Addiction changes a person, but it also reshapes everyone who loves them. We’re joined by Jolene, a business owner and mom from Canada we met in the most unexpected place, and we talk about what it means to grow up in an alcoholic family, take on adult roles too soon, and carry a heaviness you can’t name until much later.

We get real about the family side of alcoholism and addiction recovery: broken promises, the urge to rescue, and the hard truth that you can’t “love someone sober” by taking away their consequences. Jolene shares stories about her dad, the tenderness underneath the chaos, and how compassion doesn’t erase accountability. We also dig into the mindset shift that changes everything, moving from judging behavior to getting curious about what happened, what hurts, and what someone is trying to numb.

That same curiosity expands into how we see incarceration and prison ministry, where labels can freeze people at their worst moment even when they’re ready to grow. We talk about identity, redemption, and why so many people aren’t looking for a second chance so much as a real chance with actual tools. You’ll leave with practical takeaways too: a simple reframe for overwhelm as feedback, a way to work with fear through action, and a values compass built on freedom, love, and connection.

If you know someone living with addiction in the family, or you’re trying to rewrite your own story, listen all the way through. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations.

© 2026 soulnotskin. All rights reserved.

Freedom is not the same thing as release and families learn that the hard way. Jen SluMac sits down with Shelia Bruno, founder of Wife After Prison, to unpack what happens when a loved one comes home after years or decades incarcerated and the relationship starts to feel like a roller coaster. Sheila shares her deeply personal story of reconnecting with her high school sweetheart, building a life together, and then watching confusing behaviors emerge: isolation, irritation, emotional shutdown, and a constant sense of walking on eggshells. When you do not have words for what you are seeing, you fill in the blanks, and that can cost you your peace, your health, and sometimes the relationship itself.

Together, we name Post-Incarceration Syndrome (PICS) as a framework for the internal consequences of incarceration, shaped by institutionalization, deprivation, and survival mode living. We dig into why “just get a job” is not enough for successful reentry, how parole often demands compliance without measuring capacity, and why plain language matters for healing. Sheila breaks down real-world examples of hypervigilance, overwhelm, decision fatigue, and the painful effects of social and sensory deprivation on intimacy and family connection. We also talk about vicarious trauma, because the family system carries this too, and healing has to include spouses, partners, and kids.

You will hear Shelia’s H3 Model for rebuilding life after prison: Head (thinking patterns), Heart (emotional impact), and Hands (real-world skills and responsibility). If you care about criminal justice reform, reentry support, trauma-informed care, mental health, and strong families, this conversation offers clarity, language, and practical next steps. Subscribe, share this with someone navigating reentry, and leave a review with the one idea you want more people to understand.

Check out Shelia's Books for more support on this topic

© 2026 soulnotskin. All rights reserved.

A moment with your host, Jen SluMac - one-off episodes I'll publish to share thoughts or learnings as I go through my life.

We sit with the raw reality of losing a mother and the strange ways grief can sharpen focus, stir creativity, and reshape what matters. We talk through the shift from physical presence to spiritual memory, and the faith questions that hit hardest when goodbye becomes paperwork and ashes.

• • a daily grief reader as a morning anchor
• • the idea that death changes a relationship rather than ending it
• • a creative surge after loss and making room for it
• • carrying forward the best parts of a parent like an inheritance
• • bedside moments with dementia and the way they reorder priorities
• • stepping back from stressful work that no longer fits
• • doubt, afterlife questions and the search for a God that still feels good and loving

© 2026 soulnotskin. All rights reserved.

Ten years living under a freeway can teach you things most of us never have to learn: how fast addiction strips away options, how “freedom” can become a trap, and how easy it is for the rest of the world to look away. We sit down with Tom Gorham, a man in long-term recovery who went from owning multiple homes and businesses to chronic homelessness, cycling through jail, and expecting to die outside.

Tom walks us through the real mechanics of alcoholism progression, including denial, tolerance, and the invisible line where drinking starts drinking you. We talk about the grief and trauma that often sit underneath substance use disorder, from family loss to the quieter wounds of neglect, religious shame, and feeling fundamentally unlovable. If you’ve ever wondered why someone can’t “just stop,” this conversation makes the disease model feel painfully clear and deeply human.

Then the story pivots to what actually helps: a program that doesn’t give up after three failures, people who hold boundaries without withholding care, and a recovery process that blends 12-step principles, practical treatment, and daily spiritual practice. Tom also shares how that second chance turned into a mission, including building accessible treatment and helping train incarcerated men at San Quentin and beyond as addiction recovery counselors, with measurable impact on rehabilitation and recidivism.

