Keeping it Real with Zulma The Swearing Therapist Podcast

Right after I recorded an episode about balance... I spent eight hours at the beach and ended up with sun poisoning. I was sick for two days. Talk about life saying, "Oh, you like talking about balance? Let's see if you actually practice it." Nothing like getting bitch-slapped by the universe to drive the lesson home. But that experience reminded me of something even bigger. We spend so much time...

As I reflected on my birthday, one word kept smacking me in the face: balance . For most of my life, I lived in the extremes. All in or all out. Hustle or collapse. Work until burnout, then wonder why I was exhausted. I am done with that shit. Think about it. My birthday, June 29, is the middle of winter in Argentina and the middle of a brutal Las Vegas summer. Here in Panama? It is in the mid-80s...

For the first time in my life, I do not want to travel for my birthday. I do not have a bucket-list destination calling my name. I do not feel the need to escape, celebrate somewhere else, or chase the next thing. And that is a big fucking deal. Because it means I am exactly where I want to be. I created a life that I do not need a vacation from. A life that feels good on an ordinary Monday, not j...

Six months ago, I packed up my life and moved to Panama. Has it been easy? Not even close. There have been frustrations, adjustments, moments of doubt, and plenty of "what the fuck was I thinking?" days. Moving to another country is a lot harder than the highlight reels on social media would have you believe. But while Las Vegas is hitting triple-digit temperatures, I am living by the ocean. I can...

I went for a dental cleaning in Panama and paid $31. That is it. No mandatory X-rays. No required appointment with a dentist first (I chose this option, so I paid a total of $52). No endless upselling. No jumping through a bunch of hoops that somehow became "normal". Coming from the U.S., where it often feels like every healthcare visit comes with extra steps, extra appointments, and extra charges...

Can we stop acting like saying yes means you are stuck forever? You are allowed to change your fucking mind. I committed to these year-long challenges thinking I could handle it all, and then reality hit. I realized I do not have the time, energy, or bandwidth for them right now, so I postponed them. And honestly? That is healthier than forcing myself into burnout just to prove I am “committed.” T...

I invested a lot of money into a program that honestly did not deliver at the level of the investment. I felt frustrated, disappointed, and questioning myself. And to be fucking real, part of me wanted to stay stuck in that anger. But then something unexpected happened. Because of that experience, I found another program in Panama, and through it, I met incredible people. Real connections. Organic...

Let’s talk about that uncomfortable gray area: when you say no to something that looks like a great opportunity… is that self-sabotage, or are you finally honoring yourself? In this episode, I am getting real about investing a lot of money into a program that did not meet my expectations... and then being faced with another opportunity that stirred up doubt. Not just because of the financial commi...

I heard someone say “message starts with mess,” and it hit me like a fucking brick... in the best way. Because most of us get stuck asking “why is this happening to me?” and stay trapped there, spiraling, frustrated, and powerless. But what if you asked a different question? What if you changed the question from why to What can I learn from this? In this episode, we are flipping the script. The me...

Let’s cut the bullshit: trauma is not a competition. Somewhere along the way, we started believing that pain needs to be ranked, compared, and validated by others to “count.” It does not. What you went through? It was 100% traumatic to you . And what someone else is going through? It consumes them just as fully. In this episode, I am calling out the toxic habit of comparing suffering. Is cancer mo...

This one is simple, but not always easy: stop forcing shit. Not every connection, opportunity, or experience needs to be chased, pushed, or manufactured. I have realized I do not like pools, I do not like bars… so why would I put myself in those environments just to meet people? That is not me. And the truth is, when you force yourself into spaces that do not align with who you are, you end up dra...

After feeling frustrated with my presentation, I seriously considered walking away from the program. I did not feel supported, I questioned the feedback I was getting, and part of me was ready to quit. It felt easier to step back than to keep pushing forward. But then a different question hit me: what if this is not about them… what if this is self-sabotage? What if the discomfort I am feeling is...

