Unpacking The Closet

Unpacking The Closet
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  • Updated Weekly

Unpacking the Closet is a queer podcast exploring identity, mental health, relationships, culture, and self-expression through candid conversations. Hosted by Geri and Caitlin, the show centers lived experience, real questions, and everyday complexity, creating space for listeners to feel seen and heard.

  1. May 5

    Beltane: Time to Bloom

    Beltane falls on May 1st, the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. It marks the ancient Celtic beginning of summer: a fire festival rooted in themes of fertility, desire, abundance, and permission. For this show, those themes translate into something deeply personal: what do you allow yourself to want? What do you keep caged, and why? #beltane #summersolstice #solstice #mayday #firefestival #unpackingtheclosetpodcast

    21 min

  2. Apr 28

    The Power of Being Seen with Kelly Balch

    Kelly Balch has spent a career asking people to be fully present in front of a lens and what they've learned is that the camera is only part of the story. In this episode, we go deep into the emotional and psychological architecture behind Kelly's docuseries, what it means to witness someone's truth and hold it with intention, and how their own journey as a nonbinary, queer artist has shaped the way they move through the world and the work. This is a conversation about creativity as a spiritual practice, storytelling as activism, and what becomes possible when we finally let ourselves be seen. You can find Kelly here: https://kellybalch.com/ And you can support us being liking, following and sharing! @unpaqckingthecloset on all social platforms! #beingseen @queerphotography #queerphotographer #queerpodcast #unpackingtheclosetpodcast #lqbtqpodcast

    47 min

  3. Apr 21

    When Girls Get the Tools with Christina Yoon

    What changes when girls, and especially queer girls, girls of color, and girls at the margins, are given real access to education, resources, skills, and spaces of creation and leadership? Christina Yoon has spent nearly two decades in construction and engineering asking that exact question. In this episode, we explore the systemic gaps that have historically shut girls out of the trades and STEAM fields, what intentional access and mentorship look like in practice, and the quiet revolution that happens when someone who was told "this isn't for you" picks up a tool and builds something anyway. You can support Girl Buildrs by visiting their website https://www.girlbuildrs.org and following them on social media @girlbuildrs You can support use by liking, commenting, and sharing! Helps us grow our community and reach more folks! And follow us on social media @unpackingthecloset #girlsinstem #girlswhobuild #girlsinengineering #girlsinconstruction #girlbuildrs #girlswithtools #girlsinstemfields

    39 min

  4. Apr 14

    From Gladiator to Guru: Strength, Shame & Relearning with Tiffaney Florentine

    Tiffaney Florentine has done everything right, by every external measure. Veteran. CIA. Management consultant. American Gladiator finalist. And still, she hit a wall. In this episode, we explore what happens when high-achieving women realize that success was never the thing they were actually chasing, the difference between performing strength and embodying it, and how the "hustle for love" pattern keeps so many of us stuck no matter how much we accomplish. You can find Tiffaney here: Instagram @tiffaney.flo Website tiffaneyflorentine.com And you can listen to us anywhere you get your podcasts or follow us @unpackingthecloset on TikTok and Instagram!

    42 min

  5. Apr 7

    The Local Lens: Storytelling, Bike commuting, Civic life with Helen Krieger

    What do a writers room, a bike commute, and Hurricane Katrina have in common? For Helen Krieger, they're all chapters in the same story: one about community, what it costs to lose it, and what it takes to rebuild it. In this episode, we explore how storytelling became Helen's entry point to both craft and civic life, and what it means to reclaim your queer identity when the world has quietly made you feel like you don't quite count. You can learn more about Helen here: https://www.helen4weho.org #UnpackingTheCloset #UnpackingTheClosetPodcast #TheLocalLens #QueerPodcast #LGBTQPodcast #QueerStorytelling  #Helen4WeHo #HelenKrieger #WestHollywood #WeHo #WestHollywoodCityCouncil #CityCouncil2026 #WeHo2026 #KriegerForWeHo #TVWriter #WritersRoom #Screenwriter #LocalPolitics #CivicEngagement #BiVisibility #BiIdentity #QueerBelonging #QueerCommunity #BiRepresentation #HousingAffordability #RenterRights #BikeAdvocacy #BikeCommute #NewOrleans #HurricaneKatrina #AffordableHousing #ArtistHousing #QueerVoices #RepresentationMatters #LGBTQPolitics #QueerActivism #WomenInPolitics #QueerLeadership #CommunityBuilding #LocalGovernment