If you know someone struggling with addiction, homelessness, or reentry after prison, share this with them and keep the hope alive. Subscribe for more real conversations, leave a review, and tell us what part of Tom’s journey challenged your assumptions.

Program Tom Started: Offender Mentor Certification Program

Resources for the family:

• Families Anonymous Groups
• Al-anon Family Groups (easiest to find)
• CoDA Co-Dependents Anonymous
• Adult Children of Alcoholics/Dysfunctional Families
• Find Treatment

Peer Support Continuing Care:

• S.M.A.R.T. Recovery
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Celebrate Recovery
• Refuge Recovery-A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction
• Life Beyond Addiction - Recovery 2.0

© 2026 soulnotskin. All rights reserved.

Enjoying the show? Head over to soulnotskin.com and:
- Download my free guide: 7 Ways Childhood Pain Shows Up in Adult Life
- Join my Newsletter: Healing Notes

This Episode:
A young man sits in a county jail on the edge of tears and says the words so many of us wish we heard more often: “I want to apologize.” Then the system shuts him down. That moment opens a bigger question we can’t ignore: what would justice look like if it actually helped people repair harm and heal, instead of forcing silence, denial, and punishment?

I’m joined by Kazu Haga, a lineage-based nonviolence trainer, restorative justice practitioner, and author of Fierce Vulnerability. We dig into restorative justice as a worldview, not a program, and why the best questions after harm are “What happened, who was impacted, and what helps restore balance?” Kazu connects this to Kingian nonviolence, the discipline of refusing the myth of separation and remembering we belong to each other even in conflict. We talk about why nonviolence is not “being nice,” and how it can be as disruptive as it needs to be while staying rooted in dignity.

We also bring in trauma healing and nervous system science because movements and families don’t operate outside the body. Kazu shares the “two hands of nonviolence”: one hand says no to harm through interruption and refusal, while the other stays open to the humanity of the person causing harm. Along the way, we explore ACEs, fracture, collective trauma, and what it means to speak from scars not wounds when you’re trying to reach people who feel defensive or stuck in binary thinking.

If you’re tired of doomscrolling and still hungry for real change, this conversation offers a grounded kind of hope: look around at mutual aid, community, and everyday repair already taking root. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with the line that stayed with you most.

• Fierce Vulnerability: Healing from Trauma, Emerging through Collapse
• Troy Williams and The Prison Within, Interview from Covid Days - 2020

© 2026 soulnotskin. All rights reserved.

Enjoying the show? Head over to soulnotskin.com and:
- Download my free guide: 7 Ways Childhood Pain Shows Up in Adult Life
- Join my Newsletter: Healing Notes

This Episode:
PTSD can live quietly for decades, hiding behind work, marriages, anger, and a proud habit of “soldiering up.” We sit outside with Thomas, a Vietnam veteran, and let him tell the truth about what post-traumatic stress disorder feels like between the ears: intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, inverted anger, depression, and nightmares built around helplessness. He also names the part people don’t always see, how untreated trauma can spill onto the people closest to you, even when you love them.

We also get practical about veteran mental health support and the VA system. Thomas walks us through the long path of VA disability claims and PTSD ratings, from early low percentages to finally receiving a 100% service-connected disability decades later. He shares how other veterans and Disabled American Veterans (DAV) helped him keep going, and why many service members still don’t realise they can ask for help, get a diagnosis, and pursue care.

The turning point is hope with a spine. Thomas describes an eight-week trauma-focused group therapy process where veterans revisited memories safely, wrote them down, spoke them aloud, and learned to feel what they had spent years avoiding. A simple grounding phrase, “that was then and this is now,” becomes a way to return to safety in the present. The result is profound: recurring nightmares stop, peace of mind grows, and recovery becomes something you can practice, not just wish for. If you know someone carrying war, loss, or trauma in silence, share this conversation, subscribe, and leave a review so more people can find it.

Comprehensive Trauma Overview

1• The Body Keeps the Score (Official Site): besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score

2. Vietnam-Specific Support

• Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA): vva.org

3. Community Counseling & Privacy

• The Vet Center Program: va.gov/find-locations/?facilityType=vet_center

4. Symptom Management Tool

• PTSD Coach Mobile App: mobile.va.gov/app/ptsd-coach

© 2026 soulnotskin. All rights reserved.

