Dr. Kristin Beasley, Overcoming Trauma and Building Resilience

Michael D. Cohen, Pursuing Your Dreams at All Costs, While Fully Living Authentically to Get There

On this episode of Talk Out Loud we are joined by the talented Michael D. Cohen from Nickelodeon's hit sit-coms Henry Danger and Danger Force where he plays the genius, Schwoz Schwartz. Michael shares how a degree in molecular biology gave him a different understanding of how everything works while pursuing his dreams at all costs. All the while, he was fully living authentically to get there!

Sophie Santos, Finding Your True Voice After Spending Most of Your Life Trying to Fit In

Sophie Santos is a tv writer and comedian behind The Lesbian Agenda Show and we are diving into her hilarious and heartfelt memoir, The One You Want to Marry (And Other Identities I’ve Had). 

Sophie is the only child of a perpetually transferring Filipino, Spanish, US Army officer and a spitfire nurse, she spent her early years starting over again and again―and accumulating her fair share of anxieties. 

This led her to creating a life that she realized was not the one that she truly wanted. In her memoir she shares just how she found her way while using her brilliant wit and remarkable sense of humor!

Max Harwood and Lauren Patel, A Deeper Dive into Creating Amazon‘s Movie, Everybody‘s Talking About Jamie

Max Harwood and Lauren Patel star in the film adaptation of the award-winning hit musical from London’s West End, Everybody’s Talking About Jaime.

Inspired by true events,  the film tells the story of Jamie New, played by Max Harwood, a teenager in a blue-collar English town with a dream of life on stage. While his classmates plan their livelihoods after graduation, Jamie contemplates revealing his secret career ambition. He wants to a fabulous and proud drag queen.

His best friend Pritti played by Lauren Patel and his loving mom shower him with endless support.  Local drag legend, Miss Loco Chanelle, played by Richard E. Grant, mentors him toward his debut stage performance.

But it’s not all rainbows for Jamie. His deadbeat dad, an uninspired career advisor, and some ignorant school kids, attempt to rain on his sensational aspirations. With rousing and colorful musical numbers, Jamie and his community inspire one another to be more accepting. They come together to see the value in facing adversity and stepping out of the darkness into the spotlight.  

Alexandra Grey, Follow Your Dreams to Live the Life You Were Meant to Live

Alexandra Grey is an actress, musician, and screenwriter. Alexandra lost her mom at a young age and grew up in Chicago in seven different foster homes. Her relationship with God sustained her over the years through some tough times. She knew that she had a story to tell as a black trans woman and had to keep going. 

Holding on to the wise words of a friend, she took a leap of faith. With little money in her pocket, she moved to Los Angeles, to pursue her dream. Navigating her way through the Hollywood network, she eventually broke through and began working as an actress. 

Through hard work, determination, and much faith, Alexandra has been able to play important roles. This includes Lucy Hicks Anderson in the HBO Documentary, Equal, and Stonewall activist Marsha P. Johnson in Comedy Central’s, Drunk History. You can also find her helping to solve the case as Parker Phillips in the fifth season of the CBS action-adventure series MacGyver. 

Justin Mikita, Paving the Way for LGBTQIA+ Equality Across the Globe

From a young age, Justin Mikita has had a love for performing. His passion got him accepted into UCLA’s theater program. That experience did not go as planned which led to him switching majors and becoming an attorney.

While studying he would meet his husband to be, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Their work would parallel one another. Jesse changed hearts and minds playing a gay man on ABC’s hit show, Modern Family. Justin worked diligently on the legal front to help overturn California’s controversial Prop 8 and achieve marriage equality across the country.  

Justin's activism has also come through his organization, Tie the Knot, and with the film, Welcome to Chechnya. Today because of their and countless other's work they get to celebrate their first Father’s Day this weekend with their son Beckett that they welcomed during the pandemic.