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The Human Experience

Episodes

The Year of Dating Yourself: How One Woman Chose Herself — and Changed Everything | Abby Rosmarin
March 10, 2026

The Year of Dating Yourself: How One Woman Chose Herself — and Change…

What happens when you stop looking for love and start finding yourself? In this episode, Jennifer sits down with author and New Hampshire transplant Abby Rosmarin in Concord, NH, to talk about the year that changed her life: ...

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When Dreams Change: Cheryl Johnson on 45 Moves, Motherhood, and Learning as Transformation
Feb. 24, 2026

When Dreams Change: Cheryl Johnson on 45 Moves, Motherhood, and Learn…

What happens when the dream you've chased your entire life finally comes true—only to discover it's not actually what you wanted after all? In this conversation, host Jennifer Peterkin sits down with Cheryl Johnson, a woman w...

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From Silence to Survival: Ruth Carroll's Journey Through Decades of Abuse to Radical Healing
Feb. 10, 2026

From Silence to Survival: Ruth Carroll's Journey Through Decades of A…

Content Warning: This episode contains detailed discussions of childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, physical abuse, substance abuse, and suicide. Listener discretion is strongly advised. In this powerful episode of The ...

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Episode 100: The Tables Turn - Jennifer Peterkin on Dreams, Travel, and the Power of Legacy
Jan. 27, 2026

Episode 100: The Tables Turn - Jennifer Peterkin on Dreams, Travel, a…

For this milestone 100th episode, we're doing something special—host Jennifer Peterkin hands over the mic to her friend, Kesh Witmer, for an intimate conversation about the journey behind The Human Experience podcast. In this...

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Understanding Schizoid: Breaking Stigmas and Changing Lives
Jan. 13, 2026

Understanding Schizoid: Breaking Stigmas and Changing Lives

In this insightful podcast, host Jennifer Peterkin interviews Blair, an individual diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, to shed light on this widely misunderstood condition. Blair shares personal experiences of being...

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Carrying the Tiger: Tony Stewart on Love, Loss, and the Healing Power of Story
Dec. 30, 2025

Carrying the Tiger: Tony Stewart on Love, Loss, and the Healing Power…

Show Notes: In this deeply reflective episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin visits lifelong New Yorker Tony Stewart, who shares an intimate story of love, creativity, and grief. Tony recounts meeting his wif...

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From Where I Sit: Becky Galli on Grief, Disability, Faith, and Choosing Hope
Dec. 16, 2025

From Where I Sit: Becky Galli on Grief, Disability, Faith, and Choosi…

Show Notes: In this deeply moving episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin sits down with Rebecca (Becky) Faye Smith Galli in her Maryland home for a powerful conversation about loss, resilience, faith, and the...

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The Golden Child: Jalisa Hardy on Generational Healing, Faith, and Finding Freedom
Nov. 25, 2025

The Golden Child: Jalisa Hardy on Generational Healing, Faith, and Fi…

Show Notes: In this powerful and deeply heartfelt episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin sits down with Minister Jalisa Hardy, also known as The Golden Child, for a courageous conversation about generational ...

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Poetic Alchemy: Angela Harvey on Healing, Boundaries, and Self-Discovery
Nov. 11, 2025

Poetic Alchemy: Angela Harvey on Healing, Boundaries, and Self-Discov…

In this heartfelt episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin welcomes Angela Harvey, who opens up about her profound journey through codependency, depression, and rediscovering her self-worth. Angela shares candi...

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Uncovering Hidden Roots: Linda Ambrus Broenniman on Family Secrets, Survival, and The Politzer Saga
Oct. 28, 2025

Uncovering Hidden Roots: Linda Ambrus Broenniman on Family Secrets, S…

Show Notes: In this profound episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin and guest interviewer Linda explore the extraordinary story of a woman whose Hungarian refugee parents survived World War II and the Holocau...

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Rebuilding After the Wreck: Cheryl Wilder on Accountability, Healing, and the Power of Creativity
Oct. 14, 2025

Rebuilding After the Wreck: Cheryl Wilder on Accountability, Healing,…

In this deeply moving episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin welcomes Cheryl Wilder, who shares her remarkable journey of survival, accountability, and transformation following a tragic car accident at age 20...

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Beyond the Pulpit: How One Pastor Challenged the Status Quo
Sept. 30, 2025

Beyond the Pulpit: How One Pastor Challenged the Status Quo

Show Notes: In this thoughtful episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin visits John (Jonathan Heaslet) at his North Carolina home to reflect on a remarkable life of service, transformation, and storytelling. Jo...

