‘Stories From The Stage: The Podcast’ Kicks Off New Season With Powerful Stories Of Breast Cancer Survivors

Stories from the Stage: The Podcast, the companion to the WORLD-original series showcasing extraordinary stories told by ordinary people from all walks of life, premiered its fourth season on Monday, Oct. 2. The season premiere of the series, which features three storytellers performing for a live audience, includes three Black women breast cancer survivors and advocates on how the disease changed their lives.The podcast is hosted by Stories from the Stage co-creators Patricia Alvarado Núñez and Liz Cheng.

The first episode is Rebuilding after Cancer. After being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, 25-year United States Air Force veteran and St. Louis-area resident Sheila Marie Johnson is determined to continue her mother’s legacy while forging her own; New York City resident and comedy producer Suzette Simon uses her comedic talents to highlight how Black women are disproportionately affected by cancer; Atlanta resident, blogger and influencer Megsie Chase becomes an advocate after finding out that breast cancer will alter her dream of motherhood. Johnson, is an author and the subject of a film coming out on BET+ on October 19 (God’s Grace: The Sheila Johnson Story). Their stories were a part of a WORLD partnership with Count Me In, a nonprofit initiative committed to advancing patient-partnered cancer research.

The season continues with new episodes tied to the weekly Stories from the Stage broadcast series — hosted by humorists and storytellers Theresa Okokon and Wes Hazard — now heading into its seventh season on Monday, October 16, at 9:30pm EST on WORLD, the WORLD YouTube Channel, worldchannel.org and the PBS app. It includes four special episodes taped in Arizona and Nebraska. Flourishing in the Desert (October 16) and All Connected (November 20) are produced in collaboration with Arizona PBS, and On Sacred Ground (October 23) and Sacred Circle (November 13), featuring Indigenous tellers for Native American Heritage Month, are produced in collaboration with Nebraska Public Media and Vision Maker Media.

Connection through identity is interwoven throughout Stories from the Stage. Audiences will find humor, poignant lessons and moments of triumph in episodes such as Finding Family(December 4), Bucket List (January 8), Quest (January 22), From the Heart (February 12), Extraordinary Women (March 4), Be the Change (March 18), Belonging (May 6) and Sound Check (May 13). New episodes will air weekly through June 2024 on WORLD and stream across WORLD digital platforms, including YouTube. Individual stories and exclusive digital content can also be viewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and on the WORLD YouTube Channel.

Available on worldchannel.org, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, Stories from the Stage: The Podcast brings deep dives, interviews, and more, with highlights selected by Núñez and Cheng.

Select stories from Stories from the Stage broadcast Fridays on The World, a globally-focused radio program from PRX and GBH.