PODCAST · society
Stand Up Speak Up
by Stand Up Speak Up
Tune in for the Stand Up Speak Up Podcast, with more than fifty inspiring stories from people who have beaten the odds and persevered through trauma and discrimination. Why listen? Because in listening to others’ stories of healing, we are reminded of the potential we all have to find the light, even in the darkest of moments. No matter what we are up against, we are all survivors worthy of finding healing and happiness.
Episodes
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Starting the Conversation about Death with Grief Educator Doreen Thibert
Death is something we all experience, yet we seem to avoid talking about it until just before we are face to face with death itself. At Stand Up Speak Up, this is a topic close to our hearts. Diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer in October 2019, our co-founder Karla has been actively trying to…
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Transforming our Brains into Kinder, Cozier Places to Live - The Sarah Peyton Story
In this episode, your host Karla Stephens-Tolstoy will take you along for her first resonance training & relational neuroscience session with Sarah, a neuroscience educator and author. Sarah’s dedication to transforming our brains into kinder, cozier places to live began after struggling with...
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An inspiring story of resilience, positivity and fighting the odds. This is Brea Griffiths Story
To most people, Brea seemed to have it all. She was a great student and talented athlete who moved from Ontario to New Jersey following high school to play varsity soccer at Princeton University. But, in the years after graduating, Brea’s journey would become one of pain, isolation and even...
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Ashleigh Banfield
For the past 30 years, Ashleigh Banfield has been consistently one of the most acclaimed anchors in television news, and one of television’s top crime journalists. In her most recent role, Ashleigh hosted Primetime Justice with Ashleigh Banfield on HLN. Just prior to hosting this program on HLN,...
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Letters on Sex Trafficking
Human trafficking is a hard conversation to have, as most of us would like to think we have nothing in common with people who sell other people or those that exploit humans in any way. But, the reality is that this is a thriving business throughout the world, in every country, state and many...
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My Boobs Are Trying To Kill Me: If You’re Gonna Have Cancer Fog You Might As Well Be Blonde
Karla Stephens-Tolstoy, the founder of Stand Up Speak Up, continues to share her fight in battling Stage 4 cancer. She courageously shares Karla’s medical journey from all sides of the disease, her life, and her extensive support group of devoted family and friends. But even as she continues the...
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My Boobs are Trying to Kill Me: Exclusive Interview with childhood trauma survivor Sandra Doweck
Welcome to My Boobs Are Killing Me. A podcast brought to you by Stand Up Speak Up founder Karla Stephens-Tolstoy who shares with us the journey of her life with stage four cancer and the amazing individuals that inspire her along the way. Looking at Sandra Doweck, one would think she has it all –…
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My Boobs Are Trying To Kill Me: Karla Stephens Tolstoy & Her Fight Against Cancer
Karla Stephens Tolstoy believes in revealing the truth and getting the real story out there. For the past two years, her Stand Up Speak Up Podcast has told the stories of those who had been neglected or forgotten by mainstream society. While recording these episodes, Karla was fighting her own...
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Michael Alig: Club Kids to Convict & Back - Part 2
This is the second part of a two-part series featuring the charismatic founder of The Club Kids, Michael Alig. The Club Kids were a group of young, flamboyant New York City underground dance club personalities in the late 1980s and early 1990s, who were also heavily involved in the drug culture....
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Michael Alig: Club Kids to Convict & Back - Part 1
Michael Alig is a complex character. He’s the charismatic founder of the Club Kids, a group of young, flamboyant New York City underground dance club personalities in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They wore outrageous costumes and were on the scene to be seen, setting an artistic standard for…
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Devin Price: Recovery – Relapse - Recovery
We first met Devin Price in Episodes: I Spent $1 Million on Drugs: The Devin Price Story Part 1 and I Spent $1 Million on Drugs: The Devin Price Story Part 2, when he took us through his road to addiction, becoming a drug dealer and pimp and his eventual arrest. After serving three years in…
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Burst the Bubble: Police Corruption
Kelly Donovan is a whistleblower. Her story begins working for a major bank, marrying a police officer, then deciding to become a police officer. After only a few years, Kelly began to learn about internal inconsistencies, and unethical and unlawful decisions being made without any guiding policy...
