Silence can look like strength — calm, composure, self-control — but for many of us, it’s actually a trauma response dressed up as maturity.

In this raw, soul-level episode, Jessalynn unpacks the hidden cost of staying quiet to keep the peace — the way silence shapes our bodies, our identities, and our relationships. From childhood conditioning (“children should be seen and not heard”) to the adult habit of shrinking to stay safe, she explores what happens when silence becomes your survival strategy… and how to finally reclaim your voice.

You’ll hear how breaking her own silence opened doors she never imagined — including an upcoming meeting with the NHL about her mental health program Mind in the Game — and how standing up for her daughter became the moment that broke a generational cycle of silence for good.

This is not an episode about shouting to be heard. It’s about learning that silence once protected you, but now it might be what’s keeping you small.

If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation thinking, “I wish I’d said something,” this one will hit you straight in the gut — and remind you that healing doesn’t start with the perfect words. It starts with the courage to make a sound.

⚠️ Trigger Warnings

• Mentions of childhood trauma, foster care, emotional abuse, and suicide (in the context of breaking silence and healing).
• Occasional strong language used for emphasis.

✨ Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Invisible Scars! ✨

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast—it helps us reach more people who need these stories.

💬 Continue the Conversation:
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblescarspodcast/

🔗 Resources & Links:
📖 Explore my e-book on healing from narcissistic abuse → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/store
🎧 Listen to more episodes → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/home

🌟 You are not alone in your healing journey. Keep going. 🌟

What does it really take to rebuild a life after losing the person you thought you’d grow old with? In this raw and deeply honest conversation, Emily Budac returns to Invisible Scars to share her journey beyond grief, moving through shame, and stepping into a new era of self-trust and joy.

We talk about:

• Life after the sudden passing of her husband, Vince, and the evolution from shock to resilience.
• Widowhood and dating again—navigating judgment, shame, and vulnerability in finding love after loss.
• Anger, grief, and the permission to hold contradictory truths (gratitude and heartbreak at once).
• The power of choosing yourself in the small, daily moments (“always choose the red candy”).
• Breaking free from identities that keep us stuck in pain and learning to live fully again.

This episode isn’t just for widows—it’s for anyone who’s ever lost, grieved, or struggled to give themselves permission to live fully. Emily’s story is a powerful reminder that healing isn’t about “moving on”; it’s about carrying both the grief and the joy—and choosing yourself anyway.

⚠️ Trigger Warnings

This episode contains candid discussion of:

• Sudden spousal loss and widowhood.
• Grief and anger toward a deceased partner.
• Funeral experiences and references to viewing a loved one’s body.
• Shame, judgment, and navigating dating after loss.

Listener discretion is advised, particularly for those navigating fresh grief or trauma.

✨ Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Invisible Scars! ✨

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast—it helps us reach more people who need these stories.

💬 Continue the Conversation:
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblescarspodcast/

🔗 Resources & Links:
📖 Explore my e-book on healing from narcissistic abuse → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/store
🎧 Listen to more episodes → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/home

🌟 You are not alone in your healing journey. Keep going. 🌟

Shame has a way of convincing us our mistakes—or the lies told about us—are our identity. In the first episode of this three-part series, I open up about my earliest memory of shame, how survival mode shaped my life, and the pivotal moment I began to shed what I thought defined me. We talk about the heaviness of the world right now, the battles shame pushes us to fight, and why clarity and truth will always cut sharper than shame. This series is about breaking shame open piece by piece—so it no longer owns us.

Next week, we’ll dive into how shame actually lives in the body, and how to begin releasing it.

✨ Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Invisible Scars! ✨

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast—it helps us reach more people who need these stories.

💬 Continue the Conversation:
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblescarspodcast/

🔗 Resources & Links:
📖 Explore my e-book on healing from narcissistic abuse → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/store
🎧 Listen to more episodes → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/home

🌟 You are not alone in your healing journey. Keep going. 🌟

Season 3 of Invisible Scars is here — and it feels different.
After one of the hardest seasons of my life — attacks online, family upheaval, heartbreak, and healing — I’m stepping back to the mic with more clarity and strength than ever before.

This episode is raw, unfiltered, and a little chaotic (as always) as I catch you up on where I’ve been, the lessons I’ve learned, and why this season is shifting into shorter, deeper mini-series. We’re starting with Shame — because if we’re honest, it’s the one thing we all carry and the one thing we hide.

