Leaving A Cult At 18: How Queer Support Services Saved My Life
Growing up in a controlling religious cult, our hero was told who to be and how to feel. At 18, after their family’s reaction to their non-binary identity escalated from verbal abuse to physical threats, they left home with almost nothing. In this episode of Pride in Stories, they share the concrete steps that kept […]
The mantra that rewired my life
Mindi Kessler survived a childhood in a volatile Kansas family. When chronic pain became debilitating 12 years ago, a single phrase shifted everything: what if this is happening for you, not to you? Her trauma healing journey reveals how mindset, somatic work, and inner child healing can rewire what trauma built into the body. ⚠️ […]
Access, not ammunition | Melanie Marshall | Kintsugi Heroes Shorts #podcast
Melanie Marshall chose to protect her son’s relationship with his father after separation, a Kintsugi Heroes story about co-parenting with love. After a relationship ended, Melanie made a deliberate choice to keep her son’s bond with his father intact. She set a clear boundary: love for the other parent, and zero conflict over access. It’s […]
When withdrawal of support is the only honest gift
Social support in addiction recovery is not about doing more for someone-it’s about knowing when to step back. In this episode of Grit Diaries, Melanie Marshall shares how she became her partner’s reality partner, wrote three letters that changed everything, and learned the hardest lesson: you cannot care for somebody more than they care for […]
Her father saw the danger and chose to leave everything | Kintsugi Heroes Shorts
Alyssa Chhim-Michelle’s father made an impossible choice. he abandoned his family’s land and dreams to protect them from what was coming. Alyssa Chhim-Michelle’s father faced a moment of clarity during a time of rising conflict. Despite speaking only Cambodian and Thai, he made the decision to leave behind generations of family wealth and land. His […]
A drama series became a mirror to her family | Alyssa Chhim-Michelle | Kintsugi Heroes Shorts
Alyssa Chhim-Michelle watched a young character struggle with illness on screen, then months later discovered her own father carried the same diagnosis. Alyssa Chhim-Michelle was moved to tears by a drama series depicting a young woman facing a genetic illness. The emotional weight of that story stayed with her. Months later, she learned that the […]
My sister’s disability changed everything I thought I wanted
Alyssa Chhim-Michelle grew up in a Cambodian Australian family shaped by her parents’ escape from genocide. When she learned her father carried a rare genetic condition, she faced an impossible choice about her own future. Now as her sister’s caregiver, she confronts the gap between family duty and the life she wants to build. Alyssa […]
From Shame to Storytelling: The Unexpected Power of Simply Being There
Mental health awareness looks different when it’s your own child in crisis. Sarah Rosse spent her career helping others navigate mental health emergencies, until October 2023, when her 16-year-old son attempted to take his life. In this episode of Kintsugi Heroes, Sarah shares how the gap between her professional knowledge and her lived reality as […]
One Look in an Elephant’s Eyes Redirected Her Entire Life
At 16, Saengduean witnessed an elephant being brutally beaten in the logging industry. That moment redirected her entire life toward animal welfare advocacy. Now she runs a sanctuary that has rescued hundreds of elephants and other animals across Thailand and Asia. ⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses trauma & healing, which some listeners may find […]
Karl named the hollowness at the heart of it | Karl Germann | Kintsugi Heroes Shorts
Karl Germann realised his family structure lacked unconditional love. Kintsugi Heroes. Karl articulated something precise about his family’s architecture. There was a hollowness because the entire structure had not been built on unconditional love. He recognised that his parents gave materially but missed the human connection, the presence, that children actually need. 🎙️ Watch the […]