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Trust Me When I Say There Is No (Hero) In Heroin - Part 2
In the first part of this two-part podcast series interviewing Frank, an addict who has abused drugs from the age of 12, he told us the origins of his addiction and how sniffing glue as a child turned into full-on heroin addiction as an adult. By his own admission, Frank has done some terrible...
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Trust Me When I Say There Is No (Hero) In Heroin - Part 1
Franky Frank runs the My Cold Turkey Detox website where he shares the story and updates about his struggle overcoming drug abuse, primarily heroin and crack. His sister filmed his struggle as he detoxed cold turkey at her place in Sweden after 30 years as a chronic long-term addict. Franky Frank…
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Life is Easy, Living is Hard
Erica has endured a lifetime of trauma marked by a difficult upbringing, abusive relationships, an addiction to phone sex, attempted suicide, and a number of diagnosed mental health issues. Recently, we heard of a website called writeaprisoner.com While Erica is not a prisoner herself, she has...
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Rehab #9: The Rob Rawlings Story
Rob Rawlings is working hard to break the cycle of drug addiction in his family. Despite his father’s abrasive nature and drug use, Rob continued to seek approval as his son. At the age of 14, Rob himself was introduced to drugs. It was only a matter of time before he tried opiates, and then...
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The Pain of Perfection
Recently we’ve featured addiction stories of people who had clear trauma growing up that contributed to the path they took in life. However, these things can happen to anyone. Danielle McCarron is a recovery advocate, working to shift the stigma of addiction. She had what appeared to be the…
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Nowhere to Turn
Today’s guest has 5 kids from 4 different fathers and was abused as a child. Rose is an artist with designs in the Stand Up Speak Up. Growing up, she faced physical, mental, and sexual abuse. She had nowhere to turn and was failed by everybody who should have helped her. Rose and her brother…
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Scientology Scars
There’s no shortage of content out there on the subject of Scientology. When we decided to tackle it, we knew the episode would have to focus on people, and the lasting effect Scientology has on its members once they leave. The Church of Scientology has been in conflict with governments and…
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2 Generations of Pain & Addiction: The Linda Price Story
When Linda Price graduated high school, her dream of the perfect life was with a home, a baby, and a husband. These all eventually came to fruition, but not in the way she had imagined. An unfulfilling childhood led to Linda seeking love in the wrong places, getting involved with multiple abusive...
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I Spent $1 Million on Drugs: The Devin Price Story - Part 2
Devin Price blames nobody but himself for the direction his life took. As a kid, Devin thought his childhood was fairly normal. His dad ran off and his mother became addicted to drugs, but Devin’s grandparents did their best to provide a stable, loving home. By 17, Devin had gotten into harder...
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I Spent $1 Million on Drugs: The Devin Price Story - Part 1
Devin Price blames nobody but himself for the direction his life took. As a kid, Devin thought his childhood was fairly normal. His dad ran off and his mother became addicted to drugs, but Devin’s grandparents did their best to provide a stable, loving home. By 17, Devin had gotten into harder...
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Out of the Gutter: Howard Heathcote’s Story - Part 2
Howard Heathcote grew up in a house of addicts. Out of 2 parents and 9 children, only one, an older sister of Howard’s, miraculously avoided drugs and alcohol completely. Aside from that miraculous exception, fate was all but sealed for the rest of the family. There was never a shortage of…
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Out of the Gutter: Howard Heathcote’s Story - Part 1
Howard Heathcote grew up in a house of addicts. Out of 2 parents and 9 children, only one, an older sister of Howard’s, miraculously avoided drugs and alcohol completely. Aside from that miraculous exception, fate was all but sealed for the rest of the family. There was never a shortage of…
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Burst the Bubble: Uncovering the Link Between Leadership and Mental Illness
It takes a special person to be a leader. One thing historians have questioned for years is the apparent mental instability of both great and terrible leaders alike. Do the qualities that mark those with mood disorders also make for a strong leader? What traits are common among them? Nassir…
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Burst the Bubble: Somalian Pirates
Jay Bahadur is an investigator for an international agency. He’s a Canadian, born in Toronto, Ontario, who went on to be a journalist and author, becoming well-known for his reporting on Somalian pirates. He got an inside look at Somali piracy, after spending months in the country, living with...
