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Some of the skills that save us are the same ones that later teach us how to see one another. For John Patterson, learning to move carefully through a world that did not always feel safe became something more than survival: it became a practice in curiosity, empathy, and understanding realities beyond his own. His story is a powerful reminder that what we endure can shape not only who we become, but how deeply we are able to recognize the humanity in someone else. Featured in 'The Unhidden Edition' of AwareNow Magazine www.awarenowmagazine.com Written by: Sonja Montiel Narrated by: John Patterson Music by: idokay Produced by: AwareNow Media

There is a space between surviving and healing that rarely gets named. It is where endurance begins to loosen its grip, but recovery has not yet fully taken hold. In that in-between, we begin the quiet, difficult work of making room for life again. Featured in 'The Complex Edition' of AwareNow Magazine www.awarenowmagazine.com Written & Narrated by: Paul S. Rogers Music by: Peter Carvallo Produced by: AwareNow Media

Suzanne Akullian and her husband, Leo, built a life in motion, filled with surfing, snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking and the freedom to simply go. Then multiple sclerosis began changing what movement looked like for Leo, and with it, the shape of the life they had always known. What began as Suzanne’s determination to help the man she loves hold onto his independence has grown into AxEL Mobility, a mission to reimagine mobility not around what people have lost, but around everything they still want to do. Featured in 'The Complex Edition' of AwareNow Magazine: www.awarenowmagazine.com Guest: Suzanne Akullian Host: Allié McGuire Music by: idokay Produced by: AwareNow Media

There are hearts we are born with and hearts we are given. Adolfo Lopez has known both. A heart transplant recipient, artist, father and founder of Abnormal Hearts, Adolfo has transformed a lifetime shaped by congenital heart disease into something larger than survival: a community built from scars, stories, art and the belief that what makes us different may also give our lives meaning.Featured in 'The Complex Edition' of AwareNow Magazine: www.awarenowmagazine.comGuest: Adolfo LopezHost: Allié McGuireMusic by: Coy PandaProduced by: AwareNow Media

Some stories entertain us. Others stay with us, changing what we understand about another person, a community, or even ourselves. As AwareNow joins New York Festivals in recognizing storytelling with the power to inform, connect and create change, I sat down with Rose Anderson to talk about the stories we choose to honor, why recognition matters, and what storytelling can still ask of all of us.Featured in 'The Complex Edition' of AwareNow Magazine: www.awarenowmagazine.comGuest: Rose AndersonHost: Allié McGuireMusic by: Jupiter SandsProduced by: AwareNow Media

For years, Danielle Carpio carried the effects of complex trauma without having the language to explain what was happening inside her. Receiving a CPTSD diagnosis did not erase what she had endured, but it helped her understand that she was never broken and that her responses made sense in the context of what had happened. Now, as Complex Dani and the founder of the Healing & CPTSD Foundation, she is healing out loud so others no longer have to survive in silence.Featured in 'The Complex Edition' of AwareNow Magazine: www.awarenowmagazine.comGuest: Danielle CarpioHost: Allié McGuireMusic by: The David Roy CollectiveProduced by: AwareNow Media

At just 18 years old, Reagan Murphree is helping bring people back to a corner of downtown Byron that was forever changed by a devastating fire in 2012. With Riverview Coffee, she’s building more than a coffee shop; she’s creating a place to gather, connect and believe in community again. And while the dream may be hers, Reagan is learning that some of the best things are never built alone.Featured in 'The Complex Edition' of AwareNow Magazine: www.awarenowmagazine.comGuest: Reagan MurphreeHost: Allié McGuireMusic by: The Magnetic BuzzProduced by: AwareNow Media

At a time when so much seems designed to remind us of our differences, Jack McGuire asks us to remember what came first: our humanity. In this reflection, he explores humanity not simply as something we are, but as a choice we make through compassion, awareness and action. Because perhaps the future of our shared human story depends less on what divides us and more on what we choose to do for one another. Featured in 'The Humanity Edition' of AwareNow Magazine www.awarenowmagazine.com Written & Narrated by: Jack McGuire Music by: Okaya Produced by: AwareNow Media

