Running Wild with Christine

Hello weirdos. Meet my good friend Tony. Tony and I went to university together and have managed to stay in each other's lives in various capacities for the last 8 years. Today, in line with men's health month, we are here to talk about mental health and in particular, how it's affected Tony and what tools have helped him in difficult times. Join us for this walk down memory lane at UBC and how the last two years have shaped his relationships. 

Topics: children of divorces, athletes and their outlets, #dormlife, the evolution of dating, communication skills, unconventional career choices, vulnerability and emotions, #videodates, going to therapy, reaching out and sharing with friends, and life advice from an auto-mechanic shop. 

Shout out to the OG UBC Pit Pub and its survivors, as well as anyone who survived Gage towers. Also bonus embarrassing story of my boat accident at the end of the episode. You're welcome 

Hi friends, lovers and strangers, meet Ariel. Ariel comes to us this week thanks to Mark, to tell her story of addiction and recovery. Trigger warnings for eating disorders, addiction, mental health and sexual trauma. Please listen at your own discretion. 

Ariel candidly recounts her childhood and adolescence, with the hindsight that recovery allows. We follow her along her journey from teen rebellion, through adventures and homelessness, into treatment facilities and life on the other side. If you've ever wondered how or why people are nice, you might wanna listen in to Ariel's revelation about pro-social behaviour and what happiness is. 

Topics: bulimia, alcohol and drug addiction, trauma, rock bottoms and amends, homelessness, escapism, negative self-talk, the inefficacy of social safety nets and programs, emotions, NA & AA, sober dating & sex, healing, abortion, polyamory, and so much more! 

Friends, lovers and strangers - meet my darling dear friend Oona. Oona runs and co-founded a tech co-op called BRAVE, that provides services to prevent overdose deaths. Today, she discusses with me the myriad rabbit holes that brought her to her calling, as well as her personal experiences with grief that currently inhabit her heart.  We talk about the virtual supervised injection site app that she helped create and implement, and how technology continues to allow for tangible, actionable change (despite our growing disappointments with it). Join us for this very personal, vulnerable and rich episode about how life is senseless and we - and only we - ascribe it its meaning. 

Topics: substance use, the #overdosecrisis & OD prevention, isolation, reaching out, social media, death, soulmates, taboos in the circle of life, rites of passage, grief vs pain, coping, colonialism, parenting, self-love, and so much more! 

Hello lovers! Meet Josh! You might know him as Ivan in Amazon's comedy series Upload, but Josh is also a writer and hilarious human all around.  He takes me down memory lane as we explore his childhood in Baldwin Hills, LA and going to multiple denominations of religious schools. We share our common experience of having survivalist parents and coming out to our parents as creatives. Join us for this wonderful ride down some unexpected paths of conversation and some real deep shit. 

Topics: favorite kinds of underwear, shame, immigrant mentality, our worst #weed stories, quarantine stories, parenting, #marriage, the impulse to create, OnlyFans for Crying, being #softandsquishy vs. tough love, vulnerability as strength, resilience, sexuality and boundaries, writing and MORE! 

Hello friends! Meet Thomas K Girard, an emerging scholar in the Design field. Thomas reached out to me to talk about life and its design. We meander establishing the basics: a Vancouver childhood, playing international strategy card games in high school, thinking you've learned nothing in undergrad and manifesting yourself into the 'real world'. We debunk the mythical "do what you love and the money will follow" approach and detour into TED talks and teaching. 

Topics: choosing to fail, art vs. logic, manifesting your intention, familiarity in strange places, introverts on public speaking, prototyping in the real world, community building, "wicked problems", planning in these uncertain times, faith, and MORE! 

Hi everyone! Welcome back to Andreia from episode 105! She is a Marriage and Family Therapist, based in Denver, Colorado. Today, she wanted to discuss one of the most prevalent topics that she's heard this past year: "My partner doesn't make me happy anymore." We delve into codependency in long-term committed relationships and establish some common hurdles and resources. It was so refreshing and helpful to hear Andreia talk about her personal experiences, alongside mine, as well as the theoretical frameworks that guide her practice. Listen in, even if you're not in a relationship, as there are some crucial self-worth nuggets of wisdom in here. 

