Margery Runyan, PhD

Margery Runyan, PhD

Twin Talk Podcast2023-02-07T14:22:04+00:00

Dr. Mercy interviews experts in the field of twins, twins themselves, other multiples, families of multiples, and experts in twin studies and families from all over the country. Search your favorite topics or simply start from the beginning. These recordings are educational to those interested in all things twin related. There are 70 episodes to choose from and discounts available for multiple purchases. Enjoy!

  • BIO: Anne Sisson Runyan is a Professor in the Department of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies at the University of Cincinnati (UC) with a Ph.D. in International Relations from The American University. She additionally holds an appointment in Political Science at UC and a visiting appointment at the Centre for Feminist Research at York University, Toronto. She previously founded and directed women’s studies programs at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam and Wright State University (WSU).  A pioneer of feminist international relations and a recipient of  an Eminent Scholar Award from the International Studies Association, she is the co-author of Global Gender Issues and the co-editor of Gender and Global Restructuring. She has headed five academic departments and has directed international exchange projects. Dr. Runyan has taught graduate and undergraduate courses, including Transnational Feminist Theory, Feminist Political Theory, Feminist Research, Women and Politics, Gender and International Relations, and Gender and Globalization. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:  Dr. Mercy has been privileged to have exceptional sisters and parents.  Her mother Margery and younger sister Anne will guest on the program to share their experiences with the twins Malinda and Margery (Dr. Mercy) throughout their shared lives.  Dr. Mercy’s mother raised four girls in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband Richard who was a graduate of Cornell Law and brilliant labor lawyer. Mother Margery, herself raised in Cincinnati, is a graduate of Smith College and holds a master’s degree in library science.  She worked as librarian for the City of Dayton for many years and now at 90 she is happily supported by her friends at Bethany Village in Centerville.  Mother Margery is proud of her heritage and leadership within the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Magna Charta.  Her third daughter Anne is a professor at the University of Cincinnati and her fourth daughter Catherine is raising her two daughters and step sons in Columbus.  This is an Ohio family died in the wool.  How did Dr. Mercy end up outside Ohio?  Tune in to hear Dr. Mercy’s childhood story.
     
  • Denise and Deanne live on opposite coasts, Denise in New York and Deanne in California. Has this geographic separation taken a toll on their twinship?  One twin was extroverted and sought the companionship of her peers; the other was closer to the family and sought approval there.  They were close in their younger years and supported each other in hard times.  How did they find themselves so far apart in adulthood?  What forces and factors shaped each twin?  How are they alike and different?  How do they communicate now in maturity?  Do they still think of each other as identical twins and how do they express this bond?  This twinship is a fascinating story of twins with primarily non-shared experiences. Their genes, aptitudes, intelligence, and interests are very similar, yet they have lived in two very different worlds both familiar to them from childhood.  Hear them discuss the choices they have made as women and identical twins.
  • Sally has been there and done that!  She was married with identical twin boys, divorced with the same twins as teens, and now living alone with her pets while the twins as young adults attend college together.  Sally will tell us how she fared within her various life styles and stages, how she mothered the twins during the phases of their development, how the twins helped her during the divorce, and how she is adjusting to life without them.  She will discuss how she has grown and matured as a mother of twins, as a woman, and as an individual.  If you are parenting twins, you will want to hear about Sally’s highs and lows, her successes and defeats, and her ways of coping during the stages of her full and fulfilling life.
  • Keith and Kevin Goodwin have shared their lives in every way.  They have both raised children, lived together and lived apart.  Kevin has older children and Keith has younger children.  How have their paths as husbands and fathers converged?  What differences have they experienced as husbands and fathers?  What aptitudes and interests do they share and how do they differ?  With luck, Tracy will call during the school day and perhaps the girls will call from their cell phones.  What is it like to be married to twins and have twins as fathers?  The girls are very gorgeous at the ages of 9, 7, and 6.  Tracy is an exceptional wife and mother.  Keith will talk about the experience of being married to an achievement-oriented woman who is working two jobs, raising three children, and completed her doctorate in her spare time.  Oh my goodness.  Life as a twin is wonderful.
     
