Making Room for Love in the Justice System with Cathy Harvey
Fierce Conversations with Toby
Trigger warning/disclaimer: This episode contains discussions about death, including personal experiences and journeys. The content may be emotionally intense and could be triggering for some individuals. If you find these discussions distressing, it may be advisable to skip this episode or listen with caution. Remember to prioritize your mental and emotional well-being. “And so she (our daughter Anna who was nearly her college graduation) signed off her Facebook that morning with four words, “getting near the end.” That evening there was a knock on the door and two men dressed in...
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One Little Pearl with Judy Helm Wright
Fierce Conversations with Toby
The symbol of the artichoke has great meaning for Judy in her teaching and writing. As she works with families, she sees that frequently only the outer edges are exposed, which can be prickly and sometimes bitter to the taste. But, as you expose the artichoke - and people - to warmth, caring, and time, gradually the leaves begin to open and expose the real treasure–the heart. Judy has written more than 20 books, and hundreds of articles and speaks internationally on family, parenting, and relationship issues, including communication, encouragement, and end-of-life. Some of our fierce...
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Focusing on the Next Best Step with Charli Hoffman
Fierce Conversations with Toby
“It isn't that I had it all figured out, it's that I just focused on the next right step.” - Charli Hoffman, CEO of Time Hackers Unite, Founder of Sparkle Warriors Book Club, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby Some of our fierce topics today: [04:58] At 13, I came home from school one day and my mom had put all of my stuff in garbage bags on the porch and locked the house and told me I didn't live there anymore. [06:39] Books were my salvation. [07:49] I was in so many unsafe situations, but I could make someone laugh. [10:11] There's great value in putting...
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The Age of Invisibility with Susan J. Godwin
Fierce Conversations with Toby
“And the point is, you can do it. You have more strength than you think you do. You can go through these tough situations. You move through that adversity, and you move through those struggles. And you keep going.” Susan J. Godwin, fervent educator, writer, freelance artist, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby Some of our fierce topics today: [03:28] It shouldn't be called breaking up, because that implies a quick break. It's more like a taffy pull. [04:50] I discovered a female court of writers in the late 17th century....
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Stories that Matter with Pat Black-Gould
Fierce Conversations with Toby
“And the point is, you can do it. You have more strength than you think you do. You can go through these tough situations. You move through that adversity, and you move through those struggles. And you keep going.” - Pat Black-Gould, Ph.D., clinical psychologist award-winning children’s book author, fiction author, playwright, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby Some of our fierce topics today: [09:19] The Paperclip project, is a teacher’s desire to show her students just how big a number is. [11:43] Turning a...
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I Could Hear Their Voices... Speaking out of the Darkness with Jean Trounstine
Fierce Conversations with Toby
“The women of Framingham (Prison) sought a way out and their struggles gave them dignity. I could hear their voices speaking out of the darkness.” - Jean Trounstine, author, activist, professor emerita at Middlesex Community College in Lowell, Massachusetts, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby Some of our fierce topics today: [02:57] I began working with people in prison and, it changed me, it turned me into a prison activist, and it turned me into a writer. [04:50] If my students tackled Shakespeare, a writer they thought beyond reach, they would also be...
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I Am Enough with Tanaine Jenkins
Fierce Conversations with Toby
“For eight years, I was ashamed of my story. I learned that my story is freeing. Other people need to know that in telling their own story you can take your power back. And it takes away the power of those who are holding your story against you. Don't be the person others believe you should be just because you're a felon. I am enough. And so are you.” - Tanaine Jenkins, best-selling author, TedX Speaker, Director of The Florida Safety Coalition, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby Some of our fierce...
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Filling a Niche with Hannah Rumsey
Fierce Conversations with Toby
“I feel like it's gotten to the point where we're so scared of crossing a boundary that we just say nothing.” - Hannah Rumsey, developmental editor & writing coach for Sara Connell Coaching, Inc., creator and host of the podcast “Friends Missing Friends”, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby. Hannah Rumsey talks with those who have experienced the death of friends, grief experts, and more, to normalize the complex grief of losing a friend in a world that often doesn’t understand. “I lost a dear friend several...
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Together We Can with Natasha Dasher
Fierce Conversations with Toby
Natasha Dasher is on a life mission to help Returning Citizens realize their true potential. She is an appointed Commissioner for Returning Citizens and Re-Entry Affairs and the co-chair of the DC Democratic Caucus for Returning Citizens. Some of our fierce topics today: [7:38] Natasha started the ButterFly village to help children deal with social media and the stigma of having an incarcerated parent whose case is in the news. [14:07] Choosing not to be a victim by taking ownership of your poor decisions. [19:14] The power of community. [27:42] The importance of a re-entry plan begins...
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The Importance of Contradiction with Brittany Means
Fierce Conversations with Toby
Find all interviews at Transcripts available at In this episode, Brittany Means discusses her new memoir, Hell If We Don’t Change Our Ways. About Brittany Means: Brittany Means is a writer and editor living in Albuquerque, NM. A graduate of Iowa's MFA Nonfiction Writing Program, Means has worked with Inara Verzemnieks and Kiese Laymon. She has received several awards for her work, including the Magdalena Award, the Herodotus Award, and the Grace Paley Fellowship at Under the Volcano. Notes from Toby: I have long been a fan of Jeannette Walls. Her memoir Glass Castle gave me...
info_outline“And the point is, you can do it. You have more strength than you think you do. You can go through these tough situations. You move through that adversity, and you move through those struggles. And you keep going.”
- Pat Black-Gould, Ph.D., clinical psychologist award-winning children’s book author, fiction author, playwright, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby
Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews!
Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/
Some of our fierce topics today:
[09:19] The Paperclip project, is a teacher’s desire to show her students just how big a number is.
[11:43] Turning a children’s book into a ballet performance…
[13:04] Creating a staged production with a dramatic reading of the book, an artistic collage, music and dance.
[14:42] Pat discusses her work as a prison psychologist and discusses the problems faced by those who never had a mentor figure to look up to.
About Pat Black-Gould, Ph.d:
Pat Black-Gould, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and an award-winning children’s book author, fiction author, and playwright. Her children’s book The Crystal Beads, Lalka’s Journey, tells the story of a hidden child of the Holocaust. The book is the recipient of the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, the Northern Lights Book Award, and the Vinnie Ream Award. Pat is currently turning her book into a stage performance featuring dance and music composed specifically for her work.
Pat and co-author Steve Hardiman will publish their first novel in 2024. All The Broken Angels is a coming-of-age story set during the Vietnam War era.
As a psychologist, Pat has worked on an inpatient Deaf unit and, along with co-author Dr. Neil Glickman, published in the field of mental health and Cultural Deafness. Pat has also worked as a neuropsychologist and a forensic psychologist in an inpatient forensic unit and at a men’s state correctional prison, working primarily with maximum security level inmates.
In addition, Pat worked for the Veteran’s Administration with a special focus on Vietnam Veterans. She was also the coordinator for the LGBTQ+ veteran population.
In her early career, Pat was a director and playwright in professional theater and ran a summer stock theater company and a murder mystery theater company.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Pat Black-Gould:
https://www.patblackgould.com/
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Toby Dorr:
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Credits:
Created by Toby Dorr.
Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.
Theme song:
Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist
Caroline Parody: Piano
Tony Ventura: Bass
For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/