Second Stories
31 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 28 ratingsEveryone dreams about how they want their life to look, but not everyone has the same level of opportunity to fulfill these dreams.
Some of us grow up in loving families with solid support systems, while some of us are born into hardship and trauma. None of us can choose the life we’re born into; none of us can write our own first story.
These situations might place us at a disadvantage, but they do not doom us. And sometimes a person or an experience helps bring the future we dreamed of into reach. It lets us pick up the pen and write our own second story.
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Episodes
Kelsey
September 29, 2021 09:00 - 40 minutes - 55.2 MBKelsey’s story has some of the lowest lows we’ve heard yet as well as one of the most relatable closings, and it’s made all the more affecting by the way she’s able to reflect on her situation and the situations of other youth like her. We finish our time together talking about homelessness, Second Story’s work, and what goes unnoticed and unsaid about youth in crisis, and it’s a conversation you can’t afford to miss with someone who knows all-too-deeply what she’s talking about. If you've ...
Topical Episode: Edwin & Empowerment
September 22, 2021 09:00 - 23 minutes - 32.7 MBFor the last installment of this season’s topical discussion on values we’re talking about empowerment. In addition to meeting basic needs, Second Story's programs seek to empower youth and families to know their rights, to know what opportunities are available to them as well as what support they can access if they need help again in the future, and to know how to advocate for themselves. Today we speak to Edwin, Community Organizer for Second Story in the Community, about how this really...
Topical Episode: Cathy & Mental Health
September 15, 2021 10:00 - 28 minutes - 39 MBA 2021 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation uncovered some especially alarming news about mental health. 4 in 10 adults reported symptoms of anxiety or a depressive disorder, and 31% of parents reported that their child’s emotional or mental health worsened during the pandemic. At Second Story we believe that emotional, physical, and mental wellness are all connected, and thus focusing on mental wellbeing when working with young people is crucial. Today we’re speaking to Cathy, Second ...
Topical Episode: Judith & Equity
September 08, 2021 10:00 - 24 minutes - 33.2 MBFor the first of our topical episodes this season we’re speaking again to our CEO, Judith Dittman, about equity. Judith is the first to say that she’s not the right person to talk to about experiencing inequities – she's a white, middle-class woman with a stable job. In fact, she’s been with us for more than two decades. But this, her leadership role at Second Story, is the reason why she’s one of the right people to talk to about combatting inequity. She’s been at the forefront of supportin...
Daniel
September 08, 2021 10:00 - 34 minutes - 46.8 MBDaniel was a basketball star. One of the best in Virginia during his high school years, in fact. He received a scholarship to play in college and he remembers all the hard work he had to put in. He was living the dream of many younger kids on the court, but behind the scenes, when he left practice for the night, things weren’t so shiny. Throughout many of those years he experienced homelessness, he couch-surfed, he wasn’t sure where his next meal would come from. He started to understand th...
Season 4 Introduction
August 30, 2021 16:29 - 3 minutes - 4.43 MBWe're excited to bring you a fourth season of Second Stories with new episodes through the month of September! We'll be hearing from members of the Second Story team on three of the values that drive our mission - equity, mental wellness, and empowerment - as well as two stories of people in our community. Second Stories is created and produced by Second Story. Learn more about us at www.second-story.org.
COVID-19: Meghan (VP of Residential Services) and Youth Homelessness
September 23, 2020 17:00 - 35 minutes - 81.3 MBIn this episode we talk with Meghan Huebner, Second Story's Vice President of Residential Services. Meghan talks about some of the unique challenges for youth and families experiencing homeless during the pandemic and how Second Story has been able to safely support the youth in our programs as well as find new opportunities to reach youth who need help. Second Stories is created and produced by Second Story. Learn more about us at www.second-story.org.
Jimena
September 16, 2020 01:00 - 35 minutes - 80.9 MBJimena experienced homelessness for a long and exhausting five years. Her situation made her eligible for more than one of our programs – she was a teenager, a young mom, largely abandoned by her family, floating in and out of increasingly risky situations because of her desperation. Yet Jimena is one of the many youth who was not able to find help through Second Story or another like ours, for some of the unfortunately usual reasons: she didn’t know what was available to her, and she was bu...
COVID-19: Nandred (VP of Community-Based Services) and Vulnerable Communities
September 08, 2020 13:00 - 29 minutes - 70.4 MBIn this episode we’re speaking to Nandred, Second Story’s Vice President of Community Based programs. She leads Second Story’s efforts in our broader community. When we talk about the “most vulnerable” in our communities, we are often referring to many families we serve through these programs. They struggle with poverty and disconnection, human trafficking and gang violence, poor living conditions, and a lack of access to many of the services that the rest of us take for granted. Nandred t...
COVID-19: Cathy Benn (Senior Therapist) and Mental Health
September 01, 2020 13:00 - 25 minutes - 60.7 MBIn this episode, we’re speaking with Cathy, Second Story’s Senior Therapist. She leads Second Story’s counseling and mental health evaluations, working both to support staff and implement best practices and also one-on-one with youth struggling with their mental health. She talks to us about the relationship between COVID-19 and mental health and why this has been an especially challenging time for the young people we serve. Second Stories is created and produced by Second Story. Learn mor...