Expect more solo episodes, powerful co-hosts (including NHL players and coaches), and conversations that strip away the noise so we can finally talk about what really matters.

This isn’t just another season — it’s a turning point. Welcome to Season 3.

✨ Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Invisible Scars! ✨

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast—it helps us reach more people who need these stories.

💬 Continue the Conversation:
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblescarspodcast/

🔗 Resources & Links:
📖 Explore my e-book on healing from narcissistic abuse → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/store
🎧 Listen to more episodes → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/home

🌟 You are not alone in your healing journey. Keep going. 🌟

This is not just a story about hockey. It’s a story about surviving what no one sees.

NHL legend Theo Fleury opens up like never before in this unfiltered conversation about childhood sexual abuse, addiction, rage, suicidal ideation, and how trauma nearly took his life—more than once.

He talks about the silence he carried through his entire NHL career, the moment he put a gun in his mouth, and the night he finally surrendered. But this isn’t just a story of pain. It’s about purpose, truth, and radical healing.

Together we unravel:

·       Why unresolved trauma—not addiction—is the real epidemic

·       How anger became his armor—and the ice, his escape

·       What nearly killed him… and what saved his life

·       The truth about Hockey Canada, accountability, and the system that failed so many

·       Why sharing your story is the key to healing—for yourself and the world

Whether you’re a trauma survivor, a parent, a coach, a player, or someone silently suffering—this episode will change you. It’s not an easy listen. But it’s a necessary one.

Listen now. This one matters.

✨ Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Invisible Scars! ✨

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast—it helps us reach more people who need these stories.

💬 Continue the Conversation:
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblescarspodcast/

🔗 Resources & Links:
📖 Explore my e-book on healing from narcissistic abuse → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/store
🎧 Listen to more episodes → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/home

🌟 You are not alone in your healing journey. Keep going. 🌟

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains sensitive content including discussions of sexual assault, power imbalance, and institutional silence.

Hockey culture is at a crossroads—and today, I’m no longer staying quiet.

In this raw and deeply personal solo episode, I speak candidly about the ongoing Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, the shame survivors carry, the text messages and recording being used against EM, and what it’s like to be a woman in a world that protects silence over safety.

As a survivor.
 As a mom.
 As someone who sat in a room with Hockey Canada to pitch a mental wellness program...
 I’m asking: What was I doing bringing something so sacred into a system that set aside money to silence victims?

This episode breaks down:

• Why consent isn’t just about “yes” or “no”—it’s about power, fear, and survival
• What no one tells you about the nervous system in the middle of trauma
• The damage of Hockey Canada’s National Equity Fund payouts
• What this trial says to every girl who loves this game
• And the question every parent must ask: What if this was your daughter?

This isn’t about canceling hockey. It’s about finally protecting everyone in it.

If you’ve ever felt scared, ashamed, or silenced—this one’s for you.

🏒 Share this with someone who needs to hear it. The conversation starts now.

#hockeycanada #metoo #consent #safesport #survivorstories

✨ Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Invisible Scars! ✨

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast—it helps us reach more people who need these stories.

💬 Continue the Conversation:
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblescarspodcast/

🔗 Resources & Links:
📖 Explore my e-book on healing from narcissistic abuse → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/store
🎧 Listen to more episodes → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/home

🌟 You are not alone in your healing journey. Keep going. 🌟

You know that breakup you should be over by now—but you're still spiraling in the “what ifs,” checking their story views, and wondering why you can't let go?
In this soul-shaking episode, I sit down with breakup coach Lucy Price to unpack why letting go is so hard, why “just move on” is absolute garbage advice, and how to actually heal your heart—for real this time.

We talk:

• Why you still think about your ex even when you know it wasn’t right
• How to stop healing just to "win" the breakup
• The science behind the dopamine cycle of “Did they see my story?”
• What it really takes to rebuild confidence after rejection
• And why your breakup might just be your breakthrough

If you’ve ever stayed too long, lost yourself in someone else, or felt like starting over is impossible—this one’s for you.

🔗 Connect with Lucy:

• Instagram: @lucy.m.price
• Website & Coaching: shiftyourstory.net
• Podcast: Breakups & Breakthroughs – Listen on Apple

✨ Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Invisible Scars! ✨

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast—it helps us reach more people who need these stories.

