This week, we’re sharing a story that hit us right in the heart. Our guest, Joe McQueen, has lived through things most people only read about—and he’s turned every scar into a lesson in empathy, resilience, and purpose.
This week, we’re sharing a story that will stay with you long after the episode ends. Our guest, Tabitha, is a listener who found the courage to reach out—and what unfolded is one of the most powerful conversations we’ve ever had about trauma, therapy, and the long road to reclaiming your voice.
📅 This episode drops Tuesday, 10/21/25 at 3 AM ET — “Breaking the Silence: Tabitha on Trauma, Therapy, and Taking Her Power Back.”
Tabitha’s journey is raw, real, and deeply human. From surviving childhood abuse to confronting years of silence, she opens up about what it means to do the work of healing when it feels impossible. Her honesty is a reminder that sometimes the hardest part isn’t what happened to us—it’s believing we’re still worthy afterward.
💬 Mental Health Quote of the Week
“You are worthy of love. You don’t have to carry what was never yours to hold.” — Tabitha
🚗 What’s Up with G-Rex & Dirty Skittles
🌟 Finding Joy and Grounding in the Chaos
This week was a big one for me (G-Rex). After returning from an amazing conference, I spent most of my days catching up—but there was a huge bright spot: Calmerry announced a strategic partnership with my company, Schoser Talent and Wellness Solutions. I’m beyond excited about this collaboration because it opens new doors for helping small businesses with wellness-focused apps and tools. It’s a dream come true to see those pieces finally connect.
Between meetings, I carved out moments of joy—getting outside to see the trees turning, laughing with my wife, and prepping our home for winter. The gray days are coming, but we’re determined to meet them with warmth and light.
As for Dirty Skittles, she’s been knee-deep in finishing touches on her office and soaking up time with her family. We’ve both made a point to check in with each other every day, making sure we laugh—it’s our favorite form of therapy.
💌 Your turn: How are you preparing for the change in seasons?
💸 Grab Your Free $20 Wellness Credit from Maavee We’ve partnered with Maavee, a wellness platform doing amazing things in mental health.
How to claim: 1️⃣ Click: https://lnk.gomaavee.com/inourheads 2️⃣ Use activation code: STG20(required to unlock the credit) 3️⃣ Download the app + explore
🔥 Special Shout-Out: Women Supporting Women
🌟 Meet Angie Hawkins
Angie Hawkins is an Inner Glow Coach who helps high-achieving women stop dimming their light to be loved—and learn to love themselves so deeply the world can’t help but reflect it back.
She works with women who’ve done therapy, read the books, tried the spiritual path, but still feel like something’s missing. Through deep inner work and identity transformation, she helps them break the cycle of not feeling “enough,” so they can experience real love, confidence, and peace without changing who they are.
She’s also the author of Running in Slippers, a raw and vulnerable memoir about finding resilience after emotional rock bottom.
✨ Ready to find your glow? Book a free Find Your Glow session or join her next Unshakable You masterclass to start shining from the inside out. 🔗 https://www.runninginslippers.com/
Some stories arrive like a whisper, but Tabitha’s came with a quake. From the first moment she spoke, we could feel the courage it took to tell a truth buried for decades.
At two years old, her world was already marked by abuse and fear. By adulthood, she’d perfected the art of pretending everything was fine—until the weight of that silence became too much to carry. When she returned to therapy, she made herself a promise: no more hiding.
In this episode, Tabitha talks about what it means to rebuild from the inside out—to finally name the pain, to find a therapist who asks the right questions, and to start forgiving herself for surviving. She shares the moment her son wrapped his arms around her during a breakdown and prayed for her—and how that became her turning point.
Her story isn’t tidy or linear. It’s brave, imperfect, and beautifully human. It’s about learning to communicate honestly, to release guilt, and to see healing not as a destination but as a daily act of courage.
If you’ve ever carried shame for something that wasn’t your fault, Tabitha’s story will remind you that strength doesn’t come from being unbroken—it comes from speaking your truth anyway.
🧩 From the Conversation
💬 The heartbeat of this episode Tabitha’s story reminds us that healing isn’t linear—it’s cyclical, raw, and sacred. It’s about finding the courage to stop performing strength and start living in truth. From surviving childhood abuse to rediscovering self-worth in adulthood, she shows us that healing doesn’t erase the past—it rewrites the way we carry it.
