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What happens when you do a DNA test from a company like Ancestry.com or 23andme, and you get some life-shattering information, like your sibling is really your half-sibling, or that you may have a life-altering medical condition, or that you thought you were half Black, but the test says you’re barely Black at all.

Before you spit in that tube, hear from people who’ve been stunned and spun around by DNA tests.

GUESTS:
Randye & Rick Kaye are siblings who found out that their biological dads were two different sperm donors
Sigrid Johnson had a DNA test tell her that she wasn’t nearly as Black as she thought she was. Plus, instead of being a single child, she now has 20 half-siblings
Dorothy Pomerantz found out that she is BRCA-positive via a test from 23andme.com

Photo: Pereru, Wikipedia

What happens when you do a DNA test from a company like Ancestry.com or 23andme, and you get some life-shattering information, like your sibling is really your half-sibling, or that you may have a life-altering medical condition, or that you thought you were half Black, but the test says you’re barely Black at all.
Before you spit in that tube, hear from people who’ve been stunned and spun around by DNA tests.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Randye &amp; Rick Kaye are siblings who found out that their biological dads were two different sperm donors</li>
<li>Sigrid Johnson had a DNA test tell her that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/magazine/dna-test-black-family.html">she wasn’t nearly as Black as she thought she was</a>. Plus, instead of being a single child, she now has 20 half-siblings</li>
<li>Dorothy Pomerantz found out that she is BRCA-positive via a test from 23andme.com</li>
</ul>
Photo: Pereru, Wikipedia

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood. Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we're often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human.

For more: ctpublic.org/audacious

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood. Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we're often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human.
For more: <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf">ctpublic.org/audacious</a>

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood. 

Audacious with Chion Wolf

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood.

Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we’re often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human.

Listen at ctpublic.org/audacious

Support is provided by a generous contribution from Suzanne Hopgood, in Memory of Frank Lord.

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood.
Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we&rsquo;re often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human.
Listen at <a href="http://ctpublic.org/audacious">ctpublic.org/audacious</a>
Support is provided by a generous contribution from Suzanne Hopgood, in Memory of Frank Lord.

Think Before You Spit: The Pandora’s Box of DNA Testing

What happens when a mother can’t raise her children? Not out of neglect, but because systems, partners, and survival leave her no real choice?

This episode challenges the assumptions we place on “non-custodial mothers.” Rebekah Spicuglia explains how immigration rules, economic pressure, and unequal power led to her relinquishing custody of her son, Oscar, and how she channels her grief after his murder into research on gun violence and family separation.

And from Cameroon, Marie Abanga shares why escaping abuse meant leaving her three young sons behind.

For a full transcript of this episode, click here.

Suggested episodes:
Life after Parkland: A victim's dad turns to art and activism
The weight of family secrets: Finding freedom in the truth
The reality of 'Forever Parenting' when your child needs lifetime care

GUESTS: 
Rebekah Spicuglia: bereaved mother, writer, advocate, and PhD student in Health Policy & Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She focuses on gun violence and family separation, drawing on her own lived experience to inform her work
Marie Abanga: Cameroonian author and mental health advocate whose 2011 decision to give up custody of her children guides her mission to support others facing loss, stigma, and recovery

What happens when a mother can&rsquo;t raise her children? Not out of neglect, but because systems, partners, and survival leave her no real choice?
This episode challenges the assumptions we place on &ldquo;non-custodial mothers.&rdquo; Rebekah Spicuglia explains how immigration rules, economic pressure, and unequal power led to her relinquishing custody of her son, Oscar, and how she channels her grief after his murder into research on gun violence and family separation.
And from Cameroon, Marie Abanga shares why escaping abuse meant leaving her three young sons behind.
For a full transcript of this episode, <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/audacious-with-chion-wolf-transcript-for-what-two-mothers-who-relinquished-custody-want-you-to-understand" data-cms-id="0000019b-3770-d9af-a7bb-ff77ab870000" data-cms-href="https://www.ctpublic.org/audacious-with-chion-wolf-transcript-for-what-two-mothers-who-relinquished-custody-want-you-to-understand">click here.</a>
Suggested episodes:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2022-10-20/life-after-parkland-a-victims-dad-turns-to-art-and-activism">Life after Parkland: A victim's dad turns to art and activism</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2024-12-20/the-weight-of-family-secrets-finding-freedom-in-the-truth">The weight of family secrets: Finding freedom in the truth</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2023-05-12/the-reality-of-forever-parenting-when-your-child-needs-lifetime-care">The reality of 'Forever Parenting' when your child needs lifetime care</a></li>
</ul>
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Rebekah Spicuglia: bereaved mother, writer, advocate, and PhD student in Health Policy &amp; Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She focuses on gun violence and family separation, drawing on her own lived experience to inform her work</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.marieabanga.com/">Marie Abanga</a>: Cameroonian author and mental health advocate whose 2011 decision to give up custody of her children guides her mission to support others facing loss, stigma, and recovery</li>
</ul>

What two mothers who relinquished custody want you to understand 

Step into the technicolor world of PEZ!

