On the 16th episode of Trauma, But Make It Funny, Bri welcomes her friend from college, Megan Kastner. Megan tells Bri the story about what lead up to her ultimately having to get her colon removed - and there are some twists and turns, people.  Bri and Megan talk through a ton of SHIT, literally, with an emphasis on how important it is to advocate for your own health. This story takes place over the pandemic, so that adds another crazy element, which I'm sure you can imagine.

Megan's positive attitude about her new life is contagious, and I hope you feel gratitude after hearing this episode, just like Megan feels gratitude after a chronic illness changed her life.   

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death. AFSP is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide.  AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health by engaging in the following core strategies:

• Funding scientific research
• Educating the public about mental health and suicide prevention
• Advocating for public policies in mental health and suicide prevention
• Supporting survivors of suicide loss and those affected by suicide

To donate to AFSP, visit: https://supporting.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.event&eventID=1&language=en

On this LONG overdue episode of Trauma, But Make It Funny, Bri welcomes her friend, who also happens to be her brother's girlfriend, Emily Scarborough. Bri and Emily talk about a TON, and could've easily talked for hours and hours. They chat about health and relationship anxiety, Emily's brother, how she got through her parents getting divorced, and a story about sexual assault.     

The Autism Society of America works every day to measurably improve the quality of life for individuals and families affected by autism. To support the Autism Society of America, go here: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/autism-society-of-america-bethesda-md/autism-society-main-donation-page

On this  episode of Trauma, But Make It Funny, Bri welcomes the lovely Sarah Crawford.  Buckle up friends, because Sarah has some stories to tell. 

Sarah and Bri talk about domestic abuse, her father passing away, struggles with an eating disorder, her sexuality, and, no joke, almost getting kidnapped in Amsterdam. Like I said, buckle up. 

We are so thankful that Sarah chose to tell her story - it is not an easy one to tell, and she did it with such grace. Thanks for being you, Sarah. And reminder, friends, to take care of yourselves. 

Here are a few resources if you ever need them:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
• The National Eating Disorders Association: 800-931-2237

On this  episode of Trauma, But Make It Funny, Bri welcomes her high school classmate and current high school History teacher, Andy Driscoll. Andy and Bri talk through the experience of Andy being the child of an alcoholic, the way he managed living in a turbulent and non-functioning household growing up, and his feelings surrounding the ultimate death of his father due to alcoholism. 

To support  St. Jude's Research Hospital, whose mission is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment, go here:

https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude-today.html?adobe_mc_sdid=SDID%3D1E8EC9CFB6991131-0A0262F8182E8C7C%7CMCORGID%3D091B467352782E0D0A490D45%40AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1625253739&adobe_mc_ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stjude.org%2Fabout-st-jude%2Fwhy-support-st-jude.html&sc_icid=header-btn-donate-now

On this  episode of Trauma, But Make It Funny, Bri welcomes her former post-grad roomie, Amanda Lewton. Amanda tells Bri the story of her friend, Rowen. Amanda and Bri talk through the struggle of losing someone you look up to as a role model and how that can go on to affect you later in life. It's interesting how friendships can keep growing in their own way, even when someone's gone.

Warning - some of the subjects discussed during this episode are sensitive in nature.

To support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education, and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death, go here:

https://afsp.donordrive.com/?_ga=2.57590442.1086294406.1624286099-1156304522.1624286099

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States: 1-800-273-8255

Welcome back for Season 2, friends!

On the Season 2 Premiere of of Trauma, But Make It Funny, Bri welcomes Emily Lesser. Bri and Emily talk about the difficulties of Post College Graduation depression and anxiety, how hard the job search is, and her mental health journey before COVID, through COVID, and now. I'm sure you can imagine that things got pretty rough the past year, right?

Folks, I'll be honest. All of our episodes feature extremely special stories and extremely special people. However, this episode is sits close to my heart. You'll hear more about it in this episode, but Emily is running for "Woman of the Year", which is a ten-week fundraising competition that benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Emily has been planning and working for months to raise as much money as she can for those ten weeks. She built a team (with over 40 people), held fundraising events, and truly dedicated herself to the mission in honor of, well, me. Which is super cool.

Her campaign is almost over, literally THIS WEEK, so if you feel ever so inclined, donate to her campaign, an amazing cause, and make an impact on blood cancer. Hit the link below!

https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/li/li21/elesser

On this season finale episode of Trauma, But Make It Funny, Bri welcomes her brother, Jake Hancin. At first, Jake thinks he doesn't have any trauma to talk about - which is very similar to many people. However, Jake and Bri end up talking about Jake's time in basic training in the National Guard, some super traumatic missions Jake has volunteered for, and what it's like to be a sibling to someone who has cancer. Yeah, we go there.

Thanks to everyone for your constant support and love. Trauma, But Make It Funny  will be back soon for Season 2 with even crazier and funnier (traumatic) content.

Some of the subjects discussed during this episode can be sensitive, so there is a trigger warning at the beginning of this episode. Please take care of yourself while listening.

Doctors Without Borders' mission is to provide lifesaving medical care to those most in need. All members agree to honor the following principles: to provide assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters, and to victims of armed conflict.  For DWB, the ability to respond quickly ro medical humanitarian emergencies is crucial to saving lives. To donate, please visit: https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/onetime.cfm

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States: 1-800-273-8255

On this  episode of Trauma, But Make It Funny, Bri welcomes her cousin, Megan Bromwell. Megan tells the story of how a really horrible start to her freshman year of college changed her life. They dive into struggles that Megan faced that include dealing with the suicide of a best friend, developing an eating disorder, and the struggles and pressures of being a college athlete (but also kicking ass).

Some of the subjects discussed during this episode can be sensitive, so there is a trigger warning at the beginning of this episode. Please take care of yourself when listening.

The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. You can contact the Helpline for support, resources, and treatment options for yourself or a loved one. Helpline volunteers are trained to help you find the information and support you are looking for - 1-800-931-2237. To support NEDA, who helps those in need with prevention programming, education and support resources, and helping to move research forward so we can better understand and treat the illness, visit: https://secure3.convio.net/neda/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app30125a?df_id=6203&mfc_pref=T&6203.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=AC78DF20CBF40B174486B1B9C1CAE5D5

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States: 1-800-273-8255