Exhausted From Pretending to Be Normal (Episode 135)

Exhausted From Pretending to Be Normal (Episode 135)

You can be “high functioning” on the outside and barely surviving on the inside. That’s why this conversation hits so hard: Randy Lee Boslaw, an author, YouTube host, mental health advocate, and former high-level kickboxer, shares what it’s like to fight depression for decades before discovering in her mid-30s that she’s autistic. One sentence from her child set the whole thing in motion, and suddenly a lifetime of confusion, masking, and shame started to make sense. We dig into autism and depression in real-life terms, not textbook terms. Randy explains how masking ramps up in the teen years, why school can feel like an endurance sport, and how the crash often happens only when you get home. We also talk about the difference between being tired and being emotionally exhausted: if you sleep eight hours and still wake up drained, it may be burnout, stress, or mental health overload. Randy shares practical coping tools like writing things down to get them out of your head, paying attention to memory blanks as a red flag, and staying consistent with prescribed antidepressants instead of stopping cold when you feel better. Then we get into the mindset that helped her through invisible battles, chronic illness, and darker moments: “Don’t tap out too tired.” Sometimes “one day at a time” is too big, so we shrink it to one minute, or even one breath. We end with a message that every neurodivergent teen and overwhelmed adult needs to hear: normal is overrated, and you can find your people. Subscribe, share this with someone who’s been masking too long, and leave a review so more listeners can find these stories. 🔗 Connect with Randi-Lee Bowslaugh: https://www.rbwriting.ca/ [https://www.rbwriting.ca/] Send us an anonymous text message [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2217223/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-support] Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive! Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search [https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search] Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com [https://www.FatimaBey.com] I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog! Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog [https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog] Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492 [https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492] Thank you for listening!

You're Not Confused - You're Being Played (Episode 134)

Phones didn’t just change how teens communicate, they changed what it feels like to grow up. When a device becomes your social currency, your identity mirror, and your constant audience, pressure stops being an occasional thing and turns into a 24/7 weight you carry everywhere. We talk with Tara Hodgson, a teacher and young adult author from Alberta, Canada, about what she sees in the classroom that many parents never hear: FOMO that gets sharper every time you watch an event you weren’t invited to, comparison culture powered by highlight reels and edited images, and the quiet fear of falling behind socially. Tara explains why “just put the phone down” rarely works, and why understanding social media algorithms is essential for teen mental health. If you linger on depressed content, the feed can serve you more of it, pulling you deeper into anxiety and isolation. We also go where adults often look away. Bullying no longer ends after school, it can hit at 3 AM through Snapchat. Tara connects this always-on exposure to rising anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, and we lay out what actually helps: open communication with a trusted adult, boundaries that block the garbage, and a commitment to stop judging teens when they finally tell the truth. Tara shares how her fiction tackles suicide, intimate photo sharing, trafficking, and online predators in a way that gives teens language for what they can’t always say out loud. If you’re a teen, a parent, or anyone who cares about digital wellbeing, this conversation is a wake-up call and a toolkit. Subscribe, share this with someone raising a teen, and leave a review so more people find it. What’s one piece of media you’re ready to question today? 🔗 Connect with Tara: http://www.tarahodgson.ca/ [http://www.tarahodgson.ca/] Send us an anonymous text message [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2217223/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-support] Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive! Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search [https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search] Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com [https://www.FatimaBey.com] I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog! Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog [https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog] Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492 [https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492] Thank you for listening!

