When Life Changes the Plans There are seasons when life gives us a choice. And then there are seasons when it does not ask for our permission at all. One day you are walking in a direction that feels familiar, and the next day life taps you on the …
It Is Not Your Fault: Understanding FASD, Neurodivergence, and the Power of Compassion Not every wound is visible. Not every struggle is understood at first glance. For those living with FASD and other forms of neurodivergence: you are not broken, …
Some stories are written in ink. Others are written in tears. And then there are the stories like ours, the ones forged in loss, heartbreak, and the quiet resilience it takes to keep showing up when the world has gone silent. In this week’s e…
Watch Out, World, We’re Aging Out Loud There’s something electric about being a woman in midlife.We’ve lived, loved, lost, rebuilt, and risen, and now, finally, we’re stepping into a chapter where we don’…
💫 Becoming Brave: Finding Strength in the Face of Fear Featuring Ana Hebra Flaster, Author of Property of the Revolution A motorcycle in the barrio.Forty-eight hours to leave.A six-year-old girl whose world shrinks to the sound of an engine and th…
What if the love you learned was never love at all but performance, peacekeeping, and fear dressed up as care? In this week’s episode of Real Talk with Tina and Ann, I sit down with my friend Denise Bard for one of the most honest and h…
I remember watching one of my kids face a problem that I could have easily stepped in and solved. Every part of me wanted to jump in and fix it. I wanted t take away the frustration I saw on their face. But something in me said, “Step back. Le…
You know, listening to my conversation with Leslie, I couldn’t help but think about how many times in life we all hit that moment when the story we thought we were living suddenly changes. Maybe it’s a marriage that doesn’t last. M…
Hi, I’m Ann — podcast host, writer, photographer, and proud mom of five amazing kids (three of whom are also neurodivergent). And here’s something I want to say loud and clear: I have autism. I have ADHD. I am also dyslexic…
🧠 Mental Health Is Health: You’re Not Alone and You’re Not Broken Real Talk with Tina and Ann Let’s get something straight right out of the gate:Mental health is health. Period.It’s not a luxury. It’s not a weakness. …
What happens to love after loss? Does it vanish into memory, or does it find new ways to stay alive in us? That’s the question at the heart of this week’s Real Talk with Tina and Ann. My guest, Tony Stewart, lived this question firsthan…
“When pain and passion meet, you have purpose.”Let that settle for a second. Most of us spend a good portion of our lives trying to avoid pain and chasing passion as if it’s only reserved for the lucky or the chosen. But what if y…
In today's episode, we’re getting real about something that’s not just inspirational, it’s transformational. Let’s talk about the journey from broken beginnings to becoming your best self. Now, maybe you weren’t techn…
“When you grow up inside a secret, you learn how to survive in silence. But survival isn’t the same as living.” On this episode of Real Talk with Tina and Ann, I sat down with my dear friend and returning guest Denise Bard to unpa…
"Self-Worth vs. Self-Esteem: Why Knowing the Difference Changes Everything" Have you ever looked in the mirror and felt… “not enough”? Maybe it was after a rough day when the world made you question your value. Maybe it was afte…
Some stories, in our very own lives, sit quietly—unspoken, unanswered, unexplored. Recently, I watched the Mariska Hargitay documentary. What stayed with me wasn’t just her courage or her advocacy (though I’ve long admired her for…
Living Neurodivergent: The Beautiful, Baffling, Brainy Ride Ever walked into a room and completely forgotten why you went in there?Welcome. You may be entitled to compensation… or at least a sticker. Hi, I’m Ann Kagarise (co-host at R…
I recently watched the Mariska Hargitay documentary, and I don’t say this lightly--it shook me. Not in a loud, dramatic way, but in that quiet, unsettling way when something grabs your soul and whispers, "Something Isn't Right." It touched me…
There’s a phrase I used to whisper to myself on hard days. Days when the world felt too loud, and my heart felt too cracked to carry on. “I’m broken.” But I never finished the sentence. I stopped short, as if brokennes…
This is for every adult still peeling back the layers to understand what really happened behind the family photos. Some of us still carry pieces of our childhood that we were never allowed to say out loud.Some of us were taught that good families d…
I wrote this after I watched 'My mom Jayne' by Mariska Hargitay. I posted it on Real Talk with Tina and Ann...so this is what I wrote. Being raw and real is what we do here. This is Ann from Real Talk with Tina and Ann. I just watched the Mariska Ha…
Understanding Cries for Help: The Line Between Attention-Seeking and Connection Have you ever witnessed behavior that seemed like attention-seeking but, upon closer inspection, was really a cry for connection? This common misunderstanding is someth…
Finding Peace in a Chaotic World: Prioritizing Mental Health In a world that constantly bombards us with distressing news, our mental health has never been more vital. With each headline flashing negativity and division, it’s easy to feel…
