Crack This ShXt Open!

First, thanks for offering your time and support to listen to this story project. Who Would Enjoy This Story Podcast?Allies, family, and friends of LGBTQ+ children LGBTQ+ kids and young adults who struggle with their gender identity or sexualityAnyone that has struggled with the regular challenges of growing up, and has experienced confusion, depression, disappointment that stem from the way you look and walk in this world, you will also find something in this story. Disclaimer: I have tried to recreate events, persons, locales, conversations from my memories of them. I may have changed some identifying characteristics and details such as physical properties and places of residences. In other places, I may have reordered timing of events and added fictional events as appropriate.EPISODE 4 will be released on 15 Oct, the official release of the podcast!!ALL NEW EPISODES will drop EVERY THURSDAY until the finale episode.Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Deezer, or on your favorite podcast platform. Brought to you by Be Better Media, LLC. Visit our website.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BeBetterMedia)

THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY. START HERE. THE FIRST OF THE SERIES.In this episode, Shay introduces her story by sharing some of the critical moments that helped define her childhood. To give her feelings context, she explains her journey through the concept of boxes. People use these boxes for many reasons. For classification, for protection, even to file things away we don’t understand. Early on, Shay realized that she didn’t fit into the boxes that society put her in. She was different, and she wasn’t sure what that meant. Everyone around her thought she was going through a phase, but Shay knew that it was more than that. Society’s boxes on gender felt too confining. Find out how Shay worked through this in this intimate conversation with her friend and counsel, Jeremiah Dace.Cast: Shay Potter, Jeremiah DaceKey Themes:Boxes are common, but unhelpful ways to categorize things we don’t understand.Gender dysphoria can add to the confusion of puberty.Inner feelings are difficult to communicate, especially when they are not widely accepted.Parents must constantly be in-tune to their child’s emotional state.Deal with it. Compartmentalization has damaging long-term effects.Best Quotes:2:47 — “Boxes are all around us. We check them on applications, forms and all through our daily lives, especially when we classify ourselves into like groups. For example, am I male, or female? Gay, or straight? What if I’m neither? Can I be somewhere in between?”12:28— “How do we get unstuck? How do we navigate the dark tunnels seemingly leading to nowhere? How do we stop feeling pulled, twisted and jerked around until we fit neatly within neat categories, groups, labels, yes boxes, we were never meant to fit into?”16:25 — “Mentally, I am on both spectrums. I can fluidly move between both and that’s where I’m most comfortable.”21:35 — “By the time I was in my 20’s I was trapped inside someone I didn’t even know.”EPISODE 4 will be released on 15 Oct, the official release of the podcast!!ALL NEW EPISODES will drop EVERY THURSDAY until the finale episode.Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Deezer, or on your favorite podcast platform. Brought to you by Be Better Media, LLC. Visit our website.--------------------------------------------------------------Crack This ShXt Open is narrated and produced by Shay Potter. Chelsea Sutton, creative director. Emma Cannady is our storytelling editor. Sound design and mix by Nathan Maghan. Music is Step In Step Out by Blue Dot Sessions and Life Illusions by Ketsa. Our theme song is by Blue Dot Sessions.Special thanks to Jeremiah Dace. He encouraged me to share my story and pushed me to that end. Artwork by Aida Reluzco IG @unseeliebaeSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BeBetterMedia)

