Finding Voice Through Writing: A Return Conversation with Barry Deeks

Finding Voice Through Writing: A Return Conversation with Barry Deeks

A GENTLE NOTE BEFORE YOU LISTEN Our guest, Barry Deeks, is a survivor of a catastrophic road accident that temporarily took his ability to speak and continues to affect his voice today. At times in this conversation, his words may not sound as fluent as he would like them to, but every thought he shares is considered, intentional, and deeply felt. We ask you to listen with patience and with an open heart. Please do not judge Barry on how his voice sounds, only on the depth of what he is offering. EPISODE SUMMARY: What happens when a person loses their voice, and in that silence finds something they never expected to say? Host Sana welcomes Barry Deeks back to the network, this time on The Mindful Journey, for a quieter, more personal continuation of his story. Barry is the author of the autobiography The Bizarre and Enchanting Life and the subject of the film The Man Who Can. In this conversation, he reflects on the father who shaped his early motivation, the belief system that carried him through his hardest years, why writing became a voice when speaking could not, and what faith looks like when it is held quietly, without label or religion. A gentle episode for anyone who has ever felt that their inner world stayed intact even when the outer one fell apart. ABOUT THE GUEST: Barry Deeks is an author and filmmaker based in the United Kingdom. He has written five books, including his autobiography The Bizarre and Enchanting Life, available on Wattpad, and is the subject of the film The Man Who Can, available on YouTube. His work is rooted in lived experience: a catastrophic road accident, hospital recoveries, and a long return to voice through writing. He continues to write across themes of belief, philosophy, and humanity's place in a larger whole. KEY TAKEAWAYS: * Motivation that lasts is rarely loud. It often comes from one quiet, formative relationship and grows from there. * A belief system held privately is not a performance. Sometimes it is the thing that gets you from one year of your life to the next. * Writing is a way of holding onto your own voice when the world around you cannot quite hear it. * Faith and religion are not the same thing. You are allowed to hold one without needing the other. * An inner world can stay intact even when the outer one has fallen apart. That is worth knowing if you are in the middle of something hard right now. CONNECT WITH THE GUEST: * Book: The Bizarre and Enchanting Life by Barry Deeks — read on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/366050276-barry-deeks-the-bizarre-and-enchanting-life [https://www.wattpad.com/story/366050276-barry-deeks-the-bizarre-and-enchanting-life] * Film: The Man Who Can — search "Barry Deeks The Man Who Can" on YouTube * Author articles: https://medium.com/@barrydreeksauthor7 [https://medium.com/@barrydreeksauthor7] EPISODE CHAPTERS: [00:00] Welcome Back to Barry — and the question this episode sits with [02:00] What Motivation Really Looked Like — Barry's father, and the one thing he wanted most [04:30] The Belief System That Saved a Young Man — and what it grew into [07:00] Writing as Voice — an opinion forming inside, finally able to be heard [09:30] Faith Without Religion — being part of something larger, quietly [11:30] Closing Reflection — permission to sit with your own questions 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? Send me a direct message on PodMatch. 👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik [https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik] 🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter. 👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey. > Refer a Guest > Know someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at services@podhealth.club with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to. > Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DY4HFPYGHBYQN] 📬 Contact & Links Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Contact Us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] Based in: India & USA 🎧 All Podcast Shows [https://www.podhub.club/podcastnetwork] 🤝 Be a Guest [https://www.podhub.club/beaguest] 📩 Newsletter Substack [https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/] 👉 Join the LinkedIn Community [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14498362/] > 📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements. > If you have concerns about any content, please contact us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] here > > By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here. [https://www.podhub.club/terms-privacy/standard-podcast-disclaimer] #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #themindfuljourney #barrydeeks #thebizarreandenchantinglife #themanwhocan #writingashealing #findingvoice #motivationthatmatters #faithnotreligion #survivorstory #resilience #disabilityawareness >

The Connection We Neglect: Coming Home to Yourself Through the Body, with Lindsay Little

