Traumatically Speaking

Trigger Warnings: Suicidal ideation, depression.

Episode 39: To Be Continued…

We said we'd keep it real with you, so here it is.

In this episode of Traumatically Speaking, Sloan and Lex sit down with the Chaos Cousins to explain why we've been missing. The last couple of months have been hard on our mental health, and this episode is an honest conversation about depression, suicidal ideation, and what it's like to hit a wall you can't joke your way over. We're not wrapping it up neatly, because it isn't neat. We're just telling you the truth.

We're also telling you that we're going on hiatus until January 2027. We're taking the time to rest, get support, and come back better instead of half-showing up. We're hoping to be back in January and ready to keep this thing going.

We love you, Chaos Cousins. The care, patience, and love you've kept showing us through all of this means more than we can say. Thank you for sticking around.

If you're struggling, you don't have to wait it out alone:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7: call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org
• Crisis Text Line, 24/7: text HOME to 741741
• The Trevor Project, for LGBTQ+ young people, 24/7: 1-866-488-7386, or text 678-678

Listen, follow, and subscribe to Traumatically Speaking:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@traumaticallyspeaking
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@traumaticallyspeaking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traumaticallyspeaking
All other links: https://beacons.ai/traumaticallyspeaking

Dark Humor Is Always Included.

Want a chance to have your story shared on the pod?
Email us: [email protected]

Remember: write it like a story — bullet points don't flow — and send it as a .pdf if ya nasty.

We support and encourage therapy. If you are looking for a licensed therapist visit:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions.

okay love you bye,
Sloan & Lex

Hi, Chaos Cousins. We owe you an apology.

There was no new episode last Tuesday, and we didn't tell you that until now. This month has been rough on the mental health front, and we just didn't have it in us to record. That's the honest reason. It's not an excuse for leaving you hanging like our mom did. Apparently this is “The Apple Didn't Fall Far From the Tree” month. We're working on it, and we're sorry.

While we get ourselves back together, we're bringing back one of your favorites. This week is a relisten of Episode 9: The FAQs We Give, which first dropped on February 24, 2026. In it, Sloan and Lex answer the questions you sent in, so this is really your episode anyway.

Thank you for sticking with us, for giving us grace, and for being the kind of community that makes it okay to say "this month kicked our ass." We love you, and we'll be back soon.

Listen, follow, and subscribe to Traumatically Speaking:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@traumaticallyspeaking
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@traumaticallyspeaking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traumaticallyspeaking
All other links: https://beacons.ai/traumaticallyspeaking

Dark Humor Is Always Included.

Want a chance to have your story shared on the pod?
Email us: [email protected]

Remember: write it like a story — bullet points don't flow — and send it as a .pdf if ya nasty.

We support and encourage therapy. If you are looking for a licensed therapist visit:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions.

okay love you bye,
Sloan & Lex

Trigger Warnings: Domestic violence, emotional and psychological abuse, pregnancy loss, infidelity, and substance abuse.

Episode 37: From Sloan's Archives: I Do, I Did, I'm Done

Fair warning: the joke at the top of this one about getting left didn't age well.

This week on Traumatically Speaking, we're pulling something from Sloan's archives. In 2023, Sloan filmed a get ready with me video for her YouTube channel, and while she did her makeup, she talked about her experience with domestic violence while married to her ex-wife. Now it's on the pod. Last episode, we talked about how abuse in queer relationships gets missed, minimized, and dismissed. This time, it's one survivor's story in her own words, about a same-sex marriage that looked like a love story from the outside and felt very different from the inside.

Some things have changed since this was recorded. The story hasn't.

Resources:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24/7: 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, thehotline.org
• The Network/La Red, 24-hour hotline for LGBTQ+ survivors of partner abuse (English and Spanish): 800-832-1901, tnlr.org
• The Trevor Project, for LGBTQ+ young people, 24/7: 1-866-488-7386, or text 678-678
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988

Listen, follow, and subscribe to Traumatically Speaking:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@traumaticallyspeaking
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@traumaticallyspeaking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traumaticallyspeaking
All other links: https://beacons.ai/traumaticallyspeaking

Dark Humor Is Always Included.

Want a chance to have your story shared on the pod?
Email us: [email protected]

Remember: write it like a story — bullet points don't flow — and send it as a .pdf if ya nasty.

We support and encourage therapy. If you are looking for a licensed therapist visit:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions.

okay love you bye,
Sloan & Lex

Trigger Warnings: Domestic violence, emotional and psychological abuse, coercive control, outing, homophobia, transphobia.

Episode 36: Love is Love, but Abuse is Abuse

What does a lesbian bring on a second date? We all know the punchline, and that's part of the problem.

