Affirm That Sh!t

This episode of Affirm That Sh!t — Somehow I Thrived is not just a message — it’s a mirror, a megaphone, and a war cry.

I’m diving into the truth about scars — the visible ones that stretch across our skin and the invisible ones that sit quietly under our smiles. We spend so much time hiding them, minimizing them, apologizing for them, when in reality, our scars are the most honest proof that we are fighters, rebuilders, and soul-level survivors.

I ask one question that could flip your world inside out:
If your scars could speak, what would they say?

Mine would scream: I didn’t break. I became stronger.
Yours might whisper: I survived the version of me who didn’t know how powerful I was going to become.

We talk about letting go of old identities, releasing outdated emotional armor, grieving the versions of ourselves that didn’t make it to today, and honoring the woman or man who rose from the ashes.
Scars do not make you damaged.
They make you certified, initiated, reborn, and dangerously wise.

This episode is your reminder:
You are not what hurt you.
You are what healed.
And your story deserves oxygen.

Ready to release shame around your scars? Book a session with me: https://ukiyowellness.com/

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I sat down with David Schneer, a man whose story redefines what it means to have a backbone—literally and figuratively.

On Christmas Eve 2015, David was attacked by a relative in an alcohol-fueled rage, leaving him with a cracked spine and five surgeries ahead of him. For the next eight years, his life became a battleground between pain and perseverance. But instead of letting it destroy him, David found purpose.

Through faith, forgiveness, and an iron will, he turned his recovery into a roadmap for resilience. Drawing on his background in theology and over 40 years in qualitative research, David wrote Backbone—a book that fuses human emotion, behavioral science, and the courage to rebuild after chaos. His groundbreaking work combines AI and nonverbal intelligence to study how people communicate through emotion, microexpressions, and truth beneath the surface.

In this conversation, David and I dive deep into the art of healing—body, mind, and spirit. We talk about karma, grace, and why forgiveness isn’t weakness—it’s freedom. David shares how every scar became a signal to move forward and how he found strength not in revenge, but in surrender.

If you’ve ever felt broken, overlooked, or underestimated, this episode will remind you—your pain doesn’t define you. Your comeback does.

Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schneer1merrillresearch/

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I’m sitting across from a woman whose story hits like a storm and heals like sunlight. Gayle Petrillo’s life began with fire—literally. As a toddler, a coffee burn accident left her with 40% of her body burned and a lifetime of scars, both visible and unseen. For decades, she hid in plain sight—working in healthcare, caring for others, and convincing herself that staying invisible was safer than being seen.

But the truth? Hiding was the real wound.

At 69, Gayle finally stepped out of the shadows. After meeting Jean, the founder of Beads of Courage, she wrote her first book, Becoming Visible, during the pandemic. In it, she unravels years of shame, fear, and silence—transforming them into strength, grace, and purpose.

In this episode, we talk about what it really means to reclaim your story. We dig into affirmations about resilience, self-worth, and showing up for yourself—no matter how long it takes. Gayle shares her daily reflection practice, her journey to self-acceptance, and the power of vulnerability as a tool for healing.

She’s living proof that you’re never too old, too scarred, or too scared to begin again.

Connect with Gayle: https://www.firstimpressions1.com/

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I’m celebrating something powerful—50 episodes. Fifty stories of grit, truth, and transformation that have cracked hearts open and changed lives, including mine.

When I started this podcast, it wasn’t about the numbers. It was about connection. It all began inside my women’s group, Parea Maraki, where I started writing affirmations for women who were trying to find their voice again. Before long, people from all walks of life—including men—started asking me for affirmations that fit their stories.

Then came the reels. The views climbed. The messages poured in. And I asked myself—how many more people can I reach? How many more can I help remember their worth?

For years, I’ve used the word “SHIT” as an acronym—because no matter what we’ve walked through, we still rise from it. We still find our way through the darkness. And that’s what every episode of this show stands for: your story matters, your healing matters, and your truth matters.

So here’s my invitation to you: if you’ve got a story burning inside you, ask yourself—are you ready to share it?

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I’m joined by the unstoppable Bobby Mendez. Born into the strict rules of a Mennonite community, Bobby grew up in a world where beauty, fashion, and self-expression were forbidden. But she had other plans. From styling her sheep “Glitz and Glamour” as a girl to becoming the proud owner of The Glamour Room, Bobby fought her way into a life she once only dreamed about.

Her story is a battle cry for every woman told to stay small. At 40, she walked onto the pageant stage—and walked off crowned Miss Queen of the World 2025. That crown wasn’t just for her. It was for every woman who’s ever been told she can’t. Along the way, Bobby built a thriving salon, survived the chaos of COVID-19, and launched nonprofits like Operation Dignity and Money Mindset—programs dedicated to empowering the homeless and educating young people about financial freedom.

