Brooke: This Is Not Reality

Brooke: This Is Not Reality

Author: Lemonada Media February 21, 2024 Duration: 49:14
Four years ago, Brooke had the best day of her life — then two months later, she had the worst. The whiplash from the bliss of her wedding day to the reality of mourning rocked Brooke to her core. She sits down with Stephanie to recount the beauty that she experienced before the loss that she suffered, and how she’s tried to let the two exist side by side in the years that have followed. This series is presented by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. MCF supports leaders who work to shift the balance of power in their communities toward working people and families, and who have the vision and capacity for building a truly representative economy. Learn more at caseygrants.org or visit on social media @caseygrants. Follow Stephanie on Instagram at @wittelstephanie. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  Have a story you want to share? Head to bit.ly/lastdaystories to fill out our confidential Google form.  Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/ For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/lastday shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosted by Stephanie Wittels Wachs, a co-founder of Lemonada Media who has been aptly described as an award-winning queen of darkness and light, Last Day delves into the profound human experiences that redefine who we are. This podcast centers on conversations about survival, resilience, and personal transformation, often through stories that blend joy and sorrow. For its first three seasons, the focus was on examining the "last day" within the context of widespread societal epidemics, a heavy but crucial exploration. Now, Stephanie herself felt a shift was necessary, signaling an evolution in the show's direction. Each episode features a different guest, and through these intimate discussions, listeners are invited into raw, honest accounts of pivotal moments. The tone is conversational yet deeply thoughtful, avoiding simple answers in favor of nuanced understanding. It’s a Last Day podcast that sits comfortably at the intersection of society and culture, asking how we navigate life after everything changes. You’ll hear laughter, tears, and the quiet revelations that come from people recounting the events that shaped them, all framed by Stephanie’s empathetic and insightful guidance. The series doesn’t shy away from complexity, instead finding the universal threads in uniquely personal journeys.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Last Day
Podcast Episodes
Lina: No One’s Little Girl [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:42
Growing up, Lina Martinez treasured holidays spent with her family. She remembers the food, the ornaments, the dancing, and — above all – her dad, who made everything warmer and brighter. Year round, her dad Luis was her…
Amy: A Curious Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:12
Amy Schneider has always been smart, but she hasn’t always felt like it. It wasn’t until her 30s that it became clear just how many ways of thinking exist. With this new perspective, she saw her identity and abilities in…
Jen V: Everything I Swore I’d Never Be [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:03
Jen Varner grew up swearing she’d never end up like her parents, whose struggles with addiction led to her neglect. But right before her eyes, Jen’s own relationship with alcohol began to escalate. She spent years drinki…
Carrie: How Could You? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:43
Carrie and Joe were college sweethearts who made a picture-perfect family. They worked and saved to pay for their kids’ sports, vacations, and everything in between. Then, after over a decade of marriage, Carrie stumbled…
Carmen: Everything Was A Lie [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:38
Carmen Rita Wong always had a big family, but she never thought it was the kind to have big secrets. Yet by adulthood, multiple bombshells would drop and transform her entire understanding of her parents, her origins, an…
Learn More: Stopping Violence Before It Starts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:21
In this special episode, Lemonada co-founder Stephanie Wittels Wachs sits down with the leaders of the Coalition to Advance Public Safety (CAPS), an organization working to intercept and prevent violence in communities a…
Jen: Maybe I Won’t Die? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:51
For most of her life, Jen Curran liked to take it easy. She loved sketch comedy, riding in her red convertible, and dropping by JCPenney to check out the sales. But her easy-breezy lifestyle was shattered overnight for r…
Leticia: Your Worst Day Isn’t Your Only Day [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:46
When Leticia Ochoa Adams lost her son Anthony to suicide, it made her rethink everything — from her previously unshakeable faith to the very place she called home. With a Texas-sized heart and a heaping dose of dark humo…
Courtney: Beginning Again (And Again) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:31
Courtney embraces the mess. She records chaotic workout videos from home, where she’s currently raising three kids as a single mom. So why should her sobriety journey be any different? As Courtney has recently realized,…
Geena: Hiding in Plain Sight [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:57
Geena Rocero has yet to meet a stage she doesn’t like. As the reigning trans beauty queen in the Philippines, she was adored and envied with equal passion – all while being out and proud. But when she moved to America an…