Island of Discarded Women
A tropical scrap heap of hopes and dreams

What if there was a place inhabited by determined women who are working to
reclaim their self-worth and celebrate their strengths after being dismissed or
discounted by societal norms and gender road blocks?

There is such a place!

Mixing radio theater satire, original songs and inspiring conversations with women who share their personal stories, Island of Discarded Women delves into what it takes for us to reawaken our power after feeling tossed aside, swept under the rug or deleted.

Veteran radio actor Sue Scott, having been “put out to pasture,” has just washed up on the island. Dazed and confused, she sets out on a mission to discover what this island is all about, why all these amazing women are here and ultimately, what’s next.

-Island of Discarded Women Pilot/Episode #1 was produced by Sue Scott and StoryPop Media
-Written by Sue Scott and Laura Buchholz with contributions from Shanan Custer
-Cast includes Shanan Custer, Silvia Pontaza, Jackie Biederman, Dexieng Yang, Carole Jean Anderson, Regina Williams, and Sue Scott
-Special Guest is Roxane Battle
-Original song “Fly Away” written and performed by Zippy Laske
-Audio Engineering, Sound Design and Final Mix by Egg Music Studios Minneapolis 
-Additional audio engineering by Barry Madore, Jim Schnobrich, with Audio Ruckus, and Noah Smith

PILOT/Episode #1 - Washing Up - w/ guest Roxane Battle

This show is for those of us who find ourselves surrounded by madness and wanting to find the magic within. We’re going to come together here as caregivers to those who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Maybe it’s someone in the family we’ve been born into…maybe it’s someone we love…maybe it’s someone we work with…maybe – even – it’s ourselves. Whether we’ve been thrust into this caregiver role or taken it on by choice, this podcast is where we’re going to share our stories and learn to realize the magic in all the madness we may be experiencing.

A storyteller at heart who built a career in writing, media & marketing, Paolina Milana is grateful for the magic AND the madness she's experienced. Her roots are entangled with mental illness and taking on caregiving roles -- something she has come to realize is not unique to her; rather, it seems to be common on several levels among others, especially the high-functioning women who from the outside looking in seem to have it all together.  

Madness To Magic brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible.

Special thanks to the creators of the beautiful instrumental you hear during this podcast - Philippa Dowding & Allister Thompson - Original song “Sarah Tiptoes” from their album BIRCHES. Also love to  the guy who's the master behind this podcast's production and audio engineering -- Joseph Dean Edwards.

I'm With Crazy

(Ep 1) I'm with Crazy Intro

Every Christmas, I can’t help but think of the irony. After all, both schizophrenia and the holidays involve retreat into a world of bizarre delusions: Santa Claus, flying reindeer, little elves, a virgin birth, angelic voices, Christmas miracles, peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men, and on and on. During this time of year, millions of people suspend logic and, in part, believe in the unbelievable. It’s all acceptable, even laughable, as long as the sum of the parts keeps you in society’s scope of the norm, far enough away from clinical insanity.

A storyteller at heart who built a career in writing, media & marketing, Paolina Milana is grateful for the magic AND the madness she's experienced. Her roots are entangled with mental illness and taking on caregiving roles -- something she has come to realize is not unique to her; rather, it seems to be common on several levels among others, especially the high-functioning women who from the outside looking in seem to have it all together.

Madness To Magic brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible.

Special thanks to the creators of the beautiful instrumental you hear during this podcast - Philippa Dowding & Allister Thompson - Original song “Sarah Tiptoes” from their album BIRCHES. Also love to the guy who's the master behind this podcast's production and audio engineering -- Joseph Dean Edwards.

(Ep2) Christmas and Crazy

New Year's Revelations. Remembering the day my human GPS lost his way home...and realizing: We all lose our way. We all feel worthless. We all feel guilty. We all fall apart. We all are surrounded at times by madness. Finding the magic in those moments…embracing them…realizing that they are exactly what we need, exactly when we need them IS how we learn to love the journey and to stop being focused on being anywhere but exactly where we are. There is no "there" to get to. We've already arrived.

A storyteller at heart who built a career in writing, media & marketing, Paolina Milana is grateful for the magic AND the madness she's experienced. Her roots are entangled with mental illness and taking on caregiving roles -- something she has come to realize is not unique to her; rather, it seems to be common on several levels among others, especially the high-functioning women who from the outside looking in seem to have it all together.

Madness To Magic brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible.

Special thanks to the creators of the beautiful instrumental you hear during this podcast - Philippa Dowding & Allister Thompson - Original song “Sarah Tiptoes” from their album BIRCHES. Also love to the guy who's the master behind this podcast's production and audio engineering -- Joseph Dean Edwards.

(Ep3) "You Have Arrived": New Year's Revelations

This podcast is with someone I'm blessed to call my friend: Thom Brodeur. He's a self-made man, he's a caregiver, he's an entrepreneur who has risen to the ranks of corporate CEO and now is head of his own beauty and fashion empire. He is both "Beauty Boss" and "Mister Congeniality" and he is a prime example of someone who has always gotten it done and taken care of everyone else in the process, except himself. In this episode, you'll hear from Thom about his trials and triumphs and how one person who is and always has been "the strongest among us" finally reached his breaking point of madness and how he's learning to find the magic within. 

As Thom shared his biggest lesson: 
"While you are loving through your life -- the work that you do, the people that you're with, the experiences that you're privileged to have -- don't forget yourself in the process. I spent a lifetime of loving and caring for other people, places and things to my own detriment. I'm finally awake and recognize that there is a reason why on an airplane they ask you to secure your own oxygen mask first, 'cause you're really a worthless pile to the little kid next to you, the old lady next to you or the able-bodied person next to you, if you're not breathing oxygen yourself. So don't forget yourself. Don't lose yourself in the will to achieve. Don't lose yourself in the want to be the best husband, wife, brothers, sisters, son, daughter, father, mother. Don't forget who you are. And don't forget to take some time to appreciate that. Don't forget to take time to ask other people to help you do better when you need it. You'll be more worthwhile and more valuable to anybody else or anything else that you apply yourself to. And that's been a huge lesson. I know it sounds so cliche and we always say it, but I'm living it now."

This is such a powerful episode, full of wisdom about failure and resiliency and selfcare. I hope it speaks to you and helps you find the magic within whatever madness you're in at the moment.
---------------------------

A storyteller at heart who built a career in writing, media & marketing, Paolina Milana is grateful for the magic AND the madness she's experienced. Her roots are entangled with mental illness and taking on caregiving roles -- something she has come to realize is not unique to her; rather, it seems to be common on several levels among others, especially the high-functioning women who from the outside looking in seem to have it all together.

Madness To Magic brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible.

Special thanks to the creators of the beautiful instrumental you hear during this podcast - Philippa Dowding & Allister Thompson - Original song “Sarah Tiptoes” from their album BIRCHES. Also love to the guy who's the master behind this podcast's production and audio engineering -- Joseph Dean Edwards.

(Ep 17) When the strongest fall apart: Learning to find yourself again

Madness To Magic brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible. This podcast is for those of us who find ourselves surrounded by madness and wanting to find the magic within.

(Ep 17) When the strongest fall apart: Learning to find yourself again

Madness2Magic

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