• 32 minutes 53 seconds
    John Carter: Part 1- Shot in the Head, Lost in Addiction, and Fighting His Way Back

    At 22, John Carter survived a point-blank gunshot to the back of the head—but surviving the bullet was only the beginning. G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with John for Part 1 of an unbelievable conversation about organized crime, depression, addiction, prison, sobriety, physical recovery, and the people who helped him fight his way back.

    Awards & Downloads

    Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

    Feedback

    We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here: https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

    Mental Health Quote

    “Tomorrow might not be here for you, so take advantage of it.” — John Carter

    Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

    This episode includes conversations about gun violence, addiction, incarceration, depression, overdose, and loss. Please take care of yourself while listening.

    If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs immediate emotional support in the United States, call or text 988 or visit:
    https://988lifeline.org/

    For crisis resources outside the U.S.:
    https://findahelpline.com/

    Episode Description

    John Carter has lived through the kind of story that sounds impossible until you hear him tell it. Raised around organized crime and determined to follow in his father’s footsteps, John entered a dangerous world that nearly killed him. At just 22, he was shot point-blank in the back of the head. He survived—but the aftermath brought disability, depression, alcohol, drugs, and eventually dealing drugs to support his addiction.

    In Part 1, John joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to talk about the moments that changed the direction of his life. After his arrest, he found himself sitting in a police department parking lot at more than 300 pounds, using a wheelchair, broke, addicted, and out of options. A trip to detox—and a woman named Deb who showed him what recovery could look like—became the beginning of something different.

    John also shares how a 10-year prison sentence ultimately became part of his second chance. Inside, three men who had known his father refused to let him stay in his wheelchair. They brought him to the prison gym, trained with him, and helped him rebuild his body until he eventually walked out of prison.

    The conversation also explores grief, the loss of John’s brothers to addiction, the importance of asking for help, and the unexpected purpose he found through personal training and service dogs.

    John’s story isn’t about pretending trauma was a gift. It’s about what can happen when you keep getting back up.

    Keywords: John Carter, addiction recovery, mental health recovery, sobriety, trauma recovery, depression, prison rehabilitation, resilience, second chances, organized crime survivor, personal transformation, service dogs, recovery community, fitness and mental health, overcoming adversity

    Meet Our Guest — John Carter

    John Carter is a personal trainer, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, author, and owner of Titanium Health and Fitness, a private gym in Boston. After surviving a near-fatal gunshot, addiction, incarceration, and profound personal loss, John rebuilt his life around sobriety, service, fitness, and helping others believe that change is still possible.

    His memoir, Triggered to Change, shares his journey from organized crime and addiction to recovery, purpose, and second chances.

    Key Takeaways

    • Recovery can begin at the moment you finally admit you need help.
    • Getting sober does not make every problem disappear, but it gives you a fighting chance to face them.
    • A painful consequence can sometimes become the interruption that saves a life.
    • Asking for help is not weakness—it can completely change the direction of your story.
    • Physical movement and fitness became powerful tools in John’s rebuilding process.
    • The people who believe in you can matter enormously, but you still have to choose the next right step.

    Actionable Items

    • Make a recovery plan before you need it. Identify the people, places, and resources you can turn to when life becomes overwhelming.
    • Look honestly at the environments that pull you backward. Sometimes protecting your progress means changing where you go and who you spend time with.
    • Find one healthy practice that helps you reconnect with your body—walking, strength training, stretching, swimming, or another form of movement that meets you where you are.

    Important Chapters

    • 00:01:02 — John Introduces His Story
    • 00:02:25 — Growing Up Around Organized Crime
    • 00:03:03 — Surviving the Gunshot
    • 00:04:00 — Addiction, Arrest, and Hitting Bottom
    • 00:05:09 — Meeting Deb and Seeing Recovery Differently
    • 00:06:00 — A 10-Year Prison Sentence
    • 00:07:29 — Making a Plan Instead of Giving Up
    • 00:09:13 — Rebuilding His Body in Prison
    • 00:12:14 — The Lesson John’s Father Taught Him About Quitting
    • 00:16:55 — Entering Prison at 24
    • 00:18:31 — Facing Temptation After Prison
    • 00:19:40 — Losing His Brothers to Addiction
    • 00:21:16 — Turbulence and the Power of Service Dogs
    • 00:26:21 — Turning His Story Into a TEDx Talk
    • 00:29:46 — Finding Purpose Through Speaking and Service

    Closing CTA

    Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

    Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:
    https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

    #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #AddictionRecovery #SobrietyJourney #TraumaRecovery #SecondChances #RecoveryIsPossible #OvercomingAdversity #Resilience #PrisonRehabilitation #DepressionRecovery #ServiceDogs #FitnessAndMentalHealth #RecoveryCommunity #NeverGiveUp #TriggeredToChange #JohnCarter

    ***************************************************************************

    If You Need Support, Reach Out

    If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

    Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

    Audio Editing by NJz Audio


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    15 September 2026, 7:00 am
  • 36 minutes 6 seconds
    Noah: From Depression and Suicidal Thoughts to Finding His Voice Through Podcasting

    What happens when years of depression, anxiety, bullying, and feeling like an outsider finally meet a microphone? G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Noah May to talk about surviving some of his darkest moments, finding connection when he needed it most, and discovering that using his voice through podcasting could become part of his healing.

    Awards & Downloads

    Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

    Feedback

    We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here: https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

    Mental Health Quote

    “Stay strong and don’t let it all bring you down. You got to keep fighting.” — Noah May

    Episode Description

    Noah May has been navigating depression since he was 13 and anxiety since he was 18, but his story is about more than diagnoses. It’s about what happens when loneliness, bullying, complicated family history, and feeling like you don’t belong start shaping the way you see yourself — and what can happen when you finally find a way to speak back.

    In this deeply personal conversation, Noah joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to talk about growing up without his biological father, learning the painful circumstances surrounding his conception, being bullied by classmates, and wondering whether he was ever good enough. He also opens up about starting therapy, struggling to be completely honest during those early sessions, and later realizing that healing sometimes requires finding the right outlet — not just following someone else’s version of what recovery should look like.

    For Noah, one of those outlets became podcasting.

    After graduating from Auburn University with a journalism degree, Noah faced another familiar fear: What if all that work had been for nothing? Instead of giving up, he leaned harder into creating. Today, he hosts three podcasts — Lethal Venom, Music Talks, and Southern Reads — and uses his platform to tell the truth, connect with people, and create the kind of space he once needed himself.

    Noah’s story reminds us that life rarely follows the damn plan. Sometimes healing looks like therapy. Sometimes it looks like friendship. Sometimes it looks like music, books, or sitting behind a microphone and finally saying the things you’ve carried for years.

    Keywords: Noah May, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, mental health recovery, podcasting and mental health, bullying recovery, loneliness, finding your voice, emotional healing, therapy, young adult mental health, mental health advocacy, overcoming adversity, healing through storytelling

    Meet Our Guest — Noah May

    Noah May is an Auburn University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and the host of three podcasts: Lethal Venom, Music Talks, and Southern Reads. After navigating depression, anxiety, bullying, loneliness, and periods of suicidal thinking, Noah turned his experiences into a reason to speak openly and create conversations where others can feel seen, heard, and less alone.

    Website: https://www.noahspodcasts.com/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/713902225134300
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenoahshowww
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-c-may
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenoahshowww
    X: https://www.x.com/noahspodcasts
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/noahspodcasts

    Lethal Venom:
    https://noahspodcasts.com/lethal-venom

    Music Talks:
    https://noahspodcasts.com/music-talks

    Southern Reads:
    https://noahspodcasts.com/southern-reads

    Key Takeaways

    • Your past can shape you without getting the final say in who you become.
    • Depression and anxiety can make you feel isolated, but hearing someone else’s story can remind you that you aren’t the only one carrying heavy shit.
    • Finding the right mental health support may take time, honesty, and sometimes more than one therapist or healing approach.
    • Creative expression can become a powerful emotional outlet when you've buried feelings for years.
    • Supportive friendships can completely change the way we experience difficult seasons.
    • Life rarely unfolds exactly according to plan, and that doesn’t mean you failed.

    Actionable Items

    • Find one safe outlet where you can say what you’ve been holding back — whether that’s therapy, journaling, podcasting, voice notes, art, or a trusted person.
    • Take inventory of the people around you. Pay attention to who makes you feel supported, heard, and able to be yourself.
    • When your original plan falls apart, ask yourself, “What can I build with what I have right now?” instead of automatically assuming you failed.

