Right in Front of My Face artwork

Right in Front of My Face

48 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 53 ratings

This podcast features conversations with real people going through real things happening in life all around us. The interviews contain honest, respectful discourse about the invisible battles people are fighting right next to us that don't make our Instagram and Facebook feeds. The goal to shed light on hidden issues that many of us are dealing with in secret, and how kindness and understanding can truly break barriers. Life is about more than politics and Twitter battles. Hopefully, we can all feel less alone by hearing that other people are sharing both their pain and joy.

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Episodes

S4: Ep 10 - Kia Guarino, Executive Director of Pro-Choice WA on taking action post Roe V. Wade

July 28, 2022 13:28 - 1 hour - 41.8 MB

In the nation's biggest Covid pivot, Roe V. Wade was overturned on June 24th and I knew that I wanted to address it as the last episode of season 4.  Kia Guarino, Executive Director of Pro-Choice Washington, the only agency in WA State whose sole focus is on "political and legislative adovcacy for reproductive freedom in WA State," sits down with me to discuss how this happened and what we can do to move forward. The reversal of Roe V. Wade is done and there is currently a federal abortion...

S4: Ep 9 - Cassie Walker Johnson on the Covid pivot of cancer

July 14, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 44.3 MB

Today we're talking about the most personal of Covid pivots.  My podcast sponsor Cassie Walker-Johnson is with me today to discuss her covid pivot of a breast cancer diagnoses.   Cassie is my friend.  She is a successful real estate agent, she's a mom, a wife, an incredible connector and networker and in December of 2020 she got a call that 1 in 7 women will get - the call from the doctor telling her she has cancer.   Over the next hour, Cassie is going to share her experience so please ...

S4: EP 8: Zach Brittle on the Covid pivot of Divorce.

June 16, 2022 11:00 - 53 minutes - 72.8 MB

Today, we're talking about a Covid pivot I've seen lately - divorce.  Strange that being locked in a house with your partner would make you questions your life's choices... Because I'm hearing anecdotal evidence about more people splitting this year than in the past, I decided to do some research on whether or not what I was hearing on the street was actually true.  Turns out, it might be.  Rather than turning to a divorce lawyer for statistics and doom, I thought it would be more illumi...

S4: Ep 7 - Erin Quick, CEO and founder of PairTree on modernizing adoption

June 02, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 112 MB

Erin Quick is the CEO and Co-Founder of PairTree, a company that is modernizing the adoption process.  Erin is a powerhouse - she's founded three successful startups, she's a Puget Sound Business Journal 40 under 40, she's a marketer and branding professional, and maybe most importantly, Erin is also a mother.   When Erin's fertility path led to adoption, she, as a marketer and brander, began asking questions about the process and wondering why it had to be the way it was - expensive, disc...

S4: Ep 6 - Dr. Lelach Rave pivots from medicine to politics

May 19, 2022 15:14 - 53 minutes - 74.1 MB

The last two years have me wondering "why on Earth would anyone rational go into politics?"  The political landscape seems toxic at the moment and because we need rational, intelligent people to run, I think a lot of us wonder who in their right mind would do it?   Dr. Lelach Rave reached out a couple of. months ago because she decided to leave a successful Pediatric medical practice to run for an open State House Representative spot in my district.  She explained that she felt like if we ...

S4: Ep5 - Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant

May 05, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 102 MB

Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant and I had one of the most thought-provoking conversations to date on the podcast this week.  If you are someone who has concerns and questions about whether or not to toss your child into the world of social media, don't move.  You need to hear this. Find Emily Cherkin on her website On her YouTube Channel And on her Instagram Thank you to my sponsors Johnson and Walker Realty And Element Mortgage

S4: Ep 4 - Nathalia Gorosh stands on her own

April 14, 2022 12:27 - 1 hour - 91.1 MB

Founder and Owner of The Pilates Hub, Nathalia Gorosh, sits down with me to discuss how her new business came to be.  It's a conversation about partnership, trust, and learning to listen to your own instincts.  She shares her story and includes tips on how to be a smarter business owner, and why knowing and trusting your vision is the key to success.

