MY FIRST YEAR
CREATING HUMAN CONNECTIONS, ONE EPISODE AT A TIME. MY FIRST YEAR podcast series explores the human experience through conversations with every-day people about their major life transitions, from first time becoming a parent, to first year on the job to first time losing a loved one. Each My First Year episode weaves together human connections through heart-felt, embodied story-telling. When we feel a visceral connection to someone else’s story, we realize we’re not alone. That recognition – that our experiences echo in others – is where healing and understanding begin for all of us. Creator, Executive Producer and Host: SophiaSenior Producers...
🎥 Sabine — Rapid-Fire Q&A
What's one thing that no one tells you about residency?What are three things you learned in medical school that have been most useful in your residency?What advice would you give someone choosing a residency program?
Watch our bonus rapid-fire Q&A with My First Year in Residency guest Sabine, an OB-GYN resident in New York City, as she shares unexpected challenges, memorable experiences, and personal reflections on her first year as a doctor!
To discover more about Sabine's journey navigating demanding hospital shifts, emotional patient encounters, and the struggle to balance her career...
My First Year in Residency - Being a Good Doctor Without Losing Yourself
In today’s episode, we hear from Sabine, a 28-year-old OBGYN in her second year of residency in New York City. Sabine’s path to medicine began as a volunteer EMT and eventually led her to medical school, where she wrote 136 essays for her applications. She talks about whether shows like Grey’s Anatomy and The Pitt accurately portray medicine, and how residency has changed her understanding of what it means to be a good doctor. Sabine also shares what it’s like to deliver difficult news, work 24-hour shifts, and navigate burnout, while still having a full, well-rou...
Weekly Spotlight - Katie Shepherd on Motherhood, Postpartum Depression, and Letting Go of Perfection
Hosts Sophia and Casey interview Katie Shepherd, a Brooklyn-based writer and podcast producer originally from North Carolina, about her first year of motherhood with her son, Dean. Katie describes always assuming she’d have kids, getting pregnant quickly at 36, pushing back on the “geriatric pregnancy” label, and needing a doctor with a more humane communication style.
She shares how her overachiever expectations clashed with the relentless “fail, pivot” reality of parenting, alongside a difficult pregnancy and a preeclampsia diagnosis that led to a three-day induction, a failed epidural, and ultimately a C-section a month early. Kati...
My First Year Living Abroad - Moving to Denmark for Love: Finding Belonging, Safety, and Music in Copenhagen | MacKenzie Kermoade
In this episode of My First Year, hosts Sophia and Shareen interview Washington native MacKenzie Kermoade, an international environmental governance professional and musician (Mack Marcel) living in Copenhagen.
MacKenzie traces her path from a nature-centered childhood near Seattle to studying environmental policy and global climate law, ultimately leading to her role as coordinating officer at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. She describes falling in love with Daniel, whom she met when he was a Danish exchange student at her high school. She also recounts the family reunification process that brought h...
Weekly Spotlight - Signal Award Winner: Thomas Greene on Fatherhood, Storytelling, and Grief After Losing a Child
🎙️ A Special Encore Episode
We’re revisiting one of the most moving conversations from My First Year as a Father.
SOPHIA and A.C. Valdez sit down with acclaimed novelist and essayist Thomas Greene for an intimate conversation about fatherhood and unimaginable loss. Thomas reflects on becoming a father to his daughters, Sarah and Jane, how caring for Sarah and creating bedtime stories helped him become a “dad,” and Jane’s premature birth and six months in the NICU. He also speaks candidly about grief and how losing a child shaped his family, hi...
Weekly Spotlight - Kayla @ Cooper Union: Expectations, Confidence and Finding Her Voice
In today’s episode, co-hosts Sophia and Rosabelle speak with Kayla, a 2026 graduate of Cooper Union School of Engineering in New York City. Kayla describes growing up in a competitive, tight-knit town with strict parents, a childhood centered on swimming and academics, and early pressure—starting in kindergarten—to get good grades and attend a top college. At Cooper Union in Manhattan, she experienced the intensity of engineering coursework, the lack of privacy in a tiny campus, shifting friendships, and the need for boundaries. Kayla reflects on gaining confidence in herself and her abilities in a male--dominated environment and using...
Weekly Spotlight - Aaron @ University of Florida: Identity, Belonging and the Freedom to Be Yourself
In today’s episode, we speak with Aaron, a sophomore at the University of Florida. Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Miami, Aaron describes growing up in a largely Hispanic community, learning English quickly after moving to the U.S. with his mother, and enduring intense academic pressure that led to burnout and heated conflicts about leaving home. Unable to afford out-of-state options and facing guilt tied to his mom’s sacrifices, he chose UF and found freedom to be himself and build an LGBTQ friend circle. He describes balancing classes, internships, and a job at Starbucks, whil...