Well… this one is humbling. I literally talked about enjoying the journey, and then went ahead and did the exact opposite. I got so focused on the outcome, on “getting it right,” that I completely missed being present for the experience. And yes… I messed up my presentation. Not my best moment. But also? It was my first time. And instead of hiding or backing out, I showed up. I did not chicken out...

Not everything you hear is a fact, no matter how confident someone sounds saying it. In this episode, I break down the difference between facts and opinions, and why confusing the two can mess with your peace, your confidence, and your decision-making. We live in a world where everyone has something to say, and it is easy to get caught up in other people’s opinions, take them personally, or start...

Two people can stand in the exact same place, look at the exact same situation, and walk away with completely different stories. Why? Because we do not see things as they are, we see them as we are . Our experiences, beliefs, wounds, and expectations shape everything we interpret. In this episode, I talk about how quickly we jump to conclusions when someone thinks, acts, or chooses differently tha...

We love a good destination: the goal, the result, the big win. But what if we are missing the best part by rushing to get there? In this episode, I talk about shifting the focus from obsessing over the outcome to actually enjoying the journey… every messy, exciting, frustrating step of it. I am in the middle of learning something new (and yes, there is a big announcement coming), and I can feel it...

Ever notice how anger shows up fast and loud? Someone says something, does something, and boom: you are fucking pissed. It feels obvious why: “Of course it is personal, she did it to me.” But here is the twist… a lot of the anger we feel is not just about what happened. It is about the story we immediately tell ourselves about what happened. In this episode, I dig into the real reason anger escala...

Daylight Saving Time used to mess with my schedule twice a year, losing an hour, gaining an hour, adjusting everything around it. And then I moved to Panama… where Daylight Saving Time simply does not exist. No switching clocks, no collective confusion, no stolen hour in March. Just time being time. That small realization got me thinking about something bigger: what we tolerate in our lives withou...

Make It Make Sense: The Cost of Healthcare Let me tell you what is not adding up. I recently paid $130 for a Pap smear, $68 for a bone densitometry, and $90 for a 3D mammogram. In Nevada? Those same tests would have cost me $222, $185, and $368. And here is the kicker: when I was paying $400 a month for health insurance, some of these were not even fully covered. So… what the fuck was I paying for...

I sat down to record feeling completely blocked. Nothing to say. No brilliant insight. No profound takeaway. Just a whole lot of “what the fuck will I talk about?” And yet… I spoke for ten minutes. In this episode, I unpack how perfectionism and procrastination love to dress up as “standards” and “preparation,” when really they are just sneaky forms of self-sabotage. That voice that says, “If it’s...

Imagine a blank white sheet of paper. Now draw a black dot in the middle. That dot represents the challenge you are currently facing: the problem, the frustration, the thing keeping you up at night. But what about all the white space around it? The blessings, the support, the opportunities, the parts of your life that are still working? In this episode, I explore how easy it is to fixate on the bl...

Valentine’s Day can feel like a punch in the gut when you are single: everywhere you look it’s hearts, roses, and curated couples pretending life is perfect. If this time of year feels triggering, lonely, or just plain annoying, you are not alone. In this episode, I talk honestly about the pressure and expectations surrounding Valentine’s Day and why your relationship status does not define your w...

Welcome to the very first episode of Season Two!!!! And yes, I am proud as hell. I started this podcast without knowing what the fuck I was doing, and I did it anyway. I said yes before I felt ready, took the help when it showed up, and trusted myself enough to figure shit out along the way. What I am most proud of? The discipline. Showing up every week, recording consistently, and committing to t...

We love to praise hyper-independence like it is a badge of honor, but sometimes it is not strength, it is a trauma response. When you have learned that relying on others leads to disappointment, you start doing everything yourself. Not because you want to… but because trusting people feels risky as fuck. In this episode, I get real about moving by myself. I got it done, and yes, I felt proud of th...

Every time you say yes to someone else, you are saying no to something, often yourself. Your time, your energy, your rest, your peace. And yet so many of us keep overcommitting, overgiving, and overexplaining, then wondering why we are exhausted and resentful. In this episode, I talk about finding the balance between being kind and completely disappearing. Because here is the uncomfortable truth:...