He Was My Brother, Not My Family (Episode 133)

Someone you trust hurts you. You reach for the person who should protect you. Instead, you hear disbelief and blame. That moment can change how you move through the world, and it can take years to name what it stole from you. We sit down with Jojo Campbell, host of No Hard Feelings Kinda, to tell a story that’s painfully common and still rarely spoken out loud: sexual assault followed by family denial, loyalty to the wrong person, and the pressure to “keep the peace” at any cost. Jojo walks us through the events that led from a first violation to a second, more severe assault, and what it did to her sense of safety. We talk victim blaming, coercion, and the specific trauma that hits when a relative chooses reputation or friendship over your wellbeing. We also get honest about the internal tug-of-war survivors face: guilt that isn’t theirs, the instinct to minimize, and the exhaustion of staying on guard around people who claim to love you. From there, we shift into healing and boundaries. Jojo explains why she went no contact, what staying connected would have done to her mental health, and how chosen family can be more real than blood ties. We also dig into her focus on healing with humor and why dark humor can help people survive heavy experiences, as long as it doesn’t become the only coping mechanism. If you’ve ever questioned your instincts, struggled to set boundaries, or wondered whether you’re allowed to love someone from afar, this conversation gives language and clarity. Subscribe to MindShift Power Podcast, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more survivors can find support. What boundary are you ready to set next? 🔗 Connect with JoJo: https://sites.google.com/view/nhfkpodcast [https://sites.google.com/view/nhfkpodcast] Send us an anonymous text message [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2217223/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-support] Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive! Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search [https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search] Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com [https://www.FatimaBey.com] I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog! Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog [https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog] Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492 [https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492] Thank you for listening!

College Panic Is a Business (Episode 132)

A single college decision can feel like a verdict, and that pressure is warping how teens see themselves. We sit down with Linda Decker and Lisa Ruff, co-founders of the College Admissions Collective and authors of The Calm College Method, to name what’s really happening in modern college admissions: a high-anxiety system fueled by rankings, scarcity marketing, and social media noise that convinces kids they must “perform” a persona to be worthy. We talk about the psychological cost of curating your life for an application, including identity foreclosure, burnout, and the way constant comparison feeds teen anxiety and depression. Then we shift to what actually helps: focusing on process goals you can control, not outcomes you can’t. That means building a balanced college list, doing real school research, and choosing colleges for fit, not hype. We also get honest about money, student debt, and why affordability and ROI belong in every family’s plan. If you’re a parent trying to support your teen without projecting fear, or a student who feels trapped by prestige, this conversation offers a calmer path that still leads to great options. Listen, share it with someone who needs a reset, and subscribe for more mind-shifting conversations. If it helps, leave a review and tell us: what message about “worth” did you learn from school? 🔗 Connect with Lisa Rouff & Lynda Doepker: https://www.thecollegeadmissionscollective.com/ [https://www.thecollegeadmissionscollective.com/] Send us an anonymous text message [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2217223/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-support] Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive! Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search [https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search] Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com [https://www.FatimaBey.com] I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog! Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog [https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog] Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492 [https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492] Thank you for listening!

Can You Read This? (Episode 131)

A teen who can’t read well isn’t just “behind in English” they’re locked out of vocabulary that fuels confidence, self expression, and real opportunity. That’s why this conversation with UK teen success coach and Switched On founder Claire Ford goes straight at the uncomfortable question: what are schools actually producing when reading for pleasure is at a 20 year low and students keep getting pushed forward without core literacy skills? We dig into what literacy gaps look like in real life: misunderstood instructions, avoided writing, shaky resumes, and the quiet anxiety that comes from knowing you can’t communicate clearly in a team. Claire connects the dots between reading comprehension and the so called soft skills employers want most, including critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication. We also talk about AI and why it doesn’t remove the need for literacy at all. If you can’t check, edit, and judge what a tool produces, you’re outsourcing your agency. We zoom out to the bigger solution too. Beyond curriculum debates, we need adults to model language again through conversations, stories, visible reading, and simple daily practice that makes words feel useful and powerful. If you care about teen literacy, education reform, student success, and future ready skills, this one will stay with you. Subscribe, share this with a parent or educator, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. 🔗 Connect with Clare Ford: https://www.switchedonglobal.com/ [https://www.switchedonglobal.com/] Send us an anonymous text message [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2217223/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-support] Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive! Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search [https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search] Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com [https://www.FatimaBey.com] I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog! Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog [https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog] Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492 [https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492] Thank you for listening!