Out of Queeriosity
Elena Joy Thurston
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Consider us your Field Guide for Queer Pride. You will hear from the best of the best in terms of queer business leaders, queer relationship experts, the activists working to protect us all, and everyday LGBTQ+ people that have figured a few things out so you don’t have to.
“Out of Queeriosity” is brought to you by Pride and Joy Foundation.
Available episodes
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Apr 27, 2023
Gracee Purcell: The RaYnbow Collective
Today we sit down with the student president of BYUs RaYnbow Collective, Gracee Purcell (she/her). Gracee is 19 years old helping move some serious mountains on BYUs campus. Gracee shares some of her personal experiences as well as reflects on the struggles and challenges the LGBTQ+ community faces at BYU. The RaYnbow Collective is an LGBTQ+ nonprofit that connects BYU LGBTQ+ students to resources.
Gracee Purcell (she/her) is a psychology major with a minor in Global Women’s Studies at Brigham Young University. She plans to attend physical therapy school after graduation. Gracee loves Dr Pepper, is a sports enthusiast, and an avid reader. On the side, she raises puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind and is the President of RaYnbow Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to helping queer BYU students find resources. Gracee strongly believes in making the world a kinder place where everyone belongs.
Links
Follow Graycee on Instagram
RaYnbow Collective: @raynbow.collective
Website: https://www.raynbowcollective.org/
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Apr 6, 2023
Eboné Bell: Editor-in-Chief of Tagg Magazine
Eboné Bell is the founder and editor of Tagg Magazine, an award-winning print publication and media company serving LGBTQ women across the country. Tagg just celebrated their 10 year anniversary in September, 2022! The Washington Business Journal has named Tagg Magazine one of the “Top 25 LGBTQ-Owned Companies”. Her list of impact and accolades are a mile long including starting a student group for LGBTQ people of color while attending University of Maryland College Park. Twenty years later the group is still going strong. That’s the kind of different Ebone makes for her community and the people she loves.
In today’s conversation we’re going to dive deeper into what and who made Eboné into who she is today. What community members supported her rise and what barriers did she have to break through. If she could speak to her younger self, what would she say?
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Mar 16, 2023
Di Ciruolo: Indomitable - a true story of foster care survival
*Content warning: mention of child abuse, assault, abortion*
In this episode we speak with Di Ciruolo. From childhood to motherhood, Di takes readers through very personal experiences creating a safe space for trauma survivors. In this episode, we chat about her book and the experiences it explores as well her journey to motherhood and parenting neurodivergent kids.
Family did you know that 40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ plus, there are also so many of our youth in the foster care system, as well as many that are neurodivergent or neuro spicy, as Di says? Let's learn from Di about her experience and her book.
Di is the author of Indomitable, a memoir on foster care survival. She is a mother of two neurospicy kids, a DEI educator, and a social justice activist. Her experiences growing up on the outside as a foster kid with neurodiversity have given her a unique understanding of humanness that informs her practice and her life. Di’s passion is freeing other humans from the guilt and self-harm that can come from trauma and loss.
Order your copy of Indomitable here.
Di Ciruolo's website
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Mar 2, 2023
Healthy Relationship Advice for Parents of LGBTQ+ Teens: a Pride & Joy Parents event
In February we held a Pride and Joy Parents event that centered on supporting our LGBTQ+ kids in having healthy intimate relationships. This goes beyond talking about safe sex and into consent, red and green flags for parents to look for, and conversation prompts to have some great deep dives on the topic between a straight parent and queer teen. The event was so powerful, we knew we had to make it more accessible for parents everywhere. We decided to kick off Season 2 with this amazing experience.
Joined with us in this episode is Quinten Foster (he/him), Director of Transgender Whole Healthcare at East Bay Community Action Program in Rhode Island. Quinten is an autistic transgender man who combines his lived experience and Health Psychology training to support LGBTQIA2S+ patients live their most authentic lives, and to support and educate allies who aim to improve health and care for LGBTQIA2S+ people of all backgrounds. His professional background centers integrated mental healthcare and his special interests include coping skills and burnout, social justice advocacy, and expanding our society’s understanding of gender and sexuality.
