Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads

Welcome to Season 19 of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads. We’re opening the season with a powerful two-part conversation about grief, survival, workplace burnout, and what it takes to rebuild your life after everything changes without your permission. In Part 1, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with author Diandra Ford-Wing for a raw conversation about surviving a suicide attempt, losing her mother, stepping away from burnout, and learning that grief is love with nowhere to go.

Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

This episode includes an open discussion of depression, suicide, hospitalization, grief, and the loss of a parent. Please listen with care.

If you or someone you know is struggling or experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 in the United States and Canada to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You are not weak, broken, or alone, and you deserve support.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org/

Global crisis resources: https://findahelpline.com/

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

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here:

https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

Mental Health Quote

“Grief is just love with nowhere to go.” — Diandra Ford-Wing

Episode Description

Burnout does not always arrive with a dramatic breakdown. Sometimes, it looks like showing up, hitting your numbers, answering messages, and quietly disappearing inside yourself.

In Part 1 of our Season 19 opener, author Diandra Ford-Wing joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to share what happened when grief, depression, and workplace exhaustion became too heavy to carry. After the sudden death of her mother, Diandra stepped away from a successful career and gave herself something corporate life rarely offers: time to stop, feel, and heal.

Diandra also speaks openly about surviving a suicide attempt at 24. She remembers the depression she could not name, the friend who found her, and the mother who made the difficult decision to place her in professional care. That choice saved Diandra’s life and began a relationship with therapy that continues today.

The conversation explores what it means to lose the person who made you feel safe, why three to five bereavement days are nowhere near enough, and how support systems can keep us standing when grief knocks the air out of us. Diandra explains the therapy exercise that helped her understand grief as love searching for somewhere to land.

She also shares how writing her debut novel, Red Bird, became a love letter to her mother and Aunt Audrey—and a safe harbor for others navigating loss.

This episode is honest as hell, but it is also filled with hope. You can survive the thing you believed would destroy you. You can ask for help. You can honor the people you have lost by choosing to keep living.

Keywords: Diandra Ford-Wing, grief recovery, workplace burnout, suicide prevention, depression recovery, losing a parent, grief and mental health, therapy, bereavement support, healing after loss, maternal loss, emotional resilience, Red Bird novel, storytelling as healing, mental health podcast

Meet Our Guest — Diandra Ford-Wing

Diandra Ford-Wing is an author, speaker, and accomplished Sales Director whose experiences with grief, depression, career burnout, and healing inspired her to use storytelling as a source of connection. Her debut novel, Red Bird, is a heartfelt tribute to her mother and Aunt Audrey and an exploration of love, loss, resilience, and the complicated beauty of being human.

Website: http://booksbydiandra.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diandrafordwing

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diandrafordwing

Book: Red Bird by Diandra Ford-Wing

Key Takeaways

Burnout can build quietly until your mind and body have nothing left to give.

Asking for professional help is not a failure; it can be the decision that saves a life.

A strong support system does not need perfect words—it needs consistency and presence.

Grief has no corporate timeline, and a few bereavement days cannot contain the loss of someone you love.

Therapy can help name emotions that feel too complicated or painful to explain.

Storytelling can give grief somewhere to go and transform private pain into connection.

Actionable Items

Write a free-association list of every word you connect with grief, burnout, or loss. Review the list and notice which themes keep appearing.

Identify three people you can contact when you are not okay, and tell them what useful support looks like for you.

Check your current level of exhaustion honestly. Ask yourself whether you need rest, professional support, medical leave, firmer boundaries, or a larger life change.

Important Chapters

00:01:07 — When burnout and grief collide: Diandra explains how her mother’s death intensified an exhaustion that had already been building and why she ultimately stepped away from work.

00:07:09 — Taking time off and writing Red Bird: During an 11-month career pause, Diandra wrote and published the novel that transformed her grief into a tribute to the women who shaped her.

00:08:39 — Why workplaces need grief literacy: The conversation turns to productivity culture, employee burnout, and the lack of meaningful support for grieving workers.

00:10:16 — Diandra’s suicide attempt and mental health crisis: Diandra shares the depression she experienced at 24, the night her friend found her, and the emergency care that followed.

