What happens when the survival skills that once protected you begin preventing you from living authentically?

In this powerful episode of the Self-Aware & F**ked Up Podcast, Sandtrice Russell (Tree the LPC) sits down with Marcia Blane for a candid conversation about trauma bonds, people-pleasing, imposter syndrome, and the difficult journey of learning to live as your authentic self.

Marcia shares her experiences of navigating relationships shaped by trauma, the pressure to constantly meet the expectations of others, and the emotional toll of seeking validation outside of herself. Together, she and Sandtrice unpack how trauma bonds can keep us connected to unhealthy patterns, why people-pleasing often develops as a survival strategy, and how imposter syndrome can leave even the most accomplished individuals questioning their worth.

This episode explores the process of recognizing when old coping mechanisms are no longer serving you and finding the courage to break free from cycles of self-abandonment. Marcia opens up about the challenges of setting boundaries, trusting herself, and embracing authenticity after years of prioritizing everyone else’s needs over her own.

Through vulnerability, self-reflection, and practical insight, Sandtrice and Marcia discuss what healing looks like when you stop performing for acceptance and start showing up as your whole self.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Understanding and breaking free from trauma bonds•
• The roots of people-pleasing behaviors
• How trauma impacts self-worth and relationships
• Overcoming imposter syndrome
• Learning to trust yourself and your decisions
• Setting healthy boundaries without guilt
• Reclaiming your identity and living authentically
• Healing from the need for external validation

If you’ve ever struggled to say no, questioned whether you’re “good enough,” or found yourself trapped in unhealthy relationship patterns, this episode offers an honest look at what it takes to stop surviving and start living authentically.

Because healing isn’t about becoming someone new, it’s about unlearning who you had to be to survive.

#MarciaBlane #TraumaBonds #PeoplePleasing #ImposterSyndrome #AuthenticLiving #MentalHealthPodcast #HealingJourney #SelfWorth #BoundarySetting #TraumaRecovery #PersonalGrowth #TherapyTalk #MentalHealthMatters #EmotionalWellness #SelfAwareness #WomenHealing #BreakTheCycle #liveauthentically

Connect with Marcia:

Website: www.marciablane.com

Website: www.peculiar1.com

IG: www.instagram.com/authenticallypeculiarmarciab

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@peculiar1mrb

To purchase the Minding my Own Mental Health Journal and other Unique Destiny Merch visit UniqueDestiny.org/shop

Twenty years ago, on July 1, 2006, Sandtrice D. Russell (Tree the LPC) lost the woman who wasn’t just her great-grandmother. She lost the woman who raised her, loved her, and shaped the person she would become.

In this deeply personal solo episode of the Self Aware & F**ked Up Podcast, Sandtrice opens her heart to share the story of navigating one of the most profound losses of her life. Through raw storytelling and a therapist’s perspective, she reflects on how grief has transformed over the past two decades, the ways it continues to show up in unexpected moments, and what healing has truly looked like.

Using the stages of grief as a framework, Sandtrice explores the emotions of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance while also discussing the parts of grief that often go unspoken: anniversary grief, identity loss, attachment, and learning to carry love after loss.

Whether you’re grieving the death of a parent, grandparent, spouse, friend, or anyone who has left an imprint on your heart, this episode is a reminder that healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means finding a way to honor your love while continuing to live a meaningful life.

If you’ve ever wondered why grief still feels present years later, or questioned whether you’re “doing it right,” this conversation is for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why grief isn’t a linear process

• How loss changes your identity and relationships
• Healthy ways to honor loved ones on anniversaries and milestones
• Why healing and missing someone can coexist
• Lessons Sandtrice has learned 20 years after losing the woman who raised her,

This episode is dedicated to Sandtrice’s great-grandmother, whose love continues to live on through every life she touches.

If this episode resonates with you, share it with someone navigating grief and leave a review to help others find this conversation.

#GriefJourney #StagesOfGrief #GriefHealing #LifeAfterLoss #MentalHealthPodcast #SelfAwareAndFckedUp #TreeTheLPC #Therapy #HealingAfterLoss #Bereavement #GriefSupport #EmotionalWellness #TraumaHealing #MentalHealthAwareness #podcastforhealing

Connect with Tree:

Website: www.uniquedestiny.org

Website: www.mindingmyownmentalhealth.com

FB: www.facebook.com/treethelpc

IG: www.instagram.com/treethelpc

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@treethelpc

To purchase the Minding my Own Mental Health Journal and other Unique DestinyMerch visit UniqueDestiny.org/shop

In this powerful episode of The Self Aware & Fucked Up Podcast, host Sandtrice Russell (Tree the LPC) sits down withcareer coach, speaker, and community advocate Chrysta Bairre for a deeply honest conversation about community care, asking for help, and her journey of being diagnosed with autism as an adult.