    41 min

  6. Mar 31

    Reclaiming Your Story Through Art with Maze Felix

    Art has always been one of the most powerful ways humans make meaning, and for queer and marginalized communities, it has often been the only space where our full truth could exist. In this episode, we'll explore how creative practice becomes a site of reclamation: how making art can help us process trauma, reconstruct identity, and insist on our own visibility. We want to hear about your work, your process, and what it means to you personally to create from an authentic place. You can follow Maze at: Instagram @hi.there.im.maze  IG link: Maze Felix And you can listen to us anywhere you get your podcasts and follow here:Socials: @unpackingthecloset Youtube: @unpackingtheClosetPod #unpackingtheclosetpodcast #unpackingthecloset #lqbtqpodcast #queerpodcast #queerart #queerjoy

    52 min

  7. Mar 24

    Secrets, Shames, and the Stories That Set Us Free: With Kyle Ridley

    This episode goes into tender territory: the stories we hide, the shame we carry quietly, and what it looks and feels like when we finally let them out. We'll talk about the relationship between secrecy and identity, why shame thrives in silence, and how vulnerability, especially in queer and marginalized communities, can be one of the most radical acts there is. This won't be a heavy episode, we bring warmth and humor to even the hardest topics, but it will be real and honest. Todays guest is Kyle Ridley an Emmy Award-winning TV journalist and former morning show producer. He is now host of The Tangle with Kyle Ridley podcast, where he unpacks the stories that don’t fit in a 5-minute segment. And in 2026, Kyle publicly shared his decade-long secret struggle with bulimia, one of the most under-discussed topics in men’s and LGBTQ+ health. You can follow Kyle here: Host: The Tangle with Kyle Ridley (2025 SpeakerCon winner for "New Podcast of the Year") Founder: Ridley Media  Instagram: kyleridley_

    40 min

  8. Mar 17

    Stories for the Outsiders: A Conversation with Kestral Gaian

    In this episode of Unpacking the Closet, Geri and Caitlin sit down with UK-based author, playwright, poet, and performer Kestral Gaian (they/them) for a conversation about the radical power of storytelling. Kestral is the author behind The Boy From Elsewhere and the editor behind Twenty-Eight, a groundbreaking anthology gathering voices from the Section 28 generation, the UK's original 'don't say gay' law that silenced LGBT+ youth for fifteen years. This one is for every queer kid who ever looked for themselves in a book and came up empty. 🏳️‍🌈 🔗 Find Kestral Gaian:  🌐 Website: www.kestr.al  📸 Instagram: @kes.tr.al 🦋 Bluesky: @kestr.al 🐘 Fedi: @kestral@hackers.town 💬 This week's reflection questions: What's the first story where you felt truly seen?Whose voice has been missing from the stories you've consumed?What would change if you treated your own story as worthy of being heard? Unpacking the Closet is hosted by Geri & Caitlin. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow us wherever you listen.

    39 min
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About

Unpacking the Closet is a queer podcast exploring identity, mental health, relationships, culture, and self-expression through candid conversations. Hosted by Geri and Caitlin, the show centers lived experience, real questions, and everyday complexity, creating space for listeners to feel seen and heard.

Information

  • Creator
    Unpacking The Closet
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Unpacking The Closet
  • Show Website
    Unpacking The Closet