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⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of childhood sexual abuse, suicide, and drug use.

Some stories don't start with a dream. They start with survival. Dene Dubois grew up as the primary caregiver for a mother with severe bipolar disorder, with a home life shaped by addiction, instability, and the kind of public chaos a child can't hide from. That early reality didn't just steal pieces of his childhood — it built the fierce instinct Dene carries today to protect other people who feel unseen.

We talk honestly about the long road from leaving school at 14 to compulsive gambling, jail, and trying to understand his own identity as a gay man. Dene shares how the search for belonging took him from Sydney's Oxford Street scene to Canada and beyond, and how trauma, hearing loss, and fractured memory can make connection feel slippery. When a discrimination case left him feeling shut out, he stopped waiting for permission to be heard and started building something better.

Dene breaks down what borderline personality disorder (BPD) feels like from the inside: intense emotion, fast reactions, and the exhausting aftermath of guilt and shame. We also dig into stigma, why "accountability" can be a loaded word in mental health care, and why lived experience can be the most practical guide for families, friends, and clinicians. He shares his thoughts on emerging treatments like MDMA trials, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and TMS, plus what's helped him most.

The conversation leads to BPD Raw, Dene's lived experience project inspired by The Strangers Project, where people can submit unfiltered letters — including letters of hope, despair, and even suicide — without getting attacked or told they need to be fixed.

If you've ever felt "too much," misunderstood, or labeled, this one is for you.

If you or someone you know is struggling: the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by call or text (988). You are not alone.

Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the one line you wish the world understood about mental health.

Connect with Dene Dubois:
Website: https://bpdraw.com/
Facebook: Borderline Personality Disorder: BPD Raw Support & Discussion https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588888665317
Instagram: @denedub https://www.instagram.com/denedub/
Books:

1st Book:
The Places I Didn't Belong: A Memoir of Identity, Mental Health, and Finding Meaning Across Australia, Canada and New Zealand (The Belonging Series)
https://a.co/d/05ml98Ul

2nd Book:
Maybe I Did Belong: A Memoir of Learning That Every Journey Has a Reason (The Belonging Series Book 2)
https://a.co/d/09Lf6tAS

📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance
I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."
Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life

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Love Your Life

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Your intuition might not be "broken" at all. It might be doing exactly what trauma trained it to do: scan for danger, brace for impact, and stay ready for the next hit. In Part 2, Maria Aponte and Mindy Jackson dig into what it really looks like to heal trauma from the inside out — not as a glow-up slogan, but as a return to balance, wholeness, and nervous system safety you can actually feel in your body.

They talk through why trauma can amplify intuitive sensitivity, how fear can hijack that signal, and what helps you transmute stuck energy so your inner guidance shifts from threat detection to connection and clarity. Along the way, they get practical about mindfulness, somatic healing, shame, and self-love, including why letting something go can leave a "void" that people often try to fill with shopping, substances, or any quick escape. One of the most useful tools they share is DBT-style "both/and" thinking: you can be grieving and hopeful at the same time, mad and curious, tired and still moving forward — Maria brings this to life with a conversation she'd just had with her own daughter about an upcoming move, hours before this recording, and Mindy reflects it right back with the tools from her own healing journey.

From there, the conversation opens into generational trauma, mental health stigma, and why talking openly now changes what our kids inherit. They explore intuitive gifts, the reclamation of the divine feminine, balancing masculine and feminine energy in relationships and creativity, and the roadblock of scarcity mindset that shows up as "I'm not enough." Mindy closes by sharing her daily rituals for healing and grounding, including reciting the Lord's Prayer in ancient Aramaic — a practice she says brings prayer into the body through vibration and transmutes dense, heavy energy.

If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, start there for her stroke recovery story, her near-death experience, and how generational trauma shaped her earliest years.

If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a lighthouse right now, and leave a review so more people can find these healing conversations. What part of your healing are you choosing to reclaim next?

Connect with Mindy Jackson:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacksonmindy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindy.jackson.351
Website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/1298495

📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance
I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."
Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

A stroke that changes how you see faces, a hospital stay filled with art supplies, and a decision to not accept "this is as good as it gets." Maria Aponte sits down with Mindy Jackson, LPC, Reiki master, and spiritual coach, to unpack a recovery story that blends real-world rehabilitation with energy healing, intuition, and a fierce kind of hope. After heart surgery in 2023, Mindy experiences a postoperative stroke in the occipital lobe and loses central vision — leaving her, in her own words, seeing everyone's face like Voldemort's. What follows is a deeply human look at neuroplasticity, PTSD-informed healing, and the moment you choose to fight for your life even when the odds feel brutal.