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Burst the Bubble: Kratom: Part 3: More Amazing Stories
Since the release of our first episode about Kratom, we’ve had a flood of comments from users telling us how much Kratom has changed their lives. It’s nothing short of shocking and amazing to hear how so many people were lifted from such dark places thanks to this humble plant. The sad part is...
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Burst the Bubble: Kratom: Part 2: Real Life Stories
Perhaps the most fascinating and stunning part of our journey learning about Kratom is the real-life stories from its users. It is after hearing these stories that we really understand the effect this plant can have on lives, and why its advocates are so passionate about its acceptance. Adrian is…
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Burst the Bubble: Kratom: Part 1: Kratom Saved Me
Canada is experiencing record numbers of deaths from opioid overdoses. In 2017, there were an estimated 4000 drug overdose deaths in the country. A substance that may be able to put a dent in that number is worth looking into. Kratom is a leafy plant from South East Asia, from the coffee family....
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An Activist Filmmaker's Story
When Chris Bergoch writes a movie, he doesn’t shy away from social advocacy topics that can be seen as controversial. At Stand Up Speak Up, we try to raise awareness around important social issues, so when Karla discovered the work of Chris Bergoch, she couldn’t wait to have him on the podcast.…
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The Stand Up Speak Up Story: Special Edition with Founders Karla and Zach
If you’ve listened to Stand Up Speak Up before, then you’ve heard the voice of host Karla Stephens-Tolstoy. Usually, she’s helping tell the story of others, but you might not have known that Karla herself has led a pretty interesting life! She’s a Canadian-born & raised entrepreneur…
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Burst the Bubble: Organized Crime
It’s estimated that illegal trade accounts for one-fifth of the global GDP. In his 2009 book McMafia, Misha Glenny outlined the growth of organized crime around the world, from drugs and sex trades to internet frauds and money laundering, documenting various mafia organizations. McMafia is now...
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A Navy SEAL Team Six Story
Most of us have enjoyed a good action movie, but the difference between a movie and Don Mann’s life, although it may sound like something from a movie, is that his life is completely real. No written storyline. No special effects. Don is the author of Inside SEAL Team Six: My Life and Missions…
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Burst the Bubble: Murder and Trauma Clean Up
Prepare for some raw true crime discussion, as we chat with Christian Cadieux of Crime & Trauma Scene Cleaners. What’s just another day at work for Christian, could very well be traumatizing for most of us. Christian shares some of the not-so-pleasant about the work that his company does, but we...
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Unwanted Entities Story: The Halloween Edition
When tragedy strikes, Christian Cadieux and his team at Crime & Trauma Scene Cleaners are called in to handle the cleanup. With crews across Canada, there’s nothing they haven’t seen, and nothing they’re afraid of. Some content in this episode may be disturbing. In today’s Stand Up Speak Up...
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Burst the Bubble: Finding and Convicting Serial Killers
We trust law enforcement to do the absolute best job keeping communities safe, conducting investigations, and bringing criminals to justice. But, what about when they don’t live up to their duty? As we saw with the Shelley Desrochers case, there appeared to be a lot more to the story than police...
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Maryalice Ashbrook: Hollywood Kids to Hollywood Hell
Maryalice Ashbrook was born into a family that seemingly had it all. Her grandfather was president of a huge company that listed a movie studio among its subsidiaries. Her mother counted Joan Crawford and Jane Russell among her friends. So how did Maryalice end up being sexually abused by a…
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Finding Shelley Desrochers: Part 5 – Pushing For Change
By now you’ve heard Shelley’s story. You’ve heard about her troubled childhood, her time in the foster care system, how she was trafficked into sex work, and everything we know about Shelley’s disappearance. We now wanted to make the most of all the attention this series has received, so we take…
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Finding Shelley Desrochers: Part 4 - Series Update
We take a look at the Finding Shelley Desrochers series so far. You’ll hear some of Karla’s radio interviews, and then get an inside view of what it’s been like behind the scenes working on this podcast and dealing with the flood of information that has come in. Have you seen Shelley Desrochers?...
