Recommended Episodes

• Secret #26: Victim Blame with Dr. Amy Beddows
• Secret #74: The Cost of Pretending with Jonathan Kanter
• Secret #72: Transforming Guilt and Shame with Carolyn Allard

Why are people drawn to horror, especially those who have experienced trauma?

In this episode, Dr. Amy Beddows explores the surprising connection between horror films and healing. What seems counterintuitive at first actually reveals something deeply human. Horror can provide language for the unspeakable, offer a sense of control, and create space to process experiences that are otherwise difficult to articulate.

This conversation challenges the stigma around horror and reframes it as a meaningful psychological and cultural tool. From catharsis and metaphor to social connection and survivor validation, this episode opens up a new way of understanding both trauma and the stories we tell about it.

Key Takeaways

• Why horror can help process trauma and difficult emotions
• How horror provides language for the unspeakable
• The role of metaphor and representation in healing
• Why horror can create validation for survivors
• How culture and society shape the horror we create

View extended shownotes here

• ORDER Max Cross Gets Unstuck from Anger: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook series for kids)
• ORDER Justin Case Sits with Anxiety: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)
• ORDER The Glumm Twins Unhook from Sadness: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)

Recommended Episodes

• Secret #76: Ageism
• Secret #75: Impossible Masculinity
• Secret #72: Transforming Guilt and Shame

Why does it feel like no matter how much we do, it’s never enough?

In this episode, Kerry Makin-Byrd breaks down the paradox of overwhelm and why so many of us feel stuck between doing too much and still feeling like we’re falling behind. We explore the difference between stress, burnout, and overwhelm, and why overwhelm isn’t just about having too much to do.

Kerry introduces a practical framework to navigate overwhelm in real time, helping us understand how our nervous system, environment, and expectations all contribute to feeling overloaded. This conversation is both deeply validating and immediately actionable for anyone feeling stretched too thin.

Key Takeaways

• What overwhelm actually feels like in the body and mind
• The difference between overwhelm, burnout, and stress
• Why burnout is often driven by systems not individuals
• How to soothe, transcend, and move through overwhelm
• Why doing more is often the trap that keeps us stuck

View extended shownotes here

• ORDER Max Cross Gets Unstuck from Anger: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook series for kids)
• ORDER Justin Case Sits with Anxiety: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)
• ORDER The Glumm Twins Unhook from Sadness: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)

Recommended Episodes

• Secret #72: Transforming Guilt and Shame
• Secret #74: The Cost of Pretending
• Secret #75: Impossible Masculinity

What if aging isn’t the problem—but our beliefs about aging are?

In this episode, we discuss ageism with Dr. Claudia Drossel. Together, we explore how aging is often misunderstood as decline, when in reality many of the challenges we associate with aging are shaped by cultural bias, environment, and access to support.

This conversation reframes aging as a form of diversity, challenges common myths about loneliness, health, and capability, and explores how our environments, relationships, and societal structures influence quality of life across the lifespan.

We also examine how subtle forms of ageism show up in everyday language, healthcare, and social systems—and what we can do to change them.

Key Takeaways

• Why ageism is one of the most overlooked forms of bias
• The difference between aging and disease
• How culture shapes our experience of getting older
• Why quality of relationships matters more than quantity
• How to create more inclusive, intergenerational communities

View extended shownotes here

• ORDER Max Cross Gets Unstuck from Anger: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook series for kids)
• ORDER Justin Case Sits with Anxiety: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)
• ORDER The Glumm Twins Unhook from Sadness: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)