Out of Queeriosity Elena Joy Thurston

Are you book-curious or book ready? Did you know the publishing industry is 89% hetero? We NEED LGBTQ+ writers, we need YOUR voices. If you have expertise and always wanted to write a book or you are ready to take your business to the next level, then OUTWrite Authors might be for you. This week we take a deep dive with our instructor of OUTWrite Authors, Suzette Mullen (she/her), and our very own Director of Operations, C. Rizleris (they/them), who also happens to be an OUTWrite Authors grad. 

Suzette Mullen (she/her) is a memoir and nonfiction book coach, retreat leader, and the author of the memoir The Only Way Through Is Out, forthcoming February 13, 2024, from the University of Wisconsin Press. Her publications include a “tiny love story” in the New York Times and “The Subaru Should Have Been a Sign,” an essay that went viral on today.com.  As a book coach, Suzette builds safe and supportive communities for queer writers where she helps them find their deeper stories and big ideas, choose the structures that serve those stories and ideas, sort through their publication options, find agent representation, and land book deals.

C. Rizleris (they/them) is a recent MFA Writing graduate from Vermont College of Fine Arts. They are a contributing writer for the Pride and Joy Foundation and have worked in higher education for over ten years. They currently volunteer with LGBTQ+ youth at the Guilford Green Foundation and serve on the Transgender Task Force Committee for the city of Greensboro, NC. You can find C. on Twitter @rizwrites or visit their website. 

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Our podcasts are produced with the incredible help of Jessica Whipple. Are you in need of podcast assistance? Find Jess online for podcast management support:

jessicawhipple.com

@jessicawhipple.wav

Our bonus episodes feature the voices of the most recent graduates of our Keynote Queers program. This is our 8-week online course just for LGBTQ+ participants, to learn public speaking skills as well as the knowledge to build public speaking into an extra form of income. Whether our participants were pitching their own small business, upleveling their skills for their corporate career, or just learning how to effectively move audiences to take action, our Keynote Queers gave a hell of a graduation presentation and we are here to share it with you! Can you imagine squishing an entire keynote into just 10 minutes? This is considered expert level skills in the public speaking world and it was our graduates' capstone project. Check back here on Thursdays in the summer of 2023 to hear from another Keynote Queer graduate. 

Nicki Hangsleben (she/they) is the Executive Director and Founder of QUEERSPACE collective, an organization committed to creating space for LGBTQ+ youth to feel safe and empowered to be their true selves. They have been providing leadership in both for-profit and non-profits spaces for over 20 years and have a diverse background in strategic partnerships, business development, program oversight and financial management. Nicki grew up in South Minneapolis surrounded by a vibrant LGBTQ+ community and currently lives in North Minneapolis with her wife and two amazing kids. They are passionate about serving their community, advocating for the rights of all humans, and creating lasting impact locally and globally.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicki-hangsleben-539b815/

 www.queerspacecollective.org

 www.instagram.com/queerspacecollective/

 

Kicking off Season Three of Out of Queeriosity, we are excited to speak with Nicole Gress, she/they, about her business journey with Undead Voice, an online trans/nonbinary speech platform. 

Behind Undead Voice is the founder, Nicole Gress (she/they), a leading expert in demedicalizing transgender voice care. As a gender-fluid individual, they know firsthand the power of voice in affirming one's gender identity. Nicole has leveraged their eight years of experience as a speech-language pathologist in the trans voice specialty to redefine voice transition care and champion innovative, inclusive solutions for the transgender community.

And now you have the opportunity to chat with Nicole live! Join us for our next Pride and Joy Parents event, an evening with Nicole Gress to learn how affirming voice impacts mental health and how quickly and thoroughly it can be accomplished in a noninvasive way. Save your seat at www.PrideandJoyParents.com. 

Undead Voice: https://www.undeadvoice.com/

Trans Voice Guide: https://www.undeadvoice.com/guide 

_________________________________

Our podcasts are produced with the incredible help of Jessica Whipple. Are you in need of podcast assistance? Find Jess online for podcast management support:

jessicawhipple.com

@jessicawhipple.wav

 

 

Our bonus episodes feature the voices of the most recent graduates of our Keynote Queers program. This is our 8-week online course just for LGBTQ+ participants, to learn public speaking skills as well as the knowledge to build public speaking into an extra form of income. Whether our participants were pitching their own small business, upleveling their skills for their corporate career, or just learning how to effectively move audiences to take action, our Keynote Queers gave a hell of a graduation presentation and we are here to share it with you! Can you imagine squishing an entire keynote into just 10 minutes? This is considered expert level skills in the public speaking world and it was our graduates' capstone project. Check back here on Thursdays in the summer of 2023 to hear from another Keynote Queer graduate. 