Weekly Spotlight - Shreya Sophie @ University of Georgia: Presence, Nostalgia and Seeing and Being Seen through Poetry
For all the students arriving at college for the first time this week, hear from Shreya, a University of Georgia student, writer, poet, and founder of the autism advocacy nonprofit Color Me Blue.
Shreya reflects on leaving behind the familiarity of home, adjusting to college as an introvert, and finding a group of friends who made her feel truly seen. She shares how poetry helped her process the transition, why she decided it was okay to “care too much,” and how stepping outside her comfort zone opened doors she never expected.
From choosing UGA o...
My First Year as a Widow - Nikki Darling: Love, Loss, and a Relationship That Continues
Nikki lost her husband Rob to cancer when she was only 46. She talks about leaving her first marriage where she was a self-described tradwife and young mom of three, meeting Rob with whom she had a profoundly close bond and a beautiful marriage, losing Rob to colon cancer, working through grief and anger, and continuing embracing love and life following Rob's passing.
Nikki met Rob when they were rival Speech and Debate coaches for two of the strongest teams in Oregon. They bonded over their shared love of literature and language and fell deeply...
My First Year in America - From London to Princeton: Catherine’s Immigration Journey, Family Transition, and Finding Belonging
Sophia and Adoley interview Catherine about immigration and adapting to life in the US. Catherine, born in the UK to immigrant parents (a Scottish-descended father born in Canada and an Irish mother who moved to London at 16), describes growing up feeling like an only child and being accustomed to migration stories amid UK-Irish tensions in the 1970s–80s. She recounts meeting her American husband Andrew in 2010, having their son Matthew in 2012, and maintaining a long-distance relationship until deciding to immigrate in the US. Their spouse visa process during COVID took over two years, in...
My First Year in America Official Trailer - the Human Stories of the American Immigration Experience
What does it feel like to leave behind everything you've ever known—and begin again?
My First Year in America is a new podcast from Sophia Media exploring the deeply personal stories of immigrants and the first year that changed their lives.
Through intimate conversations, our guests revisit the excitement, uncertainty, fear, discovery, and transformation of starting over in the United States. They reflect on the people they left behind, the challenges they faced, the moments that shaped them, and how that first year changed their identity, relationships, and sense of self.
...
My First Year with My Dog Official Trailer - A Podcast about Dogs, Life and Love🐾
What happens when you bring a dog into your life? From Sophia Media comes a new podcast exploring the profound transformation that begins when a dog enters your universe. Whether it is your first dog or your tenth, that first year reshapes far more than just your daily routine—it changes who you are.
In this trailer, hear from dog parents Brian, Jennifer, and Beth as they share the exact moments they fell in love, discovered a new sense of purpose, and realized their hearts had grown bigger than they ever thought possible.
Join us fo...
My First Year in College Official Trailer - The Year That Changes Everything
How is Gen Z really experiencing college? In Season 1 of My First Year in College, hosts Sophia and Rosabelle talk with college students and recent grads about the dreams and expectations they arrived with-and the anxiety, loneliness, joy, discovery and triumphs they encountered along the way.
Going beyond the polished version of college life we see on social media, My First Year in College explores the emotional and intellectual lives of young people as they navigate a defining year of change.
🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-year-in-college/id6801327435
🎵 Listen...
My First Year as a Caregiver - Eric Heimdale: Caring for Wife with Dementia
Tulsa resident Eric Heimdale became a full-time caregiver for his wife Patty, who showed early dementia signs around 2014–15. Eric recounts meeting Patty in 1991, blending their families, and a serendipitous earlier connection through a shared home address.
After Patty failed a cognitive test and was prescribed memantine and Lexapro, Eric says the drugs led to violence, hallucinations, and a sudden loss of mobility. He researched alternatives, weaned her off the medications, and regained a calmer version of Patty.
Over eight years he learned to be proactive, adapted their home and routines, reti...
My First Year as a Father Official Trailer - Talking Fatherhood💙
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My First Year as a Father is an interview-style podcast that centers on the often unheard stories of fatherhood, especially during that pivotal first year. By listening to these men speak openly and honestly about their own journeys – the doubts, the fears, the transformations – the listener experiences something that rarely exists elsewhere: real talk about what it actually feels like to become a father and adjust to a new reality.
