The Heartwood Problem

The Heartwood Problem

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1877201/fan_mail/new] A tree can look solid for decades while the center quietly hollows out, and archaeology has a name for the confusion that creates: the heartwood problem. When you carbon date wood, you can end up measuring the newest layer instead of the oldest core, and the result can be wildly off. That one detail cracked my brain open, because it mirrors how we judge people, including ourselves. The outside is what everyone sees: the bark, the mask, the “I’m okay.” The inside is older, denser, and harder to reach, especially if you had to grow up too fast. I walk through the actual tree science, from bark to cambium to living wood to heartwood, and then I use it to talk about trauma, shame, and the places we refuse to revisit. Fast-growing trees are more prone to heartwood rot; people who were parentified, pressured, or pushed into adult realities early can carry a similar risk in the form of unprocessed pain. We also go straight at moral injury, including the kind veterans live with, where the hardest memories aren’t only what happened to you but what you did to survive, comply, or make it home. The way out isn’t pretending the past was fine. It’s building what I call compassionate narratives, pushing present-day understanding back into the oldest parts of your story until the rot stops spreading. I share a simple set of “tells” for real self-compassion, because intellectual insight is not the same as healing in the body: softness, slowness, breath, and tears matter. If you’ve ever felt broken, rotten, or beyond repair, this one is for you. Subscribe for more, share it with someone who needs a gentler mirror, and leave a review with the line that hit you hardest. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/speakplainlypodcast] Music by Wutaboi Email us at speakplainlypodcast@gmail.com   Buy me a coffee at  www.buymeacoffee.com/owlmedicine [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/owlmedicine]   Social Media Facebook: www.facebook.com/owlcmedicine [http://www.facebook.com/owlcmedicine] Instagram: www.instagram.com/owlcmedicine [http://www.instagram.com/owlcmedicine]   My Websites www.owlchrysalismedicine.com [http://www.owlchrysalismedicine.com] www.decolonizehealthcare.com [http://www.decolonizehealthcare.com] www.rethinkingbroken.com [http://www.rethinkingbroken.com] #rethinkingbroken #CPTSD #chronicstressadapted #ComplexPTSD #childhoodtrauma #Authorpodcast #bestsellingauthor #queerauthor #adhd #dyslexia #dyscalclia #Queer #queerpodcast #queerhost #adultswithadhd #veteran #therapist #nonfictionauthor #traumaauthor #undiagnisedadhd  #childhoodtrauma  #trauma #lifeaftertrauma  #PTSD

4 Amazing ideas White People Ruined

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1877201/fan_mail/new] We break down how white people keeps stealing effective systems from other cultures, stripping out the context, then acting surprised when the watered-down version barely works. We trace that pattern through Maslow, mindfulness, Indigenous fire management, and African medicine, then ask what we lose when community, ethics, land, and spirit get removed.  • cultural appropriation as conceptual degradation, not just theft  • Maslow’s hierarchy framed as a flipped Blackfoot model with community erased  • belonging as a core ingredient of safety in a social species  • mindfulness as Sati within an ethical path toward liberation from suffering  • “McMindfulness” as a corporate tool for tolerating toxic systems  • Aboriginal cultural burning replaced by fire suppression and high-intensity burns  • colonization of African medicine in Zimbabwe and the loss of holistic care  • the repeating pattern: take what fits, discard the rest, then blame the source culture  If you feel like buying me a coffee, there is a link in the thing of in the description that says you can buy me a coffee, which is like you just donate five bucks or whatever, which is about the pro about the price of a latte. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/speakplainlypodcast] Music by Wutaboi Email us at speakplainlypodcast@gmail.com   Buy me a coffee at  www.buymeacoffee.com/owlmedicine [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/owlmedicine]   Social Media Facebook: www.facebook.com/owlcmedicine [http://www.facebook.com/owlcmedicine] Instagram: www.instagram.com/owlcmedicine [http://www.instagram.com/owlcmedicine]   My Websites www.owlchrysalismedicine.com [http://www.owlchrysalismedicine.com] www.decolonizehealthcare.com [http://www.decolonizehealthcare.com] www.rethinkingbroken.com [http://www.rethinkingbroken.com] #rethinkingbroken #CPTSD #chronicstressadapted #ComplexPTSD #childhoodtrauma #Authorpodcast #bestsellingauthor #queerauthor #adhd #dyslexia #dyscalclia #Queer #queerpodcast #queerhost #adultswithadhd #veteran #therapist #nonfictionauthor #traumaauthor #undiagnisedadhd  #childhoodtrauma  #trauma #lifeaftertrauma  #PTSD

