S10 E2 JACKY POWER: The Therapeutic Poet

As the host of "The Therapeutic Poet" podcast (International Women Podcast Award finalist 2022) and a published poet, Jacky uses verse to bypass the protective masks we all wear. With a Master's in Addiction Psychology and clinical training in therapy, she writes poetry that does what straight talk can't  – "carrying what's heavy on the wings of a melody." She believes that poetry is therapeutic technology – a tool to bear witness to unpalatable truths. That creativity isn't self-indulgent; it's how we process what we can't otherwise reach. Her live shows at STORY 2025 and Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as well as her intimate workshops – model the vulnerability she encourages in others. From the wisdom of her own experience coping with disappointment, bitterness, and hopelessness, she brings the tenderness of what these feelings actually feel like through her poems. This creates a safe container where audiences can get in touch with their own difficult emotions without being afraid – learning these feelings aren't obstacles to creativity, they're the raw material. Jacky's signature work explores what she calls "the messy middle" – those moments when we're cycling through blame, shame, or hustle instead of creating from authentic truth. Her poetry gives permission to feel hopeless, to sit with bitterness, to witness pain without trying to fix it. She transforms the clinical language of trauma into accessible, visceral poetry that make people realize that "she's walked it. She knows. I'm not alone.”

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S10 E1 BRIAN KILEY: Comedy Contributor 

A two-time Emmy Award-winning comedian and writer who’s been a fixture in late-night TV for decades. He’s made multiple appearances on The Late Show with David LettermanThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and can still be seen performing regularly at comedy clubs around Los Angeles. For 27 years, Brian was a staff writer for Conan, winning an Emmy in 2007 for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy/Variety Series and getting nominated 16 times. Kiley also worked on the final season of Ellen, picking up a Daytime Emmy in 2022.

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