Topics: therapy as a "last resort", the effects of isolation on relationships, autonomy vs connection, communication, defining individual happiness, family patterns, distinguishing and making room for someone else's feelings, codependency, where you draw self-worth from, boundaries, evaluating the myth of "marriage is boring", establishing your relationship's TOS, being lost in translation, what does "better sex" mean,  self-exploration, the biggest enemy of excitement, the three S's that can help you: Self-Awareness, Self-Soothing and Sharing. 

Hello lovers! Meet Taty. She's a sex blogger, speaker and educator, currently in grad school at Widener university. Join us on this fun journey of figuring out how to break it to your Southern family that you're moving North to study sex! We talk about how other people's reactions can turn a genuine curiosity into a repressed, shameful taboo. Luckily, Taty had a great lightbulb moment that put her back on the right track. Listen in to find out more about her journey and what it takes to do what sets your soul on fire. 

Topics: shame and embarrassment, sexuality and culture, shibari, the Bible as an R rated book, the meaning of life, defining what Sex is, attending sex conferences, personality vs. sexuality, power dynamics in kink, how writing about sex affects her dating life, unsolicited propositions, watching porn in the classroom, imposter syndrome, helping people find their pleasure, and doing whatever the fuck it is you want to do. 

Welcome back friends, lovers and strangers. Meet @fatpheebs! She's a superwoman, a kind soul, and a true sunshine. Today, she shares with us her harrowing story with online abuse and mental health. [TW: SI, SH, MH, SA, Violence]

Hello friends! Change of pace today! Meet Jakub Ferencik, author of upcoming debut book titled “Up in the Air: Christianity, Atheism, & the Global Problems of the 21st Century”. Jakub just arrived in Slovakia, his homeland, to weather this COVID storm and we catch up on his travels, background and interests before taking a deeper dive. We explore where the inspiration to write came from and what he hopes to accomplish. Join us on this epistemological adventure in the fight against certainty. 

Topics: Christianity, blogging, human connection, values & epistemology, the reality of nuances and the bypassing of reality in political discourse, reducing polarization, morality, the thought exercise of defending "the opposition", drawing lines where empathy ends, the discomfort of preaching radical vulnerability vs. human rights battles, going beyond the self-affirming echo chambers, progress and regress, the meaning of life, the experience of suffering, mindfulness and guilt, social taboos and many more light topics. 

Hello my lovers. Meet Ericka Gail, a non-binary, queer, Black femme [they/them, she/her] trauma therapist, known as @mentalhealthfemme! We start by catching up on the context we find ourselves in this year and the conflicting feelings that 2020 can bring up. They tell me about how their QTBIPOC focus has evolved and shifted over time, and what their recent rise in reach means to them and their work. We talk about the important people in our lives who made us who we are, and how grief can be a driver. Join us in this deep and personal conversation about what drives us as humans and how we cope! 

Topics: activism & social justice, vulnerability as a radical practice, fawning as a trauma response, writing, PTSD and anxiety, experiential knowledge, imposter syndrome, asking for help, emotional processing and empathy, public grieving, being a "people pleaser in recovery", and community care. 

Hi everyone! Meet Andreia! She is a Marriage and Family Therapy Candidate, based in Denver, Colorado. Andreia joyfully walks me through her Brazilian upbringing, including her progressive Catholic high school, and her journey into American society. We meander through the little life things that end up shaping lives and get us to a point of embracing our true selves. Join us for this lovely introspection - the stuff you wish you knew about your therapist. 

It's a warm welcome back to our dear Ji-Youn (jee-yan) Kim. If you haven't yet met her in ep 78, Ji-Youn is an anti-oppressive, trauma informed counsellor. She's an advocate for rage as liberation, and facilitates workshops called Processing Rage in collaboration with Cicely Blain. She reached out to me a couple of weeks ago to use this platform to talk about white supremacy and toxic power dynamics in the counselling industry. So that's what we did. Here's our unfiltered conversation on spiritual bypassing, white supremacy and oppression as it takes place on a LOT of counsellors' couches. Stay tuned for tools on what to look for in an anti-oppressive counsellor. 

Rage trigger warning. 

Topics: #counselling, trauma, the current climate of #BLM "awakening" for non-Black people, the repercussions on anti-oppression activists of color, #mentalhealth, the toxicity of feel good therapeutic approaches, tone policing, cognitive dissonance and self-doubt, white saviour complex, white fragility, racial gaslighting, de-colonizing your mind, going past attachment theory, the roots of therapy, community vs individual, and SO MUCH more.