From there, Mindy shares how painting became a tool for healing, including an intense four-month creative arc where she painted the 22 Major Arcana of the tarot and felt herself "live" each card's meaning, naming the finished collection "Return of the Divine Feminine." We talk symbolism, the divine feminine, and what it means to restore balance inside yourself so your relationships and community can change too. If you've ever wondered whether creativity can be medicine, this conversation gives you a grounded and surprising perspective.

We also go back to the beginning: childhood sensitivity, a near-death drowning experience at age five, out-of-body memories, and the way imagination may be less "make-believe" and more a language your nervous system understands. Then we move into generational and ancestral trauma — how a closet-hiding memory with her mother shaped a lifelong freeze response, how her great-grandfather's railroad accident planted a scarcity mindset that passed down for generations, and how a single energy-healing session finally released trauma she'd carried in her body since being sexually assaulted at 16.

This is part one of a longer conversation, with part two coming next week.

If this resonates, follow the show so you don't miss the next chapter, share it with someone who's healing, and leave a review to help more people find these stories. What's one belief about healing you're ready to question?

Connect with Mindy Jackson:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacksonmindy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindy.jackson.351
Website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/1298495

📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance
I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."
Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

A foster placement can turn you into a parent overnight and still ask you to live with uncertainty every day after. Maria Aponte sits down with Jessica Terry, a wife, homeschool mom, foster and adoptive mom, and founder of The Village He Builds, to talk about the real path to motherhood when infertility, courts, trauma, and faith all collide.

We get honest about what it feels like to wait and wait for the life you imagined, then realize your "answered prayer" may arrive in a totally different form. Jessica shares how she learned to love kids from hard places while navigating case plans, reunification realities, and the complicated truth that adoption and foster care both begin with grief. We also dig into empathy, including why understanding a birth parent's story can change how you show up for the child, and why it's never a competition for who matters most in a kid's life.

You'll hear clear guidance on misconceptions around foster care vs adoption, the difference between private adoption and adopting from foster care, and why people need to stop treating foster care like a family-building shortcut. Jessica also explains how she built The Village He Builds to create an intentional support network for foster and adoptive moms and "waiting hearts" walking through infertility.

If this resonates, subscribe, share it with someone who needs a village, and leave a review so more families can find these stories.

Connect with Jessica Terry:
Instagram (The Village He Builds): https://www.instagram.com/thevillagehebuilds
Facebook: Jessica Terry https://www.facebook.com/jessica.Chrstina.585
Instagram (personal): https://www.instagram.com/jess_christina_t

📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance
I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."
Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

A kid who leaves school before 14 isn't "supposed" to become a doctor, and that's exactly why Dr. Jodi-Maree Cronin's story hit us so hard. Her childhood was marked by domestic violence at the hands of her father and two separate sexual assaults before she turned 12- the kind of trauma that quietly shapes everything: confidence, relationships, body image, the ability to trust. But she also carried something just as real: a stubborn belief that hard work and the right support could change a life.

We follow the turning points that made the impossible practical- returning to study as a young mom, tackling a bridging program alongside her own mother, and meeting a teacher who didn't hesitate to say "you can do anything you want to do," then mapped out the exact steps to medicine. Jodi-Maree shares what it was like to push through imposter syndrome in biomedical science and finally feel the weight lift at her medical school graduation. Then we go deeper into the cost of caregiving and burnout: the PTSD she developed as a first responder, and what she calls "emotional debt" - the interest you pay when you keep saying yes while abandoning your own needs. In 2014 that debt came due when she attempted suicide, something she says most doctors don't survive given their access to lethal means. She did...then relapsed in 2017, lost her decades-long relationship, her medical career, and declared bankruptcy.

Maria also shares her own story of surviving sexual assault, staying silent, and later facing HPV and cervical cancer, connecting the dots between suppressed emotions and the body's breaking point. Together they talk about the circle of control, being the "thermostat" in tense moments, and why happiness often shows up as a side effect of inner peace rather than something you chase directly. Jodi-Maree explains how her assistance dog Benni taught her relational safety and inspired the work she does now, building emotional wealth through values-based living.

If you're healing from trauma, navigating mental health, or trying to rebuild from ground zero, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these stories.

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of domestic violence, child sexual assault, and suicide. Listener discretion advised.

If you or someone you know is struggling: the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by call or text (988), and the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline is available at 1-800-656-4673 or online at rainn.org. You are not alone.

Connect with Dr. Jodi-Maree Cronin:
🌐 Business site: https://pack4life.com.au/
🌐 Personal site: https://jodimareecronin.com/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodimaree.cronin
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benni_the_gsp
📚 Books:

Memoir-

Benni: The Best Medicine Has Paws: https://a.co/d/03PGDoDw

Children's Books-

Belle is Sad: https://a.co/d/02v2uT5y

Assistance Dog Benni: https://a.co/d/03su2rUs

📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance
I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."
Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

Abandoned in a hospital bed after a hysterectomy, Ana Victoria Cibrián hits a breaking point that forces one question: am I going to keep surviving, or am I finally going to live?