In this episode of Traumatically Speaking, Sloan and Lex kick off our Domestic Violence Awareness Month series with the part of the conversation that usually gets left out: abuse in queer relationships. We walk through how it often starts, from love bombing that blends right into the jokes we already tell about ourselves, to isolation inside small queer communities, to abusers using outing, homophobia, and transphobia as tools of control. We also dig into why it's so hard to recognize, and why survivors are so often dismissed when they speak up.

Research shows that same-sex abuse is rated as less serious, that the cops are more likely to arrest both partners, and that credibility can depend on whether your relationship looks like the straight version of the story.

As a domestic violence survivor herself, Sloan brings her own perspective to a conversation that hits close to home. With our signature dark humor, we make room for the myths, the stereotypes, and the uncomfortable truths, and for laughing where it feels right.

Next episode, we take on the question every survivor gets asked: why do we stay?

Resources:

• ​National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24/7: 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, thehotline.org
• ​The Network/La Red, 24-hour hotline for LGBTQ+ survivors of partner abuse (English and Spanish): 800-832-1901, tnlr.org
• ​The Trevor Project, for LGBTQ+ young people, 24/7: 1-866-488-7386, or text 678-678
• ​988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988

L isten, follow, and subscribe to Traumatically Speaking:YouTube: https://youtube.com/@traumaticallyspeaking

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@traumaticallyspeaking

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traumaticallyspeaking

All other links: https://beacons.ai/traumaticallyspeaking

Dark Humor Is Always Included.

Want a chance to have your story shared on the pod?Email us: [email protected]

Remember: write it like a story — bullet points don't flow — and send it as a .pdf if ya nasty.

We support and encourage therapy. If you are looking for a licensed therapist visit:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions.

okay love you bye,

Sloan & Lex

Trigger warnings: suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self harm, depression, and mental health crisis.

In Episode 35 of Traumatically Speaking, Sloan and Lex are joined by their friend Aly Falshaw, aka Mini Body Builder, for an honest conversation about her experience with suicidal ideation and a suicide attempt that she survived.

Aly shares her story openly and talks about what it was like to reach that point, what happened afterward, and what it means to still be here. This is a conversation about survival, vulnerability, and finding reasons to keep going when staying feels impossible.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 anywhere in the United States. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline online. If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Want a chance to have your story shared on the pod?Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Remember: write it like a story — bullet points don’t flow — and send it as a .pdf if ya nasty.

We support and encourage therapy. If you are looking for a licensed therapist visit:https://https//www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions.

Follow Aly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aly.fosho?stkn=bmw0cGRsM3QyMTUz

okay love you bye,

Sloan & Lex

Episode 34 of Traumatically Speaking is all about the Chaos Cousins.

Sloan and Lex are sharing a few of your stories, reacting to the chaos, and doing what they do best: laughing through the trauma.

A little loosey goosey. A little unhinged. Just some Chaos Cousin stories.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 anywhere in the United States. If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Want a chance to have your story shared on the pod?
Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Remember: write it like a story — bullet points don’t flow — and send it as a .pdf if ya nasty.

We support and encourage therapy. If you are looking for a licensed therapist visit:
https://https//www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions.

okay love you bye,
Sloan & Lex

Trigger warnings: suicide, suicidal ideation, mental health, narcissistic abuse, and family trauma.

Episode 33 of Traumatically Speaking, “Stupid Reasons to Stay,” is a loosey goosey conversation where Sloan and Lex get painfully honest about the ridiculous, complicated, sometimes completely irrational reasons they have chosen to stay alive.

From not wanting to give their mother another opportunity to turn their death into narcissistic sympathy, to the tiny inconveniences, responsibilities, people, pets, and random thoughts that somehow become reasons to keep going, Sloan and Lex unpack the strange places survival can show up.

Because sometimes the reason you stay is not some beautiful revelation about the meaning of life. Sometimes it is spite. Sometimes it is your dog. Sometimes it is unfinished business. And sometimes it is simply, “Absolutely fucking not. I refuse to let them have that.”

This episode is not about romanticizing suicidal thoughts. It is about being honest about what survival can actually look like when someone is struggling. Sometimes staying alive starts with whatever reason you can find today.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 anywhere in the United States. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline online. If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Want a chance to have your story shared on the pod?Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Remember: write it like a story — bullet points don’t flow — and send it as a .pdf if ya nasty.

We support and encourage therapy. If you are looking for a licensed therapist visit:https://https//www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions.

okay love you bye,

Sloan & Lex

Trigger warnings: suicide, suicidal ideation, mental health, and crisis intervention.