Welcome to our first guest of Season Three: photographer and visual artist Kriss Munsya. He came over to the podcast to talk about his current project The Eraser, as well as his life more broadly. We discuss his upbringing as an immigrant from the DRC in Belgium and his journey to today. We talk about hitchhiking from New York to Brazil (in 2013!!) and the riches of meeting people whose path you otherwise would never have crossed. He casually tells us about his first movie, and subsequent documentaries, expanding on what kind of art and storytelling matters to him. 

Topics: being made to feel "not Black enough"; Europe vs the Americas; feeling lost; stumbling into making his first movie; touring with bands across the world; control issues; culture shock, politeness as a concept, grieving a lifestyle; the charm of grimey bars & their honesty; the current state of the world, the outside look on America today; feelings of hate, hope and sadness; art, love and empathy as activism, and wisdom in humility. 

Welcome back my lovers. How are y'all holding up? 

Welcome my dears. I was going to do a thing for the big 100, but it hardly seems relevant now. If you sent me your AMA's for that, don't worry, it will be the opener for season three. In the meantime, before we go on a little break, I wanted to leave you with something much more important. 

Here's a list of 100+ resources to educate yourself on anti-racism and Black history. Please, please, please, especially if you are white, take the time to delve into some of the works of the Black artists, activists, writers and thinkers below. We owe it to humanity. Thank you. That is all from me today. Take care of yourselves, stay safe and let's ACT against racism and oppression. 

Hello my lovers! Welcome to 90-fucking-9! Meet Cam Fraser! He is a men's Sex Coach, as well as a Certified Sexologist, Counselor, Registered Yoga Teacher, Tantric Practitioner, and Workshop Facilitator. Do you think there's enough there to get us started? We cover his Australian upbringing, American college experience and journey into his current practice, before delving into the good stuff. 

Topics: toxic masculinity, the relationship between early sex and binge drinking, the search for alternative models of masculinity and pleasure, not fitting in, sex ed, yoga for better sex, paying attention the your body, shame, Tantric Shaivism and Hatha Yoga, what it looks like to work with Cam, ejaculatory control, what is sex, statistics of sexuality, AND offering solutions past the criticism.

Hello lovers! Meet Danica Darling, our guest and sex worker extraordinaire! Although she is primarily an exotic dancer and escort professionally, Danica also holds psychology and paralegal degrees, and guest lectures on sex work legality in Canada! We retrace her steps from childhood in a religious suburb, to thriving during university years and becoming a sex worker. 

Topics: #sexworkiswork, what supportive parents can look like, being nerds, first nights as an exotic dancer, Fort McMurray (yes, you read that right), serving vs. stripping, feeling less judged within the sex worker community, onlive vs. in-person, #OnlyFans, the root of negative stigma, coming out as a sex worker, how to make sex work safer, and much more! 

Hello world! This week, I had the honour and pleasure to chat with incredible Cicely Belle Blain! They are a black, mixed raced, queer writer and entrepreneur, CEO of a diversity and inclusion consulting firm, and activist powerhouse. I'm excited for you all to hear this story of how they founded Black Lives Matter Vancouver and discovered how they could best positively impact society. 

Hello lovers! Meet my dear friend IRL Devon. He did me the honour of spending an hour on the record talking about all things non-monogamy and political science. You folx are in for a treat! Listen in on how one might go from being a serial monogamist, to currently finding oneself in a polyamorous constellation! This is a joyful episode about alternatives to monogamy, the sometimes awkwardness of play and the magic of pleasure. I hope you'll like listening to it as much as I enjoyed taking part in it. 

Topics: shibari rope bondage, bisexuality, learning how to communicate about sex and relationships, touch & sensualism, breathwork, relationship anarchy & polyamory, words vs. labels, oversharing vs. vulnerability, therapy, falling in love with two different people simultaneously, the work that takes, the connection to your body (from sports-induced endorphins to psychedelic effects), the lasting taboo around what pleasure can look like for men (ejaculation vs. orgasm), AND MORE!

And because I'm a sucker for lessons out of PoliSci100, here's the takeaway: "Models are useful for making sense of the world that we're in, but be weary of defining the world by the model."