Chrysta shares the life-changing experience of discoveringshe is autistic later in life and how that diagnosis helped her make sense of years of feeling different, struggling to navigate expectations, and wondering why certain aspects of life seemed harder for her than they appeared to be for others. She opens up about the challenges of growing up undiagnosed, the impact of not having advocacy or support from the adults in her life, and the emotional process of reframing her past through a new lens of understanding andself-compassion.

Together, Sandtrice and Chrysta explore the grief, relief,validation, and empowerment that can accompany a late diagnosis. They discuss masking, burnout, self-acceptance, and the importance of creating supportive communities where people can show up authentically rather than constantly adapting themselves to meet others’ expectations.

The conversation also dives into why asking for help canfeel so difficult, especially for those who have spent much of their lives believing they had to navigate challenges alone. Through discussions of vulnerability, interdependence, and community care, Chrysta highlights how healing often happens in connection with others instead of isolation.

If you’ve ever felt misunderstood, struggled to ask forsupport, questioned why you experience the world differently, or are navigating your own journey of self-discovery, this episode offers insight, validation,and hope.

Tune in for an authentic conversation about autism,self-awareness, community care, healing, and the freedom that comes from finally understanding yourself.

#ChrystaBairre #AutismAcceptance #Neurodiversity#AutisticAdults #CommunityCare #MentalHealth #SelfAwareness #HealingJourney#AskForHelp #BurnoutRecovery #Neurodivergent #PersonalGrowth #SelfDiscovery#MentalWellness #Authenticity #WomenWithAutism #AdultAutismDiagnosis

Connect with Chrysta:

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrysta.bairre
Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiveLoveWork
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrystabairre/
Website: https://www.liveandlovework.com

To purchase the Minding my Own Mental Health Journal and other Unique Destiny Merch visit UniqueDestiny.org/shop

In this deeply personal Pride Month episode of the SelfAware & F**ked Up Podcast, Sandtrice Russell shares her journey of coming out in her 20s while struggling to reconcile her identity with religion, shame, fear, and societal expectations.

Tree opens up about the emotional conflict of knowing whoshe was while also battling messages that made her question whether she could be both loved and accepted as a queer woman. She discusses the impact religion and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric had on her mental health, self-worth, relationships,and healing journey—and what it took to finally choose authenticity over fear.

This episode explores the importance of Pride celebrations,LGBTQ+ visibility, self-acceptance, and creating space for people whose coming-out journeys were complicated by faith, family expectations, and internalized shame. Tree also shares reflections on marriage, queer love, healing, and howcurrent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric continue to emotionally impact many people within the community.

Through vulnerability, honesty, humor, and reflection, Treecreates a conversation for anyone who has ever felt torn between who they are and who they were taught they were supposed to be.

Whether you are navigating your own identity journey,healing from religious conditioning, supporting someone you love, or learning to embrace yourself more fully, this episode is a reminder that authenticityand healing can coexist.

#PrideMonth #ComingOutStory #LGBTQPodcast#ReligiousTrauma #TreeTheLPC #SelfAwareAndFckedUp #QueerHealing#BlackQueerVoices #MentalHealthPodcast #Authenticity #LGBTQMentalHealth#LesbianVisibility #HealingJourney

Connect with Tree:

Website:www.uniquedestiny.org

Website:www.mindingmyownmentalhealth.com

FB:www.facebook.com/treethelpc

IG:www.instagram.com/treethelpc

TikTok:www.tiktok.com/@treethelpc

To purchase the Minding my Own Mental Health Journal and other Unique DestinyMerch visit UniqueDestiny.org/shop

What happens when life falls apart, and you’re forced to rediscover who you are?

In this powerful episode of The Self Aware & FuckedUp Podcast, host Sandtrice Russell (Tree the LPC) sits down with Naomi Kreske, mindset and confidence coach, to explore the journey from survival mode to self-discovery.

Naomi shares her personal story of navigating divorce, rebuilding her life, and learning how to stop merely surviving and start thriving. Together, Sandtrice and Naomi unpack the realities of self-awareness, healing from past wounds, overcoming self-doubt, and the uncomfortable but necessary work of letting go of toxic patterns and relationships. They also discuss manifestation, mindset shifts, and why true transformation requires more than positive thinking. It requires courage, intentional action, and a willingness to keep finding yourself.

This conversation is for anyone who feels stuck, disconnected, overwhelmed, or like they’re standing at a crossroads, wondering what comes next. If you’re learning to trust yourself, reclaim your voice, and create a life that feels aligned with who you truly are, this episode will leave you with plenty of “aha” moments and practical inspiration.

