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Bear Sage shares a raw and honest story about what it means to be a father when everything you were taught is challenged by your own children. After being arrested while trying to protect them, he later faces an even harder reality when his children express their nonbinary identity and force him to confront his beliefs. He opens up about the moments he got it wrong, the process of unlearning, and what it took to move toward acceptance and choose his children over everything he thought was true. This conversation is about fatherhood, identity, and what it really means to protect your children by standing with them in who they are.

The first Writer’s Notes panel wasn’t a performance—it was a conversation. No polished formulas, no “how-to-go-viral” scripts—just four writers, chris kalaboukis, Let’s Get UnStuck, Nat Sang, and John Rinaldo, unpacking what it actually takes to write, stay consistent, and grow on Substack. At its core, the discussion centered on a tension every writer eventually faces: writing growth vs. audience growth. Great writing, as the panel made clear, does not guarantee visibility. You can pour your heart into a piece and hear silence—and then publish something raw, unfiltered, even imperfect, and watch it resonate deeply. That disconnect isn’t failure—it’s the reality of the platform. One of the strongest themes was clarity of intention.

A father shares the devastating reality of infant loss after holding both of his sons as they passed moments after birth. This story of stillbirth, grief, and love offers an honest look at what it means to lose a child and find a way to keep going.

Zhanna Hamilton wrote an incredible article where she gathered CEO's and other people in businesses stories. I am honored to be featured in this. This piece breaks down what business failure actually looks like when you strip away the polished version people usually share. Not the dramatic collapse. The slow bleed. The missed signals. The moments where you know something is off but keep going anyway. Through real stories from founders, it explores what happens when a business fails, how identity gets tied into the outcome, and what it actually takes to rebuild. No highlight reel. Just the part people don’t usually say out loud.

Dr. Deborah and I went live to discuss topics such as body dysmorphia. Dr. Deborah's story explores the complicated relationship many of us develop with our bodies and the quiet ways shame and comparison can shape how we see ourselves. Drawing from her experience as a trauma therapist and moments from her own life, she reflects on how early messages about appearance can turn into lifelong criticism. Through the metaphor of a small act of self kindness, she invites us to reconsider the way we treat our bodies and the stories we have believed about our worth. At its core, the story is about rediscovering compassion and learning to see our bodies not as problems to fix, but as allies that carry us through life.

Pam Voss began journaling every day as part of a simple morning routine, not realizing it would eventually change the course of her life. Over time, those journal pages began revealing patterns of manipulation, gaslighting, and emotional abuse within her marriage. What started as personal reflection slowly became the clarity she needed to recognize the truth and make one of the hardest decisions of her life. In this episode, Pam shares how journaling helped her reclaim her voice, trust her reality again, and find the courage to move forward.

I wrote A Conversation Between Me & My Self-Worth because I was so disconnected. There was a stretch of time when I could not hear myself anymore. Not my instincts. Not my strength. Not even my own defense. I was functioning. Showing up. Smiling when needed. But something inside me felt buried. And if I am being honest, I knew exactly what it was. My self worth. Not confidence. Not ego. Not ambition. Self worth.

Isabelle is a mother, a yoga teacher, and a writer. But more than that, she is a woman who made an impossible decision in the middle of a terrifying night — and saved her children. Her story includes domestic violence, mental illness, and suicide. It includes the kind of fear no one prepares you for. Her piece, November 24, is written as a letter. And when you read it, you feel the build. The tension. The moment everything shifts. That was the night she gathered her two boys, fought for her life in her own garage, and drove away barefoot, shaking — but alive. What moves me most about Isabelle is not just what she survived. It’s who she is. She speaks about that night without rage. Holds compassion for mental illness without excusing harm. She is fiercely protective of her children — and honest about her own growth. There is a grounded strength in her now. Not because any of this was easy. But because she chose to face it — and rebuild from it. This conversation is about instinct. About listening to the whisper in your body. About what it means to choose yourself when everything in you wants to hold the family together. It’s about what happens after survival. The panic, medication and rebuilding. And the slow return to yourself through small daily rituals.