  • Bio: Don and his identical twin brother Ronnie were born in Charleston, South Carolina, the youngest two sons of four brothers.  Their mother was raised in poverty and worked in the textile mills.  Later during World War II she worked in a munitions factory. Their father was a fighter pilot in the 8th Army during the war and flew numerous missions in Europe before being shot down over Italy near the end of the hostilities.  He was a prisoner of war until the Allies liberated Italy.  Don and Ronnie played in the cotton fields while their mother worked and later themselves worked in the fields of the southern farms.  They stayed with their father until his death from congestive hearth failure several years ago and then Ronnie died at 55 three years ago.  Don is finding his way back to life after a near death experience himself.  He has reunited with his brother’s ex-wife Theresa who is helping him regain his will to live. Program description:  Don has been resurrected from despair and near death.  He and Dr. Mercy met each other at Twinless Twins Support Group International during the 2009 annual conference in Denver.  They have since realized that they were destined to meet and create a deeply meaningful relationship as twins are here on this planet to do.  His love for his twin brother Ronnie ran wide and deep and he almost followed him into death and the afterlife.  Theresa’s loving care for both twins since the age of 15 brought him back to life on earth.  She found him near death in a hospital where his older brothers had abandoned him to die.  If Theresa can get away from her job responsibilities as an engineer, she will join us briefly on the show to discuss her experiences with these extraordinary twins.  Sometimes love IS enough.
     
  • Dr. Mercy and her guests will explore the topic of life stages and discuss whether twins have rites of passage that differ from singles.  The road of life is littered with surprising events when we know that nothing about us will ever be the same and seminal moments when we know that we must go forward because there is no turning back.  These benchmarks on the journey can be marked by rituals, holidays, chance meetings, life-long friendships, marriages, divorces, hospitalizations, incarcerations, spiritual awakenings, growth spurts, rituals, graduations, certificates, and deaths.  Are these states of transformation and maturation experienced in the same way by singles as by twins?  Do the same types of events precipitate change?  Is there an added complexity in the life stages of twins?  Tune in to hear the discussion. Biographies: Don is still visiting Dr. Mercy in Bokeelia, Florida, and he will return to the show for this episode.  He lost his twin Ronnie three years ago and then came very near death himself.  He believes that he has been given another chance at life.
  • Lee and Dr. Mercy will discuss the alternative healing methods that they use in their practices and whether the ‘twin’ inside influences the choice of methods.  Are twins more intuitive or courageous in their careers?  Are their choices related to the co-twin’s influence?  Does the second born twin exercise his/her magical powers in the healing process?  How do these healing practices work?  Why are we drawn to them and what do they signify for us in our own healing journey?
  • Dr. Mercy is going to talk about her life as a twin and share her experiences with her twin  sister Malinda.   We have no special guests except those twins out in the universe who want to participate.  We may discuss spiritual awakenings, depths of despair, and ordinary memories of twinship.
  • Special guest Pamela Prindle Fierro is an author and mother of identical twins, Pamela sought to connect with fellow parents of twins for advice and companionship. She now writes and supports other families with multiples, to encourage them in their parenting journey. She's written and produced numerous Web features on parenting and home management. Pamela is the author of three books:
    • Everything Twins, Triplets and More (2012)
    • Your Pregnancy Devotional (2006)
    • Mommy Rescue Guide Twins, Triplets, and More: Lifesaving Techniques and Advice for Surviving Life with Multiples (2008)
  • Dr. Nancy Segal, Professor of Psychology and Director of Twin Studies at the California State University, Fullerton, will be discussing How Identical are Identical Twins. Dr. Segal has written seven books about twins. Dr. Segal has authored approximately 250 scientific articles and book chapters in addition to her many books. A recent paper won a 2007 Award for Excellence in Research from the Mensa Foundation. She is also an Associate Editor of Twin Research and Human Genetics, the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies. She serves on the editorial boards of a number of journals, including Twin Research and Human Genetics, Evolution and Human Behavior and Human Ethology.
  • These sets of twins from Texas fell in love, went on a double date to Las Vegas, and won thousands...
     