    Important Chapters

    • 00:00 — Meet Noah May
    • 01:45 — Noah’s Childhood and Family Story
    • 06:38 — Bullying and Growing Up Without a Father
    • 08:11 — Depression and Anxiety Begin
    • 09:12 — Starting College During COVID
    • 12:52 — Why Noah Chose Journalism
    • 15:00 — Turning a Dream Into Podcasting
    • 16:38 — Podcasting as a Therapeutic Outlet
    • 19:59 — Building Three Podcasts
    • 21:05 — Music and Mental Health
    • 23:14 — Rediscovering Reading
    • 26:15 — Therapy and Learning to Open Up
    • 28:28 — Giving Anxiety a Theme Song
    • 29:53 — Advice to Noah’s 12-Year-Old Self
    • 30:52 — The Hardest Lesson Noah Has Learned
    • 32:15 — Noah’s Favorite Word
    • 33:32 — Where to Find Noah

    Closing CTA

    Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

    Remember to subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:
    https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

    #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #DepressionAwareness #AnxietyAwareness #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealthRecovery #HealingJourney #PodcastingForHealing #FindingYourVoice #YoungAdultMentalHealth #BullyingRecovery #EmotionalWellness #MentalHealthAdvocate #HealingThroughStorytelling #YouAreNotAlone #OvercomingAdversity #NoahMay

    ***************************************************************************

    If You Need Support, Reach Out

    If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

    Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

    Audio Editing by NJz Audio


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    10 September 2026, 7:00 am
  • 46 minutes 44 seconds
    Stephanie on Grief, Guilt, and Turning Regret Into Resilience

    Grief has a way of dragging us back into every decision, every conversation, and every painful “what if.” In this deeply personal episode, Stephanie Renner joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to talk about losing her son Jordan to suicide, the guilt and regret that followed, and how she learned to keep moving forward without letting the past define the rest of her life.

    Awards & Downloads Line

    Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listeners in more than 160 countries.

    Feedback Link Line

    We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here:

    https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

    Mental Health Quote

    “Love is not measured by the outcome.” — Stephanie Renner

    Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

    This episode includes candid conversations about suicide, suicidal ideation, self-harm, grief, and the loss of a child. Please take care of yourself while listening and step away if you need to.

    If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/

    For crisis support outside the United States: https://findahelpline.com/

    Episode Description

    After losing her father, her mother, and her oldest son within a six-year span, Stephanie Renner knows what it feels like to replay the past and wonder what could have been different.

    In this raw and deeply human conversation, Stephanie opens up to G-Rex and Dirty Skittles about her son Jordan, who died by suicide shortly before his nineteenth birthday. She shares what it was like raising a deeply empathetic young man who struggled for years with suicidal ideation, mental health challenges, and the feeling that he did not quite fit into the world around him.

    Stephanie also speaks honestly about the guilt that can follow devastating loss. The questions come fast and hard: What if I had found the right therapist? What if I had been home? What if I had made one different decision? She calls them the “if-onlys,” and she knows firsthand how easily they can become a prison.

    Over time, Stephanie began to understand that loving someone deeply does not mean you can control their outcome. That realization became one of the most important lessons of her life: Love is not measured by the outcome.

    She also shares the unexpected signs that have helped her feel connected to Jordan, the community that surrounded her when she could barely function, and the ways grief changed her perspective on fear, work, and what actually matters.

    After nearly 25 years as an attorney, Stephanie stepped away from the life she built and moved toward something more meaningful. Today, through her Regret to Resilience Method, she helps people work through regret, guilt, and shame after trauma or loss.

    She also founded Gilly’s Friends in Jordan’s memory, turning his kindness into a lasting reminder: You matter. You’re loved.

    Keywords: Stephanie Renner, Regret to Resilience, grief, grief recovery, suicide loss, suicide prevention, parental grief, guilt after loss, regret, emotional healing, self-forgiveness, resilience, trauma recovery, mental health awareness, finding purpose after loss

    Meet Our Guest — Stephanie Renner

    Stephanie Renner is a keynote speaker, writer, attorney, nonprofit founder, and creator of The Regret to Resilience Method. Her work helps people release regret, guilt, and shame after trauma or loss so they can move forward with greater purpose, confidence, and self-compassion.

    Her work is deeply personal. After losing her father, mother, and oldest son, Jordan, within six years, Stephanie turned her own experience with grief into a mission to help others stop allowing the past to control what comes next.

    She is also the founder of Gilly’s Friends, a nonprofit created in Jordan “Gilly” Guilford’s memory that spreads intentional acts of kindness and reminds people that they matter and are loved.

    Key Takeaways

    • Love is not measured by the outcome. You can love someone completely and still not control what happens.
    • Regret often lives in the “if-onlys,” where we convince ourselves that one different choice would have changed everything.
    • Grief does not mean forgetting someone or moving on from them. It can mean learning to carry love and loss at the same time.
    • Support matters. Sometimes the people who simply show up, sit with you, feed you, and stay close make survival possible.
    • Belonging matters, especially for young people who feel like they do not fit anywhere.
    • Purpose can grow alongside grief. Stephanie transformed Jordan’s legacy of kindness into work that continues to help other people feel seen and valued.

    Actionable Items

    • Challenge one “if-only.” Write down a regret you keep replaying and ask yourself whether you truly know that changing that one moment would have changed the outcome.
    • Know who your people are. Identify two or three people you can call when life gets heavy, and consider whether someone in your life may need you to be that person for them.
    • Do one intentional act of kindness. Send the text. Make the call. Buy the coffee. Check in. Small moments can carry more weight than we realize.

    Important Chapters

    • 00:00 – Meet Stephanie Renner
    • 02:30 – Signs From Jordan and Staying Connected After Loss
    • 08:15 – Jordan’s Mental Health Journey
    • 12:00 – Surviving the Loss of a Child
    • 13:35 – The “If-Onlys” of Grief and Regret
    • 18:50 – One of Stephanie and Jordan’s Final Conversations
    • 21:45 – Mental Health, Shame, and Creating a Kinder World
    • 23:30 – The Community That Carried Stephanie
    • 26:15 – Losing Fear After Losing So Much
    • 26:55 – Grieving a Son While Losing a Mother to Alzheimer’s
    • 29:30 – From Attorney to Regret to Resilience
    • 31:00 – Letting Go of Mother’s Day Guilt
    • 33:30 – Care Bears, Raccoons, and Signs From Beyond
    • 41:25 – What Stephanie Would Tell a Younger Jordan
    • 44:25 – Love Is Not Measured by the Outcome
    • 45:40 – Favorite Word, Least Favorite Word
    • 46:10 – Regret to Resilience
    • 47:05 – Gilly’s Friends and Jordan’s Legacy of Kindness

    Closing CTA

    Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

    Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:  https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

    #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #GriefSupport #SuicideLoss #SuicidePrevention #GriefJourney #RegretToResilience #HealingAfterLoss #ParentalGrief #BereavedParents #EmotionalHealing #SelfForgiveness #TraumaRecovery #Resilience #FindingPurpose #GriefAndLoss #YouMatter

    ***************************************************************************

    If You Need Support, Reach Out

    If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

    Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

    Audio Editing by NJz Audio


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    8 September 2026, 7:00 am
  • 27 minutes 56 seconds
    Regent on Courageous Conversations: Stop Avoiding What’s Costing You Peace — Part 2

    Some conversations can be course-corrected with feedback. Others cross a bright line and demand something more. In Part 2, G-Rex, Dirty Skittles, and Regent Cornell get even more practical about confrontation, emotional regulation, accountability, leadership, and what to do when the other person simply refuses to meet you halfway.

    Awards & Downloads Line

    Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

    Feedback Link Line

    We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here: https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

    Mental Health Quote

    “People rarely need fewer confrontations. They need thousands more courageous everyday feedback conversations.” — Regent Cornell

    Episode Description

    How do you have a healthy conversation when the other person refuses to listen, take accountability, or change?

    In Part 2, Regent Cornell returns with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to push the conversation beyond basic communication skills and into the harder territory: bright lines, toxic leadership, broken trust, emotional triggers, and knowing when you have done everything you can.

    Regent explains the difference between feedback and confrontation, including situations where a boundary has been crossed so clearly that feedback is no longer enough. He also explores why confrontation should never become an excuse to retaliate, humiliate, or emotionally punish another person. The temporary satisfaction of “winning” a fight can quickly turn into regret.

