Demystifying the Transgender Journey

Episode 36: Raising 3 Gender-Expansive Kids with Love: Kali Robinson's Story

Raising Gender-Expansive Kids with Love & Autonomy | Kali Robinson (Mother of a Trans/Nonbinary Child)

 

Hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole interview Portland writer and mother Kali Robinson about raising three gender-expansive children, including oldest, who came out in kindergarten after a peer said only girls wear dresses, prompting a supportive teacher to teach pronouns and helping classmates adjust quickly. Kali describes treating gender like left-handedness, giving kids autonomy over clothes and pronouns, and doing regular check-ins while letting them lead. She discusses supportive school structures such as gender-neutral bathrooms and a trans affinity group, her own early grief and anger about trans safety in the U.S., and how she learned through community, books, and firsthand narratives. Kali shares strategies for building confidence, kindness, and safety skills, thoughts on puberty and blockers, and advice for parents and communities to normalize gender diversity through love, curiosity, and conversation.

 

For more information about this project:

https://www.thetransgenderjourney.com 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/demystifying-the-transgender-journey/id1799458202 

https://www.facebook.com/thetransgenderjourney 

https://womenwhopushthelimits.com 

 

To contact Wendy:

https://www.MeetWendyCole.com  

https://www.facebook.com/wendycolegtm 

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycole8326 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-cole-gtm 

 

Episode 35: Love at the Core: Renee Thibeau Embraces Supportive Parenting and the Transgender Journey

In this episode of "Demystifying the Transgender Journey,
 hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole interview Renee Thibeau, the mother of three whose transgender daughter, Elle, first expressed at age seven that she was “supposed to wake up a girl,” then at age 10 sent a message that confirmed every parent’s worst fear. Renee describes choosing to embrace her daughter, seeking family therapy and medical support, and helping Elle socially transition with clothes and affirming steps, while noting Elle’s twin brother with autism immediately used her name and pronouns correctly. Renee discusses bullying, school changes, puberty blockers and estrogen, misconceptions about youth medical care and surgeries, and how policy changes delayed Elle’s planned surgery, leading to a gap year. She emphasizes education, biology, and unconditional love as essential to supporting transgender kids.

 

For more episodes about the biological process of being born transgender:

https://demystifyingthetransgenderjourney.podbean.com/e/episode-25-transgender-youth-dr-diana-sorrentinos-crucial-insights-for-parents-and-families/

https://demystifyingthetransgenderjourney.podbean.com/e/episode-020-dispelling-myths-dr-diana-sorrentino-on-transgender-truth/  

https://demystifyingthetransgenderjourney.podbean.com/e/episode29_no_one_transitions_alone_dr_diana_sorrentinos_advice_for_parents_and_partners/  

For additional episodes about families supporting transgender loved ones: 

https://demystifyingthetransgenderjourney.podbean.com/e/episode-013-david-blackers-gift-using-therapy-to-support-lgbtq-families/  

https://demystifyingthetransgenderjourney.podbean.com/e/staci_brathwaite_embracing_her_daughters_journey/ 

 

For more about Renee Thibeau:

https://www.tiktok.com/@neebeaux

https://www.youtube.com/@Reneethibeau-3cgm

https://www.facebook.com/renee.newcombe.7

 

For more information about this project:

https://www.thetransgenderjourney.com 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/demystifying-the-transgender-journey/id1799458202 

https://www.facebook.com/thetransgenderjourney 

https://womenwhopushthelimits.com 

 

To contact Wendy:

https://www.MeetWendyCole.com  

https://www.facebook.com/wendycolegtm 

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycole8326 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-cole-gtm 

 

Episode 34: Leading with Purpose: Juli Grey-Owens- Community Champion for Gender Equality in New York

Juli Grey-Owens on Transition, Advocacy and GENY: Demystifying the Transgender Journey

 

Hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole interview New York transgender advocate Juli Grey-Owens, founder and executive director of Gender Equality New York (GENY), who helped pass the Gender Equality Non-Discrimination Act signed in 2019 and provides training for agencies, police recruits, and healthcare workers. Juli recounts early childhood experiences of gender identity, years of privately presenting as a woman, and how dysphoria intensified with age while she built a manufacturing career, marriage, and family. After being outed and fired following public advocacy in 2015, she pursued a legal settlement, began living full-time as Juli at 62, and expanded statewide activism, including town halls that led to GENY’s incorporation and 501(c)(3) status. She describes transition as a personal journey with different “stops,” discusses safety and allyship, and urges understanding that transgender people seek peaceful lives, not harm.