  • Pamela Daniel and Dr. Mercy met several years ago at a Twinless Twins conference in Denver, Colorado and became fast friends.
  • In this lecture format, Dr. Mercy reports on Chinese fraternal twins adopted from the same orphanage and then reunited.
  • If you are a twin, a parent of twins, or close to a twin, you will enjoy the interview with Dr. Barbara Klein, a twin herself and expert in childhood development. Dr. Klein will discuss the strong influences of parenting styles and early childhood experiences on the way in which co-twins relate to each other. These methods of twinning are covered in her book ‘Not All Twins Are Alike.’  She will also answer questions such as; ‘What is it like growing up as a twin? Do twins have difficulty in non-twin relationships? Why do twins fight? Why is twin loss so profoundly difficult for the surviving twin? Why should parents stress the individual differences between their twin children? How can we help gifted and challenged twins?  What are the advantages of co-twins being different?’  Dr. Klein’s twin Marjorie teaches rhetorical writing at Stanford University and Dr. Klein will surely comment on their relationship throughout the life stages of childhood and adulthood.
  • BIO: Anne Sisson Runyan is a Professor in the Department of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies at the University of Cincinnati (UC) with a Ph.D. in International Relations from The American University. She additionally holds an appointment in Political Science at UC and a visiting appointment at the Centre for Feminist Research at York University, Toronto. She previously founded and directed women’s studies programs at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam and Wright State University (WSU).  A pioneer of feminist international relations and a recipient of  an Eminent Scholar Award from the International Studies Association, she is the co-author of Global Gender Issues and the co-editor of Gender and Global Restructuring. She has headed five academic departments and has directed international exchange projects. Dr. Runyan has taught graduate and undergraduate courses, including Transnational Feminist Theory, Feminist Political Theory, Feminist Research, Women and Politics, Gender and International Relations, and Gender and Globalization. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:  Dr. Mercy has been privileged to have exceptional sisters and parents.  Her mother Margery and younger sister Anne will guest on the program to share their experiences with the twins Malinda and Margery (Dr. Mercy) throughout their shared lives.  Dr. Mercy’s mother raised four girls in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband Richard who was a graduate of Cornell Law and brilliant labor lawyer. Mother Margery, herself raised in Cincinnati, is a graduate of Smith College and holds a master’s degree in library science.  She worked as librarian for the City of Dayton for many years and now at 90 she is happily supported by her friends at Bethany Village in Centerville.  Mother Margery is proud of her heritage and leadership within the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Magna Charta.  Her third daughter Anne is a professor at the University of Cincinnati and her fourth daughter Catherine is raising her two daughters and step sons in Columbus.  This is an Ohio family died in the wool.  How did Dr. Mercy end up outside Ohio?  Tune in to hear Dr. Mercy’s childhood story.
     
