"I was just existing." That's how Addison Radcliff describes childhood — before the world started handing her labels she never asked for.

In this episode of Be the Glitter, host Laura Paisley Beck sits down with Addison Radcliff — Dane County realtor, board member for Advocates for Transgender Equality, and a woman who's been navigating the world as her authentic self since third grade.

Addison opens up about realizing her identity before she had the words for it, the complicated relationship with a biological father who responded to her identity with violence, the mom who became her fiercest advocate, and why "if you can't love yourself, you can't love somebody else" isn't just a cliché — it's survival. She also gets into what real allyship looks like (and where it goes wrong), and why trans rights, reproductive rights, and healthcare access are more connected than most people realize.

This conversation moves through hard truths and real joy — because that's what Be the Glitter is all about: tough topics, told with heart, that leave you with something that sticks.

Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro & Meet Addison Radcliff 0:25 – Realtor by day, advocate at heart 1:47 – Coming and going as "Addison" in elementary school 3:44 – Starting hormones at 14 & living out loud in high school 5:02 – Her mom: the ultimate advocate 7:31 – Realizing her identity before she had the words for it 11:40 – The relationship with her biological father 16:20 – Choosing to walk away for her own safety 17:05 – "If you can't love yourself..." — self-love as survival 18:55 – Building her own chosen family 22:26 – Be the Glitter: what it means to Addison 23:49 – When allies get it wrong 26:56 – Trans rights, reproductive rights & why they're connected 30:20 – Advice for anyone finding their authentic self 31:20 – Gratitude & shoutouts 36:20 – Closing thoughts

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs it. Follow and subscribe to help us build a community rooted in compassionate curiosity.

🔗 All the links for Wa'am — https://linktr.ee/waamwrites

🔗 Connect with Addison Radcliff: https://aradcliffe.starkhomes.com/

🔗 Learn more about Advocates for Transgender Equality: https://transequality.org

🎵 Music provided by Chillhop Music https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred

#BeTheGlitter #TransVoices #LGBTQ #Allyship #TransRights #SelfLove #Authenticity #TransgenderJourney

🎙️ Be the Glitter: Kammie Flips the Script and Interviews ME

In this special role-reversal episode, my guest Kamryn Fraser decided she wasn't going to let me get away with just asking the questions this time. She turns the mic around and interviews me — so you get to hear a lot more about my own story than usual, including the dark place that led me to OPEN Foundation, why safe spaces matter so much to me personally, and what it really means to be an ally.

💫 KEY TOPICS:

• Why safe spaces matter — and what it's like living without them
• How community and self-love create a "ripple effect" of confidence and joy
• The Watertown HS Wind Symphony story — standing up when a school board banned a piece honoring Marsha P. Johnson
• How OPEN Foundation's affirming career fairs are changing lives (90% of one event's applicants were trans or non-binary)
• The dark spiral that led me to found my path with OPEN Foundation
• What allyship actually looks like — small, simple, everyday acts
• Kammie's journey navigating identity as a kid of the '70s, and reclaiming her name

🌈 MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Omar Thomas — composer of "A Mother of a Revolution," dedicated to Marsha P. Johnson
• Watertown High School Wind Symphony concert (hosted by Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church)
• OPEN Foundation's "Ready, Set, Glow" affirming career fair
• Skipping Stone Foundation (Calgary) — support for trans people
• Sponsor: New Valley Labs — hello@newvalleylabs.com

⏱️ TIME MARKERS: (placeholders — adjust to your final edit) 0:00 – Intro & welcome 1:30 – "If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?" 6:00 – Why safe spaces matter 14:30 – Sponsor message: New Valley Labs 15:30 – Self-love, community & the "ripple effect" of joy 18:00 – The Watertown Wind Symphony story 26:00 – OPEN Foundation's origin story & "Ready, Set, Glow" 33:00 – Subscribe/share reminder 34:00 – Kammie's story: identity, allyship & small acts of kindness 44:00 – Wrap-up & what's next (listener Q&A idea!)

