When María Lopez was 6 years old, her grandmother gave her a piece of advice: marry someone with papers. María was undocumented, and throughout her teens and 20s, she dealt with the struggle of dating to find both love and a path to permanent legal status in the United States. María, now in her early 30s, tells Anita about this journey and the community of “undocu-cuties” she made along the way via her Instagram page, @ytienepapeles. Meet the guest:- María Lopez, former Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and creator of the page @ytienepapeles Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied
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What It Takes To Make Art Your Life
Building a life as an artist is an uphill climb. After decades of hustling to make it work, writer Stephanie Elizondo Griest had one big question: How do you determine if art is worth all the sacrifice it requires? Stephanie tells Anita about traveling the world for answers and what she learned about what it takes to build a life as a female artist.Meet the guest:- Stephanie Elizondo Griest is a professor of creative nonfiction at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of “Art Above Everything: One Woman’s Global Exploration of the Joys and Torments of a Creative Life”Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied
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The Life of Trans And Queer Long-Haul Truckers
Long-haul trucking is not an easy job. The schedule is grueling, and the burnout rate is high. But the profession does offer a certain sense of freedom — particularly for queer drivers looking for work where they can present authentically and face less scrutiny or harassment. Anita talks with former trucker and writer Anne Balay about why LGBTQ folks are drawn to trucking. She also meets 24-year-old Ashleigh Lewis, a trans woman and third-generation truck driver who is committed to the profession despite its reputation.Meet the guests:- Anne Balay is the author of “Semi Queer: Inside the World of Gay, Trans, and Black Truck Drivers”- Ashleigh Lewis is a third-generation truck driver who is going to be featured in the upcoming documentary "The Trans Trucker Project" from filmmaker Hansen BursicRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedSpecial thanks to filmmaker Hansen Bursic and his team for connecting us with Ashleigh.
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Dyslexia And The Reading Brain
At its best, reading is a portal to new worlds and new ideas. But a lot can get in the way — up to 20% of the population experiences symptoms of dyslexia, a lifelong neurological disorder that makes it difficult to read fluently. An author who learned to read when he was 18 and a dyslexia scholar help Anita understand how reading develops in the brain and what's at stake if dyslexic learners are left by the wayside.Meet the guests:- Dr. Shawn Robinson is an entrepreneur, consultant and author of the graphic novel series “Doctor Dyslexia Dude!”- Dr. Maryanne Wolf is the director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners and Social Justice at UCLA in the School of Education and Information StudiesA special thank you to Eso Romero for contributing her insights as a teacher of dyslexic students to this episode!Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedPlease note: This episode originally aired on September 12, 2024.Update: Version 4 of “Doctor Dyslexia Dude!” is coming out this fall — updates will be shared on Instagram.
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One Sperm Donor, 31 Half Siblings & A Long Search For Identity
Ryan Kramer was born through an anonymous sperm donor in 1990. By the time he was 2 years old, he already had some big questions about his identity — and the desire to find answers. Ryan’s search led him to become the first donor-conceived person to find his parent through DNA testing. He also co-founded the Donor Sibling Registry, an organization that’s helped connect tens of thousands of donor-conceived people with biological family. He tells Anita about meeting many of his own genetic relatives and what this journey has taught him about the meaning of those relationships.Meet the guest:- Ryan Kramer, co-founder of the Donor Sibling Registry and the first donor-conceived person to find his parent through DNA testingRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied
Sex and relationships are intimate — and sometimes intimidating to talk about. In this weekly podcast from North Carolina Public Radio WUNC, host Anita Rao guides us on an exploration of our brains and our bodies that touches down in taboo territory.Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter @embodiedwunc. You can find Anita on Twitter @anisrao.