The Quiet As Kept Podcast With Shawnti Refuge

S2:EP13-The Mental Load Nobody Sees

Everyone can see when you're physically tired. What they don't see is the mental load you're carrying every single day. The appointments. The deadlines. The worries. The emotional labor. The constant responsibility of being the one everyone depends on. In this episode of The Quiet As Kept Podcast, Shawnti Refuge explores the invisible weight so many people carry while still showing up, smiling, and functioning. We'll discuss what the mental load really is, how it impacts mental health, why so many women find themselves emotionally exhausted, and what healing looks like when you've spent years carrying everybody else's burdens. You'll also receive guided journaling prompts to help you identify what's weighing on you and practical steps to begin putting some of that weight down. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2331637/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2331637/support] Shawnti Refuge is an Award Winning Master Certified Mental Health Coach, Keynote Speaker, and Author of the best-selling book, “Quiet As Kept”, specializing in guided journaling for mental wellness. After overcoming severe depression and anxiety through journaling, Shawnti developed her own program, empowering individuals to heal and thrive without medication. She is the creator of Shawnti Refuge Journals, which carries a series of guided journals designed to help others release past traumas. With her relatable, no-nonsense approach, Shawnti's mission is to inspire personal growth and self-awareness. She is the founder of Stayin' Stuck Ain't Cute Coaching and a passionate advocate for mental health in both business and community settings.   Website: ShawntiRefuge.com Social media: IG: @shawntirefugejournals FB: Shawnti Refuge Journals TikTok: @shawntijournalbae YouTube:  @shawntirefugejournals

S2:EP12 Healing Ain’t Pretty… But Staying Stuck Ain’t Cute Either

Healing isn’t aesthetic. It’s uncomfortable, messy, emotional, and deeply personal. In this episode, Shawnti Refuge closes out Mental Health Awareness Month with a raw conversation about what healing actually requires: accountability, honesty, boundaries, grief, and the willingness to stop romanticizing survival mode. If you’ve been saying you want peace, growth, or healing—but keep repeating the same cycles. This episode is your wake-up call. Because healing isn’t always pretty… but staying stuck will cost you your peace. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2331637/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2331637/support] Shawnti Refuge is an Award Winning Master Certified Mental Health Coach, Keynote Speaker, and Author of the best-selling book, “Quiet As Kept”, specializing in guided journaling for mental wellness. After overcoming severe depression and anxiety through journaling, Shawnti developed her own program, empowering individuals to heal and thrive without medication. She is the creator of Shawnti Refuge Journals, which carries a series of guided journals designed to help others release past traumas. With her relatable, no-nonsense approach, Shawnti's mission is to inspire personal growth and self-awareness. She is the founder of Stayin' Stuck Ain't Cute Coaching and a passionate advocate for mental health in both business and community settings.   Website: ShawntiRefuge.com Social media: IG: @shawntirefugejournals FB: Shawnti Refuge Journals TikTok: @shawntijournalbae YouTube:  @shawntirefugejournals

S2:EP 11 You Can Love Your Mother and Still Need to Heal From Her

Not every mother-daughter relationship feels safe, and that’s a truth many people struggle to say out loud. In this episode, Shawnti Refuge unpacks the complexity of loving your mother while still needing healing, boundaries, or distance. From emotional neglect to generational trauma, this conversation explores the “mother wound” and the silent guilt that often comes with it. If you’ve ever felt conflicted, hurt, or unsure how to navigate your relationship with your mother—this episode will help you make sense of it. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2331637/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2331637/support] Shawnti Refuge is an Award Winning Master Certified Mental Health Coach, Keynote Speaker, and Author of the best-selling book, “Quiet As Kept”, specializing in guided journaling for mental wellness. After overcoming severe depression and anxiety through journaling, Shawnti developed her own program, empowering individuals to heal and thrive without medication. She is the creator of Shawnti Refuge Journals, which carries a series of guided journals designed to help others release past traumas. With her relatable, no-nonsense approach, Shawnti's mission is to inspire personal growth and self-awareness. She is the founder of Stayin' Stuck Ain't Cute Coaching and a passionate advocate for mental health in both business and community settings.   Website: ShawntiRefuge.com Social media: IG: @shawntirefugejournals FB: Shawnti Refuge Journals TikTok: @shawntijournalbae YouTube:  @shawntirefugejournals

S2:EP10 The Pressure to Be a Good Mother Will Break You If You Let It

Motherhood is praised publicly… and suffered through privately. In this episode, Shawnti Refuge gets real about the emotional weight of being “a good mother” and how unrealistic expectations, silent pressure, and unprocessed trauma can slowly break you down. Backed by research and lived experience, this conversation dives into mom guilt, burnout, identity loss, and the mental load that nobody talks about—especially in communities where strength is expected and struggle is hidden. If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re doing enough… while running on empty—this episode is for you. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2331637/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2331637/support] Shawnti Refuge is an Award Winning Master Certified Mental Health Coach, Keynote Speaker, and Author of the best-selling book, “Quiet As Kept”, specializing in guided journaling for mental wellness. After overcoming severe depression and anxiety through journaling, Shawnti developed her own program, empowering individuals to heal and thrive without medication. She is the creator of Shawnti Refuge Journals, which carries a series of guided journals designed to help others release past traumas. With her relatable, no-nonsense approach, Shawnti's mission is to inspire personal growth and self-awareness. She is the founder of Stayin' Stuck Ain't Cute Coaching and a passionate advocate for mental health in both business and community settings.   Website: ShawntiRefuge.com Social media: IG: @shawntirefugejournals FB: Shawnti Refuge Journals TikTok: @shawntijournalbae YouTube:  @shawntirefugejournals

S2:EP9 You Say You’re Fine… But Your Body Knows You’re Not

Everybody keeps saying they’re “fine.”  But anxiety is loud. Burnout is real. And functioning doesn’t mean you’re okay. In this episode, I’m breaking down what mental health actually looks like when you’re the one everybody depends on. The strong one. The reliable one. The one who “got it.” Because just because you’re showing up doesn’t mean you’re not silently drowning. We’re talking high-functioning anxiety, emotional suppression, survival mode, and what your body starts doing when your mind keeps ignoring what’s real. If you’ve been pushing through instead of healing… this episode is for you. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2331637/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2331637/support] Shawnti Refuge is an Award Winning Master Certified Mental Health Coach, Keynote Speaker, and Author of the best-selling book, “Quiet As Kept”, specializing in guided journaling for mental wellness. After overcoming severe depression and anxiety through journaling, Shawnti developed her own program, empowering individuals to heal and thrive without medication. She is the creator of Shawnti Refuge Journals, which carries a series of guided journals designed to help others release past traumas. With her relatable, no-nonsense approach, Shawnti's mission is to inspire personal growth and self-awareness. She is the founder of Stayin' Stuck Ain't Cute Coaching and a passionate advocate for mental health in both business and community settings.   Website: ShawntiRefuge.com Social media: IG: @shawntirefugejournals FB: Shawnti Refuge Journals TikTok: @shawntijournalbae YouTube:  @shawntirefugejournals