 

For more information about Juli:

https://genderequalityny.org/ 

https://www.facebook.com/GenderEqualityNY/

https://www.instagram.com/genderequalityny

 

For more information about this project:

https://www.thetransgenderjourney.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/demystifying-the-transgender-journey/id1799458202

https://www.facebook.com/thetransgenderjourney

https://womenwhopushthelimits.com

 

To contact Wendy:

MeetWendyCole.com.

https://www.facebook.com/wendycolegtm

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycole8326

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-cole-gtm

Episode 33: Curiosity in Practice: How Wolfie Connects Personal and Professional Experience as an LGBTQ+ Therapist

Demystifying the Transgender Journey: Wolfie Lopez on Being Non-Binary, Gender Exploration, and Finding Joy

 

Hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole interview therapist and social worker Wolfie Lopez, a non-binary, queer clinician with an MSW from the University of Michigan and over a decade of crisis-intervention experience. Wolfie shares their personal journey from feeling different in childhood and discovering LGBTQ vocabulary online to exploring identity in college, considering transitioning, and ultimately identifying as non-binary without pursuing HRT or surgery. They define non-binary as existing outside the male/female binary while emphasizing that gender is a spectrum and definitions vary by person. The conversation covers puberty and body dysphoria, body acceptance, representation in media, how to approach learning with curiosity and respect, the importance of pronouns (especially in families), therapist competence, suicide prevention basics like Mental Health First Aid, and the need to seek joy and gender euphoria amid a reactionary political climate.

 

For more information about this project:

https://www.thetransgenderjourney.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/demystifying-the-transgender-journey/id1799458202

https://www.facebook.com/thetransgenderjourney

https://womenwhopushthelimits.com

 

To contact Wendy:

MeetWendyCole.com.

https://www.facebook.com/wendycolegtm

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycole8326

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-cole-gtm

Episode 32: Teaching By Example: Tommy's Story of Expression and Visibility

Tommy’s Transgender Journey: From History Teacher to DC Activist | Demystifying the Transgender Journey

In this episode of "Demystifying the Transgender Journey," hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole interview Tommy, a semi-retired high school history teacher, musician, and trans visibility advocate. Tommy shares growing up in a wealthy, conservative family, first experimenting with women’s clothing around age 10–11, and not finding accurate representation until adulthood, when media portrayals often linked trans people to violence. She recounts early experiences seeking gender-affirming items in New York City, joining the Tiffany Club/Trans Community of New England in the early 1990s, and how support groups and the First Event conference provided safety and community. Tommy discusses marriage, parenting, secrecy and compartmentalization, accidental outings to her wife and later her children, and the strain that hiding placed on family life. After her marriage ended in 2015, she came out at work, planned her transition around a sabbatical, and began living full-time as a woman in 2018, returning to teach in 2019 and noting changes in student relationships and a small number of transphobic complaints. She describes later being blackballed from further school jobs by a transphobic administrator and moving to Maryland to be near family, where she supports trans and non-binary people, engages in Maryland advocacy, and promotes visibility in Washington, DC, including visits to congressional offices. Tommy reflects on the realities of womanhood, the importance of representation, current anti-trans rhetoric and policy fears, and her hope that trans progress will endure despite backlash. Music remains a lifeline throughout her story, from punk bands to her country singer alter ego Alison Young, including albums that reference the trans experience.

 

For more information about Tommy:

https://www.alisonyoungcountrymusic.com 

 

For more information about this project:

https://www.thetransgenderjourney.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/demystifying-the-transgender-journey/id1799458202

https://www.facebook.com/thetransgenderjourney

https://womenwhopushthelimits.com

 

To contact Wendy:

MeetWendyCole.com.

https://www.facebook.com/wendycolegtm

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycole8326

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-cole-gtm

 

Episode 31: Karen Kendra Holmes: Advocacy, Service, and the Journey to Authenticity

Demystifying the Transgender Journey: Karen Kendra Holmes Shares Her Inspiring Story

Join hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole on another enlightening episode of Demystifying the Transgender Journey as they welcome Karen Kendra Holmes. Karen discusses her personal journey of transitioning, starting her journey in 2010 at the age of 53. She shares the challenges she faced in her professional life as a federal employee and volunteer, and how she became a respected advocate and trainer for the transgender community. Karen emphasizes the importance of education and understanding, and how her work with law enforcement and various organizations aims to bridge the gap between communities. This heartfelt conversation highlights the importance of authenticity, service, and grace in fostering a more compassionate world. Don't miss this empowering episode, and be sure to like, share, and subscribe!

