Second Adolescence

Archie Arnold, a gay trans man who embraced his identity in his early fifties, shares his poignant journey of self-discovery during the COVID pandemic. He delves into the complex emotions of joy and envy within the LGBTQ+ community. Through personal narratives, he emphasizes healing by reconnecting with one's inner child and navigating the challenging landscape of queer relationships. Archie’s story exemplifies how we can continuously explore and reclaim our true selves, no matter our age.

This week’s guest is Rohan Shirolkar (he/him). As a husband and new father, Rohan’s story has taken him to a place he didn’t see possible at its beginning, growing up as a gay boy in India in the 1980s/1990s. On this episode, Rohan shares with us his story and journey of navigating and understanding his identity, confronting and healing from anti-queerness, and eventually getting to the place of feeling such sense of freedom today. I SO loved getting to have Rohan on the show, and was so moved throughout this whole conversation.About the guest:Rohan Shirolkar is a 42-year-old Clinical Research Professional residing in Miami with his husband and their newborn daughter. He is a listener and admirer of the Second Adolescence podcast, and finds its Instagram posts deeply relatable. Rohan is eager to share his journey of growing up as a gay child in India, confronting anti-queerness during his college and professional life, and experiencing profound transformation after meeting his husband 15 years ago. @RohanShirolkar (IG)For more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com and @secondadolescencepod.

This week’s guest is artist and actor, Mod Becher (he/they). I actually met Mod out in real life while being a patron at his workplace, which we go into, and it eventually led to me sharing about the podcast and unbeknownst to me Mod was navigating a pretty pivotal time and would go on to become a listener of the show and eventually wanted to come on to offer their own story as a way to help others who have been navigating his own tumultuous journey’s of finding themselves. I SO loved getting to connect with Mod and was so moved throughout this conversation, and am so honored to get to invite you all into it too.About the guest:Mod Becher (he/they) is trans masculine actor and artist from just outside LA, moving to the city at 19 years old. His work is often focused on the representation of the gender spectrum and LGBTQ+ community. He’s starred in a variety of projects spanning from the stage to the set and is currently working on a collection of various drawings in hopes of putting on his first art show. You can keep up on Instagram @modermelon (: Hollywood Fringe Festival: www.hollywoodfringe.orgFor more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com and @secondadolescencepod.

This week’s guest is diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging leader and practitioner, SJ Janjua (they/them). In this conversation, SJ leads us through their own personal journey and how this has led them to doing the work they are doing now to create spaces that their younger self needed.About the guest:SJ Janjua (they/them) is the founder of Empowered for Equity Consulting, where they use their passion and expertise in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging to help equip others with the tools to create inclusive spaces in schools and workplaces. SJ is a proud queer/transgender/non-binary/biracial person who uses their lived experience to guide their consulting work. They spent 5 years teaching high school level English in the US and abroad at the start of their career, and eventually left the classroom in pursuit of a master's degree. They obtained their degree in International Education and served as a classroom evaluator, curriculum developer, and a teacher trainer in the years following. During their work at a non-profit afterschool program, they began their formalized Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging work in the education space. They specialize in providing workshops, trainings, and strategic planning support to schools and organizations on creating LGBTQ+ inclusion, creating and fostering spaces for belonging, integrating restorative practices, and empowering folks to go beyond performative allyship. Learn more about SJ and their work at: www.empoweredforequity.com.Get their recently released eBook, TRANSparency: Advocating for Your Transgender Child at School.Join their email list HERE.For more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com and @secondadolescence.

This week’s guest is artist Alonso Yáñez (he/him). Alonso shares with us about his own continuous journey of reckoning with and healing from the layers of shame that have existed and taken shape for him. He highlights the shape-shifting quality of shame, the tendency for queer people to develop various kinds of strategies to counter shame and gain value and validation elsewhere, and so much more. Alonso talks about still not being on the other side of shame, still not being where he wants to be, but does so because he believes in the power of all of us sharing where we are in our own journeys and owning that we are enough at every stage of it.ART SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT: On May 18, 2024 his first virtual art show opens: Quite Spectacle. It is opening in the Artsy platform and running from May 18th to August 18th at https://www.artsy.net/show/dama-gallery-quiet-spectacle.About the guest:Alonso is an artist from Mexico City. An avid reader of fiction he is interested in exploring ways to tell stories through images and translate emotion into color. You can connect with Alonso and follow his art at @laber.intos.For more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com and @secondadolescnecepod (IG).