S4: Ep3 - Erin Skipley on manifesting destiny

March 31, 2022 14:12 - 1 hour - 86.5 MB

Keeping in theme with Covid pivots, Erin Skipley, founder of Contour + Ink and LA Makeup artist shares her story of manifesting her dream studio in Beverly Hills and keeping it alive during 2020.  She changed course and is now a top instructor in her field of restorative beauty.   Erin is a hustler - it's not that she doesn't have imposter syndrome, it's just that she's learned to work through it.  Her resiliance is something we can all learn from.   Find Erin on IG at @Contour.and.Ink A...

S4: Ep2 - Dr. Ashwin Rao on modern Sports Medicine

March 17, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 85.9 MB

Dr. Rao is so much more than just a physician.  He's a visionary.  I've heard him described by his peers as a "legend."  A "Genius." and "the coolest person ever."  True story - these are words used by doctors, his peers and his patients.  He's made a career choice reflective of his own values, and continued learning in his own right with his newest venture into the world of handcrafted footwear through his IG and YouTube Welted Ware.   This conversation covers some ground but it includes...

Season 4: Ep1- L'Avant Collective

March 03, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 98.8 MB

Kristi Lord and Lindsay Droz, co-founders of L'Avant Collective sit down with me to discuss their posh plant-based cleaning product company, share their philosophy and mindset, and reveal their secret to keeping resilience through Covid.   RIFOMF listeners get a 20% discount code - 1st ever!!  Go to www.lavantcollective.com use code RIF20 to score yourself some of Gwynneth Paltrow's favorite cleaning supplies.   Season 4 will continue to inspire as we discuss career pivots and success ...

S3: Ep 8 - The Seattle Burnout Coach Lori Prutsman

October 28, 2021 13:56 - 1 hour - 86.3 MB

  It’s been a long ride for season 3, people.  This is actually going to be my last podcast for this season and I want to go end on this episode specifically because of the topic.  Burnout.   This is a personal episode for me because I’m processing my own burnout at the moment.  In September, when my kids went back to school, I suddenly had some silence and space to realize how much emotion I’ve been carrying around for the last year.  As I got the Google photo memories of last Septemb...

S3: Ep 7: Dr. Kate Monahan, PhD, CFLE

September 29, 2021 16:31 - 1 hour - 139 MB

Today’s topic deals with the one thing that has been literally in front of my face non-stop for the last 18 months.  My children.  Dr. Kate Monahan Phd, CFLE is a Developmental Psychologist and an expert in childhood development.  Her company Parent With Science is dedicated to helping parents through their journey with advice based in science, not trends or Google. Her instagram @parentwithscience is an awesome follow.   She’s done all the research for us and tries to pass along what work...

S3: Ep6 - Gabe Galanda on Indigenous Human Rights

August 05, 2021 14:13 - 48 minutes - 66.1 MB

  Todays topic is a broadstrokes lesson on Indigenous Human Rights with activist and attorney, Gabe Galanda.  There was a story on the news last week that followed the re-naming of the Indiana pro baseball team from the Chiefs to the Guardians - and now that I have this conversation under my belt, I understand the importance of it in an entirely new way and I hope you will too.  If you walked by Gabe on the street, you’d  have no idea that he was raised on a reservation, deviated from th...

S3: Ep5: Ryan Oftebro

July 15, 2021 17:12 - 1 hour - 86.1 MB

Ryan Oftebro and I recorded this episode a little over a month ago - I’d wanted to interview Ryan over a year ago about this topic because Ryan is Principal and CEO of Kelly-Ross Pharmacy group here in Seattle.  Kelly-Ross remains one of the few independently owned pharmacies in our area and Ryan, as the incoming president of the WA State Pharmacy association, has some unique visibility into the number of opioid prescription and overdose in our state.  I knew generally that Ryan had lobbied ...