 

For more information about Karen Kendra Holmes:

https://www.kkholmes.com/

https://www.pgcmls.info/butterflyproject

 

For more information about this project:

https://www.thetransgenderjourney.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/demystifying-the-transgender-journey/id1799458202

https://www.facebook.com/thetransgenderjourney

https://womenwhopushthelimits.com

 

To contact Wendy:

MeetWendyCole.com.

https://www.facebook.com/wendycolegtm

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycole8326

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-cole-gtm

Episode 30: Reincarnation as Robin: A Story of Transitioning Later in Life

Robin's Journey: Transition, Triumph, and Embracing a Second Life

 

In this episode of Demystifying the Transgender Journey, hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole introduce Robin, a remarkable woman who transitioned at the age of 67. Robin shares her profound and emotional story of transitioning, the loss and joy it brought, and her journey to self-acceptance. From kayaking epiphanies to life-changing decisions, Robin opens up about her experiences, including her relationships and her embrace of both sides of life. Join us for an inspiring conversation that touches hearts, opens minds, and challenges perceptions.

 

For more information about this project:

https://www.thetransgenderjourney.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/demystifying-the-transgender-journey/id1799458202

https://www.facebook.com/thetransgenderjourney

https://womenwhopushthelimits.com

 

To contact Wendy:

MeetWendyCole.com.

https://www.facebook.com/wendycolegtm

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycole8326

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-cole-gtm

Episode 29: No One Transitions Alone: Dr. Diana Sorrentino's Advice for Parents and Partners

Demystifying the Transgender Journey: Transgender Healthcare and Family Dynamics with Dr. Diana Sorrentino

In this enlightening episode of Demystifying the Transgender Journey, hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole dive deep into the complexities of the transgender experience with renowned gender identity expert Dr. Diana Sorrentino. Explore the importance of empathetic familial support, the unique challenges faced by transgender individuals, and gain insights into gender diversity from neurobiological, physiological, and psychological perspectives. Dr. Sorrentino shares her extensive research and personal experiences, discussing the significant roles of parents, siblings, partners, and the broader community in the journey of gender affirmation. Don't miss this valuable discussion that aims to counter misinformation and provide a factual understanding of the transgender experience.

 

Demystifying the Transgender Journey with Staci Braithwaite: https://youtu.be/FDjokJoRSD4?si=Ci2wxB4_wizw0AcK

 

"The Handbook of Complex Trauma and Dissociation in Children" https://www.routledge.com/The-Handbook-of-Complex-Trauma-and-Dissociation-in-Children-Theory-Research-and-Clinical-Applications/Gomez-Hosey/p/book/9781032388908

Dr. Sorrentino is a member of:

World Professional Association for Transgender Health – WPATH

Gay Lesbian Medical Association – GLMA

Outcare – LGBTQ+ Healthcare

Author of "Transgender Families: Helping Parents and Families Understand Gender Diversity and Being Transgender Because No One Transitions Alone".

https://www.amazon.com/Transgender-Families-Dr-Diana-Sorrentino/dp/B0DLQHVX8Y

Host of "Paradoxes of Gender Podcasts" – academically focused on CE requirements for medical and behavioral healthcare professionals working with gender diverse and transgender individuals, families, and allies.

https://paradoxesofgender.com/

paradoxesofgender@earthlink.net

LinkedIn:  Dr. Diana Sorrentino, Ph.D.

Podcast: https://paradoxesofgender.com/podcasts-1

 

For more information about this project:

https://www.thetransgenderjourney.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/demystifying-the-transgender-journey/id1799458202

https://www.facebook.com/thetransgenderjourney

https://womenwhopushthelimits.com

 

To contact Wendy:

MeetWendyCole.com.

https://www.facebook.com/wendycolegtm

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycole8326

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-cole-gtm