00:11:58 — The decision that saved her life: Diandra’s mother recognized that love alone was not enough and insisted that her daughter receive professional psychiatric care.

00:14:46 — Gratitude, therapy, and learning how to cope: Diandra reflects on the coping tools she did not yet have and why she remains committed to therapy.

00:16:33 — Mourning a parent before the loss: Diandra discusses anticipatory grief and the ways she imagined her mother’s death before it happened.

00:18:32 — Grief is love with nowhere to go: A therapy exercise helps Diandra find the language that now shapes how she understands and carries grief.

00:20:19 — G-Rex on honoring her mother through the podcast: G-Rex shares why the show launched on Valentine’s Day and how she changed the meaning of a painful anniversary.

00:22:47 — Why bereavement policies fail grieving employees: The group challenges the idea that loss can be processed within a standard three-to-five-day leave period.

00:24:15 — The people who helped Diandra keep standing: Diandra speaks about the support of her husband, twin sister, older sister, and brother.

00:25:22 — Turning grief into advocacy: Diandra shares her goal of speaking on larger platforms and bringing more humanity into workplace culture.

Closing CTA

Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

Remember to subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:

https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

 
#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #GriefRecovery #SuicidePrevention #DepressionRecovery #WorkplaceBurnout #TherapyWorks #LosingAParent #BereavementSupport #HealingAfterLoss #EmotionalResilience #StorytellingHeals #RedBird #DiandraFordWing #Season19 #GriefAwareness #YouAreNotAlone

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If You Need Support, Reach Out
If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.
United States: Call or Text 988 — 988lifeline.org
Canada: Call or Text 988 — 988.ca
Worldwide: Find a Helpline
Mental Health Resources and Tools: The Help Hub
Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Official Website: goesoninourheads.net
Facebook: @shltthatgoesoninourheads
Instagram: @grex_and_dirtyskittles
LinkedIn: G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Join Our Newsletter: (https://grexanddirtyskittles.substack.com/)
Merch Store: goesoninourheads.shop
Audio Editing by NJz Audio

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Season 18 reminded us that healing is not always about becoming someone new. Sometimes, it is about finding your way back to the person you were before trauma, shame, burnout, illness, or other people’s expectations pulled you away from yourself.

In this season-ender, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles look back at eight unforgettable guests, the lessons that stayed with them, and the conversations that changed how they think about anxiety, emotional healing, healthy masculinity, self-love, neurodivergence, food freedom, trauma, and listening to the body.

Awards and Downloads

Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner for Best Health, a 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner for Best Mental Health Podcast, a 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner for Best Mental Health Podcast, and a 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner for Best Hosts, with more than 4.5 million downloads and listeners in more than 160 countries.

Feedback

We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us written or voice feedback here:

https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

Mental Health Quote

“Healing isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about coming home to the person you were before the world taught you to leave.” — Inspired by the guests of Season 18

Trigger Notice and Crisis Reminder

This episode includes conversations about suicide, suicidal thoughts, childhood sexual abuse, trauma, grief, serious illness, and mental health crises. Please take care of yourself while listening.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.  https://988lifeline.org/

For crisis resources outside the United States:  https://findahelpline.com/

Episode Description

Season 18 brought us eight guests with completely different stories, but one truth kept showing up: healing begins when we stop running from ourselves and start listening.

In this season-ender, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles revisit the conversations that changed how they think about mental health, parenting, masculinity, trauma, food, illness, self-worth, and the way the body carries what the mind tries to bury.

Nancy Gilette reminded us that behavior is communication and that connection needs to come before correction. Dr. Mark Sherwood showed us what it means to become a hope dealer, especially for people who feel forgotten or written off. Dominic Petty helped us see that peace is not some distant finish line. It is the baseline underneath the noise.

Jason Lange gave men permission to feel what is happening in their bodies and talk about it without shame. Michelle Petties challenged diet culture by showing us that food noise is often emotional noise in disguise. Michael Caprio proved that a life-changing diagnosis can become part of your story without becoming the end of it. Alan Katz showed us that telling yourself the truth can set you free, even decades later. Anat Peri reminded us that the only way to feel better is to get better at feeling.