S3: Ep4 - Adia Callahan

July 02, 2021 17:34 - 1 hour - 101 MB

Adia Callahan happens to be my pilates instructor.  She’d been absolutely kicking my butt for three weeks before I found out she had a podcast and a life coaching business which I obviously wanted to learn all about.  As women in our mid-40’s, we have a chat about how this new life phase impacts our general fitness and wellness, and we cover quite a few topics.   She generously took an hour to basically coach me and share her philosophy and style.  Adia stopped me dead in my tracks with one ...

S3: Ep4: Adia Callahan

July 01, 2021 16:20

Adia Callahan happens to be my pilates instructor.  She’d been absolutely kicking my butt for three weeks before I found out she had a podcast and a life coaching business which I obviously wanted to learn all about.  As women in our mid-40’s, we have a chat about how this new life phase impacts our general fitness and wellness, and we cover quite a few topics.   She generously took an hour to basically coach me and share her philosophy and style.  Adia stopped me dead in my tracks with one ...

S3: Ep3: Casey Sixkiller

June 17, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 120 MB

Mayoral candidate Casey Sixkiller gives us 80 minutes of himself.  He's a resident of my neighborhood, someone who is in my community and right in front of my face.  Casey came on the show to tell his story, tell us about what a campaign looks like, his basic plans, and tell me why he decided to run.  And I did what I do - ask simple questions I think we all have, and talk about uncomfortable topics in a non-judgmental way.   

S3: Ep2: Assistant Attorney General Kyle Wood and Rebekah Covington

June 03, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 43.1 MB

In this episode,  I’m going to cover a topic that I find extremely uncomfortable, especially as a mother of a young daughter.  This week’s subject is human trafficking.  This topic is so layered, with so many different faces, and I wanted to tackle it because as parents and just as humans, we cannot continue looking the other way when we drive down the street and see this happening.  We have to educate ourselves and our kids and we have to do it now.  We have to shine some light on what’s ha...

S3: Ep3: Assistant Attorney General Kyle Wood and Rebekah Covington

June 03, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 43.1 MB

In this episode,  I’m going to cover a topic that I find extremely uncomfortable, especially as a mother of a young daughter.  This week’s subject is human trafficking.  This topic is so layered, with so many different faces, and I wanted to tackle it because as parents and just as humans, we cannot continue looking the other way when we drive down the street and see this happening.  We have to educate ourselves and our kids and we have to do it now.  We have to shine some light on what’s ha...

Ep 26 - Assistant Attorney General Kyle Wood and Rebekah Covington

June 03, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 43.1 MB

In this episode,  I’m going to cover a topic that I find extremely uncomfortable, especially as a mother of a young daughter.  This week’s subject is human trafficking.  This topic is so layered, with so many different faces, and I wanted to tackle it because as parents and just as humans, we cannot continue looking the other way when we drive down the street and see this happening.  We have to educate ourselves and our kids and we have to do it now.  We have to shine some light on what’s ha...

2020 National School Social Worker of the Year Carrie Littlefield-Syvertsen on Our Children Re-Entering School

May 20, 2021 13:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MB

  Carrie Littlefield Syvertsen is the 2020 National School Social worker of the year.  She was recognized last March and her chance to be on a national stage with the leaders of the US Government recognizing her and her contributions was cancelled.  So instead of going to DC for her awards ceremony, she was quarantined with two small children and  having to homeschool.  Her professional expertise gave me so much insight on what kids are dealing with - especially middle schoolers - and what...

Ep 023 - Dr. April Randhawa

February 03, 2021 14:30 - 55 minutes - 127 MB

Are you hesitant to receive the Covid-19 vaccine? You're most definitely not alone. Approximately 30% of healthcare workers are hesitant as we've learned in the last month, so it seems reasonable private citizens would have similar fears. So let's talk about them. Dr. April Randhawa has been a part of the Covid-19 vaccine trials since they began. She is an actual expert in immune response with a PhD in experimental medicine. Dr. Randhawa has first person insight into how these trials were...