Tune in for an honest conversation about healing, self-awareness, resilience, and the lifelong journey of becoming yourself.

#SelfAwareAndFckedUpPodcast #TreeTheLPC #NaomiKreske#SelfAwareness #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShift #HealingJourney #WomenEmpowerment#Manifestation #LawOfAttraction #MentalHealthPodcast #LifeCoaching#ThrivingNotSurviving #KeepFindingYou

Connect with Naomi:

Website:www.keepfindingyou.com

FB:Facebook

IG:www.instagram.com/keepfindingu 

To purchase the Minding my Own Mental Health Journal and other Unique Destiny Merch, visit UniqueDestiny.org/shop

In this raw and deeply personal solo episode of Self Aware & F**ked Up, Sandtrice Russell (Tree the LPC) opens up about the complicated reality of learning to forgive without ever receiving the apology she deserved.

Sandtrice explores the lasting emotional impact of growingup with parents struggling with addiction and how childhood experiences shaped her understanding of love, safety, trust, abandonment, and emotional survival. From carrying resentment and unresolved pain to navigating grief for theparents she needed but didn’t always have, this episode dives into the messy space between accountability, healing, and acceptance.

Through honest reflection, Sandtrice discusses how waitingfor apologies, validation, or changed behavior can keep people emotionally trapped and how forgiveness became less about excusing harm and more about reclaiming her own peace.

This episode is not about pretending the pain didn’t happen.It’s about acknowledging the damage, processing the anger, and making the difficult decision not to let unresolved hurt continue controlling your mental and emotional well-being.

If you’ve ever struggled with family trauma, addiction inthe home, emotional wounds from childhood, or the weight of carrying hurt that was never acknowledged, this conversation will remind you that forgiveness is not weakness, it’s freedom.

Trigger Warning: Discussions of childhood trauma, addiction,emotional neglect, and family dysfunction.

#SelfAwareAndFckedUp #Forgiveness #HealingWithoutAnApology#AddictionAndTrauma #MentalHealthPodcast #ChildhoodTrauma #EmotionalHealing#FamilyTrauma #SelfAwareness #TreeTheLPC

Connect with Tree:

Website:www.uniquedestiny.org

Website:www.mindingmyownmentalhealth.com

FB:www.facebook.com/treethelpc

IG:www.instagram.com/treethelpc

TikTok:www.tiktok.com/@treethelpc

To purchase the Minding my Own Mental Health Journal and other Unique DestinyMerch visit UniqueDestiny.org/shop

In this powerful episode of the Self Aware & F**cked Up Podcast, host Sandtrice Russell (Tree the LPC) sits down withElona Washington, for a raw and deeply honest conversation about childhood trauma, survival, identity, and healing.

Elona opens up about growing up with unresolved childhoodwounds despite being raised by highly accomplished Ivy League parents, navigating years as an exotic dancer during college, and later discovering that her trauma ran far deeper than she realized after being diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

Together, Sandtrice and Elona explore the impact of complex trauma, emotional neglect, dissociation, self-awareness,shame, healing journeys, and what it really means to reclaim your life after surviving difficult experiences.

This episode of the Self Aware & F**ked Up Podcast dives into mental health, trauma recovery, therapy, self-discovery, identity, resilience, and breaking generational cycles.

If you’ve ever struggled with childhood trauma, emotional pain, people-pleasing, identity confusion, or learning how to heal while still feeling “f**ked up,” this conversation will resonate deeply.

Subscribe to the Self Aware & F**ked Up Podcast forhonest conversations about mental health, trauma, healing, relationships, self-awareness, and navigating life after difficult experiences.

Connect with Elona:

Website:www.theauthorsjourney.co

FB:www.facebook.com/elonawashington/

IG:www.instagram.com/elonawashington

To purchase the Minding my Own Mental Health Journal and other Unique Destiny Merch visit UniqueDestiny.org/shop

#MentalHealthPodcast #TraumaHealing #ChildhoodTrauma#DIDAwareness #DissociativeIdentityDisorder #HealingJourney #ComplexTrauma#GenerationalTrauma #SurvivorStory

In this deeply personal episode of Self Aware & F**ked Up, Sandtrice Russell (Tree the LPC) opens up about her journey of confronting and reprocessing childhood emotional and physical abuse through EMDR therapy.

For years, survival looked like strength. Functioning looked like healing. But underneath the self-awareness, accomplishments, and ability to “keep it together” were unresolved wounds, trauma responses, and a nervous system stuck in survival mode.