G-Rex and Dirty Skittles also reflect on their own growth, the ridiculous lies anxiety tells us, and what happens when you finally answer that voice with two words: watch me.

This episode is honest, funny, emotional, and full of reminders that your body is not the enemy, your emotions are not weaknesses, and asking for help carries absolutely zero shame.

Keywords: mental health podcast, emotional healing, coming home to yourself, anxiety recovery, self-discovery, trauma healing, emotional wellness, healthy masculinity, neurodivergent parenting, food freedom, self-love, body awareness, emotional literacy, personal growth, mental health awareness

Meet Our Guests — Season 18

Season 18 featured eight guests with eight very different stories, but every conversation gave us one unforgettable lesson about healing, self-awareness, and finding our way back to ourselves.

Nancy Gilette

Nancy taught us that behavior is communication. Before we rush to correct, fix, or control someone, especially a child, we need to slow down, listen, and connect first.

Dr. Mark Sherwood

Mark reminded us that hope can be life-saving. Even the smallest glimmer of hope can interrupt the darkness and help someone believe that more is still possible.

Dominic Petty

Dominic taught us that peace is not something we have to chase. It already exists beneath the anxiety, the noise, and the emotional chaos. The work is learning how to return to it.

Jason Lange

Jason showed us that emotional strength begins with body awareness. When men learn to name what they feel and take responsibility for their pain, they are less likely to pass that pain on to the people they love.

Michelle Petties

Michelle taught us that food struggles are rarely just about food. Lasting change begins when we understand the emotions, beliefs, and unmet needs underneath the behavior.

Michael Caprio

Michael reminded us that a diagnosis can change your life without ending it. Gratitude does not erase pain, but it can help us build meaning, connection, and hope on the other side of it.

Alan Katz

Alan taught us that the truth can set us free, even decades later. Healing began when he stopped blaming himself for what happened and finally told his own story with honesty and compassion.

Anat Peri

Anat reminded us that the only way to feel better is to get better at feeling. Self-love grows when we stop running from our emotions and learn how to sit with ourselves without judgment.

Key Takeaways

Healing is not always a reinvention. Sometimes, it is a return to the most honest version of yourself.

The body is a messenger, not the enemy.

Connection creates more change than shame or correction.

Emotional literacy helps us understand what is happening inside us.

Rock bottom can become a turning point, but asking for help should come sooner.

Your worth does not depend on achievement, toughness, productivity, or perfection.

Actionable Items

Ask yourself, “What is my body trying to tell me right now?”

Replace broad words like “fine” or “stressed” with a more specific emotion.

When anxiety says you cannot do something, answer it with evidence and two words: “Watch me.”

Important Chapters

00:00:37 — Welcome to the Season 18 Ender, celebrating 18 seasons with laughs and side quests.

00:05:17 — The Thread That Connected the Season: Finding your way back to yourself.

00:08:11 — Growth, Reassurance, and Reinvention: How the season changed G-Rex and Dirty Skittles.

00:11:09 — Nancy Gilette Connection before correction.

00:14:58 — Dr. Mark Sherwood Hope, vulnerability, and first responder mental health.

00:17:31 — Dominic Petty Inner peace, relationship healing, and baby spiders.

00:25:16 — Jason Lange Men’s groups, emotions, and healthy masculinity.

00:30:08 — Michelle Petties Food freedom and emotional eating.

00:33:20 — Michael Caprio Rare disease, gratitude, and resilience.

00:35:19 — Alan Katz Childhood trauma and telling yourself the truth.

00:37:14 — Anat Peri Self-love and learning to feel.

00:39:26 — Gratitude for the Season: Thanking the guests, listeners, and each other.

00:40:42 — What Anxiety Told G-Rex From “You won’t make it” to “Watch me.”

00:42:18 — Goodbye to Season 18: Closing out the season and welcoming Season 19.

