Passion From Pain

Some days split your life in half.

There’s the person you were when the day started…and the person you are after everything changes. 

On March 13, 2018, Shaun Free was working a routine propane service job when a 3,000-gallon system exploded. In seconds, the shop disappeared in fire and pressure. Shaun was underneath the truck when it happened. He survived — but 46% of his body was burned, leading to multiple surgeries, pneumonia in both lungs, and a long fight through the brutal reality of burn recovery. But this story isn’t about inspiration clichés. It’s about discip...

They almost filed for divorce. After 25 years together, two kids, and a pandemic that cracked everything open, Zeke and Terri Mead looked at each other and said: we're done.  

But then they didn't leave.   In one of the most honest, funny, and real conversations I've had on Passion From Pain, Zeke and Terri walk us through the breakdown — and the accidental, incredibly intentional rebuilding that followed.

We're talking vulnerability, individual therapy, a whole new approach to intimacy, weekly relationship check-ins, different attachment styles, and the decision to build a travel business together at 55.  

This isn't...

💥FREE GIFT from Passion From Pain! Get Amy's Guide: “From Confusion to Clarity: 10 SIgns of a Manipulative & Mentally Abusive Relationship”: https://get.passionfrompain.com/from-confusion-to-clarity

https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbERvdzVHZFY1aFlzUEo0bFRrTC01MVpmU3JsQXxBQ3Jtc0tuVUk4dm1selVUOHB0MTZfVXFCZmlhUlc0SGRmOF9hek1Xbkg3VTNxQkd5Umk5ck5qSW1FYjAtSFNVSDRURDFtSzljN1Fwa3ZyMkZwVjlwTGJEenp2LUFNRjk1dHQ1NlNvaXU2cjFjVDRoTEJVbmtzYw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fget.passionfrompain.com%2Ffrom-confusion-to-clarity&v=ssfSuxKf-oo Why do smart, self-aware people keep ending up with the wrong partners? It's not bad luck. It's not low self-esteem. It's your attachment style—and it's been running the show sinc...

In this powerful conversation, Amy Pease interviews Dr. Lisha Antiqua, Ph.D., a transpersonal psychology expert and holistic trauma-informed coach, about healing trauma that lives beyond memory—inside the body, nervous system, and identity.

Dr. Lisha breaks down why many people stay stuck in “processing the past” and what it looks like to rebuild from the inside out: body, mind, emotions, energy, and soul.

Trigger Warning This episode includes discussion of sexual abuse, trauma recovery, and sexuality/intimacy topics. Please listen with care.

Dr. Lisha Antiqua, Ph.D. is a Transpersonal Psychology expert, Holistic Trauma...

The Pastor's Kid Addicted to Porn for 20 Years: Codependency, Confession & Freedom | Wesley Farnsworth

What happens when the pressure to be perfect creates a secret addiction that lasts two decades? In this raw and honest conversation, Wesley Farnsworth—pastor's kid, author, and Celebrate Recovery leader—shares his journey from codependency and people-pleasing to a 20-year pornography addiction that nearly destroyed him. 

This isn't a sanitized testimony; it's a blueprint for breaking shame, confronting hidden addictions, and finding freedom through radical confession and community. If you've ever struggled with codependency, shame, secret addictions, or the weight of religious perfe...

Ever met the part of yourself you swore didn't exist? Carol Smaldino—78-year-old therapist and shadow work veteran—tells the story of the moment she realized she had rage she didn't know existed. A scary kid. A fourth-floor window. And the thought: "I could help him jump." 

That's where the real work began. This is shadow work—Carl Jung's concept of owning the parts of yourself you're terrified to acknowledge. The anger. The cruelty. The selfishness. The darkness you shove down because "good people" don't feel that way. Except they do.

And when you ignore your shadow...

Therapist burnout. Compassion fatigue. Emotional exhaustion. These aren't buzzwords—they're the reality for mental health professionals, coaches, and helpers drowning quietly while everyone assumes they're fine.