Pathological Normativity Theory; Behind Neurodivergence

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1877201/fan_mail/new] “Normal” is one of the most powerful words in mental health, and it might be doing more damage than we admit. I’m putting a full framework on the table: pathological normativity theory, the idea that what we call neurotypical may be less of a biological baseline and more of a culturally conditioned performance standard shaped by a WEIRD society (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic). When that standard becomes the measuring stick, neurodivergence gets framed as a defect instead of a signal. We go deep on chronic stress adaptation and why trauma, ACEs, and socioeconomic pressure can shape nervous systems toward vigilance, pattern detection, emotional intensity, and refusal to comply with meaningless tasks. In that light, traits often associated with ADHD and autism stop being “symptoms to erase” and start looking like survival intelligence. I also unpack why “healthy” often gets confused with “average,” and how that same mistake can quietly define who gets labeled disordered. From there, the conversation turns to what this reframing does to the DSM, masking, social skills training, and even treatment models that can become assimilation under a nicer name. I’m not arguing against therapy, medication, or accommodations. I’m arguing against the story that you were broken, especially when the system demands obedience, emotional suppression, and commodification of self to keep the machine running. If this challenges your assumptions, share it with someone who has been told to “just be normal,” and leave a rating or review so more people can find the show. What part of this framework do you agree with, and what part do you push back on? Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/speakplainlypodcast] Music by Wutaboi Email us at speakplainlypodcast@gmail.com   Buy me a coffee at  www.buymeacoffee.com/owlmedicine [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/owlmedicine]   Social Media Facebook: www.facebook.com/owlcmedicine [http://www.facebook.com/owlcmedicine] Instagram: www.instagram.com/owlcmedicine [http://www.instagram.com/owlcmedicine]   My Websites www.owlchrysalismedicine.com [http://www.owlchrysalismedicine.com] www.decolonizehealthcare.com [http://www.decolonizehealthcare.com] www.rethinkingbroken.com [http://www.rethinkingbroken.com] #rethinkingbroken #CPTSD #chronicstressadapted #ComplexPTSD #childhoodtrauma #Authorpodcast #bestsellingauthor #queerauthor #adhd #dyslexia #dyscalclia #Queer #queerpodcast #queerhost #adultswithadhd #veteran #therapist #nonfictionauthor #traumaauthor #undiagnisedadhd  #childhoodtrauma  #trauma #lifeaftertrauma  #PTSD

CEO of self - Perfect Trauma Metaphor

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1877201/fan_mail/new] We map the mind and body onto a clear corporate metaphor that helps us see why stress, perfectionism, ADHD traits, and chronic illness persist. We show how to reassign roles, quiet alarm systems, and rebuild trust so the whole “company of you” can heal and perform. • CEO as conscious awareness and will • CFO as risk and boundary assessor • COO as habits and automation • Sales and Marketing as dopamine and motivation • HR as attachment, nurture, and connection • Security as fight-flight-freeze response • Facilities as parasympathetic repair and immune function • Legal as inner critic and perfectionism • How boundary violations skew risk and shut down connection • Overfunctioning patterns in BPD, OCD, ADHD • Practical ways to reopen HR and calm Security • Coaching as organizational consulting for the self If you like this podcast, consider buying me a coffee Go to Audible and buy the Rethinking Broken Audiobook and leave a review if you would Book coaching at owlchrysalismedicine.com via the Calendly link for a free 15-minute interview Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/speakplainlypodcast] Music by Wutaboi Email us at speakplainlypodcast@gmail.com   Buy me a coffee at  www.buymeacoffee.com/owlmedicine [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/owlmedicine]   Social Media Facebook: www.facebook.com/owlcmedicine [http://www.facebook.com/owlcmedicine] Instagram: www.instagram.com/owlcmedicine [http://www.instagram.com/owlcmedicine]   My Websites www.owlchrysalismedicine.com [http://www.owlchrysalismedicine.com] www.decolonizehealthcare.com [http://www.decolonizehealthcare.com] www.rethinkingbroken.com [http://www.rethinkingbroken.com] #rethinkingbroken #CPTSD #chronicstressadapted #ComplexPTSD #childhoodtrauma #Authorpodcast #bestsellingauthor #queerauthor #adhd #dyslexia #dyscalclia #Queer #queerpodcast #queerhost #adultswithadhd #veteran #therapist #nonfictionauthor #traumaauthor #undiagnisedadhd  #childhoodtrauma  #trauma #lifeaftertrauma  #PTSD

The World Owes $350 Trillion to Itself

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1877201/fan_mail/new] We pull apart the $350 trillion global debt figure and follow the thread from 17th‑century share issuance to modern bank credit and QE, showing how debt became a permanent claim on tomorrow. Along the way, we map the startup playbook to a cancer metaphor to explain endless growth pressure and the local fallout it creates. • global debt as a circular ledger and claim on future output • bonds as tradable promises held by pensions, banks, states, and central banks • the shift from commerce to capitalism via VOC and stock markets • birth of sovereign debt and growth as collateral • bank credit creation, interest gaps, and forced expansion • QE’s role in asset inflation, bubbles, and zombie firms • startup growth phases mirroring cancer dynamics • local effects on rent, small business survival, and inequality If you like the podcast please share it send it to a friend please leave a comment like the rate rate it like I don’t know if you’re on Spotify or like iTunes or whatever. But if you can leave a comment please do so you can consider buying me a coffee the link’s in the description below Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/speakplainlypodcast] Music by Wutaboi Email us at speakplainlypodcast@gmail.com   Buy me a coffee at  www.buymeacoffee.com/owlmedicine [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/owlmedicine]   Social Media Facebook: www.facebook.com/owlcmedicine [http://www.facebook.com/owlcmedicine] Instagram: www.instagram.com/owlcmedicine [http://www.instagram.com/owlcmedicine]   My Websites www.owlchrysalismedicine.com [http://www.owlchrysalismedicine.com] www.decolonizehealthcare.com [http://www.decolonizehealthcare.com] www.rethinkingbroken.com [http://www.rethinkingbroken.com] #rethinkingbroken #CPTSD #chronicstressadapted #ComplexPTSD #childhoodtrauma #Authorpodcast #bestsellingauthor #queerauthor #adhd #dyslexia #dyscalclia #Queer #queerpodcast #queerhost #adultswithadhd #veteran #therapist #nonfictionauthor #traumaauthor #undiagnisedadhd  #childhoodtrauma  #trauma #lifeaftertrauma  #PTSD