PLEASE START WITH EPISODE ONE.  THIS IS THE SECOND EPISODE OF THE SERIES.*****WARNING: SOME DISCUSSION OF DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE IDEATIONS*****Shay tells the story of her downward spiral and how it mirrored the social unrest in Los Angeles following the beating of Rodney King. As a deeply troubled teen, Shay had been experiencing gender dysphoria for some time. At this point, she had not yet embraced her true identity. Simmering racial tensions only sought to fan the flame.Like Rodney King, Shay felt like she was fighting for her life. In order to survive, she had to accept herself and seek understanding from those around her. It would be an uphill battle, but it was one she was willing to take. After all, something had to change.Cast: Shay PotterKey Themes:The Rodney King trial is symbolic of Shay’s internal struggle.Unchecked silence only gives abusers power.Constant pressure leads to an inevitable eruption.It’s difficult to discuss issues when they don’t want to be discussed.True acceptance starts with you, others will follow.Key Quotes:3:22 — “There were no words necessary, no explanations needed. In that moment, LA’s black community was living the pain we all knew instinctively.”10:09 — “What I failed to remember was that I was in a traditional black home and certain topics, like sex and sexuality, were taboo and would never be discussed.”14:07 — “I know Sebastian and all that he represents is wrong. Unnatural. Sinful. So I must keep him to myself. I found the tiniest box inside of me and shoved Sebastian in as best I could. Unfortunately, boxes have limits.”26:18 — “Every day is an adventure, and it usually was a day of endless taunts. Teasing about my skin, my hair, or my boyish nature. And mostly, because I didn’t know how to push back.”33:38 — “I was no different. I also wanted acceptance and understanding from those in my world. My parents, my pastor, and my community. But then I realized others could never give me what I was unable to give myself.”EPISODE 4 will be released on 15 Oct, the official release of the podcast!!ALL NEW EPISODES will drop EVERY THURSDAY until the finale episode.Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Deezer, or on your favorite podcast platform. Brought to you by Be Better Media, LLC. Visit our website.Get SUPPORT hereTeens: www.thetrevorproject.org/help ✨The Trevor Lifeline: 866.488.7386.✨                Text START to 678-678.Parents: IndigoJourney (https://www.instagram.com/indigojourney1) ------------------------------------------------Crack This ShXt Open is narrated and produced by Shay Potter. Editing on this episode from Chelsea Sutton and Shay Potter. Emma Cannady is our storytelling editor. Sound design and mix by Zach Hahn. Music in this episode is Escaping Forever & Majestic by Michael Vignola, Whisperers Piano Trap Beat by Curtis Harris. Our theme song is by Blue Dot Sessions. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BeBetterMedia)

PLEASE START WITH EPISODE ONE FIRST. THIS IS THE THIRD EPISODE OF THE SERIES.Shay talks about the struggles she’s faced with image as a gender-fluid individual. It is a continuation of the conversation with her friend, Jeremiah, that began in the first episode of Crack this ShXt Open!, ‘In the Box.’ Shay doesn’t always have a way to describe herself and she’s okay with that. As a 19-year veteran of the US Army, Shay has seen it all and knows that education is a choice. She doesn’t believe in forcing people to change for her sake. When others strive to learn about gender fluidity, they will become more accepting, just as she found her family already was.Now that she’s come into her own, Shay is ready to help others through the support they need and the opportunity to learn from her example.Cast: Shay Potter, Jeremiah DaceKey Themes:Your appearance is a reflection of who you are.Confidence comes from within.You can’t control others, just how you react.Education and acceptance are a choice.Support is there for those who need it.Key Quotes:3:09 — “I think we all have to find the way that is most comfortable, most authentic, to how we want to present ourselves and our world.”7:27 — “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.”9:23 — “Let’s focus on something that you can control. Don’t lose the ability to experience and grow in other facets of your life because you’re so hand strung on you didn’t get what you wanted. Be happy. Embrace who you are.”10:17 — “I have no terminology for who I am. I have no terminology for what I want to be, or how I want to exist. I just want to be.”EPISODE 4 will be released on 15 Oct, the official release of the podcast!!Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Deezer, or on your favorite podcast platform. Brought to you by Be Better Media, LLC. Visit our website.------------------------------------------------Crack This ShXt Open is narrated and produced by Shay Potter. Editing on this episode from Chelsea Sutton and Shay Potter. Sound design and mix by Cooper Mannon. Again special thanks to Jeremiah Dace in this episode. Music in this episode is Step In Step Out by Blue Dot Sessions and Life Illusion by Ketsa. Our theme song is by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BeBetterMedia)

PLEASE START WITH EPISODE ONE FIRST. THIS IS THE FOURTH EPISODE OF THE SERIES. This is a teaser for Episode 4.The full version will be released on 15 Oct.Stay Tuned. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BeBetterMedia)