Ready to Be the Glitter? Add some SASS (Share And Subscribe Support) to spread these life-changing conversations. PLEASE BE ADVISED THERE MAY BE SWEARWORDS ON SOME EPISODES.

Music provided by Chillhop Music: https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred 📖 Read my debut novel: https://www.waamwritesllc.com/book-page 💌 Newsletter: https://waamwrites-newsletter.beehiiv.com 🔗 Everything: linktr.ee/waamwrites

#BeTheGlitter #LGBTQPodcast #AuthenticStories #RepresentationMatters #QueerJoy #Allyship #SafeSpaces #TransRights

Would you like to sponsor Be the Glitter? Check out our new sponsor levels and purchase one today! https://www.waamwritesllc.com/podcast

Welcome to Be the Glitter, where we talk about tough topics with giggles and leave inspiration that sticks. In this episode, we talk about one of the sticky subjects that pops up in Pride Month: DEI.

What if the training meant to reduce bias was quietly making it worse?

Dr. William Cox is a social psychologist with a PhD from UW-Madison, founder of the nonprofit Inequity Agents of Change, and author of the new book Overcoming Bias Habits: An Evidence-Based Guide to Creating a Joyfully Inclusive World. He has spent 20 years developing and testing bias reduction methods through more than a dozen randomized controlled studies. In this episode:

✨ Why giving people information is one of the worst ways to change behavior

✨ How some DEI training causes managers to avoid colleagues of color

✨ The zip code story that will make your jaw drop

✨ Equality vs. equity — explained with one perfect example

✨ Why diverse joy is a scientifically proven tool for reducing bias

Resrouces mentioned:

📚 Book: Search "Overcoming Bias Habits" everywhere books are sold

🎙️ Podcast: Diverse Joy (top 5% of all podcasts worldwide) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/diverse-joy/id1692372910

🔗 Free resources + training: www.biashabit.com

Music provided by Chillhop Music Aviino - Hotel Lobby Birthday Party https://chll.to/1ac17f01

A Special Thanks to Be The Glitter's Sponsor, New Valley Labs, Where Founders Bloom! https://www.newvalleylabs.com

Music provided by Chillhop Music Venuz Beats, Bao - Circles https://chll.to/8af1d579

For more from Wa'am: https://linktr.ee/waamwrites

#DEI #BiasTraining #DiverseJoy #OvercomingBias #BeTheGlitter #Inclusion #SocialPsychology #WorkplaceInclusion #LGBTQ #evidencebasedpractice