Ep 023 - Aaron Wright

January 07, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 88.8 MB

Aaron Wright is on the show today. He's the author of Thirteen Doors, which is due out on January 26th. Aaron’s family dealt with a big topic right in front of my face - navigating the Davis, CA public school system in an attempt to get an IEP for his autistic daughter.

Ep 022 - Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su

December 18, 2020 14:00 - 56 minutes - 130 MB

An open, honest conversation about menopause with Gennev Chief Medical Officer and Director of Menopause at Swedish Women's Clinic, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su.

Ep 021 - Jennifer Porter

December 04, 2020 19:03 - 1 hour - 83.6 MB

This week, I chat with Jennifer Porter, owner and founder of Satsuma Designs. She’s a triple threat: smart, witty, and committed to lifting up her community.

Ep 020 - Rob Turner

November 11, 2020 14:00 - 1 hour - 121 MB

Rob Turner is different from me as you’ll hear in this interview.  He served our country in the Army, then became a police officer in Virginia. Following the murder of George Floyd this summer, he released an episode on his podcast Fat, Drunk and Stupid about that was raw, apologetic, and extremely vulnerable about the incident from a police perspective.  I really wanted to know more about his  background - specifically his path from Army to policing - so I reached out to see if he’d be wi...

Ep 019 - Kwabi Amoah-Forson

November 04, 2020 14:00 - 53 minutes - 122 MB

Today is the day after the election and I had a new episode set to go, but it didn't feel right to put it out. So, instead of releasing that episode, I decided to re-release an episode about peace. More specifically about a peace activist named Kwabi Amoah-Forson. Back in March, when I spoke to Kwabi, he was running a cereal drive for students after schools shut down because of Covid-19. And, as he tells me in the interview, that's just one of his many projects.

Ep 018 - Liz Berry

October 21, 2020 13:00 - 49 minutes - 114 MB

On today's episode, I sit down with Liz Berry, State Legislative candidate for District 36 to talk politics, what it takes to run for office, and why we need more women in elected positions.

Ep 017 - Ellen Kuwana

October 07, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 161 MB

Ellen Kuwana is a one woman non-profit. She's proof that one good intention can snowball into a movement. Wegotthisseattle.org has fed over 18,000 frontline healthcare workers and raised over $75,000 under her watch. We discuss the next phase of her organization and Covid fatigue ... turns out we're all tired.

Ep 015 - Dan Felton

September 23, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 143 MB

As still a bit of a rookie podcaster, I’ve tried to listen to a bunch of different genres as homework to learn the trade.  Per usual, I’m drawn to the podcasts that I can learn something from - produced by truth-tellers.  I found the podcast Assorted Goods through Twitter, the motherland of podcast promotion.  What I first liked was the style of the tweets from this podcaster - funny, but sensitive in tone - so I started listen to the podcast.  The writer and host, Dan Felton, basically wr...

Ep 016 - Dan Felton

September 23, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 143 MB

As still a bit of a rookie podcaster, I’ve tried to listen to a bunch of different genres as homework to learn the trade.  Per usual, I’m drawn to the podcasts that I can learn something from - produced by truth-tellers.  I found the podcast Assorted Goods through Twitter, the motherland of podcast promotion.  What I first liked was the style of the tweets from this podcaster - funny, but sensitive in tone - so I started listen to the podcast.  The writer and host, Dan Felton, basically wr...

Ep 015 - Martha Brockenbrough

September 10, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 155 MB

Welcome to season 2 of Right in Front of My Face - the podcast talking about big things happening right in front of us.  I’m incredibly proud to be announcing the next season of my humble podcast considering a year ago, I didn’t even know what a podcast was.  And all of the sudden I feel like I’ve found a calling - what a miracle. I also, after almost a year of searching out stories and feeling in control of what in front of me, now find myself feeling completely and utterly powerless ...

