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Just Breathe Confessionals
Just Breathe Confessionals is a raw, reflective podcast where personal stories meet emotional growth, healing, and truth-telling. Each episode invites listeners into moments of becoming—through heartbreak, self-discovery, and the quiet power of breath.
Just Breathe Confessionals
Breathing Through It All
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In this final episode of Season One, I’m taking a moment to pause and reflect on what this season really was.
Breathing Through It All is about survival, honesty, and the quiet courage it takes to press record before you feel ready. It’s about telling stories that lived inside me for a long time — imperfectly, slowly, and without having all the answers.
This season wasn’t about fixing anything.
It was about giving myself permission to speak.
To let things be messy.
To trust my voice, even when it shook.
In this episode, I talk about what creating this podcast asked of me, what I learned along the way, and why healing doesn’t happen all at once — it happens in layers. I also speak directly to you, the listener — whether you’ve been here since the beginning, or you’re just finding this space now.
If this season felt familiar…
If you listened quietly, paused halfway through an episode, or saved one for when you were ready — that all counts.
Season One was about survival.
About origins.
About telling the stories that shaped me before I knew how to name them.
Season Two will be about becoming.
Thank you for listening.
Thank you for holding space.
And until next season — just breathe.
Before we start, I just want to paint the scene for you. I'm sitting in my closet, recording the very last episode of season one. I've got a bloody Mary next to me, virgin of course, because I don't drink, and my dog Dottie is on my lap, fully convinced this moment is about her. And honestly, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. This is just Breathe Confessionals. And I'm glad you're listening. And if you've been here since the beginning, thank you for sticking around. This is the final episode of season one, which feels kind of surreal to say out loud. Before we get into anything else, I want to take a second to acknowledge what this season actually was. When I started this podcast, I didn't have a big plan. There wasn't a roadmap. It was mostly just me, a microphone, and a lot of feelings I hadn't fully organized yet. And that became the point. This season wasn't about having everything figured out. It was about giving myself permission to talk without rushing, without minimizing, without worrying about what anyone else thought. Which meant letting things be messy, trusting my voice, even when it shook a little, like it is now, even when the recordings weren't perfect and I stumbled over my words. Sometimes I left that in because that's life. No one's perfect. And it took time to get there. After a lot of self-reflection, a lot of notes and half-written scribbles, and sitting with thoughts I didn't really know how to say yet, I realized that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is just press record. So once I pressed record, the real work started. What I didn't expect was how much it would ask of me. How often I'd question if I should keep going, or wonder if any of it was actually landing. Because I was hesitant, really hesitant. Multiple notebooks, pages filled, and just as many notes in my phone that never made it to recording. It wasn't just about putting my voice out there. It was about talking through things I'd spent a long time keeping to myself. And then something shifted. I started hearing from people. People telling me they connected with it. That something I said made them feel seen. And that surprised me. Not in a big dramatic way, but in a quiet, grounding way. The I'm glad I could be helpful way. The maybe this mattered way. And that's when I realized these episodes were never meant to be perfect. They were confessions, the kind you say out loud so they stop living so loudly inside you. But confessions don't come without a cost. To keep going, I had to understand what I was actually learning. Here's what became so clear to me. Healing doesn't happen all at once. It happens in layers. Like an onion. And yes, if you get that reference, you're my people. But jokes aside, this part mattered. Because healing isn't linear. It loops, it pauses, it surprises you. Some days feel light, others feel heavy. And some days progress looks like realizing you're tired of carrying the same thing alone. I learned that love can shape you even when it hurts, and that survival can look like strength long before it feels like softness. Most importantly, I learned that telling your story out loud doesn't mean you're done healing. It just means you're willing to stop pretending it doesn't affect you. And once I understood that, I realized this story wasn't just mine anymore. I don't know how you found this podcast. Maybe we're friends. Maybe we were friends. Or maybe you're a stranger who just stumbled across my voice one day. But however you got here, I'm really glad you stayed. I'm really glad you listened. Because if any part of this season felt close to home, I want you to know something. Maybe you listened to an episode and thought, I never said that out loud, but yeah. Maybe you turn one off halfway through because it hit too close. Or maybe you saved an episode and still haven't listened to it yet because you're not ready. All of that counts. All of that is allowed. You're not behind. You're right on time for your life. You're not broken. And you're not weak for still carrying things you thought you'd be over by now. Some of us learned how to be strong before we learned how to be safe. And then learning that takes time. So if you're healing quietly, or slowly, or imperfectly, you're doing it right. Where I am now is different. Not fixed, not finished, but steadier. I give myself more grace than I used to. I don't beat myself up if I don't meet every deadline. Or I need to cancel plans. Where I am now is different. Not fixed. Not finished. But steadier. I give myself more grace than I used to. I don't beat myself up if I don't meet every deadline. Or if I need to cancel plans. I'm gentler with myself. I pay attention to my body instead of forcing my way through everything. I know my patterns better now. I know when I'm pushing too hard. And I let myself pause without turning it into a failure. I don't rush myself the way I used to. I let things take the time they need, and that might be the biggest growth of all. This podcast started as a space to pause, to exhale, and to speak the truth, even when it was uncomfortable. And over the season that space became something real. Not polished, not perfect, but honest. What I didn't fully understand at the beginning was how vulnerable it would feel to put something like this out into the world. To let people listen, to let people have opinions, to be seen in moments that weren't wrapped up neatly. Starting this podcast meant accepting that not everyone would understand it, or like it, or stay to listen, and choosing to show up anyway. Season one was about survival, about origins, about telling the stories that shaped me before I even knew how to name them. And maybe that's why starting something like this matters. Because putting one foot in front of the other, pressing record, sharing the thing beginning before you feel ready, that's its own kind of courage. If you're listening to this, with something you've been wanting to start, a story, a project, a truth you've been holding, I hope this season reminds you that you don't have to wait until you feel fearless. You just have to be willing to begin. This is the last episode for now. Season two will be back in February or March. But knowing me, if I miss this too much, I might pop back in earlier. Thank you for listening. Thank you for sitting with me, even when it got a little heavy. Until next season, just breathe.