Alter Eagle

Laura K. Crago

This podcast is brought to you by the Butler Eagle out of Butler, PA. Butler, PA a town located just 35 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA built on a wealth of history, known for oil refining roots to the present day Marcellus Shale boom, from railroad car manufacturing in the past to the birth of the Bantam Jeep in 1941, to a 153-year-old local newspaper, the Butler Eagle where our story begins... Here at the Butler Eagle we've been reporting the daily news since 1870 bringing the facts, real stories of real events happening in our community and now we are here to bring the voices to those stories. To talk about the issues that our community is facing daily and how they relate to the world at large. Join us every Monday and Wednesday, starting in February 2024, with each season focusing on a different topic. Follow us on Instagram: altereaglepodcast www.butlereagle.com

  1. Just Hold Her: A Foster Mother's Story of Care, Faith, and Letting Go

    APR 15

    Just Hold Her: A Foster Mother's Story of Care, Faith, and Letting Go

    This episode contains discussion of medical complexity, end-of-life care, and child loss. Listener discretion is advised.   When Judy Wright received the call, the request was not to save a life, but to care for one.   In this episode, Wright discusses her memoir Just Hold Her, which documents her experience fostering a medically fragile infant with complex and life-limiting conditions. The child, Jayden, was two months old and weighed four pounds at placement, with 27 medical diagnoses and no clear treatment path.   Drawing from detailed notes kept during a two-year period of care, Wright outlines the day-to-day realities of managing intensive medical needs inside a home setting. The conversation examines the intersection of foster care, healthcare systems, and the emotional demands placed on caregivers working without certainty of outcome.   Wright, along with her late husband, fostered 55 children over 12 years, many with significant medical challenges. She reflects on the structure and gaps within the foster system, the role of faith in long-term caregiving, and what it means to provide stability in cases where recovery is unlikely.   This episode contains discussion of medical complexity, end-of-life care, and child loss. Listener discretion is advised.   For more on Judy and her book go to: https://justholdher.com/   Sponsors:   https://www.betterhelp.com/altereagle     Follow & Subscribe to get episodes automatically as they drop every Wednesday. Audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Audible, and Deezer, as well as YouTube. This Podcast is produced at The Butler Eagle located in Butler, PA. Subscribe to this channel for all Butler Eagle News content and go to:   https://www.alter-eagle.com/     https://www.butlereagle.com/       #butlerpa  #podcast #resources #community #Pittsburgh #hope #change #altereagle #altereaglepodcast #movement #education #butlerdowntown #downtownbutler #butlercountydowntown #downtownbutler #butlerdowntown #community #fosterparent #endoflifecare #fosteringsaveslives   Hosted, Produced & Edited By: Laura Crago

    1h 7m
  2. Evan's Monumental Gifts: In Memory, In Stone, With Love.

    APR 1

    Evan's Monumental Gifts: In Memory, In Stone, With Love.

    Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of child loss, depression and deep grief. There is also conversation surrounding child loss through stillbirth. Listener discretion is advised.  What does it mean to remember a life that was gone too soon? In this episode, we share the story behind Evan's Monumental Gifts, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to honoring children who have passed by ensuring their names are never forgotten. Funded primarily through donations and fundraising, the organization provides families with a personalized memorial stone, or support toward a custom design, offering something lasting in the midst of unimaginable loss. Through conversation and reflection, Kiara and I explore the reality of child loss, the weight of grief that never fully fades, and the ways love continues, even after goodbye. If you are listening because you've experienced this kind of loss, I am so deeply sorry. This episode holds space for you. This is a story of grief… but also of remembrance, legacy, and the quiet, powerful impact of making sure every child's name lives on.   Sponsors: https://www.betterhelp.com/altereagle   Follow & Subscribe to get episodes automatically as they drop every Wednesday. Audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Audible, and Deezer, as well as YouTube. This Podcast is produced at The Butler Eagle located in Butler, PA. Subscribe to this channel for all Butler Eagle News content and go to:   https://www.alter-eagle.com/   https://www.butlereagle.com/   #butlerpa  #podcast #resources #community #Pittsburgh #hope #change #altereagle #altereaglepodcast  #movement #education #butlerdowntown #downtownbutler #butlercountydowntown #downtownbutler #butlerdowntown #community #evansmonumentalgifts #childloss #motherslove #grief #therapy    Hosted, Produced & Edited By: Laura Crago