Part 4 of our 4-Part Motherhood Series - this story could be trigging as it discusses attempted suicide along with intergenerational trauma. Ellen’s story is one of the heaviest stories I have read about Motherhood, self realization, self-reflection, accountability and in it's pure honesty. She reads her story and walked us through the moment everything changes because of a 2:47am phone call no parent every wants to receive. A 20-year-old daughter. A bottle of pills. An emergency room. And a mother forced to confront the truth no parent wants to see: “I wasn’t the parent helping my daughter survive. I was the reason she wanted to die.” This is not a story about teenage rebellion. This is a story about intergenerational trauma. About nervous systems stuck in survival mode, control disguised as love and “stress management” that never touches the wound. Ellen thought she had done the work. She was a therapist. She didn’t drink like her father. She showed up. She tried harder. But trying harder doesn’t heal trauma. And sometimes the hardest truth to face is this: Your unhealed wounds don’t stay in the past. They live in your body. They shape how you parent.

Part 3 of our 4-part Motherhood Series. Erin’s story, How I Lost MySelf in Motherhood and Found Myself Again , is a deeply honest reflection on what happens after the baby arrives… when the expectations fade, the exhaustion sets in, and the version of yourself you once knew feels harder to reach. This isn’t a story about not loving your child. It’s a story about loving your child and struggling with the quiet loss of identity that can follow. In our live conversation, Erin opens up about postpartum mental health, colic, medical uncertainty, isolation, and the emotional weight of feeling responsible for everything — while slowly realizing she no longer recognized herself. She talks about the pressure to “bounce back,” the guilt that comes with needing space, and the long, uneven road back to purpose.

Part 2 of our 4-part Motherhood Series. Some love stories don’t begin with certainty. They begin with waiting. With fear. With the quiet understanding that everything could still fall apart. I went live with writer Lynn J. Broderick to talk about A Story that Could Have Gone Either Way — a deeply honest adoption story that explores infertility, choice, grief, hope, and the love that almost wasn’t hers to keep. Lynn shares what it means to hold joy and loss at the same time, to love a child before knowing if that love will be returned, and to live with gratitude for a story that could have ended differently.

This is part 1 of a 4-part series about Motherhood. Motherhood isn’t one path, it’s a spectrum of experiences that rarely look like the stories we were handed growing up This four-part series brings together four women whose journeys could not be more different, yet each one reveals a truth so many of us feel but rarely say out loud: There is no single way to be a mother. And there is no wrong way to be one, either. If you’ve ever questioned your own path… If you’ve ever felt unseen or “outside the lines”… If you’ve ever wondered whether your version of motherhood counts, this is the series you tune into. These are the stories that stop you, hold you, and remind you that motherhood is not a mold; it’s a becoming.

I sat down with The Therapist Who Came Undone for a conversation about grief, friendship, and what it means to show up when nothing can be fixed. Her story Fuck It Bucket It is a reflection on profound loss, a milestone birthday reshaped by grief, and the friends who arrived not with answers, but with presence. This is a story about: ~ Grief that changes the shape of everything ~ Friendship in the aftermath of loss ~ Showing up without trying to fix ~ Love without instructions ~ Letting meaning unfold instead of forcing it You can find her on Substack https://substack.com/@becomingreal

Anna reads her story titled So, the Anatomy Brought Hard News- You’re Not Alone. It’s about learning her son would be born with a limb difference — a moment that stops time, rearranges expectations, and forces you to confront fear, grief, faith, and love all at once. This is a story about: ~Motherhood you don’t prepare for ~Receiving life-altering news during pregnancy ~Raising a child with a limb difference ~Holding fear and faith in the same breath ~Choosing love again and again, even when the future feels uncertain

Jake walked away from a six-figure finance career — the kind of life that checks all the boxes society tells you to want — and followed a pull that didn’t make sense on paper. That pull took him across the world to rural Cambodia. Sleeping in a shipping container. Showering with river water. Building a mango farm from the ground up. This isn’t a story about quitting your job or moving to Cambodia. It’s a story about asking yourself one uncomfortable question: Am I building a life that looks good… or a life that feels true?

Hannah’s story begins with a diagnosis — Stage III endometrial cancer at 32 — and a sentence no one is ever prepared to hear. But what unfolds isn’t just about illness or prognosis. It’s about what surfaces when time suddenly feels fragile.

It was fun and nerve racking to be the guest on someone else's live podcast. But I did it! We spoke about my previous boss who is now known as the largest female Ponzi Scammer in the history of the USA. We talk about the dynamics of the relationship complexities, manipulation and psychological abuse over a decade of working with her.