🌟 "No matter where I go, guess who shows up? It's me." Feeling overwhelmed by everything happening in the world? Trans Latina life coach Tawni Sophia Acosta shares practical tools to navigate fear, reset your nervous system, and discover you're more powerful than you think. In this conversation, Tawni guides us through simple breathing exercises you can use RIGHT NOW - including box breathing and the "learning state" technique - plus deep wisdom on managing trauma, building healthy support networks, and finding trans joy even in the hardest times. What You'll Learn: ✨ Box breathing technique to reset your nervous system (do it anywhere!) ✨ The "learning state" eye exercise to break out of fight-or-flight ✨ How to acknowledge anger as information, not enemy ✨ Why "no matter where you go, you show up" changes everything ✨ Building healthy support networks as a trans woman ✨ Navigating intersectionality: Trans, Latina, and human ✨ White male privilege loss during transition (and what it taught) ✨ Why community cooperation emerges in crisis ✨ Setting boundaries with social media consumption ✨ The difference between toxic positivity and real transformation TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Introduction 02:15 - Meet Tawni Sophia Acosta 05:30 - Intersectionality: Trans & Latina Identity 08:45 - Navigating Current Political Reality 12:20 - White Male Privilege Loss During Transition 16:40 - The Power of Community Response 20:15 - Managing Fear vs. Denial 24:30 - BOX BREATHING Exercise (Try it now!) 26:45 - LEARNING STATE Eye Technique 30:20 - Building Healthy Support Networks 34:50 - Anger as Information 38:15 - "No Matter Where I Go, I Show Up" 42:30 - Affirming Career Fair Story 46:20 - Transform, Don't Just Let Go 50:10 - Social Media Boundaries 53:45 - Gratitude & How to Connect BREATHING EXERCISES FEATURED: 🧘 Box Breathing - Breathe in 4 counts, hold 4, out 4, hold 4. Repeat 4x 🧘 Learning State - Look up, extend peripheral vision with fingers, reset ABOUT TAWNI SOPHIA ACOSTA: Tawni Sophia Acosta (she/her) is a life coach and founder of Empowered Journeys. She helps people remove the "gunk" so they can shine bright and pursue goals aligned with their authentic selves. As a trans woman, Latina, and Buddhist practitioner since 1988, Tawni brings intersectional wisdom and practical tools for transformation. 🔗 Connect with Tawni: 🌟 Website: https://www.empowered-journeys.com 📅 Book a free connection call with Tawni https://www.empowered-journeys.com/contact EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by New Valley Labs - a startup studio by founders, for founders. Not consultants with PowerPoint frameworks, but scrappy outsiders who've been in the trenches. New Valley disrupts the norm and amplifies diverse, underrepresented founders building the next generation of unicorns. Welcome to New Valley, where founders bloom. 🚀 Learn more: https://www.newvalleylabs.com 📧 Email: hello@newvalleylabs.com ABOUT BE THE GLITTERPODCAST: Tough topics with giggles, inspiration that sticks. Hosted by Laura Paisley Beck (Wa'am of Wa'am Writes). 🎙️ More Episodes: https://www.waamwritesllc.com/podcast 🌟 All Links: https://linktr.ee/waamwrites KEY QUOTES: 💬 "No matter where I go, guess who shows up? It's me." 💬 "We're more powerful than we really think we are." 💬 "Anger is there for a reason. It's informative." 💬 "We're all connected. We're all interdependent." 💬 "The journey gave me strength I never knew I had." Music provided by Chillhop Music Aviino - Citrus Snow https://chll.to/ce0cf279 Music provided by Chillhop Music Venuz Beats, Bao - Circles https://chll.to/8af1d579 #TransIdentity #LifeCoaching #BreathingExercises #MentalHealthTools #NervousSystemRegulation #BoxBreathing #TransLatina #LGBTQWellness #AnxietyRelief #TraumaHealing #Intersectionality #TransJoy #CommunityBuilding #Mindfulness #SelfEmpowerment #CopingSkills #FightOrFlight #GroundingTechniques #TransWisdom #InclusiveWellness #BeTheGlitter #FindingYourPower #NavigatingFear #HealingJourney #AuthenticSelf

This is where it all started—no script, no plan, just two queer entrepreneurs refusing to dim their light.

Join Wa'am and Yolanda Brown (Copyright Brown) as they coin the phrase that became a movement: "Be the Glitter." Spread love like glitter spreads—getting into crevices, showing up seven months later, impossible to forget.

You'll hear:

• Why DEI rollbacks are like cutting table legs with a chainsaw
• The "frog in a well" moment that changes everything about inclusion
• How small businesses run this country (yes, really—90%+ of revenue)
• The Alphabet Gang's superpower: compound experiences that create "one plus one equals 45"
• Why rest isn't luxury, it's resistance
• Mac and cheese philosophy: how intersectionality makes everything better

This episode is raw, authentic, and full of the giggles we promised. Two Black queer women talking about values over profits, collaboration over competition, and why your neighbor's small business matters more than you think.

Perfect for: LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, BIPOC founders, anyone tired of corporate rainbow-washing, and everyone who believes business should feel like community—not capitalism's grinding machine.

Warning: Contains unfiltered joy, strategic napping advocacy, and plans for an Alphabet Scouts league (coming 2027, bring your sash).

