Episode 9: From We to Me: Gayle’s Story

What happens when the person who's been your constant since before you took your first breath is suddenly gone? When your emergency contact, your backup plan, your other half transforms from physical presence to something you can't quite touch?

Gayle's story isn't just about losing her identical twin sister Belinda - it's about discovering who you are when you've always been "we". It's about learning that the justice fighter who spent her life caring for everyone else now has to turn that fierce protection inward.

In this deeply moving conversation, Gayle shares how growing up in a family where she never felt truly seen led her to find safety in her twin connection. How becoming a single mum through IVF gave her unexpected purpose. And how navigating Belinda's cancer journey - twice - taught her that some life jackets don't disappear, they just shift to a different dimension.

If you've ever felt like half of you is missing, or you're the carer who forgets to care for yourself, or you're learning to live when your person is gone, Gayle's story will show you that grief can return you to yourself in the most unexpected, soul-affirming ways. Because sometimes the greatest act of love is learning to be your own life jacket.

Gerrie's Story At 79 years old, Gerrie finally said the words she'd been searching for her whole life: "I've found me. I know now that I'm okay." But getting there? That's a story that will absolutely break you open.

When Gerrie was five, her brother went to hospital and never came home. No one talked about it. She learned early that to survive, she had to be invisible.

Then came the marriage that made her feel seen for the first time - until betrayal left her more alone than ever.

The anorexia. The isolation. The moment she tried to end it all because she couldn't see another way out. For decades, Gerrie believed her life was useless. A series of random traumas with no meaning, no thread, no point.

Gerrie discovered something that changed everything about how she saw her life. For decades, she'd carried a question so many of us ask: "What's the point of all this?" The losses. The betrayals. The moments where she felt completely invisible - even to herself.

But when she finally understood the thread connecting it all? When she saw why her life unfolded exactly the way it did? Everything shifted.

In this raw, honest conversation, we unpack why Gerrie spent a lifetime feeling like she didn't belong - even in her own family. Why her body was screaming messages she couldn't hear. And how the very experiences that nearly destroyed her were actually teaching her the most important lesson of all.

If you've ever felt invisible, not good enough, or wondered "what's the point of all this?" - this episode is your permission slip to see your story differently.

What happens when the people you love keep leaving?

At six years old, Maddi lost her first best friend. At eight, she lost another. By the time she reached adulthood, she had made herself a promise: she would never make close friends again, because everyone she loved seemed to leave.

But that isn’t where her story ends.

In this deeply personal episode, I sit down with Maddi — someone who has been part of my life since she was a baby. And in many ways, Maddi’s story is also half of mine.

Together, we unpack the thread grief weaves through a life. How childhood loss shapes the way we love. Why so many people become over-givers, terrified that if they stop holding everything together, people will leave. And what happens when your body won’t let go of a pregnancy that is already gone.

This conversation goes where many won’t — from the loneliness of miscarriage to the question that haunts so many people in silence: am I being punished?

If you’ve ever felt like you have to control everything to feel safe, or wondered why you exhaust yourself looking after everyone else, this episode may help you recognise the thread running through your own story.

You’re not broken.

You’re not being punished.

You’re carrying a story that once protected you — and now it may be time to write a new chapter.

Please note: This episode discusses pregnancy loss and childhood grief. Emotional responses may arise. Please support yourself as you listen.

Some stories don’t move in a straight line.

They are messier. They loop. They repeat. They collapse and rebuild.

Kata’s story is one of those lives.

In episode 6 of Life Unpacked with Mel Ryan – The Life Bombs Series, Kata courageously unpacks a life shaped by repeated “sliding doors” moments — times where life could have gone one way or another, and often felt like survival was the only option.

This is not a rags-to-riches story.

It’s a despair-to-survival story. Over and over again.

As you listen, you’ll begin to see the thread running through Kata’s life — the soul-level message that keeps presenting itself in different forms, trying to guide her back to the same lesson: learning how to truly support herself.

This conversation explores how self-sabotage isn’t about being broken or making “bad choices,” but about searching for relief, safety, and rescue outside of yourself. We unpack how life keeps repeating patterns until we’re ready to see them, and how awareness can grow even while old behaviours are still playing out.

In this episode, Mel and Kata explore:

• Repeated life-or-death and “endings” moments
• Self-sabotage and the desire for someone else to save you
• How responsibility and accountability actually lead to freedom
• The slow stacking of self-awareness alongside chaos
• Moving from self-hate and self-destruction into self-compassion
• What real self-support looks like when life feels messy

This episode is a powerful reflection on how clever we are in our stories — who we meet, what we create, what we avoid — and how even life bombs and trauma can be pulling us back toward deeper understanding.

Content warning: Substance use, self-destructive behaviour, pregnancy loss, mental health, grief.

As with all Life Bombs conversations, there is no judgement here — now or ever. People’s stories are not here to be ranked, compared, or criticised.

Kata’s story isn’t about getting it right.

It’s about learning.

It’s about discovering that the person she was waiting for — the one meant to save her — was herself all along.

