Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads

Who gets to define who you are? Your diagnosis, your past, or someone else's expectations? In this hilariously honest and deeply meaningful episode, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Alexis Kur, a special education teacher, mental health advocate, and founder of Permission to Define, to talk about living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), challenging mental health stereotypes, finding the right therapist, setting boundaries, and taking back the power to define yourself.

Awards & Downloads

Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

Feedback

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here:
https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a
Mental Health Quote

"The hardest lesson I've ever learned is disclosure is not access." — Alexis Kur
Content Notice & Mental Health Crisis Resources

This episode includes conversations about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), trauma, mental health stigma, difficult therapeutic experiences, discrimination related to a mental health diagnosis, and a brief mention of a past suicide attempt. Please listen with care and take breaks if needed.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 or visit:

https://988lifeline.org/

For crisis resources outside the United States:

https://findahelpline.com/

Episode Description

What if everything you've been told about your mental health, your identity, and what success should look like isn't the whole story?
In this powerful, funny, and unapologetically honest episode, Alexis Kur joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to talk about living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), challenging mental health stigma, and refusing to let anyone else define who you are.

Diagnosed with DID at 26, Alexis opens up about navigating nearly two decades of therapy, confronting misconceptions about her diagnosis, and building a trusted team of three therapists she affectionately calls her "Justice League." From equine-assisted therapy to exploring EMDR, she shares why finding the right mental health support matters and why healing sometimes requires questioning the language and expectations surrounding it.

Alexis also shares the remarkable career change that took her from a successful, six-figure environmental consulting career to teaching high school special education. For her, success is no longer measured by money or professional recognition. It's watching a struggling student find the confidence to walk into class or discover a strength nobody else noticed.

Things get especially real when Alexis discusses having her diagnosis used against her by someone she trusted professionally. That painful experience reinforced one of her most important lessons: Disclosure is not access. Sharing your story doesn't give someone permission to weaponize it.

Through laughter, vulnerability, and plenty of colorful language, Alexis reminds us that lived experience matters, boundaries are essential, and only you get to decide what your diagnosis or your life means.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental health is stop trying to fit someone else's definition of normal.

Keywords: Alexis Kur, Permission to Define, Dissociative Identity Disorder, DID awareness, living with DID, mental health stigma, mental health advocacy, trauma therapy, EMDR therapy, equine-assisted therapy, therapy relationships, mental health boundaries, self-advocacy, redefining success, lived experience

Meet Our Guest — Alexis Kur

Alexis Kur is a high school special education teacher, mental health advocate, speaker, writer, and founder of Permission to Define, a platform dedicated to challenging labels, amplifying lived experiences, and changing conversations about mental health.
After 15 years in environmental consulting, Alexis traded a six-figure salary for something far more meaningful: helping teenagers recognize their strengths, build confidence, and believe in themselves. Now, working with high school students who receive special education services for emotional impairments, she brings compassion, authenticity, and her lived experience into the classroom.

Diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) at 26, Alexis has spent nearly two decades navigating therapy, confronting mental health stereotypes, and discovering what it means to live authentically. Through Permission to Define, she champions the value of lived experience, challenges limiting language, and encourages others to take ownership of how they define themselves.

With sharp humor, unapologetic honesty, and a refreshing willingness to question the status quo, Alexis reminds us that a diagnosis is information, not an identity, and that everyone deserves the freedom to tell their own story.

Connect with Alexis:

Website: https://permissiontodefine.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PermissiontoDefine

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisekur5030/

Key Takeaways

Your diagnosis doesn't define your identity. Alexis challenges misconceptions about Dissociative Identity Disorder and reminds us that a diagnosis may help explain someone's experiences, but it never tells their entire story.

Disclosure is not access. Sharing personal mental health information doesn't give anyone permission to weaponize that information, cross your boundaries, or demand access to parts of your life you've chosen to keep private.

Finding the right therapist can change your mental health journey. Alexis's trusted "Justice League" of three therapists demonstrates how collaboration, respect, and a strong therapeutic relationship can make difficult emotional work feel more manageable.

Success is about purpose, not just a paycheck. Leaving a lucrative environmental consulting career helped Alexis realize that watching a student overcome a challenge can be more rewarding than professional status or financial success.