Ep 014 - Vanessa

June 17, 2020 16:00 - 47 minutes - 65.8 MB

Vanessa Sturgeon is a CEO, a wife, and a mom of three boys living in Portland.  Her family is white, upper class, but still a bit non-traditional as they adopted their youngest, Jackson, from the Congo when he was four. She reached out to me right when my podcast started and asked if she could come on and try to educate parents on how to talk to their kids about race. Despite living in one of the more progressive cities on the West Coast, her family was experiencing racism on a level that ...

Ep 013 - Larkin

June 03, 2020 05:33 - 41 minutes - 57.6 MB

Larkin Temme is the young principal of Holy Family Bilingual School in White Center, just 10 miles south of Seattle. We are separated by a short stretch of I-5, and a long stretch of socioeconomic circumstances.  The students at Holy Family are diverse, bilingual, and from backgrounds very different than the kids in Northeast Seattle. I wanted to hear from her about how she’s pivoted her community to digital learning, how that was possible knowing that so many families don’t have basic i...

Ep 012 - Checking in with Dr. Drake

May 20, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 82.5 MB

I wanted to circle back with Dr. Drake after a couple of months to get her pulse check on Covid-19 and where we’ve arrived after two months sheltering in place. The week after our last interview, she co authored an op-ed that was published on TheHill.com. The two epidemiologists outlined what I thought was a really smart plan to create a reserve army of Public Health care workers to begin contact tracing efforts and I wanted to know how the article landed.  I’m struggling to underst...

Ep 011 - Kwabi

April 10, 2020 06:20 - 48 minutes - 66.2 MB

By the time this podcast comes out, it will have been a week since we’ve all found out that our kids won’t be going back to school.   We’ll be 3 weeks into sheltering in place, and feeling one more week’s worth of depletion, anxiety and helplessness. Or maybe that’s just me.  This way of life isn’t getting any easier for me or my kids. I see them lonely, I see them trying to process not being able to play with their friends and there just isn’t a way for these little people to make sense o...

Ep 010.5 - Alison

April 01, 2020 13:00 - 55 minutes - 75.9 MB

The mission of Right in Front of My Face is to shed light on big things happening right in front of me.  I’m coming in hot with a bonus episode because I want to contribute something in this pandemic, and what I feel like I can contribute is staying calm and finding facts.  I put out a call on my personal Facebook page to ask if anyone knew an epidemiologist I could interview that might be able to shed some light on what we’re seeing and hearing in the news in Seattle. Within minutes, a goo...

Ep 010 - Dave

March 25, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 83.6 MB

I first saw Dave Mampel at a 5 year old’s birthday party last summer.  He was the entertainment - called himself Daffy Dave, and he mesmerized a group of kids in a way I’d never seen.  He was magical, hilarious, and completely entertaining. And when I saw that he was teaching a magic class at a community center this winter, I immediately signed up my 8 year old son.  I described Dave to a friend by saying he was the cool uncle we all wished we’d had - gentle, patient, and willing to show us...

Ep 009 - Ronan

March 11, 2020 13:00 - 54 minutes - 74.4 MB

If you lived or went to school in Seattle in the late 90's you may very well know my guest this week. Ronan O'Mahoney, one of the founders of the band, Left Hand Smoke, sat down with me to discuss the uncomfortable topic of anxiety. I wanted to get his take on this particular issue through his lens as a performer, but what came out of our time together was how anxiety has shaped his experience as a father and husband. This is a side Ronan himself has never shared - most people only know him ...

Ep 008 - Ali

February 26, 2020 14:00 - 52 minutes - 72.5 MB

Ali was 40 by the time she'd met the love of her life and decided it was time for a baby. Like so many women before her, she struggled to carry a pregnancy full-term so visited the specialists at Seattle Reproductive Medicine to explore her options. She and her partner agreed to try a round of IVF, and this interview is Ali sharing her ride on the IVF roller coaster. Following her journey, Ali is now the Seattle Fertility Doula and hopes to help other women and couples through this sometimes...