We talk endlessly about connection, to others, to community, to purpose. The one most of us quietly neglect is the connection to ourselves, the one that makes every other connection possible. This is for anyone who feels disconnected even while showing up for everyone else. Somatic coach Lindsay Little joins Sana to explore self-connection not as a wellness slogan, but as a felt, body-level practice. A calm conversation about the difference between thinking about yourself and being with yourself, why slowing down is the shortcut, and how the body keeps a record until we finally listen. About the Guest: Lindsay Little is a somatic coach, consultant, and facilitator, and the founder of Soma Lingua, where she guides individuals and organizations through change that happens in the whole body, not just the head. Her background spans 17 years in adult education, international peace and conflict resolution, and advanced training in Somatic Experiencing. Key Takeaways: * Self-connection is looking within rather than chasing what is outside us. It is agency, self-trust, and love, not another product to buy. * There is a real difference between thinking about yourself and being with yourself. The body holds far more than the thoughts in your head. * Notice the body's quiet cues. Putting them off, ignoring hunger, rest, or rest, is a way of practising disconnection. * A "yes" said with a contracted body is felt by everyone. Presence means noticing whether your whole self is actually open. * Slowing down is the shortcut. It can feel uncomfortable at first, but acknowledging what surfaces lets old patterns take a new form. Connect With the Guest: * Website: somalingua.com [https://somalingua.com/] (coaching, consulting, facilitation, and bodywork) * Soma Lingua is based in Washington, DC, and works with individuals and organizations Episode Chapters: (timestamps approx.) [00:00] The Connection We Neglect: a cold open on coming home to yourself [02:00] Following the Thread: Lindsay's winding path to somatic work [10:00] Jack of All Trades, or Specialist: when work and curiosity finally overlap [14:00] What Self-Connection Really Is: agency, self-trust, and looking within [19:00] Thinking vs Being: the somatic difference most of us miss [24:00] When the Body Catches Up: burnout, sleep, and the cost of ignoring cues [30:00] Slowing Down Is the Shortcut: why presence can feel uncomfortable [36:00] Small Honest Signs: body scans, walks, art, and noticing the shift 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? Send me a direct message on PodMatch. 👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik [https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik] 🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter. 👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey. > Refer a Guest > Know someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at services@podhealth.club with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to. > Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DY4HFPYGHBYQN] 📬 Contact & Links Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Contact Us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] Based in: India & USA 🎧 All Podcast Shows [https://www.podhub.club/podcastnetwork] 🤝 Be a Guest [https://www.podhub.club/beaguest] 📩 Newsletter Substack [https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/] 👉 Join the LinkedIn Community [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14498362/] > 📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements. > If you have concerns about any content, please contact us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] here > > By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here. [https://www.podhub.club/terms-privacy/standard-podcast-disclaimer] #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #mindfuljourney #selfconnection #somatic #somaticexperiencing #mindbodyconnection #presence #nervoussystem #burnout #selfawareness #mentalhealth #innerwork >

Root-Cause Gut Healing: One Doctor's Story and Why "Assess Before You Guess"

