Tell Me What It's Like

Kristen Mardis was 21 years old, fresh out of college, and had just been accepted into graduate school when she found out she was pregnant. With no financial safety net and no health insurance, she had to quickly figure out how she would care for a baby while still pursuing her dream of becoming a speech pathologist. In this episode, Kristen shares what it was like to navigate Medicaid, SNAP benefits, and childcare assistance — and how those programs gave her the foundation she needed to build the life she has today.“None of that would have happened without those programs.”Hear Kristen talk about:Finding out she was pregnant just weeks after being accepted into graduate schoolHow Medicaid and SNAP helped her access prenatal care and feed her babyNavigating childcare assistance so she could finish her master’s degreeThe stigma around government assistance — and the dignity everyone deservesHow her experience shaped the way she now serves families in her work as a speech pathologistMentioned in this episode:SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)MedicaidChildcare assistance programsSupport This Show:Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast appLeave a rating & review — it helps others find the showShare the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social media

Carol Lin spent her career inside newsrooms built for breaking news. She covered some of the most difficult moments in recent history, including being the first person to report the attacks on September 11. In this conversation, she reflects on her career in journalism and the behind-the-scenes moments that shaped her life. She also discusses what it was like to revisit those experiences while writing her memoir."And then I hear the music, the breaking news animation comes up and we are live."Hear Carol talk about:What it’s like inside a newsroom built for breaking newsThe moment she realized she was going live on September 11 without a scriptHow anchors rely on producers, reporters, and unseen teams during national crisesThe emotional discipline required to deliver information in uncertain momentsThe intersection of her career with major personal turning pointsWhy writing her memoir required revisiting both professional and private painWhat she hopes readers — and her daughter — take away from her storyMentioned in this episode:The first moments reporting 9/11 (viewer discretion advised)Carol Lin’s memoir, When News BreaksSupport This Show:Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast appLeave a rating & review — it helps others find the showShare the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social media

What’s it like to spend weeks inside a monastery in complete silence?What’s it like to find out you’re pregnant with no idea how you’re going to support yourself?And what’s it like to be the first person to tell the world a plane has just hit the World Trade Center?Season two of Tell Me What It’s Like gives you a window into someone else’s world - the moments that challenge us, scare us, and shape who we become.Join host Stacy Raine as she uncovers what each experience was like, and the lessons learned along the way.Coming in Season 2:Breaking historic news and facing profound lossA silent retreat inside a monastery, and what happens when the outside world falls awayNavigating unexpected pregnancy without a safety netHelping nonprofits do meaningful work in complex systemsMaking sense of Medicare and aging in a system few people truly understandSupporting girls in their tween and teen yearsFinding connection, confidence, and love again later in lifeSeason two of Tell Me What It’s Like is coming soon.Support This Show:Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast appLeave a rating & review — it helps others find the showShare the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social media

As the year comes to a close, guests from Season 1 of Tell Me What It’s Like share the holiday traditions that matter most to them. From longtime family rituals to traditions shaped by loss, life season, culture, and even wildlife, this bonus episode reflects on how traditions evolve and how new ones are created along the way.Season 1 Guests Featured in this Episode:Keri NelsonMorton BarlazAlexis BrozBill HoranRich "Big Daddy" SalgadoCarol HoenigLinda StraderSarah TeresinskiMentioned in this episode:Midwinter DayFeast of the Seven FishesCardinali Bakery, Carle Place, NYSupport This Show:Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast appLeave a rating & review — it helps others find the showShare the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social media

When Sarah Teresinski was a single mom, she couldn’t afford the beautiful little dresses she saw in stores for her daughter. So she decided to teach herself how to sew. That simple decision sparked a movement — and eventually, Redeux Style, where Sarah transforms old, unused items into something new and beautiful. Today, she helps people see the potential in what they already have or what they might find at the thrift stores — proving that sustainable can be stylish too. “If everyone who follows me did just one upcycle a year, we could keep 60,000 pounds of waste out of landfills — that’s 5,600 garbage trucks saved.”Hear Sarah talk about:How teaching herself to sew turned into a full-time creative businessWhat it was like to face criticism early on — and why it fueled her missionThe difference between fast fashion, fast furniture, and true sustainable styleHer viral ceiling fan upcycle that caught the attention of The Drew Barrymore Show and Architectural DigestHow small, beautiful changes can make a big impact — for your home and the planetMentioned in this episode:Find Sarah on TikTok, Instagram, and FacebookSee Sarah's appearance on The Drew Barrymore ShowUnited Nations Fashion & Lifestyle NetworkSarah's placemat upcycleSarah's fan blade upcycleFire starter upcycle15 ways to use silica packetsOrganizing a pantry on a budgetSarah's friend Dan the Organizer ManSupport This Show:Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast appLeave a rating & review — it helps others find the showShare the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social media