Lived experience deserves a voice in mental health conversations. Alexis uses her experiences with DID and therapy to help educators, mental health professionals, and others better understand the perspectives of people living with mental health conditions.

You have permission to challenge the language of healing. Whether she's questioning the word "resilient" or pushing back against scripted therapy phrases, Alexis reminds us that we can choose words and definitions that genuinely reflect our experiences.

Actionable Items

Redefine a label you've been carrying. Choose one word others have used to describe you, such as anxious, difficult, or resilient, and consider whether it reflects who you are or whether it's time to create your own definition.

Practice setting boundaries around personal disclosure. Before sharing something about your mental health, decide what you're comfortable revealing and remind yourself that being honest doesn't mean giving someone unlimited access to your personal experiences.

Evaluate whether your support system respects your needs. Think about whether the people supporting your mental health listen without judgment, respect your boundaries, and encourage you to participate in decisions about your well-being.

Important Chapters

00:00:37 — Meet Alexis Kur: Mental Health Advocate and Educator

00:01:22 — Overcommitting, Perfectionism, and Mental Health

00:04:29 — Living With DID and the Art of Multitasking

00:07:54 — Finding Balance and Learning to Protect Your Time

00:11:30 — Leaving a Six-Figure Career to Redefine Success

00:14:13 — Building Trust With Special Education Students

00:19:45 — How Lived Experience Shapes Alexis's Teaching

00:23:05 — Receiving a Dissociative Identity Disorder Diagnosis

00:24:27 — The Therapy Justice League: EMDR and Equine-Assisted Therapy

00:27:24 — Why Alexis Challenges Traditional Therapy Language

00:30:01 — Finding the Right Therapist and Building Trust

00:33:19 — Overcoming Fear Through Equine-Assisted Therapy

00:37:05 — Why Therapy Is Hard Work

00:37:51 — Creating Permission to Define

00:39:32 — Living Authentically Beyond Mental Health Labels

00:42:48 — Advice to Her Younger Self: Finding Your People

00:43:34 — Disclosure Is Not Access: Learning Difficult Boundaries

00:44:56 — Mental Health Advice That Misses the Mark

00:46:13 — Anxiety Theme Songs, Humor, and the Power of Words

00:49:02 — Connecting With Alexis and Permission to Define

00:49:54 — Closing Thoughts and Mental Health Reminder

Closing CTA

Subscribe, Rate, and Review!
Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:

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#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #AlexisKur #PermissionToDefine #DissociativeIdentityDisorder #DIDAwareness #MentalHealthStigma #MentalHealthAdvocacy #TraumaHealing #TherapyJourney #MentalHealthBoundaries #SelfAdvocacy #LivedExperienceMatters #RedefiningSuccess #AuthenticLiving #SpecialEducation #YouAreNotYourDiagnosis

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If You Need Support, Reach Out
If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.
United States: Call or Text 988 — 988lifeline.org
Canada: Call or Text 988 — 988.ca
Worldwide: Find a Helpline
Mental Health Resources and Tools: The Help Hub
Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Official Website: goesoninourheads.net
Facebook: @shltthatgoesoninourheads
Instagram: @grex_and_dirtyskittles
LinkedIn: G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Join Our Newsletter: (https://grexanddirtyskittles.substack.com/)
Merch Store: goesoninourheads.shop
Audio Editing by NJz Audio

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when chronic pain doesn’t only change the person hurting — it changes the marriage, the money, the business, the caregiver, and everybody’s identity? In Part 2, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles continue their conversation with Amy and Avery Nubson about caregiver burnout, asking for help, surviving the darkest chapters of a relationship, rebuilding independence, letting go of shame, and creating a life that looks nothing like the one they originally planned.

Awards & Downloads

Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

Feedback

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here:
https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

Mental Health Quote

“Doing nothing was just not an option.” — Avery Nubson

Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

This episode includes discussion of suicidal concern, severe chronic pain, caregiver burnout, depression, medication complications, medical trauma, and significant relationship and financial stress. Please take care while listening.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 or visit:

https://988lifeline.org/

For crisis resources outside the United States:

https://findahelpline.com/

Episode Description

Part 2 of Amy and Avery Nubson’s story asks a question we don’t talk about nearly enough: what happens to the caregiver when someone they love becomes consumed by pain?
Amy gets brutally honest with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles about the period when she felt like a car accident had stolen her husband, best friend, business partner, and financial security all at once. Their clients disappeared. Medical bills landed on credit cards. She became Avery’s caregiver while trying to keep their lives afloat — and eventually reached a point where she knew something had to change.

