Audacious with Chion Wolf

Imagine if everything you heard - a door clicking shut, a passing car, dishes being put away, even your own voice - was excruciatingly loud. Hear how one man copes with hyperacusis. And a flute player talks about how she managed her hyperhidrosis - or extreme sweating - when she was playing Carnegie Hall and in everyday life. Listen to the extended conversation with David Vance with closed captions. GUESTS: David Vance: hyperacusisCaryn Toriaga:hyperhidrosisSupport the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you imagine an emotional support animal, what comes to mind? A dog? Well how about a pigeon? A sugar glider? Or an emotional support pig? Meet people who’ve paired up with these animals to make their lives - and mental health conditions - better. GUESTS: Cynthia ZhouPalomacy Pigeon and Dove AdoptionsArianna PreussMegan PeabodySupport the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nietzsche once said, “It is what one takes into solitude that grows there, the beast within included.” This episode features three people who experienced solitude: by choice and not. There’s a winter caretaker at Yellowstone, a runner-up from the History Channel show, Alone, and you'll hear from a Connecticut man who spent almost 30 years in solitary confinement. GUESTS: Callie Russell: Alone on the History ChannelSteve Fuller:Ray Boyd:Stop Solitary CTMind Over Matter: How I Became the Model Inmate Jessica Severin de Martinez and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, which originally aired on September 22, 2022. For more about Audacious with Chion Wolf, visit ctpublic.org/audacious. Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When people imagine becoming parents, they don’t often envision their child being born with a condition that requires lifetime care. Hear reflections and wisdom from “forever parents” whose children have autism with anxiety and OCD; a disorder that caused 100 seizures a day; and Down Syndrome. GUESTS: Carrie Carriello: Adriana Piltz:Nicky’s Gardens of HopeCathy Carmode Lim, Marcelino Lim, and Marissa Lim:lifeandlims.comSupport the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, kids! Did you know there are grown ups who are just as obsessed with Disney as you? There's an adult out there who has full-sleeve tattoos of Disney characters, another who’s spent tens of thousands of dollars on merch, and one guy even set a world record for visiting Disneyland for almost 3,000 days in a row! Those are just some of the Disney adults you’ll meet on today’s show. GUESTS: Eric AasenAbby BroneJeff ReitzErin Dugan & Zach BakkenOpera House PlayersZach is a voice over actorRozy AmblerAJ WolfeDisney Food BlogKatie CharterClairy Floofs TattooSupport the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ah, Craigslist’s Missed Connections. Where else can you find that attractive guy you saw at that concert? Or the lady in the laundromat who held your gaze? Or reconnect with your long lost hairstylist? Hear those stories, plus what a researcher learned from studying over 10,000 posts. And what does it sound like when two Tony-nominated songwriters take Missed Connection posts and turn them into songs? GUESTS: Ilia Blinderman The Puddingstudied dataAnthony KingScott BrownVinz ClorthoAllison Holst-GrubbeAlex FerranteErin and Dan Kottke This episode originally premiered on February 4, 2022. Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Olusanya Bey is many things, but he's best known as a “love poet." But that title comes after much deep, philosophical pondering: What does writing about love do for - and to - him? Must he have a tangible muse? And how does a love of self affect love for others? Hear Olusanya Bey in Chion’s backyard for this third installment of a series of conversations with poets around a fire. Listen to the first installment with Zulynette. Listen to the second installment with Andrew Dean Wright. GUEST: Olysanya Bey:Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine you’re at the beach, taking in the scenery, breathing in the fresh ocean air, when the sun hits something floating in the water just right… It’s a bottle! With a message inside that looks totally intact!Meet people who’ve found - and gotten back - their messages in bottles, and hear about one that was thrown from the Titanic. GUESTS: Stefanie Marco Lantz, Lana & Tommy Simmons: at their thrift storeEric and Melanie Dahl: Jack Walsh: Cobh Heritage Centre Jessica Severin de Martinez and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, with help from our interns, Jacob Gannon and Taylor Doyle. This episode originally aired October 28, 2022. Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we talk about people getting struck by lightning, we don’t often think, “wait, what does that really do to a person?” A lightning strike expert talks about the physical and psychological effects of lightning hitting the human body, and tells us exactly what to do when a storm is coming. Then, meet one woman whose personality and body changed forever, and one man who, after his near-death experience getting hit, became obsessed with the piano. GUESTS: Dr. Mary Ann Cooper: Reducing Lightning Injuries WorldwideShana Turner:Tony Cicoria:“Opus I: Lightning Sonata”Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2000, Sigrid Wade began writing to people on death row to express her solidarity against that kind of punishment; she never thought she’d end up marrying one of them and having a child. But that’s exactly what happened between her and Alan Wade. Meet a sociologist who studies relationships like theirs, and hear directly from Sigrid and Alan about love, family, worthiness, and trust. GUESTS: Megan Comfort: Research Triangle InstituteUnCommon LawSigrid Wade: Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal ProgramAlan Wade: Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you know you’re months, maybe weeks away from your own death, what do you most want people to know? As the first in a series of conversations with people near the end of their lives, we get to know David Meyers. He’s a physician who was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018. Hear his reflections on life, love, and what really matters. An extended version of this conversation is available in your podcast feed. GUEST: Dr. David Meyers: Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a special extended version of my conversation with Dr. David Meyers. After five years of living with glioblastoma, a brain tumor, he is nearing the end of his life. He talks about what matters most to him, gives advice for those of us who aren't so willing to ponder death deeply, and shares how he wants to be remembered. Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if, for as long as you can remember, you’ve strongly felt as though one of your healthy limbs just doesn't belong? You’ve always wished it could be amputated. You aren’t the only person with this feeling, but you would be one of fewer than 400 documented cases of body integrity dysphoria (BID) or body integrity identity disorder (BIID) in the world. Meet a man with BID, who, after years of struggling with his bodily identity, traveled to Asia to have his left leg under the knee amputated. Hear how he’s felt since the surgery, and meet a bioethicist and moral philosopher who has pondered the origin and ethics of this rare condition. GUESTS: Dr. Richard B. Gibson:Dan:Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beatboxing is so cool! Not only do you have portable access to a full drum set, but also to trumpets, guitars, turntables, and whatever else your body can imitate! It’s a fine art that is fully embodied. Meet three beatboxers: One of the first on the scene to develop the craft, another who uses it to connect to herself and the rest of the world, and one 12 year-old who is making waves on beatbox competition stages. GUESTS: Rahzel Manely Brown:Gus Mcafoos and his mom, Deaneal:Kaila Mullady:Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All children are special. All twins are special! And these twins are especially… special! On this episode, meet twins who: -Were conceived 30 years ago and only born last year -Were born on each side of the millennium -Survived separation surgery in 2004 -Are, at six years old, still conjoined at the sternum GUESTS: Rachel and Philip Ridgeway: Julie, Jacob and Jordan Wallman: Erin and Jade Buckles: Callie, Carter and Chelsea Torres:Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last time, we did an episode about dominants in the world of BDSM and kink, and now? It’s time for the submissives to take center-stage. Learn the difference between “submissive” and “slave”, and four people’s interpretations of what it means to obey, serve, and play. GUESTS: Kate Kinsey: How to be a Healthy and Happy Submissive: A Practical Guide to Making Your Fantasies a RealityWhat Submissives Want to Know: Real Questions, Real AnswersKim DebronSouls in Chains, Broken LinksChastity Slave: Blyss:Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet a world-renowned expert on kink who will explain exactly what we’re talking about when we talk about dominants. And you’ll meet three very different kinds of dominants in the BDSM world: One who is particularly sensual, one whose power lies in money, and one whose disability is just another component of his power. This is the first of two episodes about kink. Tune in next week, when we meet four submissives, three of which refer to themselves as “slaves”, including a Black woman. GUESTS: MidoriWild Side Sex: The Book of KinkFood FetishThe Virtual Findom(me) - Your Beginner’s Guide to Helping You Find A PaypigJade DesiresRaven KalderaHell on Wheels: Disabled Dominants.Joshua TenpennySupport the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you hear the words, “cuddle party”, what do you picture? Something playful? Something salacious? Something… else? When your culture equates affection with attraction, how does it feel to challenge that connection? And to what degree can affection be healing when it isn't necessarily connected with sex? Join Chion as she ponders all this during her experience one-on-one with a professional cuddlist, and then as she attends a 25-person-strong cuddle party. GUESTS: Amanda Ananda:Isaac Paulman:Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doing stand-up comedy isn’t easy for most human beings… So what’s it like for comedians who have a disability like cerebral palsy, amputations, or Tourette's? GUESTS: Maysoon Zayid: New York Arab American Comedy FestivalThe Muslim Funny FestFind Another Dream Shiny MisfitsDanielle Perez: Just For Laughs Comedy FestivalComedian You Should And Will Know by VultureComedy Central FeaturingBenny Feldman:Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hoarding disorder, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, is “a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them.” On this episode of Audacious, an expert on hoarding disorder explains the nuances of the condition. Then, a woman walks Chion through her home as she explores new ways to declutter her house. Plus, another woman talks about how she began making a lot of progress managing hoarding disorder by talking about it on YouTube. For more information, visit NAMI - the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Their helpline is is 800-950-6264. Special thanks to hoarding disorder remediation expert, Melissa Hladek, for help with this episode. GUESTS: Dr. David Tolin:Anxiety Disorders Center and the CenterCognitive Behavioral TherapyRachel (pseudonym): Melanie Renee: “A Hoarder’s Heart”Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.