Welcome to the first episode of "Our Story Your Story," the video podcast where we share our personal experiences and invite you to share yours. In this episode, we'll introduce you to the premise of our podcast and read the first chapter of our book, A Gypsy's Kiss.
As we dive into our stories, we'll explore the twists and turns that have shaped our lives, and we'll invite guests to share their stories as well. We believe that everyone has a unique story to tell, and we're excited to bring those stories to you.
But before we get started with our guests, we wanted to share some of our own stories, to get the ball rolling.
A Gypsy's Kiss is a memoir of Toby’s high school adventures that we wrote together. In this episode, we'll read the first chapter and expand on the story, followed by a discussion about our experiences and what we've learned along the way.
In this episode of Our Story Your Story, we hear about Toby's experience with bullying. Toby learned to stand up to bullies and not tolerate their behavior, which he has used often since. He had several male figures in his life who influenced his ideas of masculinity, including uncles and Christian Brothers. Toby also learned important lessons about masculinity and responsibility from older non-commissioned officers he encountered in the military.
Toby and Shelley share personal experiences of being bullied and ways of interjecting and protecting victims. We also hear about a true story of a school bully named Tank and how it helps define Toby's identity in the context of the all-boys Catholic boarding school he attended.
Shelley includes the importance of The Hero's Journey in structuring their book.
Lastly, we hear about the difficulties Toby faced after losing his father at an early age and how he made amends with him after returning from Vietnam and visiting his grave in Taos, New Mexico.
Timestamps
0:00 Music and Intro
3:45 Chapter 1 from A Gypsy’s Kiss: A Treasure Hunt Adventure
00:09:15 "The Power of a Hook: A True Story of Bullies and Brothers at a Catholic Boarding School"
00:13:33 How Forensic Society Shaped Public Speaking Skills
00:16:09 "Childhood Trauma: Losing My Father in a Tragic Plane Crash"
00:19:34 The Influence of Masculinity in My Life
00:25:05 "Life-changing Loss: Journey of a Fatherless Son"
00:27:20 "Lessons on Dealing with Bullies: Stand Up"
00:28:36 "Standing up to bullies: Lessons learned"
00:30:35 "Empower Yourself Against Bullies: One Veteran's Lesson"
00:37:17 "Bullying, Friendship, and Fate in Elementary School"
00:39:58 "Tragedy plus time equals comedy: Finding humor in life's hardships"
Don't forget to share your own stories with us by emailing us at stories@agkmedia.studio. We can't wait to hear from you!
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