Avery shares the other side: the shame of needing help, the frustration of invisible disability, difficult treatment decisions, setbacks that sent his mental health spiraling, and the exhausting process of learning to advocate for himself. Together, they explain how pain journals helped reveal progress that was otherwise almost impossible to see.

But this episode isn’t only about surviving. It’s about becoming.

Amy found independence and her voice. Avery returned to art, creativity, illustration, and board-game design. They learned to travel differently, spend time apart without fear, ask for help, tell the truth about what they were experiencing, and stop measuring their lives against someone else’s timeline.

Twelve years after the accident, Avery says something remarkable: he feels like he is coming back better.

Keywords: caregiver burnout, chronic pain recovery, caregiver mental health, self-advocacy, men’s mental health, invisible disability, relationship resilience, asking for help, medical trauma, chronic illness marriage, emotional healing, storytelling and shame, self-discovery, pain journaling, finding your voice

Meet Our Guests — Amy & Avery Nubson

Amy Nubson turned one of the most difficult periods of her life into a mission to help other women rediscover their voices, courage, and confidence through storytelling, coaching, conferences, and her Rebrand You work. Avery Nubson is a longtime designer, marketer, illustrator, web and SEO professional whose life after a 2014 accident expanded his creative work into board-game design while giving him a deeply personal reason to speak about chronic pain, men’s pelvic health, PTSD, and the importance of refusing to give up on finding care.
Together, Amy and Avery offer two sides of the same story: the person living with pain and the person loving, supporting, and sometimes struggling beside them.

Website:

http://www.nufiremarketing.com

Amy Nubson on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amynubson-business-coach/

Avery Nubson on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/averynubson/

Avery’s Games:

https://humerusgames.com

Key Takeaways

Chronic illness affects relationships and families, not only the person experiencing the physical symptoms.

Caregivers need care too, and ignoring their needs can create resentment, exhaustion, isolation, and emotional collapse.

Progress can be so gradual that you miss it unless you intentionally look backward and notice how far you’ve come.

Asking for help is not failure. Sometimes the most useful request is incredibly simple: mow the lawn, carry the bag, sit with me, or listen.

Independence can strengthen a relationship. Amy and Avery learned that doing things separately helped them rediscover themselves outside their roles as patient and caregiver.

Telling the story you once hid can transform shame into connection and give somebody else permission to speak.

Actionable Items

Write down one specific thing someone could help you with instead of waiting until you are completely overwhelmed. Make the request concrete.

Track your progress. Whether you’re dealing with emotional healing, chronic illness, caregiving, or another long-term challenge, periodically compare where you are now with where you started.

Put something on the calendar to look forward to — a creative project, trip, conversation, class, walk, or small experience that reminds you your life contains more than the hard thing.

Important Chapters

00:00:46 — Pride, Wheelchairs, and Invisible Disability

00:02:06 — Learning to Advocate for Yourself

00:05:56 — A Medical Setback Hits Mental Health Hard

00:09:44 — Where Do You Find the Strength to Keep Going?

00:10:47 — Why Avery Kept Pain Journals

00:12:06 — The Caregiver Story Nobody Was Asking About

00:14:44 — The Conversation That Changed Their Marriage

00:16:43 — Rebuilding Amy, Not Just Avery

00:18:17 — Stop Waiting for Retirement to Live

00:20:10 — The Moment Amy Heard Avery Laugh Again

00:22:19 — Creativity Comes Back Online

00:27:42 — “I Think I’m Coming Back Even Better”

00:30:23 — Turning Pain Into Art and Shame Into Story

00:33:52 — You Never Know What Someone Is Carrying

00:35:58 — Getting Lost and Learning You’ll Be Okay

00:39:43 — Advice to Their Younger Selves

00:42:19 — Asking for Help, Perfection, and Not Giving Up

00:44:38 — Theme Songs, Favorite Words, and a Little Fun

Closing CTA

Subscribe, Rate, and Review!
Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:

https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #CaregiverBurnout #CaregiverSupport #ChronicPain #MensMentalHealth #InvisibleDisability #PatientAdvocacy #RelationshipResilience #AskingForHelp #FindingYourVoice #SelfDiscovery #TraumaRecovery #EmotionalHealing #ChronicIllness #StorytellingHeals #MentalHealthRecovery

