Lotus Village Voices - The Official Podcast of Lotus House Women's Shelter
Lotus Village is a holistic emergency shelter for women, youth and children experiencing homelessness in Miami, FL. In this show, we amplify the voices and stories of our sheltered guests, share our trauma-informed and innovative solutions from over 15 years of shelter operations, and explore solutions to end homelessness in our country. For more information on Lotus House, visit www.lotushouse.org or follow us on social media @lotushouseshelter.
Episodes
22 episodes
22 - Back to School 2024
The kids are back in school—some excited, some not so much. Tune in to hear what they’re most excited about for the upcoming school year. Plus, we have a special guest host, our very own Lotus House alumna Sky'Lynn, who is heading into the 10th...
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9:44
21 - Lotus in the Neighborhood
In this episode, our hosts hit the streets during our latest community drive to connect with the vibrant Overtown community. Since 2020, Lotus House has been dedicated to hosting community drives, and this month, we took the opportunity to inte...
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12:53
20 - LGBTQ+ Pride Month - with Grecia Smith (Counselor and Rainbow Lotus Coordinator)
In this special episode of Lotus Village Voices, we celebrate Pride Month with Grecia, a dedicated counselor at Lotus House. Grecia shares her insights on the importance of Pride Month and the ways we can all support the LGBTQ+ community. We di...
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18:45
19 - Happy Mother's Day
Join us for heartwarming interviews as the little ones at Lotus House share their adorable tributes to the amazing mothers who nurture them. Grab some tissues and prepare for a dose of sweetness as we celebrate the extraordinary bond between mo...
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6:54
18 - National Volunteer Month - with Men in Pink
As National Volunteer Month draws to a close, we're taking a moment to express our gratitude for the dedicated volunteers who tirelessly support the women, children, and staff at the shelter. Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our organiz...
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18:56
17 - Lotus House Celebrates Black History Month
Before the month ends, we're taking a moment to honor and celebrate the incredible legacy of Black history in America. Join us on the podcast as we shine a light on the often overlooked heroes and heroines who've made remarkable contributions t...
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11:15
16 - 2023 Recap!
Cheers to 2024! 🎉 Join us in recapping the incredible milestones we achieved in 2023. Our very own alumni, Aysha (a 7th grader!), takes the hosting reins for this special episode. Don't miss a moment – stay tuned to unveil exciting details abou...
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8:41
15 - Thanksgiving Special
Join us for a very heartwarming Thanksgiving special. In the spirit of gratitude, we sit down with the incredible women and children who call Lotus House home, as they generously share what they are thankful for this season. Help u...
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5:04
14 - LGBTQ Pride Month - with Special Guest Jessica Lam
We're back with a very special episode honoring Pride Month, featuring special guest Jessica Lam, an advocate and ally for the LGBTQIA+ community. Jessica shares her story as a trans woman coming out in the 90s, LGBTQ awareness and how we...
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29:16
13 - Women's History Month - with Executive Director Isabella Dell'Oca
In honor of Women's History Month, we interviewed Isabella Dell'Oca, the newly appointed Executive Director of Lotus House. In this episode, we discuss her new role, her journey there, and her passion for the women and children at s...
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15:09
12 - Lived Experience, Part V - with Elizabeth (Outreach Coordinator)
We're back with another lived experience episode. This time we invited Elizabeth to share a heartfelt story on how she overcame living on the streets at the young age of 12 to her journey as Outreach Coordinator at Lotus Village.W...
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18:09
11 - Tay Tay's Story (Lived Experience, Part IV)
We are so excited to introduce our new host Jatericka Lamons, a.k.a. Tay Tay, who currently serves as Programming Coordinator at Lotus Village. In this episode, Tay Tay recounts her personal experience with homelessness.Please help us g...
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11:11
10 - Special Guest - Becca McCharen-Tran of Chromat
For our tenth episode, we welcomed a very special guest, Becca McCharen-Tran, who has hosted sewing workshops for the guests at Lotus House, and is also Founder and Creative Director of the Miami-based swim and activewear brand, Chromat. Listen...
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19:53
09 - Children's Services - with Dr. Shana Cox (Deputy Director of Children's Services)
We sat down with Shana Cox, Deputy Director of Children's Services, to discuss how she and her team provide individualized, trauma-informed, quality therapeutic services to 250+ children at the shelter. You can learn more about our ...
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24:29
08 - Lived Experience, Part III + Youth Program, Part I - with Pat Morrell (Youth Education & Programming Coordinator)
For the third installment of our Lived Experience series, we interviewed Lotus House alumni Pat Morrell to discuss her experience living at the shelter and how it led to her current position as Youth Education and Programming Coordinator. Th...
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20:19
07 - National Women's Shelter Network - with Constance Collins and Grettel Jimenez-Singer
Introducing the newest development in Lotus House history - the National Women’s Shelter Network! This has been an aspiration of ours for many years and we are so excited to tell you all about it. Returning to the show is Lotus House Founder &a...
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21:43
06 - Lived Experience, Part II - with Runisha Johnson (Director of Guest Services)
For the second installment in our Lived Experience series, we welcomed Director of Guest Services and alum Runisha Johnson. We’ve been sitting on this interview for awhile and are so happy to share it with you! Check out footage of our ...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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17:43
05 - 2021 Recap (Our 15th Year!)
Happy 2022! In this episode, we highlight our achievements from 2021 - our 15th anniversary as a shelter - as detailed in our annual report. Stay tuned throughout the episode for some interview tidbits from the kids and staff about their ...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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12:03
04 - Mayor of Miami-Dade County Daniella Levine Cava
We were so grateful to Madam Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for choosing Lotus House to celebrate her one-year anniversary in office! We discuss why she picked us for this special day, her decades of service to women and children throughout her car...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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18:14
03 - Education & Employment Center - with Cynthia Perez (Director of Education & Employment)
We sat down with Education & Employment Director, Cynthia Perez, to discuss the process of meeting guests' varied needs when it comes to finding a job and completing their education - as well as how we constructed a virtual school for our c...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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17:16
02 - Lived Experience, Part I - with Sharonee Delevante (Director of Operations)
In our first installment on the subject of Lived Experience, we sat down with alumni and Director of Operations, Sharonee Delevante, to discuss her time living and working at shelter, and her dreams for her and her son. Urgent need...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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30:02
01 - Welcome to Lotus Village, Where Hope Blossoms - with Constance Collins (Founder & Executive Director)
Welcome to our first episode! This week we feature a conversation with founder and Executive Director, Constance Collins, and hear sound bites from moms and kids from our Mother’s Day event. Urgent needs wishlist:
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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24:15