You can read our pre-panel conversation with Quinten on our blog post here.
Links shared:
Find an LGBTQ center near you: https://www.lgbtqcenters.org/
Right to Be: https://righttobe.org/
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Jun 29, 2022
Ursula Benward: Identity Informs Reality
Hey fam! I am so excited to introduce you to our next guest, Ursula Benward. She has been a counselor for almost 20 years now and uses her lived experience as a queer, Native woman with ADHD, OCD, trauma, and neurodivergence to inform her practice. She is originally from the Navajo Nation.
Speaking with Ursula was one of those experiences that simultaneously felt new and inspiring, while also feeling at home. I grew up with the Navajo Nation in my backyard and took for granted the many friendships and memories I have from there. Chatting with Ursula felt completely new, as every conversation I have with another out lesbian, because that’s where I am in my journey still.
But as she talked, vivid memories from years ago came back to me in a way I wasn’t expecting. It’s amazing how the way I didn’t understand myself colors so many memories. Ursula has had the most amazing career, in the mental health field. From being the child therapist on a remote Native reservation to teaching families resilience skills, to manning a crisis line, to present-day being in private practice. And as we love to hear, along the way to professional success and fulfillment, she found love too.
Fam, we are living in intense times and we are living our one precious wild life. We at Pride and Joy Foundation want to make sure you’re able to experiences moments of peace and joy, because you, Dear One, deserve to experience peace and joy. To that end we’ve published our first meditative coloring book for our community “Color Me Queer”.
Maybe you’re like me and you didn’t get to experience basic childhood memories with authenticity. Maybe you need passive physical activity with some white noise in order to shut down all the mental tabs and experience true silence. Maybe you want to show a loved one how much you care about them, without risking you’re supporting a rainbow-washing corporation, but instead supporting a Foundation working to create systemic change.
One of the most unique meditative coloring books you’ll find, our hope is that you’re able to experience moments of peace and joy within it’s pages. Order your copy and gifts at www.ColorMeQueerBook.com When you purchase through our website, we receive a $6 donation, but full transparency, it’s also a few dollars cheaper on Amazon. To get a copy with a personal note from me, your host Elena Joy, head to www.ColorMeQueerBook.com Thank you family!
We can’t do any of this without you and we appreciate you so much! Now get ready to laugh with the amazing Ursula Benward.
http://www.hozhocounseling.com/
https://www.instagram.com/hozhocounselingllc/
Native 2SLGBTQIA+ links:
https://www.wernative.org
https://www.nativeyouthsexualhealth.com/peersupportmanual
https://mmiwusa.org
https://www.csvanw.org/mmiw/
https://www.navajonationpride.com
https://strongheartshelpline.org
https://www.iwrising.org/abortion-fund
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Jun 15, 2022
Elena Joy + Kristen: Preparing for extended family events after your kid has come out
Our podcast host. and feature in this episode. is Elena Joy Thurston.
Elena Joy Thurston is an inspirational LGBTQ+ speaker, trainer, author, and founder of the nonprofit Pride and Joy Foundation, which is dedicated to reducing the rate of suicide and homelessness in the LGBTQ+ community. Elena inspires her audiences to learn how emotional intelligence can improve company morale and productivity, changing members' lives in a practical way. A Mormon mom of four who lost her marriage, her church, and her community when she came out as a lesbian, her viral TEDx talk on surviving conversion therapy has been viewed more than 45,000 times and landed her media and speaking opportunities with ABC, CBS, FOX, Penn State, University of North Texas, Michael’s, Logitech, and more. Elena Joy is also one of the subjects of the feature film documentary Conversion, premiering Fall 2022. Learn more about Elena Joy at www.ElenaJoyExperience.com.
Kristen Kile runs multiple businesses including merch screen printing and helping adults transition to their next stage in life, i.e. what do we keep, give away, and sell so that we can downsize. Kristen taught Elena Joy how to fly fish and on the off chance they can get away from the kids and their multiple companies, you can find them fishing on one of Arizona's mountain streams.
