The Rant

52 people stayed for an hour on a Monday night with no agenda. That tells me everything I need to know.

Tonight was the first body doubling session I’ve ever done on here. I didn’t know what to expect. I showed up, I was working on something, and I just opened the door. People came in, they got stuff done, they asked questions, we talked. That was it. No structure, no presentation, no performance. Just a room full of people who needed to not be alone while they did the thing they’d been putting off.

We’re doing it again.

What We Talked About

Body doubling — the ADHD and trauma tool that almost nobody talks about out loud. The idea is simple: your brain works better when another person is present. Not because they’re helping you. Just because they’re there. If you’ve ever noticed you can get more done at a coffee shop than at home alone, that’s body doubling. Tonight was that, but with people who actually get it.

Substack growth — a few people asked how I’ve built this thing. The honest answer is I just showed up and wrote what was true. No strategy, no hacks. I also talked about collaborations — how I approach them with the mindset of wanting to help the other person grow, not just get exposure for myself. Every collab I’ve done that way has come back around. The energy you bring to it matters.

Restacking and community — something that genuinely bothers me: writers who only post their own stuff and never share anyone else’s work. If you’re building a community, act like it. Restack things that hit you. Comment. Like. Don’t be a ghost. The people who show up for others are the ones who build something real.

What’s coming — every Saturday morning I’m doing Coffee with Cody for paid subscribers. One hour. We go deeper — into essays, into conversations I won’t have publicly, into whatever is real that week. Sometimes I’ll bring someone on. Sometimes it’ll just be us. The first one already happened and it was exactly what I hoped it would be.

The free stuff stays free. Always. If you’re in crisis or you just can’t afford it, the essays and the tools are there and they’re not going anywhere. But if the paid tier adds value to you, I’d ask you to look at it. And if you’ve got a friend who needs this, bring them — you both get 50% off.

What’s Next

I’m not going to let this thing stay the same. A year from now I want Kill The Silence to be something different than it is today — bigger, deeper, more connected. That only happens if you’re in it with me.

So come back. Bring somebody. Hit me up if you need anything.

See you Saturday.

— Cody

Kill The Silence

Thank you Megan Against Injustice, RN, Omixintel, Mary Dee, My Own Miracle, Pamela Heeke, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit killthesilenceofficial.substack.com/subscribe

I went live on a Sunday with no script and no topic. Just an open room and whoever wanted to sit in it. 40 people showed up, and we talked for 45 minutes about the stuff most people only think about at two in the morning and never say out loud.

People dialed in from San Antonio, San Diego, Miami, Louisiana, Costa Rica, West Africa, and right here in Detroit. Some of them said straight out that they don’t have a single person in their day to day who actually understands what they’ve lived through. For 45 minutes, they weren’t the only one in the room.

These lives are free, and there will be a lot more of them. Bring your coffee, your questions, or nothing at all and just listen. If you’ve been reading from a distance, this is how you stop being on the outside of it.

This is the recording. Here’s roughly where everything happened.

In this one:

[01:35] What the Survivor Circle is, and why I started doing these lives

[08:57] My story, the short version. Getting sober, the therapist who turned predator, the lawsuit I’m still in

[11:55] Why isolation is the whole point of abuse, and what it actually means to hold space for someone

[14:10] “How bad does it have to get before I’m allowed to do something?” The wrong question, and the one to ask instead

[19:30] What keeps me going, and why I’ll take inspiration over pity every time

[22:40] Staying sober through the worst stretch of my life

[27:00] Where everybody was calling in from

[29:40] Why it feels like narcissism is everywhere now

[31:00] The Rant, standup, and how I make all of this by myself

The free work isn’t going anywhere. New essay every week, free, same as always. These open lives are part of that. The deeper version, Coffee with Cody, runs every Saturday inside the Survivor Circle.

Come to the next one. Get in the room.

— Cody Taymore

Kill The Silence

Thank you 💨Ashley Schmitt🫟™️, Dr Vicki Connop, Megan Against Injustice, RN, Renata Rads, Jamie Lee, Kathy Dirickson, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit killthesilenceofficial.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit killthesilenceofficial.substack.com

This is the first Coffee with Cody.

It is the start of a weekly room where we sit down together, coffee in hand, and talk like actual people. No stage, no expert up front. Just me and whoever shows up.

In this first one I got into why I built this, and where Kill The Silence actually came from. I started it when I was suffering in silence, barely getting …

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit killthesilenceofficial.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you for tuning in!

Get full access to Kill The Silence at killthesilenceofficial.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you Christopher Carazas, Jackie Sawiris, Kristen Brown, krilltazz, Liz Bishop, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit killthesilenceofficial.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit killthesilenceofficial.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Kill The Silence at killthesilenceofficial.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit killthesilenceofficial.substack.com/subscribe

Launching “The Rant”: A New Comedy Podcast and the Power of VulnerabilityThe host shares that this episode of the Kill the Silence podcast is also being posted for subscribers who may miss emailed articles, and announces a new, free comedy podcast called The Rant, described as an unstructured comedy exercise built around ranting to develop material for stage. He reflects on stepping away from performing for 1.5–2 years due to being fired, his best friend’s death, and an ongoing lawsuit alleging a therapist blackmailed and extorted him, insisting he won’t live scared or censor himself because he’s telling the truth and seeks justice and accountability. He discusses growing Kill the Silence on Substack to 4,100 subscribers and 7,500 followers by practicing “brutal vulnerability” and writing about struggles, manipulation, healing, and aligning with one’s own values rather than pleasing others, then asks listeners to subscribe and share The Rant as he heads to Ohio for work.00:00 Welcome and Updates00:29 Life Upheaval and Lawsuit02:41 Starting The Rant Podcast03:38 Comedy Mindset and Freedom04:21 Why Comedy Stays Free04:48 Kill the Silence Growth05:35 Substack Strategy Honesty06:36 Values and Creating Anyway08:19 Subscribe and Closing

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit killthesilenceofficial.substack.com/subscribe