***************************************************************************
If You Need Support, Reach Out
If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.
United States: Call or Text 988 — 988lifeline.org
Canada: Call or Text 988 — 988.ca
Worldwide: Find a Helpline
Mental Health Resources and Tools: The Help Hub
Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Official Website: goesoninourheads.net
Facebook: @shltthatgoesoninourheads
Instagram: @grex_and_dirtyskittles
LinkedIn: G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Join Our Newsletter: (https://grexanddirtyskittles.substack.com/)
Merch Store: goesoninourheads.shop
Audio Editing by NJz Audio

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One car accident changed everything for Amy and Avery Nubson — their health, their marriage, their business, and the future they thought they had planned. In Part 1, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Amy and Avery for a raw conversation about invisible injuries, chronic pain, PTSD, medical trauma, and what happens when you know something is wrong but getting someone to listen becomes a battle of its own.

Awards & Downloads

Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

Feedback

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here:
https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

Mental Health Quote

“Pain doesn’t have to be visible to be real, and progress doesn’t have to be fast to matter.” — Inspired by Avery Nubson

Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

This episode includes discussion of chronic pain, PTSD, medical trauma, medication dependence and withdrawal, invasive medical treatment, and suicide risk. Please take care while listening.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 or visit:

https://988lifeline.org/

For crisis resources outside the United States:

https://findahelpline.com/

Episode Description

A car accident that looked minor on paper changed nearly every part of Amy and Avery Nubson’s lives.
After Avery was hit from behind while stopped at a red light in 2014, he walked away without broken bones or obvious external injuries. But what followed was anything but minor: debilitating pain, PTSD, panic attacks, flashbacks, bladder and pelvic health complications, sleep problems, mobility limitations, and eventually a traumatic brain injury diagnosis that took years to uncover.

In Part 1 of this deeply honest conversation, Avery tells G-Rex and Dirty Skittles what it was like to have his body become unfamiliar territory while repeatedly hearing that tests looked normal or providers didn’t know what came next. He opens up about male pelvic floor therapy, the shame surrounding intimate health problems, opioid withdrawal after insurance coverage changed, EMDR, implanted medical devices, and the exhausting reality of having to continuously advocate for care.

Amy shares the other side of that journey: watching the person you love disappear beneath pain, trying to understand symptoms nobody prepared you for, and learning how to support someone through a recovery that doesn’t follow a clean timeline.

This isn’t a story about magically “getting better.” It’s about persistence, invisible disability, medical self-advocacy, and finding hope in inches, not miles.

Keywords: chronic pain, PTSD recovery, medical trauma, invisible disability, traumatic brain injury, EMDR therapy, men’s mental health, pelvic floor therapy, chronic illness, pain management, healthcare advocacy, anxiety after car accidents, caregiver support, mental health recovery, patient advocacy

Meet Our Guests — Amy & Avery Nubson

Amy and Avery Nubson have spent more than two decades building a life, businesses, and creative projects together, but a 2014 car accident forced them to completely rethink what partnership, healing, and success looked like. Amy now helps women reclaim their voices and tell their stories, while Avery brings his background in design, web development, marketing, SEO, illustration, and game design together with a growing desire to speak openly about chronic pain, men’s pelvic health, PTSD, and the treatments that helped him rebuild his life.
Website:

http://www.nufiremarketing.com

Amy Nubson on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amynubson-business-coach/

Avery Nubson on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/averynubson/

Avery’s Games:

https://humerusgames.com

Key Takeaways

An injury does not have to be visible on a scan for the pain and trauma surrounding it to be real.

PTSD can show up in waves, through flashbacks, panic attacks, sleep disruption, avoidance, and triggers that may make everyday life feel unsafe.

Physical pain and mental health are deeply connected, and treating one without acknowledging the other can leave major pieces of recovery untouched.

Men’s pelvic health remains difficult to talk about, and shame can make an already isolating medical problem even harder to navigate.

Self-advocacy sometimes means asking again, getting another opinion, and refusing to stop simply because the first answer was “we don’t know.”