Some health struggles stay invisible for years, dismissed, mislabelled, or shrugged off as "just stress." This conversation is for anyone who has felt unwell for a long time and grown tired in their will to keep searching for answers. Functional medicine doctor and chiropractor Dr. Kate Davis joins Sana to share her own decade-long battle with chronic gut issues, and what it taught her about looking for the root cause. A grounded conversation about being both doctor and patient, why she urges proper testing over trending online cleanses, and her core message: assess before you guess. About the Guest: Dr. Kate Davis is a licensed chiropractor and functional medicine doctor focused on chronic gut issues in women, such as bloating, constipation, and IBS. After her own decade-long health struggle, she now takes a root-cause approach to gut health and hosts the Unconventional Medicine podcast. Key Takeaways: These reflect Dr. Kate's perspective and experience, shared for discussion, not medical advice. * Being both doctor and patient shapes how she practises. She remembers feeling unwell while looking "fine" to everyone around her. * In her view, chronic infections and toxin load are often overlooked, while symptoms get blamed on stress or diet alone. * Her strongest caution: do not jump on a social-media cleanse or detox without guidance, it can backfire badly. * Her central line: "If you're not assessing, you're guessing." Proper testing first, generic protocols never. * Her message to anyone exhausted by the search: healing is possible, and it is worth finding a qualified practitioner who can help. Connect With the Guest: * Instagram (best place to find her): @drkatedavis [https://www.instagram.com/drkatedavis/] * Podcast: Unconventional Medicine (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and major platforms) * Website and further resources linked via her Instagram Episode Chapters: (timestamps approx.) [00:00] The Quiet Wounds: a cold open on the parts of ourselves we learn to hide [02:00] Doctor and Patient: why having been on both sides changes the conversation [04:00] A Decade Unwell: Dr. Kate's story of chronic gut issues in her twenties [08:00] Beyond Stress and Diet: what she feels conventional care often misses [12:00] The Social-Media Detox Trap: the real risks of unsupervised cleanses [16:00] Assess Before You Guess: why testing comes before any protocol [20:00] Cleaning Up the Inputs: food, products, and everyday toxin load [24:00] You Are Not Stuck: a closing word of hope for the exhausted 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? Send me a direct message on PodMatch. 👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik [https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik] 🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter. 👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey. > Refer a Guest > Know someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at services@podhealth.club with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to. > Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DY4HFPYGHBYQN] 📬 Contact & Links Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Contact Us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] Based in: India & USA 🎧 All Podcast Shows [https://www.podhub.club/podcastnetwork] 🤝 Be a Guest [https://www.podhub.club/beaguest] 📩 Newsletter Substack [https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/] 👉 Join the LinkedIn Community [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14498362/] > 📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements. > If you have concerns about any content, please contact us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] here > > By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here. [https://www.podhub.club/terms-privacy/standard-podcast-disclaimer] #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #mindfuljourney #guthealth #functionalmedicine #rootcausehealing #ibs #bloating #holistichealth #wellness #womenshealth #mindbodyconnection #healingjourney >

Choosing Yourself in the Face of Loneliness: Returning Home to You, with Catherine Crestani

Some of us can feel deeply lonely while surrounded by people, ticking every box that should mean we have arrived. This one is for anyone sitting in a quiet that feels less like peace and more like absence. Author and spiritual facilitator Catherine Crestani joins Sana to reframe loneliness, not as a problem to fix or fill, but as an invitation to meet the self we have been avoiding. A slow conversation about self-abandonment, mourning the dreams that did not happen, and the small, honest ways we find our way back. About the Guest: Catherine Crestani is an Australian author, spiritual facilitator, and founder of Willow Healing, a space for people serious about their inner journey. She wrote Pillars for Life: A Guide to Spiritual Ethics and Practice and the romantic thriller My Virtual Obsession, and hosts the Willow Healing Matters podcast. Key Takeaways: * Loneliness is not always about being alone. You can feel unseen inside a marriage, a job, or a full life. * It turns harmful only when you stay in it to avoid yourself, or make choices from it instead of from clarity. * Ask the question that stops people short: what do I actually want? You cannot attract what you have never named. * Staying endlessly busy or over-giving is often avoidance. Sometimes you must mourn the dream that did not happen before you can move. * Fill your own cup first, then let others have the overflow. Take yourself on a date and learn to enjoy your own company. Connect With the Guest: * Website: willowhealing.org [https://willowhealing.org/] * Instagram: @willowhealingsh [https://www.instagram.com/willowhealingsh] * Podcast: Willow Healing Matters (on your favourite player) * Substack: willowhealing.substack.com [https://willowhealing.substack.com/] * Books: Pillars for Life and My Virtual Obsession Episode Chapters: (timestamps approx.) [00:00] Lonely in a Full Life: feeling unseen behind a picture of perfection [03:30] When Loneliness Is Not Bad: solitude as a return to yourself [06:00] Avoiding the Self: obsession, doom-scrolling, and virtual companions [09:00] What Do You Actually Want: the question most of us never sit with [12:00] The Over-Giver's Pattern: staying busy to avoid going home [15:00] Mourning the Dream: grieving the life you planned so you can choose a new one [18:00] Overnight or Slowly: the freedom that comes when you finally say no [23:00] You Were Never Alone: a closing word for anyone sitting in the quiet 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? Send me a direct message on PodMatch. 👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik [https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik] 🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter. 👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey. > Refer a Guest > Know someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at services@podhealth.club with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to. > Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DY4HFPYGHBYQN] 📬 Contact & Links Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Contact Us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] Based in: India & USA 🎧 All Podcast Shows [https://www.podhub.club/podcastnetwork] 🤝 Be a Guest [https://www.podhub.club/beaguest] 📩 Newsletter Substack [https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/] 👉 Join the LinkedIn Community [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14498362/] > 📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements. > If you have concerns about any content, please contact us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] here > > By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here. [https://www.podhub.club/terms-privacy/standard-podcast-disclaimer] #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #mindfuljourney #loneliness #chooseyourself #selfabandonment #healing #solitude #innerwork #selflove #boundaries #mentalhealth #spiritualgrowth >