Welcome friends, meet Maverick. They are a counsellor who just finished their program and are now launching themselves into their career. We talk about their focus on queer, non-binary and trans clients and why trauma-informed counselling by and for their community is crucial. 

Topics: small town life as a queer PoC, puberty for trans youths, coming out, mental health, moving to the city, tarot, finding your niche, choice paralysis, the importance of pronouns, creating a support system, being social creatures, reconnection in isolation, the cis and straight biases of the counselling and wellness world, self-care, becoming a "professional" and grappling with imposter syndrome. 

WELCOME LOVERS! How's everybody holding up? 'Cause we are... fine? Join us on this honest and candid whirlwind about covid feelings and feminism! Adriana defines herself as an artist, a woman, a spirituality and self-love seeker, and a total badass. Okay, that last one was my description, but hey, it's true. Today, we decided to talk about TOUCH and feminism, as well as how those have been BIG themes in Adri's life. Has that been the case for you?

Topics: graphic design, swimming, expectations, entrepreneurs vs. the covid slowdown, the importance of touch, fashion marketing, body and age diversity, feminism, palatability, feeling like an energy dispenser, self-exploration in isolation, sitting in discomfort, fear, comfort, slowing down. 

Hello lovers. This week, AJ Lowik (pronouns: they/them/theirs) came over to chat about their work and life! We talk about what it's like to walk in this world as a non-binary trans person, a queer liberationist, an unapologetic feminist, a PhD candidate, a researcher and instructor. Predictably, this episode goes in many different directions. We cover coming out narratives, academia and the ivory tower, and choosing one's battles. Listen in on this exploration of gender, learning and choices. 

Topics: cats, trans-inclusive reproductive rights, childhood and nerdom, gender categories, sexuality studies, queerness,  trans-inclusive care & accessibility to abortion clinics, deconstructing cis-normative narratives within healthcare and parenthood, empathy for all humans walking this earth, academia vs. activism, opting out of gender, misgendering, colonialism & social constructs,  the need to stick people into boxes & boundary policing, AND SO MUCH MORE! 

Correction and precision: Toni King-Rose from @transdeathcare uses he/him/his pronouns. Go check out his work! 

MY LOVERS! Meet my new fave long-distance love, Odessa Young. Odessa is an Australian actor, whom you might have seen in Assassination Nation (2018), The Daughter (2015) and High Life (2017). She will also star as Frannie Goldsmith in the upcoming CBS mini-series The Stand. We were finally able to sit down and download on how we feel during this real-life pandemic. 

We start off retracing her steps as a young actor inevitably ending up in LA. We then meander through the difficulties of choosing a vocation with no "natural" progression, and having to make your own path. We digress into our respective reviews of Marriage Story and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, because why not? You'll just have to listen to hear where we go from there because it's wonderfully bizarre and yet wholesome! There's also some comforting life advice in here. You belong here.

Topics: discerning between hobby and career, the concept of stability, "fake it 'till you make it", expectations, the bubble of the film industry and its perversions, myopic storytelling and alienation, #metoo, networking and morals, feminism, wine, THE ISOLATION, staying the fuck at home, therapy and mental health, creatives in chaos, hustle culture (boo), socialism and SO MUCH MORE. 

Welcome MY LOVERS! Meet Airial, our sexual health educator of the week and our newest and only PARTNER of the podcast! She's the CEO of Intamo Pleasurables, a company aimed at facilitating sex that feels better, using plant-based ingredients and the soothing properties of hemp-seed oil. Join us today for a hilarious and deeply personal ride on Airial's journey to today. We saunter through her Kitsilano childhood, through choosing a vocation, and spend some time investigating sexual woes. (Not for the faint of heart friends, crass depictions of what cervix healing procedures feel like - FUN.) 

Topics: self-care, mental health, sexual health, empowerment, abortion, HPV, LEEP procedures, shame, sexual education for people with diverse abilities, getting creative, entrepreneurship, challenges of marketing sex-related products, masturbation, and SO MUCH MORE.

Welcome my lovers!! 90 down WTF! Meet Julia, our single-mom and coach of the week! Today, we retrace Julia's steps throughout her life as a daughter to her mother, a mother to her daughter and a woman part of a larger story. She walks me through how many of her life decisions were influenced by her toxic relationship with her mother, and how recovering from the abusive parenting sent her on a path of discovery. Listen in on this fascinating life story. Who knows? It might resonate with you. 