    G-Rex asks what happens when leaders avoid conflict or when the person receiving feedback refuses to engage. Regent’s answer is clear: you cannot force someone to change. You can communicate, influence, set expectations, and choose what you are willing to tolerate, but accountability ultimately belongs to each individual.

    The trio also talks about self-worth, curiosity, emotional regulation, and why avoidance can quietly destroy relationships. Regent leaves listeners with a challenge: choose one conversation. Not ten. One. Decide what needs daylight, get curious about the other person’s reality, and stop waiting for the “suddenly” that comes after months or years of avoidance.

    Keywords: difficult conversations, courageous conversations, conflict resolution, mental health, emotional wellness, boundaries, leadership communication, workplace conflict, toxic leadership, self-worth, accountability, emotional regulation, healthy confrontation, relationship communication, Fierce Conversations

    Meet Our Guest — Regent Cornell

    Regent Cornell is a transformational leadership, talent-development, and organizational-growth expert with more than 33 years of experience helping leaders, teams, and individuals build the clarity, confidence, and capability to thrive. He serves as Vice President of Market Evolution & Strategic Growth at Fierce Conversations and owns Cornell Consulting, bringing expertise in executive coaching, strategic communication, organizational development, team building, diversity and inclusion, negotiation, and change management.

    Regent is an HBDI Level III Master Facilitator through Herrmann International and holds a Professional Coaching Certification at the ICF-PCC level from the University of Miami. He is also certified in Fierce Conversations, Myers-Briggs, DiSC, Prosci Change Management, and Advanced Consulting.

    Fierce Inc.:
    https://www.fierceinc.com/

    LinkedIn:
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/regent-cornell

    Key Takeaways

    • Feedback is preventative care; confrontation is the intervention when a pattern becomes too important to ignore.
    • Some situations cross a “bright line” and require immediate accountability rather than gradual feedback.
    • You cannot force another person to change, no matter how well you communicate.
    • Entering a confrontation to prove you are right usually shuts down curiosity and learning.
    • The best time to give feedback is close enough to the moment to be useful and calm enough to be constructive.
    • Avoidance weakens relationships; curiosity strengthens them.

    Actionable Items

    • Pick one conversation you have been postponing and put a date on when you will address it.
    • Before speaking, ask yourself: “Am I entering this conversation to prove something or to learn something?”
    • Use Regent’s standard for fierce feedback: candor with care, clarity with curiosity, and courage with respect.

    References Mentioned

    Fierce Inc.: https://www.fierceinc.com/

    Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

    Important Chapters

    • 00:00:49 – Asking, “How Can I Show Up Better for You?”
    • 00:01:31 – Feedback as Preventative Care
    • 00:02:08 – When Someone Crosses a Bright Line
    • 00:04:22 – Confrontation Is Not Revenge
    • 00:06:58 – What Happens When Leaders Avoid Conflict?
    • 00:10:52 – What If the Other Person Won’t Reciprocate?
    • 00:12:39 – The Cost of Waiting Too Long
    • 00:16:08 – Self-Worth, Choice, and What You Will Tolerate
    • 00:17:55 – Avoidance vs. Curiosity
    • 00:19:57 – Stop Entering Conversations to Prove You’re Right
    • 00:20:57 – Candor With Care
    • 00:21:41 – Start With One Conversation
    • 00:23:09 – Stop Waiting for the “Suddenly”
    • 00:24:33 – A Message for Leaders
    • 00:25:24 – How to Connect With Regent

    Closing CTA

    Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

    Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:
    https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

    #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #CourageousConversations #DifficultConversations #ConflictResolution #HealthyCommunication #LeadershipDevelopment #EmotionalWellness #BoundariesMatter #Accountability #ProtectYourPeace #WorkplaceMentalHealth #EmotionalRegulation #SelfWorth #FierceConversations #RelationshipAdvice #PersonalGrowth

    ***************************************************************************

    If You Need Support, Reach Out

    If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

    Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

    Audio Editing by NJz Audio


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    3 September 2026, 7:00 am
  • 33 minutes 25 seconds
    Regent on Courageous Conversations: Stop Avoiding What’s Costing You Peace — Part 1

    What happens when the conversations you keep avoiding start costing you your peace, your relationships, or even your mental health? G-Rex and Dirty Skittles welcome back Regent Cornell for a powerful conversation about honest feedback, emotional courage, boundaries, and why saying the hard thing early can keep resentment from taking over.

    Awards & Downloads Line

    Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

    Feedback Link Line

    We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here: https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

    Mental Health Quote

    “Silence does not remove the issue. It simply delays the conversation while allowing the impact to continue.” — Regent Cornell

    Episode Description

    Avoiding a hard conversation might feel easier in the moment, but what happens when silence starts becoming resentment, anxiety, or emotional exhaustion?

    In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles welcome back leadership and communication expert Regent Cornell to talk about why courageous conversations matter long before things reach a breaking point. Regent shares how the principles of Fierce Conversations have changed his personal and professional life, and why feedback should feel less like criticism and more like a GPS helping us course-correct.

    The conversation gets deeply personal as Regent opens up about quarterly relationship check-ins with his partner, navigating difficult family dynamics, and setting a painful boundary with a friend struggling with addiction. Dirty Skittles reflects on how avoiding hard conversations can turn into resentment, while G-Rex shares how she uses the principles of Fierce Conversations even when the person she needs to confront is herself.

    Together, they unpack why confrontation does not have to mean conflict, cruelty, or emotional warfare. Healthy confrontation means facing the problem with honesty, curiosity, and respect before frustration becomes something bigger.

    This episode reminds you that protecting your peace doesn't always mean walking away. Sometimes it means finally saying what needs to be said.

    Keywords: courageous conversations, difficult conversations, mental health, emotional wellness, healthy communication, boundaries, feedback, confrontation, resentment, self-awareness, relationship communication, conflict resolution, Fierce Conversations, leadership communication, protecting your peace

    Meet Our Guest — Regent Cornell

    Regent Cornell is a transformational leadership, talent-development, and organizational-growth expert with more than 33 years of experience helping leaders, teams, and individuals build the clarity, confidence, and capability to thrive. As Vice President of Market Evolution & Strategic Growth at Fierce Conversations and owner of Cornell Consulting, Regent works at the intersection of leadership, strategy, human connection, and change, grounded in the belief that meaningful conversations create the conditions for learning, action, and transformation.

    Fierce Inc.:
    https://www.fierceinc.com/

    LinkedIn:
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/regent-cornell

    Key Takeaways

    • Avoidance does not solve conflict; it often gives resentment room to grow.
    • Feedback works best when it happens before frustration becomes confrontation.
    • Difficult conversations can strengthen both professional and personal relationships.
    • You can have a Fierce Conversation with yourself, but an outside perspective can help challenge the stories you tell yourself.
    • Setting a boundary does not mean you stopped caring about someone.
    • Honest communication should come from respect, not revenge or the need to prove you are right.

    Actionable Items

    • Think of one conversation you have been avoiding and write down what you actually need the other person to understand.
    • Use Regent’s “experience, explore, explain” approach: share your experience, ask about theirs, explore the situation together, and clarify what happens next.
    • Before confronting someone, check your emotional temperature. If you are going in to punish, prove, or unload, give yourself time to regulate first.

    References Mentioned

    Fierce Conversations:

    Fierce Inc.:
    https://www.fierceinc.com/

    Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

    Herrmann International / HBDI

    Important Chapters

    • 00:00:40 – Regent Returns to the Podcast
    • 00:04:44 – You Don’t Have a “Work Self” and a “Personal Self”
    • 00:09:49 – Why Common Sense Is Not Always Common Practice
    • 00:10:33 – Feedback Before Confrontation
    • 00:15:46 – How Avoidance Turns Into Resentment
    • 00:18:34 – Having Fierce Conversations With Yourself
    • 00:21:55 – When Loving Someone Requires a Boundary
    • 00:27:20 – Why We Need Other Perspectives
    • 00:29:36 – Confrontation Is Not a Brawl
    • 00:31:24 – Experience, Explore, Explain

    Closing CTA

    Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

    Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:
    https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

    #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #CourageousConversations #DifficultConversations #HealthyCommunication #EmotionalWellness #BoundariesMatter #ProtectYourPeace #ConflictResolution #RelationshipCommunication #SelfAwareness #LeadershipDevelopment #FierceConversations #EmotionalHealth #Resentment #PersonalGrowth #CommunicationSkills

    ***************************************************************************

    If You Need Support, Reach Out

    If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

    Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

    Audio Editing by NJz Audio


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    1 September 2026, 7:00 am
  • 39 minutes 13 seconds
    Barbara: How Healthy Boundaries Protect Your Peace and Self-Worth

    What happens when betrayal forces you to stop fixing everyone else and finally start protecting yourself? G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Barbara Parker for a raw, funny, and deeply honest conversation about healthy boundaries, emotional safety, perfectionism, rebuilding self-worth, and learning that protecting your peace isn’t selfish—it’s necessary.

