I Choose The Bear Podcast
Episodes
E34: CNN Revealed the Truth About Why Women Chose the Bear
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
62 million views.A viral question.And the truth behind why women chose the bear.
E33: You Get to Breathe Again: A Life Without Eggshells
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You don’t realize how hard it is to breathe…until you finally can.No more walking on eggshells.No more bracing for someone’s mood.No more shrink...
E32: I Can Fix Him: When Love Turns Into Labor
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever falling in love with potential? You saw the good in him.You made excuses for the parts that hurt.You held onto potential… hoping one d...
E31: You’re Thriving, But It Doesn’t Feel Like It
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
I was told recently, “You are thriving now.”And if I’m honest… I didn’t know how to receive that. Because thriving, to me, sounded like peac...
The Roots Are Still There
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You left. You moved on. So why does your body still react?In this episode, we’re talking about the kind of trauma that doesn’t end when the relati...
E29: Do You Relate?
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when your voice slowly disappears in a relationship? In this episode, I ask a series of questions that many women recognize but rarely sa...
E28: To The Good Men Listening
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is for the men.Not to accuse. Not to shame. But to invite understanding.In this episode, I talk about the everyday calculations women mak...
E27: Trust Your Gut
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How many times have you felt that quiet internal nudge… and talked yourself out of it?In this episode, we’re talking about intuition, emotional sa...
E26: I See You
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode isn’t about fixing anything.It’s about recognition.We talk about over-functioning, the weight of being the safety net, the quiet pres...
E25: Twice She Chose Herself: This is Nat’s Story of Survival
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
She survived a man who tried to kill her.She survived another who tried to destroy her with words.Nat’s story is not easy to hear, but it is necessa...
E24: Dating After Abuse
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dating after abuse isn’t just dating…it’s relearning safety. This episode is for anyone who wants love but still feels on edge. Just a gentle re...
E23: “When Childhood Teaches You What to Tolerate”
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kim opens up about the emotional and verbal abuse she endured in her marriage and how her early relationship with her father shaped her understanding ...
E22: We Are The Generation
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We are the generation living the freedom women before us fought for. This episode explores why expecting respect is not asking too much…it’s the n...
E21: Are Women More Emotional Than Men?
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are women really more emotional than men — or are their emotions just more visible?In this episode of I Choose the Bear Podcast, we break down the m...
E20: What Abuse Really Looks Like (Part 4) After Leaving
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Abuse doesn’t always end when the relationship ends. This episode explores what post-separation abuse can look like: withholding child support, lega...
E19: When the Truth Is Revealed: Em’s Story
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I sit down with Em, a woman who spent years trying to make sense of a marriage shaped by manipulation and half-truths. Em shares how ...
E18: What Forgiveness is Not
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode dives into the truth about forgiveness …the real kind, not the rushed, pressured version so many women are taught to perform. We explor...
E17: When Love Creates Chaos
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses experiences of physical aggression and animal harm.Abuse doesn’t always look like anger — sometimes it’s...
E16: The Quiet Story October Carries
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
October is almost over… but what other awareness lives quietly among the rest?We see pink ribbons and mental health posts.We honor Down Syndrome and...
E15: What Abuse Really Looks Like: (Part 3) When the Body Doesn’t Feel Safe
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What Abuse Looks Like (Part 3 of 4)⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of physical and sexual abuse. Please listen only if you fe...
E14:I Still Cry
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Healing doesn’t mean you stop crying — it means your tears start to change.In this episode, I open up about the quiet grief that lingers after lea...
E13:Through a Counselor’s Eyes: Understanding Abuse and Healing - Special Guest Counselor Amy Liptak
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of I Choose the Bear, I sit down with Amy Liptak, a certified counselor in Bloomington, Indiana, to talk about the realities women fac...
E12:“He Said I Was Manipulative” — My Journal entries of Chaos, Control, and Denial
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this deeply personal journal reading, I open up about the emotional rollercoaster I experienced before separation — the gaslighting, the spiritua...
E11“Why Am I Like This?”Trauma’s Physical Symptoms & What You Can Do -With Dr. Mallory Knipe(Part 2)
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 2 of our conversation, Dr. Mallory Knipe returns to discuss the psychosomatic symptoms of trauma, how they show up in the body, and practical ...
E10: “Why Am I Like This?” What Trauma Does to the Body — with Dr. Mallory Knipe (Part 1)
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trigger Warning:In this week’s episode, we talk about trauma and reference a couple different types of traumatic events. Please listen with care and...
E9:“Why Did You Stay So Long?”
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“Why did you stay so long?”It’s a question survivors hear all the time—and one that carries shame. But the truth is far more complex than most...
E8: What Abuse Really Looks Like (Part 2):He Didn’t Hit Me,But He Hurt Me
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of I Choose the Bear, we explore three invisible but devastating forms of abuse: verbal, spiritual, and neglect. Through personal and ...
E7:The Beginning of the End: Journal Entries From Inside an Abusive Marriage
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before I left, I wrote — raw, unfiltered entries that I often threw away out of fear he’d find them. In this episode, I’m reading two entries, w...
E6:What Abuse Really Looks Like (Part 1): It Didn’t Feel Like Love. It Felt Like Control.
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this first episode of a four-part series, I walk listeners through subtle, often overlooked forms of abuse - specifically psychological abuse, emot...
E5:But Was It Really Abuse?
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Season 1 Episode 5: But Was It Really Abuse? I used to say things like, “I don’t know that I was necessarily abused. My marriage was just…hard.”...
E4:The Other Side of Fear - Caitlin’s Story
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 4: The Other Side of Fear - Caitlin’s StoryTrigger Warning: SA and Physical AbuseIn this powerful episode, I sit down with my dear friend Ca...
E3:Health and What My Body Remembers
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Health and What My Body Remembers Some wounds don’t leave bruises.Some memories still make your chest tighten.This week, I talk about the pain I car...
E2: The Chaos, The Grief, The Courage It Takes to Leave
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 2: The Chaos, The Grief, The Courage It Takes to LeaveAt first, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t overreacting.I started reading, reaching...
E1: The Day I Realized It Was Abuse
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if the person you loved the most was also the one who made you feel the smallest?In this first episode, I share about the day that cracked open t...
Intro
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I Choose the Bear Podcast is about facing it. It’s about rising from betrayal, reclaiming our worth, and becoming the strongest version of ourselves...