Amila's Story "From Crippling Anxiety to 'I've Got My Own Back': Amila's Story"

At 19, Amila could barely swallow water. Her anxiety was so severe, she thought she'd rather die than feel that way forever. She didn't even know anxiety was a word—she just knew something had erupted inside her that she could no longer ignore. What happens when becoming a mum forces you to face everything you've buried your whole life? When the people meant to keep you safe were the ones you were most terrified of? When you've spent so long making yourself invisible that you don't even know who you are anymore? In this raw, powerful podcast, Amila shares her journey from childhood trauma and debilitating anxiety to discovering unconditional self-love. You'll hear about the pivotal moment that changed everything, the question she asked herself that shifted her entire perspective, and how unpacking her story—piece by piece—gave her back the power she thought she'd lost forever. This isn't about reliving trauma. It's about understanding your story so deeply that you finally know how to support yourself through anything. If you've ever felt trapped, worthless, or like you're just surviving rather than living—this episode is for you.

Jenni's Story

"I had everything I thought I wanted. So why did I feel like I was disappearing?" Jenni looked perfect on paper—loving husband, beautiful kids, the family she'd always dreamed of. But inside, she was carrying wounds from childhood that no one could see. In this raw conversation, Jenni shares what happened when life delivered a catastrophic bomb that forced her to finally choose herself—and the judgment, loss, and unexpected lessons that followed. This isn't a story about making the right choices. It's about understanding why we make the choices we do, and what it really takes to love yourself when everything falls apart. **Warning: This episode explores difficult themes including trauma, family dysfunction, and life-altering decisions. It's also one of the most powerful conversations about self-love you'll ever hear.

"I wouldn't change it. I recognize myself so much better now."

For parents & carers living the reality of what it feels like to be the parent when your child attempts to un-alive themselves, or holding their child and family through crisis. This episode is for you if:

You're the parent who checks if they're still breathing in the middle of the night. Who can't relax unless you know they're safe. Who feels guilty for not seeing it coming, not doing enough, not being enough.

You're carrying a weight no one sees. The anxiety that lives in your chest. The fear that follows you into every phone call, every silence, every moment they don't text back. You're trying to hold it together while falling apart. Supporting your child while drowning in your own trauma. Showing up when you don't know what to do.

You're absolutely not alone. And you're certainly not failing some invisible parenting test.

In this episode Cheree offers a unique perspective on The Truth About the 5% You'll Never Get Back.

She speaks the truth no one else will. That you'll never be 100% sure again. And that that's not weakness, that's the reality of loving someone through crisis.

This episode will validate that ongoing fear AND gives you permission to support yourself through it. We talk about:

The Guilt That Freezes You – that moment perceived as a parent from the ambulance officer's judgmental look to the constant "what if I'd done something different,". In this heart-felt conversation Cheree unpacks the guilt that sits in every parent's chest. She shows you it's not about blame. And she emphasises that it's about learning to support yourself while supporting them

What Happens When Your Ducks Explode - Cheree's metaphor of trying to control everything, only to have it all scatter, will resonate deeply. She shares how she learned to navigate a new normal where control isn't possible, but that love and presence still are.

The Invisible Strength of Showing Up - This episode honours the courage it takes to keep breathing when your worst nightmare becomes real. To stay present when you're terrified. To love fiercely when you feel powerless.

Cheree and Mel talk about:

- How-to have the conversations you're terrified to have with your child

- Why asking "are you safe?" isn't weakness, and that in fact it's necessary self-support

- How to navigate the judgment from others while protecting your own mental health

- The difference between supporting your child and abandoning yourself

- Why some fears are valid and deserve space, not dismissal

- How to find your needs when you've spent a lifetime putting everyone else first

Cheree offers a unique perspective shift. Her story isn't about fixing or saving. It's about the reality of parenting through the unthinkable. About learning that true support means acknowledging what you can't control while fiercely protecting what you can - your presence, your love, your commitment to keep showing up.

This episode will break your heart open. But it will also show you that you're stronger than you know.

Content Note: This episode discusses an un-aliving attempt, parental trauma, and ongoing anxiety. It's raw, honest, and deeply validating for anyone who's loved someone through mental health crisis. If you're in this space right now, please support yourself appropriately. You matter too.

Episode 2: Finding Light When There Was None – Ella’s Story

What happens when you reach the point where you don't want to die, you just want the pain to stop? At 15, Ella found herself somewhere she never expected to be. Not because of one dramatic moment, but because of something quieter. Something she couldn't name. Something that made her feel like she was drowning while everyone around her kept living. She tried everything they told her would work. She saw the professionals. She followed the strategies. But when you've lost yourself completely, when you're that disconnected from who you are, nothing lands the way they tell you it’s supposed to. And then something shifted.

In this raw, deeply moving conversation, Ella shares what it's really like to be in that place, and what happened when she discovered a completely different way forward. This episode will take you inside:

The moment she realised she couldn't keep going the way she was

Why the "right" help didn't help at all

What actually changed everything (it's not what you think)

How she learned to see herself through completely different eyes

What finding your own light really means when you've been in the dark

If you've ever felt like you're just existing rather than living, this conversation will meet you exactly where you are. If you're watching someone you love struggle to find themselves, this will help you understand what they can't put into words. And if you're in that dark place right now, Ella's story will remind you of something you might have forgotten - there's a way through this that no one's shown you yet.

Life Bombs: Real stories. Real healing. Real hope.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions about mental health and suicide. Please listen with care.