    Awards & Downloads

    Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

    Feedback

    We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here: https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

    Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

    This episode includes conversations about infidelity, toxic relationships, emotional trauma, alcohol misuse, suicidal thoughts, and intense emotional distress. Please listen with care.

    If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 in the United States and Canada for immediate support. You don’t have to carry the heavy shit alone.

    Mental Health Quote

    “Anything that comes between you and your peace needs to be removed.” — Barbara Parker

    Episode Description

    Barbara Parker knows what it feels like to lose yourself while trying to hold a relationship together. After discovering repeated infidelity in her marriage, she found herself facing heartbreak, anger, financial instability, and one brutal realization: she had spent so much energy worrying about someone else’s happiness that she had stopped paying attention to her own.

    In this powerful conversation with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles, Barbara shares how those painful experiences became the foundation for rebuilding her identity, strengthening her boundaries, and eventually helping others do the same. She explains why boundaries start with knowing what you want, why two perfectly good people can still be completely wrong for each other, and why protecting your peace sometimes means accepting that somebody simply isn’t headed where you’re headed.

    Barbara also gets real about perfectionism, anxiety, emotional triggers, and the wounds that can sit beneath our awareness until something slams directly into the panic button. She shares her “good enough” approach when perfection falls apart, her tea-kettle analogy for bottled-up emotions, and how her POWER method helps people communicate more clearly, rediscover their confidence, and create lives aligned with what actually matters.

    This isn’t about pretending heartbreak was some magical gift wrapped in a bow. It’s about realizing the shit that hurt you doesn’t get to own you forever. You can learn from it, rebuild from it, and become fiercely protective of the peace you worked so damn hard to find.

    Keywords: healthy boundaries, self-worth, emotional safety, toxic relationships, relationship healing, betrayal trauma, divorce recovery, self-love, perfectionism, anxiety, emotional wellness, confidence building, personal growth, women’s empowerment, mental health podcast

    Meet Our Guest — Barbara Parker

    Barbara L. Parker, MA, LPCC-S, is the Founder and CEO of BF Empowerment Center, where she helps people build confidence, improve communication, set healthier boundaries, and move through emotional healing and major life transitions. Drawing from both professional expertise and her own experiences with heartbreak, divorce, financial hardship, and rebuilding her identity, Barbara brings a practical, empowering approach to helping people create healthier relationships with themselves and others.

    Connect with Barbara:

    Official Website:
    https://www.bfempowerment.com/

    Instagram — BF Empowerment:
    https://www.instagram.com/bfempowerment/

    Facebook — B F Empowerment Center:
    https://www.facebook.com/bfempowerment/

    LinkedIn — Barbara L. Parker:
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/queenblparker

    Key Takeaways

    • Healthy boundaries begin with knowing what you want before somebody else starts deciding it for you.
    • Two people can both be good humans and still be completely wrong for each other.
    • Protecting your peace sometimes requires walking away from situations that keep pulling you away from yourself.
    • Perfectionism can steal the joy from moments you worked incredibly hard to create.
    • Anger can be the surface reaction covering a much deeper emotional wound.
    • Rebuilding after betrayal means investing energy back into yourself instead of endlessly investigating somebody else.
    • Emotional safety, self-worth, and identity matter just as much as what a relationship looks like from the outside.

    Actionable Items

    • Ask whether it’s on mission or off mission. Before saying yes to a relationship, commitment, opportunity, or another obligation, ask whether it supports the life you’re trying to build or pulls you away from it.
    • Practice the “good enough” reset. When perfectionism starts convincing you everything is ruined because something went wrong, remind yourself that successful doesn't have to mean flawless.
    • Empty the emotional tea kettle. Make regular space to talk, journal, rest, seek therapy, or process what you’re carrying before one small trigger sends everything boiling over.

    Important Chapters

    • 00:01:06 – Meet Barbara: Spunky, Sassy, and a Recovering Perfectionist
    • 00:04:21 – What Healthy Boundaries Actually Look Like
    • 00:06:29 – The Heartbreak That Taught Barbara Boundaries
    • 00:08:53 – Facing Infidelity and Talking to Nine Mistresses
    • 00:13:30 – Poor Boundaries, Lost Identity, and Inviting Chaos
    • 00:15:15 – When Betrayal Made Barbara Disconnect From Herself
    • 00:16:28 – Turning Pain Into Purpose
    • 00:19:01 – Stop Investigating Them and Start Investing in You
    • 00:21:53 – The POWER Method and Finding Yourself Again
    • 00:23:51 – Anger, Old Wounds, and the Panic Button
    • 00:25:26 – The Tea Kettle: What Happens When We Never Empty Out
    • 00:30:22 – “This Is Going to Hurt, but It’s Going to Be Worth It”
    • 00:32:04 – Loyalty, Fidelity, and Emotional Safety
    • 00:34:06 – Anxiety, Perfectionism, and Never Feeling Productive Enough
    • 00:35:12 – Favorite Word, Least Favorite Word, and Why “Can’t” Gets No Love

    Closing CTA

    Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

    Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:
    https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

    #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #HealthyBoundaries #ProtectYourPeace #SelfWorth #EmotionalSafety #ToxicRelationships #RelationshipHealing #DivorceRecovery #BetrayalTrauma #SelfLoveJourney #WomenEmpowerment #EmotionalWellness #PerfectionismRecovery #ConfidenceBuilding #PersonalGrowth #HealingAfterHeartbreak

    ***************************************************************************

    If You Need Support, Reach Out

    If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

    Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

    Audio Editing by NJz Audio


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    27 August 2026, 7:00 am
  • 48 minutes 43 seconds
    Amber on Food Addiction, Binge Eating, and Why Willpower Isn’t the Answer*

    What if binge eating isn’t proof that you lack discipline—but a learned pattern your brain can actually change? In this episode, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with binge-eating coach Amber Abila to unpack food obsession, restriction, cravings, shame, and what it can look like to rebuild trust with yourself around food.

    Awards & Downloads

    Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

    Feedback Link

    We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here: https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

    Mental Health Quote

    “You’re a lot less alone than you think you are.” — Amber Abila

    Special Announcement

    Amber shares a guided audio designed to help people slow down and “play the story forward” when an urge to binge hits. The direct resource link was not included in the transcript, but listeners can find Amber’s resources through: https://theconfidenteater.org/

    Episode Description

    Binge eating can feel like a battle between what you want to do and what your brain seems determined to make you do. Amber Abila knows that fight firsthand. After years of restriction, bingeing, bulimia, food guilt, and trying everything from calorie counting to willpower, she began searching for a different way forward.

    In this raw and practical conversation, Amber joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to talk about how binge-eating patterns can develop, why shame often keeps people stuck, and why simply trying harder may not create lasting change. Amber explains her approach to separating the biology that may contribute to urges from the psychology that can reinforce them, while also challenging the belief that recovery has to take forever.

    The conversation gets especially real around dieting, food noise, emotional eating, body image, and the endless mental tug-of-war between “I’ve been good all day” and “I deserve this.” Amber also shares how visualization, questioning automatic thoughts, noticing how food actually makes you feel, and celebrating small wins can help create new patterns.

    G-Rex and Dirty Skittles bring their own complicated relationships with sugar, carbs, dieting, GLP-1 medications, and body changes into the conversation, making this episode less about perfection and more about curiosity, awareness, and self-trust.

    Most importantly, Amber reminds listeners that shame doesn’t have to run the show. Change can begin when you stop treating yourself like the enemy and start paying attention to what your mind and body are actually telling you.

    Keywords: binge eating, food addiction, emotional eating, binge eating recovery, food obsession, food guilt, eating habits, body image, diet culture, food cravings, mental health, emotional wellness, self-compassion, habit change, confident eating

    Meet Our Guest — Amber Abila

    Amber Abila is a binge-eating and overeating coach and the founder of The Confident Eater. Drawing from her own experience with binge eating and bulimia, Amber now helps people challenge learned food patterns, understand urges, question automatic thoughts, and build a more confident relationship with eating.