Ep 007.5 - Luke

February 20, 2020 08:00 - 15 minutes - 21.2 MB

Extra interview - what's really right in front of my face?  My 8 year old son, Luke.  Take 15 minutes to hear about life through his eyes.  His positivity and life goals may might make you re-evaluate what your next career move should be.

Ep 007 - Marjorie

February 03, 2020 08:00 - 57 minutes - 78.8 MB

Meet Marjorie.  For years, Marjorie has been a staple at the Ballard Farmer's Market with her "Psychic Readings"  stand outside the Ballard Inn.  Marjorie's gift is real and, while I have received readings from her, this episode is not a reading.  For the next hour, Marjorie takes us through the journey of her life - she explains what it was like to grow up knowing things about people and how she honed her gift and craft.  We talk all things existential and about how learning to trust our ow...

Ep 006 - Stevie

January 20, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 46.2 MB

Meet Stevie.  Stevie is many things: a talented massage therapist, a yogi, and a mom-to-be.  She has also been a sugar baby.  According to Wikipedia, a sugar baby is "a person who receives cash, gifts or other financial and material benefits in exchange for company. It usually includes sex or intimacy."  Yep.  It sure does.  Stevie educates me all about how she got into sugaring, but also shares how her relationship with her Daddy changed her life.  Her story may change some assumptions you...

Ep 005 - Tan

January 06, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 48.5 MB

Meet Tan. Tan is a 4'10" package of hilarity. Always gregarious, Tan's career as a Seattle freelance videographer has boomed because of her immense talent and bubbly personality. Dig a little deeper though, and at Tan's core is her childhood experience as a Vietnamese refugee who endured a terrifying boat journey to Malaysia and survived 2 years of refugee camps with her family until they finally landed in San Diego. Tan's resilience, innate kindness, and desire to help kids in Vietnam have ...

Ep 004 - Angel

December 16, 2019 17:30 - 1 hour - 62 MB

Meet Angel.  On the surface, Angel comes off like a glamorous yoga teacher - zen, fit, and beautiful.  If you talk to her for a few minutes though, she will openly tell about how she's 16 years sober, a recovering heroin addict, and taking life one day at a time.  Angel's story is almost unbelievable, as her life now is quite far from what it once was as a working prostitute living on the streets of South Seattle.   Angel's complete honesty about her past is inspiring, but her discussion a...

Ep 003 - Erica

December 02, 2019 08:00 - 55 minutes - 37.9 MB

Meet Erica.  Erica is a boisterous, kind, ray of sunshine.  I knew her for about a year and a half before she shared with me that her wife of 11 years decided to re-assign genders and make the transition to a man.  Our subsequent conversation about this life transition was transformative for me.  Sitting down with someone who is not like me and having them educate me about something I don't understand in a kind, loving way made me realize how rare these types of conversations are.  It wasn't...

Ep 002 - Lauren

November 18, 2019 16:01 - 1 hour - 46 MB

Meet Lauren.   Lauren is a young, married, mom of two, staying at home to raise her kids.  You likely see someone like her right in front of your face every day. You’d never know from looking at her that she carried a secret - her marriage was falling apart.  This is a success story about her and her husband’s attempt to heal their marriage and keep their family together. Lauren’s honesty and humor about her relationship is not only refreshing, but inspiring for anyone who has questioned sta...

Ep 001 - Joe

October 30, 2019 23:59 - 56 minutes - 39 MB

Welcome to Right In Front of My Face - the podcast that talks about real things happening to real people right in front of us every day.  I'm honored to present this first episode featuring the story of my cousin Joe coming out in a small city in Washington.  He opens up about his own journey of discovery and subsequent path to love.  Joe is an advocate for LBGTQ rights and acceptance and his story opened my eyes and heart to a whole new experience of adolescence.  I hope you enjoy hearing i...

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