The Metamorphosis Podcast

We look back on 23 amazing episodes with inspiring stories, wonderful people and a whole journey of figuring out how to be a Podcaster. Erin and Nora are wrapping up the first season of The Metamorphosis Podcast and are talking about their favorite episodes, emotional moments and what that journey looked like. The Metamorphosis Podcast will be back with a new season soon. 

In this week's episode, we are talking to Katie Mac about a very important topic: Sexual assault. 1 in 3 women around the globe experience some form of sexual violence. Katie as well as Co-Host Nora, both belong to those numbers. In this episode they are talking about overcoming this experience, how much hardship it is to go through the legal system in order to get justice and how Katie turned her experience into helping others. 

When Retha Charette went through a personal crisis, she turned to her love of the outdoors and adventure. She did not just flew to another continent but decided to climb the Kilimanjaro - the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain in the world. In this episode, Retha talks about battling the urge to give up, what it is actually like to go on an adventure like this and why women should think about joining a women's travel group. For anyone who is seeking adventure and missing travel in times like this -  you do not want to miss this episode. 

Bridgid Ruden went on a recreational bicycle ride in May of 2008, hit a slick spot of mud on a paved bike trail, and her life has never been the same. Unable to continue her work as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Bridgid has fought to not only relearn everything from talking and walking to navigating changed relationships, but also to find her purpose in her life after a traumatic brain injury.

Eric Slivoskey did what many are dreaming of: He packed up his things and moved his and his family to a whole new other country. As s football coach, he got hired by a Finnish team to become their coach. feeling like somewhat of a nomad anywhere, Eric did not think twice. Thus, he took family of 5 and moved to Finland. In this week's episode, Eric and Nora are discussing what it is like to move to another continent, what culture shock is all about and if he prefers living in America or Europe. If you every thought about that big step of starting new, you do not want to miss this wonderful story. 

A child of alcoholics and grandchild of Holocaust survivors, Carly Israel faced her own addictions and self-hatred over the years. After she embarked on a journey of healing, Carly realized that her own struggles had a lot to do with generational trauma. What it is like to grow up in a family that went through one of the most horrific, traumatizing events of the world? Almost all of her family on her mother's side died during the Holocaust, leaving the next generations to come with residual trauma. This week, the Metamorphosis Podcast goes deep, personal and truly emotional.  Carly, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, sits down with Nora, a German girl who's family fought in WWII.  Joined by Erin, the three dive into the dark history of humanity. With the result of a story of recovery and thoughtful reflection on generational trauma, gratitude, and forgiveness. 

YOU Can PICK a deliciously juicy life! That is a promise, Cynthia D'Amour gives her clients when she coaches successful women on how to find love. One day, Cynthia woke up and had enough of always being the bridesmaid never the bride. That is why she decided to drastically change her life and go about this entire "love business" another way. In just under a year, she dated 300 men - only to end up marrying number 301. In this week's episode, Cynthia talks about what that was actually like, how she ended up with her dream guy and why she chose to help other women do the same. Join us in a fun and juicy episode, with a lot of great tips on finding love and more importantly - finding your self worth. 

Tommy Burke knows what it is like to be on the set of a movie and TV show. After all, he has spent decades on them. Early on, Tommy knew he wanted to be an Assistant Director - the foreman on every set. In the past 40 years, he worked on movies like Mermaid or shows like CSI Miami. His biggest and favorite job was Chicago PD, where he worked since episode one. But Tommy’s life is more than film industry glamour. For years, while working through 14 hour days of shooting, he spent his evenings getting chemotherapy. As if that wasn’t enough - after being remission - Tommy recently got his second earth shattering diagnosis: Parkinson’s.In this episode, Tommy talks to us about the moments that changed everything, what the film industry really is like, why Chicago PD is different and how he turned his life towards helping others. 

Weight loss is not just encouraged in our society, but it is also widely celebrated. But what if weight loss is not bringing a happier, healthier life but instead actually makes you sick? That is exactly what happened to Courtney Lyons. When she lost weight rather rapidly, her body developed a rare condition that made her sick and went undiagnosed for years. In this weeks episode, Courtney talks about her journey of self diagnosis, advocating for her own health and the side effects of weight loss. 

Necrotizing fasciitis - also known as flesh-eating bacteria - is definitely something right out of a zombie apocalypse movie. The chances of actually getting infected with it are more than rare. Still, there are the few unlucky ones who are actually going through this terrifying disease. Chris Gordon was one of them. A tiny scratch that he got from his own home turned into him almost losing his limbs and his life. In this episode, Chris talks about the incredible scary moments of getting diagnosed and how he fought the disease with a great sense of humor and inspiring wit. 