    Her work centers on emotional eating, hunger and fullness cues, food mindset, body confidence, habit change, and helping people move away from cycles of restriction and shame.

    Website: https://theconfidenteater.org/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconfidenteater_/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/532434625387487

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@amberabila

    Key Takeaways

    • Binge eating is not simply a matter of being “weak” or lacking willpower; Amber encourages people to look at the patterns underneath the behavior.
    • Restriction and food obsession can create a cycle in which cravings grow louder rather than quieter.
    • Shame makes it harder to ask for help, which is why talking openly about binge eating matters.
    • Learning to question automatic thoughts like “I deserve this because I’ve been good all day” can interrupt old habits.
    • Visualization can help you move beyond the first few seconds of an urge and imagine how each choice may feel afterward.
    • Celebrating small wins matters. Your brain needs reinforcement when you practice a new response instead of immediately moving on.

    Actionable Items

    • Ask, “Is this true?” When a food-related thought shows up—“I need this,” “I deserve this,” or “I already blew it”—pause and question whether the thought is actually true or simply familiar.
    • Play the story forward. Imagine both paths: what happens physically and emotionally if you act on the urge, and what happens if you allow the urge to pass?
    • Celebrate the new behavior. When you make a choice that supports the relationship with food you want, consciously acknowledge it instead of brushing it off.

    References Mentioned

    The Confident Eater: https://theconfidenteater.org/

    Become a Confident Eater Podcast: Amber mentions her weekly podcast during the episode. You can find it on The Confident Eater website.

    DSM-5 / Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Amber references diagnostic criteria for binge-eating disorder while discussing how binge eating is recognized clinically.

    Important Chapters

    • 00:01:12 – Amber’s Story and the Beginning of Binge Eating
    • 00:02:22 – Restriction, Cravings, and Amber’s First Binge
    • 00:05:17 – GLP-1s and Food Noise
    • 00:06:38 – Why Amber Believes Binge Eating Starts
    • 00:10:16 – Food Flavor, Cravings, and Hyperpalatable Foods
    • 00:15:44 – The Pleasure-versus-Pain Teeter-Totter
    • 00:23:46 – Visualization as a Tool for Urges
    • 00:27:37 – Why You Should Celebrate Small Wins
    • 00:30:02 – The Question That Can Change Your Thinking
    • 00:32:59 – Can Change Really Happen Quickly?
    • 00:37:22 – Restriction vs. Self-Care
    • 00:40:25 – What Amber Wishes She Could Tell Her Younger Self
    • 00:43:20 – The Hard Things Can Build Us
    • 00:45:09 – Anxiety’s Theme Song and the Meaning of Confidence
    • 00:47:00 – Where to Find Amber

    Closing CTA

    Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

    Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website: https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

    #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #BingeEatingRecovery #BingeEatingAwareness #EmotionalEating #FoodAddiction #FoodFreedom #RelationshipWithFood #BodyImage #DietCulture #FoodGuilt #SelfCompassion #EatingHabits #EmotionalWellness #HabitChange #ConfidentEater #FoodObsession

    ***************************************************************************

    If You Need Support, Reach Out

    If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

    Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

    Audio Editing by NJz Audio


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    25 August 2026, 7:00 am
  • 44 minutes 18 seconds
    Mandi Lynne: The Courage to Live Now — Part 2

    What if healing was never supposed to become another full-time job? In Part 2, Mandi Lynne joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to talk about leaving survival mode, reconnecting with yourself, refusing to let mental health diagnoses become limitations, and giving yourself permission to live now—not someday when everything finally feels fixed.

    Awards & Downloads Line

    Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

    Feedback Link Line

    We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here:

    https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

    Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

    This episode includes conversations about trauma, depression, suicidal crisis, and suicide. Please listen in whatever way feels safest for you.

    If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

    https://988lifeline.org/

    For crisis resources outside the United States:

    https://findahelpline.com/

    Mental Health Quote

    “I kept postponing living until I was done healing.” — Mandi Lynne

    Episode Description

    What if you stopped treating healing like the admission ticket you have to earn before you are allowed to enjoy your own life?

    In Part 2, Mandi Lynne joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to explore the philosophy behind ONE | Life and the shift from simply understanding mental health to figuring out how the hell we actually live with everything we know.

    After years of helping build MedCircle, Mandi began noticing something important. Mental health education was becoming easier to access, but people still needed help answering the next question: now what?

    She talks about going beneath the crisis of the moment to understand the beliefs underneath it, including how her former husband’s infidelity activated old wounds around worth. The conversation expands into boundaries, relationships, self-abandonment, caregiving, personal agency, labels, diagnoses, and why caring about other people should not require disappearing from your own life.

    Then things get wonderfully weird.

    There are raccoon videos, ADHD superpowers, favorite swear words, Joan Jett, Led Zeppelin, joy folders, squirrels eating McDonald’s cheeseburgers, funeral menus, tequila, mofongo, espresso martinis, glow sticks, and enough inappropriate laughter to keep the USS Shit Show afloat.

    Underneath all of it is a powerful reminder: joy belongs in recovery too.

    You do not need to become fully healed before you deserve connection, purpose, laughter, and a life that feels like yours.

    Keywords: Mandi Lynne, ONE Life, survival mode, trauma recovery, living while healing, mental health recovery, self-worth, boundaries, self-abandonment, CPTSD, anxiety, ADHD, emotional wellness, personal growth, healing journey

    Meet Our Guest — Mandi Lynne

    Mandi Lynne is the Founder and CEO of ONE | Life and a former executive at MedCircle, where she helped scale one of the world's most recognized mental health education platforms.

    A former educator and nonprofit leader with a background in science, education, and leadership, Mandi also holds certifications in Health & Wellness Coaching, Hypnotherapy, NLP, Somatic practices, and Global Leadership & Social Innovation through the United Nations University for Peace.

    Her perspective is shaped not only by her professional experience but by rebuilding her own life through trauma, chronic illness, job loss, bankruptcy, divorce, financial hardship, miscarriage, single parenting, OCD, anxiety, CPTSD, and a past eating disorder.

    Today, she helps people move out of survival mode and into a life of clarity, confidence, and direction.

    Not someday. Now.

    Website: https://onelifelivenow.com/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelifebymedcircle

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MedCircle

    Key Takeaways

    • You do not need to finish healing before you are allowed to start living.
    • Constantly triaging external problems can keep us from examining the deeper beliefs those problems activate.
    • Caring for other people should not require abandoning yourself.
    • Mental health diagnoses can provide information and direction without becoming your identity or limitation.
    • Healing is allowed to include joy, laughter, music, nature, friendship, and ridiculous moments.
    • Asking for help does not diminish your strength.
    • Sometimes one person reminding you of your worth can change the direction of your life.

    Actionable Items

    • Build five minutes of living into your day. Choose something that genuinely makes you feel alive—music, nature, coffee, laughter, animals, creativity—and make space for it before everything feels “fixed.”
    • Create a joy folder. Whenever something sparks a moment of happiness, take a picture. On the days you feel disconnected from yourself, use that folder as evidence of what still lights you up.
    • Identify your support people. Write down the names of the people you can contact when you are struggling so you do not have to figure out who to call in the middle of a hard moment.