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From Tragedy to Purpose: Linda’s Journey of Loss, Love & Service
Sept. 16, 2025

From Tragedy to Purpose: Linda’s Journey of Loss, Love & Service

In this moving episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin sits down with Linda, who shares her extraordinary journey of resilience and compassion. After the tragic murder of her best friend and her best friend’s ...

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Triumphing Over Trauma: Maria Teresa Pratico-Swanson on Healing, Spiritual Awakening, and Self-Love
Sept. 2, 2025

Triumphing Over Trauma: Maria Teresa Pratico-Swanson on Healing, Spir…

Show Notes: In this heartfelt episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin sits down with Maria Teresa Pratico-Swanson, a shamanic healer, artist, and speaker whose life story is one of resilience, hope, and transf...

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Rewriting the Story: Derek Newborn on Resilience, Healing, and Spiritual Awakening
Aug. 19, 2025

Rewriting the Story: Derek Newborn on Resilience, Healing, and Spirit…

Show Notes: In this episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin welcomes Derek Newborn, who shares his raw and inspiring journey from abandonment, trauma, and self-destruction to transformation, healing, and purpo...

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Brotherhood & Battle: Michael Allison on Overcoming Adversity, Identity, and the Power of Resilience
Aug. 5, 2025

Brotherhood & Battle: Michael Allison on Overcoming Adversity, Identi…

In this powerful and emotionally charged episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin sits down with Michael W. Allison, MBA—U.S. Marine, Purple Heart recipient, award-winning keynote speaker, and best-selling auth...

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Failing Grief: How Losing His Mom Shaped Matt Gilhooly’s Life
July 22, 2025

Failing Grief: How Losing His Mom Shaped Matt Gilhooly’s Life

Matt Gilhooly, host of The Life Shift podcast, shares the story behind his own pivotal life shift—the sudden death of his mother when he was just eight years old. In a deeply moving conversation, Matt reflects on the fallout ...

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From Budapest to Hollywood: Katherine Mitchell on Resilience, Reinvention, and the Stories We Carry
July 8, 2025

From Budapest to Hollywood: Katherine Mitchell on Resilience, Reinven…

Katherine Mitchell’s 84-year journey defies the limits of a single identity. Born during WWII in Hungary, she survived war, communism, and displacement before building a multifaceted life in the U.S. As a nationally ranked gy...

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Living History: Robert Kesten on Activism, Identity, and the Stories That Shape Us
June 24, 2025

Living History: Robert Kesten on Activism, Identity, and the Stories …

Robert Kesten, Executive Director of the Stonewall National Museum & Archives, shares a deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation that spans civil rights, global activism, the importance of preserving history, and his lif...

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From Trauma to Advocacy: Shakina Rush and the Mission Behind She Is You
June 10, 2025

From Trauma to Advocacy: Shakina Rush and the Mission Behind She Is Y…

After surviving childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault, Shakina Rush chose healing—and then built a movement. In this powerful in-person conversation, recorded in Philadelphia after her nonprofit’s seco...

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A Promise to His Mother: Richard Hsung on Legacy, Loss, and the Power of Story
May 27, 2025

A Promise to His Mother: Richard Hsung on Legacy, Loss, and the Power…

When Richard Hsung promised his dying mother he’d finish her memoir, he didn’t yet understand the weight of that vow—or the decade-long journey it would set in motion. In this episode, Richard shares his deeply personal path ...

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From Refugee to Healer: Dr. Katrina Nguyen’s Journey of Faith, Freedom, and Service
May 13, 2025

From Refugee to Healer: Dr. Katrina Nguyen’s Journey of Faith, Freedo…

Dr. Katrina Nguyen was just 14 months old when her family fled Vietnam by boat during the Fall of Saigon, a journey marked by near-death experiences and unimaginable courage. Now a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist...

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The Greatest Journey: From Restaurant Owner to Travel Photographer
May 1, 2025

The Greatest Journey: From Restaurant Owner to Travel Photographer

In this episode of The Human Experience, I sit down with Ralph Velasco, a seasoned travel photographer and founder of small group travel experiences. Raised in suburban Chicago, Ralph takes us through his winding career path—from restaurants and real estate to his true calling behind the camera and…

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The Power of Local: A Life in Service to Philadelphia
April 15, 2025

The Power of Local: A Life in Service to Philadelphia

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