Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads

Podcast for Mental Health Insights, Compassion, and Friendship

These Episodes will drop on Tuesday and Thursday at 3 AM Eastern

Trigger Warning

⚠️: This week’s episodes contain discussions about suicide, childhood trauma, emotional neglect, self-harm, hospitalization, and recovery. Please take care while listening. If you’re in crisis, call or text 988 for support.

👋Hey beautiful humans,

This week on the podcast, we’re doing something powerful and soul-stirring. We’re releasing a two-part series with one guest whose story will stay with you long after the last second rolls.

We’re honored to introduce you to Emily—a trauma survivor, nurse, mom, and someone who’s bravely choosing to stay, even when it’s hard.

Her story is raw and real. It’s one of pain, resilience, relapse, and recovery—and we packed it into two unforgettable conversations.

🧠 Part 1 (Aug 12): “From Hiding to Healing”
Emily opens up about emotional neglect, her first self-harm experience at 11, and her suicide attempts as a teen and young adult. She talks about masking, numbness, silence, and how much she needed someone to just notice.

🧠 Part 2 (Aug 14): “Life After the Attempt”
We explore what it means to live after. After being discharged. After everyone forgets. After you try to end it all and somehow wake up. Emily shares the guilt of surviving, the exhaustion of healing, and how becoming a mom shifted her entire outlook.

💬 “I’m not proud of my story because it’s pretty—it’s ugly. But I’m proud I’m still here.” — Emily

🌿 Electronic Detox and Boundaries

Hey, it’s Friday, and I’m writing this newsletter ahead of time because…I need a break. 🧘‍♀️

This weekend, we're going away, and I’ve planned a full-on electronic detox. As a small biz owner and the co-host of two podcasts, my brain has been running on fumes. I’ve been terrible with my boundaries lately—working too many hours, saying yes to too much, and honestly just stretching myself way too thin.

So I made a deal with myself: crush it today, then disconnect for 3 full days and go find my joy, and just feel better. ✨

The smoke up here in upstate NY has been brutal this week—it's messing with me physically and mentally in ways I can’t even describe. Dirty Skittles and I were talking about how we always tell you to take breaks, detox, and protect your joy…so we’re taking our own advice. This weekend is for us. 💛

Back to those boundaries…

I preach about them all the time, but when you're building something from scratch—your business, your book, your podcast—it’s easy to fall into the trap of working every single hour. But I need to keep my eye on the big picture.

So I’m re-evaluating:
➡️ What’s truly important?
➡️ What can wait?
➡️ What actually feeds my energy?

Because boundaries don’t just protect your peace…they create the space to breathe.

🚀 On That Note: Book Kickstarter Coming Soon!

Next week, I’ll be firing up a Kickstarter Campaign to support the final stretch of edits for my book—and yes, you’ll get the link. Your support has meant the world as we keep pushing to normalize mental health conversations. The feedback from listeners and past guests has been overwhelming in the best way—we feel the impact this community is making. Thank you. 🙌

🗳️ Podcast Awards: We Made the Final Slate!

We’re thrilled to be finalists in the People’s Choice Podcast Awards in the Health category! 🎉
They sent out a second round of ballots to 25,000 listeners and hosts—if you got an email from podcast@podcastconnect.com, vote for Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads!
Didn’t get an email? No stress. You’ve got until September 1st to vote. Thanks for being our tribe. ❤️

🎤 Special Thanks to Melissa Crook

We’re spotlighting a new business(s) and partners in upcoming newsletters, but we couldn’t move on without saying a massive THANK YOU to Melissa Crook of The F.E.E.L Podcast. She’s been redefining wellness with her new course—and you can find out more about her at embracinglayers.com. If you’ve missed her work in previous newsletters, it’s not too late to check out the amazing things she’s doing. 💪

🔥 Special Shout-Out: Women Supporting Women

Light Your Story, Fuel Your Fire

Meet Amy Nubson of Nufire Collective—where brand clarity meets soul strategy. Her “Rebrand You” framework helps folks unlock their voice and own their worth. Don’t miss her virtual “Exploring Your Origin Story” workshop on August 20—perfect timing to realign before the fall rush.
🔗 Learn More: Nufire Collective

💡 Mental Health Quote of the Week

“Make time for yourself like it’s a meeting with your soul—and don’t you dare cancel it.”