Topics: low-nurtured, poorly-bonded toxic and/or abusive parenting recovery, relationships, chef life, eloping, motherhood, trilogies, meditation, duplicity, narcissists, death, confidence, assertiveness, gaslighting, trauma, tools for feeling capable, self-worth, boundaries, generational baggage, sensuality, writing, happiness, the power of storytelling, and sisterhood.

Thanks friends, lovers and strangers for staying on this journey with us! Please do rate, subscribe, recommend the podcast to friends, share on IG, all the things. 

Thanks to Sam from episode 70 for the intro! (Listen to that one for an incredible conversation about the way we do non-monogamy.) 

Hi my lovers! Meet Julie, today's author and creative extraordinaire! We get to know more about her childhood in Montreal and evolution through different kinds of education. She tells me about her experiences following the red threads of her life that somehow unravelled into making her the author of Sex Up Your Life: The Mind-blowing Path to True Intimacy, Healing, and Hope. Join us down this fascinating path of how caring about people can take many different forms. You won't regret taking part in this holistic and multifaceted conversation of utmost cultural relevance. 

Topics: activism, education, love, film life, teachers, writing, sex, taboos, healing, akashic records & sexual energy, creating spaces for stories, the continuum of sex from disruptive to healing,  the new societal place of sex, definitions, legacies & trauma, rape culture & consent, shame and so MUCH MORE. 

Welcome lovers to this crazy mashup crossover of Kilter&Mint vs. RWWC! 

Ash Belluz came over to the couch to introduce herself and talk smack! Kilter&Mint is a podcast on snapshot storytelling, a place to hear from the movers & shakers of Vancouver and also a gentle nudge to go to yoga. Ash herself is a yoga teacher, mom, podcaster and hilarious gem of a human. Join us for this episode on our respective stories with podcasting, life and walking the path to today. (I gotta say, it felt weird and great answering questions for half the episode!) Come not your head and rant with us my lovers. 

Topics: Tom Hardy, podcasting, motherhood, social justice and micro-scale activism, choosing whose voices you bring to your platform, competition vs networking, online dating, making lists, setting standards, privilege & community, motivation, touch, and strange tattoos. 

Special treat: you get to hear about my raclette accident. 

Welcome my lovers. Let us delve into the wild woman archetype today. Meet Fiona. She is a women's empowerment educator and feminine embodiment facilitator. We go back to her worldly upbringing, boarding school stint and decade of confusion spent climbing the corporate ladder. We then dive into the interesting bit, the breakdown bit, the "fuck this shit" bit. Stick around for this fascinating saunter around femininity and sexuality. I really loved getting to know Fiona and I hope you will too!  Thank you for one of the few things that you do right, @instagram. 

Topics: online connections, Brexit, life changing moments, fucking the system, travel, the digital nomad life, yoga, sex, periods, shame, shadow-banning, witches, wilderness, communities of self-identified women, movement, power, patriarchy, unlearning, trust, rules, healing, (as always storytelling), individualism vs. community, presence and so much more! 

Welcome my lovers! Meet Shane! He's our human of the week, and also Sally's partner from episode 65! In this episode, Shane walks me through his British childhood and career in social & youth work. We get to today: a point in his life where he gets to wake up and think "What now?" A point of reinvention, unlearning and re-writing of the story. Join us for this genuine and special episode with the kindest man. 

Topics: family values, Saint Albans Tourism, setting personal deadlines, getting laid off, Neuro-Linguistic Programming courses, silence, Love, vulnerability & masculinity, storytelling, community, being unprepared, fatherhood, identity building, having supportive partners, motivation, self-confidence and inadequacy, barriers to success, and SO MUCH MORE. 

Hello there! Meet Sarah Trivett, our somatic trauma therapist of the day. As is tradition, we retrace her steps from childhood to today. We spend some time talking about how insidious trauma is and how the realisation of its existence is a huge step. This episode is all about how the personal intertwines with the practice. Sarah tells me about her focal shift from addictions' treatment (with mostly men) to somatic sexuality work focused on vulva-owners. Follow us down this path of paradigm shifts and Aha moments. Listen in on her journey from "blah" sex to what she calls altered-state orgasms! 