Stephon "Sizzle" Suggs joins us to talk about not allowing yourself to be defined by your past, and how he is making moves to achieve the future he dreams of. Having grown up in and out of foster care in Washington D.C., Stephon has his sights set on mentoring kids like him to show them that history doesn't have to repeat itself.If you are in need of a feel-good story about overcoming odds, shaping your own happiness and believing in yourself - you simply have to meet Stephon. 

Sary Miller lives a unique lifestyle. Instead of calling one place her home, she travels around the world and feels at home wherever she currently is. She lives in various countries, many different states in the US and a lot of rural places - like the redwoods or a cabin in the middle of Alaska. On her travels she also encountered many different cultures and communities. In this episode, Sary tells us her incredible stories of living with the Rainbow Family, traveling the world and having nightly encounters with wild cats. 

Steve Ankerstar served for more than 20 years as a fighter pilot in the Air Force and survived many deployments, combat zones and difficult conditions - only to almost lose his life in a plane crash in a civilian aircraft. Surviving a plane crash, that is certainly not an amusing story. Or is it? Well, when Steve tells it, you actually can't help yourself to laugh at certain points, which makes his story even more unique. In this episode, Steve talks about that fateful day, what it actually feels like when your plane is going to crash, how he survived the unimaginable and what he really thought those last few moments before impact. 

Michelle Anhang lived a lie for a almost a decade before she finally came clean. When she was 34, her husband committed suicide. As if this would not have been already tragically enough, Michelle hid the true nature of her husband's death: A suicide turned into an accident. Grieving something that actually did not happen, not being honest to her family as well as friends and therefore not with herself, Michelle faced the consequences of living a lie for such a long time. In this episode, Michelle talks about being the spouse of someone who committed suicide, how she found the strength to tell the truth and how her own experiences shaped her own career now. 

Dr. Ashley Wellman found herself in a new hometown with a new job, when all of the sudden her husband died tragically right in front of her and her daughter. As a criminologist and expert working with survivors of unsolved homicides, Ashley is well acquainted with loss and grief. But becoming a widow at the age of 34, completely blindsided her. Inspired by her daughter’s love for her “best friend” - an inanimate poseable skeleton - Ashley turned her grief into art and started writing a children’s book: "The Girl Who Dances with Skeletons: My Friend Fresno". In this episode, Ashley talks about losing her husband, how she picked up the pieces after this tragic loss and how Fresno changed everything. Find out more about Ashley and Fresno at officialmetamorphosispodcast.com 

Leks Vucko grew up in Serbia - smack in the middle of the Yugoslavian war. When she was 16, her home town of Belgrad got bombed severely, which not only left Leks with horrific memories that still hurt but also caused her to flee the country and in the end, move to the US. 20 years later, Leks went back home to Serbia and started a family. In this episode, Nora talks to Leks about growing up in a war zone, what it was like to survive the bombing of Belgrad and how Leks managed to overcome her past in order to conquer her future. 

Watching her mother struggle to find her greatness, and healing from her own abusive relationships, Lisa Latimer knows what it takes to overcome insecurities, low self-esteem, andcrippling fear of failure. She awakened the power we all have within through self-awareness. In this episode, Lisa talks about her work to teach other women how to create fulfillment in all aspects of life and about the moment she found her own passion. For more information, check out officialmetamorphosispodcast.com 

Christian Els started his career in one of the most prestigious professions: German engineering. Instead of settling with his high-paid, stable and sought after job - he wanted more in life. That is why he quit his job and started his own technology business. By now, Christian's company sentin is an award-winning, top 50 tech startup in Germany. In this episode, Christian talks about building a business and how difficult this step was in a country like Germany. 

Nancy and Amy had successful Hollywood careers when they realized they could do more - especially for women. Inspired by the #metoo movement to shift the focus from victims to female successes, the sisters started thepassionistasproject.com and are about to host an online Women's Empowerment Summit. Listen as they share fun Hollywood stories along with highlighting what they are doing for the women's movement. Find out more on officialmetamorphosispodcast.com 

How do you leave a doomsday cult? What is glamorous Hollywood really like? How do you move on from losing your spouse in one horrific moment? What does life look like all around the globe? The Metamorphosis Podcast dives into all of these topics and so many more. We explore stories about change and life changing moments and show how extraordinary ordinary life is.