We tour the Connecticut factory where more than 12 million tiny candies are pressed each day, guided by archivist Shawn Peterson, whose personal collection helped shape the Visitor Center.

Meet Brian Trauman, the Guinness World Record holder whose thousands of dispensers trace a lifetime of joyful obsession.

Hear Emily Tracy’s tender, funny, heartbreaking story about the PEZ tattoo she got to honor her mother.

And the hosts of PEZamania, the world’s largest PEZ convention, talk about how nostalgia and candy become community.

 

Suggested episodes:


Discovering delight - and despair - in dumpster diving


We have to talk about cuddle parties


Take a tour of the John Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal


Pawn queens: Tales and treasures from women pawn shop owners


Audacious at sea: Wisdom from strangers on a cruise ship

 

GUESTS: 


Shawn Peterson: Company archivist and historian at PEZ Candy, Inc. in Orange, CT. He manages the PEZ Visitor Center, where much of the collection on display comes from his own personal archive. He is also the author of PEZ: From Austrian Invention to American Icon and Collector’s Guide to PEZ: Identification and Price Guide


Brian Trauman: Owns the world's largest Pez collection and holds the Guinness World Record for “largest candy dispenser collection.” He has been collecting since 1999 and owns more than 6,400 dispensers 


Morgan Rhinehart and Landon Proctor: hosts of PEZamania in Ohio – the longest running collector convention in the world, established in 1991


Emily Tracy: Manchester resident who memorialized her PEZ-collecting mom with a tattoo of her head on top of a PEZ dispenser

Step into the technicolor world of PEZ!
We tour the Connecticut factory where more than 12 million tiny candies are pressed each day, guided by archivist Shawn Peterson, whose personal collection helped shape the Visitor Center.
Meet Brian Trauman, the Guinness World Record holder whose thousands of dispensers trace a lifetime of joyful obsession.
Hear Emily Tracy&rsquo;s tender, funny, heartbreaking story about the PEZ tattoo she got to honor her mother.
And the hosts of PEZamania, the world&rsquo;s largest PEZ convention, talk about how nostalgia and candy become community.
&nbsp;
Suggested episodes:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2022-09-09/discovering-delight-and-despair-in-dumpster-diving">Discovering delight - and despair - in dumpster diving</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2023-02-10/we-have-to-talk-about-cuddle-parties">We have to talk about cuddle parties</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2023-10-27/haunted-artifacts-serial-killer-art-when-one-persons-treasure-is-another-ones-nightmare">Take a tour of the John Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2024-05-09/pawn-queens-tales-and-treasures-from-women-pawn-shop-owners">Pawn queens: Tales and treasures from women pawn shop owners</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-12-05/audacious-at-sea-wisdom-from-strangers-on-a-cruise-ship">Audacious at sea: Wisdom from strangers on a cruise ship</a>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Shawn Peterson: Company archivist and historian at PEZ Candy, Inc. in Orange, CT. He manages the <a href="https://us.pez.com/pages/hours-and-location">PEZ Visitor Center</a>, where much of the collection on display comes from his own personal archive. He is also the author of PEZ: From Austrian Invention to American Icon and Collector&rsquo;s Guide to PEZ: Identification and Price Guide
</li>
<li>
Brian Trauman: Owns the world's largest Pez collection and holds the Guinness World Record for &ldquo;<a href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2023/8/this-man-owns-the-largest-pez-dispenser-collection-in-the-world-756767">largest candy dispenser collection</a>.&rdquo; He has been collecting since 1999 and owns more than 6,400 dispensers&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Morgan Rhinehart and Landon Proctor: hosts of <a href="https://www.pezamania.com/">PEZamania</a> in Ohio &ndash; the longest running collector convention in the world, established in 1991
</li>
<li>
Emily Tracy: Manchester resident who memorialized her PEZ-collecting mom with a tattoo of her head on top of a PEZ dispenser
</li>
</ul>

The PEZ Factor(y)! Inside the sweetest obsession

A wise woman once said, “You can tell the ocean anything, but it has to be the truth.“ 

Chion Wolf boards the MSC Meraviglia expecting a week of small talk and sunscreen. But the farther she gets from land, the more people become willing to hang out in the deep end to talk about love, loss, faith, sobriety and stories they’ve been holding onto for years.

