Welcome to The Power of Stories Podcast – a podcast BY women, ABOUT women, and FOR women!
Stories connect us and inspire us, and in this podcast, women from around the world talk about their experiences on their personal path to empowerment. Their stories of resilience, of overcoming fears, and of pursuing their dreams remind us all that we are not alone in facing life’s challenges.
We are now in Season 4, and so very grateful to all of the women who have shared their stories, and so very grateful to all of our listeners, too! The idea to launch this podcast was Yodit Kifle Smith’s. Yodit is a dear friend who has worked with me on this website for several years. She describes herself as “a creative dedicated to making sure the voices and stories of women are heard” and I am deeply grateful to her.
We are grateful to Lisa DiGiovine, Editor/Co-Producer of The Power of Stories Podcast for agreeing to share her advice and expertise. Lisa is an Emmy nominated non-fiction producer, writer and director. Her many credits include writing and producing for CNN, E!, Dr. Phil, Discovery, The Outdoor Channel, Lifetime and NBC.
Many thanks to Cali Wang, too, for composing the Intro and Outro music for this podcast.
And, thank YOU very much for listening!
Sharon
The Power of Stories is a new podcast BY women, ABOUT women, and FOR women. In this podcast, we are inviting courageous women from around the world to share the experiences that are shaping their path to empowerment. In each episode, you will hear stories that remind YOU that you are not alone…stories about resilience, overcoming fears, pursuing your dreams.. AND believing in yourself. This podcast is hosted by… Sharon Kathryn D’Agostino, a passionate advocate for the empowerment of women and girls everywhere, and founder of the storytelling platform, SayItForward.org and…. Yodit Kifle Smith, a creative dedicated to making sure the voices and stories of women are heard. We are grateful to Lisa DiGiovine, Editor/Co-Producer of The Power of Stories Podcast for agreeing to share her advice and expertise. Lisa is an Emmy nominated non-fiction producer, writer and director. Her many credits include writing and producing for CNN, E!, Dr. Phil, Discovery, The Outdoor Channel, Lifetime and NBC. And many thanks to Cali Wang for composing the Intro / Outro Music for this podcast. Listeners can connect with us at SayItForward.org and on our social media pages:Instagram and Twitter: @SayItForwardNow Facebook: facebook.com/sayitforwardnow
Pooja Priyamvada is a higher education educator in various fields, including media, literature, mental health and theater. Pooja holds a background in media. She is an author, a translator and, more recently, an entrepreneur. Pooja likes to say that she is also a full-time parent.
In this episode, Pooja discusses her reasons to begin writing about mental health after experiencing postpartum depression about 16 years ago… her prior interest in mental illnesses and mental health… the stigma and taboo one faces in discussing depression, and the challenges at the time, of finding psychiatrists and psychologists in Delhi… beginning to educate herself about mental health support and training to become a counselor… the broad misunderstanding of mental health… the dismissal and resistance someone faces when speaking about their mental health experiences… cultural norms that expect women “to stay within the margins that are defined for us” and to not speak out…. the books she has written and translated… writing newspaper columns and appearing on radio shows… being labeled a mental health activist despite her diverse roles and areas of expertise… her experiences with the cultural expectations related to death and grieving… her role as a grief counsellor… the various forms of grief…. intersectional feminism… the importance of women lending support to each other and building each other up… the power of sisterhood, of community, and of our collective voice… and the reminder that “You are the most important person in your life.” (India)