Dr. Carmy Aristor, PhD, LCPC, LMHC, LPC—licensed psychotherapist, trauma-informed clinician, founder of Destined Horizons multi-state group practice, and creator of Helping the Healers—is here to tell the truth most helping professionals never say out loud: You can save lives, hold space, show up for everyone else, and still collapse under the weight of your own trauma.

Dr. Carmy learned this as a single mom running ten sessions a day, b...

CONTROLLING YOUR ANGER: How to Harness Rage and Turn It Into Power

You feel that flash of rage—the clenched jaw, the balled fists, the overwhelming urge to unleash. But you can't. Not without consequences. So you swallow it, shove it down, and smile through gritted teeth. But that anger doesn't disappear. It sits in your chest like a grenade with the pin half-pulled, waiting for the next trigger. What if your anger isn't the enemy? What if the problem isn't that you feel rage—it's that nobody ever taught you how to control it in the...

Evolution is a lifelong sport—and at 82, Calvin Schwartz is proof. In this raw conversation, we dive into longevity hacks, spiritual protection, curiosity as survival, and refusing to age traditionally. Calvin is a journalist, novelist, broadcaster, and host of Conversations with Calvin and We the Species.

He's practiced longevity techniques since 1969, survived what should have killed him multiple times, and has zero arterial plaque at 82. This isn't "aging gracefully" content—this is about staying awake, asking hard questions, and making your own rules. If you're questioning what comes next, been told you're "too old" to reinvent, or want real...

Why are you manifesting chaos instead of success?

If you're doing affirmations, vision boards, and "the work" but your life still feels like a dumpster fire—this episode will explain why. Dr. Stanley Doucette went from surviving childhood rape at age 6 to becoming President of One Voice Worldwide Family of Business. But his journey wasn't just about building success—it was about healing the unresolved trauma that was sabotaging everything he manifested.

In this raw conversation, Stanley reveals:
✅ Why unresolved childhood trauma blocks manifestation (even when you're "doing the work")
✅ The difference between religious routine...

Your phone is silent. No gifts are arriving. Everyone else is posting perfect family photos while you're sitting alone wondering if you made a mistake.

If you've cut off toxic family and this is your first Christmas alone, this episode is for you. I'm Amy Pease, and twenty years ago I spent my first Christmas alone after walking away from my manipulative, mentally abusive adopted family.

Today, I have a chosen family that feels like actual family. Drama-free holidays. Real love. Peace. In this 30-minute episode, I share the raw, honest truth about what "standing alone"...

YOU CAN'T CONTROL THE STORM, BUT YOU CAN MASTER IT: SURVIVING 100+ FAMILY COURT HEARINGS with Tami Forster

Over 100 family court hearings. 10 years of custody battles. A legal system designed to break her. Tami Forster survived it all—and now she's helping others do the same.

If you're navigating family court, fighting a custody battle, co-parenting with a narcissist, or trapped in the legal system, this episode is your survival guide. Tami shares raw truth about surviving high-conflict custody battles, rebuilding after domestic violence, and protecting your peace when the system tries to destroy it.

IN...

🔥When something feels off in your relationship but you can't name it—that's not paranoia, that's your intuition screaming!🔥

🩵UK relationship recovery coach and author, Romilly Golding, joins Passion From Pain to expose the 21 subtle red flags that most people miss until it's too late. This isn't about dramatic abuse or obvious narcissism—this is about the covert manipulation that keeps intelligent, successful people trapped for years.

❤️‍🔥Romilly survived multiple toxic relationships and spent five years documenting patterns to create "21 Red Flags: Spotting the Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship"—the practical guide she desperately needed but couldn't find.

🔥 WHAT YOU AVOID CONTROLS YOU 🔥

What you avoid controls you. Not what you face. Not what you overcome. What you RUN from. What you hide from. What you pretend isn't there while it's eating you alive from the inside out. Every single thing you avoid becomes your puppet master. And you? You're the puppet, dancing to the rhythm of your own fear, your own shame, your own unresolved pain. But not anymore. Not after today!

