Breaking Mental Health with Darrell

Men are often taught to stay strong, keep their struggles private, and say they’re fine—even when they’re not.

In this episode of Breaking Mental Health with Darrell, author Scott Wiederhold joins the conversation to discuss men’s mental health, infertility, failed IVF, relationships, and the emotional cost of keeping pain hidden.

Through his book Small Town Has-Been, Scott explores a side of infertility that doesn’t always receive enough attention: the man’s emotional experience. We talk about masculinity, vulnerability, self-worth, and how the pressure to appear okay can affect both individuals and their relationships.

This is a conversation about recognizing the pain we hide, finding the courage to speak honestly, and understanding that vulnerability is not weakness.

Because sometimes the most important words a man can say are: “I’m not fine, and I need help.”

Follow Breaking Mental Health with Darrell for more honest conversations about mental health, healing, and personal growth.


Scott Wiederhold, Small Town Has-Been, men’s mental health, infertility, failed IVF, relationships, emotional vulnerability, masculinity, mental health awareness, emotional healing, Breaking Mental Health with Darrell

If you want to share your story, email me at [email protected]

Breaking Mental Health is currently accepting aligned sponsors and brand partnerships focused on mental health, wellness, leadership, and personal growth.

For sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]

David Deane Haskell joins Breaking Mental Health with Darrell to discuss addiction, trauma, recovery, shame, grief, and the long process of learning how to live again.

David’s memoir, Wounded Angels, comes from his own lived experience and explores healing without reducing it to a neat success story. His perspective is rooted in vulnerability, creativity, and the understanding that recovery can be messy, complicated, and deeply personal.

In this conversation, we explore the difference between surviving and actually living, how writing can become part of the healing process, and what it means to face difficult parts of your story without allowing them to define your entire future.

The Wounded Angels audiobook is out now. I narrated it myself, and it's live on Audible, Apple Books and the rest. Here’s the link:

https://books2read.com/woundedangels

mental health, addiction, recovery, trauma, healing, sobriety, David Deane Haskell, Wounded Angels, grief, shame, resilience, emotional healing, personal growth, breaking mental health

If you want to share your story, email me at [email protected]

Breaking Mental Health is currently accepting aligned sponsors and brand partnerships focused on mental health, wellness, leadership, and personal growth.

For sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]

If you or someone you know who is being abused, there is help. Please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788

If you or someone you know who is suicidal or attempted suicide, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also text 988

If you or someone you know who is struggling with mental illness, there is help. As Please contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hotline at 1-800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 741-741

There is also a Crisis Support Services National helpline, call 800-662-HELP (800-662-4357)

If you know a teen that is suffering also, call 800-852-8336

Other than that, if there is a serious crisis, contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

National Mental Health Hotline- 866-903-3787.

Breaking Mental Health with Darrell is an internationally charting mental health podcast focused on real conversations around resilience, growth, trauma, leadership, and healing.

What happens when the wounds we experienced as children continue showing up in our adult lives?

Dr. Adam McCormick joins Breaking Mental Health with Darrell to explore the unfinished business of childhood and how unresolved trauma and emotional survival patterns can influence relationships, identity, burnout, and the way we care for others.

As a Professor of Social Work and author of Healing the Helping Professional: The Unfinished Business of Childhood Trauma, Dr. McCormick brings both professional experience and personal insight to a conversation about authenticity, resilience, masculinity, emotional connection, and what genuine healing can look like.

A powerful conversation for anyone who’s ever wondered why the past still seems to follow them into the present.

mental health, childhood trauma, trauma healing, burnout, social work, helping professionals, emotional healing, resilience, authenticity, masculinity, Adam McCormick, Healing the Helping Professional, trauma recovery, emotional wellness, personal growth, breaking mental health

If you want to share your story, email me at [email protected]

Breaking Mental Health is currently accepting aligned sponsors and brand partnerships focused on mental health, wellness, leadership, and personal growth.

For sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]

If you or someone you know who is being abused, there is help. Please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788

If you or someone you know who is suicidal or attempted suicide, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also text 988

If you or someone you know who is struggling with mental illness, there is help. As Please contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hotline at 1-800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 741-741

There is also a Crisis Support Services National helpline, call 800-662-HELP (800-662-4357)

If you know a teen that is suffering also, call 800-852-8336

Other than that, if there is a serious crisis, contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

National Mental Health Hotline- 866-903-3787.

Breaking Mental Health with Darrell is an internationally charting mental health podcast focused on real conversations around resilience, growth, trauma, leadership, and healing.

Andrew Kivney, a teacher with the Art of Living Foundation, discussed breathwork, meditation, and their applications in mental health, stress reduction, and addiction recovery. The conversation covered the science behind breath-based practices, common misconceptions about meditation, and the importance of self-care routines. Andrew also shared his documentary work on breathwork in opioid recovery communities and the Dry January Mindful Edition campaign.

mental health

breathwork

meditation

mindfulness

stress

anxiety

andrew keaveney

art of living

wellness

emotional health

If you want to share your story, email me at [email protected]

Breaking Mental Health is currently accepting aligned sponsors and brand partnerships focused on mental health, wellness, leadership, and personal growth.

For sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]

If you or someone you know who is being abused, there is help. Please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788

If you or someone you know who is suicidal or attempted suicide, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also text 988

If you or someone you know who is struggling with mental illness, there is help. As Please contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hotline at 1-800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 741-741

There is also a Crisis Support Services National helpline, call 800-662-HELP (800-662-4357)

If you know a teen that is suffering also, call 800-852-8336

Other than that, if there is a serious crisis, contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

National Mental Health Hotline- 866-903-3787.

Breaking Mental Health with Darrell is an internationally charting mental health podcast focused on real conversations around resilience, growth, trauma, leadership, and healing.

Rafael McMaster, founder of Indivisible Arts (a 501c3 nonprofit in Southern California), shared his framework for addressing the youth mental health crisis through three pillars: creativity, consciousness, and connection. The conversation centered on how screen addiction, loss of purpose, and absence of mindful awareness training are converging into a coming mental health and addiction epidemic. Rafael's core intervention — teaching teens they are "not their thoughts, but the one having the thoughts" — is delivered through a summer program and a book called Fundamental Life Tools.

mental health

youth mental health

creativity

emotional resilience

mindfulness

rafael mcmaster

indivisible arts

fundamental life tools

creative wellness

breaking mental health

darrell watts

mental health podcast

personal growth

mentorship

emotional intelligence

If you want to share your story, email me at [email protected]

Breaking Mental Health is currently accepting aligned sponsors and brand partnerships focused on mental health, wellness, leadership, and personal growth.

For sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]

If you or someone you know who is being abused, there is help. Please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788

If you or someone you know who is suicidal or attempted suicide, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also text 988

If you or someone you know who is struggling with mental illness, there is help. As Please contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hotline at 1-800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 741-741

There is also a Crisis Support Services National helpline, call 800-662-HELP (800-662-4357)

If you know a teen that is suffering also, call 800-852-8336

Other than that, if there is a serious crisis, contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

National Mental Health Hotline- 866-903-3787.

Breaking Mental Health with Darrell is an internationally charting mental health podcast focused on real conversations around resilience, growth, trauma, leadership, and healing.

Austin Ramp, author of One Last Hit, shared his full arc from childhood-rooted shame and early addiction to long-term sobriety and fatherhood. The conversation covered the psychological drivers of addiction, the role of relapse in recovery, and how vulnerability, service, and consistent daily practice sustain sobriety. Austin now has 5 children, has been married 8 years, and actively sponsors others in 12-step recovery.

mental health

addiction

recovery

sobriety

healing

hope

trauma

austin rampt

one last hit

resilience

If you want to share your story, email me at [email protected]

Breaking Mental Health is currently accepting aligned sponsors and brand partnerships focused on mental health, wellness, leadership, and personal growth.

For sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]

If you or someone you know who is being abused, there is help. Please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788

If you or someone you know who is suicidal or attempted suicide, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also text 988

If you or someone you know who is struggling with mental illness, there is help. As Please contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hotline at 1-800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 741-741

There is also a Crisis Support Services National helpline, call 800-662-HELP (800-662-4357)

If you know a teen that is suffering also, call 800-852-8336

Other than that, if there is a serious crisis, contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

National Mental Health Hotline- 866-903-3787.

Breaking Mental Health with Darrell is an internationally charting mental health podcast focused on real conversations around resilience, growth, trauma, leadership, and healing.

Taylor Marie Contarino, a singer-songwriter from New Jersey based in LA, joined Darrell's Breaking Mental Health podcast to discuss her song Survivor's Guilt, written after losing her father to a drug overdose in December. The conversation centered on grief, coping through music, mental health advocacy, and the importance of kindness and human connection. Both host and guest shared personal losses and found common ground in the healing power of vulnerability and presence.

mental health

music

healing

grief

survivor’s guilt

songwriting

independent artist

taylor marie contarino

If you want to share your story, email me at [email protected]

Breaking Mental Health is currently accepting aligned sponsors and brand partnerships focused on mental health, wellness, leadership, and personal growth.

For sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]

If you or someone you know who is being abused, there is help. Please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788

If you or someone you know who is suicidal or attempted suicide, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also text 988

If you or someone you know who is struggling with mental illness, there is help. As Please contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hotline at 1-800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 741-741

There is also a Crisis Support Services National helpline, call 800-662-HELP (800-662-4357)

If you know a teen that is suffering also, call 800-852-8336

Other than that, if there is a serious crisis, contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

National Mental Health Hotline- 866-903-3787.

Breaking Mental Health with Darrell is an internationally charting mental health podcast focused on real conversations around resilience, growth, trauma, leadership, and healing.

Gerald Lott, founder of Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery, shared his personal recovery journey and the philosophy driving his organization's work. The conversation covered the nature of addiction, the role of relationships and agreements in sobriety, and why community-based connection is essential to lasting recovery. Gerald's organization has helped over 1,500 people enter treatment in six years and operates two recovery homes.

mental health

recovery

addiction

peer recovery

behavioral health

substance use

sobriety

community

hope

gerald lott

If you want to share your story, email me at [email protected]

Breaking Mental Health is currently accepting aligned sponsors and brand partnerships focused on mental health, wellness, leadership, and personal growth.

For sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]

If you or someone you know who is being abused, there is help. Please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788

If you or someone you know who is suicidal or attempted suicide, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also text 988

If you or someone you know who is struggling with mental illness, there is help. As Please contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hotline at 1-800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 741-741

There is also a Crisis Support Services National helpline, call 800-662-HELP (800-662-4357)

If you know a teen that is suffering also, call 800-852-8336

Other than that, if there is a serious crisis, contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

National Mental Health Hotline- 866-903-3787.

Justin Cram, a Fort Lauderdale-based creative director, joined Darrell's podcast to discuss his personal journey through burnout and mental health crises, his involvement with the Real Mental Health Foundation, and the founding of Shitshow Creative. Both hosts shared candid burnout experiences, with Darrell recounting his own exhaustion at a furniture warehouse job. The conversation wove together mental health advocacy, creative entrepreneurship, humor as healing, and pop culture.

mental health

self sabotage

personal growth

habits

discipline

behavior change

self awareness

resilience

mindset

emotional health

If you want to share your story, email me at [email protected]

Breaking Mental Health is currently accepting aligned sponsors and brand partnerships focused on mental health, wellness, leadership, and personal growth.

For sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]

If you or someone you know who is being abused, there is help. Please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788

If you or someone you know who is suicidal or attempted suicide, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also text 988

If you or someone you know who is struggling with mental illness, there is help. As Please contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hotline at 1-800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 741-741

There is also a Crisis Support Services National helpline, call 800-662-HELP (800-662-4357)

If you know a teen that is suffering also, call 800-852-8336

Other than that, if there is a serious crisis, contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

National Mental Health Hotline- 866-903-3787.

Nelson Whiting, a bestselling author and certified clinical hypnotherapy instructor, discussed his book Your Problem Isn't Pornography and the principles behind lasting behavior change. The core argument is that pornography and similar compulsive habits are symptoms of deeper unresolved emotional or psychological issues — not the root problem itself. Hypnotherapy was presented as the highest-leverage solution, citing a 95% recovery rate in 1–3 sessions versus roughly 17% full recovery after 1–3 years of traditional talk therapy.

Decisions Made

* Root cause over symptom: Treating the underlying belief system and emotional story is the only path to permanent change — not targeting the behavior directly.

* Shame does not drive recovery: Guilt and shame perpetuate the cycle rather than resolve it; removing them allows objective problem-solving instead.

* Identity alignment is essential: Sustainable discipline requires the subconscious identity to match the conscious goal — misalignment produces the "double-minded man" effect.

Core Concepts Covered

* Addiction as symptom: Bad habits (pornography, overeating, gambling, workaholism) are all escapism from an underlying emotional state, not standalone behavioral problems.

* Subconscious vs. conscious conflict: The conscious mind sets goals; the subconscious dictates behavior based on ingrained belief systems — change requires aligning both.

* Flow state as the mechanism: Hypnotherapy, meditation, breathwork, and deep prayer all create neuroplastic flow states where the brain can accept new decisions rapidly.

* Relapse reframed: A slip is not "back to square one" — it is a learning step; progress and momentum already gained are not erased.

* Perfection misunderstood: Christ's call to "be perfect" means completeness through grace and progress, not flawlessness — removing the shame spiral for believers.

Notable Case Example

A client who had struggled with pornography for 20 years and led a recovery program for 10 years was resolved in one hypnotherapy session after uncovering unresolved grief and anger toward his deceased father — an issue 10 years of introspection had never surfaced, because the subconscious operates below conscious awareness.

Key Clarifications on Hypnotherapy

* Not mind control: Cannot make someone act against their moral system; instead increases clarity about one's deepest values.

* Universal applicability: Works across all belief systems and religions because all human brains operate on the same neurological principles.

* Religious believers have an advantage: Faith provides a ready-made belief framework, reducing the time needed to construct new belief systems in session.

mental health

self sabotage

personal growth

habits

discipline

behavior change

self awareness

resilience

mindset

emotional health

If you want to share your story, email me at [email protected]

Breaking Mental Health is currently accepting aligned sponsors and brand partnerships focused on mental health, wellness, leadership, and personal growth.

For sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]

If you or someone you know who is being abused, there is help. Please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788

If you or someone you know who is suicidal or attempted suicide, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also text 988

If you or someone you know who is struggling with mental illness, there is help. As Please contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hotline at 1-800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 741-741

There is also a Crisis Support Services National helpline, call 800-662-HELP (800-662-4357)

If you know a teen that is suffering also, call 800-852-8336

Other than that, if there is a serious crisis, contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

National Mental Health Hotline- 866-903-3787.

https://www.youtube.com/@BreakingMentalHealthPodcast