Closing CTA

Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

Remember to subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our website:

https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #ComingHomeToYourself #EmotionalHealing #SelfDiscovery #AnxietyRecovery #TraumaHealing #EmotionalWellness #HealthyMasculinity #MensMentalHealth #NeurodivergentParenting #FoodFreedom #SelfLoveJourney #EmotionalLiteracy #BodyAwareness #PersonalGrowth #HealingJourney

 
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If You Need Support, Reach Out
If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.
United States: Call or Text 988 — 988lifeline.org
Canada: Call or Text 988 — 988.ca
Worldwide: Find a Helpline
Mental Health Resources and Tools: The Help Hub
Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Official Website: goesoninourheads.net
Facebook: @shltthatgoesoninourheads
Instagram: @grex_and_dirtyskittles
LinkedIn: G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Join Our Newsletter: (https://grexanddirtyskittles.substack.com/)
Merch Store: goesoninourheads.shop
Audio Editing by NJz Audio

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when losing the life you thought you wanted finally sets you free? G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Anat Peri to talk about hitting rock bottom, uncovering childhood wounds, learning to feel your feelings, and building the kind of self-love that changes everything.

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

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here:
https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

Mental Health Quote

“The only way to feel better is to get better at feeling.” — Anat Peri

Trigger Notice and Crisis Reminder

This episode includes conversations about emotional trauma, anxiety, substance misuse, depression, and suicide rates. Please take care of yourself while listening.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or considering suicide, call or text 988 in the United States and Canada. For international crisis resources, visit:
https://findahelpline.com

Episode Description

When Anat Peri discovered evidence that her five-year relationship was ending, she felt devastated—but underneath the heartbreak was an unexpected realization: she was finally free. Three weeks later, she boarded a one-way flight to California with $2,000, $40,000 in debt, no car, no job, and no permanent home. That rock-bottom moment became the beginning of her real journey toward self-love.

In this raw and deeply practical conversation, Anat joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to explain why personal growth requires more than positive thinking and intellectual breakthroughs. She shares how codependency, emotional disconnection, and an unhealed father wound shaped her relationships, career choices, and belief that she had to work harder to be worthy.

Anat also breaks down what it means to reparent yourself, recognize the childhood scripts still directing your adult life, and safely express emotions instead of judging, suppressing, or analyzing them. She explains why unfamiliar feelings can register as threats to the nervous system—and how giving an emotion your full attention for just 90 seconds can begin building emotional capacity.

This episode is a powerful reminder that healing is not about becoming someone else. It is about letting go of inherited roles, reconnecting with your body, and trusting that you are worthy without hustling, performing, or proving yourself. Your feelings are not the enemy. They are part of the path home.

Keywords: Anat Peri, self-love, emotional healing, inner child healing, reparenting, nervous system regulation, somatic healing, childhood trauma, father wound, codependency recovery, emotional expression, anxiety support, personal transformation, self-worth, generational healing

Meet Our Guest — Anat Peri

Anat Peri is the CEO and Founder of Training Camp for the Soul and the creator and Master Facilitator of the TCS Method, a transformational coaching framework that blends mindset work, somatic healing, and inner-child reparenting. With nearly two decades of experience in developmental and trauma-informed coaching, she helps coaches, healers, and business leaders move beyond survival, break painful patterns, and create lasting emotional freedom.

Website:
https://trainingcampforthesoul.com

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/anat.peri/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anat-peri

Key Takeaways

Rock bottom can become the moment you finally stop living a life that no longer belongs to you.

Self-love means becoming your own inner best friend, cheerleader, protector, and nurturer.

Many adult relationship patterns are childhood survival strategies playing out in a different setting.

Positive thinking cannot replace the emotional work of grieving, feeling, and healing.

Emotions are not dangerous; they often feel threatening simply because they are unfamiliar.

You do not have to hustle, overperform, or overgive to prove that you are worthy of receiving.

 
Actionable Items

Use an emotion or mood chart to identify exactly what you are feeling instead of defaulting to words such as “sad,” “bad,” or “anxious.”

Set a timer for 90 seconds and allow an emotion to move through your body using sound, facial expression, movement, and breath—without judging or explaining it.

Ask yourself: “Am I choosing this because it is aligned with who I am, or am I repeating a role I learned in childhood?”