    References Mentioned

    ONE | Life: https://onelifelivenow.com/

    MedCircle: https://www.youtube.com/@MedCircle

    988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org/

     

     

    Important Chapters

    • 00:00:46 — What is ONE | Life? Mandi explains her eight years with MedCircle and how mental health education evolved into a bigger question: once we understand what is happening, how do we actually live better?
    • 00:02:31 — When all the distractions disappeared, Mandi reflects on COVID and how suddenly being left alone with ourselves changed the broader conversation around mental health.
    • 00:03:20 — Stop spending every therapy session triaging the surface. Mandi explains how repeatedly focusing only on external crises can keep us from reaching the deeper beliefs those situations trigger.
    • 00:04:00 — Infidelity, self-worth, and getting to the root. Mandi shares how her former husband’s affairs hurt so deeply because they reinforced something she already feared about her own worth.
    • 00:05:05 — Stop postponing your life until you are healed. Mandi describes realizing that she had turned healing into a prerequisite for living and why that needed to change.
    • 00:05:49 — Raccoon videos count as mental health care around here G-Rex explains the therapeutic value of starting the day with ridiculous raccoon videos, and somehow it makes perfect sense.
    • 00:06:46 — Service without self-abandonment. Mandi talks about caring for others while recognizing that giving should not constantly come at your own expense.
    • 00:07:16 — Relationships without betraying yourself. Mandi explores healthy connection, attachment wounds, authenticity, and finding people who cherish you for being who you actually are.
    • 00:08:57 — G-Rex on masking depression: G-Rex reflects on how completely she hid her depression while caring for everyone around her and why she refuses to put that mask back on.
    • 00:10:05 — Humor as a mental health pressure valve Mandi, G-Rex, and Dirty Skittles explain why sometimes the thing that keeps heavy experiences bearable is laughing at shit you probably should not laugh at.
    • 00:11:47 — Living while you are still healing: G-Rex talks about traveling, setting boundaries, and continuing to experience life even while recovery was still unfolding.
    • 00:14:42 — Introverts confess they kind of loved lockdown. Dirty Skittles and Mandi bond over the unexpected freedom of canceled obligations, while G-Rex, the extrovert, strongly disagrees.
    • 00:16:32 — The evolution from MedCircle to ONE | Life Mandi describes creating a more experiential, inclusive approach focused on practical living rather than only diagnosis and education.
    • 00:18:26 — Your diagnosis is not your personality. Mandi explains why labels should provide information and direction—not become evidence that you cannot do something.
    • 00:20:32 — ADHD as a superpower: G-Rex talks about working with her ADHD instead of treating it solely as a limitation.
    • 00:22:06 — What Mandi would tell her seven-year-old self: Mandi returns to the childhood trauma discussed in Part 1 and gives her younger self the message she needed most: it was not your fault.
    • 00:23:49 — The hardest lesson: You do not have to do everything yourself. Mandi talks about responsibility, caregiving, parenting, enabling, and the value of letting others learn to stand on their own.
    • 00:26:03 — If anxiety had a theme song, Joan Jett and Led Zeppelin enter the chat as Mandi shares the music that helps her interrupt anxiety and release control.
    • 00:27:19 — Mandi’s favorite word is exactly what you think it is. The versatility and emotional range of the word “fuck” receive the appreciation it deserves.
    • 00:30:38 — Mandi turns the questions on G-Rex and Dirty Skittles. The conversation shifts as Mandi asks the hosts about the life-changing realizations that altered their own mental health journeys.
    • 00:31:01 — Dirty Skittles realizes she has been living in fight mode. Dirty Skittles shares how therapy helped her recognize chronic hypervigilance and begin discovering what peace actually felt like.
    • 00:32:10 — The 988 call that changed G-Rex’s life. G-Rex describes the crisis call that reminded her of her worth, helped her ask for help, and became a pivotal moment in her survival.
    • 00:33:10 — Kevin Hines and the power of human connection: Mandi reflects on conversations with Golden Gate Bridge survivor Kevin Hines and why acknowledging another human being can matter more than we realize.
    • 00:35:02 — Healing outside therapy: Nature, joy folders, photography, and small moments of happiness become examples of tools that can help us reconnect with ourselves.
    • 00:37:41 — When caregiving disconnects you from yourself: Mandi and Dirty Skittles talk about losing pieces of identity inside roles like parent, partner, and caregiver.
    • 00:38:40 — The squirrel, the cheeseburger, and unexpected joy. Mandi shares one of those completely ridiculous moments that instantly remind you of how healing laughter can be.
    • 00:39:14 — Music and activating the experience of being alive: Mandi discusses using playlists, sensory experiences, nature, and emotion to reconnect with what it feels like to be fully present.
    • 00:40:25 — Planning the ultimate funeral party: Tequila, mofongo, meatloaf, espresso martinis, glow sticks, walkers, and Depends close the conversation in exactly the way you would expect from this crew.
    • 00:42:04 — Where to find Mandi and ONE | Life Mandi shares how listeners can connect with ONE | Life and MedCircle and reminds everyone to find the approach that works for them.

    Closing CTA

    Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

    Remember to subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:

    https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

    #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #MandiLynne #OneLife #SurvivalMode #TraumaHealing #LivingWhileHealing #SelfWorth #BoundariesMatter #CPTSDRecovery #AnxietyRecovery #ADHDAwareness #HealingJourney #SelfDiscovery #EmotionalWellness #MentalHealthRecovery #JoyInHealing

    ***************************************************************************

    If You Need Support, Reach Out

    If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

    Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

    Audio Editing by NJz Audio


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    20 August 2026, 7:00 am
  • 32 minutes 43 seconds
    Mandi Lynne: Breaking the Shame Cycle — Part 1

    How much of the way we see ourselves was shaped before we were old enough to understand what was happening? Mandi Lynne joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles for a deeply honest conversation about childhood trauma, shame, self-worth, perfectionism, and the work of separating who you are from what happened to you.

    Awards & Downloads Line

    Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

    Feedback Link Line

    We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here:

    https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

    Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

    This episode includes conversations about childhood sexual trauma, eating disorders, alcohol use, shame, and suicide. Please take care of yourself while listening and step away if you need to.

    If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

    https://988lifeline.org/

    For crisis resources outside the United States:

    https://findahelpline.com/

    Mental Health Quote

    “When we learn to see something differently, that is where most of the healing is.” — Mandi Lynne

    Episode Description

    Mandi Lynne has spent years working in mental health education, but long before becoming the Founder and CEO of ONE | Life, she was trying to understand the shit going on inside her own head.

    In Part 1, Mandi sits down with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to talk about the childhood sexual trauma she experienced at seven years old and how it shaped her understanding of love, safety, responsibility, and self-worth. She opens up about the shame and confusion that followed, including what she later came to understand as moral injury.

    That early trauma became tangled with perfectionism, OCD, anxiety, eating disorders, alcohol use, attachment wounds, and the exhausting belief that if she could just become good enough, perfect enough, or controlled enough, she might finally feel safe.

    Mandi also shares what began changing when she found the right therapist. The conversation explores cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR, expressive therapies, equine-assisted work, nature, and why healing does not always happen by thinking harder about the problem.

    G-Rex and Dirty Skittles share their own therapy experiences, including one of their favorite pieces of advice: speed-date your therapist. The right connection matters.

    This episode is heavy, funny, compassionate, and deeply human. Your past may explain parts of you, but it does not have to dictate the rest of your life.

    Keywords: Mandi Lynne, childhood trauma, trauma recovery, self-worth, shame healing, moral injury, OCD, anxiety, eating disorder recovery, EMDR therapy, attachment wounds, inner child healing, mental health recovery, expressive therapy, trauma-informed healing

    Meet Our Guest — Mandi Lynne

    Mandi Lynne is the Founder and CEO of ONE | Life and a former executive at MedCircle, where she helped scale one of the world's most recognized mental health education platforms.

    A former educator and nonprofit leader with a background in science, education, and leadership, Mandi also holds certifications in Health & Wellness Coaching, Hypnotherapy, NLP, Somatic practices, and Global Leadership & Social Innovation through the United Nations University for Peace. Her professional work is deeply informed by lived experience with trauma, chronic illness, job loss, bankruptcy, divorce, financial hardship, miscarriage, single parenting, OCD, anxiety, CPTSD, and a past eating disorder.

    Her work is grounded in one powerful belief: you do not have to wait to be fully healed to start living well.

    Website: https://onelifelivenow.com/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelifebymedcircle

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MedCircle

    Key Takeaways

    • Childhood trauma can shape self-worth before we are developmentally able to understand what happened.
    • Adult logic can know something was not your fault while a younger, wounded part of you still struggles to believe it.
    • Shame and moral injury can create deep emotional residue that requires patience, compassion, and support.
    • Perfectionism, control, disordered eating, and other coping mechanisms can become attempts to create safety.
    • Finding the right therapist matters. One poor therapeutic relationship does not mean therapy cannot work for you.
    • Healing is not always intellectual. EMDR, art, animals, movement, nature, and other experiential approaches can reach parts of us that conversation alone may not.

    Actionable Items

    • Speed date your therapist. Pay attention to whether you feel safe, understood, and able to be honest. If the connection is not right, you may keep looking.
    • Try a form of healing that does not require talking. Paint without a plan, spend time outside, listen to music, move your body, or engage with animals and notice what comes up.
    • Offer yourself the compassion you would give a child. When shame appears, ask: “If this happened to a seven-year-old I loved, would I blame them?”
     