  • An interview with Sally Rhine Feather PhD on Twin Parapsychology. Dr. Feather is the eldest daughter of Joseph Banks Rhine and Louisa E Rhine, who are considered to be the founders of modern parapsychology.  Feather served as a child subject at the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory founded by her father, and later worked there as a research assistant, both before and after attending college, and after obtaining a doctorate in experimental psychology from Duke University (1967).  Her research topics included psi abilities of animals, correlation of memory and ESP performance, and help-hinder effects in a PK task. Following another lifelong interest, Feather obtained further training in clinical psychology at University of North Carolina in 1969 and devoted the next several decades to clinical psychology in mental health centers and private practice until retirement in 2004.   A move back to North Carolina in the early 1990’s enabled her to get re-involved in the Rhine Research Center.  Since 1994 she has served in various administrative capacities including the board of directors and for several years as volunteer executive director.  She co-authored a popular book on ESP experiences (St. Martins, 2005) and received the 2010 Career Achievement Award from the Parapsychology Association.
  • These beautiful young adult twins have reached a point in their development that fascinates clinicians and researchers.  They are moving out of the sheltered states of childhood and adolescence and learning to create their own lives.  Moving away from home, relocating to another state, finding jobs which match their credentials, evaluating potential partners, and planning for motherhood are all rites of passage which twins experience in different ways from singles.  Some of these rites occur earlier for one twin than the other, potentially creating stress and strain in the twinship.   The choices that they are making, together and apart, now have adult consequences and as Robert Frost has said in ‘The Road Not Taken’ ‘knowing how way leads on to way’ these choices will have a fundamental effect on the twinship in later years.  Listen to their points of view and world views on Twin Talk.
  • Diane is the grandmother of fraternal girl twins who are barely two months old.  This miracle pregnancy of her 24-year old daughter came as a marvelous surprise.  The twins were born healthy and named Lila and Nikita.  Diane has been instrumental in their care since the beginning; she has put her heart and soul into the health and well-being of the twins and their parents.  The father is a Navy Seal and expert sniper who spent several tours in Iraq.   This young family is struggling to care for the infants and make financial ends meet.  The grandmother has provided respite care for the beautiful twins whenever the mom and dad needed some time to relax.  She will discuss her role in this evolving situation and some of her feelings.  Dr. Mercy has done natal charts for the two twins and will discuss her findings with the grandmother during the show.  The natal chart according to Dr. Carl Jung reflects the soul's intention for this lifetime and may provide some insight into the destiny of these two tiny girls. Biography:  Diane is descended from Hungarian royalty and danced with several ballet companies when younger.  Her outer beauty reflects a powerful inner spirit and determination to live an extraordinary life.  Diane has raised four children from two marriages, one boy and three girls.  Two of her daughters have lost their lives: one to a drug overdose and the other to a rare disease.  These two daughters are still very deeply missed.  She is now married to a third husband who adores her and has helped her family in every way possible during the year since their marriage.  She is thrilled with the newly born twin granddaughters and has expressed that there may be a synchronicity between two grandgirls born and two daughters deceased.
  • Dr. Mercy calls upon her studies of numerology to cover the basics that you need to know to live your life.
  • Program description: Bob Davidson discovered in adulthood that he was born a twin.  His aunt revealed to him late in her life that his twin brother was relatively undeveloped and thus stillborn.  The brother was not named.  This family secret came as a revelation because Bob had always wanted a brother and at times had been sure that he did have a brother somehow somewhere. He did have two younger sisters and befriended many men throughout his life to fill this empty space of brotherhood.  Listen to Bob reflect on his lifetime from the perspective of 70 years of age, looking back on some of the most fascinating changes in society and in his own concept of the meaning of life.  He will discuss the experience of lost twinship, being raised as a singleton and only later discovering his true identity as a twin.  Raymond Brandt the founder of Twinless Twins believes in twin bonding in utero.  Bob will shed light on his missing pieces. Bio:  Bob Davidson is now 70 years of age and only learned in late adulthood that he was born a twin.  He was born in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, and raised there with two younger sisters.  After high school, he joined the Navy and flew as a navigator.  Later he worked towards his own pilot license and still meets with other men who are also 'high flyers.'  Bob married and had six sons. He worked throughout New York City as an iron worker and was eventually injured.  He retired and now runs a farm in Duchess County, New York and a citrus grove here in SW Florida.  He met Dr. Mercy through a mutual friend and they were immediately attracted spiritually and emotionally as twins.
  • Karey Baker is the mother of two 6-year-old twin boys who were diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.
  • In this program, Dr. Mercy discusses the tragic case of the Silent Twins, June and Jennifer Gibbons born on April 11, 1963 at a Royal Air Force Hospital in Aden, England to black parents from Barbados. The identical twin girls kept silent throughout their childhood speaking only to each other in their bedroom where they created elaborate doll fantasies, wrote books and poems, and kept profuse diaries.  They were destined to be confined to a maximum security psychiatric hospital for eleven years of their adult lives following an adolescent crime spree. For most of this time the twins were kept in separate quarters.  Released together in 1993, Jennifer died within hours of a mysterious cardiac condition and June returned to live with her family.  June now speaks.
     
  • Dr. Mercy continues her talks on spiritual growth with a review of the seven stages of power and healing, based
  • This show will explore the actual experiences of two female identical twins during childhood, adolescence and adulthood.  Lee and Jesse will relate stories from their early lives illustrating their alikeness and differences, their comfort with other children, their position in the family, and the advantages and disadvantages of twinship.  They will also answer the questions: 1. How is it different to be the first born or the second born? 2. How do you see yourselves as different from each other? 3. How do your parents see you as different from each other? 4. How did you relate to each other in School? 5. What did you share?  Friends?  Belongings? 6. Did you have some secrets from each other and from the world? 7. How did your sister influence your career? 8. How did your twinship affect your view of health and wellness?
  • Sandy and Dr. Mercy met each other at the International Twins Association convention in Tempe, Arizona.

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