Website: www.SophiaMedia.co/MyFirstYear
🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-year-as-a-father/id679890...
My First Year as a Mother Official Trailer - A Podcast about Motherhood, Life and Love❤️
What really happens when a woman becomes a mother?
Beyond sleepless nights and diapers, motherhood transforms every part of life—our identity, relationships, careers, priorities, and understanding of love.
In My First Year as a Mother, women share honest stories about what no one prepared them for:
😬 The anxiety of bringing home a newborn.
💙 The isolation of postpartum.
✨ The unexpected moments of joy.
🌱 The journey of rediscovering yourself.
Through each deeply personal conversation, we hope to help mothers and mothers-to-be feel less alone and more conn...
My First Year in America - Twiggy's Journey from Acapulco to San Fran
Hosts Sophia and Adoley interview Twiggy Damy, a care manager in the Bay Area, about her immigration journey from Acapulco, Mexico to California in 1991.
Twiggy recounts losing her father at age five, being raised largely by her paternal grandmother, and her mother’s repeated moves to the U.S. that left Twiggy longing for reunification and struggling with suppressed grief. A full year after she had packed a suitcase for America, Twiggy finally reunited with her mother and stepfather in San Francisco’s Mission District, adjusting to small apartments, public transit, limited holiday traditions, and n...
My First Year with My Dog - Brian Berger with Christie Brinkley, a Pit Bull Rescue
In this episode of “My First Year With My Dog,” Sophia and Samira interview Brian Berger, who shares his story of adopting a rescue dog with his wife, Amy, after years of wanting a dog. They initially sought a small dog but connected with a quiet blonde pit bull (later named Christie “Brinkley”) at a Brooklyn rescue. Brian describes bringing Brinkley home and early adjustments in a Brooklyn apartment, including crate training, consistent positive-reinforcement training, and milestones like learning stairs. He reflects on how Brinkley provided companionship, patience, emotional support during stressful finance work, strength...
My First Year in College - Dagny @ NYU Gallatin: Artist, Intellectual, Athlete Meets The Big Apple and New Relationships
In today’s episode, co-hosts Sophia and Rosabelle speak with Dagny, a Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter and NYU Gallatin graduate who created her own college major (“Language Curation and Ethics”). Dagny recounts growing up homeschooled in Connecticut, adjusting to public high school, and graduating in 2020 as COVID ended senior milestones. She chose NYU largely for the excitement of New York during the pandemic and moved into Brittany Hall as an athlete with online classes. Early freshman year she felt isolated, explored her sexuality through a crush on a teammate that ended painfully, and fell into depression, using journaling, songwrit...
My First Year as a Father - Andrew Sterman: Musician, Mystic, Spiritual Teacher on Fatherhood
Concert musician, food book author and Asian philosophy, Qi-Gong and Chinese medicine teacher Andrew Sterman recounts how he decided to have children with his wife Anne, a master acupuncturist, marked by a ceremony inviting “universal creative forces.” He describes two successful home births in 2004 and 2007 with midwife and doula, using acupuncture during labor, and the mystical intensity of birth. Sterman emphasizes dads focusing on postpartum recovery, being responsive, avoiding toxic masculinity, and meeting children as distinct personalities from birth, following the child’s lead, limiting overstimulating toys, and finding the first year primarily joyous despite fatigue, co-sleeping challenges, jaundice, and wo...
My First Year as a Mother - Casey Georgi: Intention, Perseverance and Discovering Her "Maternal Gene"
Sophia introduces “My First Year: The Anthology” and kicks off with an episode from the upcoming podcast “My First Year as a Mother.” The series is co-hosted by Sophia and new mom, Casey Georgi. For this episode, we learn more about Casey’s story. Casey describes pursuing IVF to avoid passing on her husband’s rare genetic brittle bone disease, osteogenesis imperfecta. She shares reluctance about invasive IVF procedures, her unexpectedly calm pregnancy, and a difficult birth after developing cholestasis that led to a three-day induction, and ultimately, a C-section. Casey discusses her physical recovery, breastfeeding journey, and the emotiona...
Official Trailer: My First Year. Real Stories. Lasting Transformation.
From Sophia Media comes a new podcast series exploring the moments that shape us.
My First Year is a collection of deeply personal conversations with people from all walks of life, reflecting on the experiences that transformed them—moments of courage, uncertainty, loss, love, reinvention, and discovery.
Our guests revisit some of the most meaningful chapters of their lives and explore questions like:
How did this experience shape you?What did it teach you about life, love, and yourself?Did it change the pat...