Tree shares what led her to EMDR, what the process actually felt like, and the difficult realities of revisiting painful childhood memories in order to finally process them differently. From uncovering core beliefs shaped by abuse to learning how trauma lives in the body, this episode explores the messy, exhausting, freeing process of healing beyond intellectual understanding.

This isn’t a polished story about “overcoming trauma.” It’s an honest conversation about what happens when you stop avoiding the pain and start reprocessing it.

If you’ve ever struggled with childhood trauma,emotional triggers, hyper-independence, people-pleasing, or feeling emotionally stuck despite being self-aware, this episode will remind you that healing ispossible—even when it’s uncomfortable.

Trigger Warning: Discussions of childhood emotional and physical abuse.

#SelfAwareAndFckedUp #EMDRTherapy#ChildhoodTrauma #MentalHealthPodcast #TraumaHealing #SelfAwareness#EMDRHealing #TherapyJourney #HealingFromTrauma

Connect with Tree:

Website:www.uniquedestiny.org

Website:www.mindingmyownmentalhealth.com

FB:www.facebook.com/treethelpc

IG:www.instagram.com/treethelpc

TikTok:www.tiktok.com/@treethelpc

To purchase the Minding my Own Mental Health Journal and other Unique Destiny Merch visit UniqueDestiny.org/shop

In this episode of The Self Aware & F**ked Up Podcast,host Tree the LPC gets real about her personal experience with depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)—a form of depression that comes and goes with the seasons. Tree shares how she first recognized the signs in her own life,what it feels like to live through seasonal depression, and why so many people quietly struggle with it without even realizing it has a name.

With her signature mix of humor and honesty, Tree breaksdown the causes of SAD, from shorter days and lack of sunlight to shifts in brain chemistry. She also highlights the common signs and symptoms to watch for, including low energy, oversleeping, mood changes, and carb cravings thatgo way beyond “winter blues.” Most importantly, Tree shares practical treatment options and coping skills—from light therapy and routine-building to grounding practices, social connection, and her own real-life hacks for surviving thedark months.

If you’ve ever noticed your mood drop when the seasons change, or wondered why you feel “off” every winter, this episode will help you put the pieces together and remind you that you’re not alone in the struggle.

Connect with Tree

Website: www.uniquedestiny.org

Website: www.mindingmyownmentalhealth.com

FB: www.facebook.com/treethelpc

IG: www.instagram.com/treethelpc

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@treethelpc

To purchase the Minding my Own Mental HealthJournal and other Unique Destiny Merch visit UniqueDestiny.org/shop

 This podcast is not a substitute for therapy.

#SeasonalAffectiveDisorder #SADAwareness #SeasonalDepression #WinterDepression #SeasonalMoodDisorder

In this episode of The Self Aware & F**ked Up Podcast, host Sandtrice Russell (Tree the LPC) gets raw and unfiltered about her personal journey with EMDR therapy and the emotional challenges that come with healing. She shares what it’s really like to sit in the therapy chair, the breakthroughs and breakdowns along the way, and how self-awareness doesn’t mean you’ve got it all figured out.

Tree explores one of the most personal chapters of herhealing journey—navigating grief after losing her father and how EMDR therapy has been helping her process the weight of it all. She breaks down what EMDR actually feels like, from the awkward eye movements to the unexpected waves of emotion that come up when your brain finally lets old memories resurface.

With her signature mix of humor and honesty, she shares the messy reality of working through trauma and grief while still trying to live, love, and not completely lose your shit.

This episode is part raw reflection, part inside look attrauma therapy, and part love letter to anyone who’s lost someone and wondered how the hell you’re supposed to heal. Tree reminds listeners that self-awareness doesn’t erase pain—it just gives you new ways to face it.

In this episode, Tree shares:• What EMDR therapy is and how it works in real life• Her journey of processing the grief of losing her father• The breakthroughs, resistance, and “WTF moments” that come with trauma work• How being both a therapist and a grieving daughter shaped her healing processes• The reminder that healing is never linear, and it’s okay to still feel f**ked up sometimes

If you’ve been curious about EMDR, coping with grief, or simply navigating the messy space between healing and hurting, this episode offers raw truth, relatability, and hope.Connect with Tree

Website: www.uniquedestiny.org

Website: www.mindingmyownmentalhealth.com

FB: www.facebook.com/treethelpc

IG: www.instagram.com/treethelpc

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@treethelpc

To purchase the Minding my Own Mental HealthJournal and other Unique Destiny Merch visit UniqueDestiny.org/shop

This podcast is not a substitute for therapy.

#EMDRTherapy #TraumaTherapy #InnerHealing #TraumaRecovery #TherapyJourney#GriefJourney #HealingAfterLoss #GriefAndHealing #LifeAfterLoss #GriefSupport