Their Story Matters with Sara Troy and her guest Lee Habeeb, on air from June 22nd
A POWERFUL FILM FOR FATHER’S
The Streets Were My Father: A Story of Hopelessness and Redemption
Lee Habeeb is the Executive Producer of The Streets Were My Father: A Story of Hopelessness and Redemption. An Our American Stories Film/Production. He is the CEO and Host of Our American Stories, a nationally syndicated non-profit storytelling show heard on 330 stations across the country. He is also a weekly Newsweekessayist.
The film features the stories of three inner-city Chicago men – one African-American and two Hispanic – and their journey from fatherlessness to gangs, and from prison to encounters with prison ministry programs that set each of them on the road to redemption. And a life as productive members of society.
FAITH AS ONE SOLUTION: Christians have been at the forefront of prison reform in America, and soul reform, too. Of healing men and women, guiding their lives when they exit. In a world lacking in love, believers and non-believers alike will be moved by the stories of these three men. These do not just love stories, but stories about redemption, transformation, and transcendence.
THE PRISON/FATHERLESSNESS CONNECTION: Nearly 2.3 million people in America are serving time in prison. And 85% of youths in prison come from fatherless homes – 20X the average household with a father present.
FACTS ABOUT GROWING UP WITHOUT A FATHER: 90% of homeless and runaway: 32X the average. 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes: 9X the average. 85% of children with behavioral disorders. 20X the average. 70% of Americans believe fatherless homes is our biggest social problem.
Raising Our Gifted Children with Sara Troy and her guest Marc Berkman and Ed Peisner
Organization for Social Media Safety was born out of tragedy. Today, we fight every day to protect families from the dangers linked to social media.
In 2016, then 14-year-old Jordan Peisner was standing with friends outside a local fast food restaurant when he was suddenly and viciously assaulted by another teen he did not know. During the attack and while Jordan lay helpless on the ground, witnesses and friends of the perpetrator stood and filmed the assault on their phones and then quickly uploaded their videos to social media. Now, this horrifying footage lives forever on social media already having been viewed by hundreds of thousands.
While Jordan slowly recovered from his severe, ultimately lifelong, injuries, his father Ed Peisner resolved to make sure that no other child or family had to endure such an ordeal. So, Ed began meeting with local legislators to explore solutions and eventually partnered with Marc Berkman, a senior staffer with the California State Assembly.
JORDAN’S LAW
Together, they learned that what we now call social media-motivated violence, attacks committed for the purpose of being filmed and distributed on social media to gain internet notoriety were doubling every year since the birth of major social media in 2006. To stop this sickening trend, Marc ultimately drafted Jordan’s Law, the nation’s first state law to deter social media-motivated violence. And, with Ed’s fierce advocacy, Jordan’s Law was signed into law in California within only a year of its introduction.
ORGANIZATION FOR SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY IS BORN
Ed and Marc saw a very urgent need for an organization that had the vision, capacity, and capability to fight back against these dangers, an organization that recognized that while social media may be here to stay, it could actually become safe with the right interventions. That is why they founded the Organization for Social Media Safety.
Marc Berkman serves as the CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety (OFSMS) where he has grown OFSMS into a prominent national consumer protection organization that has taught social media safety skills to thousands of students, parents, and educators across the country and developed essential social media safety legislation like Jordan’s Law, the nation’s first law to deter social media-motivated violence. Previously, Marc served for over a decade as a senior advisor to members of Congress and the California State Assembly. During his time as a legislative aide, he developed and helped pass into law numerous legislative initiatives to protect vulnerable children and families. Marc received his JD from Columbia Law School and his BA from UC Berkeley. He lives with his wife and two children in Los Angeles, CA.
After a long career in business, Ed Peisner founded the Organization for Social Media Safety in 2016 after his teenage son Jordan was viciously assaulted in West Hills, CA. The attack was filmed and uploaded to social media by an associate of the attacker. The video went viral, viewed by millions, and Jordan was left with serious and life-long injuries from the assault. Ed decided to dedicate himself to the goal of ensuring that no other family had to endure such a terrible ordeal. Now, Ed travels the country as the National Education Director for the Organization for Social Media Safety teaching thousands of students, parents, and educators how to stay safe on social media.
The Organization for Social Media Safety is the first nonprofit (501c3) consumer protection organization focused exclusively on social media. Through advocacy, education, and technology development, OFSMS protects against all social media-related dangers including cyberbullying, hate speech, sexual harassment, and human trafficking.
Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Annemarie Shrouder, on air from June 15th
Being Brown in a Black and White world. Her passion is Diversity and Inclusion and she is out to tackle Racism and Bias in the business world as well as socially.
