Judging Meghan

Latest Episodes:

Wayne Forrest: Learning How to Live Again After My Near Fatal Accident Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of Judging Meghan, Meghan talks to motivational speak Wayne Forrest, who became paralyzed from the chest down at the age of 25.
"I made a terrible mistake and put myself in a position which caused me to dislocate my neck." While Wayne had to relearn how to live after this terrible accident, he shares his story about how he moved on. "One step at a time," Wayne says, "you have to go through the motions."
Wayne tells Meghan the story of how he became a life coach and motivational speaker. When doing extreme sports for disabled people, he found a new reality he had never considered before.
"I was doing these activities, and what happened was really strange. I was the one with the disability, but there were people without physical disabilities on these courses who were scared of heights or being underwater, and it really leveled the playing field." Wayne has lived his life helping others and never letting his condition deter him from living his life to the fullest.

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Finding My Purpose in Podcasting, with Melissa Bright Dec 14, 2021

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In this episode, Meghan speaks to fellow podcaster Melissa Bright. The two discuss their life experiences and how those experiences led up to them both becoming podcasters in the Mental Health space.
Melissa's journey to find her purpose began with one simple question: "What makes your heart hurt?" After having a daughter at a young age, and losing her mother, she knew what she had to do, and decided to live a life learning and speaking about others' journeys.
Her story is touching and familiar to Meghan, who understands firsthand what it's like to want to help bring positive messaging about mental health into the world of podcasting.
About Melissa Bright
Melissa Bright is on a mission to help people not feel alone in their struggles. She is the host and creator of The Bright Side of Life Podcast, a mental health podcast that navigates and discusses successful journeys to happiness. She can be found at thebrightsideoflifepodcast.com.

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Maeve McGrath on the Dark Underbelly of Mental Health Laws & Homelessness Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Meghan speaks with Maeve McGrath about bringing awareness to mental health laws in the United States, inspired by her brother Ryan.

Maeve’s brother struggles with bipolar disorder, which resulted in him becoming homeless and living on the streets of Venice, California. Maeve fights everyday to save his life. She speaks on how the families of those who are mentally ill and homeless feel hopeless and betrayed because it is so much harder to get them help if they refuse to take their lifesaving medication.

Her brother suffers from a condition called Anosognosia, also called “lack of insight”. Maeve explains that those who have this condition do not have the ability to recognize their illness. Maeve and Meghan discuss several options such as, “The Three Strikes Option” and that this is no longer a situation or sad but, a “Humanitarian Crisis” and extremely dangerous for everyone.

About Maeve:

Maeve McGrath has been a working illustrator and animator in Los Angeles since 2002. She has lived on the westside for over 20 years, currently living in Playa del Rey. Maeve has juggled raising her daughter and work while taking care of her brother who suffers from severe Bipolar illness and is committed to raising awareness of the need for reform in this nation's mental health laws.

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Dr. Tracy Bennet on The Effects Screen Time has on Children Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Tracy Bennet graces this week's episode discussing a heavily debated topic within the parenting community on children and their screens.
Most kids spend an average of 10 hours a day on their screens, and 56% of parents worry their kids are screen addicted. The average age of first exposure to online pornography is 11 years old and 4 out of 5 tweens are on social media before age 12. Being distracted by the loss of her parents, Dr. Tracy needed answers for her own kids that had started to suffer from digital injuries and needed shame-free, actionable strategies that worked. Unfortunately they were not out there, so she committed to the GetKidsInternetSafe mission. Dr. Tracy has seen the effects of unrestricted digital access which has lead to higher cases of panic disorder, depression and video gaming addiction in children, but throughout her 25+ years as a clinical psychologist she has found the treatment and the preventative, ADD tools to help modern families.
About Dr. Tracy Bennet:
Dr. Tracy Bennett is a screen safety expert who teaches families how to strengthen relationships AND achieve screen sanity. She is founder and CEO of GetKidsInternetSafe (GKIS) and author of Screen Time in the Mean Time: A Parenting Guide to Get Kids and Teens Internet Safe and the GKIS Home Starter Workbook. In her work as a clinical psychologist over twenty-five years, she sees the impacts of digital injury and how to treat and prevent it.

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Joel Correa on Growing Up LGBTQ+ as a First Generation Immigrant Nov 23, 2021

Show notes

Joel Correa, a TikTok phenomenon at more than half a million followers, is featured on today's show speaking on growing up trying to hide his sexuality.
Joel's formative years were shaped by the bullying and teasing they endured all throughout school due to being Afro-Latino and Gay. Beyond school, they also faced traditional family values that did not align with who they were becoming. Joel continued to persevere through the unforeseen challenges that life threw at them as they grew up, from the untimely death of their father to the mending of the relationship with their mother.
Their path was not on the same beaten route their traditional family expected, but they forged a new one after dropping out of college and eventually finding and cultivating their makeup skills in 2020, and becoming the amazing artist we see today.
About Joel:
Joel Correa is a person of many talents, but the most notable is their skill with a makeup brush, that has gotten them among other things to TikTok stardom, but there is always more than meets the eye. Joel is an Afro-Latino first-generation immigrant, whose parents fought to take them back to the island but they had a love for American music that could not be beat, but being able to integrate both cultures into their life now has and will continue to shape their future.

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Erin Walker's Path to Becoming a Voice For Women Experiencing Hormonal Changes Nov 16, 2021

Show notes

After a short week off from the podcast, Meghan is back this week with Erin Walker to speak about her journey to becoming an expert in female aging issues, especially during perimenopause and menopause.

