They’re back 🎉 Starting 2026 strong! In this week’s tenth episode, Jon and Cristy open up about what it really takes to break free from familial expectations and choose your own path...even when fear shows up every step of the way.

Why is it so hard to step away from what’s “expected” of us and choose the life that truly feels honest? This week, Jon and Cristy open up about their personal experiences, sharing how fear was constant as they began owning their unique journeys, moving away from what their families envisioned for them. They explore how fear often keeps us stuck in the norm, why it’s so uncomfortable to defy tradition, and what it looks like to carve out a life that feels authentic.

They also discuss different family dynamics and the deep emotional challenge many parents face when letting go and allowing their children to have their own experiences, even when it terrifies them.

Tune in for this honest conversation about fear, identity, and the beauty of choosing yourself, not out of rebellion, but out of authenticity. If you’ve ever questioned the path laid out for you, this episode will feel like home.

We want to hear from you!

Submit questions / share your own experience for us to read and bring up during our next episode. Email us at:

beyondthedarknesspod@gmail.com

Love you mean it!

Cristy and Jon

Guess who's back at the table? Chris! Remember him from episode 6?

In this deeply personal episode, Chris breaks down the transformative journey of separating our identity from our pain. What happens when we stop defining ourselves by what we've survived? What if the truest version of who we are has been waiting beneath the stories of hurt, our upbringing, and what we were told?

This is a conversation about remembering - not who the world told us we were, but who we’ve always been beneath the suffering. It’s about releasing shame, reclaiming our voice, and learning how to live from a place of truth instead of trauma.

Whether you're in the thick of healing or standing on the other side of something heavy, this episode invites you to take a breath, reflect, and begin (or continue) the deep work of becoming who you truly are - not what happened to you.

We would love to hear from you! Please take a moment to drop questions and contact us with your own personal experience of reclaiming who you are beyond the suffering. Email us at - emotionalmasterycoaching@gmail.com and title it "My Story"

With love and admiration,

Cristina

Welcome back to Beyond the Darkness! In this episode, Cristy and Jon discuss change and what it asks of us. Often more than we feel ready to give. In this episode, they share personal stories and unique perspectives on the fear that lives quietly beneath transition, uncertainty, and growth. It’s the fear that whispers, stay where it’s safe, even when something deeper within us knows we’re being called to make the change and move forward.

Together, they unpack why discomfort shows up when we’re on the edge of transformation, how to recognize the difference between resistance and fear-based avoidance, and what it truly means to choose growth over comfort. If you’re in a season of change or learning to let go, this one’s for you!

If you are in need of a mental health provider:

Talk with a NAMI HelpLine Specialist, please call 800-950-NAMI (6264). The NAMI HelpLine is a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals, and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers, and the public.

Text the NAMI Helpline

Text "HelpLine" to 62640.
Connect with a HelpLine Specialist when you need support, information and resources via text message.