Episode 32 of Traumatically Speaking, “Are You Really Okay?”, is a conversation about what it means to check in with the people we love intentionally, honestly, and without waiting for them to ask for help first.

Sloan and Lex talk about why asking someone if they are suicidal does not put the idea in their head, how to actually have that conversation, and what to do if someone tells you they are thinking about suicide. They discuss listening without judgment, taking someone seriously, staying present, and knowing when it is time to bring in additional support.

Because sometimes “Are you okay?” is not enough. Sometimes we need to be willing to ask the harder question and be prepared to stay for the answer.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out for immediate support. You do not have to wait until you're at your worst to ask for help.

United States: Call or text 988

United Kingdom: Samaritans — 116 123

Canada: Talk Suicide Canada — 1-833-456-4566

Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14

New Zealand: 1737

Other countries: Find A Helpline for local crisis resources.

If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department.

Want a chance to have your story shared on the pod?Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Remember: write it like a story — bullet points don’t flow — and send it as a .pdf if ya nasty.

We support and encourage therapy. If you are looking for a licensed therapist visit:https://https//www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions.

okay love you bye,

Sloan & Lex

Trigger warnings: suicide, suicidal ideation, trauma, depression, hopelessness, and mental health struggles.

Biz Nasty: While you're here, go check out our REBRAND + NEW MERCH! We gave Traumatically Speaking a little glow-up, and our Chaos Cousins deserve to wear the trauma in style.

Go check out the new look and grab your favorites before we inevitably change our minds again.
https://traumatically-speaking-co.myshopify.com/

Episode 30 of Traumatically Speaking, Suicide Doesn't Look Like Suicide, is one of those conversations that gets uncomfortable for a reason.

Sometimes suicidal ideation doesn't look like someone sitting around planning to die. Sometimes it looks like quietly thinking, "If this doesn't work out, I can always just kill myself." It can become an escape hatch. A backup plan. A thought that sits quietly in the background while you keep going to work, making plans, laughing with your friends, and living what looks like a completely normal life.

In this episode, Sloan and Lex talk about what happens when that thought becomes a familiar coping mechanism—and what it means when you eventually realize you don't actually want to die anymore, but you also never learned what to do when life gets hard.

Because surviving isn't the same thing as knowing how to live.

They unpack the ways trauma can teach us to see death as an option when we feel trapped, overwhelmed, rejected, or like we've run out of ways forward. They talk about the difference between wanting your life to end and desperately wanting the pain you're experiencing to end, and why those thoughts deserve to be taken seriously even when someone doesn't "look suicidal."

This isn't a conversation about attention-seeking or dramatic moments. It's about the quiet thoughts people don't always tell anyone about. The "I could just disappear" thoughts. The "If everything falls apart, I have an out" thoughts. The thoughts that can become so normalized that you don't even realize how much space they've been taking up in your life.

And then comes the harder question:

What do you do when you don't want to die anymore—but you never learned how to handle life without death sitting in the back of your mind as an escape plan?

Sloan and Lex get honest about the messy process of learning new coping mechanisms, sitting with discomfort, asking for help, and figuring out how to keep choosing life when life isn't particularly fucking easy.

If you've ever thought, "I don't want to die. I just don't know how to do this anymore," this conversation is for you.

We aren't here to give you a perfect recovery story. We're here to remind you that sometimes healing looks like realizing the thing you once used as an escape doesn't have to be your escape anymore.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out for immediate support. You do not have to wait until you're at your worst to ask for help.

United States: Call or text 988
United Kingdom: Samaritans — 116 123
Canada: Talk Suicide Canada — 1-833-456-4566
Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14
New Zealand: 1737
Other countries: Find A Helpline for local crisis resources.

If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department..

We support and encourage therapy. If you're looking for a licensed therapist, visit:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions. Make Megan PROUD.

Watch us on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@TraumaticallySpeaking

Want a chance to have your story shared on the pod?
Email us: [email protected]

Remember: write it like a story — bullet points don't flow — and send it as a .pdf if ya nasty.

okay love you bye,
Sloan & Lex

This Bonus Episode of Traumatically Speaking is exactly what happens when Sloan and Lex sit down with no agenda and too many thoughts. This week, they dive into their latest hyperfixations, share hot takes, and inevitably end up down a dozen different rabbit holes.

Whether you’re here for the pop culture chatter, the chaotic conversations, or just want to feel like you’re hanging out with two friends, this episode is your invitation to join the yap session.

Want a chance to have your story shared on the pod?

Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Remember: write it like a story — bullet points don’t flow — and send it as a .pdf if ya nasty.

We support and encourage therapy. If you are looking for a licensed therapist visit:

https://https//www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions.

okay love you bye,

Sloan & Lex