Secret Life

Crystal was born and raised in Puerto Rico. When she was just 14, she got pregnant. Her very religious mother called their priest, and she was married to her 16-year-old boyfriend and the father of her child. The marriage didn't last; at 16, she asked to move to the states with her biological father. For years, he groomed her to be his wife and the mother of his child. And by the time she was...

It’s not a fetish. Not there’s anything wrong with fetishes. It’s just that Mark has always loved to be with men who weren’t “fit” or had the “great body,” instead, he appreciated a man with a bit of weight on them. It sounds like a good deal for someone who doesn’t follow the diet fads to stay in shape or lose weight, but what if the partner isn’t comfortable with the extra weight, then what?  __...

Most women think it will never happen to them, yet the scary stats are out there; sex trafficking is a genuine and dangerous reality for a beautiful young woman anywhere, especially in Los Angeles. Sarah never even thought that could happen to her, but when she came to, drugged and bruised with no way to escape, the reality came crashing down. In this harrowing story, convincing her family was muc...

From an early age, Erin never received the tools to deal with her emotions, so she used food to do that. Raised in a culture that celebrated food but shamed her for being overweight at eight years old, she constantly worked on food restrictions and diets while her weight continually went up and down. She recently lost 130 pounds, but not by dieting by working on the issues that caused her to eat f...

Hannah’s mom struggled with depression and drug addiction. The two were completely enmeshed; they were more like best friends than mother and daughter. Because of that, Hannah had very little supervision or rules. It wasn’t long after Hannah’s mother was sent to jail for having an affair with Hannah’s 17-year-old boyfriend that she took her life. At the funeral, Hannah met her father for the first...

Roy was raised by a conservative religious family and has kept this secret from them for over two decades. What have you been afraid to tell your parents? ______ If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression, trauma, sexual abuse or feeling overwhelmed, we've compiled a list of resources at secretlifepodcast.com. ______ To share your secret and be a guest on the show email...

As a child, Ashley saw how alcoholism affected her uncle and father, who got sober when she was two. But she heard the stories and swore she’d never be an alcoholic. Many of us have similar thoughts when we’re young, but the disease is still in us, and even though she started later in life, it was as if she had always been drinking. Within just two years, Ashley was a heavy drinker, getting DUIs,...

Trigger Warning - This episode contains discussions about child abuse; listener discretion is advised. When Melody was 16, she found out her father, a respected teacher in the community, had molested a friend of hers. It wouldn't be until 2012 that he was finally arrested and convicted of sexual assault on a minor. If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression, trauma, sex...

After losing his mother at a young age, Zachary was forced to live with his rage-filled father and his home life became a secret. _____ If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression, trauma, sexual abuse or feeling overwhelmed, we've compiled a list of resources at secretlifepodcast.com. ______ To share your secret and be a guest on the show email secretlifepodcast@icloud....

Mamina’s idealistic parents were drawn to Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon’s Moonies. Her parents were part of a 2000-person arranged marriage ceremony and she spent two years at a performing artists boarding school in Seoul Korea. Fearing for his life, Mamina’s father after reporting back that Reverend Moon’s daughter was cheating on her husband.  ______ If you or anyone you know is struggl...

The first three years of Samantha's relationship with her boyfriend were great; they had sex all the time, and they were in love, it was a great relationship. But the last three years became stagnant and they were becoming just roommates. Top that all off with her dissatisfaction with her life, a bout of depression, and a trip to Las Vegas, anything was possible. _______ If you or anyone you k...

When Elizabeth Joy (Liz Sandoz) began her recovery from an eating disorder, she found herself at first using cigarettes as a way to deal with the compulsion, but soon found herself using sex in the same way. ______ If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression, trauma, sexual abuse or feeling overwhelmed, we've compiled a list of resources at secretlifepodcast.com. ______...

