A comedy podcast about healing from childhood neglect.
Now in Season 3.
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Hilarious self-care
“It took me 47 years to realize that some of my issues that I thought were just me and just my personality might actually be related to the way I was raised. Amazing. I can totally relate to these ladies and the topics they discuss. Listening to this podcast is catharsis.”
— Jcsinwi, 05/16/2023, Apple Podcast review
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A Must-Listen
“If you were ever a child you should listen to this podcast! Anne and Allison were made for podcasting - even their casual banter is actually interesting to hear (not always the case if you listen to a lot of podcasts). In just a couple listens I feel like I have learned a lot about the human condition and gave me a new perspective on my own experiences. Unabashed, salty, and somehow fun even though the topics are not light.”
— radiosilents, 10/29/21, Apple Podcast review
Healing trauma with humor.
There's a nurturance void when we experience childhood emotional neglect. Anne is a therapist. Alison works in child wellness and trauma education. They look at the personal, interpersonal, and societal forms of neglect—the whole interconnected ecology of neglect. They often ask, "Why can't we care?" This podcast seeks to end the stigma of talking about mental health, trauma, and neglect while providing some resources for healing and growth.
Topics: childhood emotional neglect, attachment, trauma, child trauma, mental health, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), growth, healing, nurturance, community, love, friendship, marriage, parenting, book recommendations, podcasts, pop culture, economics, politics, culture, racism, the patriarchy and more.
Anne and Alison met in Asheville in 2005. Anne had a room for rent. Alison needed a room. Alison just got out of rehab. Anne had just started a graduate program to become a therapist to help people with addiction issues.
They stayed friends over the years even though Alison moved away from Asheville.
In 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they started meeting regularly for Zoom chats and realized they were reading all the same trauma books and made each other laugh.
“Let’s start a podcast!” Anne said.
Alison had just produced 3 episodes of “The Student Mental Health Podcast,” for a grad school project at Boston University and felt this was the next best step—combining her passion for addressing mental health issues but with laughter as healing.
Alison put together the to-do list and interviews commenced in April of 2021.
Latchkey Urchins & Friends launched on September 17th, 2021.
Anne wanted the word “urchin” in the title because her mom called her a Little Urchin after spending all day running around the neighborhood (with zero adult supervision). Alison thought of “Latchkey Urchins & Friends,” so that anyone felt included—not just latchkey kids—all friends welcome! Anne and Alison did not debate. It was the first name idea and they went with it!
Próxima Parada lent their song “One Cloud is Lonely” as the theme song and Próxima Parada’s guitarist, Josh Collins, was hired to master the episodes.
Season 1 was a lot about interviewing folks in Anne and Alison’s networks and friend groups about their childhood and how that led them to their healthy or unhealthy coping strategies during the pandemic.
Season 2 launched with new cover art by artist and graphic designer Claire Dierksen. The toaster on fire represents latchkey kids cooking at home unsupervised and making a disaster of the kitchen!
Season 3 launched in the fall of 2023 and will have 15 episode interviews and several Struggle Party episodes.
Absolute gold!
“Latchkey Urchins and Friends has been the blessing I didn’t know I needed. Every episode is filled with laughter, reality, and the supportive words I didn’t get as a child. For real though, the hosts have been able to provide an array of perspectives on many issues facing us, and they do so with grace, courage, and humility.”
— TeacherRose07, 12/06/2022, Apple Podcast review
Anne Sherry
Anne Sherry is a therapist located in Asheville, North Carolina, specializing in emotional and developmental trauma. Anne got her Masters’s in Counseling in 2007 and is Certified in Internal Family Systems. Anne’s counseling career has involved running crisis services in Western NC to a successful private practice focusing on adults, with a burgeoning interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies. Prior to following her passion to have a counseling career at age of 40, Anne meandered through numerous low-wage jobs, poorly thought out travel plans, and impulsive cross-country moves. Anne lives with her husband, son, and 3 cats in a 500 sq ft renovated garage.
Alison Cebulla
Alison Cebulla has a Master’s of Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health (’19) a top 10 program. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2009 with a BS in Conservation and Resource Studies with a focus in agricultural ecology. Alison went on to intern at ecological nonprofits in Belgium and the Netherlands, then worked in Fair Trade, an industry that seeks to end violence against women through economic empowerment. She runs an online program that helps people quit sugar and heal emotional eating. Alison has written about the transformative power of kindness and gratitude in the Huffington Post, and has taught workshops and spoken on stage in Paris, Barcelona, New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. She is an avid trail runner, yogi, meditator, blogger, and food grower.
Alison previously worked as a Community Facilitator for PACEs Connection, an organization that works to prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences, and as the Associate Director of Curriculum Development and Training at UMass Medical School to prevent childhood trauma. She founded Tend Collective in February 2024 with 3 colleagues. Tend Co is a consultancy in the trauma-informed care and psychological safety spaces, helping organizations, businesses, and agencies take better care of people. Alison manages a project called Kind Warrior with over 10,000 followers on Instagram and Facebook. She is based in Boston, MA but has been a digital nomad since October 2023. You can follow along with her latest travel project, Romance by Rail, here.
Friend Therapy
“These women are a great combo of relatable, authentic, open and knowledgeable. Feels like hanging out with your friends if your friends are all therapists! You find yourself thinking ‘me too!’ when your hear their personal stories and then magically coming out the other side with new insight and a laugh to boot.”
— nijaob12, 02/16/2022, Apple Podcast review