Punk rock found me at a pivotal time in my life; when I was struggling to fit it, feeling lost, and a bit pissed off. It helped me feel like I was a part of something. A lost soul amongst other lost souls.

What's your story with music?

People are so afraid to talk about the dark shit, the things that depict "fear" and make us uncomfortable. Well, that is where I love look. The darkness and I have become great friends over the years; I have done some of my BEST WORK in these spaces, and come out the other side a better version of myself. It's not "dark" when you turn the light on and look at it, and work through it.

I talk discuss my darkness, my time "at the edge" and how it has moved me back into my life in a stronger, more powerful way.

This one is all about saying NO when it helps us heal, and, also remembering to say YES so we don't fall into the deep pits of despair. Mental health is tricky. Knowing what we need is hard, especially when we are in it.

My brain is still a bit foggy from having a bit of a mental health slump here, so apologies for the pauses in my speech & concentration flow this week. Much love to you all.

Let's talk about STORIES. Songs tell stories. We recreate and integrate these stories into our own lives, in our own ways. I connect with the songs that bring out raw emotion and honesty, and have a massive love for the humans out there brave enough to share them with the world.

I talk about my FUCK OFF playlist, how I cope with my anxiety though metal, and discuss a few songs and bands I love right now. If you want the full version, with a few small clips of music integrated, you can check it out on the Headbanging Through It - THE METAL TALKS channel.

Peace.

It seems like everyone is on meds now. And do we understand how that is impacting our bodies? I went on a journey with anti-anxiety/anti-depressant meds, beginning in 2016.

This is my experience with going on them, and what my life looked like tapering off of them them 2yrs ago. SSRI's are not a joke, and the effects are a big deal. Let's talk about the hard shit.

The gym helped to save my life. I was thrown into it, unwillingly, and somehow I came through it a stronger, better version of myself. Through lots of crying and wanting to quit, I found my way back into my own body, which in turn allowed me to gain strength in my mind. Mental health & physical health go hand in hand. I'll tell you all about my struggle through it, and hope that it inspires someone out there to take that first step into it.

Heavy Metal has many stigmas. I want to talk about them, and the way that metal is perceived overall. You say angry, I say REAL. Real people talking about real stories and connecting to others in their dark truths. These are the layers of life people avoid talking about. Why? When the dark pieces are a part of who we are as humans. Denying they exist is living in a lie. I want to dig in the rawness, and the truth, of being an avid heavy metal listener.

I've spent a lot of the last ten years feeling like this diagnosis doesn't belong to me, for many reasons. And, it just doesn't matter. I'll walk you through my career and what led me to my very serious health crash, and what it took for me to accept it, move through it, and begin rebuilding my life from the pile of maggoty trash it had become.