The stories in our own head around shame can become so unbearable that it leads to avoidance; of family, of friends, of our own better self through addiction. Someone who can quietly listen to that story with empathy can allow us a path back. Exposing our vulnerable self to others and letting them do the same with us can be the hardest, but most valuable service we can perform.

Trauma, anxiety, shame. Sitting with ourselves when we couldn't imagine anyone wanting to. Sitting with someone who is in the midst of that struggle.

A brilliant young woman talks about the process of opening up to her own emotion life. Coming to terms with her childhood traumas, issues with alcohol, and motherhood lead her to examine her way of living and to consider breaking open to her long buried emotions.

Stephen talks with an old friend, Rodney Mashia. A Black man who grew up in the rural South in the fifties and sixties, Rodney reflects on his journey and his renewed desire to share his voice and his story.