The UP! Life*: Recent Episodes
Steve Ellmore & Cherissa Jackson
Trauma is trauma and The Up! Life seeks to bridge the gap between military and civilian communities to recognize PTSD is not just a battlefield phenonium. Countless Veterans return to civilian life scarred from the experience only to face greater trauma, adversity, and challenges. The Up! Life brings inspiring stories of resilience and perseverance in the face of life's greatest challenges. Each episode spotlights unique individuals, causes or efforts that faced life-altering events and their respective journeys of healing. The goal of the show is suicide prevention and creating awareness about overcoming trauma and adversity. Which parlays into the trauma and traumatic history the black community has faced with the war on drugs and continue to face to this day.
Overcoming trauma is one thing, but returning from combat with PTSD and facing trauma and adversity around every corner, is an entirely different animal. Meet James 'JT' Trice, cofounder of CAMO. JT shares his experience with losing friends in Iraq and discusses the side effects of pills that lead many to suicide.
Ashley Manning is a cannabis veteran and women, minority, and LGBTQ+ advocate. While working in the healthcare field, she became a cannabis patient, which inspired her to pursue a career in plant medicine. Ashley maintains that having a seat at the table does not guarantee women are free from patriarchal politics. Ashley continues to crusade against the hidden barriers to success faced by women at the highest levels of their careers.
Lakeydra Houston is a US Air Force veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and CEO of KEY Fit, Knowledge, Empowerment and You-nity, which mentors groups on fitness, wellness and suicide awareness to increase life productivity. Lakeydra fell victim to Military Sexual Trauma during her time in service and today she is a certified resiliency trainer with over 7+ years of experience within domestic violence programs, sexual assault prevention and mental health. She is looking to make an impact within the military community and to bridge the gap of knowledge between our civilian counterparts while continuing to serve others.
Expungement & Social Equity - With guest co-host, Ava Okyere. Stephanie Shepard spent 10 years behind bars for a first-time cannabis offense. Today she's on the board of directors for the Last Prisoner Project, a non-profit org dedicated to criminal justice reform. In our previous conversation we learned Stephanie’s father died while she was in prison and went to his grave believing her to be a drug dealer.
Today we pick up the conversation and take a closer look at the history of cannabis criminalization and the struggle for equal justice and social equity.
Cannabis decriminalization activist, Stephanie Shepard was recently elected to the board of directors for the Last Prisoner Project (LPP). Stephanie joined the LPP in 2020 … one year after completing a 10-year sentence for cannabis. Today she advocates for the release of black men and women incarcerated for cannabis-related crimes to prevent others from going through the same traumatic experience.