We Should Talk About That Jessica Kidwell

Have you heard of synesthesia?
It is when your brain routes sensory information through multiple unrelated senses, causing you to experience more than one sense simultaneously. Some examples include tasting words or linking colors to numbers and letters.
My guest this week, Emily Barth Isler, is an author of essays and children's books, including the middle grade novels AfterMath and The Color of Sound, which was published March 5, 2024.  The Color of Sound features a character who, like Emily, has synesthesia.  It has received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and the School Library Journal. 
I first met Emily on my other podcast, Neuroversity, to talk about her first book, AfterMath, which is an award-winning middle grade novel about grief, resilience, friendship, math, and mime. Emily and I quickly realized that there were so many things we should talk about that I promised to get her on WeSTAT and the release of her new book seemed like the perfect fit.

Find out more about Emily here
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I have a few things we should talk about this week!
Do you think I need a permanent co-host?Why is it so hard to get people to talk on the show?Is Taylor Swift causing friendships to end?MahjongIt's a random assortment.  It's a monologue.  I promised I wouldn't do any monologues.  So what should I do about that?


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Did you know that the  six most common complaints about the sound of a women's voice are:
Their voice is too highThey sound like childrenThey don't sound authoritative enoughThey have vocal fryThey use too much upspeakTheir voice is too lowFor a woman who wants to speak up publicly, it can start to feel like we are damned if we do, and damned if we don't. 

This week I had the opportunity to talk to Christine Adam, an international voice, accent and communication skills coach, about why women's voices are more critically received when they speak up in public.  It was a fascinating AND frustrating conversation.

I hope you'll listen!

Guest Bio:
Christine Adam is an international voice, accent and communication skills coach. She works with clients on vocal presence, power, range and expressivity, body language in communication, compassionate listening and managing performance anxiety. Her clients range from actors to business professionals, activists, teachers and anyone who is curious about becoming a more effective and empowered communicator. Through her company, Voice what Matters, Christine offers private coaching programs, bespoke workshops and digital courses, as well as a podcast and a YouTube channel.  Christine has an MFA in Voice Studies from the Royal Central School of Drama in London. She is a certified Fitzmaurice Voicework(r) teacher and Organic Intelligence(r) coach. She is also a States-based Communication coach for RADA Business, based in London.

Resources Cited:
Mary Beard Article  "The Long Tradition of Women Being Told to Shut Up"
Selena Simmons-Duffin "Talking While Female"
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I am a proud voting American.  From local, national, primary, or general, I never miss my opportunity to participate in my civic duty and cherished right to vote.  I love the process of going to my polling precinct and casting my ballot.  I slap that sticker on my chest and walk around all day with pride, knowing that instead of choosing to do nothing, I chose to vote.  And I believe, that my vote is counted.  It may not win, but it is always counted.

But I am aware that I may be in the minority who believes that my vote is counted.
In January 2024, Data for Progress found that 43% of likely voters are either not confident at all or only a little confident in the security of elections.  That percentage rises to 50% if you only look at registered Independents and rises to 69% if you only look at registered Republicans.

That is a lot of Americans who do not trust the security of our elections!  

I wanted to learn more about the election process.  To see if there is a reason to not trust the system, or to see if this growing mistrust is fueled by misinformation.  

My guest this week is Tate Fall, Director of Elections for Cobb County Georgia.  She guides me through the history and process of administering elections, shares how much elections have changed through the years, and dispels some of the most common myths about voter fraud.  This is a conversation you are not going to want to miss.

Tate Fall currently serves as the Director of Elections for Cobb County. She has previously served as the Deputy Director of Elections for Arlington County, VA, a Communications Specialist for the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and as a Voting Rights Advocate for Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program. Tate has her B.S. in Rehabilitation and Disability Studies, a Master of Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Election Administration all from Auburn University. 




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We should talk about Tik Tok. 
As a Gen X-er, I cling to my Facebook and I feel fancy that I consistently use Instagram.  But if I'm being honest, I know that this makes me basically an elderly user of social media apps.  YouTube and Tik Tok are the social media apps where Gen Z and Gen Alpha are spending the majority of their time.  So, what's an "Insta-Grandma" to do to try and stay au courant on the trends?
Enter my guest, Pamela Wurst Vetrini.
Pamela is a content creator, content curator, and social media consultant. Vetrini gained a following of over 150,000 followers by translating tik tok trends for an elder millennial audience. After working in marketing and PR in publishing in NYC, she decided to focus on learning how to use social media during her time as a stay at home mom. Vetrini's greatest viral success came in the summer of 2023 when she curated a reality tv "season" of private chefs in the Hamptons from existing tik tok content.
https://www.instagram.com/pamelawurstvetrini/
https://www.tiktok.com/@pamelawurstvetrini

Join us for a discussion on why Tik Tok isn't evil, and what has been trending on the app for March 2024.
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Join Jessica and her pop culture guest of the week, Joey Klei, as they discuss the pop culture topics that are front of mind for them. 
Where is Princess Catherine? ***Big correction!! Jessica says MULTIPLE times that the timeline starts 12/23/23, but it really was 12/28/23.  In her excitement, she got the date wrong, a lot.  This is why she is not running for President.Joey reviews the Apple Vision Pro glassesWe should talk about the OscarsDo YOU want to be a part of the next pop culture segment?  Send me a message at info@westatpod.com and let me know what you think we should talk about!  You might just be my next pop culture aficionado called upon!
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