Show notes
Season 19 gave us a front-row seat to grief, resilience, reinvention, boundaries, healing, and some seriously honest conversations. In this season finale, we look back at every guest who sat down with us, the moments that stayed with us after the microphones turned off, and how much we have both changed along the way.
Awards & Downloads
Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.
Feedback
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Mental Health Quote
“I want to leave behind doubt and sadness and bring with me determination and hope and love.” — Dirty Skittles
Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder
This episode includes conversations about grief, suicide loss, sexual assault, addiction, depression, trauma, and other difficult mental health experiences.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 in the United States to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:
https://988lifeline.org/
For international crisis support:
https://findahelpline.com/
Episode Description
We honestly cannot believe we are wrapping up Season 19.
When we started Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, we knew we wanted honest conversations about mental health. We didn't realize how much those conversations would change us, too.
This season brought us stories about burnout, grief, perfectionism, binge eating, difficult relationships, workplace stress, suicide loss, trauma, resilience, identity, and what it really means to reinvent yourself. Every guest brought something different into the room, but somehow each conversation left us looking at our own lives a little differently.
In this finale, we go back through every guest from Season 19 and talk about what stuck with us.
We reflect on boundaries, self-doubt, fear of failure, therapy, creativity, friendship, and the weird little things that help us stay grounded when life gets messy. We talk about learning to protect our peace, walking away from drama, giving ourselves permission to change, and understanding that trying something hard does not mean we failed just because the outcome looked different than expected.
And yes, we also talk about fishing, fantasy romance, laughing at wildly inappropriate things, and why sometimes the best mental health support is having that one person who understands exactly how your brain works.
The biggest takeaway from Season 19 is this: our stories matter, but they don't have to become our entire identity.
Season 19 is ending, and we are leaving self-doubt behind.
Keywords: mental health podcast, emotional wellness, resilience, self-doubt, boundaries, burnout recovery, grief, trauma healing, perfectionism, anxiety, personal growth, therapy, self-care, reinvention, mental health awareness
Meet Our Guests — Season 19
Season 19 gave us some unforgettable conversations, and every guest left us with something that stuck.
Diandra Ford-Wing — Diandra talked with us about severe workplace burnout, losing her mom, and what happens when grief does not fit inside somebody else’s timeline.
Justin Shaw — Justin introduced us to his “shadow and sorcerer” framework and gave us a different way to think about trauma, identity, and what happens when our unhealed parts start running the show.
David Meyer — David reminded us how powerful creativity can be when writing, poetry, storytelling, and self-expression become part of how we process what is going on inside our heads.
Rocio & Angel — Rocio and Angel shared their work around women’s identity, growth, and transformation through The Orchid: The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses, while also showing us what genuine partnership and mutual respect can look like.
Mandi Lynne — Mandi opened up about being a recovering perfectionist and learning how to stop tying her worth to being extraordinary all the time.
Amber Abila — Amber shared her experience with restrictive eating, binge eating, and bulimia, along with the work it took to rebuild her relationship with food and herself.
Barbara Parker — Barbara talked about perfectionism, divorce, rebuilding her life, and learning that sometimes “good enough” really is enough.
Regent Cornell — Regent reminded us why the conversations we most want to avoid are often the ones we need to have, especially when work, relationships, and mental health collide.
Stephanie Renner — Stephanie shared the heartbreaking loss of her son Jordan and how she has turned that grief into meaningful ways of reminding people that they matter.
Noah May — Noah opened up about the circumstances surrounding his conception, the mental health struggles that followed, and how podcasting helped him find his voice.
John Carter — John shared an unbelievable story of surviving being shot in the head, depression, addiction, jail, and major life changes before rebuilding a life centered around fatherhood, fitness, and resilience.
Key Takeaways
Healing does not happen on somebody else’s schedule. Grief, trauma, and burnout do not care what a policy says.
What happened to us can shape us without becoming the only thing that defines us.
Boundaries can feel uncomfortable, but protecting our peace is worth it.
Trying something difficult and getting an unexpected result does not automatically mean we failed.
We can reinvent ourselves at any age. There is no expiration date on becoming somebody new.
Mental health support does not always look serious. Sometimes it is therapy. Sometimes it is laughter. Sometimes it is fishing, fantasy books, a phone game, or calling the one person who understands your sense of humor.
Actionable Items
Ask yourself what you are ready to leave behind in this season of your life. Write down what you want to replace it with.
Pick one boundary that would make your life feel lighter and practice holding it without overexplaining yourself.
Start your own joy folder. Fill it with photos, memories, screenshots, quotes, or anything else that reminds you what makes you feel like yourself.
Important Chapters
00:00:37 — Welcome to the Season 19 Finale
00:03:48 — How Much We Have Changed
00:08:23 — Diandra Ford-Wing: Burnout, Grief, and Work
00:10:17 — Justin Shaw: Your Shadow Is Not Your Identity
00:11:32 — David Meyer: Creativity and Mental Health
00:12:53 — Rocio & Angel: Identity, Partnership, and The Orchid
00:14:04 — Mandi Lynne: Recovering From Perfectionism
00:15:22 — Amber Abila: Binge Eating and Understanding the Why
00:16:39 — Barbara Parker: When Good Enough Is Good Enough
00:18:24 — Regent Cornell: Having the Conversations We Avoid
00:20:13 — Stephanie Renner: Grief, Jordan, and Letting People Know They Matter
00:21:51 — Noah May: Finding His Voice Through Podcasting
00:22:54 — John Carter: Survival, Resilience, and Rebuilding
00:24:18 — Five Questions for Us
00:26:14 — The Ridiculous Things That Actually Help Our Mental Health
00:27:25 — Friendship as Mental Health Support
00:30:10 — What We Are Leaving Behind in Season 19
00:31:01 — Thank You, Season 19
Closing CTA
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