Been There, Done That: A Pandemic Podcast

Listen to host, Felicia Perez, conclude the entire podcast after 14 months of interviews. How does one finish documenting the effects of a global pandemic when the pandemic is still very much here? And what is the current status of the participants?

Listen to Dr. Jennifer Perdomo share her final thoughts reflecting on all the many ups and downs from this last year. Which is harder these days: being a new doctor during a global pandemic or being a new mom during a global pandemic? She answers by sharing very detailed stories of various patients who contracted Covid-19 and needed to be admitted as well as stories about her family's current challenges being new parents. How has the Covid-19 pandemic challenged the notion of medical...

Listen to Dr. Sandra reflect on what this last year has surfaced for us emotionally and where it may lead us. We talk about a recent speech given by Dr. Angela Davis and a comment they made about imagining what is possible once white supremacy is acknowledged and talked about from those in the highest offices of the land. And finally we talk about the kinds of systemic changes that are needed to prove that we learned anything at all during this first year of the pandemic.

Listen to Sophie share what is happening now, a year later from the first shelter in place orders, in both her home in Northern California and her country of origin - France. Why would France be on the cusp of a third pandemic wave, and how can we avoid that same path here in the U.S.?

Listen to Rose share about her experience disseminating polio vaccines in Ghana, several years ago, with a comparison to how the Covid-19 vaccine has been made available here and now. She goes on to share her thoughts on the complexity and nuance of conversations related to gun violence in the U.S. And finally Rose shares about what it has been like to date during the pandemic.

Listen to Tori share her thoughts on what the future may hold for folks who are not able to be fully vaccinated at this time. What will happen to her 5-year-old who, has had multiple bone marrow transplants and, is unable to get any vaccine? She shares a story of a friend who had a major allergic reaction to the 1st does of a vaccine. Can this person take the 2nd shot now? And if they can't, then what? Finally, we talk about the long term effects of trauma and how we all may be changed...

Listen to Rebecca share what it's like to prepare to return to the physical classroom for in-person instruction. And we talk about the pros and cons to California's four-tier, color-coded classification system that alerts residents about how safe and open public spaces are at the moment.

Listen to Lena reflect on the last two and a half months, from the January 6th insurgence to receiving the first dose of the vaccine. And we discuss the current "return to normal" with the return of mass shootings.

Listen to Eva's final reflections on the first year of the pandemic. We talk about just how much we have all changed during this year and whether or not those changes are positive or negative. What does it feel like to be under 16-years-old, seeing all of your older family and friends get a life saving vaccine, but you can't access it yet because you're too young? We learn some new lingo and slag being used by some tweens at the moment. Finally, it's birthday planning time again as this...

Listen to Angela share their final reflections about this last year. Having recently moved from Washington D.C. to South Beach Florida, Angela shares her thoughts on the insurgence of January 6th. Is she sad or grateful that she "missed" the insurgence? We talk about the real take-aways from Oprah Winfrey's interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. And finally, we discuss this year's rise in so called "cancel culture" and whether or not we should, well, cancel it or not.

Listen to Olivia and Clark catch us up on how this winter was so different for them since they moved from the deserts of Nevada to the constant rainy air of Seattle, Washington. They also share what they have learned over the last year working with elementary school aged children. We talk about the importance of playgrounds and hugs! Finally, we reflect on accountability and the power and harm of shame.

Listen to Jamie share details about how library services have changed over this first year of the pandemic. From what is needed to become a librarian to what the general day to day work looks like, Jamie shares 20 years of experience with us. We talk about daily word capacity limits, color based book sorting, and just what a "librarian's nightmare" would look like. Finally, we hear the details about Jamie's recent engagement which involved Christmas decorations and lots of gestures of love...

Listen to Michaela share in detail a retrospective analysis of just what it has taken to finally get to a point in the pandemic where things feel "manageable" as a college student in their junior year. What roles do being independent and good mental health practices play? She shares the ways in which her college experience has been effected by the pandemic as well as her post college plans. Who could've predicted how much our personal schedules and lives would be effected by not physically...

Listen to PaKou share about the hardships of parenting pre-teens during a global pandemic. What counts as "normal" during "abnormal" times? We talk about how to mourn those we've lost while also celebrating what and who is still here. And we talk about how being dedicated to self care usual comes with a fair amount of personal sacrifice. Finally, we have some unsolicited This Is Us (TV Show) loyal fan feedback for the writers.

Listen to Danielle's final thoughts as we conclude the first year of the pandemic. We talk about the power of what we call events as they happen or in hindsight. And we get in to a deep debate about the differences and relationships between an uprising and a coup. Finally, we talk about the importance of relationships during hard times and that includes one's relationship with themselves. All in all the true summary of this interview comes down to this: When it comes to how you live your...

Listen to Patrick share his final reflections on this personal and social learnings of the last year. We talk about the many challenges of working and living mostly online; the blurriness between week days and weekends, how we talk more frequently with loved ones who we used to only see a few times a year- if that, and how our laptops and smart phones are more like vehicles to work and school then our actual cars, bikes and feet are. Finally, we talk about the irony behind over half a...

Listen to Kimi share her reflections on recent events that she is deeply and personally connected to as an Asian American living in the Bay Area of Northern California. From the coup in Burma (where her parents migrated to the US from) to the violence against the Asian elders in Chinatown, we talk about the systemic historic causes and roots. It's a reflection conversation about what we can literally sit with and the importance of not seeing justice as a destination but instead as a practice...

Listen to LJ really good deep and expand on describing both the individual and systemic ways in which mutual aid is really political powerful building work. We break down each word one at a time to really analyze what they mean and what they look like in reality - "mutual" and then "aid." Ultimately, it's a rich conversation about relationships and how building them and cultivating them is how we really become "disaster prepared."

Listen to Harley share what it's like to currently have one of your parents struggling with Covid19. How do you take care of loved ones while also protecting yourself? We get the details! Then we hear an overview about what it's been like to be a high school athlete during the first year of the pandemic; playing volleyball, basketball, going to school in person and working in the service industry all while wearing a mask. Which mask wearing time is the hardest? You may be surprised to hear...

Listen to Dante update us on who in his family has been able to get the vaccine and the status of a working prototype to his smart phone app for mutual aid work. We discuss when or under what condition Dante may ever travel by plane again. It becomes a deep conversation about risk assessments, the role it has in our decision making and how it has changed under this first year of the pandemic.