The Behind The Shades Show : Marriage, Mental Health, And Trauma Recovery

Episode 80 with Andrea. We discussed how a religious upbringing shaped us into the people we are today. During this conversation, Andrea opens up about being adopted. She contrasts her biological family with her adopted family and the experiences of both. During our conversation about church, Andrea shares an unfortunate situation that occurred there that impacted her and her family negatively. Th...

In episode 79 we have Amanda with us. Amanda speaks on her marriage that was filled with mental and physical abuse. Her spouse became a narcissist and the behaviour led her down a dangerous path. We discussed the toll the physical abuse had taken on her. Her children were impacted as their mother was being shaped by this situation. Through my conversations, we learned that Amanda did not have a st...

Celebrating Season 2 features a married couple. Cristal and Andrew join us to speak about the impact of the world around us. Mental health is an important and both Cristal and Andrew share their childhood experiences. Both were bullied at a young age. Both felt they didn't connect with their parents as a child. Both have overcome their childhood difficulties and are looking to assist the next gene...

Troy joins us to speak about mental trauma. Troy discusses seeing his brothers being shot and killed in 2 different situations. He shares the impact of this as 1 of his brothers was killed on his father's birthday. Troy experienced a downward spiral as his mother was into drugs and the household went from a complete one to one filled with despair. We discussed how 1 change can trigger a series of...

A painful childhood. Leticia joins us to speak about her mental trauma during her childhood. From an early age she was told she is the reason for her parents divorcing. From that experience, she searched for comfort and love. She temporary found what she needed in the wrong places and ended up in an abusive marriage. Leticia speaks about recovering from this and finding her strength. From a low po...

A teacher's love. Julia joins us to discuss her teacher's journey of 20+ years. She shares how teachers are the 2nd parents of children and are a part of their future. We touched on the importance of children and the roles teachers play in their lives. Children are precious and vulnerable at the same time and we must protect them. Julia shows us how she will continue to help children in the future...

In episode 74, we continue to speak about relationships. Linda joins us to speak about "protecting your peace". She elaborates by sharing the importance self-fulfilling love and how difficult being happy is. As we talked, mental health came up and she shared how she had her own struggles with it. Many of us spend a lot of time alone and this may trigger unproductive thoughts. Linda found a way to...

With episode 73 we talk about relationships. "it's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission". Sherley joins us to speak about that quote as well as the impact of infidelity in a relationship. She mentions how she had to learn make her relationship work again. From denial to acceptance, the stages of grief can enlighten us in profound ways. Sherley shares how importance receiving an...

With Season 2 we speak with the 2nd half of a married couple. Natasha joins us for part 2 as we spoke with her spouse Jachym earlier. Natasha shares her join of identifying behaviours from her childhood that was negatively impacting her marriage. Natasha went through a period of self-reflection to help strengthen her marriage. She discovered parallels between her marriage as well as her parents wh...

With Season 2 we speak one half of a married couple, part 2 with his spouse will follow. Jachym joins us to speak about working on a marriage and not giving up. He mentions some of the challenges he experienced in his marriage were routed in his family experiences as a child. He works to identify and correct these engrained behaviours to strengthen his marriage. Both partners explored an open marr...

In celebrating Season 2, we have a touching story. Nelson joins us to discuss his journey being born out of a sexual assault. He called it the "unlucky sperm club" but it doesn't define him. Nelson has grown to be a successful father and husband. He is using his childhood experience to raise his sons in a loving and nurturing family. We talked about his goal of being married for 25 years and hopef...

Celebrating Season 2 with mental health. Sabastian joins us to speak about the downside of the last 2 years. He speaks about the struggle on his business taking a hit and the mental difficulty of dealing with it. We touch on how how the past can come back to haunt us in the form of "cancel culture". It was an interesting perspective as he is looking to turn around his business in a different way a...