Elena Joy and Kristen are partners and co-parenting their four kids along with Elena Joy's ex-husband and his beautiful wife. Elena Joy and Kristen navigate the pressures of parenting alongside modeling inclusive behavior, navigating the world as LGBTQ+ individuals, and raising an LGBTQ+ child.
Don't forget to check out Pride and Joy Publishing's newest publication, Color Me Queer. Available on Amazon and all major retailers but every purchase on the Pride and Joy Foundation website allows for $6 directly to support our mission: to reduce the rate of suicide and homelessness in the LGBTQ+ community. Get your copy today!
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May 30, 2022
Amy Porter: Queer Parent and CHD Advocate
Amy Porter (pronouns are she/they so you will hear us use them interchangeably in this episode and in the show notes) is an educator, achieving Bachelor's degrees in Education and Music, and is a passionate Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Advocate. Conventionally unconventional, she and her wife built their own family and are mothers to two young children.
Amy is a self-proclaimed “research nerd.” Her curiosity about the world, her passion for knowledge, and the lived experience of her son’s critical heart defect diagnosis have led her to educate sonographers and parents about the importance of early detection.
Amy has been educating and inspiring audiences since 2009. Amy's nonprofit is www.1in100.org To learn more about CHD, please visit www.tinytickers.org
Here's the video of Jimmy Kimmel telling his story about his son. They were fortunate to have had an attentive nurse and they were able to avoid a lot of permanent chaos due to someone being on top of things. They noticed something was off around 3 hours after birth, which in Amy's son's case, would have been far too late.
To learn more about vocal empowerment for LGBTQ+ leaders, head to www.KeynoteQueers.com, the class will run again in fall 2022.
Follow Amy on Instagram to learn how we can all advocate for the health of the next generation of kids but putting less focus on finding out the gender and a little more focus on heart screening.
You can also connect with Amy on LinkedIn.
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May 11, 2022
Meghan P: Speaking Out as a Pride and Joy Parent
In this episode of Out of Queeriosity, we sit down with Meghan P.
Meghan has been a part of our network of parents for a while now but in this episode, we sit down to get granular on her experience raising her nonbinary child, her path to advocacy and getting comfy speaking up publicly for her child and other LGBTQ+ youth.
If you resonate with this conversation, we invite you to join us at our next Parent Advocacy group meeting on May 22nd, 2022 where we will be reviewing the graphic novel, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Find details about this meeting and all following meetings at www.PrideandJoyParents.com.
Can't wait to see you there!
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Apr 28, 2022
Queers in the Country: Elena Joy's Takeaways
Queers in the Country was a three-day meetup for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC nomads and local Kentuckians in April 2022. It was sponsored and hosted by The Stonehouse at Silver Creek, as well as
* Georgia-Pacific
* CoPilot
* Victron
* Harvest Hosts
* Aeropress
* MOON
* VanMade Gear
* Poppy & Rod
Follow Pride & Joy Foundation, as well as Queers in the Country to learn more about our future events!
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Apr 13, 2022
James Murray: Removing Barriers to Inclusive Mental Health Support
Hey, fam. So about a year ago, Pride and Joy Foundation began a survey to find out what employee benefits could a company offer that would have the biggest impact on LGBTQ+ families. We've had almost 300 People respond. About 70% identify as LGBTQ+ themselves, and about 30% identify as family members. The number one response so far by a longshot, is extensive mental health coverage, which employers weren't surprised to hear. But often the response I hear is, well, we offer that and no one uses it. Well, as we know, as LGBTQ+ people, it's often quite challenging to find someone in mental health who is in our state, covered by our plan, and a part of our community, or even, obviously, affirming of our community. Seeking mental health support is vulnerable, and the barriers of access can feel huge. So after we figure out the logistics of how to find support, and how we're going to pay for it, finding a therapist who gets us is another monumental milestone. So how can the everyday employee access truly inclusive mental health care? Find out from today's guest, James Murray, the CEO of a Black owned company, Therify.
Therify provides personalized mental health resources to help improve employee satisfaction, well-being, and belonging. Jame's goal is to create a world where access to inclusive mental health is as easy as going on your morning walk. Listen to James share more on his mental health journey as a Black man in America and how he took things into his own hands to help other marginalized people have better access to affordable and inclusive mental health care.