    39 min
  3. Rooted in Care: Ashlynn's Work in Hospice, Grief & Making Outside a Priority

    FEB 25

    Rooted in Care: Ashlynn's Work in Hospice, Grief & Making Outside a Priority

    At just 32 years old, Ashlynn has built a career walking alongside individuals and families during some of life's most vulnerable seasons.   A Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in gerontology, the study of aging, Ashlynn has worked across hospice, home health, and programs designed to help older adults remain in their homes despite chronic illness, poverty, and mental health challenges. Her professional focus includes death and dying, grief and loss, and helping families navigate those deeply emotional transitions with dignity.   After earning her Bachelor's in Social Work from Mercyhurst University and completed a Master's of social work program from the University of Pittsburgh , and recently completed 3,000 supervised hours and passed her Licensed Clinical Social Work exam.     If you're watching the video version, behind Ashlynn is a photograph of the flowers she grew herself for her wedding a detail that feels symbolic. Whether she's supporting families through grief or tending to a garden with her dad, Ashlynn understands that care takes time, intention, and grounding.   We talk about: • Aging and gerontology • Hospice and end-of-life care • Grief and loss • Burnout and sustainability in helping professions • Why stepping outside matters more than we think   If you work in healthcare, social work, caregiving or simply want to better understand the aging process and how to support loved ones, this conversation is for you.   Subscribe for more conversations rooted in curiosity, community, and care.   Sponsors:   https://www.betterhelp.com/altereagle     Follow & Subscribe to get episodes automatically as they drop every Monday. Audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Audible, and Deezer, as well as YouTube. This Podcast is produced at The Butler Eagle located in Butler, PA. Subscribe to this channel for all Butler Eagle News content and go to:   https://www.alter-eagle.com/     https://www.butlereagle.com/       #butlerpa  #podcast #resources #community #Pittsburgh #hope #change #altereagle #altereaglepodcast  #movement #education #butlerdowntown #downtownbutler #butlercountydowntown #downtownbutler #butlerdowntown #hospice #socialworker #grief #community #curiosity #care #healthcare     Hosted, Produced & Edited By: Laura Crago

    1h 1m
  4. From Butler to Europe: Learning German, Building Museums & Finding Home (Part Two)

    FEB 18

    From Butler to Europe: Learning German, Building Museums & Finding Home (Part Two)

    What happens when travel becomes home?   In this episode of Alter Eagle, Vicky and Kristin share what it really means to live in another language, but by being immersed. From learning German alongside your children in Switzerland, to designing world-class museums across Europe, this conversation explores identity, belonging, and the humility that comes with becoming "the other."   We talk about: • Learning a new language as an adult • Raising globally fluent kids • Building museums that shape cultural storytelling • The difference between traveling and truly living abroad • Friendship that spans decades and continents   This is about more than geography. It's about who you become when you step outside of what's familiar.   Sponsors:   https://www.betterhelp.com/altereagle     Follow & Subscribe to get episodes automatically as they drop every Monday. Audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Audible, and Deezer, as well as YouTube. This Podcast is produced at The Butler Eagle located in Butler, PA. Subscribe to this channel for all Butler Eagle News content and go to:   https://www.alter-eagle.com/     https://www.butlereagle.com/       #butlerpa  #podcast #resources #community #Pittsburgh #hope #change #altereagle #altereaglepodcast  #movement #education #butlerdowntown #downtownbutler #butlercountydowntown #downtownbutler #butlerdowntown #travel #abroad #curiosity #hometown     Hosted, Produced & Edited By: Laura Crago

    1h 3m
4.9
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

This podcast is brought to you by the Butler Eagle out of Butler, PA. Butler, PA a town located just 35 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA built on a wealth of history, known for oil refining roots to the present day Marcellus Shale boom, from railroad car manufacturing in the past to the birth of the Bantam Jeep in 1941, to a 153-year-old local newspaper, the Butler Eagle where our story begins... Here at the Butler Eagle we've been reporting the daily news since 1870 bringing the facts, real stories of real events happening in our community and now we are here to bring the voices to those stories. To talk about the issues that our community is facing daily and how they relate to the world at large. Join us every Monday and Wednesday, starting in February 2024, with each season focusing on a different topic. Follow us on Instagram: altereaglepodcast www.butlereagle.com

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