References Mentioned

Training Camp for the Soul:
https://trainingcampforthesoul.com

Yale Mood Meter:
https://moodmeterapp.com

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:
https://988lifeline.org

Global Crisis Resources:
https://findahelpline.com

The Chopra Center and the teachings of Deepak Chopra were also discussed as part of Anat’s healing environment and professional journey.

Important Chapters

00:00:37 – Meet Anat Peri
Anat shares how growing up on the East Coast eventually led her to San Diego—and why California always felt like home.

00:02:17 – Arriving at Rock Bottom
With limited money, significant debt, and no job or home, Anat makes the life-changing decision to move across the country.

00:04:06 – Codependency, Heartbreak, and Freedom
Anat reflects on losing herself in relationships and the betrayal that finally gave her permission to leave.

00:06:35 – One Hundred Days of Dating Herself
Unable to enjoy her own company, Anat commits to spending 100 days building a relationship with herself.

00:08:35 – Reconnecting With Her Body
She discusses dissociation, plant medicine, stored tension, and realizing how much of her life had been lived inside her head.

00:10:05 – The Relationship That Revealed Her Father Wound
An emotionally significant relationship uncovers childhood grief and introduces Anat to deeper inner child work.

00:12:11 – The Support Behind the Healing
Anat explains how mentorship, meditation, yoga, friendships, and her work environment supported her transformation.

00:15:40 – Recognizing Childhood Relationship Patterns
She examines how her father’s absence shaped beliefs about being invisible, unimportant, and repeatedly chosen second.

00:20:13 – Relationships as Mirrors for Growth
G-Rex and Anat discuss healthy partnerships, vulnerability, and why lasting relationships require ongoing inner work.

00:22:10 – Moving From Survivor to Creator
Anat explains how inherited family scripts and generational learning can quietly control adult decisions.

00:26:08 – Why the Work Never Really Ends
Marriage, entrepreneurship, and reinvention continue to reveal new levels of healing and personal growth.

00:29:47 – Choosing Joy Over External Success
The conversation turns to money, career expectations, social media comparison, and defining success for yourself.

00:34:31 – The Only Way to Feel Better
Anat explains why talking about feelings is different from physically and emotionally expressing them.

00:38:16 – Teaching Children Emotional Safety
Dirty Skittles shares how she helps her son name and process emotions rather than dismissing or suppressing them.

00:40:53 – Building Your Emotional Vocabulary
Anat introduces the Mood Meter and a 90-second practice for making unfamiliar emotions feel safer in the nervous system.

00:44:09 – What Anat Would Tell Her Younger Self
She offers her 12-year-old self a message about intelligence, talent, self-acceptance, and future impact.

00:44:37 – The Cost of Not Believing in Herself
Anat reflects on leadership, business mistakes, overgiving, and learning that she is worthy simply because she exists.

00:46:46 – Anxiety, Alignment, and Letting Go of “Try”
The episode closes with Anat’s reflections on anxiety, her word of the year, and her choice to align with her authentic self.

Closing CTA

Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

Remember to subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:
https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

 
#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #AnatPeri #SelfLoveJourney #InnerChildHealing #SomaticHealing #EmotionalHealing #FeelYourFeelings #NervousSystemRegulation #Reparenting #CodependencyRecovery #ChildhoodTraumaHealing #GenerationalHealing #SelfWorth #TraumaInformedCoaching #EmotionalFreedom #TrainingCampForTheSoul

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If You Need Support, Reach Out
If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.
United States: Call or Text 988 — 988lifeline.org
Canada: Call or Text 988 — 988.ca
Worldwide: Find a Helpline
Mental Health Resources and Tools: The Help Hub
Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Official Website: goesoninourheads.net
Facebook: @shltthatgoesoninourheads
Instagram: @grex_and_dirtyskittles
LinkedIn: G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Join Our Newsletter: (https://grexanddirtyskittles.substack.com/)
Merch Store: goesoninourheads.shop
Audio Editing by NJz Audio

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alan Katz spent decades telling other people’s stories while hiding the most painful chapter of his own. In this raw conversation, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with the former Tales From the Crypt writer and producer to talk about childhood sexual trauma, self-blame, suicidal despair, creativity, and the brutal honesty that finally helped him reconnect with himself.

