are triggered by this subject matter, please feel free to skip this episode and join back in next Thursday! xoxo

Hello beautiful people! In this week’s episode, we discuss some of our biggest takeaways from the most recent Trauma To Transformation circle we did at Lancaster State Prison. Everything from the beauty we witness in these individuals, to “society crimes”, to the ability to transcend your physical circumstances and create a home in your body are discussed. We are so passionate about building a bridge in this world between incarcerated individuals and the general public, and we hope you feel inspired, informed and curious after this listen.

On this week’s episode, we pull cards from the We’re Not Really Strangers deck and answer questions about each other! Everything from early childhood memories and silly quirks to family dynamics are discussed, and we even learn things about each other that we didn’t know. It’s fun, light and tells you a lot about who we are and where we come from! Enjoy :)

Today we talk all about community and connection, and the ways that we are building and attracting both into our lives. Carleigh shares with us her experience doing her first Trauma to Transformation workshop at Donovan Prison, and you get your first little glimpse into something we are deeply passionate about, prison reform and advocacy ❤️

Welcome to Cringe mountain baby! We’re so glad you’re joining us on this hike. In today’s episode, we talk all about taking the first step towards the life you’ve always wanted, and how awkward and uncomfortable, yet truly empowering it can be. As our lovely muse from TikTok says, “you cannot reach the land of cool or be good at anything without climbing cringe mountain”. So here we go.