Rebecca D returns to the podcast to talk about going no-contact with her mom and reflects on moments in her childhood that she didn’t realize were strange until she was an adult. She also talks about what it was like growing up surrounded by religious orthodoxy.
Steph Jagger joins Paul to discuss the grief of loving someone with dementia. She also shares the small moments of beauty that can sometimes come out of this disease. Be sure to check out her book, Everything Left to Remember, where she beautifully documents the camping road trip she took with her mother while in the midst of her disease.
Miller is one one of Paul’s support group friends. He joins Paul to talk about being on the other side of a chaotic life of crime. After having spent most of his life in a gang and going in and out of prison, he’s turned a corner. He talks about his addiction, his childhood as a gang member, and what it was like, as a prisoner, to fight the California wildfires and be living an honest life today.
Bethanne Patrick is a writer, literary critic, and podcast host (Missing Pages). She talks about her struggles with double depression, her experiences with being a supportive caretaker, and her life as a voracious reader. Be sure to check out her new book, Life B: Overcoming Double Depression.
Jenny Zigrino (@JennyZigrino) is a standup comedian from Minnesota who was put on a diet at the age of 5. She talks about how her parents’ reaction to her weight shaped her self-image, how she overcame her eating disorder, and how her body acceptance is continually evolving. Check out her brand new comedy hour, Jen-Z, on Youtube.
Emi Nietfeld (@EmiNietfeld) is a writer and the author of the book Acceptance, a memoir of her journey through foster care, homelessness, and, eventually, to Harvard. She opens up about a childhood where she was often neglected and heavily medicated. She talks about her several stays in psychiatric wards and how she’s continuing to process her troubled childhood.
Kristine Kimmel is a writer and a host of the How To Survive (@PodHowToSurvive) podcast. She opens up about how therapy saved her marriage and what it’s like parenting teenage twins. She also shares some unbelievable moments from her violent and unpredictable childhood and talks about how she’s working to manage her own rage.
A tribute/re-airing for Paul’s friend Charlie who passed away last week after years of battling his demons. Charlie led an astoundingly painful life especially in regard to his mother (schizophrenia, depression), father (workaholic, hoarder), and sister (drug addict). He describes his descent into drugs (crack), emotionally damaged women and violence before finding the key to understanding his behavior.
Michelle E. is the daughter of Paul’s best childhood friend. Michelle opens up about her struggles with self-worth, her desire to feel seen and appreciated, her time working as an escort, and how she’s dealt with the fact that, as a child, she didn’t have contact with her father and was raised by a single mom with deep trust issues and possibly BPD.