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Finding Shelley Desrochers: Part 3 - What Happened to Shelley?
Shelley Desrochers hasn’t been seen since January 2016. She’s one of three women who lived a “high-risk lifestyle” to go missing from London, Ontario, Canada in the last decade. In this series, we go beyond the police and news reports to take an in-depth look at Shelley’s life, ask questions...
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Finding Shelley Desrochers: Part 2 - Shelley Goes Missing
Shelley Desrochers hasn’t been seen since January 2016. She’s one of three women who lived a “high-risk lifestyle” to go missing from London, Ontario, Canada in the last decade. In this series, we go beyond the police and news reports to take an in-depth look at Shelley’s life, ask questions...
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Finding Shelley Desrochers: Part 1 - Getting To Know Shelley
Shelley Desrochers hasn’t been seen since January 2016. She’s one of three women who lived a “high-risk lifestyle” to go missing from London, Ontario, Canada in the last decade. In this series, we go beyond the police and news reports to take an in-depth look at Shelley’s life, ask questions...
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Overcoming MacLaren Hall
As a child, Michael James knew that life with his parents was not what it was supposed to be. Their drinking was taking its toll on his childhood and it led Michael to approach the police to take him away to a more stable environment. Instead, he landed at MacLaren Hall in El Monte, California....
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A Turning Life Around Story
Patricia Rodenbaugh was turned over to the L.A. foster care system at the tender age of 12. By her later teen years, she had given birth to two children and married just to escape the system. While Patricia had a rough start, she was determined to ensure a better life for her kids. We hear about...
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Burst the Bubble: Harm Reduction
Reporter Drew Penner tracks down four very different but important perspectives on the evolving harm reduction movement. This episode will take you from the east coast of the United States to London, Ontario, to Vancouver's downtown eastside. And we'll even wade into the thorny topic of an…
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Foster Kid to Happy Husband
While researching for our episodes on the foster care system, we came across Scott Inman and felt he deserved an episode all to himself. Scott's story begins like so many others forced into the foster system - his father passed away when Scott was only 10, leaving him and two sisters with a…
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The Disappearance of Delaine Copenace: Part 2
Reporter Drew Penner travels with Anita, the mother of a 16-year-old native girl named Delaine who went missing in 2016. We retrace her last known steps, in an effort to get a better understanding of the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada. Host and Producer: Karla...
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The Disappearance of Delaine Copenace: Part 1
This is the first episode in a series about missing and murdered native women in Canada. We head to Kenora, Ontario to tell the story of Delaine Copenace, a 16-year-old aboriginal girl who went missing in 2016 and was found in Lake of the Woods a month later. We speak with her mother Anita Ross,...
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The House of Mayhem Story
There is a disproportionate number of homeless LGBTQ teens on the street, but most people don't talk about it. House of Mayhem is talking about it. House of Mayhem is a new tv series about LGBTQ youth in the foster system. It gives today's teens hope that they will find acceptance and love. We...
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Burst the Bubble: Serial Killer Poetry
We talk a lot about mental health and fighting your inner demons. But what happens when those demons take over? It's a sad conversation, but one that we need to have. That's why this episode takes a look at serial killers. But there's a twist. Instead of looking at their actions, we look at their...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Tune in for the Stand Up Speak Up Podcast, with more than fifty inspiring stories from people who have beaten the odds and persevered through trauma and discrimination. Why listen? Because in listening to others’ stories of healing, we are reminded of the potential we all have to find the light, even in the darkest of moments. No matter what we are up against, we are all survivors worthy of finding healing and happiness.
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Stand Up Speak Up
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Stand Up Speak Up have?
Stand Up Speak Up currently has 59 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Stand Up Speak Up about?
Tune in for the Stand Up Speak Up Podcast, with more than fifty inspiring stories from people who have beaten the odds and persevered through trauma and discrimination. Why listen? Because in listening to others’ stories of healing, we are reminded of the potential we all have to find the light,...
How often does Stand Up Speak Up release new episodes?
Stand Up Speak Up has 59 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Stand Up Speak Up?
You can listen to Stand Up Speak Up on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Stand Up Speak Up?
Stand Up Speak Up is created and hosted by Stand Up Speak Up.
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