Embracing All of Me – Details, episodes & analysis

On this episode of Embracing All of Me, Ross sits down with psychotherapist and death worker Stevie Luna Ibarra (they/she) to explore how grief takes shape inside queer people of color, especially during the holidays.

Together, they unpack what happens when colonization, silence, identity, and family dynamics collide at the exact moment we need grounding the most.

Stevie brings over 13 years of experience in mental health, end-of-life support, and community grief work. They break down the window of tolerance, explain what death doulas really do, and offer practical rituals for staying regulated when our families don’t have language for who we are—or for what we’ve lost.

This episode is for anyone navigating complicated family systems, ancestral grief, the heaviness of the season, or the quiet ache of becoming. It’s also a reminder that grief isn’t just sorrow; it’s love, memory, transformation, and the human capacity to come home to ourselves again and again.

If you’ve ever felt alone in your grief, this conversation is a soft landing place.

Learn more about Pause at timetopause.org

In this episode of Embracing All of Me, Ross sits down with MARQUE, a Bronx-born, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and dancer, to explore how dance, music, and creativity shape identity, healing, and self-expression.

Together, they talk about growing up surrounded by rhythm, dance as a first language, and how performance and people-pleasing can become survival skills. One key takeaway from this conversation: sometimes the body learns how to survive before the mind ever catches up—and movement can be the bridge back to self.

This episode is for creatives, dancers, music artists, queer men, and anyone learning how to soften without losing their edge.

Check out Marque in the band ONQUE here

Check out Heal It First here

Read about MARQUE's Savage collaboration with Ross on The Source Magazine

Feedback for the podcast or the host? Access our feedback form here

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In this episode of Embracing All of Me, Ross sits down with Rick Goodwin, MSW, RSW, social worker, author, and the founder and Clinical Services Director of Men & Healing, to unpack the silent epidemic of shame carried by male survivors of sexual abuse. Together, they explore how masculinity, societal pressure, and outdated narratives which keep men, including bisexual, queer, and fluid men, from naming their trauma and seeking help.

Rick shares insights from decades of clinical work and trauma recovery, including the role of the “male code,” how shame fuels rage, and why true healing starts in groups. Rick also shares advice for those who may not be ready to be visible as a survivor. Whether you’re a survivor, an ally, or someone rethinking what it means to be a man or work through internalized shape, this conversation opens the door to compassion and change.

🔹 Topics include:
– The real meaning of “one in six”
– Why many men don’t recognize abuse when it happens
– The shame–rage spiral
– Reframing masculinity beyond blame
– How to start healing when therapy feels out of reach

This episode is not only transformational, but a reference guide and illumination to the uniqueness of male trauma and survivors.

Men & Healing - Psychotherapy for Men

1 in 6: Support for Men Healing from Sexual Abuse

rick@menandhealing.ca

What do grief, bisexual representation in film and TV, and a foot fetish have in common? In this episode, writer, actor, filmmaker, and corporate trainer Chris McNeany shows us the power of embracing every side of ourselves — the pain, the joy, the awkward laughter, and the desires often kept in the shadows.

From caregiving through cancer to creating bi+ films like More Than He Knows (with nearly 5 million views!), Chris takes us behind the scenes of storytelling that breaks stereotypes and gives bi+ narratives the visibility they deserve. Along the way, we talk about how humor, curiosity, and even kink can become part of healing — and how embracing all of ourselves doesn’t stop at the heavy pieces. It includes the pleasure and the play.

If you’ve ever wondered how art, identity, and self-acceptance collide this conversation will make you laugh, think, and maybe even breathe a little easier.

• ​Blazing Ginger Corporate Training Programs (ACU MAX)
• ​More Than He Knows on Youtube
• ​thefootlonging.com
• ​Pancreatic Cancer Network
• ​Glioblastoma Foundation

What does it mean to carve out joy, liberation, and healing in a world that tries to write your story for you? In this week's conversation, Dr. Danielle Samuel, proud Black Caribbean bisexual woman, licensed therapist, entrepreneur and President of the Los Angeles Bi+ Task Force — takes us from her teenage years in Grenada, and St. Lucia to her work as a professor, therapist, and advocate creating ripples of change across communities.

