Mad Mel’s Mic
Hi there! Welcome to Mad Mel’s Mic!! Thanks for joining me. My name is Melissa and this is a podcast all about me! About my life. About life with PTSD. About my life with a husband, kids and friends. Thanks for tuning in.
Episodes
58 episodes
Grateful For PTSD? A New Frame
Season 2, Episode 23I reflect on why I can honestly say “thank you” to PTSD even while admitting the low points, and how reframing my diagnosis helps me keep moving forward. I share the song and thought that keep me grounded, plus a smal...
The Other Mel Takeovers Questions
Season 2, Episode 22We hand the mic to the other Mel for Takeover Week and answer listener questions with no prep, which turns into a funny, honest look at my life with PTSD. We talk recovery tools, the awkward reality of boundaries, and...
Walking The Road After PTSD
Season 2, Episode 21We talk through what PTSD recovery looks like on an ordinary week, from loneliness and broken dreams to the quiet pride of noticing real progress. We share a trigger test that goes better than expected, plus the small...
Two Mels And One Mic
Season 2, Episode 20We bounce from pop culture to real life, using humour and friendship to make sense of memory lapses, big feelings, and the messy middle of everyday coping. We recap Toy Story, spiral a little on Taylor and Travis wedd...
More Than Your Weakness
Season 2, Episode 19I share the real reason I started talking publicly about PTSD and how recording has become a surprising kind of therapy for me. I connect a song lyric to the hardest parts of recovery, then bring it back to everyday l...
When PTSD Changes Everything
Season 2, Episode 18I talk through a cold, hard week and why showing up online with raw honesty helps me feel less alone and helps others feel seen. A Toy Story song opens up a bigger truth about PTSD, identity loss, and why tiny actions...
When Pain Hijacks Your Head
Season 2, Episode 17My knee injury has me sidelined from the sports that keep me grounded, and I can feel my brain racing ahead to the worst outcomes. I talk through how pain, poor sleep, and uncertainty flare my PTSD, and how I’m trying...
Bad Days Are Worth Gold
Season 2, Episode 16I’m riding a wave of optimism while also dealing with knee pain that’s starting to tug at my mental health. I talk through how I keep myself from sliding into isolation by leaning on practical tools, supportive people...
Friendship As Medicine
Season 2, Episode 15I talk about why friendship and connection can feel like the missing piece when life gets heavy, from Toy Story nostalgia to what real support looks like in practice. We also unpack recovery lessons from a course in N...
Why It Is Not Too Late To Change
Season 2 Episode 14I’m recording from Newcastle while I’m deep in learning and thinking about what real change looks like when you live with PTSD. I use Green Day’s “Still Breathing” to remind you that if you’re still here, you can start...
What If Success Is Simply Love
Season 2, Episode 13I talk about what it feels like to swing through a whole stack of emotions in one day and how living with PTSD can make that feel like different versions of me. I share a tough reminder that PTSD still shows up someti...
Stop Living For Other People’s Opinions
Season 2, Episode 12**** trigger warning - talk of mental health and suicide****We follow the thread of “Follow Your Arrow” into the messy reality of PTSD, stigma, and why other people’s opinions can quietly steer our choices. I s...
Jeff Explains How Alcohol Masked PTSD Until It Finally Caught Up
Season 2, Episode 11***TRIGGER WARNING: TALK OF SUICIDE, DEATH AND OTHER TRAUMA RELATED INCIDENTS**** Please listen with caution and seek help where needed.We sit down with Jeff, a medically retired police officer, to talk honestl...
Riding Through Fear
Season 2 Episode 10:We catch up on what’s been happening in my life with PTSD and why “I’m good” can be the easiest answer even when it’s not true. I share how the Never Late Female Posty Ride pushed me straight through fear and still en...
If Words Can Shape A Life What Are Yours Building
Season 2, Episode 9We talk about the parts of my PTSD recovery I rarely say out loud, including how faith helps me keep moving when life feels too heavy. I also share a moment with Rory that reframes body image and self-worth, plus a sto...
Growing Up Together And Facing PTSD After Policing
Season 2, Episode 8We talk with my brother Matthew about our messy, funny sibling history and how my policing career changed the way we both saw the world. He shares what it felt like watching my PTSD unfold, what he got wrong at first, ...
You Are Not A Burden
Season 2, Episode 7I share what’s been on my mind lately, from a reel that reminded me I’m not a burden to the small routines that keep me steady when I start to feel flat. I also tell the full story of our Canberra pickleball weekend, a...
Raising A Future Police Officer Through Trauma
Season 2, Episode 6:Watching PTSD up close is one thing. Watching it happen to your child is another. For this conversation, I bring on my mum and dad to tell the story people rarely hear: what it’s like to raise a strong-willed kid, che...
I’m Learning To Stay Present Even When Anxiety Spikes
Season 2, Episode 5I catch up on a huge week and use a “song of the week” to remind us that everything we are is enough, even on the worst days. I also reflect on how my PTSD recovery shows up in real moments like family parties, anxiety...
Brighter Days Still Count
Season 2, Episode 4We break a two-week silence with a real check-in on PTSD, sleep, and why progress shows up as longer stretches between low days. From pickleball highs to a Bali trip without meds and a surprising psychedelic light sess...
Time Moves Fast, Hold Your People Close
Season 2, Episode 3We explore how fast life feels and why music, small joys, and steady people help us face PTSD and depression. A workshop comparing mental and physical disability weights reframes invisible pain, while a weekend of conc...
How I’m Learning To Be Kind To Myself While Managing PTSD And Real Life
Season 2, episode 2We share a tough week shaped by poor sleep, a medication gap, and that uneasy fear of feeling okay, then map out how the five pillars of PTSD recovery help us build longer stretches between storms. Along the way we own...
When Tomorrow Finally Arrives: Choosing Healing One Footstep At A Time
Season 2, episode 1Season two opens with a clear-eyed check-in on PTSD, family milestones, and the simple habits that shape recovery. We talk sleep, anxiety, honest wins, and a new outpatient program, ending with a gentle nudge to be kin...