Ana Victoria grew up as the eldest of three siblings in a Spanish household marked by daily violence and abuse. By 21 she'd lost her father, and stepped into a caretaking role for her mother and younger brother far earlier than most people ever have to — long before she'd had the chance to process her own trauma. That survival pattern followed her into an eight-and-a-half-year relationship with a narcissistic partner, one that ended when he left her for another woman while she was recovering in the hospital.

We talk candidly about the grief that can follow a hysterectomy — identity, body image, and the quiet fear of being "less" afterward. I share my own story of sexual assault, cervical cancer, and how unprocessed pain can show up in the body over time. From Reiki and emotional healing to learning how to feel without getting overwhelmed, we explore what it takes to reconnect with yourself when your nervous system has been in fight-or-flight for years.

Ana also brings a fresh lens through transpersonal psychology and astrology, including Chiron, the wounded healer, to help make sense of how suffering can become service without minimizing what happened. We dig into emotional armor, boundaries, communication that feels safe, and why conscious relationships require both inner work and real relationship skills. If you're healing from trauma, recovering from narcissistic abuse, or trying to build emotional safety and intimacy, this conversation offers language and tools you can start using right now.

If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these stories of healing and resilience.

Connect with Ana Victoria Cibrián:
🌐 Website: https://anacibrian.wordpress.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anavcibrian
📸 Astrology & Relationships Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrologiaparaelcambio
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AstrologiaVincularyRelaciones

📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance
I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."
Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

A family can love you deeply and still place you in the middle of a war you never asked for. My niece Rachel Aponte joins me for a raw, funny, and surprisingly tender conversation about being born to teen parents and growing up as the oldest grandchild on both sides of a Puerto Rican family split by conflict, resentment, and years of forced "cordial" moments at big events.

We talk about what it does to a kid when tension is the baseline: becoming conflict-averse, taking on adult responsibility too early, and measuring your safety by other people's moods. Rachel shares the turning points that changed everything, including the hard conversation that repaired her relationship with her dad, the misunderstood season when we were both struggling and neither of us had the full picture, and the way empathy grows when someone owns their choices without excuses. She also takes us back to her wedding day, when the two families reconciled for the first time in her life, and to a quiet moment where her famously stoic grandfather consoled her grandmother — something she'd never once seen him do.

Then we get practical about healing and mental health. Rachel opens up about therapy, unlearning accomplishment-based self-worth, and why "I'm enough" is not a slogan but a skill. She shares the nightly wind-down routine that helps her anxiety and sleep, plus the mindset shift that lets her be loud, sensitive, and fully herself without shame. Today, Rachel is the Director of Education and Community Engagement at The Visual Art Center of New Jersey, where she leads community outreach with local Latino students.

If you're navigating family estrangement, intergenerational trauma, reconciliation, or the pressure to prove your worth, you'll take away language you can use right away.

Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review if our stories helped you breathe a little easier. What part of Rachel's journey felt the most familiar to you?

Connect with Rachel Aponte:
📸 Instagram: @raponte5690 or @rachel.zumbafitness
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rachel-aponte

📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance
I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."
Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

A two-week challenge to stop drinking turned into a full-body wake-up call, and then something even bigger. Erin Gallagher spent seventeen years numbing herself with meth, crack, and eventually alcohol, sleeping in storage sheds by twenty-one and telling herself it was all she'd ever be. When a friend finally challenged her to quit drinking, she agreed mostly to prove him wrong. Within two days she was shaking through withdrawal, and within weeks she was having a spiritual awakening so intense that lights would flicker whenever she walked into a room.

Erin unpacks the long shadow of growing up in an alcoholic household: people-pleasing, freezing, learned helplessness, and the victim story that says you can't change. She explains why different recovery paths work for different people, including frameworks like Adult Children of Alcoholics, and how holistic practices like Reiki, tarot, Akashic Records, and intuitive development supported her own healing. Maria shares her own first unexpected energy-healing experience at a spa in Miami, crying through an entire session before she even understood what Reiki was, and together they challenge the phrase "everything happens for a reason," offering a more honest option: choosing purpose without minimizing pain.

If you've been wrestling with faith, guilt, or feeling "too sensitive," this conversation gets practical. Erin shares grounding rituals, energetic boundaries, and why taking one small action can break a stuck cycle faster than you think.

Hit play, then subscribe, share it with someone rebuilding their own life right now, and leave a review so more people can find these stories of resilience.

Connect with Erin:
Website: https://erinspirational.bio.link/
Facebook: Erin Gallagher - Psychic Coach and Teacher, Master Healer
Instagram: @erinspirational
Substack: Erin Gallagher

📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance
I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."
Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE