Kristen grew up in a whirlwind—an unstable home, few real friendships, no roadmap for relationships, and zero tools to cope. That chaos followed her into adulthood, where alcoholism and homelessness nearly took everything. In this episode, she walks us through the roots of her pain, how addiction stole years of her life, and the unexpected moment her twin brother tricked her into starting the path to sobriety. Now a new mom, she’s rewriting the story—healing her inner child, breaking cycles, and embracing a growth mindset she never knew was possible. Raw, reflective, and full of hard-earned hope 

 For Becca, being a teacher wasn’t just a job—it was a calling. But between navigating the challenges of special education, the uphill battles with administration, the weight of school safety fears, and the chaos of COVID, staying on that path hasn’t been easy. In this episode, she opens up about the realities of teaching today—balancing passion with burnout, advocating for her students, and holding onto the belief that this work still matters. A candid, heartfelt conversation about resilience, purpose, and what it really means to be an educator in uncertain times 

 After nearly a decade of doctor visits, misdiagnoses, and relentless searching, Francie finally found answers: POTS, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and ulcerative colitis. In this episode, she shares the emotional and physical toll of chasing a diagnosis, the grief of lost time, and how mental health and chronic illness are deeply intertwined. We talk about building a personal toolbox for healing, navigating toxic social media spaces, and the growing (but still flawed) media representation of EDS. It’s a powerful conversation about resilience, identity, and redefining what it means to live fully—even with a body that doesn’t always cooperate. 

 In the quiet aftermath of postpartum without a baby, Lindsay's story reminds us of the kind of grief that doesn’t always have a name — and the strength it takes to live through it. In this Side Note, we pause to reflect on the people, places, and practices that hold us up in our hardest seasons. Who do you lean on when the weight feels unbearable? And what does it mean to be held when words fall short? 

*Please be aware this episode contains details about pregnancy and infant loss*

When Lindsay welcomed her daughter into the world, she also faced the unimaginable—saying goodbye too soon. Born with heart complications, her daughter’s passing left her navigating postpartum without a baby, followed by the heartbreak of miscarriage and the long road through grief, therapy, and deep darkness. In this episode, she shares the raw truth of picking herself up when she didn’t want to, the healing that came in unexpected ways, and how her daughter became her guiding light. Now a mother to her son, she reflects on love, loss, and the resilience it takes to keep moving forward. 

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Good Talk Baby

 When you’re healing from something real, the last thing you need is someone telling you how to feel — or how fast to get over it. In this episode, we talk about truth over performance, honoring your own timeline, and what it means to protect your story when others try to shrink it. This one’s for anyone who’s ever felt unseen in their pain. You’re not too much. You’re not too sensitive. You’re just telling the truth. 

 This episode is just me—no guests, no filters—talking about where this podcast really comes from. The truth is, I Know How You Feel was born out of my own mess: the losses, the lessons, the moments I felt completely alone and the ones that cracked me open. I’m sharing the story behind the mic, the turning points that shaped me, and why these kinds of conversations feel not just important—but necessary. It’s vulnerable, it’s real, and it’s the foundation for everything that comes next. 

How do we carry both the places we come from and the people we’re becoming — without losing either? This week we reflect on Olivia and Shelby's journey of reconciling where they came from with and how that fits into who they are trying to become. It's not always a simple question. Let's talk about it anyway. 

Best friends Shelby & Olivia have always shared a special bond- not just as adoptees, but as two people caught between cultures. One from South Korea, the other from China, they open up about the complexities of identity-never feeling quite Asian enough, yet never fully white either. In this episode, they share their journeys of self-discovery, the grief and loss woven into adoption and what they've learned about navigating life in between. With candor, depth and the kind of humor only best friends can bring, they also reflect on the adoption process their parents went through and what it all means now. 

This week we reflect on last week's episode where Kerry gave us a realistic viewpoint of the high's and lows of moving abroad and creating a new life. Fresh starts and new journeys can be very daunting and look very different in every story. 

What fresh start are you embarking on this spring?