    Important Chapters

    • 00:01:02 — Who is Mandi Lynne? Mandi starts with a simple answer: a regular person. She explains why accepting who we are matters before we start chasing some supposedly better version of ourselves.
    • 00:02:06 — Self-worth, perfectionism, and learning to feel proud. Mandi talks about growing up with messages about humility and confidence, and how easy it became to default to seeing herself through a negative lens.
    • 00:04:34 — Learning to receive praise without shrinking: G-Rex opens up about becoming more comfortable with recognition and learning that confidence and generosity can exist at the same time.
    • 00:08:53 — Childhood trauma and the beginning of survival patterns. Mandi shares her experience of sexual trauma at seven years old and explains the confusion, secrecy, attachment wounds, and self-blame that followed.
    • 00:12:41 — When knowing “it wasn’t your fault” still isn’t enough. Mandi explains the difference between intellectually understanding what happened and getting the brain and body to believe it.
    • 00:13:17 — Understanding moral injury and shame: Mandi discusses the guilt she carried from being forced into situations as a child that conflicted deeply with her values.
    • 00:15:27 — Avoidance, eating disorders, alcohol, and control. Mandi talks about the ways she tried to outrun what happened and how perfectionism became an attempt to make herself feel safe.
    • 00:17:44 — Pregnancy becomes a turning point. An unexpected pregnancy becomes a major catalyst for Mandi to take her mental health seriously and seek the right support.
    • 00:18:46 — CBT, reframing, and recognizing thought patterns. Mandi describes learning that catastrophizing and black-and-white thinking were patterns rather than unavoidable truths.
    • 00:19:05 — EMDR and healing beyond the thinking brain: Mandi explains why EMDR helped her access insights that talk therapy alone had not reached.
    • 00:20:12 — Changing perspective without minimizing pain. Mandi talks about accepting that some experiences simply suck while refusing to remain mentally tied to them forever.
    • 00:22:11 — Why you should “speed date” your therapist: G-Rex and Dirty Skittles share their own experiences finding therapists who were—and were not—the right fit.
    • 00:25:30 — Painting without a plan: Dirty Skittles shares a therapy assignment that challenged her need for control and unexpectedly helped her feel free.
    • 00:26:50 — Healing through photographs, horses, and experience. Mandi talks about expressive work, life timelines, equine therapy, and helping people access emotions through experience rather than forced conversation.
    • 00:29:15 — Nature as medicine for the nervous system: G-Rex and Mandi connect over nature, grounding, winter weather, and the very real impact seasonal changes can have on mental health.

    Closing CTA

    Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

    Remember to subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:

    https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

     

    #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #MandiLynne #ChildhoodTrauma #TraumaRecovery #HealingTrauma #SelfWorth #ShameHealing #InnerChildHealing #EMDR #TherapyWorks #OCDRecovery #AnxietyRecovery #AttachmentHealing #CPTSDRecovery #MentalHealthHealing #HealingJourney

     

     

    ***************************************************************************

    If You Need Support, Reach Out

    If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

    Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

    Audio Editing by NJz Audio


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    18 August 2026, 7:00 am
  • 43 minutes 3 seconds
    Rocio & Angel Pt 2: Choose Joy, Reclaim Your Power, and Live Intentionally

    What changes when you stop looking outside yourself for permission to feel whole? In Part 2, Rocio Aquino and Angel Orengo return with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles for a powerful conversation about breaking generational patterns, choosing yourself, letting go of emotional weight, healing old wounds, and building a life around joy instead of someone else’s definition of success.

    Awards & Downloads

    Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

    Feedback

    We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here: https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

    Mental Health Quote

    “Choose yourself. When you stop giving away your power, you finally have something real to give back to the people you love.” — Inspired by Rocio Aquino & Angel Orengo

    Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

    This episode includes conversations about childhood abuse, abandonment, suicide attempts, trauma, and emotional pain. Please listen with care.

    If you or someone you love is experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You do not have to be suicidal to reach out for support.

    https://988lifeline.org/

    Episode Description

    What happens after you recognize your wounds? How do you make sure you aren’t unknowingly handing them to the next generation?

    In Part 2, Rocio Aquino and Angel Orengo join G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to continue their conversation about healing, self-awareness, and the lessons behind The Orchid: The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses.

    Rocio and Angel explore the stories society teaches women and men, why empathy and compassion matter, and how the media and stories we consume can shape how we understand ourselves and the world.

    Rocio reveals that the five women at the center of The Orchid carry pieces of her own experiences, trauma, and transformation. Angel shares one of the biggest lessons of his healing journey: we have more control over where our emotional energy goes than we realize.

    The conversation becomes deeply personal as Angel discusses childhood abuse and Rocio shares losing her mother, attempting suicide at 20, and what she would tell that younger version of herself today: go play the game, because you are going to be okay.

    They also talk about generational trauma, parenting, letting go, intuition, self-love, nature, emotional energy, and why taking care of yourself first is not selfish. G-Rex brings it home with one hell of a reminder: stop chasing somebody else’s definition of happiness and start chasing your joy.

    Healing yourself can change more than your own life. It can change what the people who come after you have to carry.

    Keywords: generational trauma, choosing joy, self-love, emotional healing, breaking generational cycles, intentional living, childhood trauma, personal empowerment, mental health recovery, letting go, self-worth, emotional wellness, healing family patterns, self-compassion, finding purpose

    Meet Our Guests — Rocio Aquino & Angel Orengo

    Rocio Aquino and Angel Orengo are the storytellers and creators behind The Orchid, a book and growing community dedicated to healing, self-discovery, purpose, and intentional living. Their work blends personal experience, honest reflection, storytelling, and meaningful conversation to encourage people to look inward, challenge inherited beliefs, and create healthier emotional patterns for themselves and future generations.

    Website: https://www.theorchidbook.com/
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocioangel__/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rocioangel.social
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rocioangel.theorchid

    Key Takeaways

    • Healing your own wounds can change what gets passed down to the next generation.
    • Loving yourself does not take love away from your family; it can increase your capacity to show up for them.
    • You have a choice about where you spend your emotional energy.
    • Letting go is not weakness—it is deciding that something no longer deserves your peace.
    • Happiness tied only to possessions or achievements can be temporary; joy can live in ordinary moments.
    • Family, cultural, and societal stories can shape you, but they do not have to control the rest of your life.

    Actionable Items

    • Do an energy audit. Identify one person, argument, resentment, or expectation receiving more of your emotional energy than you want to give it.
    • Spend ten minutes outside without your phone and notice something small that genuinely brings you joy.
    • Identify one belief, behavior, or emotional pattern from your family history that you do not want to pass forward, then choose one small way to respond differently.
     

     

    Important Chapters

    • 00:00 – Welcome to Part 2 + Why Healing Stories Need a Bigger Stage G-Rex opens by asking how stories like The Orchid can help people better understand women's emotional experiences and normalize talking about mental health.
    • 03:34 – Rocio’s Mission to Create Stories That Help People Heal Rocio talks about dedicating her life to stories that allow people—especially women—to see themselves through a different lens.
    • 05:39 – Strengthening Women, Men, and the Human Experience Angel discusses the importance of empathy, kindness, compassion, and strengthening qualities historically labeled as feminine.
    • 08:06 – How the Stories We Consume Shape Us Angel explores the influence of film, television, video games, and storytelling—and why he wants more stories showing people how to heal and survive.
    • 09:45 – Rocio Reveals Herself in The Orchid’s Five Women Rocio shares that she sees parts of her own trauma and healing journey in all five central characters.
    • 10:58 – Closing Your Wounds and Reclaiming Your Power Angel uses The Matrix as a metaphor for reaching a place where another person’s insults no longer have the same power over you.
    • 15:45 – Take Care of Yourself Before Trying to Save Everybody Else Angel explains why healing yourself first allows you to show up differently for your family and everyone around you.
    • 17:53 – What Angel Would Tell His Six-Year-Old Self Angel reflects on childhood abuse and the lessons about personal power and self-belief he wishes he could have learned before experiencing trauma.
    • 20:21 – Rocio on Losing Her Mother and Attempting Suicide at 20 Rocio talks about reaching one of the lowest moments of her life and the message she would now give her younger self: you are not alone, and this will not last forever.
    • 22:11 – Their Hardest Lessons: Abandonment and Letting Go Rocio reflects on surviving abandonment while Angel explains why letting go has been one of the most difficult and rewarding lessons of his life.
    • 25:13 – “The Person I Love the Most Is Me” Angel shares the realization that taking responsibility for his own happiness actually allows him to love his wife, daughters, and family more freely.
    • 27:02 – Choosing the Story You Tell Yourself Rocio and Dirty Skittles discuss how self-belief becomes a daily practice and why compassionate thoughts matter.
    • 29:00 – Stop Chasing Happiness. Chase Your Joy. G-Rex shares why joy has become more meaningful than material success and encourages listeners to stop building their lives around somebody else’s dream.
    • 32:22 – Anxiety Theme Songs and Remembering to Breathe Angel and Rocio share the reminders they use when anxiety kicks in and life starts feeling overwhelming.
    • 35:50 – Healing as a Couple and a Family Rocio talks about investing in personal growth, growing together as partners, and watching those lessons ripple through their children and extended family.
    • 37:23 – Breaking Generational Trauma Angel recalls the moment he and Rocio decided that the painful patterns carried through their family line would stop with them.
    • 39:08 – “Yes, I Can” vs. “You Can’t” Rocio and Angel share their favorite and least favorite words, ending the episode with a reminder to stop allowing other people to define what is possible for you.
    • 40:06 – Where to Find Rocio, Angel, and The Orchid Rocio and Angel share where listeners can connect with their work and leave one final reminder: one of the greatest resources you have is yourself.