Healing may be measured in tiny changes: driving around the block, skiing again, traveling, sleeping better, or simply experiencing less pain than yesterday.

Actionable Items

Keep a symptom or pain journal. Track changes, triggers, treatments, medication reactions, and small improvements so you have something concrete to reference when progress feels invisible.

If you feel dismissed or your symptoms remain unexplained, consider asking what the next appropriate referral or specialty might be instead of accepting “nothing is wrong” as the end of the conversation.

When traveling with medical devices, mobility challenges, or other medical needs, research passenger-support options ahead of time and create a plan that reduces unnecessary stress.

Important Chapters

00:01:57 — From Art School to 26 Years Together

00:04:10 — The Accident That Changed Everything

00:07:07 — When PTSD Arrived in Waves

00:14:57 — Portugal, Pain Relief, and Feeling Safe Again

00:20:05 — EMDR and Life After Panic Attacks

00:22:03 — The Medical Problems Nobody Could Explain

00:27:01 — The Reality of Men’s Pelvic Floor Therapy

00:33:15 — Fighting Insurance While Fighting to Heal

00:36:04 — Why Men Need Somewhere to Talk About This

00:42:51 — Pain Medication, Withdrawal, and the Pain Pump Decision

00:47:32 — Traveling With Medical Devices

Closing CTA

Subscribe, Rate, and Review!
Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:

https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #ChronicPain #PTSDRecovery #MensMentalHealth #InvisibleDisability #MedicalTrauma #PelvicFloorTherapy #PatientAdvocacy #ChronicPainAwareness #EMDRTherapy #TraumaRecovery #HealthcareAdvocacy #PainManagement #CaregiverSupport #InvisibleIllness #MentalHealthRecovery

***************************************************************************
If You Need Support, Reach Out
If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.
United States: Call or Text 988 — 988lifeline.org
Canada: Call or Text 988 — 988.ca
Worldwide: Find a Helpline
Mental Health Resources and Tools: The Help Hub
Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Official Website: goesoninourheads.net
Facebook: @shltthatgoesoninourheads
Instagram: @grex_and_dirtyskittles
LinkedIn: G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Join Our Newsletter: (https://grexanddirtyskittles.substack.com/)
Merch Store: goesoninourheads.shop
Audio Editing by NJz Audio

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Season 20 continues with Part 2 of our conversation with Tiphany Kane, where finding your voice becomes more than personal growth. Tiphany joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to share what happened when she had to fight to be heard while living with dangerously uncontrolled hypertension and repeatedly being told anxiety was the problem.

Awards & Downloads

Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

Feedback

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here:
https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

Mental Health Quote

“You’re supposed to share your story. You’re supposed to be heard and seen.” — Tiphany Kane

Episode Description

What do you do when you know something is wrong with your body, but you keep hearing that it’s anxiety?
You keep fighting to be heard.

In Part 2 of our Season 20 opener, Tiphany Kane takes G-Rex and Dirty Skittles deeper into the medical journey that turned her hard-won voice into one of her most important tools.

Tiphany was dealing with dangerously uncontrolled hypertension alongside lifelong congenital organ abnormalities. After one medical appointment left her sobbing before she could even make it to her car, she found a clinical trial through UCI Health for people with resistant hypertension.

Two days after an appointment where she felt completely dismissed, she walked into a room where people listened.

Tiphany was accepted into the clinical trial and eventually underwent renal denervation. Months later, she says her blood pressure was controlled with medication, and she had something back that she’d desperately missed: quality of life.

But those years came with consequences. Tiphany discusses lasting damage involving her eyes, kidneys, and heart.

This conversation isn’t about pretending every doctor is terrible or that anxiety can’t affect the body. It’s about recognizing that mental and physical health can exist in the same damn body at the same time.

Having anxiety doesn’t make every physical symptom anxiety.

Tiphany’s story is a powerful reminder to ask questions, document what you’re experiencing, bring support when you need it, and keep advocating for yourself when something doesn’t feel right.

Keywords: Tiphany Kane, medical gaslighting, women’s health, patient advocacy, self-advocacy, anxiety stigma, chronic illness, resistant hypertension, healthcare trauma, trusting your body, women’s mental health, medical dismissal, emotional resilience, finding your voice, patient empowerment

Meet Our Guest — Tiphany Kane

Tiphany Kane, M.Ed., is an award-winning producer, entrepreneur, public speaker, and storyteller whose own medical journey has added another powerful chapter to her work: speaking openly about what happens when people have to fight to be heard and believed.

