23 episodes
Walk in my Shoes Podcast Nicky Ruszkowski
-
- Health & Fitness
-
-
5.0 • 9 Ratings
-
We talk to people who face adversity in their lives everyday and explore what it is to be dependent on a drug like heroin, or to live with HIV, or to be transgender for example. We explore their day to day lives and delve into the circumstances that surround their life. *Explicit language in some episodes*
-
Season 2 Update
Season 2 is in the works. If you'd like to be on a future episode email me at ruszkown@upstate.edu.
-
Brandon - Living with HIV, substance use disorder and growing up in foster care
Brandon is a 31 year old white man who talks to us about living with HIV, recovery from substance use disorder and his incredibly difficult childhood in foster care where he experienced abuse.
-
Eddie Revisited - Suicide attempts, bipolar disorder and mental health challenges
We sit down and chat with Eddie again, today we chat to him about his mental health and suicide attempts. He discusses how his struggles with his sexual orientation caused his first suicide attempt when he was 11 years old. *Explicit language*
-
Shelly - Living with HIV, abusive relationships and recovery
Shelly is a 54 year old black woman from Newark, New Jersey. She is a wonderful role model to many. She lives with HIV, has 15 years in recovery from drug use and now works helping people who are newly diagnosed with HIV come to terms with that diagnosis. She talks about her spent time in prison for killing an abusive boyfriend, her HIV and how her husband dealt with her HIV diagnosis with great kindness.
-
Mateo: law school, growing up in a conservative family and being transgender
Mateo is a 24 year old transgender man from California. He's in his first year of law school but its taken an incredible journey to get there. Born into a highly conservative family with a pastor for a father, he grew up in a homophobic and trans phobic home.
-
Emily: escaping an abusive marriage, sex work and trauma
Emily chats to us about the sexual abuse she experienced as a teen, her abusive marriage and her goals for the future.
Customer Reviews
Very Emotive
This is real life and hardship. The Podcast has a simple concept and is beautifully executed. I was a little in awe in some places, slightly aggravated in others and emotional in others. Such a great concept and hearing these stories is awesome. The rapport building and interview technique is real and inspiring. It's worth a listen :)
Heres the truth....
Listening to these guys was both sad and inspiring. They talk with such pride, passion and honestly but underlying their personal tragedies laid bare was the sadness of their lives made worse by the daily fight they are having with prejudices, fighting addiction and trying to survive.
Well done Nicky for giving them the time and space to express themselves and feel listened too. I look forward to more.....
Hard-hitting and stark
These interviews are the lives of people who face awful hardships every day, sometimes through choice but, more often than not, through circumstance. Through the interviewer's questioning, it's difficult to listen without feeling a great empathy towards those being interviewed. A great podcast.