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⏱️ IN THIS EPISODE
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In this raw, no-BS solo deep dive, we're tearing apart the psychology, neuroscience, and spiritual reality of avoidance—and giving you the tools to take your power back.
 You'll discover:
✅ Why your brai...

🔥 DEALING WITH TRAUMA? This episode will change how you heal. 🔥

If you're stuck in your trauma, battling PTSD, or tired of pretending you're fine—this conversation is for you. Ernest James, founder of DealHealFulfill.org, went from contemplating suicide in his darkest depression to becoming a voice of healing for thousands. In this raw, unfiltered episode, he breaks down his Deal-Heal-Fulfill framework that's helping veterans, trauma survivors, and anyone carrying pain finally process what broke them—and rebuild with what's left. This is real talk about mental health, suicide prevention, grief recovery, and finding purpose after pain.

Ernes...

PTSD doesn't end when the battle stops. War trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and combat-related mental health challenges follow veterans home—into their beds, their relationships, their entire existence. This episode dives deep into veteran mental health, PTSD recovery, trauma healing, and the brutal truth about surviving after war. Whether you're a veteran struggling with combat trauma, someone healing from sexual assault PTSD, surviving childhood trauma, or walking through grief and loss—this conversation is for YOU. We're breaking the silence around mental health stigma, PTSD treatment, trauma therapy, and what it really takes to reclaim your life after your world shat...

Stop Complaining About the Work You're Not Doing | Uncomfortable Truths About Healing After Abuse

 Description: You can't complain about results you didn't get from work you didn't do. In this episode, Amy breaks down why survivors get stuck, the three traps that keep you in victim mode, and the exact inner, outer, and rebellion work you need to do to stop waiting for healing and start building it. No sugar-coating. No toxic positivity. Just hard truths delivered with empathy, humor, and a roadmap for actually doing the work.

 In This Episode:
The three traps survivors fa...

Let's get real: You can't complain about results you didn't get from work you didn't do. In this episode, Amy breaks down why survivors get stuck, the three traps that keep you in victim mode, and the exact inner, outer, and rebellion work you need to do to stop waiting for healing and start building it. No sugar-coating. No toxic positivity. Just hard truths delivered with empathy, humor, and a roadmap for actually doing the damn work. In This Episode:
The three traps survivors fall into (and how to escape them)Why your nervous system is sabotaging your healingThe...

Breaking the Cycle of Self-Sabotage - When Your Worst Enemy Lives in Your Own Head

How many times have you gotten exactly what you wanted—the relationship, the opportunity, the fresh start—and then systematically destroyed it with your own hands?

Here's the uncomfortable truth: most of us aren't being destroyed by our circumstances. We're being destroyed by ourselves. We procrastinate on what matters most. We pick fights with people who actually love us. We quit three feet from the goalpost. We choose familiar pain over the unknown possibility of peace. And here's what makes it even...

Finally tired of your own shit? GOOD!

That's where real freedom begins! 

Real transformation doesn't happen when Mercury stops being in retrograde or you find the perfect therapist. It happens when you're so sick of your own patterns, excuses, and self-sabotage that you can't stomach it for one more day.

If you're a woman who's survived trauma, abuse, or manipulation, this episode is for you. Host Amy Pease breaks down why being tired of your own shit is the most powerful threshold you'll cross in healing—and what to do about it.

You...

What if healing from trauma isn’t about fixing what's broken — but about remembering what was buried? In this episode, somatic therapist, interfaith minister, and trauma alchemist Santa Molina-Marshall joins Amy to unpack the raw, unfiltered truth about what it really takes to reclaim yourself after abuse. This isn’t a sanitized conversation about “resilience.” It’s a visceral dive into how trauma shatters our sense of safety — and how healing demands that we rewire our nervous systems, reconnect with our bodies, and call our souls back from the shadows.Santa shares her personal journey from surviving childhood sexual abuse to becom...