This week, we dive into a conversation about the experience of LGBTQ+ elderhood in the United States with two women who work with SAGE, the world's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ elders and their caregivers: Sadiya Abjani (she/her), Director of Training and Instructional Design for SAGECare, and Darcy Connors (she/her), Executive Director of SAGEServes. Both women offer their experience, hearts, and wisdom as we talk about the wide range of experiences LGBTQ+ elders have, the need for greater awareness of their experiences, the need for increased inclusivity and safety in spaces LGBTQ+ elders are existing within today, and so much more!More About SAGE:Established in 1978, SAGE is the world’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ elders and their caregivers. The organization provides a wide variety of programs and services for LGBTQ+ elders, both in New York and nationwide, to ensure LGBTQ+ elders are given the resources they need to age with respect and dignity. SAGE also conducts advocacy efforts for LGBTQ+ elders and their caregivers and does so in many forms, such asmobilizing people when rights are at stake, educating policymakers about LGBTQ+ aging issues, marching and rallying with LGBTQ+ allies and more. Visit www.sageusa.org for more.For more about this episode and others, visit www.secondadolescenepod.com and @secondadolescencepod (IG).

The podcast dives into the concept of reconnecting with our younger selves as a path to healing and liberation for LGBTQ+ adults. It explores why this connection is vital for overcoming past traumas that linger like ghosts. The host shares imaginative exercises to help listeners engage with their childhood experiences and embrace their identities. The discussion highlights transformative ways to process pain and foster personal growth, emphasizing the need to tend to our inner wounds for a healthier future.

This week’s guest is writer Jared Dixon (he/him). Jared is a conversion therapy (CT) survivor and this conversation is all about his experience with CT. Jared lets us in to his personal story. We hear about his experience growing up, discovering his queerness, being sent to conversion therapy, and what healing has meant for him. Something so powerful about Jared is how he has used his experience as a CT survivor to really turn it into purpose, through both his award-winning debut novel, Corrupted: The Truth Shall Be The Nail In Your Coffin, and the work he does with the non-profit organization CT Survivors, a support group that provides holistic peer support for survivors of conversion therapy. About the guest:Jared Dixon is a writer and conversion therapy (CT) survivor who lives in Baltimore County, Maryland with his husband. His debut novel, Corrupted: The Truth Shall Be The Nail In Your Coffin, won the National Indie Excellence Award in the sexuality category, was awarded the bronze medal in the LGBTQ fiction category of the Dan Poynter's Global Ebook Awards, and was a finalist in the LGBTQ category of the Next Generation Indie Excellence Awards. He is the finance manager for the non-profit organization CT Survivors, a support group that provides holistic peer support for survivors of conversion therapy. Jared is also the vice president of the Baltimore chapter of DignityUSA, an organization committed to sacramental and social justice for LGBTQ+ people and their friends and families within the Catholic church. In his spare time, Jared enjoys reading, baking, and yoga and loves sharing his favorite books on his Instagram page. To learn more about Jared’s story and writings, follow him on Instagram (@dijared13) or visit www.jareddixon.com. CT Survivors Email: conversiontherapysurvivors@gmail.comFor more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com and @secondadolescencepod.

Adam here, sharing about a new thing we’re going to be doing here on Second Adolescence!Since launching this podcast and Instagram community a couple years ago, I’ve received SO many DMs and emails from listeners sharing about their own experience, where they are at in their own Second Adolescence and healing journey, and asking me questions for advice on their situation. I also keep hearing from folks that they’d love the opportunity for listeners to ask me questions and have them answered on the podcast as a Q&A. And so, we are going to be doing just that!If YOU ever find yourself with a question you’d be curious to hear my take on and have these included in a future Q&A episode of the podcast, here are a few ways you can submit your question:VOICE MESSAGE: If you’d like to submit your question by voice message with the possibility of your recording being included in a published episode of the show, you can leave your voice message at: https://memo.fm/secondadolescence/WRITE IN: if you’d like to write out your question to remain anonymous, you can do so at secondadolescencepod.com/ask.Stay tuned for a new episode later this week, and keep posted for future episodes where I’ll get to spend time with all your lovely questions. It continues to be such a treat to get to do this, I’m so grateful you are here. 

Meg O'Neill, a marketing coach and community expert, and Rebecca Minor, a gender specialist and clinician, dive into the vibrant conversation around bisexuality in their own encounters. They discuss the challenges of compulsory heterosexuality and how societal norms often erase bisexual identities, particularly for men. The duo highlights their community, bi+(in)visibility, which provides support for those realizing their identities later in life. Their insights emphasize the importance of safe spaces, storytelling, and sharing experiences to foster acceptance and connection.