Discovering Our Scars

For two years, the COVID pandemic has been our shared global experience. Two years in, we have to ask, have things changed FOR GOOD? Have they changed permanently? Have things changed in a way that is beneficial? Steph and Beth review their own lives and find new commitments to public health as well as new friendships and other positives that have emerged from the last two years.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod114
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

From the earliest days of dreaming about the podcast, Steph and Beth knew they wanted to have Dr. Jill as a guest. The long-awaited day has arrived! Dr. Jill joins Steph and Beth for a conversation about the kinds of people we all need to stop wasting our emotions on. This is a great conversation about narcissism, psychopathy, sociopathy, and more.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod113
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Dr. Jill Ricke: https://aftermath-surviving-psychopathy.org/
Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Let’s face it, no one gets through life without some brokenness. We don’t choose our brokenness, but we can choose how we react to it. Do we see our brokenness as something ugly, or can we see the beauty in our healing and recovery? We aren’t saying we are broken but nonetheless beautiful, we are saying we are broken and that brokenness? It’s beautiful.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod112
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Some words trigger an involuntary reaction or feeling in us. Steph and Beth share personal experiences with words that bother them. For Beth, it’s hearing someone claim the Bible CLEARLY says something. For Steph, it’s being called GIRL. For both of them, it’s being told they SHOULD do or say something. Sometimes trigger words are a minor annoyance, but sometimes they relate to past trauma and harm. How do we identify our triggers and communicate with others about them? How do we respect other people’s triggers? And, have we collectively become too sensitive? Steph and Beth talk about all of this and more in Episode 111.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod111
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

When Ryan was a little girl, she told people that when she was all grown up she wanted to be a chair. When she was sixteen, a car accident left her a paraplegic. She wouldn’t be a chair, but she would live life from a wheelchair. From the days immediately following the accident, to trying out for the US Paralympic Team, to becoming a mom, Ryan has made the brave decision to live, really live. She  Her story is interesting and her resilience is inspiring.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod110
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Ryan Rae Harbuck: https://www.ryanraeharbuck.com/
Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Sometimes life gives us an experience we don’t want to remember. Sometimes life gives us an experience we can’t bear to remember. But what happens when one of those memories finds its way into our consciousness? Can we trust it? Will others trust it? Steph and Beth talk about repressed and suppressed memories and how their resurfacing can invite us to genuine healing.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod109
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Beth stands up in church every Sunday and preaches about God. Does that mean she has no doubts? Would having doubts make her a bad pastor? In this episode, Steph and Beth explore faith and doubt and how they can co-exist (or not). They also have an honest conversation about doubt related to institutions like church, government, school, and more.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod108
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

We’ve probably all been told to stop crying. There’s something about tears and the emotions they represent that makes people uncomfortable. In this episode, Steph and Beth explore the cleansing power of tears and the discomfort they cause.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod107
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Do you need an incentive to do the right thing? How often do we do the right thing without asking, “what’s in it for ME?” Steph and Beth talk about incentives of all sizes and how they seem to motivate (or not) people to do the right thing.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod106
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Sandy Phillips Kirkham was just a teenager who loved church. It was a place she felt accepted and celebrated. When a new youth pastor was hired, he saw Sandy’s love for the church and used it against her. He started grooming her for a long-term abusive relationship before her sixteenth birthday. When the abuse was finally discovered, the church moved the pastor on to another congregation (after celebrating him with a big going away party) and they asked Sandy to worship elsewhere. Sandy’s story teaches us church is a place where victims are susceptible to predators because the institution is set-up for inherent trust—something predators know well.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod105
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Sandy Phillips Kirkham: https://sandyphillipskirkham.com/
Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

The pandemic has caused some of us to live in a sort of hibernation. Instead of spending time with friends in real life we’ve either not spent time with friends or we’ve settled for Zoom, social media, or some other slightly disconnected form of connection. As Steph and Beth spend time with friends again, they’re remembering how wonderful it is to have a community, a squad, or whatever you call that group of people who are your people.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod104
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