🎧 Listen if you're ready to: Stop dimming your light, align your values with your business, and remember that if you're not in with inclusivity, you're out of touch. To give Yolanda Brown some business, visit her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/creativebrown/ Wa'am's LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/waamwrites

Music provided by Chillhop Music Birocratic, Dotlights - Looming https://chll.to/88aae67c

72 Countries Later: What Travel Taught Me About LGBTQ+ Safety on Be the Glitter Podcast with Rae Dillon of CopywriteRight, UK. Rae Dillon has traveled to 72 countries as a queer person—and what she's learned might surprise you. In this conversation, Rae (CopywriterRight, UK) shares how travel transformed her understanding of safety, belonging, and what it means to be "out" in the world. We talk about why she often felt safer abroad than at home, how language shapes inclusion (like ditching "expat" for "foreigner"), and why workplaces thrive when people can show up authentically. Topics we cover: ✨ Traveling as an LGBTQ+ person and challenging safety assumptions

✨ Why inclusive language matters—both in travel and at work

✨ Creating workplaces where people don't have to hide who they are

✨ How authenticity leads to happier, more productive teams

✨ Cultural respect as the foundation for safer spaces everywhere

Connect with Rae: https://copywriteright.co.uk/

And give love to our sponsor: https://cfopowerup.com

Music: Music provided by Chillhop Music Marcus D - All That Glitters https://chll.to/a8a234db

and for Eliana's Ad: Eliana's ad: Music provided by Chillhop Music Aviino - Citrus Snow https://chll.to/ce0cf279

About Be the Glitter: Be the Glitter ✨🌈 Podcast talks about tough topics with giggles and leaves inspiration that sticks. This podcast amplifies voices from marginalized communities—sharing stories of resilience, creativity, and transformation. ✨✨✨✨✨ Your Reviews help this little podcast reach those who need it! ✨✨✨✨✨ Hosted by Wa'am. https://linktr.ee/waamwrites 🌈 Subscribe for more conversations that celebrate authenticity and challenge assumptions. #LGBTQ #QueerTravel #InclusiveWorkplace #DiversityAndInclusion #TravelStories #Authenticity #BeTheGlitter #QueerPodcast #InclusiveLanguage #WorkplaceCulture #DEI #QueerVisibility #SafeSpaces

Trans muralist Evelyn McBride is painting queer representation into public spaces—and making it impossible to ignore. From a "glass closet" to bold bi-flag colored murals, Evelyn shares her journey to visibility, the power of art that helps LGBTQ+ folks see themselves, and why taking up space matters now more than ever. "You're going to have to accept that the mural at your local coffee shop was painted by a trans woman. We're here." 💫 KEY TOPICS: • Trans artist journey and identity exploration • LGBTQ+ representation in public art • Murals as activism and visibility • Queer art and design • Coming out and authenticity • Chosen family and community support • Art school during the pandemic • Working with queer businesses 🌈 MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: • Columbus College of Art and Design • Hey Famm (LinkedIn alternative) • Bi-flag color palette symbolism • Labrys (double-sided ax) lesbian symbolism • Janet Mock and other trans visibility advocates 🎙️ ABOUT BE THE GLITTER: Be The Glitter is the podcast where we talk about tough topics with giggles and leave inspiration that sticks. Hosted by Wa'am (aka Laura Paisley Beck), we create space for authentic conversations about identity, healing, and what it means to live fully and visibly.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 If you loved this episode, please subscribe, rate, and share with fellow art lovers and LGBTQ+ supporters! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 More links: https://linktr.ee/waamwrites

Connect with Evelyn McBride: https://www.evelynmcbride.com/

https://dribbble.com/eveofswords https://www.tumblr.com/eve-of-swords https://www.instagram.com/eveofswords

For Midwest Mujeres ad: Music provided by Chillhop Music sadtoi - Beach Volley Club https://chll.to/d9efc2c2 Evelyn's Music provided by Chillhop Music Parkbench Epiphany - Dumbar https://chll.to/d55259b7

#BeTheGlitter #TransArtist #QueerArt #LGBTQRepresentation #MuralArt