Awards & Downloads Line

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 Link Line

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here:
https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

Mental Health Quote

“You’ve got to be brutally honest with yourself about yourself. Then you can maybe find happiness.” — Alan Katz

Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

This episode includes candid conversations about childhood sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts, self-blame, depression, and emotional trauma. Please take care of yourself while listening.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 in the United States or visit:
https://988lifeline.org/

For crisis resources outside the United States, visit:
https://findahelpline.com/

Episode Description

For most of his life, Alan Katz was a professional storyteller who could build characters, write dark comedy, and help shape iconic projects like HBO’s Tales From the Crypt. But beneath the success was a story he could not fully tell himself.

At 14, Alan was sexually abused by a religious authority figure. After the abuse happened a second time, he began carrying a devastating belief: when something bad happens, it must be his fault. That belief became a lifelong pattern of self-blame, disconnection, rage, and emotional pain.

In this honest conversation with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles, Alan shares how he reached the lowest point of his life just before Christmas in 2016, when he came within inches of ending it. Choosing to seek immediate help became the first step toward stabilizing his mental health, confronting the truth of his trauma, and reconnecting with the 14-year-old version of himself who had carried the blame for far too long.

Alan also takes us behind the scenes of his Hollywood career, from his arrival in Los Angeles to his role in developing the Crypt Keeper’s unforgettable personality. He explains how creative success can become its own mountain—and how painful it can be when identity, purpose, and career begin to fall apart.

This episode is about more than survival. It is about speaking up, releasing shame, reclaiming creativity, and discovering that the truth really can set you free.

Keywords: Alan Katz, childhood trauma, childhood sexual abuse, emotional freedom, trauma recovery, suicidal thoughts, depression recovery, self-blame, mental health healing, emotional honesty, inner child healing, storytelling, Tales From the Crypt, creative identity, suicide prevention

Meet Our Guest — Alan Katz

Alan Katz is a writer, producer, storyteller, and podcaster whose entertainment career includes work on HBO’s iconic Tales From the Crypt. After decades of professional storytelling, Alan confronted the childhood trauma and self-blame that had disconnected him from himself, transforming his personal healing into a deeper purpose: making the world better through honest storytelling.

He is also the co-founder of Costard and Touchstone, a podcast production company named after two Shakespearean “wise fools” known for speaking truth to power.

Website:
https://costardandtouchstone.com

Key Takeaways

Childhood trauma can quietly create patterns of shame and self-blame that last for decades.

What happened to you is not automatically your fault, even when trauma convinces you otherwise.

Speaking the truth about your own story can rebuild your connection to yourself.

Medication can be a valuable part of mental health treatment when used with informed medical support.

Career success cannot heal emotional wounds that have never been acknowledged.

Creativity can return with greater depth when it is grounded in honesty and purpose.

Actionable Items

Write a compassionate note to the younger version of yourself who carried blame that never belonged to them.

Identify one painful belief you have treated as fact, then ask: “Is this actually true, or is this something trauma taught me?”

Tell one safe, trusted person what you are going through instead of trying to carry it alone.

Important Chapters

00:00:57 – Meeting Alan Katz
Alan describes himself as the final product of a remarkable story—one that proved the truth could set him free.

00:01:42 – Success, identity, and falling off “Showbiz Mountain”
Alan explains why staying successful in Hollywood can be more emotionally damaging than reaching the top.

00:05:00 – Finding purpose through truthful storytelling
He shares how reconnecting with himself helped him discover a deeper mission behind the work he had already been doing.

00:06:40 – The childhood trauma Alan kept from himself
Alan reveals that he was sexually abused at 14 and explains how the second incident created a lifelong pattern of self-blame.

00:08:12 – Coming within inches of suicide
Alan recounts the crisis he experienced three days before Christmas in 2016 and the decision to seek immediate medical help.

00:10:39 – Finding a medication that helped stabilize him
He describes how a mood stabilizer interrupted overwhelming rage and gave him space between emotion and reaction.

00:14:38 – Reconnecting with his 14-year-old self
Alan talks about embracing the younger version of himself who had carried guilt and shame for decades.

