For years, I’ve helped other Trainers tell their stories. This time, I’m telling mine.

I step out from behind the mic to share my Pokémon story. Not as a highlight reel, but as a timeline of survival, wonder, and healing.

From finding refuge in Pokémon Red and Blue during a lonely childhood, to learning friendship, curiosity, and identity through each generation, Pokémon became the place I could breathe when real life felt too heavy. Later, Pokémon GO pulled me back into the world into movement, community, leadership, and eventually the podcast itself. I also open up about grief, mental health, burnout, and what it meant to choose “one more time” when I didn’t want to.

This is about nostalgia, mental health, and healing through games and why stories deserve a place to live.

Sources
Opening Song: "Forget You" by Alex_MakeMusic from Pixabay

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Your next Pokemon adventure begins here!

Disclaimer: This podcast is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by The Pokémon Company International.

Some comforts don’t just distract you, they keep you breathing when life gets heavy.

Jess, an admin for a Pokemon Facebook group, shares how Pokémon story moments became a lifeline through hospital stays, family pressure, and the quiet loneliness of feeling “different.” From a taped-up Game Boy Color in a medical room to the chaos and joy of her first midnight release for Sun & Moon, Jess unpacks why Popplio, and its misunderstood femininity, mattered so much and what it means to finally find people who get you. Along the way, we talk nostalgia, community leadership, and the long echo of being judged for loving something “childish."

Listen now for a reminder that your interests can be a shelter, not a flaw, then follow for more Pokémon podcast conversations about healing, belonging, and the memories that made us.

🔗 Women Pokemon Trainer Episodes:
Hear how women shape and celebrate Pokemon.

Sources
Opening Song: "Forget You" by Alex_MakeMusic from Pixabay

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit our website: www.asthepokeballturns.com

Join Our Discord Community!
https://discord.gg/AqAbD7FbRt

Your next Pokemon adventure begins here!

Disclaimer: This podcast is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by The Pokémon Company International.

Ever felt lost in your job search and wished your love for Pokémon actually meant something in the real world?

Career Coach Jason Hopper (BadHopper) from Jewish Family Services of Great Dallas shares his Pokémon story, from learning the TCG for a relationship to rediscovering it years later through his son, wandering neighborhoods with Pokémon GO and accidentally building a walking habit, a community, and a new sense of purpose. Jason breaks down how the Pokémon GO community can quietly become a powerful networking tool, why most people are job searching the wrong way, and how small rituals like music, walking, and shared fandom can rebuild your confidence when rejection starts to wear you down.

Whether you’re between jobs, burned out, or just curious how nostalgia and career coaching can collide, this conversation offers practical tools and emotional encouragement to reset your job search mindset.

Listen now and imagine what your next opportunity could look like, one story, one step, and one Pokémon at a time.

Sources
Opening Song: "Forget You" by Alex_MakeMusic from Pixabay

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit our website: www.asthepokeballturns.com

Join Our Discord Community!
https://discord.gg/AqAbD7FbRt

Your next Pokemon adventure begins here!

Disclaimer: This podcast is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by The Pokémon Company International.