💬 Continue the Conversation:
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblescarspodcast/

🔗 Resources & Links:
📖 Explore my e-book on healing from narcissistic abuse → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/store
🎧 Listen to more episodes → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/home

🌟 You are not alone in your healing journey. Keep going. 🌟

This one's for the strong girls who are bone tired.
For the moms holding it together while their world falls apart.
For the ones who create emotional safety for everyone else—but forget how to give it to themselves.

In this honest and unfiltered solo episode, Jessalynn opens up about what it really feels like to be everyone’s rock while quietly breaking. She shares her daughter’s recent heartbreak, the trauma it’s resurfaced from her own childhood, and the weight of trying to hold a family together through it all.

She also unpacks:

• The wound of believing you have to suffer to be worthy
• What it means to finally stop caring what others think
• The power of not chasing down gossip or trying to control the narrative
• Why your healing doesn’t have to look perfect
• And how it’s okay—more than okay—to fall apart

This is your permission slip to stop proving, stop pretending, and let yourself be human. You’re allowed to break. You’re allowed to be held. And you never had to earn that in the first place.

✨ Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Invisible Scars! ✨

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast—it helps us reach more people who need these stories.

💬 Continue the Conversation:
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblescarspodcast/

🔗 Resources & Links:
📖 Explore my e-book on healing from narcissistic abuse → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/store
🎧 Listen to more episodes → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/home

🌟 You are not alone in your healing journey. Keep going. 🌟

In this deeply moving episode of Invisible Scars, Jessalynn sits down with grief expert and widowed mom coach, Krista St-Germain, to unravel the complex and often misunderstood experience of grief. From the sudden, tragic loss of her husband to building a powerful coaching practice that helps others navigate their own pain, Krista shares how grief is not just about death—it’s about any loss that disrupts our sense of self and safety.

Together, Jessalynn and Krista discuss why the five stages of grief don’t apply to most people, how trauma and grief live in our bodies, and why healing is not about "getting over it"—but learning to live alongside the pain. This conversation will speak to anyone who has felt stuck in their grief, questioned their healing, or struggled with feeling like their pain wasn’t "big enough" to matter.

You’ll learn about tools like tapping, the importance of nervous system regulation, and how connection and community can play a transformative role in the healing process. Whether you’re grieving a person, a past, or a part of yourself—you are not alone, and this episode will leave you feeling seen, supported, and hopeful.

Connect with Krista St-Germain:

• Website: www.coachingwithkrista.com
• Instagram: @lifecoachkrista
• Podcast: The Widowed Mom Podcast — Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

✨ Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Invisible Scars! ✨

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast—it helps us reach more people who need these stories.

💬 Continue the Conversation:
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblescarspodcast/

🔗 Resources & Links:
📖 Explore my e-book on healing from narcissistic abuse → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/store
🎧 Listen to more episodes → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/home

🌟 You are not alone in your healing journey. Keep going. 🌟

This episode is one of the most personal I’ve ever shared.Recently, my daughter and I walked through something incredibly painful in a space that was supposed to be safe. 

When I chose to advocate for her, the response I received from someone in the mental health field was shocking—and honestly, heartbreaking.In this episode, I read that message aloud (without naming names), and share the truth behind it—not to create conflict, but to start a larger conversation about boundaries, community, emotional safety, and what it really means to stand in integrity.
This is not about blame or cancel culture. This is about holding space for truth—especially when it’s hard. Especially when our kids are watching.If you’ve ever spoken up for your child…

 If you’ve ever been told you're “too much”…
 If you've ever felt dismissed, silenced, or shamed for standing your ground…This episode is for you.

⚠️ Content warning: emotional invalidation, power imbalance, and boundary-crossing from a trusted figure.

This isn’t just a story. It’s a wake-up call.

✨ Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Invisible Scars! ✨

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast—it helps us reach more people who need these stories.

💬 Continue the Conversation:
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblescarspodcast/

🔗 Resources & Links:
📖 Explore my e-book on healing from narcissistic abuse → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/store
🎧 Listen to more episodes → https://www.invisiblescarspodcast.com/home

🌟 You are not alone in your healing journey. Keep going. 🌟