Erin's journey began five years ago, but her hormone-related issues likely started during her first menstrual cycle when she was 11. Unfortunately, Erin suffered years of painful and debilitating symptoms before getting to the root of her troubles.

Through this journey, she became an advocate for her health and went back to school to help herself, but found her mission, to empower women in understanding how their bodies work and how to care for them.

About Erin:

Erin Walker is a wife and mom of 4 boys. She is a board-certified integrative health coach and bioenergetics practitioner. She graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in Community Health Education.

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Actress Nikki DeLoach Opens Up About Losing Her Father to Alzheimer's Nov 02, 2021

Show notes

On this week's episode, Nikki DeLoach speaks about her time spent in the entertainment industry and the unforeseen struggles growing up. Though she experienced many challenges, nothing could have prepared Nikki for the day she received the news of her father’s diagnosis.

Nikki was pregnant with her youngest, Bennett, within the same month she found out her baby had 4 heart defects, her father was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s: Pick’s disease. A decision had to be made between saving her baby and seeing her father, the decision was easy but the feelings that came along with them were not.

Being heavily imbued in the entertainment industry cost Nikki time with her father as his days were coming to a close. On his last day, Nikki said her goodbyes, he might not have known her name but knew his daughter.

About Nikki
Born in a small town in South Georgia, Nikki DeLoach always knew she wanted to be an entertainer. She started dancing at the age of three, eventually adding singing, modeling, and acting to her repertoire. Outside of her many talents, DeLoach is dedicated to sharing her passions and ideas with others. She is a passionate supporter and spokesperson for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where she serves on the Foundation Board of Trustees, and The Alzheimer’s Association in honor of her father who recently lost his battle with a rare form of dementia called Pick’s Disease.

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Jennifer Caras: The Tragic Loss and Misdiagnosis of her Sister Led Her on a Path to Live in Her Memory Oct 26, 2021

Show notes

Meghan talks to her friend, Jennifer Caras on today's episode. The loss of her sister at a young age and the journey she has been through since her tragic passing. Julie passed away in her late 20's from a brain tumor, after being misdiagnosed for years.
Jen speaks on the struggles many have with doctors, and finding the right diagnoses that could save your life if its caught early. Jen struggled seeing her sister not able to do the same things she was doing, like buying her first apartment or getting married. After her passing, Jen lives her life in Julie’s memory.
We have all had loss in our lives, some more than others. Jen has not only gone through loss, but also has been taught many lessons throughout her journey. The signs our loved ones send us after they pass is a gift, which Meghan and Jen also speak about.
About Jennifer:
Jen is a mom of three, having her first born son diagnosed with Downs Syndrome. She went on to have twins, honoring their names after her sister, Julie. Jen is a very successful top real estate agent in the South Bay of Los Angeles. She is a beacon of light in a sometime very dark world.
https://www.jennifercaras.com
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Grieving the Life of My Son, Freelance Journalist James Foley Oct 19, 2021

Show notes

Diane Foley, mother of American freelance journalist James Foley, speaks with Meghan on today's podcast about her journey of recovery after her son was taken hostage for over two years before eventually dying at the hands of his captors.
It's hard to imagine a more heartbreaking tragedy than the loss of one's child, but Diane Foley epitomizes strength and resilience in the face of unthinkable grief. Having endured unimaginable emotional trauma, she has emerged as an advocate for others who suffer similar losses.
As someone living far away from the front lines of war, I've often wondered how ordinary people find the courage to carry on after losing a child to violence—never realizing that I might someday be asking that very question. If you're curious about the answer to this question, I strongly urge you to listen to Diane's interview.
About the James Foley Foundation
If you are interested in supporting the James H. J. Foley Legacy Fund, please visit https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org/take-action. Their Instagram can be found at @jamesfoleyfoundation. You can join the James Foley Freedom Run here.

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I Escaped a Cult, Sex Trafficking and Became an Advocate with Amanda Catarzi Oct 12, 2021

Show notes

*** TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual abuse, Sex trafficking, Labor trafficking, Cult, Suicide ***
Amanda shares her story, starting when she was just a little girl being raised in what she described as an ultraconservative Christian cult. She was groomed from the beginning to not say no to a man and to be a homemaker. She was molested and sexually assaulted, with no idea how to deal with it at such an early age that it turned into rage.
After a variety of events in her life, including sex trafficking, and a terrible car accident, Amanda became extremely suicidal, and still felt like her abuser was the only option for survival. Amanda bought a plane ticket and a puppy and flew back home, telling him where she was and waiting for him to come to find her. He never did, that's when she realized she needed more change.
Amanda read books, listened to podcasts, and she started healing. She got involved with Selah Freedom, an organization for sex trafficking, working with them for several years. Then, she fully understood that she had been involved in sex trafficking as well. She started going to therapy and has been going ever since. Amanda is now in a healthy relationship, happily married, and trying for children. She has also suffered from fertility issues due to all the abuse she encountered, yet still having a positive outlook on it all. She has helped many get out of abuse and trafficking with her own experiences.
About Amanda:
Amanda Catarzi is a survivor. In her past she has worked for Selah Freedom, helping others find their voice and use it effectively, allowing them to heal. She is inspiring to many, using her trauma and experiences as a learning tool for others. She now is a marketing strategist and runs a successful content agency, Inkery Co., is happily married, and trying for a baby. After experiencing such trauma in her life, she still has a positive outlook on life.
Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandacatarzi
https://www.selahfreedom.com/getinvolved
Sexual Abuse Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
Sexual Abuse Website: https://www.rainn.org/

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