For much of Wilson Lee’s life, hard work was more than a value. It was a measure of what it meant to do things right. But across 24 years in education, Wilson has learned that the strongest leadership does not ask us to choose between excellence and humanity, but to make room for both. Featured in 'The Unhidden Edition' of AwareNow Magazine www.awarenowmagazine.com Written by: Sonja Montiel Narrated by: Wilson Lee Music by: Okaya Produced by: AwareNow Media

What we see of someone is rarely the whole of them. In a note his father never meant for anyone to read, Duff Archie discovered a side of living with MS that existed beneath the humor, resilience, and carefully protected strength. Thoughts on the Evening of... is a deeply personal reflection on identity, isolation, and the parts of ourselves that can disappear quietly, even while the people we love are standing right beside us. Featured in 'The Humanity Edition' of AwareNow Magazine www.awarenowmagazine.com Written & Narrated by: Duff Archie Music by: Okaya Produced by: AwareNow Media

Marge Wakefield grew up in Lake Linden, Michigan, a small town in the Upper Peninsula, where she came to know herself as a “Yooper” and, from a very young age, came to know something else she called “the shadow.” At nineteen, while studying piano in Philadelphia, she was hospitalized for the first time and saw the word “schizophrenia” written on her chart. What might have frightened someone else brought Marge a sense of hope, because for the first time, what she had carried had a name, and if it had a name, she believed something could be done.Featured in 'The Humanity Edition' of AwareNow Magazine: www.awarenowmagazine.comGuest: Marge WakefieldHost: Allié McGuireMusic by: OkayaProduced by: AwareNow Media

Long before multiple sclerosis entered his life, Brian Wallace knew what it meant to fight for every inch—on the football field at the University of Michigan, where he played on four Big Ten championship teams and made three Rose Bowl appearances. Then, at just 27 years old, the opponent changed: Brian was diagnosed with MS, beginning a fight that has lasted nearly three decades and ultimately inspired MS Michigan Man 64, where he now creates honest conversations about chronic illness, mental health, community, and what it really takes to keep going. But somewhere between the athlete he was and the advocate he has become is perhaps the more interesting story—the story of a man learning that strength isn't always about pushing harder; sometimes it's about becoming someone new.Featured in 'The Humanity Edition' of AwareNow Magazine: www.awarenowmagazine.comGuest: Brian WallaceHost: Allié McGuireMusic by: Paper PlanesProduced by: AwareNow Media

Sometimes the things we care for have a way of caring for us right back. For Krystal Duran, the creative force behind Plants with Krystal, nurturing plants became more than a passion—it became a place to hold grief, rediscover purpose, and connect with thousands of people navigating their own seasons of change. With her debut book, More Than Just A Plant, Krystal explores what happens when plant care becomes self-care, growth becomes healing, and something as simple as a leaf reminds us that life can continue after loss.Featured in 'The Humanity Edition' of AwareNow Magazine: www.awarenowmagazine.comGuest: Krystal DuranHost: Allié McGuireMusic by: Paper PlanesProduced by: AwareNow Media

Sir Bruno Serato is an internationally recognized chef, humanitarian, and founder of Caterina’s Club. His life changed forever when his mother looked at a hungry child and said, “If he’s hungry, feed him pasta.” Those few words became the foundation of a mission that has fed millions of children, housed hundreds of families, and reminded the world that compassion is often measured one person at a time.Featured in 'The Humanity Edition' of AwareNow Magazine: www.awarenowmagazine.comGuest: Sir Bruno SeratoHost: Allié McGuireMusic by: Ziv MoranProduced by: AwareNow Media

When life feels too loud, sometimes the simplest act can create the space we need to breathe. In this deeply personal exploration, Allié McGuire reveals how coloring can quiet an anxious mind, restore a sense of agency and reconnect us with the present moment. More than a childhood pastime, it becomes an invitation to embrace imperfection, choose freely and return to ourselves one color at a time. Featured in 'The Unhidden Edition' of AwareNow Magazine www.awarenowmagazine.com Written & Narrated by: Allié McGuire Music by: EVOE Produced by: AwareNow Media