Episodes

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 wife, Lynn Kotula—an accomplished painter—and building a life together rooted in art, exploration, and storytelling. He opens up about Lynn’s cancer diagnosis, the emotional and practical realities of caregiving, and the profound ways illness reshapes relationships. Through hon...

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 courage to keep moving forward. Becky shares her life journey marked by profound hardship, including the death of her teenage brother, raising children with special needs, divorce, and sudden paralysis from transverse myelitis—a rare spinal cord inflammation that left her w...

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 trauma, resilience, and healing. Jalisa shares her story beginning from her miraculous conception and birth — a pregnancy filled with medical challenges and a prognosis that doctors believed she would not survive. Through her mother’s unwavering faith and spiritual encounter...

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 candid reflections on her lifelong search for validation, the pain of unmet expectations, and the transformative process of learning to nurture herself from within. Through honesty and vulnerability, she explores how grief, accountability, and creative expression have shaped her ...

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 Holocaust. The guest recounts the shocking discovery of her hidden Jewish heritage within a family that had long believed they were Catholic. Through years of research, recovered letters, and family documents, she uncovers her mother’s recognition as “Righteous Among the Nations” a...

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 that changed the course of her life. Cheryl recounts the night of the crash that left her boyfriend severely injured and led to her being charged with manslaughter. She speaks with honesty about the trauma, shame, and legal challenges that followed—and how those painful exp...

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. John shares his early years growing up near San Francisco, his studies in mathematics and economics, and his first career as a health economist before answering the call to ministry. He recounts candid experiences from serving as a pastor in rural Ohio—including supporting an ...

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 mother, Linda made the life-altering decision to take in the five orphaned children left behind. What began as an act of love soon transformed into a lifelong mission. Linda opens up about the challenges of unexpected motherhood, the impact of domestic violence on families, ...

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 transformation. Maria opens up about her personal journey through trauma, addiction, and domestic violence, sharing how she overcame struggles with self-worth and found her path to healing. Through sobriety, holistic practices, and shamanic wisdom, Maria discovered the importance ...

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 purpose. Growing up in Fort Myers, Florida, Derek faced the pain of parental incarceration, single-parent struggles, and a deep sense of abandonment. Becoming a father at 16 and navigating hardships such as divorce, narcissism, and a suicide attempt, Derek reveals how he reached ...