The Truth that Heals

Guest Info

About Gabriela D. Ayala:

Gabriela is an enterprise consultant, speaker, and author of All the Pills I Swallow. After years of navigating elite academia and corporate roles while managing bipolar disorder behind a "thick mask," she founded KeepBrilliant to help organizations move from "Performance-Induced Blindness" to strategic, neuro-inclusive support.

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: Gabriela D. Ayala (For speaking engagements & professional connections):

TEDx Ensley Ave ED Speech "When the Mind Breaks, Choosing to Stay:

All the Pills I Swallow by Gabriela D. Ayala Amazon

Instagram

Facebook

Threads

Email

Note from Gabriela D. Ayala:

As I mentioned during our conversation, my primary mission through my brand, KeepBrilliant, is to "prevent the break and keep the brilliance" in high-stakes environments. I am a speaker and consultant dedicated to helping high-achieving individuals in business, academia, and K-12 schools navigate the invisible strain of mental health challenges without sacrificing their excellence.

I am currently collecting information and anonymous case studies for my upcoming book, The Hidden Strain. If any of your listeners are high-achieving individuals in high-profile positions who have struggled in silence and would like to share their experiences for this project, I would love to connect with them.

Guest Info

Melissa Duge Spiers is an award-winning essayist, screenwriter, and advocate for topics of religious and narcissistic abuse, utilizing her online platforms (TikTok and Instagram, known as “The Glory Whole”). Her memoir Holy Disobedience: Sex, Sin, and Secrets in the Biggest Church No One Knows won the 2021 Book Pipeline Unpublished Nonfiction Manuscript prize, with excerpts featured in The Huffington Post. Melissa’s writing appears in magazines nationwide, and she’s a contributor to Take the Fruit: An Anthology of Religious Trauma. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from Barnard College at Columbia University and is based in California.

SUBSTACK: https://substack.com/@melissadugespiers

BOOK: https://www.lakedrivebooks.com/books/holy-disobedience/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/the.glory.whole/

TIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@theglorywhole

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/​⁠

Melody Bio:

Melody Post is a cult survivor, advocate, and storyteller. From 1989 to 1994, Melody was a member of the House of Yahweh, a cult based in Abilene, Texas, which she joined with her parents and younger sister. Her experience in the group has shaped her mission to raise awareness about cults and help others heal from similar experiences.

Melody has been happily married to her husband for 29 years, and together they have raised three adult sons. She resides in a cozy cottage on a picturesque lake in northeastern lower Michigan, where she finds peace and inspiration in nature.

As the co-host and producer of the Cultimatum Podcast, Melody partners with Anonymous Andrew to provide a platform for cult and human trafficking survivors to share their stories. Through the podcast, she aims to educate others about the dangers of coercive groups and foster a supportive community for those on their journey to recovery.

Melody brings a wealth of life experience to her advocacy, having worked in a variety of fields, including retail, secretarial work, home healthcare, tool and die, and as a print shop assistant. Her diverse background and compassionate approach make her a relatable voice for those seeking understanding and hope.

Links:

Cultimatum TikTok Link =https://www.tiktok.com/@cultimatumpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZP-97BY4KsacaF

Cultimatum Instagram Link= https://www.instagram.com/cultimatumpodcast?igsh=MXBnNXllYjBtc2hwcg==

Cultimatum Facebook Group = https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1H3XPpdTmG/

Cult Escape & Healing Facebook Group =

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18pkaVfE32/

Dr. Anu Sidhu is a family and lifestyle medicine physician with nearly two decades of experience — and someone who recently made the leap from employed physician to entrepreneur, founding Spring Monarch Primary Care, a direct primary care practice. Driven by a passion for getting to the root cause of illness and helping people truly feel better, she brings that same philosophy to her work as an assistant clinical professor.

Derek is a podcast host, storyteller, and advocate for those navigating life after high-control environments. As co-host of cult.ture, he shares real conversations about what it means to question deeply held beliefs, leave systems of control, and rebuild a sense of self. His work is rooted in lived experience, curiosity, and a commitment to creating space where people feel seen, heard, and understood.

https://cultturepod.podbean.com/

https://www.patreon.com/Cultturepod

https://www.tiktok.com/@cult.ture.pod

https://www.tiktok.com/@cult.ture.pod2

https://www.instagram.com/cult.ture.pod

[email protected]

Heather Engholm is a musician/producer, an avid Trekkie, and mother of two. Growing up in Alaska during the 80s and 90s might seem like an extreme environment, but Heather believes it is one of the things that allowed her to thrive as an undiagnosed autistic girl. - With the support of her adventure-loving parents, she learned resilience, independence, and a deep reverence for nature. These things are also what helped her heal after several abusive relationships and exposure to a religious cult. - Heather currently performs as Häxa, sharing her music and story with a broader audience. Through her music, she aims to inspire and support others, sharing the strength and solace she found in Alaska's wild landscapes.

www.linktr.ee/haxa

Guest Info:

Chananya Abraham is a psychotherapist and coach with nearly two decades of experience helping parents, teens, and families untangle the emotional, generational, and religious patterns they inherited—often without realizing it. He specializes in working with families navigating the quiet weight of generational and religious/spiritual trauma, where values, faith, culture, and expectations collide with real human emotion. With a blend of depth, humor, and straight-talk, he helps families move from guilt, fear, and miscommunication toward clarity, connection, and choice. His work is about preserving what’s meaningful, healing what’s painful, and building homes where values are lived with integrity—not pressure. His goal is simple but ambitious: to help parents and children like each other as much as they love each other.

https://www.cyuahtherapy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sacredresiliencecoach/

Hi, I’m Kate — co-owner of Get Fit 45, personal trainer, cancer survivor, and someone passionate about helping people become stronger mentally and physically. My fight with cancer changed my perspective on life, strength, and resilience, and it’s a big part of why I’m so passionate about fitness and helping others push past their limits. I’m known for keeping things real, bringing positive energy, and creating a supportive environment where people can grow, heal, and build confidence both inside and outside the gym

www.TikTok.com/@Kategetfit45

In this powerful episode, mental health advocate and author Petrona Jacqueline Joseph joins us to break the silence around mental illness. We dive deep into trauma bonds, unsafe attachments, the impact of toxic relationships on our well-being, and the real journey toward healing. Drawing from her books Stigmatized and Unsafe Love, Petrona shares raw insights, personal stories, and practical hope for anyone navigating mental health challenges. If you've ever felt stuck in unhealthy patterns, this conversation will light the way.

Petrona Jacqueline Joseph is a mental health advocate, author, and certified Mental Health First Aider.
Books: Stigmatized | Unsafe Love
Follow her journey: Instagram @iampetronajoseph

In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Trent—known as Trinity—co-host of the cult.ture podcast and a former Jehovah’s Witness. Trent opens up about what life was really like inside the JW community: the social dynamics, control mechanisms, family pressures, and the personal cost of questioning or leaving. We also dive into how he “woke up,” his healing process, and the story behind starting cult.ture with Derek to create space for honest conversations about high-control groups, belief, manipulation, and recovery. This episode is raw, insightful, and hopeful—perfect for anyone navigating faith deconstruction, religious trauma, or simply wanting to understand what it takes to reclaim your life after leaving a high-control environment.cultturepod.podbean.com Subscribe to the cult.ture podcast: Apple Podcasts | Podbean | Spotify (search cult.ture podcast)• Follow cult.ture on Instagram: @cult.ture.pod• Support their work on Patreon: patreon.com/Cultturepod