Topics: Vancouver DTES, grief, parents, healing, trauma, counseling school, feminist narrative therapy, imposter syndrome, sexual healing, tantra, personal development, discovering pleasure, spirituality, jade eggs, conscious body exercises, inner child work, group sexual energy and so much more! 

Happy new year!!! Welcome back my lovers! What a treat we have prepared for you today! Meet Claire, our superstar comedian, dancer, actress and producer. She came over to the couch to talk about The Dirty Betty Show, Feminism, and small towns! Naturally, we kick off the episode by discussing strip clubs. We then do our usual "who are you" dance, from childhood in a small town to producing a provocative show to shake up said small towns. Join us for this candid and giggly episode about personal achievements and definitions of success.  New fave quote of the pod: "When you love something so much, you can squeeze it too tight and just break it." Claire's advice: start with something you don't love quite that much.  

She tells me about her funny, filthy, feminist femme-led comedy shows, and the challenges she faces touring across Canada. 

Topics: Luminesque, theatre, depression, bombing auditions, comedy, making your own big break, fuckboys, drag performances, handling negative reviews, creating something that isn't meant for everyone, TW: rape mention & lack of consent, learning, the smart use of half-measures, producing & casting a show, acting, extroverts vs. introverts, stage vs. screen, community building and storytelling, fostering JOY and so much more. 

Welcome to the last episode of 2019!!! Thanks so much for sticking around for this very special episode with an indescribable human! (Let me attempt this anyway..) 

Meet jaye simpson, an Oji-Cree Saulteaux Non-Binary Two Spirit Queer Trans Woman (Sapotaweyak Cree Nation) poet, artist, performer and activist. They came over to the couch to tell me all the things. We go back to their 16 years in foster care, their art, advocacy and social justice work. In this episode, they tell me about their trials and tribulations, but also about stepping into their power and what the keys to their successes are.  

Topics: spotted owls, small town cruelty, queerness, slam poetry, erasure, violence, baby queers, call out vs cancel culture, privilege, indigeneity, social capital, colonialism, the tragic story of Tina Fontaine, the problem with the [white and capitalist] justice system, politics, land acknowledgments, the limitations of "awareness", gender identity, social work failures, coming out, bullying, sex, writing about sex, dating standards, power, and SO MUCH MORE, LIKE A FUCKING LOT. 

Bottom line: be unapologetic and consensual. 

Rage.         How does it feel? Where do you feel it?

Meet Toni, our 20 year old advocate for gender inclusion and acceptance within death services for today! He is a transgender man, who identifies openly within the funeral and death care services profession. He is currently studying to become a funeral director and embalmer at the Canadian College of Funeral Services. Today, Toni candidly opens up to us about what it means to him and talks about the current system's implications for transgender and gender-nonconforming people. 

Death and Funeral services are not (yet) equipped for transgender care and it will take people like Toni to make it happen! Please do join us for this fascinating episode on a topic I had never thought about before (privilege!). Thank you so much Toni for taking my hand and leading us down the rabbit hole. 

Topics: death, coming out as trans, grief, the three main options you get once you're dead: embalming, cremation and no embalming, representation, trans rights within death services, mental health, death doulas, abuse, funeral rites and remembering, suicide, science and binaries, empathy, LGBTQI+ rights and services, and so much MORE! 

Bit of wisdom for today: "Accepting your own death is a really good way to learn to live." 

Welcome to the much-anticipated follow-up episode to Joanne and Julia's Expressions of Self series on life after trauma. The women held three consecutive storytelling events, each one month apart, on the topics of Survival, Resilience, and Healing after trauma. They came over to my couch to discuss how it went, what they learned and what surprised them. Their aim was to gear the conversation towards the HOW, and not the who, what,  and why's of survival. Listen to this hilarious and empowering episode, led by your fave trio!  

For an intro to the girls, refer to episodes: 31 with Joanne, 39 with Julia, and 58! 

Topics: trauma, forgiveness, storytelling, thinking out loud with others, somatic exercises, resilience as a constant, healing as a non-linear concept, learning and connection from personal experiences, counseling, the pitfalls of certain post-traumatic services, imposter syndrome as a survivor, setting and expressing boundaries, battling negative self-talk, knowledge building, empathy, setting standards on treating each other with dignity and respect - and not doing it alone!! 

The common thread of these conversations was simple, and worth repeating: we need to practice showing the forgiveness and kindness that we show others, to ourselves.