Gabrielle Sojourner - This brave soul jumped on camera for the 1st time to tell her story. One that stems from pain - living in a relationship of Intimate Partner Rape & Psychological Abuse. Here she tells us how she decided one day that enough is enough Her strength to walk away. The deep depression that set in with an attempted suicide. Being misunderstood by her Dr. & speaking to authorities who never listened. To hours of therapy and finally reclaiming her life no longer as a victim, but a true “thriver” Listen with caution as this can be triggering.

Ellen Scherr is a therapist in her 70s whose writing on midlife, identity, and emotional truth has struck a nerve with women everywhere. Her recent piece, “Aging Out of F*cks,” went viral for naming the exact moment women stop performing and start living in their truth.

We got live to speak about how one loving father stayed connected to his children while work, travel, and co-parenting made distance feel impossible.

Tonight, I’m joined by a man whose strength lives somewhere between exhaustion and grace. Chris B. is an award-winning poet, caregiver, dad and husband— and if you ask his son Brayden, he’s also a real-life superhero. Brayden, lovingly called Bray Bray, was born with a rare genetic disorder that causes seizures and developmental delays. But his light — and his laughter — became the center of Chris’s poetry, his purpose, and his faith. We’ll talk about what it means to be the strong one, what it means to break the cycle of frustration, and how a father and son remind each other what belief truly looks like. Connect with Chris at https://substack.com/@chrisbwrites

Tonight I’m joined by someone whose story carries the kind of courage that stops you in your tracks. Known on SS as Bear Sage — he wrote ‘The Truth They Wouldn’t Hold’, a story about surviving childhood abuse, confronting silence, and choosing to break a generational cycle of pain. His words remind us that truth-telling isn’t about revenge or exposure — it’s about reclaiming peace, power, and identity. Bear’s story is raw, redemptive, and deeply human. It’s a reminder that healing doesn’t erase what happened — it rewrites what happens next. PS. I SUCK when it comes to tech, so bear (pun intended) with me while I figure my stuff out ~ Traci

A story about betrayal, rebuilding, and finding your footing again when everything falls apart. ???? Listen to my conversation with Traci Edwards — “What Happens When Your Mentor Becomes the Villain.” I first met Traci [Let’s Get UnStuck] here on Substack after we connected over each other’s writing — and quickly realized we share a similar mission: helping people navigate the hard seasons and find themselves through words. Traci joined me on the podcast to talk about her own messy middle and how she found her way forward. Check it out and don’t forget to hit that heart button, comment, and share if it connects!

Tonight I’m joined by writer Kaylie Klein, aka The Space Between (substack name) and she wrote a story called ‘The Freedom I Was Chasing Wasn’t Freedom At All’ as this redefines what liberation really looks like. Kaylie opens up about the illusion of freedom that came with addiction how she’s found a deeper kind of freedom through sobriety — one rooted in presence, motherhood, and purpose. Her story is raw, unfiltered, reflective.. Really just beautifully honest! It’s a reminder that sometimes the real work begins once we stop running

Well everyone, I did my very first interview on a podcast! My new found friend, Dr. JC Doornick invited me onto The Writer's Way which he launch on Substack! Nerve racking yes, but I am discovering something about myself! I have a voice and I want it to be heard. To tell my story and to show others that there is still hope after trauma. I took pain and turned it into purpose, power and possibilities! So, I am excited to share this with you.

I used to think imposter syndrome meant I wasn’t confident enough. Turns out, it meant I was growing faster than my self-belief could keep up. This episode is about learning to own your wins — even when your inner critic won’t shut up.

This episode is about the kind of forgiveness that hurts before it heals. I share the real story — the shame, the storms, and the lessons that taught me how to forgive myself after years of confusing pain for love. If you’ve ever carried guilt for who you used to be, this one’s for you.

Hot flashes, marriage talks, and midlife meltdowns — oh, we’re going there. I’m Traci Edwards, and this is Let’s Get Unstuck, the podcast about what happens when life flips the script in your 40s. Honest stories, good laughs, and a few “WTF” moments along the way.

Scroll through to the 12min mark. I speak about why I started writing and I talk about some past trauma with my old boss. Yes, the one who is in prison and is no known as the largest female Ponzi Scheme in the history of the U.S. Fun times! This is my Live version that goes hand n hand with the story I wrote.