Writing to Heal: Reclaiming Identity and Truth Through Memoir, with Patricia Knight Meyer

A gentle heads-up: This conversation touches on adoption and trauma. Listen at your own pace, and if it stirs something deep, that's worth honouring, not rushing past. Some of us carry stories we were never meant to tell. This one is for anyone who has folded a hard truth up small, unsure the world could hold it. Memoirist and adoptee advocate Patricia Knight Meyer joins Sana on writing to heal: how an unpolished page can move trauma out of the body and back toward ourselves. A slow conversation about identity, memoir, and telling the truth about your own life. About the Guest: Patricia Knight Meyer is a memoirist, journalist, and adoptee advocate. Handed over in a 1970 black market adoption with no paperwork, she spent decades unraveling that secret. Her memoir, Wonderland: Memoir of a Black Market Adoption, arrives November 3 from Unsolicited Press. Key Takeaways: * Write for yourself first. No one else has to read it, and that permission frees the truth. * Keep your pen moving for ten minutes without polishing. What surfaces is often what you have avoided. * What you rush past in your own story is usually the wound still asking to be tended. * Trauma lives in the body, not only the mind. Writing is one tool among many, beside therapy and somatic work. * If writing feels re-traumatizing, pause and find a professional. That is care, not failure. Connect With the Guest: * Website: myadoptedlife.com [https://myadoptedlife.com/] * Memoir: Wonderland (Unsolicited Press, November 3) * Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/somebodys__baby/]and X: @myadoptedlife * Facebook: facebook.com/patriciaknightmeyer [https://www.facebook.com/patriciaknightmeyer/] * All links: direct.me/myadoptedlife [https://direct.me/myadoptedlife] Episode Chapters: (timestamps approx.) [00:00] Stories We Were Never Meant to Tell: a cold open on the truths we bury [01:30] A Paperless Beginning: Patricia on the secret that shaped her identity [06:00] The System That Let Me Down: black market adoption and a missing birth certificate [12:00] Not the Family You Find, the Truth You Find: why adoptees search, and the mirror of origin [17:00] Writing as Medicine: the right brain, the moving pen, and letting feeling surface [23:00] What We Skip Over: the one paragraph that became a chapter, and the wound beneath it [28:00] A Page in Someone Else's Survival Guide: starting small, finding community, and Wonderland 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? Send me a direct message on PodMatch. 👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik [https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik] 🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter. 👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey. > Refer a Guest > Know someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at services@podhealth.club with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to. > Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DY4HFPYGHBYQN] 📬 Contact & Links Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Contact Us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] Based in: India & USA 🎧 All Podcast Shows [https://www.podhub.club/podcastnetwork] 🤝 Be a Guest [https://www.podhub.club/beaguest] 📩 Newsletter Substack [https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/] 👉 Join the LinkedIn Community [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14498362/] > 📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements. > If you have concerns about any content, please contact us [https://www.podhub.club/contact] here > > By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here. [https://www.podhub.club/terms-privacy/standard-podcast-disclaimer] #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #writingtoheal #memoir #adoptee #adoptionreform #healingjourney #identity #trauma #journaling #mentalhealth #mindfuljourney #writingcommunity >