🫂 A quote that stuck with us
“You can’t heal what you hide. The longer you stay silent, the heavier it gets.” — Tabitha
🎙️ Real Talk from Us “When Tabitha said she wanted her son to see a mom who had her shit together, not because she was perfect, but because she was trying—that gutted me. That’s what real strength looks like.” – G-Rex
“Listening to Tabitha reminded me that vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s leadership. She’s living proof that healing is the loudest kind of rebellion.” – Dirty Skittles
📓 Reflection Prompts to Sit With • What pain have you been carrying that’s ready to be spoken aloud? • Where in your life are you still apologizing for surviving? • What would ‘taking your power back’ look like this week?
🌱 Gentle Reminder You don’t owe anyone a polished version of your pain. Healing is messy, brave, and still beautiful.
🎙️ Meet Our Guest — Tabitha
Tabitha is one of those rare guests who didn’t come to us through a PR pitch or a book launch—she came as a listener. A listener who reached out after an episode touched something deep inside her. When she messaged G-Rex and Dirty Skittles, she wasn’t looking for a spotlight; she was looking for connection. But what happened next turned into one of the most powerful conversations we’ve ever had about what it means to survive, heal, and speak your truth out loud.
From the outside, Tabitha is a wife, a mom, and a woman who works in baseball. But behind that everyday life is a lifetime of pain she’s finally ready to stop carrying in silence. She’s lived through layers of trauma—physical, emotional, and sexual abuse that began when she was just two years old. For forty years, she did what so many of us do when survival becomes second nature: she minimized, masked, and moved on. Until she couldn’t anymore.
When the anxiety became unbearable and the walls finally cracked, Tabitha walked back into therapy—but this time, she did it differently. She stopped coasting. She stopped pretending she was okay. And in her words, she decided to “put in the work.” That decision changed everything.
In this episode, Tabitha opens up about dissociative disorder, imposter syndrome, the guilt of “leaving her sisters behind,” and the exhausting weight of people-pleasing. She shares how her therapist helped her recognize that she wasn’t broken—she was blocked. And how the moment her nine-year-old son wrapped his arms around her and prayed over her became her wake-up call to fight for her life again.
What makes Tabitha so special isn’t just what she’s endured—it’s how she’s choosing to turn her pain into purpose. She’s learning to communicate honestly, to let love in, and to forgive the people who couldn’t love her the way she needed. She’s finding her voice after decades of silence and helping others realize they can do the same.
Tabitha isn’t a public figure, but she is the voice of so many who feel unseen. She’s proof that bravery doesn’t always look loud—it often looks like getting out of bed, showing up for therapy, or telling your story for the first time.
Her message to anyone listening is simple:
“You don’t have to have it all together to start healing. You just have to start.”
(No socials available for this guest.)
🌟 Key Takeaways
Healing doesn’t start with perfection—it starts with honesty.
Therapy is a relationship; it’s okay to “date” your therapist.
Guilt and grief can’t coexist with growth forever.
It’s never too late to speak your truth.
You are not your trauma—you’re your comeback.
✅ Actionable Takeaways
Journal, even if it’s one emoji that describes your mood
Tell someone you trust what you’re really feeling today.
Start your own gratitude practice—out loud, every morning.
If therapy stalls, change therapists, not your commitment.
Give yourself the same grace you’d give your best friend.
🙌 Listener Engagement
Did Tabitha’s story hit home for you? We’d love to hear what part of her journey resonated most. Reply to this email or tag us on Instagram @grex_and_dirtyskittles.
🎧 Subscribe, Rate & Review
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💬 Closing Remarks
Tabitha’s story reminded us that power doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it trembles. Sometimes it cries. Sometimes it shows up in the smallest moments—like whispering I’m not okay and letting someone stay beside you anyway.
Listening to her reminded us that healing isn’t just for the brave—it’s what makes us brave. The act of showing up, of speaking out, of facing the darkness without knowing what comes next—that’s where the transformation happens.
We’ve both been there—the days when getting out of bed feels like a victory, the nights when the weight of the past feels too heavy to carry. And yet, every time someone like Tabitha chooses to tell their truth, it lifts a little of that weight for all of us.
So if you’re in that in-between space—the part of your story that’s still messy, unfinished, or tender—please hear this: You are not behind. You are not broken. You are becoming.
Keep taking up space. Keep choosing to live. Keep taking your power back, one truth, one tear, one laugh at a time.
Thank you for being part of this community that listens, feels, and refuses to look away. We see you. We’re with you. And we’re so damn proud of you for staying.
With love and gratitude, 💜 G-Rex & Dirty Skittles Changing the way we talk about mental health, one real convo at a time.
G-Rex & Dirty Skittles
It's ok to be not ok, just make sure you're talking to someone
