Question Your Garden

Let me go ahead and warn you that if you're sensitive to the topic of sexual abuse, you may want to skip this episode, or at the very least, let someone you know and trust know that you're going to have a listen and that you may need them to be there for you. I was not raped, but I'm very frank about what happened to me, and it could be startling to some.    This episode is for any family and friends who've been curious about what happened and have been too "afraid" to ask. This is also for any other survivor out there to see so that they know that they aren't alone, and that they too, can share their story when they're damn good and ready to. I support you. I believe you.    Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network - https://www.rainn.org/   Darkness to Light - https://www.d2l.org/   Transcript from the show: _____________________ Today's episode is going to be a bit of a tough one. Please allow this t...

How many times have you chosen to silence yourself out of fear of judgement or even oppression? Did you know that sometimes, simply speaking up to the right audience can encourage someone else to take action? I understand that fear, as it's consumed me for many, many years.    There's value in sharing though; value in challenging what others may consider to be "too much information." Someone else out there wants and needs to hear your words. Let's take a look at what it might be like to find our voice and shed the fears, at least enough to speak.    Transcript from the show:  _____________________ When I first mentioned starting this podcast to my husband, he seemed both surprised and intrigued. He didn't ask a lot about my ideas, initially, probably guessing I'd willingly just share them. And, I will share my ideas...but not usually without being asked for more information first. That's for another podcast though *chuckle* Any...

Man...is neutrality ever a comfortable place, or what? Riding the line of opinion, being able to just blend in and not be noticed for holding a strong opinion on something, one way or another. On the surface, it may sound like a cozy, safe place to be – but there's no substance there. There's no contrast to make life a little more interesting. There's nothing defining in neutrality, yet so many of us are content to exist there. Sometimes...many times, it's okay to "not get along." We really should spend more time embracing our differences.  Transcript from the show: ______________________ I want to chat about "life in the middle" today. And no, not politically 😉 I think we've all had enough of that shit lately. Anywho. Have you ever taken one of those surveys that ask you to rate your approval level of a statement on a scale of like 1-5, one being "strongly disagree" and five being "strongly agree?...

As Emily Nagoski notes in her book, " Come As You Are ", "We've locked ourselves, culturally, into our own fear, rage, and despair." See, we learn, somehow someway at a young age to inhibit ourselves so we better fit in – so we can survive.  In this episode, I explore some of the nefariousness that emotion stuffing has contributed to in my life.  Transcript from the show: _____________________ Today, I want to chat about emotion stuffing because I'm grossly guilty of it. Your mileage may vary, of course, but emotion stuffing has been a big player in my lost friendships and relationships over the years. What's emotion stuffing? Well, it's pretty much as it sounds. You're going about your life as usual and something happens, and this feeling creeps in that you don't like. Maybe you're not exactly in the space to deal with that emotion (maybe you're in public, like school or work) or maybe you just especially hate it (l...

Your body remembers things, even if you don’t. Did you know that trauma can manifest itself through your body shaking, like an involuntary response? In this episode, I chat a bit about the book, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk and stress response cycles that could be impacting you in ways you're not even aware of! Transcript from the show: _____________________ So, today, I want to talk about a revelation I had with a new therapist on our first visit. See, I've always randomly experienced body shakes and/or chattering, like I'm cold, after talking with new people for an extended period of time. I never really considered why it happened, I just accepted that it did because I was nervous, in general. I need to go ahead and mention a book I recently read called, "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel Van Der Kolk. I'm probably going to really muddy up the synopsis, but basically, your body remembers trauma, even when you don't...