Enjoying the show? Head over to soulnotskin.com and:
- Download my free guide: 7 Ways Childhood Pain Shows Up in Adult Life
- Join my Newsletter: Healing Notes

This Episode:
Some people don’t fall apart because they’re weak. They fall apart because they’ve been carrying too much for too long without answers. That’s where Martin Perez starts: a childhood shaped by caregiving, grief, and the kind of chaos you learn to call “normal” until you finally see it clearly.

We talk about his late ADHD diagnosis and bipolar disorder diagnosis, and why getting the right words for what you’re living can feel like the best thing that ever happened to you. Martin breaks down how ADHD can be a constant race-car brain, while bipolar disorder is episodic, and what it’s like when those two collide: dopamine chasing that doesn’t stop, hypomania that boosts output and confidence, and the risky edge that can come with feeling unstoppable. We also get real about depression, self-worth, and the pressure to “catch up” in adulthood once you finally land a stable job with benefits and a future.

From EMT work to dental assisting to a data analytics boot camp, Martin’s path shows how career pivots, therapy, and medication management can turn survival mode into something more sustainable. We close with the bigger point: mental health stigma keeps people silent, but honest conversations create connection and help others find treatment, language, and hope.

If this resonates, subscribe, share it with someone who’s been struggling quietly, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s one sign you wish you’d taken seriously sooner?

Resources:

Adult Late-Diagnosis ADHD Resources

• ADDA (Attention Deficit Disorder Association): The world’s leading organization for adults with ADHD, offering webinars, support groups, and resources tailored for those diagnosed later in life.
• ADDitude Magazine: An extensive, trusted source for ADHD news, symptoms, and treatment options, including many articles and podcasts specifically on navigating a late, adult diagnosis.
• ADHD Friendly Lifestyle Podcast: Focuses on transforming late-diagnosis ADHD challenges into strengths.

Adult Bipolar Disorder & Mental Health Support

• DBSA (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance): Offers online and in-person support groups, wellness trackers, and peer-led support for adults living with bipolar disorder.
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): Provides comprehensive information on bipolar diagnosis, treatment, and free peer-to-peer education classes.
• International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF): Offers educational resources, webinars, and support for both newly diagnosed adults and their families.

Early Onset Dementia & Memory Loss Resources

• Alzheimer’s Association (24/7 Helpline: 800-272-3900): Offers 24/7 help, local support groups, and specialized resources for early-onset (younger-onset) dementia, which often affects those under 65.
• AFTD (The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration): Specialized support for FTD, a common cause of dementia in people under 65.
• Alzheimers.gov: The federal government portal for dementia information, including links to local services.
• Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116): A public service of the Administration on Aging that connects individuals with local services for seniors and caregivers.

Crisis & Immediate Support

• 988 Suicide & Crisis

© 2026 soulnotskin. All rights reserved.

Enjoying the show? Head over to soulnotskin.com and:
- Download my free guide: 7 Ways Childhood Pain Shows Up in Adult Life
- Join my Newsletter: Healing Notes

This Episode:
She hears the words “You have breast cancer” while standing on a packed BART train in San Francisco, and the world tilts. Sheree takes us from that surreal phone call to the small but life-changing moment where she refuses to wait six months and asks for a biopsy now. The result is a story about early detection, clarity, and the kind of self-advocacy that can feel uncomfortable until you remember what’s at stake: your body, your time, your family.

We also get practical about breast cancer treatment decisions, including the real differences between a lumpectomy and a mastectomy, why radiation often follows breast-conserving surgery, and what it means to live in “after” with medication, reconstruction choices, and recurrence anxiety. Along the way, we talk about breast cancer symptoms people miss, how awareness campaigns can still leave us under-educated, and why “it probably isn’t cancer” is not the same as certainty.

Then the conversation widens into the inner work that helps you survive the outer work. Sheree shares how her marriage deepens even though she believes in God and her husband is agnostic, and she tells the unforgettable story of requesting Bob Dylan in a medical procedure room so she can pray and breathe through fear. She also explains her daily practice of two-way prayer, a notebook-based meditation tool she uses on trains, in tense meetings, and in moments when she knows reacting will only create more pain.

If you’ve ever felt dismissed by the system, overwhelmed by fear, or unsure how to ask for what you need, this is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the tool you use to stay steady when life hits hard.

© 2026 soulnotskin. All rights reserved.