Robert Halley (he/him) was born in Toronto of Guyanese ancestry and celebrates diversity through empathetic compassion, kindness, and play. He has traveled globally with a 20+ year accomplished performing arts career highlighted in ‘The Lion King’ (London), ’Wicked’ (Osaka, Japan), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and ’Star Trek: Discovery.’ He is a certified 400hr yoga teacher, mindfulness meditation, and life & health coach actively featured on the acclaimed Insight Timer app. Robert is the CEO of Withyin, combining creativity and play with holistic habits to inspire healthy habits for mindful living. He is close to completing a five-year process of developing The Wellness Oracle, a one-of-a-kind card game combining breathtaking photography with globally renowned wellness practices. Robert is proud to bring his creative community wellness interactive performance experience to pride festivals around the world, where bite-sized wellness tips, storytelling, runway, voguing, and motivational dance come together.

https://www.withyin.ca/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-halley/

https://www.instagram.com/iamroberthalley/

https://www.facebook.com/rbhalley

https://www.youtube.com/@withyin

Our bonus episodes feature the voices of the most recent graduates of our Keynote Queers program. This is our 8-week online course just for LGBTQ+ participants, to learn public speaking skills as well as the knowledge to build public speaking into an extra form of income. Whether our participants were pitching their own small business, upleveling their skills for their corporate career, or just learning how to effectively move audiences to take action, our Keynote Queers gave a hell of a graduation presentation and we are here to share it with you! Can you imagine squishing an entire keynote into just 10 minutes? This is considered expert level skills in the public speaking world and it was our graduates' capstone project. Check back here on Thursdays in the summer of 2023 to hear from another Keynote Queer graduate. 

Naomi Mendes-Pouget (she/they) is raw unfiltered energy as she inspires, motivates, and coaches parents of historically marginalized communities to stop settling for scraps and to bravely activate their powerful life as a leader for their family and communities. They’ve been featured in CBC, VoyageMIA, and on several podcasts. A founder/CEO, life fulfillment and freedom coach, business coach, preschooler ‘pandemic’ parent, genderqueer woman, and public motivational speaker are only some of the ways Naomi shows up every day. During a Naomi talk, the audience will cry, laugh, feel seen, and feed their inner fire. The impact will go on to transform their lives in all facets.

https://floresce.family

 https://instagram.com/naomi_authentically

https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomimendes-pouget 

Our bonus episodes feature the voices of the most recent graduates of our Keynote Queers program. This is our 8-week online course just for LGBTQ+ participants, to learn public speaking skills as well as the knowledge to build public speaking into an extra form of income. Whether our participants were pitching their own small business, upleveling their skills for their corporate career, or just learning how to effectively move audiences to take action, our Keynote Queers gave a hell of a graduation presentation and we are here to share it with you! Can you imagine squishing an entire keynote into just 10 minutes? This is considered expert level skills in the public speaking world and it was our graduates' capstone project. Check back here on Thursdays in the summer of 2023 to hear from another Keynote Queer graduate. 

Kalyela “Coach K” Josephs (she/they) is an Inspirational Speaker, Life Coach, and LGBTQ+ Wellbeing Advocate and the Founder of QueeronPurpose Coaching who helps individuals UNLEASH their potential and thrive in their purpose and wellbeing. Her empowering messages come straight from the heart – she digs deep into her own authentic self to connect with others and guide them to a place of personal and professional confidence. They empower Queer leaders, LGBTQ+ Resource Groups, DEI Practitioners, and Allies to build healthier organizations by cultivating purpose, change, and inclusivity. Coach K also serves as a Queer Spirituality Coach helping Queer folks heal from Religious Trauma and experience spiritual freedom. She inspires the queer community to remain connected, resilient, and purposeful.

www.kalyelaj.com

https://www.instagram.com/queeronpurpose/