Demystifying the Transgender Journey

This podcast features a diverse array of voices of people who were born transgender, their families, friends, coworkers, and healthcare professionals. Your cohosts, Lynn W. Murphy, a cisgender woman, and Wendy Cole, a transgender woman, created a unique partnership to interview a wide array of transgender individuals and allies. Their goal is to combat misinformation and disinformation by educating people and facilitating compelling conversations.For more information go to https://www.thetransgenderjourney.com

Demystifying the Transgender Journey is a society podcast hosted by Lynn W. Murphy, with 51 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Lynn W. Murphy hosts Demystifying the Transgender Journey, a society show with 51 episodes published.

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  Episode #53

  Episode 52: Southern Roots to Political Trailblazer: Arienne Childrey's Story

  Sep 25, 20261h 35m

  From Coal Country to Ohio Politics: Arienne Childrey on Transition, Visibility and Service | Demystifying the Transgender Journey In this episode of Demystifying the Transgender Journey, hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole talk with Arienne (Ari) Childrey, an Ohio community leader, advocate, and candidate for Ohio House District 84 who became the first transgender person in Ohio history to serve on a city council. Ari shares growing up poor in a small coal-mining community in Southwestern Virginia, early memories of knowing she was different, the trauma of being forced to hide it, and years shaped by bullying, internalized transphobia, and a deeply conservative Pentecostal culture. She describes how therapy, transitioning at 34, and finding love with her husband helped her move from performing to simply being, and how visibility and authentic relationships can reduce fear. Ari explains why she entered politics in Ohio’s reddest district, emphasizing practical service, resisting culture-war distractions, and building bridges across divides. She also shares how some family relationships changed after she came out, including her father’s steadfast support. For more about Arienne Childrey: ari4ohio@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/ari4ohio https://x.com/Ari4Ohio Ari’s book Last Flight Home is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Flight-Sanctuary-Arienne-Childrey/dp/B0HFXJCDSV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=PFJZU3RFVLRS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.b-cZ1rBvCY7CGPBssKbrsAsVY1zkYJ_Vi5aqKx9nsaclGp6J0s8JvTs6nge_q59EIuUVn86CWNvqkHRNufcQqxwtpBFaDzmK2LUXdModpMSoE32pWhj4sa6BQRQCUOWhQnT5gFwcz5hM3E1ig8S_7wRXPFaRjgfo3E_ZIaCFktgsNAZI9-Ejbi0XjNGz_hOoA4pTFrWFvLzP0wMJSaQU7wpsGy3lrCSwM6E7V18GGiA.HvLfN2cbSvdY8zmWQM98-y1ZtJBARySYl3uFV3uPb6M&dib_tag=se&keywords=last%2Bflight%2Bhome&qid=1788847465&s=books&sprefix=last%2Bflight%2Bhome%2Cstripbooks%2C346&sr=1-1 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 (c) 2026 Key Innovative Solutions, Inc.

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  Episode #52

  Episode 51: Nico Lang- Showcasing LGBTQI Lives with Best-Selling Book American Teenager

  Sep 11, 20261h 18m

  Nico Lang on American Teenager: Centering Trans Youth Voices, Joy, and Survival Hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole welcome award-winning journalist and author Nico Lang to discuss Lang’s bestseller "American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era." Lang explains why they spent a year traveling the U.S. and immersing for weeks with families to present transgender, non-binary, and gender-fluid teens’ own voices, portraying both political threats and ordinary teenage life. They describe selecting eight teens from dozens of pre-interviews based on rapport and a “way in” to each story, emphasizing that no single person represents the whole community. The conversation highlights reframing narratives beyond trauma to include hard-won, messy joy; addressing misconceptions such as parents forcing kids to be trans; encouraging allies to show up, even imperfectly; and Lang’s hope that the book helps families, educators, and lawmakers listen and understand trans youth as people. For more about Nico Lang: https://www.instagram.com/queernewsdaily https://bookshop.org/p/books/american-teenager-how-trans-kids-are-surviving-hate-and-finding-joy-in-a-turbulent-era-nico-lang-jo/1c5e3a8bc1a77620?ean=9781419773839&bkshp-astro=t https://allstora.com/products/american-teenager-how-trans-kids-are-surviving-hate-and-finding-joy-in-a-turbulent-era-1?variant=46299403616492 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 (c) 2026 Key Innovative Solutions, Inc.