PLEASE START WITH EPISODE ONE FIRST. THIS IS THE FOURTH EPISODE OF THE SERIES. Shay interviews her father about his childhood and asks difficult questions about his lack of involvement during her early years.For most of her life, Shay wondered if the reason her father was so distant was that she was a girl. Despite the fact that many of their interests where the same, Shay’s father admits that he was disappointed she wasn’t a boy. Still, he asserts that it didn’t change his level of interest. This is the beginning of repairing their fractured relationship.Shay’s interview with her father continues in Episode 5, ‘Rhythm & Blues, Pt. 2.’Cast: Shay Potter, Merty PotterKey Themes:We are often a product of how we were raised.Children desire a personal connection with their parents.Your priorities determine your actions.Music brings people together.Memories have different meanings for different people.Key Quotes:1:05 — “He had no time to look at me no matter how desperately I wanted his glance.”7:04 — “Fathers look forward to playing catch with their boys. It’s a special rite of passage. I often bucked this trend, defiantly dangling my kid-sized 10.5 cleats over those boundaries that separated my father and I.”8:57 — “I did want a son, you know, and you turned out to be a girl. But that didn’t still change my level of interest in you. All I wanted to do was make sure you had everything.”- Shay’s father16:36 — “I describe you in music. You know, your moods, where you are. I can tie it to specific songs. I know what your favorite songs are, your favorite artists, and it all comes from that music room.”18:13 — “You had a child that lived every day with you and can only have these little moments, you know, with who this man was that was her father.”18:51 — “Memories are always not as clear as we’d like them to be.”--------------------------------------------------------------Crack This ShXt Open is narrated and produced by Shay Potter. Editing on this episode from Chelsea Sutton and Shay Potter. Sound design and mix by Nathan Maghan. Special thanks to, Merty Potter, in this episode. Music in this episode is Solace Piano by Keith Anthony Holden, Never Forgets by Ketsa, Home Road by Kai Engel, Cinematic Indie by Morning Light Music, Hymn For Reason by Patrick Smith. Our theme song is by Blue Dot Session.Crack This ShXt Open is owned by Be Better Media Productions Company. Please check out more on our website BeBetterMedia.com.--------------------------------------------------------------Support More Podcast Contenthttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/BeBetterMedia #LGBTQ #genderfluid #crackthisshxtopen #girldadSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BeBetterMedia)

PLEASE START WITH EPISODE ONE FIRST. THIS IS THE FIFTH EPISODE OF THE SERIES AND A CONTINUATION OF THE PREVIOUS EPISODE.Shay interviews her father and recounts the time he came to stay with her in Augusta. It is a continuation of the conversation that began in the fourth episode of Crack this ShXt Open!, ‘Rhythm & Blues, Pt. 1.’Shay's father visits her home in Georgia. Over the next few weeks, his health declines and he ends up in the hospital. It was a wake-up call for both of them. Would they both grow from the experience? Hear more.Cast: Shay Potter, Merty PotterKey Themes:Family is a powerful force.Time will not heal all wounds, but effort can.Understanding is the result of a shared experience.Reconciliation requires a willingness to change.True acceptance comes from within.Key Quotes:5:49 — “This long trek to Augusta represented so many things. Most importantly, it indicated his need to wind the clock back, or at least stop it momentarily like he was trying to reach back to grab that something he suddenly remembered was there.”10:16 — “This was the first time I saw another side of my dad. He looked unsure, lost, frightened. We were changing roles right before my eyes.”10:57 — “I never asked, nor wanted this level of responsibility, but I feared losing my father even more.”12:25 — “Sometimes, we move too fast in life and overlook the simpler things of the values that are already in our world. Until it begins to fade away, I am my dad’s Georgia and he is mine. Augusta changed both of us.”13:42 — “I think every kid wants that emotional connection, whether they share the same gender or not. You just want to have that, right? And that’s why I’m so appreciative that we muscled through this and we now have it.”15:04 — “I’ll go the extra mile. I want you to say when you needed it, I was there. I love you more than anything else in the world.”- Shay’s fatherListen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. Brought to you by Be Better Media, LLC. Visit our website.------------------------------------------------Crack This ShXt Open is narrated and produced by Shay Potter. Editing on this episode from Chelsea Sutton and Shay Potter. Sound design and mix by Nathan Maghan. Again special thanks to, Merty Potter, in this episode. Music in this episode is Solace Piano by Keith Anthony Holden, Never Forgets by Ketsa, Home Road by Kai Engel, Cinematic Indie by Morning Light Music, Knowing by Michael Vignola. Our theme song is by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BeBetterMedia)

PLEASE START WITH EPISODE ONE FIRST. THIS IS A SERIAL PODCAST.Shay is interviewed by her mother about coming to terms with ‘the middle’ and what that means for her daily life. It is the third and final chapter of ‘Rhythm & Blues,’ a series with Shay’s family about understanding and acceptance.Cast: Shay Potter, Brenda PotterKey Themes:We live in a binary world.You must decide who you want to be.Biology does not determine your true identity.Labels can be unfair and limiting.An honest life is a good life.Key Quotes:1:49 — “How do we begin to learn to accept what is and not get so caught up in what could be, or should be? Does it start with the parent, or the child? Who should take lead to break the chains of disappointment and despair?”5:29 — “I don’t have kids because that’s a very real female function, and I don’t identify with that. So, to take myself there to get impregnated, to carry a child, to give birth to a child, I am then agreeing to being female and that’s just something that I feel like I will never fully agree, or be comfortable with.”7:25 — “When I was younger, I used to always have this weird sensation, or thought process, that could there be a combination of the two where you’re not male, you’re not female, you’re kind of both?”9:51 — “In reality, we are all born into a very binary type of world. It’s either black, or it’s white. It’s hot, or it’s cold. You’re male, or you’re female. And so you’re not really given a choice at all.”18:47 — “I live a life of very open and transparent honesty. There’s an alignment there. There’s no juggling, or hiding or being something that I’m not.”Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. Brought to you by Be Better Media, LLC. Visit our website.------------------------------------------------Crack This ShXt Open is narrated and produced by Shay Potter. Editing on this episode from Chelsea Sutton and Shay Potter. Sound design and mix by Zach Hahn. Special thanks to, Brenda Joyce Potter, in this episode. Music in this episode is Packovjax by Lance Conrad. Our theme song is by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BeBetterMedia)