00:16:02 – How emotional healing changed his creativity
Truth gave Alan access to a wider emotional range and helped him evolve from a strong writer into a purposeful storyteller.

00:17:15 – Leaving acting behind and becoming a writer
Alan shares how a rough audition helped redirect him toward screenwriting and, eventually, Hollywood.

00:20:42 – Meeting creative partner Gil Adler
He explains how their shared belief in solving production problems through creativity shaped their partnership.

00:22:38 – Joining HBO’s Tales From the Crypt
Alan reveals how he became the show’s story editor when the series was originally expected to end.

00:27:21 – Saving the show from cancellation
Alan and Gil helped revive the series by protecting the rebellious spirit of the original comic books.

00:28:53 – Creating the Crypt Keeper’s personality
Alan explains how he gave the Crypt Keeper a character, a voice, and a twisted sense of humor, based in part on his own personality.

00:32:31 – Moving Tales From the Crypt into feature films
The conversation turns to Demon Knight, Hollywood expectations, and the fear of being pigeonholed creatively.

00:34:20 – When a dream project was suddenly killed
Alan recounts how Universal shut down a deeply personal film project and replaced it with Bordello of Blood.

00:37:23 – The mental health cost of creative loss
He reflects on how one devastating professional decision became a turning point in his emotional decline.

00:38:11 – The advice Alan would give his younger self
His message to his 14-year-old self is simple and powerful: “Speak up.”

00:38:32 – The hardest lesson he has learned
Alan explains why brutal honesty with yourself is essential to healing and happiness.

00:39:24 – Alan’s work today
He introduces Costard and Touchstone and shares how the company uses podcasting and storytelling to speak truth to power.

Closing CTA

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If You Need Support, Reach Out
If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.
United States: Call or Text 988 — 988lifeline.org
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In Part 2, Michael Caprio’s story moves beyond survival and into the messy, beautiful work of rebuilding a life with purpose. G-Rex and Dirty Skittles talk with Michael about mental health after surgery, living with FAP long-term, family genetics, advocacy, gratitude, and why helping even one person makes the whole damn story worth telling.

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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.

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Mental Health Quote

“If my story helps one person feel less alone, then it was worth telling.” — Michael Caprio

Episode Description

In Part 2 of Michael Caprio’s conversation with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles, the story shifts from diagnosis and surgery to what happens after survival. Because surviving the scary thing is one chapter. Learning how to live again is a whole different road.

Michael opens up about life after FAP surgery, including diet changes, bathroom anxiety, ongoing medical monitoring, and the everyday realities of living without a large intestine. He talks honestly about how a rare disease affects planning for the future, relationships, travel, family conversations, and the possibility of having children when a hereditary condition is involved.

This episode also explores the emotional power of legacy. Michael shares how his grandmother’s courage shaped his understanding of perseverance, how his family’s “club” fostered connection rather than shame, and how writing A Bump in the Road helped him turn pain into purpose. One of the most moving parts of the conversation is Michael’s story about connecting with a woman in Australia who also lives with FAP and finally felt seen through his book.

Through humor, honesty, and a whole lot of heart, Michael reminds us that rare disease advocacy is not about pretending everything is fine. It is about telling the truth, building community, and showing someone else that life can still be beautiful after the thing that almost broke you.

Keywords: Michael Caprio, rare disease advocacy, FAP, Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, mental health, colorectal cancer awareness, gratitude, survivorship, chronic illness, hereditary cancer, patient advocacy, medical trauma recovery, emotional wellness, family genetics, life after surgery

Meet Our Guest — Michael Caprio

Michael Caprio is an Author, rare disease advocate, and speaker who draws on his personal experience with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis to help others feel less isolated in their medical journeys. He is the author of A Bump in the Road: My Medical Journey over Potholes, Detours, and the Bridge to Gratitude, a memoir that blends vulnerability, humor, and gratitude while shining a light on the emotional side of rare disease, surgery, and survivorship.

Website: https://www.mikecaprioauthor.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikecaprio_author/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/A-Bump-in-the-Road/100076302759044/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-caprio/

Key Takeaways

Life after survival still comes with anxiety, adjustments, and big emotional questions.