If you are an employer or practitioner who would like to partner with Therify, please visit their website, https://therify.co to fill out an application and you will be contacted directly for the onboarding process or email James directly, jem@thereify.co.
Did you learn anything new? Did this episode spark a new thought? What about you, do you feel like identity is crucial when considering mental health care access? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Join us on our blog, or on our Instagram page @PrideandJoyFoundation. Thank you so much for joining us. Please consider sharing this episode with anyone in your network who needs to hear. Be good to yourself fam, I appreciate you.
Bio: James previously led partnerships with digital news organizations at Facebook. Prior to Facebook, he worked on the enterprise sales team at InVision, a venture-backed product design platform. James received a BA from Howard University and MBA from Vanderbilt University.
* Email: jem@therify.com
* Website: https://therify.co/
* Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mytherify/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellotherify/
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Mar 30, 2022
Kalyela Josephs: Queer on Purpose
Hey fam! I am so excited to introduce you to our next highlighted speaker from the Pride and Joy Summit, Kalyela Josephs, also known as "Coach K". Kalyela “Coach K” Josephs is an Inspirational Speaker and certified Life and Performance Coach who uses holistic strategies to improve the well-being of others. Her tried and true formula of human energy management, resilience, and life’s purpose has helped over a thousand professionals reach their highest performance. She empowers others to use life’s challenges as a catalyst for growth. Coach K taps into her internal strengths of inspiration, empathy, and sense of humor to relate to individuals, leaning into her own authenticity to guide them to a place of confidence within their personal and professional lives. The ambitious, purpose-driven, ball of high energy, barrels through life’s barriers alongside of her clients, sharing her personal testimony of triumphs while thriving in her individuality.
On a personal note, I’ve ha…
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Mar 16, 2022
Dr. Lynyetta Willis: Addressing Intergenerational Trauma
I’m so excited for you to hear from Dr. Lynyetta Willis. She spoke at our Pride and Joy Summit about addressing Intergenerational Trauma in our families, as well as in our individual lives. She shares an incredible framework for identifying intergenerational trauma and dealing with it. It’s also available on her website and the link is in our show notes, so don’t stress about taking notes if you’re driving or out on a walk.
She begins with examples of intergenerational trauma that Black families might be experiencing and extends it out to how queer members of families might also be experiencing it. She tells story after story that is so relatable so that by the time you get to the end of the episode you know the framework and how it can be implemented.
At the end of her talk, you’ll hear that I was able to ask her a few questions and gain even more awareness about how to go from Triggered to Transformed, which also happens to be the name of the incredibly impactful progra…
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Mar 2, 2022
Arielle D'Angelo: How Self-Loved Saved My Life as an LGBTQ+ Person
Arielle and our founder, Elena Joy, discuss aspects of self-love that are unique to the LGBTQ+ community.
Hey fam! I hope you’re enjoying our season of showcasing the incredible speakers at the Pride and Joy Summit from May 2021. This episode is sponsored by Queers in the Country, a 3 day meetup in April for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC nomads, hosted by a queer-owned venue in rural Kentucky. This amazing vanlife festival is raising funds for Pride and Joy Foundation. Overnight and day passes are now available, visit www.QueersintheCountry.com to learn more.
Today, we have Arielle D’Angelo is an incredible coach and leader in our community with her company We the Rainbow.
Self-love is an integral topic in the LGBTQ+ community, one that words can’t fully encapsulate. Sometimes I feel like straight people don’t understand the amount of self-love that it takes to live a truly authentic life. Recently, Pride and Joy Parents hosted a workshop focused on self-harm in our youth.…
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Feb 16, 2022
Dean Rasmussen: Live Your Truth to Find Your Life Worth Living
The next speaker from our Pride and Joy Summit from May 2021, is Dean Rasmussen. Dean is a transman, hailing from Canada, and was on our planning committee for the Summit. Dean was in charge of our Gender Identity track, which was a powerful experience for everyone involved. When Dean agreed to also speak for his track, I was overjoyed. Because in the months we had been working together to create this Summit, I had learned what an incredible human he is.