Lupe’s family immigrated from Mexico to Washington State in the early 50s. He battled internal homophobia because the way his culture regarded being a macho man and the negative connotation connected to being gay. He also struggled with his dark skin and the desire to find an older white man like he saw on television, as his partner and to fulfill his daddy issues. This episode is jam-packed with...

Targeted, manipulated, and love-bombed by her boyfriend, Chelsea was groomed into prostitution at one of the lowest points in her life. Losing the only person that cared for her was unfathomable, and she found herself trapped as a prostitute for over five years. Fortunately, she escaped, found recovery, and shares her story to help raise awareness. Her story is heartbreaking and very similar to th...

Dopey Podcast host, Dave Manheim, shares his journey to kick heroin and pot and finally get sober for himself. It wasn't enough to do it for the beautiful woman he was in love with or the daughter about to be born, it would take five years of darkness before he found recovery. _____ If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression, trauma, sexual abuse, or feeling overwhelmed...

Whether you're in the Pro-Choice or the Pro-Life camp, we at Secret Life believe that everyone has the right to their own beliefs, but no one has the right to tell a woman what she can or can not do with her body. Julie shares her honest and vulnerable story about her abortions, giving up her oldest son for adoption, and releasing the shame and guilt about those choices. On the road from addic...

Since recording the first episode (Ep #91), Joe stopped working with his sex surrogate, began dating, and joined a Tantra sex group. He's been developing a deeper level of intimacy with himself by being vulnerable with others and feeling an incredible sense of unconditional love for everyone on the planet.  This episode is not only eye-opening, but a true testament, that change is possible and...

Blinded by what she thought was love (she later discovered it was her Sex & Love Addiction), Morgan fell for a patient, broke the code of conduct, and ultimately lost her job when he threatened to sue the company.  _____ If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression, trauma, sexual abuse or feeling overwhelmed, we've compiled a list of resources at secretlifepodcast.co...

Brianne has struggled with debilitating physical pain and cramps so bad she's laid up in bed three days a month since she was 13 and cannot function normally, accompanied by intense mood swings that often lead to incredibly dark thoughts.  During this time of the month, Mark, a recovering co-dependent (Al-Anon), does his best to try and make things better, only to fail time and time again. In...

When should parents stop kissing their kids on the lips? A quick Google search shows there are people on both sides of the aisle. It wasn't what society said for Nicholas but how it made him feel when his mother still kissed him on the mouth as an adult.  _____ If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression, trauma, sexual abuse or feeling overwhelmed, we've compiled a...

Liz has been keeping her cigarette smoking a secret from friends, family, and co-workers for decades. Throughout the episode, Liz shares how the smoking (and the hiding of it) keep her unavailable in every area of her life, especially intimate relationships. ______ If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression, trauma, sexual abuse or feeling overwhelmed, we've compiled a...

Growing up, Courtney's mother was often working two to three jobs and had to focus on her sister, who often acted out. So Courtney did her best to stay out of the way and not be a problem. The only problem was that they assumed she was fine and didn't receive the love and validation she truly needed.  ______ If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression, trauma, sexual...

There's so much stigma around herpes that it's not surprising that Bianca didn't want to share that information with her partners. What is shocking is the number of people that ACTUALLY have herpes—An estimated 491 million people aged 15–49 (13%) worldwide have HSV-2 infection (HSV-2 is a sexually transmitted infection that causes genital herpes.) Like Brianne and Mark, Bianca has crea...

Chris was born in China but grew up in the states in a primarily white community and was encouraged to be American and leave his Chinese culture behind. The only real exception was his Tiger Mom’s continuous control over him and his future. _____ If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression, trauma, sexual abuse or feeling overwhelmed, we've compiled a list of resources a...

Searching for attention and a means to support her daughter as a single mother, Kat put herself in situations that were not only dangerous, they prolonged and fed her alcohol and drug addiction.  _____ If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression, trauma, sexual abuse or feeling overwhelmed, we've compiled a list of resources at secretlifepodcast.com. ______ To share your...