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  Episode #51

  Episode 50: Venus de Mars: Punk Rock Icon and Transgender Pioneer

  Sep 4, 20261h 28m

  Venus De Mars: Punk Rock Pioneer on Coming Out, DIY Survival, and the Fight to Live Authentically Hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole interview Venus De Mars, frontwoman of All the Pretty Horses and an early openly transgender artist in the DIY punk scene, about growing up without language for being trans, navigating gender expectations, and finding early inspiration in music and culture. Venus recounts a slow, atypical puberty, attempts to blend in, and how art and music became both outlet and refuge. She describes coming out at 28 through therapy and an MMPI assessment, confronting 1980s gatekeeping and unaffordable medical pathways, and finding an underground support group before going public through performance art and TV. Venus details persistent self-advocacy to access and maintain hormone care, the risks of underground hormones, and bringing trans authenticity to the punk stage despite industry rejection. She reflects on shifting politics, visibility’s impact, and urges allies to trust their support and affirm trans people’s right to ordinary lives. For more information about our guest: https://venusdemars.bandcamp.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Things-Trans-Glam-Punk-Rock-Love-Story/dp/168134243X https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_de_Mars https://www.instagram.com/venusdemars 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 (c) 2026 Key Innovative Solutions, Inc.

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  Episode #49

  Episode 49: Facing Truth with Courage: Siena's Journey Beyond Gender Norms

  Aug 21, 20261h 17m

  Siena’s Transgender Journey: From Lifelong Dysphoria and Suppression to Integration, Joy, and Authenticity In this episode of "Demystifying the Transgender Journey," hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole speak with Siena, a trans woman in her 60s who transitioned about nine years ago, about growing up in a conservative, rigidly gendered culture with no safe language or representation for what she felt. Siena describes early longing to be a girl, shame shaped by media portrayals, puberty struggles, secret cross-dressing, substance use, depression, and suicide attempts, alongside achievement and perfectionism used to gain affirmation. She shares how meditation and spirituality became another form of coping, and how meeting a shame-free trans woman at a festival shattered her compartmentalization and prompted disclosure, counseling, support groups, and gradual public presentation. Siena discusses marriage, family and workplace reactions, experimentation, hormones and surgeries, and how transitioning brought relief, freedom, deeper relationships, and a broader understanding of human identity and compassion. © 2026 Key Innovative Solutions, Inc. 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

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  Episode #48

  Episode 48: Three Journeys, One Relationship: Jessika and Adrienne on Transition, Truth, and Doing the Work

  Aug 7, 20261h 30m

  A Relationship Transitioning Too: Jessika and Adrienne on Late-Life Awakening, Love, and Doing the Work In this episode of "Demystifying the Transgender Journey," hosts Lynn Murphy and Wendy Cole speak with Jessika Janene, a transgender woman whose “egg cracked” during the 2020 pandemic, and her wife Adrienne Wehr, as they discuss transitioning later in life and how a partnership changes too. Jessika shares childhood indicators, a sudden moment of clarity that led to rapid social and medical transition, and the need to live authentically despite fear, describing it as a “freight train.” Adrienne describes caregiving for her mother while supporting Jessika, the grief and emotional complexity for partners, and the importance of truth, community, therapy, and spiritual practices. They reflect on advocacy, challenges with friends and family, finding support groups, and a poignant moment of acceptance from Adrienne’s mother near the end of her life. © 2026 Key Innovative Solutions, Inc. For more information about today’s guests: Jessika: https://www.instagram.com/jessikajanene1/ https://jessikajanene.com https://www.facebook.com/jessika.janene Adrienne: https://www.instagram.com/adriennewehr/ https://adriennewehr.substack.com/ https://www.facebook.com/adrienne.wehr/ 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

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