With episode 68, Wali joins us to speak about the impact his parents had on him growing up. He also touches on how comedy and unite people through difficult times. Laughter may be a remedy to many of our issues and Wali and I discuss this. Wali shares his personal journey and the closeness of his family in his younger years. He mentions how his grandfather and father helped to cheer up others. Rem...

We spoke about issues impacting the world in episode 67. Daniel joins us to speak about the social issues happening in the world. We discuss his struggles with his daughter and how he had to overcome their differences. I mentioned human connection and how there seems to be a disconnect between each other recently. It was a conversation that highlighted the importance of connection and understandin...

In episode 66, Nigel joins us to speak about relationship and how it impacts our mental health. Nigel gets to the root of many dating myths and experiences. We speak about how some common beliefs are actually not common and how focusing on superficial items may not be beneficial. Nigel then expressed some concern regarding men not being able to express their emotions and what can be done to assist...

It's episode 65! We spoke with Mark about mental health and the struggles of acceptance that many experience. Mark shares his own story about his mental health and how it has affected his relationships in the world today. As he approaches 60 years old he has a different view of the world and speaks candidly about it. He shares with me how he sees the world now versus years ago. He also shares what...

Back with number 64! Purdeep speaks to us about empowering men and making sure positive examples of men are being promoted. We discussed the expectations placed on the family unit and the need of men to be role models in their communities. I highlighted the differences between our grandparent's social communities versus the social communities of today. The conversation touched on the importance of...

It's episode 63. Dai speaks to us about overcoming alcoholism and living sober for over 10 years. He explains the impact it had on him as a father and husband. It took years of self-reflection and honest conversations for him to overcome alcohol. Dai also lets us know how travel the world with his family strengthen the family's bond. The wonders of the world they shared together is inspiring. It s...

With episode 62 we talk about broken relationships. Alejandra speaks about coaching women to make better choices while dating. She speaks about creating dating boundaries for yourself and their importance. We discussed how pressure from friends and family members can negatively impact our decisions. These impact can leave us lost, frustrated, defeated while dating. Alejandra shares her personal ex...

It's episode 61. Rachel joins us to speak about childhood trauma. Rachel experienced sexual abuse growing up from a trusted person. we discussed how many crimes are committed by someone you know or someone close to you. She also mentions her state of mind during the abuse and it's impact on her future relationships. We both shared how awareness of abuse within the home is important as well as the...

Episode 60 features a well traveled person. Laura joins us to speak about her childhood trauma and the different ways it has impacted her life. Feeling like the "ugly duckling" in her family, Laura attempted to find a number of ways to be seen. This all lead Laura down a destructive path that came together in a difficult marriage. School was Laura's safe place and it brought her the joy she was se...

Episode 59 is an episode of being reborn. Beata speaks to us about the pain she felt when her partner decided to end their relationship to much of her surprise. She shares how the man she loved fueled a journey of emptiness and self-doubt. We spoke about what she did to rebound and how a move across the world changed her life. With a fresh start, she had to relearn her life all over again. However...

In episode 58 we touch on the impact of marriages. Heather joins us and shares the difficulty she experienced in her marriage. Her mother expressed disappointment in her decision to divorce and this led her to feel isolated by the decision. We touch on the expectation created by family and friends. As an extrovert, she is always seen as someone that should be family despite the many times she's be...

With episode 57 we talk about the different lens of parenthood. Melissa speaks about parenthood and all that she has learned. Melissa grew up with trauma from food and it's negative impact. She learned to control her life to break the generational trauma cycle so it didn't impact her children. We discussed the importance of helping the next generation avoid trauma and surround themselves with happ...

It's episode 56 and Maggie has joined us. Maggie speaks to us about her childhood trauma and the different ways it has impacted her life. The impact is felt from her relationships with her parents to her romantic relationships. Maggie details the death of her mother and the incarceration of her father to us. She also shares how she had to manifest a better version of herself to start enjoying a be...