📝 Podcast Reflection Worksheet

Use our Podcast Reflection Worksheet to jot down what hits home, what needs unpacking, and how you’ll carry these insights into your own life. Transformation starts with intention. 🧠🖊️ Podcast Worksheet _08_12 and 14_25_Emily Pts 1 and 2.pdf

🎧 Life After the Attempt: Emily’s Two-Part Mental Health Journey

What does it look like to survive yourself—and then choose to stay?

In this deeply moving two-part series, Emily brings us inside her world: one shaped by childhood emotional neglect, teenage self-harm, and two suicide attempts before the age of 21. But this isn’t just a survival story—it’s a testament to what happens after.
After the pills. After the silence. After the shame.

🧠 Part 1: From Hiding to Healing
Emily traces the early moments of her mental health crisis—from the first time she cut herself at age 11 to her harrowing experience in a psychiatric unit after an overdose. She talks about growing up in a home where feelings weren’t safe, the loneliness of being a high-functioning depressed kid, and the moment she realized that just surviving wasn’t enough anymore.

🧠 Part 2: Life After the Attempt
Now a nurse and a mother, Emily shares what it’s like to heal while still feeling broken. She opens up about emotional abuse in relationships, raising a daughter to feel emotionally safe, and trying to believe she deserves the love she gives to others. Her story is one of quiet courage—the kind that keeps going even when the world isn’t watching.

💬 This one’s for the high achievers who collapse in private.
The ones who numb the pain just to get through the day.
The ones who never learned how to cry in front of someone else—but are learning now.

🧠 Healing Isn’t Linear

From the shame of surviving to the guilt of not “being better” yet, Emily shows us what healing looks like in real life—not in a headline or inspirational quote, but in the hard, everyday moments of choosing to stay.

📌 The Cost of Looking Fine

Emily was praised for being strong while silently unraveling. Her story reminds us that you can be the go-to person for everyone else—and still be battling suicidal thoughts on your own.

🫂 A Quote That Stuck With Us

“I’m not proud of my story because it’s pretty—it’s ugly. But I’m proud I’m still here.” – Emily

🎙️ Real Talk from the Hosts

“When Emily said she walked out of the psych unit and her mom didn’t say a word—I felt that gut punch of generational silence. That silence almost killed her.” – G-Rex

“She’s the kind of guest we created this podcast for. Raw. Real. Still fighting. And still here.” – Dirty Skittles

✍️ Reflection Prompts to Sit With

• What survival tactics did you learn that no longer serve you?
• How do you create emotional safety for yourself—or your kids?
• What does staying look like when everything hurts?

🌱 Gentle Reminder

You don’t have to earn rest.
You’re allowed to have needs.
You’re allowed to still be healing.

🎙️ Meet Our Guest: Emily

Emily is a trauma survivor, a nurse, a mother, and a powerful voice for those still learning how to stay.

Her mental health journey began in childhood with emotional neglect and silence, leading to cutting at age 11, and two suicide attempts before she turned 21. But Emily’s story isn’t just about what she survived—it’s about what she’s still choosing: healing, parenting, and showing up for herself one hard-earned day at a time.

As a healthcare worker, Emily brings compassion and insight into every space she enters. As a mom, she’s breaking generational cycles by raising her daughter with emotional safety, honesty, and love—something she had to teach herself.

Emily speaks candidly about growing up in survival mode, enduring emotionally abusive relationships, and what it means to be “high-functioning” while struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. Her journey reminds us that healing is not a straight line. It’s messy. It’s real. And it’s deeply worth it.

Whether she’s talking about the guilt of surviving, the exhaustion of masking, or the quiet power of finally being seen, Emily’s presence on Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is unforgettable. Her courage gives voice to what so many live through in silence—and her story offers hope to those still in the dark.

🔗 Follow Emily:
Instagram – @emmiewillyy

🌟 Key Takeaways

You can appear “fine” and still be struggling deeply.
Emotional neglect leaves invisible wounds that last.
Healing is rarely linear—but it’s always worth the fight.

✅ Actionable Takeaways

Share the 988 number—it might save someone’s life.
Compliment people on who they are, not how they look.
Build (and keep) a circle that makes you feel safe and seen.

🙌 Listener Engagement

Your feedback keeps us going. What part of Emily’s story hit home for you? What topics do you want to hear more about? Hit reply—we read every message!

🎧 Subscribe, Rate & Review

Love what we’re doing? Take a minute to rate and review the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It helps more folks find us—and it seriously makes our day.