Second Stories Podcast

We think of each person’s life as having a “first story,” and a “second story.” Your first story is marked by the setting you were born into: your parents, your community, your level of opportunity, mostly things you can’t change. Your “second story,” is the new chapter you write yourself: your career, your own family, your goals, and your dreams.

Second Stories is dedicated to telling stories of people who had first stories full of hardship and hopelessness, yet were able to change the narrative and write a new one. They’re stories of resilience and hope, but also tributes to the people and experiences and organizations that made it possible for them to start again.

Find each episode here, plus some more information and photos about each of our guests.

Subscribe to the Second Stories Podcast

Second Stories season four is airing this September. You can listen to our three previous seasons here on our site or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and listen using the links below:
Merrill

Merrill

Merrill shares her story about how she used drinking, drugs, and partying to cover up a darkness she was trying to shove away.
Picture of Johnny and Merrill

Johnny

Johnny visited Second Story as a young person with nowhere to go. Decades later, he returned with his daughter who was struggling. He wanted her to experience the place that made him feel safe when he was most vulnerable.
Chauncy at Second Story’s Teen Center

Manny and Chauncy

Brothers Manny and Chauncy share stories reflecting each others’ in many ways. Both with dreams that inspire them and keep them up at night. Chauncy had something unique, though: someone telling him he could do it.
Picture of Simron

Simron

Simron wanted to go to college and pursue her dreams, while her family wanted to arrange the sort of marriage that Simron had seen lead to abuse and injustice. So she made a choice.
Tina

Tina

Tina mostly thought she was a lot like any other kid. But sometimes she sensed that things were...off. Then when Tina was 7 she was taken by CPS.
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Introducing Second Stories

This podcast is dedicated to telling stories of people who had first stories full of hardship and hopelessness, yet were able to change the narrative and write a new one.

Need Help?

If you need help right away, our 24/7 hotline provides support and referrals to services in the Washington DC metro area.
Call 1-800-SAY-TEEN or text “TEENHELP” to 855-11

Your Impact

We make every dollar count. The direct support of young people, their families and their communities, is our first priority. Here are examples of how your donation may be used.

$20,000

  • Three high school students experiencing homelessness receive a full year of rental assistance and support services so they can remain in school and graduate with their class.

$1,000

  • One teenager receives a safe haven, warm bed, food, and round-the-clock support for five nights at Second Story for Teens in Crisis, or
  • Eight months of therapy for a young woman in the Second Story for Young Mothers program.

$500

  • One teen receives daily counseling during a three-week stay at Second Story for Teens in Crisis, or
  • Twenty counseling sessions for the children and teens who are at-risk and participating in our after-school programs.

$100

  • Three teens receive a therapy session at Second Story for Teens in Crisis, or
  • Two weeks of food for a young mother and her child at Second Story for Young Mothers.

Thank you for your support!