We talk about resilience, the cost of freedom, and the divine purpose that comes with embracing your gifts. Bobby’s not just a pageant queen. She’s a changemaker, a mother, a dreamer, and a fierce reminder that it’s never too late to choose yourself. If you’ve ever been stuck in the cage of other people’s expectations, this episode will set your soul on fire.

Connect with Bobbi: https://www.instagram.com/mrs.queenoftheworld2025/

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I’m joined by Karena, a woman who turned grief into grit and silence into spellwork. After her mother’s death, Karena embraced the word “witch”—a word society has long used to shame powerful women—and made it her own. From starting The Witches Inn to launching her program From B*tch to Witch, she’s building spaces where women can reclaim their bodies, their magic, and their voices.

We talk about grief, anger, and the historical persecution of women who dared to lead—and how those same wounds show up today as labels like “too much” or “bitch.” Karena opens up about her first childhood encounter with a Ouija board, the chaos that followed, and how those early brushes with the unseen set her on a lifelong path of spiritual reclamation.

Her story is raw, real, and relentless. It’s about turning pain into power and fear into fuel. If you’ve ever felt the weight of societal expectations pressing down on your soul, this episode will show you what happens when you throw off the shackles and rise.

Connect with Karena: https://www.thewitchsinn.com/

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I talk with Elaine Lindsay—a woman who has walked through hell and lived to set the damn place on fire. At 20, she survived a horrific car accident that cost her half her leg, her baby, and years of reconstructive surgeries. As if that wasn’t enough, she later endured a nightmare series of medical procedures that left her clinically dead twice, battling sepsis, collapsed lungs, hepatitis C, and a lifetime of complications.

But Elaine didn’t just survive—she transformed. With scars inside and out, she clawed her way through body shame, addiction, suicidal ideation, and grief after losing her sister and father. She chose to keep fighting, to keep laughing, and to turn her story into fuel for others.

Now, through her podcast Suicide Zen Forgiveness, Elaine gives voice to stories of suicide loss, resilience, and radical compassion. In this raw conversation, she strips down the truth about survival: it’s messy, it’s brutal, and it’s also breathtakingly beautiful when you choose to keep living.

If you’ve ever felt broken, this episode will remind you—you’re not broken. You’re becoming.

Connect with Elaine: elainelindsay.com

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I’m joined by Terry Healey—an author, speaker, and cancer survivor whose story will stop you in your tracks. At 21, Terry was diagnosed with fibrosarcoma, a rare cancer that led to multiple surgeries, facial disfigurement, and the kind of emotional battles most of us can’t imagine. But instead of giving in, Terry chose to fight—not just for his life, but for his worth.

In this raw and unapologetic conversation, Terry shares the truth about trauma, resilience, and how to keep going when everything feels impossible. From being abandoned by friends to finding salvation in group therapy, from wrestling with faith to writing The Resilience Mindset—Terry lays it all out.

This isn’t a story about surviving. It’s a story about claiming your power, rewriting your reflection, and refusing to let life define you.

If you’ve ever been knocked down and wondered how to rise again—this is the episode you need.

Connect with Terry: https://terryhealey.com/

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I’m flipping the script and pulling back the curtain on my own work as a Reiki practitioner and energy healer. People always ask me, “What is Reiki?”—and in this episode, I tell it like it is. Reiki is a Japanese healing practice that helps you unlock the energy you’ve buried under trauma, stress, and life’s grind. And here’s the kicker: it doesn’t matter if we’re in the same room or miles apart—energy moves no matter what.

I walk you through how I hold space for you to heal yourself, how your intentions set the tone, and why the words you speak to yourself matter more than you realize. We talk about energy exchange—because giving without receiving will bleed you dry—and why positive self-talk isn’t fluff, it’s fuel for your soul.

I share real stories of clients breaking through emotional walls in virtual sessions, and how I weave Reiki, sound healing, tuning forks, and oracle readings into coaching sessions that change lives. This isn’t about me fixing you—it’s about you discovering how powerful you already are when you let go and allow healing to flow.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to step into energy work, this is it.

Connect with me: https://ukiyowellness.com/

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I’m joined by Debbie Simmons, and let me tell you—her story is one you won’t forget. Debbie takes us through the raw, unfiltered truth of her high-risk pregnancy with quadruplets, the heartbreak of losing her babies, and the gut-wrenching silence that followed. But she doesn’t stop there.

We talk about what it really means to find faith in the middle of devastation, how she turned her pain into purpose, and how trusting the “next best step” led her to adopt nine children and support thousands of families through her work at Anchor Point. Debbie shares the power of writing her babies’ birth and death announcements in her own words, speaking at their memorial service, and reclaiming her voice when grief tried to silence her.

This isn’t a story about staying down—it’s about rising, even when the weight of the world tells you not to. Debbie proves that resilience isn’t about erasing the pain, but about turning it into something bigger than yourself.

If you’ve ever faced a season where you questioned God, your purpose, or your strength, this conversation is your reminder: you’re not broken—you’re becoming.

Connect with Debbie: https://thedebbiesimmons.com/about/