Dean is a fellow conversion therapy survivor. He is a parent and a husband, as well as a trans life coach. In our planning meetings, Dean was never the loudest or the most boisterous. Dean never shoved his way into the spotlight, and even giving this talk was one of the more challenging things he’s done. Visibility is not easy for every queer person.
Yet, Dean had this calm, quiet authority. Dean has LIVED a lot of life. His wisdom, his clarity on sticky situations, was a guiding force as we planned this hug…
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Feb 2, 2022
Joris Lechêne: The Intersection of Being Black, Gay, and Neurodivergent
One of my favorite quotes is that “If you’re going to be in a long-term relationship with someone, you’re going to attend thousands of mini-funerals.” This speaks to the idea that over time, people change. Their old self dies and we get to fall in love with the newest version of them.
I love to turn this around and apply it to ourselves. If we’re going to be in an authentic relationship with ourselves, we need to attend a thousand mini-funerals. We need to be willing to examine ourselves: our thoughts, actions, emotions without judgment so that we can truly get to know ourselves and live healthier more fulfilled lives. No one illustrates this idea better than today’s speaker, Joris Lechene.
Joris lives at the intersection of being Black, Gay, and Neurodivergent. Not only do we get an inside look into his journey of self-acceptance and celebration, but we get to peek at the blueprint so that we can do the same introspection. We get to see how our own lives could improve if…
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Jan 19, 2022
Bree Pear: I AM ONLY HUMAN - From Influencer to Global Community
Hey fam!
The next speaker we are showcasing is Bree Pear, CEO of the clothing and social impact company Only Human. Often touted as a queer influencer that creates real impact, Bree is well-known for curating events, social content, and even clothing that drives the needle for social change. She's also an author in our book, Thriving in Business: Strategies for the LGBTQ+ Entrepreneur. Available at www.QueerBusinessBook.com and everywhere books are sold.
So let's Meet Bree, she’s a tech-nerd entrepreneur with a passion for humans and a drive to make waves in this world. In 2016 Bree founded Only Human—a platform for good that brings humans together for a deeper purpose. After hitting rock bottom in her own life she recognized that she had the power to change her narrative and use her skills to help bring others together. Bree truly believes that by building a community of like-minded humans willing to make changes in this world, we can create a ripple effect that's fel…
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Dec 28, 2021
Rocio Sanchez: Networking for LGBTQ+
This episode features Rocio Sanchez, pronouns she/they. I’m literally not even sure how we met, my earliest memory of Rocio is from my first few days on TikTok in the height of the pandemic and watching them do the simplest TikTok to crazy ridiculous results.
Then I noticed that Rocio took those results to LinkedIn, and broke them down so we could all see how they achieved that success. With their social media savvy, nonbinary fashion education in Paris, and their ability to speak three languages fluently, I instantly recognized queer talent to the nth degree.
Rocio specializes in business development, social media automation and optimization, and growth hacking. They help start-ups, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and agencies worldwide build brands and create marketing plans and strategies to grow their businesses.
Their clients are USA-, Spain-, and Latin American-based, and speak languages spanning English, French, and Spanish. Their talk today, FOR YOU, is all about hacking Linke…
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Dec 27, 2021
Barry Brandon: The Queer Indigo
We kick off this season with the opening keynote from our Pride and Joy Summit, a queer conference we sponsored in May 2021. The keynote was given by Barry Brandon (pronouns he/her/they), more popularly known as The Queer Indigo.
If you’re on Instagram or TikTok, chances are you’ve seen their trademark, super-human and badass videos They've been inspiring people from all over the globe to see themselves walking in beautiful international cities with all the confidence of Queer Indigo. The freedom of expression, the joy in authenticity, the raw power of knowing who you are and your inherent value, you can find it all in these 30-second slo-mo videos and it’s brilliant.
In his professional life, Brandon runs a creative and experiential agency called For All Humans, focusing on the growth and expansion of emerging and well-established brands through immersive events, engaging activations, and comprehensive marketing campaigns that capture your spirit and convey your messaging w…
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