Now more than ever Diversity and Inclusion play a pivotal role in healing our world. It is finally time to stand up, revisit the structures of the past, and dismantle any systems still in place causing separation and oppression so we can live in a Free, Equitable, and Thriving world.
Annemarie has spent more than 20 years in the field of Diversity and Inclusion as an international speaker, facilitator, and consultant. She has guided thousands of clients using her leading-edge method to create inclusive environments. As a biracial queer woman, Annemarie’s warm approach and transparency soothe participants, creating opportunities to put down their defenses and open lines of authentic communication. She is a master at creating belonging and safety in business environments, and the communities we care about.
“We have to change the paradigm. I can be a person of colour and have value. You don’t have to strip me of my colour to help me rise in your regard.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. didn’t have a dream that suggested we not see colour in order to see the con- tent of character. Colour blindness implies judgment. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have to make a point to not notice my skin. And not seeing colour can’t be the only way you see my value. I believe Dr. King was asking us to lean into both/and.”
“Turning in and away from results in “us and them” thinking, which leaves little to no room for building connection, creating opportunities for dialogue, to hear and be heard, or to really see the other and be seen. “
“Because we focus on either/or. And in an either/or world, someone has to win, and someone has to lose.”
“When we hold both/and, we have an entry point for a possibility, an acknowledgment, a conversation, without the weight of having to choose a side.”
“The goal of a both/and space is to move us away from polarization toward greater connection, seeing more, and ultimately, greater belonging—and change.”
“It’s when environments are inclusive, and employees feel a sense of belonging and systemic barriers are removed that companies reap the true benefits of di- verse representation. “
Raising Our Gifted Children with Sara Troy and her guest Susan Landers MD, on air form June 15th
Neonatologist Susan Landers, MD, author of the new memoir So Many Babies: My Life Balancing a Busy Medical Career & Motherhood, will discuss the traumatic life and death choices many parents face when their sick or premature baby needs the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). In the United States nearly half a million babies are born preterm (before 37-weeks of pregnancy), have an illness, low birth weight (under 5.5 pounds), a multiple (twin/triplet), a major congenital malformation, or other critical care scenarios when admitted to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Many of these children receive care and recover with the help of neonatologists and other specialists, and eventually leave the unit as healthy, thriving babies. However, for other babies who are extremely premature or those with an inoperable birth defect, there are traumatic and stressful times for parents – especially the moms – who are confronted with life and death choices for their babies.
In So Many Babies, Neonatologist Susan Landers, MD, shares the stories of the close relationships that NICU staff and parents develop during some of the most distressing times of their sick child(ren)’s lives. In addition, Dr. Landers’ memoir describes how the practice of neonatology shaped and influenced her life experience (So Many Babies: My Life Balancing A Busy Medical Career & Motherhood; publication date: May 4, 2021.
As a neonatologist for over thirty-five years and a mother to three of her own children, Dr. Landers describes how the full-time practice of neonatology influenced her experience as a mother. As a neonatologist, she survived and thrived during a lengthy NICU practice, and she relates her experiences of finding resilience and endurance, managing to postpone burnout until late in her career. The book describes many technological changes that she witnessed over decades in neonatal medicine and high-risk obstetrics, such as infertility treatments and multiple births. Also, her experience in the NICU is illustrated by many poignant life-and-death scenarios, including stories about complex, critically ill patients, and their worried parents, each one touching her life.
An Authors Kiss with Sara Troy and her guest Bella Mahaya Carter, on air from June 15th
An invaluable resource for writers, Where Do You Hang Your Hammock? debunks the myth that anxiety is the price of admission to a creative life. Inspiring and practical, this guidebook—divided into five parts: Dream, Nourish, Write, Publish, and Promote—shows writers how to use their present-moment circumstances as stepping-stones to a successful and meaningful writing life, navigated from the inside out.
We are on 5 sites and 16 audio and 2 video platforms as seen here.
Bella Mahaya Carter is a creative writing teacher, empowerment coach, and speaker who believes in the power of writing to heal and transform lives. She views publishing and book promotion as an opportunity to deepen self-awareness, nourish meaningful connections, and delight in peak experiences while being of service. She is the author of three books: Where Do You Hang Your Hammock? Finding Peace of Mind While You Write, Publish, and Promote Your Book; an award-winning memoir, Raw: My Journey from Anxiety to Joy, and Secrets of My Sex, a poetry collection. Bella has helped hundreds of writers experience greater freedom, joy, and peace of mind. She holds degrees in literature, film, and spiritual psychology. Her writing has appeared in dozens of print and online journals.
You must be logged in to post a comment.