When they speak, the ocean listens. And in this hour, so do you.

Listen to a BONUS track featuring more voices from the ship: Latisha from the Bronx; Vincent Ferrito and Lauren Englemann from Brooklyn, NY; Brittney and Jeana Lockhart from New Bedford, MA; Henry Armbrister, Barbara Williams, Dellie Maycock, and Giovanni Ferguson from Nassau, Bahamas.

Suggested episodes:
The Big E: What it takes to create 17 days of magic
Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time
It's A Brand Nude Day! 
Discovering delight - and despair - in dumpster diving
Welcome to the Punderdome! We're entering NYC's punniest pun competition
SOLD! Audacious Auctioneers

Plus, Advice on Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, a project Chion did interviewing passengers on a 48-hour train ride

GUESTS: 
A segment: Keith Miller from Long Island, NY; Kevin Luong from New York, NY; Vin Panday from Ontario, Canada; Jessica Struble from Holly, PA; Ruby Selver from Turks and Caicos; and Marty and Mary Pasternak from Buffalo, NY
B segment: Mike Turner from Levittown, PA; Brian Martignetti from El Paso, TX; Darrell Floyd from New Haven, CT; and Randy Deveaux and Sylvia Wilson from Nassau, Bahamas
C segment: Joe and Valerie Leone from Blue Bell, PA; Tommy and Cindy Lazarz from Ware, MA; John and Ada Sue Siler from Richmond, VA; and Javier and Angela Mahon from Brooklyn, NY

A wise woman once said, &ldquo;You can tell the ocean anything, but it has to be the truth.&ldquo;&nbsp;
Chion Wolf boards the MSC Meraviglia expecting a week of small talk and sunscreen. But the farther she gets from land, the more people become willing to hang out in the deep end to talk about love, loss, faith, sobriety and stories they&rsquo;ve been holding onto for years.
When they speak, the ocean listens. And in this hour, so do you.
<a href="https://omny.fm/shows/audacious-with-chion-wolf/bonus-more-stories-from-the-cruise-ship">Listen to a BONUS track</a> featuring more voices from the ship: Latisha from the Bronx; Vincent Ferrito and Lauren Englemann from Brooklyn, NY; Brittney and Jeana Lockhart from New Bedford, MA; Henry Armbrister, Barbara Williams, Dellie Maycock, and Giovanni Ferguson from Nassau, Bahamas.
Suggested episodes:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-10-03/the-big-e-what-it-takes-to-create-17-days-of-magic">The Big E: What it takes to create 17 days of magic</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-01-10/life-advice-one-audacious-guest-at-a-time">Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/mental-health/2020-07-03/its-a-brand-nude-day">It's A Brand Nude Day!</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2022-02-17/discovering-delight-and-despair-in-dumpster-diving">Discovering delight - and despair - in dumpster diving</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2023-09-22/welcome-to-the-punderdome-were-entering-nycs-punniest-pun-competition">Welcome to the Punderdome! We're entering NYC's punniest pun competition</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2021-07-29/sold-audacious-auctioneers">SOLD! Audacious Auctioneers</a></li>
</ul>
Plus, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoAxOJHPoDA">Advice on Amtrak&rsquo;s Southwest Chief</a>, a project Chion did interviewing passengers on a 48-hour train ride
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">A segment: Keith Miller from Long Island, NY; Kevin Luong from New York, NY; Vin Panday from Ontario, Canada; Jessica Struble from Holly, PA; Ruby Selver from Turks and Caicos; and Marty and Mary Pasternak from Buffalo, NY</li>
<li aria-level="1">B segment: Mike Turner from Levittown, PA; Brian Martignetti from El Paso, TX; Darrell Floyd from New Haven, CT; and Randy Deveaux and Sylvia Wilson from Nassau, Bahamas</li>
<li aria-level="1">C segment: Joe and Valerie Leone from Blue Bell, PA; Tommy and Cindy Lazarz from Ware, MA; John and Ada Sue Siler from Richmond, VA; and Javier and Angela Mahon from Brooklyn, NY</li>
</ul>

Think Before You Spit: The Pandora’s Box of DNA Testing

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