Topical Episode: Youth Disconnection & Foster Care
August 25, 2020 13:00 - 31 minutes - 74.2 MBAnne Kim is a journalist, author, and fountain of wisdom and insight on youth issues. Her book Abandoned: America’s Lost Youth and the Crisis of Disconnection explores a sobering reality: that nearly five million young people, nearly 12 percent of youth aged sixteen to twenty-four, experience disconnection and abandonment as they enter adulthood. Anne educates us on the causes and consequences of this reality, especially in light of the ways our economy and society is changing right now, and...
Caitlin
August 18, 2020 13:00 - 35 minutes - 82.6 MBCaitlin grew up without the family structure a lot of us take for granted, entering the foster care system as a preteen and juggling between families throughout her teenage years until she was emancipated at 18. Yet Caitlin is not one to focus on what she didn’t have but rather what she did: ingenuity, independence, and outright intelligence. Her story sheds light on an important group: teenagers in foster care and otherwise disconnected youth, and she introduces us to all that these young p...
COVID-19: Judith Dittman (CEO) and Second Story’s Response
August 12, 2020 09:00 - 24 minutes - 57.3 MBWe’re starting off this season with a special episode about COVID-19 and its impact on our work and young people in our community. We begin with Judith, Second Story’s CEO, to talk about how the pandemic has affected our work. As Second Story’s primary decisionmaker and leader, Judith gives us a bird’s eye view of how COVID-19 has both impacted Second Story overall and, more broadly, the youth who seek services like ours both in our community and beyond. To hear more about how you can supp...
Season 3 Introduction
July 22, 2020 13:00 - 2 minutes - 8.17 MBIntroducing Second Stories season three! Season three of Second Stories brings you more stories from youth in our community as well as a focus on some of the important issues that put young people in vulnerable positions - things like homelessness, abuse, and mental health challenges. We’ll also be digging into how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting youth in crisis through conversations with staff and other experts in the field. Our seven-episode season will begin on August 12th with new epi...
Renée
December 10, 2019 11:00 - 31 minutes - 74.6 MBRenée has a law degree, a master's degree, and a PhD. She also was born into poverty. She was a single parent. She was abused. She was a college dropout. We see in her a world changer as much as we see her early disadvantages, and in that we are hopeful, we are even more resolved that regardless of a young person’s challenges, with the right kind of intervention, they truly can do anything If you’ve been inspired by the stories this season and want to make a difference, we invite you to...
Topical Episode: Family Trauma
December 03, 2019 11:00 - 30 minutes - 72 MBIn some of their most tender years, young people need stability and support at home. But this isn’t always possible, and the stakes can be high. Tina Seeley, Program Manager for Second Story for Teens in Crisis, Lucy, from our last episode, and Lucy’s mom, Penny, join us today to talk about family trauma -- what it can mean for young people, and the ways that families can work to create supportive and understanding places to thrive together. Second Stories is created and produced by Seco...
Lucy
November 19, 2019 15:24 - 29 minutes - 68.6 MBLucy’s story is remarkably normal. In fact, statistics say that about half of us will find solidarity with Lucy in that about half of us are children of divorce. Lucy, in many ways, gives voice to our collective experience. She relives something that is familiar for many of us, and forces us not to write off our pain even if it’s “normalized.” She reminds us that pain doesn’t have to be unique or unusual or diagnosable to be valid. Second Stories is created and produced by Second Story. Le...
Topical Episode: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
November 12, 2019 11:00 - 32 minutes - 75.7 MBTo experience something traumatic can feel earth-shattering, but common wisdom says that when we experience trauma we should process, recuperate, and “keep calm and carry on.” But it’s actually much more complicated than that - trauma can become a sort of Kaleidoscope, keeping a person from processing or living as they could before. Cathy Benn, Second Story’s senior therapist, shares about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) while Chrystel talks about her personal experience. Second Stori...
Chrystel
November 05, 2019 11:00 - 33 minutes - 79.4 MBToday’s story looks at something major, what came and went as a major news story for most of us, and zooms all the way in at one person’s experience. Because even when we talk about issues and epidemics, they are, at their core, a collection of stories and experiences, and they’re completely more personal than we often make them seem. Second Stories is created and produced by Second Story. Learn more about us at www.second-story.org
Topical Episode: Domestic Abuse
October 29, 2019 10:00 - 29 minutes - 68.7 MBThe National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that 10 million people a year are physically abused by an intimate partner, and young women, between the ages of 18 and 24, are the most common victims. One of these young women is Bree, from our last episode. Angel, Program Manager for Second Story for Young Mothers, and one of Bree’s most important supporters during her time in the program, will be sharing some more information about how abuse affects specifically young women and th...