CEO & Co-Founder, KaSa Media Productions — Tiphany produces podcasts, video, live events, and other story-driven media.

Founder, J4F MORE Foundation — Her work reaches beyond production into advocacy, storytelling, and creating opportunities for other voices to be heard.

Medical Advocacy — After navigating lifelong complex health issues and feeling dismissed during her medical journey, Tiphany began publicly sharing what happened so other people would know they aren’t alone.

Just 4 Feet Studio — She is building a 5,500-square-foot state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos recording and post-production studio in Orange County, California.

Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts — Tiphany is an AIVA member and serves as an AIVA juror.

Website — http://www.kasamediapro.com

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/tiphanykane/

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/tiphany.k

YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@J4Fstudio

LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiphany-kane-m-ed-514264175/

Key Takeaways

Mental health and physical illness can exist at the same time. One doesn’t automatically explain away the other.

You live in your body every damn day. If something feels wrong and keeps feeling wrong, it’s okay to keep asking questions.

Self-advocacy isn’t about picking a fight with your doctor. It’s about being an active participant in your own care.

Sometimes you need another person in the room. An advocate can listen, take notes, ask questions, and help when you’re too sick, exhausted, or overwhelmed to do everything yourself.

Being listened to changed Tiphany’s medical experience. Feeling heard shouldn’t have to feel like winning the lottery.

The voice Tiphany spent decades learning not to suppress became exactly the voice she needed when the stakes got serious.

Actionable Items

Walk in prepared. Keep a simple timeline of your symptoms, medications, relevant medical history, changes you’ve noticed, and the questions you don’t want to forget.

Bring backup when you need it. Ask someone you trust to attend an appointment with you, and tell them beforehand exactly how you’d like them to support you.

Ask one more question. If a physical symptom is being attributed to anxiety, ask what physical causes have been considered and what findings support that conclusion.

Important Chapters

00:00:45 — What Happened After the Appointment?

00:01:14 — Finding the Clinical Trial

00:02:58 — Renal Denervation and Getting Her Blood Pressure Controlled

00:04:06 — The Lasting Physical Damage

00:05:03 — Getting Her Quality of Life Back

00:06:33 — Why Did Tiphany Have to Find the Answer Herself?

00:08:57 — Finally Being Taken Seriously

00:12:44 — When Trust in Healthcare Breaks Down

00:14:20 — Insurance, Chronic Illness, and Access to Care

00:19:51 — Why Having an Advocate Matters

00:20:59 — Anxiety and Physical Illness Can Coexist

00:22:17 — What Tiphany Wishes She Had Said

00:23:43 — Using Her Voice to Help Others

00:24:40 — What She Would Tell Her Younger Self

00:26:21 — Divorce and One of Life’s Hardest Lessons

00:29:27 — Where to Find Tiphany

Closing CTA

Subscribe, Rate, and Review!
Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:

https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #Season20 #TiphanyKane #MedicalGaslighting #WomensHealth #PatientAdvocacy #SelfAdvocacy #ChronicIllness #HealthcareTrauma #AnxietyAwareness #TrustYourBody #WomensMentalHealth #FindingYourVoice #HypertensionAwareness #HealthcareAdvocacy #InvisibleIllness #EmotionalWellness

***************************************************************************
If You Need Support, Reach Out
If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.
United States: Call or Text 988 — 988lifeline.org
Canada: Call or Text 988 — 988.ca
Worldwide: Find a Helpline
Mental Health Resources and Tools: The Help Hub
Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Official Website: goesoninourheads.net
Facebook: @shltthatgoesoninourheads
Instagram: @grex_and_dirtyskittles
LinkedIn: G-Rex and Dirty Skittles
Join Our Newsletter: (https://grexanddirtyskittles.substack.com/)
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Audio Editing by NJz Audio

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Season 20 starts with one hell of a story. In Part 1 of this two-part opener, Tiphany Kane joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to talk about leaving a restrictive religious environment at 19, losing family and community, carrying the wounds of rejection, and eventually realizing she didn’t need anyone’s permission to use her voice.