When we aren’t feeling our best, it can be hard to know what coping mechanism to reach for. Having a plan in advance is like preparing for a hurricane. You can stock your mental health toolkit with a list of healthy coping mechanisms, to reduce the chance that you will default to an unhealthy one. In episode 103, Steph and Beth share what’s in their healthy toolkit and why. As part of the Questions for Reflection at the end of the episode, they invite you to build your own toolkit so you’ll have it handy when you need it most.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod103
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Katie Langston joins Steph and Beth to talk about her memoir, Sealed: An Unexpected Journey Into the Heart of Grace. Katie grew up in a devoutly Mormon family where she learned that God’s love was conditional and her actions could cause God to reject her. She worried about her inability to please God so much that it triggered a form of OCD called scrupulosity. As an adult, Katie experienced the unexpected grace of God in a way that changed the trajectory of her life. Katie talks with Steph and Beth about Mormonism, her journey to Christianity, and more. This is a fun conversation about serious topics.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod102
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Katie Langston: https://katielangston.com
Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com
Beth Demme :http://bethdemme.com

Steph and Beth are both self-proclaimed rule followers, but sometimes the rules are meant to be broken (or, at least, bent)! Steph was always curious about the network of underground tunnels at Disney World. She looked forward to exploring them when she was hired to work there, but it turned out she didn’t technically have permission to access them. When a friend who was a former employee encouraged her to explore them, she did it! This is Steph’s story of bending the rules.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod101
Words we use: https://dospod.us/words
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

It’s important to celebrate, but how often do we take the time to actually do it? Steph and Beth decided 100 episodes was definitely worth celebrating! They headed to Disney World to celebrate and record this episode. Celebration includes time to reflect on what has been accomplished as well as projecting what is to come. This episode includes all of that and more.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod100
Words we use: https://dospod.us/words
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Grief is uniquely experienced by each person, but Steph and Beth share their experiences with the grieving process and feelings of grief. This episode releases on the anniversary of two deaths in Beth’s personal life—her brother who died in 1999 and her neighbor who died in 2020. Steph shares what it was like to lose her grandparents during the pandemic. They also reflect on how the pandemic has been a shared traumatic experience that has resulted in untold grief. This is an episode about something everyone experiences, but few people talk about.

Buy the host a coffee and/or tea: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dospod
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Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod99
Words we use: https://dospod.us/words
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308
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Guests we are looking for: https://bit.ly/dospodguest

What makes something a sport and what makes someone an athlete? Steph and Beth have a conversation about whether competitive food eaters are athletes. Steph says yes, Beth says no. Have a listen and see where you land.

Buy the host a coffee and/or tea: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dospod
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Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod98
Words we use: https://dospod.us/words
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308
—
Guests we are looking for: https://bit.ly/dospodguest

What is meant when someone says, “dress for the job you want”? It communicates that they think you should want more and, therefore, you are not currently enough. Steph and Beth never like to hear a “should,” including this one. This is a conversation about when pushing for more is a good thing and when it’s detrimental.

Buy the host a coffee and/or tea: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dospod
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Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod97
Words we use: https://dospod.us/words
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

As an undergrad, Laurel got an amazing opportunity. She participated in a summer research project in Armenia. She got more than she bargained for when a wild bear charged her in the forest, knocked her down, and began attacking her abdomen and pelvic area. With no time to decide whether to fight, flee, or freeze, Laurel went into survival mode. She tells Steph and Beth what happened, how she survived, and why she chose to go back to Armenia the very next summer.

Buy the host a coffee and/or tea: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dospod
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Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod96
Words we use: https://dospod.us/words
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308
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Guests we are looking for: https://bit.ly/dospodguest

Beth served as an intern in the Spiritual Care Department at a local hospital for several months in early 2021. In this episode, she tells Steph about some of the characters she met. She talks about the most surprising conversations, the saddest times, and she shares what it was like to be around death on a regular basis. This conversation will get you thinking about surprising people you’ve met and the stories you’ve heard that have deeply affected you.

Buy the host a coffee and/or tea: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dospod
—
Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod95
Words we use: https://dospod.us/words
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308
—
Guests we are looking for: https://bit.ly/dospodguest