We talk about everything from navigating parental relationships while bi, biphobia in Black spaces to the pressure of leadership, from teenage rebellion to the deep work of self-preservation and joy. Danielle reminds us that representation matters, boundaries are sacred, and liberation begins with taking up space as our full selves.

Danielle has an important message for parents of queer kids that everyone needs to hear!

Learn more about Danielle and Joy and Liberation Therapy (California & Georgia) here:

https://www.joyandliberationtherapy.com/

Daniellesamuellmft@gmail.com

We're Back for Season 2!
In this episode of Embracing All of Me, we go beyond the content to meet the real Michael Lemus — a proud Bi+ Latino creator, first-gen college graduate, first-gen professional, and founder of Reclaiming Your Happiness with Lemus, LLC.

Michael opens up about navigating parentification, setting boundaries that others may not understand, choosing joy when it comes at a cost, and his ideal bisexual representation in media.

From the pressure of being the first in his family to graduate college to the courageous act of creating distance for his own mental health, Michael’s story reveals what it means to honor yourself when the world — and sometimes those closest to us— simply doesn’t get it.

https://www.reclaimingyourhappinesswithlemus.com/

Scholars of Color

Michael on Instagram

Pillemer: Family estrangement a problem ‘hiding in plain sight’ on Cornell Chronicle (Article)

As a thank you for supporting Embracing All of Me, I’m giving away a FREE digital copy of my upcoming eBook, Embracing All of Me: Identity-Focused Writing for Bisexual, Pansexual, and Fluid Men!

To claim yours:
✅ Rate, review, or leave a comment on the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
✅ Screenshot your rating or review
✅ Send the screenshot over to me via Instagram or email at embracingallofmee@gmail.com

This book is packed with insight, history, fun, stories, writing prompts, healing tools, and reflections to help you embrace your identity through the power of writing. Your review not only helps this podcast grow but also helps amplify the work we've been doing here.

Listen now and grab your free copy!

In this bonus episode of Embracing All of Me, we go behind the scenes of a groundbreaking effort to bring digital visibility to millions of bisexual and bi+ individuals worldwide.

Ross shares the journey of crafting a 29-page proposal to Unicode Technical Committee for a bisexual umbrella emoji, a culturally recognized and academically supported icon designed to close the digital representation gap. From uncovering why past proposals were rejected to navigating Unicode’s rigorous approval process, this episode dives deep into digital equity advocacy and the power of emoji as more than just cute icons.

We’ll also explore:The surprising statistics behind bisexual visibility (54% of LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S.)How and why emojis matter in shaping online identity and inclusion on 27 billion devices worldwideThe historical erasure of Black and bisexual contributions in cultureWhat this emoji could mean for future generations seeking language and recognition

Tune in to hear the vision, challenges, and hope behind this bold move to ensure every identity has its rightful place in our digital lives!

Read the full proposal and access the media kit in the episode description.

In this episode, you’ll be gently invited into a space of stillness, self-compassion, and radical acceptance. This is not love you must chase or earn. It's not conditional or performative. This is boundless love—love that holds you exactly as you are.

Let this meditation remind you:You are not late. You are not broken.You are not too much.You are here. And that is enough. This is a space to return to when you forget your own worth. Come as you are. Leave held.

Discover the remarkable journey of Steven Spencer, a bisexual bodybuilder, HIV advocate, and trailblazer for queer visibility. In this series finale, Steve opens up about growing up on an Australian cattle farm, coming out in a conservative environment, and championing self-acceptance in the face of biphobia and HIV stigma. From co-founding health initiatives to transforming his mental and physical wellness through lifting, Steve’s candid insights reveal how embracing your full identity can shatter prejudice and build authentic community. If you’ve ever felt alone on your path to self-discovery, tune in for an empowering deep dive into harnessing resilience, reclaiming your narrative, and building muscle of mind, spirit, and body!

https://giveittomebi.com/

https://qtopiasydney.com.au/our-team/steve-spencer/

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