PLEASE START WITH EPISODE ONE FIRST. THIS IS A SERIAL PODCAST.Shay talks about the public persona she developed to hide her identity and meet the expectations of others — ‘Her.’ She explains her journey through a story about her sorority’s signature scholarship event and the fallout from one last performance. Shay takes us into her mind and dealing with mental anxiety which provokes an uneasiness. She takes the first step toward a glimpse of light -- change is coming.Cast: Shay PotterKey Themes:People often seek the happiness of others at their own expense.Ignoring the truth doesn’t make it go away.Maintaining a constant performance is exhausting.We strive to live by impossible standards.Denying your true self will always lead to failure.Key Quotes:2:55 — “We both played our role equally well. Even if in reality I would one day grow to realize it was all a performance. We both only saw what we wanted to see. I just rolled along in hopes that my mother’s happiness would one day give way to my own.”18:17 — “It was a feeble attempt to keep everything under wraps and hidden. To be perfect. My performance as ‘Her’ was exhausting.”18:41 — “My worst fear? Everyone that I loved, my friends, my world, would leave me once they knew. I was just trying to hold it together. Be this thing, you know, this person, this woman. But it was too foreign.”19:29 — “I perform everything about my life. ‘She’ was a performer. ‘She’ was my performance. I was motivated to make everyone happy. Everyone, but for me.”Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. Brought to you by Be Better Media, LLC. Visit our website.------------------------------------------------Crack This ShXt Open is narrated and produced by Shay Potter. Editing on this episode from Chelsea Sutton and Shay Potter. Sound design and mix by Nathan Maghan and Zach Hahn. Music in this episode is Yesterday by Jason Donnelly, Seoul by Jack Bennett, Childhood Memories Ambiance. Our theme song is by Blue Dot Session.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BeBetterMedia)

THIS IS THE FINAL EPISODE OF THE SERIAL PODCAST.In the final episode of ‘Crack this ShXt Open!’ Shay speaks as Sebastian, her male-presenting side. She sets the stage as her childhood church where Sebastian is given the floor and is speaking from the pulpit. Like the men before him, he speaks his truth.Sebastian's monologue captures the soul and reveals the full story. Cast: Shay Potter (as Sebastian)Key Themes:Nature is a flow between polarity and nuance.Disruption breeds destruction.Conformity under the guise of love is not love at all.The pursuit of validation always ends in contempt.Self-acceptance comes from within.Key Quotes:0:10 — “What was I like before the world took hold of me? Before I stopped being a person in the world and became a person of it?”5:14 — “I am on a personal journey, the one we all find ourselves on at critical points sometimes in our lives. Often, the journey is lonely, quiet, intimidating, only you and your thoughts, alone and purposeful. This is my path towards truth.”8:57 — “The trinity has perfected this deed to create a perfectly scripted world safe for them. For me, for others, it’s the least safe place to be.”12:40 — “These intentions are initially hidden under the guise of love and care. Resistance is met with punishment, a cost better than being ostracized, to be left out alone on your own, ousted out of the group. This group that you’ve given everything to be a part of.”14:08 — “Was my blind trust worth it? Is it possible that my truth weighs just as much as their pound of truth? Is it possible that there is more than one way to be right? I was indoctrinated to lead a life I could not honestly uphold nor sustain.”Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. Brought to you by Be Better Media, LLC. Visit our website.------------------------------------------------Crack This ShXt Open is narrated and produced by Shay Potter. Editing on this episode from Chelsea Sutton and Shay Potter. Sound design and mix by Nathan Maghan. Music in this episode is Hymn For Reason by Patrick Smith, Solace by Keith Anthony Holden. Our theme song is by Blue Dot Session.Finally, the art and photography created for this project by Grace Perkins, Brandon Baker, and Aida Elisa. Grace and Aida created the illustrative art and Brandon made the photographs and videos.Silent contributors -- Angela Renee Bennett, friends, and mentors. Thank you!Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BeBetterMedia)