    Closing CTA

    Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

    Remember to subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:
    https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

     

    #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #GenerationalTrauma #BreakTheCycle #ChooseJoy #SelfLove #EmotionalHealing #IntentionalLiving #HealingJourney #PersonalGrowth #SelfWorth #SelfCompassion #TraumaRecovery #LettingGo #FindYourJoy #TheOrchid #RocioAndAngel

    ***************************************************************************

    If You Need Support, Reach Out

    If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

    Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

    Audio Editing by NJz Audio


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    13 August 2026, 7:00 am
  • 47 minutes 28 seconds
    Rocio & Angel Pt 1: How to Forgive Yourself and Heal from Trauma

    What happens when you finally realize the pain you’ve been carrying doesn’t have to define the rest of your life? In Part 1, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Rocio Aquino and Angel Orengo, creators of The Orchid: The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses, for a raw conversation about forgiveness, trauma, self-awareness, relationships, and learning how to choose yourself.

    Awards & Downloads

    Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

    Feedback

    We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here: https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

    Mental Health Quote

    “Forgiveness isn’t about giving your power back to someone else. It’s about releasing what you no longer need to carry.” — Inspired by Rocio Aquino

    Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

    This episode includes conversations about trauma, abuse, suicidal thoughts, and a suicide attempt. Please take care of yourself while listening.

    If you or someone you love is experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You do not have to be suicidal to reach out. Support is available for anyone experiencing emotional distress or crisis.

    https://988lifeline.org/

    Episode Description

    What if forgiveness isn’t really about the person who hurt you?

    In Part 1 of this powerful two-part conversation, Rocio Aquino and Angel Orengo join G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to talk about the experiences that shaped their personal healing and eventually inspired The Orchid: The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses.

    Rocio opens up about carrying shame, guilt, trauma, and the belief that life was happening against her. After a painful financial loss left her feeling betrayed, defeated, and responsible, curiosity pushed her toward a life-changing question: How do I forgive?

    What began as a search for relief became a deeper journey into psychology, self-awareness, acceptance, and understanding the beliefs she had been taught about herself. Rocio explains that forgiveness eventually stopped being about the person who hurt her and became about releasing the emotional weight she was carrying inside.

    Angel shares what it was like witnessing Rocio’s transformation while discovering his own understanding of personal power. Together, they explain why awareness is the starting point for change and why gratitude, forgiveness, acceptance, and intention became central lessons behind The Orchid.

    G-Rex also shares openly about her own suicide attempt, calling 988, and how therapy, self-forgiveness, and choosing to live changed her life. Dirty Skittles reflects on living in fight mode after childhood trauma and the process of becoming her own best friend.

    This episode is a reminder that healing doesn’t erase what happened. It changes how much power the past gets to have over what comes next.

    Keywords: forgiveness, trauma healing, self-forgiveness, self-awareness, emotional healing, childhood trauma, mental health recovery, inner child healing, self-discovery, intentional living, personal transformation, women’s mental health, gratitude, acceptance, overcoming shame

    Meet Our Guests — Rocio Aquino & Angel Orengo

    Rocio Aquino and Angel Orengo are the storytellers and creators behind The Orchid, a book and growing community dedicated to healing, self-discovery, purpose, and intentional living. Their work blends lived experience, honest reflection, storytelling, and meaningful conversation to help people better understand themselves, question inherited beliefs, and recognize their capacity for transformation.

    Website: https://www.theorchidbook.com/
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocioangel__/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rocioangel.social
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rocioangel.theorchid

    Key Takeaways

    • Forgiveness can be less about the person who hurt you and more about freeing yourself from what you are still carrying.
    • Curiosity can become the first step out of survival mode and into genuine self-awareness.
    • Trauma, shame, guilt, and old family stories do not have to determine your identity forever.
    • Understanding why you think the way you think creates space to make different choices.
    • Gratitude, forgiveness, acceptance, awareness, and intention can become practical tools for personal transformation.
    • Becoming your own best friend can completely change how you experience yourself and the world around you.

    Actionable Items

    • Ask yourself: “Why do I believe what I believe about myself?” Write down whatever comes up without immediately judging or correcting it.
    • Identify one resentment, painful memory, or old story that still takes up emotional energy and ask what releasing some of that weight could give back to you.
    • Choose one small decision this week based on what you genuinely want instead of what you believe other people expect from you.
     

    References Mentioned

    The Orchid: The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses https://www.theorchidbook.com/

    The Matrix — referenced by Rocio as an early catalyst for questioning limitations, reality, and personal possibility.

    Important Chapters

    • 00:00 – Welcome to Part 1 + Meet Rocio and Angel Rocio and Angel introduce The Orchid and explain why the orchid became the symbol at the center of their story.
    • 03:13 – Why They Chose Storytelling Over a Traditional Self-Help Book Rocio and Angel explain how their lived experiences and entertainment backgrounds inspired them to teach healing concepts through story.
    • 06:17 – Rocio’s Transformation Begins Angel reflects on watching Rocio change after years of carrying shame, self-doubt, pain, and the feeling that she was never enough.
    • 08:26 – Betrayal, Financial Loss, and the Search for Forgiveness A failed investment becomes a major turning point that sends Rocio searching for a practical way to forgive and move forward.
    • 11:08 – G-Rex on Suicide, 988, and Choosing to Live G-Rex shares how calling 988 became part of her own turning point and how therapy, forgiveness, and doing the work changed her life.
    • 18:13 – What Forgiveness Really Means Rocio explains how she realized forgiveness was ultimately for her—not for the person who hurt her.
    • 22:03 – Learning to Understand Yourself Rocio discusses studying psychology, reading extensively, and recognizing how family, society, and old beliefs had shaped the way she saw herself.
    • 24:58 – Curiosity, Travel, and Discovering Different Ways to Live Angel shares how traveling around the world helped them see that many of the “rules” we live by are not the only options available.
    • 27:53 – Hope, Healing, and Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop G-Rex reflects on how life changed after her darkest moment and what it feels like to experience genuine happiness after years of pain.
    • 30:18 – What Humans Around the World Have in Common Rocio and Angel talk about traveling to more than 70 countries and discovering how much people share across cultures.
    • 33:00 – Angel’s Aha Moment: Recognizing His Own Power Angel describes realizing that many limitations are learned stories and that alignment between thoughts, feelings, words, and actions can change everything.
    • 35:13 – Rocio, The Matrix, and Becoming “Neo” Rocio explains how seeing The Matrix in 1999 sparked questions about possibility, programming, and the life she could create.
    • 37:02 – Becoming Your Own Best Friend Dirty Skittles and Rocio reflect on learning to love yourself, listen to yourself, and recognize what you actually need.
    • 42:15 – The Five Lessons Behind The Orchid Angel breaks down the core framework woven into the book: awareness, gratitude, forgiveness, acceptance, and intention.

    Closing CTA

    Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

    Remember to subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:
    https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

     

    #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #TraumaHealing #Forgiveness #SelfForgiveness #EmotionalHealing #SelfDiscovery #InnerChildHealing #IntentionalLiving #PersonalGrowth #SelfAwareness #HealingJourney #OvercomingTrauma #ChooseYourself #TheOrchid #RocioAndAngel #MentalHealthRecovery

    ***************************************************************************

    If You Need Support, Reach Out

    If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

    Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

    Audio Editing by NJz Audio


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    11 August 2026, 7:00 am
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