Bree
October 21, 2019 19:45 - 34 minutes - 79.1 MBAt a young age, Bree saw most of the things she thought could count on fall away. But rather than focusing on the present that betrayed her, Bree was brave enough to look to the future that she dreamt of. This is a story of how a young woman, in the midst of hardship, chose to keep going, full of tenacity and hope. Second Stories is created and produced by Second Story. Learn more about us at www.second-story.org
Season 2 Introduction
October 07, 2019 19:29 - 3 minutes - 7.95 MBNew episodes, more remarkable stories, available for listening this fall. We are thrilled to bring you season TWO of Second Stories! We produced season one with high hopes and the conviction that each story was worth telling, and we were so thankful for your responses. You, alongside us, were inspired by each person’s honesty and galvanized by their experiences. Your feedback touched us and each of the interviewees, thank you. We always hoped to tell more stories, and we’re really excited to...
Amanda
December 05, 2018 18:02 - 34 minutes - 79.1 MBAmanda's family dynamic might sound familiar to many of us: things looked lovely on the outside but were actually challenging and dysfunctional. She remembers tension, addiction, financial pressure, and marital struggle that only worsened as she grew up. Amanda grew used to carrying this secret: that her family wasn't as intact as they appeared. It got harder, though, once her dad became abusive and her parents divorced. Years later, now a wife and mom, Amanda is pulling her family's experie...
Bonnie
November 28, 2018 19:54 - 31 minutes - 72.3 MBBonnie’s home was safe in the literal sense of the word. She had a roof over her head, food to eat everyday, and parents who cared about her. But she felt smothered. She was lacking something important: a sense of belonging, and a sense that her feelings mattered. So she found friends who accepted her for who she was, but they also introduced her to a variety of other things that put her in harm’s way. Everything Bonnie experienced, though, helped her far more than she could have imagined at...
Merrill
November 13, 2018 23:53 - 36 minutes - 82.9 MBThis is part one of a two-part series from Johnny and his daughter, Merrill. When Merrill was 14 she started acting out. She wasn’t sure why, she just knew whatever she was doing made her feel better for a moment. The drinking, the drugs, the partying, all of it was covering up a darkness she was trying to shove away. Then a few years later she decided she’d had enough. She realized it wasn’t working. The darkness was still there. She reached out to someone she knew would keep her safe, her d...
Johnny
November 13, 2018 23:48 - 32 minutes - 75 MBThis is part one of a two-part series from Johnny and his daughter, Merrill. Johnny visited Second Story’s teen shelter as a young person when he felt he had nowhere to go. It made a profound impact in his life then, but maybe even more so decades later when his daughter was struggling like he was. He remembered his experience and knew exactly where to take her -- back to the place that made him feel safest when he felt most vulnerable. There’s a moment of striking clarity in this story: a m...
Carla
November 06, 2018 13:37 - 31 minutes - 73.5 MBGrowing up Carla loved bugs and books. “I was a dorky kid,” she remembers. She got teased a little bit, but she hardly cared as long as she was learning and reading. Then she got older and found herself in groups of people who disrespected her, even took advantage of her. Her mom tried to commit suicide. She started drinking. She got into an abusive relationship. She was coerced into having an abortion. The day Carla’s family found out she was pregnant with her son was a day that changed he...
Manny and Chauncy
October 30, 2018 14:41 - 35 minutes - 81 MBManny and Chauncy are brothers, with stories reflecting each others’ in many ways. Both Liberian, both called Northern Virginia home for a time, and both with dreams that inspire them and keep them up at night. Chauncy had something unique, though: someone telling him he could do it. Someone reminding him that his dreams had value. Someone telling him to never give up. And this person changed everything for him.
Simron
October 22, 2018 13:50 - 32 minutes - 73.9 MBSimron is a first generation immigrant, originally from South Asia. When she and her family moved to the U.S. she realized her new home had different expectations -- and opportunities -- for her than anything she’d ever known. Her family, though, didn’t see things the same way. Simron wanted to go to college and pursue her dreams, while her family wanted to arrange the sort of marriage that Simron had seen lead to abuse and injustice. So she made a choice. She said, “This cycle of oppression...
Tina
October 22, 2018 13:47 - 32 minutes - 75.3 MBFor the most part, Tina Gordon thought she was a lot like any other kid. She went to school. She had siblings at home. She played outside. Sometimes, though, she sensed that things were...off. She didn’t always get dinner, for example, and her friends' families treated each other differently than hers' did. Then when she was seven years old, Tina and her siblings were removed from their home and placed in Child Protective Services. This is Tina’s story of being a foster child and later being...
Introduction
August 08, 2018 19:48 - 1 minute - 4.89 MBEveryone dreams about how they want their life to look, but not everyone has the same level of opportunity to fulfill these dreams. Some of us grow up in loving families with solid support systems, while some of us are born into hardship and trauma. None of us can choose the life we’re born into; none of us can write our own first story. These situations might place us at a disadvantage, but they do not doom us. And sometimes a person or an experience helps bring the future we dreamed of in...