A rare disease can affect everything from travel plans to relationships to future family planning.

Advocacy does not require perfection; it starts with telling the truth.

Family history can carry pain, but it can also carry strength, wisdom, and a blueprint for survival.

Gratitude can grow beside grief, fear, and uncertainty.

Helping one person feel less alone can turn a painful story into a powerful mission.

Actionable Items

If you live with a chronic or rare condition, make a “real life” plan for travel, food, bathrooms, appointments, and support instead of pretending your needs do not exist.

Share your story with one safe person or support group. Connection can break the shame spiral.

Replace “I can’t” with “What support or information would make this possible?”

Important Chapters

00:00:00 – Welcome to Part 2
G-Rex opens the second half of Michael’s story, bringing the conversation back to mental health, recovery, and life after diagnosis.

00:00:39 – Was therapy offered?
G-Rex asks whether anyone offered Michael therapy during diagnosis or treatment, and Michael reflects on not being ready for help at the time.

00:01:30 – Life with FAP now
Michael explains what day-to-day life looks like in his 30s, including diet adjustments, stomach sensitivity, and future medical monitoring.

00:04:24 – Planning life around the body you have
Dirty Skittles asks how FAP affects life experiences, and Michael talks about travel, bathrooms, crowded places, and learning not to feel ashamed.

00:07:01 – Family planning and hereditary risk
Michael discusses the emotional complexity of having children when FAP can be passed down genetically.

00:08:50 – Nothing in life is guaranteed
Michael shares his family’s perspective: every family has something, and FAP is theirs.

00:10:47 – His grandmother’s courage and the butterfly effect
Michael tells the powerful story of his grandmother, early medical procedures, and how her decision to keep going helped make his whole family possible.

00:15:13 – Advocacy and helping others feel less alone
G-Rex reflects on Michael’s courage in putting his story out there and helping others understand that FAP is not a death sentence.

00:16:35 – Reaching someone across the world
Michael shares the story of connecting with a woman in Australia who found comfort and validation through his book.

00:20:57 – The family “club” and deeper connection
Michael talks about how FAP brought his family closer and created a stronger bond through shared understanding.

00:23:31 – Advice to his younger self
Michael says he would go back to his 18-year-old self and tell him that life after surgery would be okay, and that there would be a future worth living.

00:25:43 – The hardest lesson
Michael shares that one of the hardest lessons has been accepting that some people cannot handle illness or hardship and may walk away.

00:28:30 – Anxiety’s theme song
Michael answers G-Rex’s question with humor and heart, landing on “My Way” by Frank Sinatra.

00:29:37 – Favorite word: Attitude
Michael explains why “attitude” matters so much to him and his family, sharing a quote that shaped his recovery mindset.

00:31:34 – Least favorite word: Can’t
Michael talks about why he dislikes the word “can’t” and how he pushes back against limitations.

00:32:28 – Where to find Michael
Michael shares where listeners can learn more about his book, his story, and his advocacy work.

00:34:12 – Final reflections
G-Rex and Dirty Skittles thank Michael for sharing his story and helping listeners understand rare disease, resilience, and hope.

Closing CTA

Subscribe, Rate, and Review!
Remember to subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:
https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #MichaelCaprio #RareDiseaseAdvocacy #FAPAwareness #FamilialAdenomatousPolyposis #ColorectalCancerAwareness #PatientAdvocacy #ChronicIllnessLife #Survivorship #MedicalTraumaRecovery #GratitudePractice #MentalHealthRecovery #HereditaryCancerAwareness #LifeAfterSurgery #BumpInTheRoad #HealingOutLoud
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If You Need Support, Reach Out
If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.
United States: Call or Text 988 — 988lifeline.org
Canada: Call or Text 988 — 988.ca
Worldwide: Find a Helpline
Mental Health Resources and Tools: The Help Hub
Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Official Website: goesoninourheads.net
Facebook: @shltthatgoesoninourheads
Instagram: @grex_and_dirtyskittles
LinkedIn: G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Join Our Newsletter: (https://grexanddirtyskittles.substack.com/)
Merch Store: goesoninourheads.shop
Audio Editing by NJz Audio

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.