Hard Knocks Podcast

I was super excited about this episode! I chat with Paul, a gay man about his life. Get ready for some ups and downs and crazy twists and turns! So good! Paul talks about abandonment issues from his mom, coming out as gay to his dad and school, marrying a woman, adopting two kids with his wife, divorce, marrying a man, divorce again and cancer.

In this episode, I chat with Cathy about how she grew up with only brothers, which in turn made her a pretty private person when it came to big, hard things in her life.. Things like struggling with infertility for years and having miscarriage after miscarriage, as well as thyroid cancer and divorce.

In this episode, I chat with Tyler about being unemployed and not being able to find a job, even with several degrees, which led him to be a stay-at-home dad. He also has struggled with a food addiction and then lost 100 pounds!

In this episode, I talk with Corina about how the physical, sexual, emotional and mental abuse she endured for 13 years of her childhood affected her in adulthood. Namely in intimate settings.

In this episode, Nancy share about the chronic illnesses that both her and her husband deal with on a daily basis. We also talk a lot about having anxiety and how to do with it, support someone who struggles with it and ultimately live happier!

In this episode, I chat with Kristen about a slew of medical issues she's faced since she was just a teenager. From a car accident resulting in a pulled groin to a breast cancer scare to almost dying of MRSA to being diagnosed with MS and everything in between.

In this episode, I share all about the stats of the podcast from 2019.

In this episode, I chat with Tracy, a mother who shares her daughter's story. Unfortunately, the story ended in a self-inflicted fatality. She shares how it all unfolded, as well as lots of great advice and things that we can learn from.

In this episode, I chat with Emily about a verbally abusive marriage, to which she admits she stayed in for too long. She also shares about her son's addictions to drugs and alcohols, as well as the multiple invisible illnesses her daughter suffers from. On top of that, Emily is now helping take care of her ex-husband as he battles with stage 4 cancer.

In this episode, I chat with Shataya about her parent's divorce when she was 14, depression and an almost suicide attempt, meeting her son's biological father after High School, getting pregnant when she always swore up and down that she never wanted kids, postpartum depression, breaking up with the father, meeting her current husband, helping him deal with his alcoholism, a nasty custody battle with her husband's son that nearly ended their marriage and how she copes naturally with all of these things to stay healthy and sane.

In this episode, I chat with Kelsey about some medical issues she had when she was a child and how the medication caused her to gain a lot of weight, which in turn, led her to be bullied for it. We also talk about the losses she's had, her marriages and divorces and what it's like to be a single mom of twins.

In this episode, I chat with Lindsay about the loss of her father and two older brothers, as well as sexual abuse by one of those brothers. Lindsay talks about her mom's mental health problems, as well as an abusive relationship. All of these things have affected her throughout her life. She shares how she is able to cope with all of it.

In this episode, I chat with my friend Kati about the sexual abuse she endured as a young child, as well as the abandonment she felt by her mom as a child and teenager. Those things together really affected her and the way she viewed herself. She was constantly searching for love and always felt unworthy. After meeting her husband and trying to start a family, they have been on a roller coaster ride. Kati has struggled with infertility and has lost two sets of twins - the last miscarriage nearly destroyed her.

In this episode, I talk with Tasia about life after loss. She did her first episode (#39) where she talked about the loss of her precious baby girl, Holland, to Trisomy 18. Tasia shares about getting pregnant again, what it's like to have to resume life and mom guilt.

In this episode, Michelle shares briefly about her learning disability, a long-term abusive relationship and her infertility diagnosis. It was a combination of all those things that led her to become a self-published author.

In this episode, I answer the random questions that I ask each guest at the end of every episode.

In this episode, I chat with Ty about how the challenges he faced growing up in poverty, as well as being born with a cleft lip and palate. We also talk about how his father came back into his life randomly one day when he was a teenager, then died just a few short years later. When he got older, he became his mom's caretaker and he talks about the challenges that came along with that.

In this episode, I chat with "Isabella" about how her parent's nasty divorce at age 15 affected nearly every aspect of her life. During the divorce, there were literal death threats, as well as lots of other emotional abuse and some physical abuse. Isabella was always a good girl, but found herself doing some things that were self-sabotaging. When she realized it, she worked hard to repair all of the relationships she had lost and kicked the bad ones to the curb. She got pregnant at age 18, married the father, moved away from the small town they grew up in. Isabella shares all the things she learned during those trying times and how she has been able to forgive.

In this episode, I chat with my friend Viva about the abuse, both physical and emotional, she suffered as a child by her mother and the sexual abuse by a well-respected uncle. It took Viva years to be able to realize that the sexual abuse really did happen. She shares how those things have affected all parts of her life.

In this episode, I chat with Meghan about dealing with depression and anxiety. She believes it started when she was just 10 years old and bullied for her weight. Meghan was officially diagnosed with depression about 15 years ago and went through a ton of medications before she found the one that was right for her. A series of toxic relationships led her to have a huge mental breakdown. In turn, she lost her job and insurance. Her mom called a crisis team and after lots more trial and error, she was finally able to get the correct help she needed.