Born in Montreal to a WWII widow, the clinical and forensic psychologist talks about the sexual abuse he experienced as a boy, the stigma and confusion adult male survivors grapple with and ultimately how he healed. Episode is sponsored by www1in6.org which he co-founded.
Raised by parents who talked about God a lot, the 29 year-old opens up about his self-hatred and the hypocrisy he saw in a mom who couldn’t parent him and a trucker dad who was either disappearing for months or dealing meth in their small Wyoming town.
The comedian/actor/writer (Kids in the Hall, Larry Sanders, Hannibal) opens up about his childhood in Brampton Ontario, coming to terms with his sexuality, especially the bullying that eroded his self-esteem and the lack of support from many in the gay community when he came out in the early nineties. He also shares about a traumatic and violent even at his middle school that he considers seminal and his past battle with cancer. This episode was recorded at the Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival.
Borderline Personality Disorder is often misunderstood. The blogger, author, performer and mom explains what it’s like to live with, how to manage it and when it’s most challenging. She also shares about her emotionally volatile childhood with her Russian Jewish relatives who emigrated from Estonia to Australia and being the mother of two boys. She also shares about living with the idea that her performing dreams may never come true.
The 28 year-old listener opens up about his family’s history of avoiding emotions, his cries for help, being sexually assaulted by a male friend at 13, struggling to live on $8/hour, his cutting and self-abuse and his shame over being aroused by dressing and acting like a baby.
Born to a drug-addict teenage mom, Julie was given up for adoption and raised by a stoic military dad and Fundamentalist mom whose obsession with demons comes close to resembling the mother from “Carrie”. There is much more to her story including her humor and resilience.
Paul’s friend shares about being committed to a psych hospital at 17 over a breakup, discovering drugs (crack) and how to hustle money to feed his habit. Hitting bottom in the desert and the dog that might have saved his life.
The actress/ writer/ standup/ podcaster (Girl on Guy)/t.v. host (The Talk, Talk Soup) joins Paul at LAPodfest in front of a live audience and discusses her workaholism and anxiety, her outcast status as a child, where her drive comes from, growing to understand her intimidating, blunt father and appreciate the challenges of her long marriage.