Awards & Downloads

Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

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Mental Health Quote

“I can do really hard things.” — Tiphany Kane

Episode Description

At 19, Tiphany Kane packed up her little blue Toyota Corolla and drove across the country. She was leaving behind the restrictive religious world that had shaped what she believed about women, family, belonging, and herself.
But getting out was only the beginning.

In this Season 20 opener, Tiphany talks with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles about being disfellowshipped and suddenly losing contact with family members, childhood friends, and the community she had always known. She describes becoming an “instant orphan” and how that kind of rejection doesn’t magically disappear, even after decades.

Those old wounds still show up. Sometimes rejection brings up a protective wall. Other times, it wakes up the little girl who wonders why people don’t fight for her. Tiphany has learned to recognize those stories without letting them run the whole damn show.

She also opens up about people-pleasing, divorce, rebuilding her life, leaving a 20-year career she loved, and being told professionally that she was “too passionate.”

That moment became another crossroads: keep making herself smaller or figure out who she was without everyone else’s rules.

Then she found podcasting.

For the first time, Tiphany could say what she wanted to say without asking permission. And once she found that voice, there was no putting it back in the box.

Keywords: Tiphany Kane, religious trauma, finding your voice, rejection, people-pleasing, emotional healing, divorce recovery, reinvention, abandonment wounds, women’s mental health, self-worth, resilience, starting over, trauma recovery, podcasting

Meet Our Guest — Tiphany Kane

Tiphany Kane, M.Ed., is an award-winning producer, entrepreneur, public speaker, and storyteller who has seen firsthand what happens when someone finally stops shrinking and starts owning their voice.

CEO & Co-Founder, KaSa Media Productions — Produces podcasts, video, live events, and story-driven media for people with something meaningful to say.

Founder, J4F MORE Foundation — Tiphany has expanded her work beyond media production through the foundation and her passion for helping others.

Just 4 Feet Studio — She is building a 5,500-square-foot state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos recording and post-production studio in Orange County, California.

Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts — Tiphany is an AIVA member and serves as an AIVA juror.

Website — http://www.kasamediapro.com

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/tiphanykane/

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/tiphany.k

YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@J4Fstudio

LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiphany-kane-m-ed-514264175/

Key Takeaways

Reinventing yourself doesn’t mean the person you were before was a failure. Sometimes every version of you gets you a little closer to who you really are.

You can leave a controlling environment and still carry pieces of what happened with you for years.

Rejection and abandonment can leave emotional fingerprints long after you’ve built an entirely new life.

People-pleasing isn’t always about being nice. Sometimes it starts as a way to stay safe, accepted, or loved.

There is no expiration date on finding your voice. Tiphany was in her late 40s when podcasting helped her truly discover hers.

Being called “too much” doesn’t automatically mean you need to tone yourself down. Sometimes you’ve simply outgrown the room you’re standing in.

Actionable Items

Catch the rejection story. The next time something feels like rejection, ask yourself: What actually happened, and what is my old wound telling me happened?

Notice where you’re shrinking. Look at your work, relationships, family, and friendships. Where are you editing yourself just to keep somebody else comfortable?

Practice using your voice. Journal it, record it, say it to someone you trust, or create something. Give yourself one place where you don’t have to make your truth prettier for everybody else.

Important Chapters

00:02:07 — A Lifetime of Reinvention

00:04:02 — Leaving Home at 19

00:05:30 — Growing Up in a Restrictive Religion

00:07:14 — The Questions That Changed Everything

00:11:08 — Disfellowshipped and Losing Her Community

00:14:52 — Rejection and Abandonment Wounds

00:16:34 — Breaking the “Good Girl” Programming

00:19:32 — Finding Her Voice in Her Late 40s

00:21:56 — How Podcasting Changed Everything

00:25:54 — When Health Problems Get Blamed on Anxiety

00:28:34 — Sharing Her Medical Story With the World

Closing CTA

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#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #Season20 #TiphanyKane #ReligiousTrauma #FindingYourVoice #PeoplePleasing #EmotionalHealing #TraumaRecovery #Reinvention #StartingOver #SelfWorth #WomensMentalHealth #AbandonmentWounds #HealingJourney #DivorceRecovery #Resilience #Podcasting

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