Candle In A Dark Room podcast

Season 3, Episode 2 "Fostering love and healing in the world of trauma w/ Rachel Garrett" ✨is LIVE✨ the LINKS IN BIO 🎧 

This weeks guest is Rachel Garrett. Rachel is a former high-school history teacher, a mother of two, a licensed CASA (Court appointed state advocate), and a foster mom. She is currently in a Master of Child and Adolescent Development Psychology program, and refuses to look away from the pain and trauma youth experience. She stands in solidarity with all of those advocating, fighting for a better world for kids to grow up in. In this episode we talk about the foster system, what its like being a foster parent, and how to navigate being foster parents with young kids of her own. She talks about the process of becoming a foster parent and the trials that comes with as well as the beautiful things it comes with. These are not just kids that are put up for adoption as babies, these are also children that have been taken away from their home, their life and the only family they've ever known. Rachel discusses how her and her husband help, love and offer safety to these children through this tough journey. She has one of thee biggest hearts and I'm so grateful for her drive and ambition to do this amazing, beautiful, but hard work. 

You can follow Rachel on Instagram @rachgarrett

Thank you so much Rachel for sharing your journey with us, and for being there for these kids that need it the most. Please show Rachel some love

 and support 💛💛

 ✨Make sure you LISTEN AND SHARE SHARE SHARE! Also don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to our podcast and our YouTube, so you are notified when new episodes are released. Of course, also make sure you are following our social media pages on Instagram and Facebook @candleinadarkroom

 ✨Remember, you can ALWAYS find light in the darkest of darkness✨ SUBSCRIBE, SAVE & SHARE 

 #speakyourtruth #youcandohardthings #candleinadarkroom #unapologeticallyme #mentalhealthawareness #breakthestigma #worldmentalhealthday #metoo #survivor #sexualabuseawareness #podcast #podcastlife #podcastmovement #saam #warrior #metoomovement #yourvoicematters #preventionstartswithyou #bodypositivity #thisbody #shatterlabels #loveyourself #mentalhealth #mentalhealthtips #selflove #acceptance #childabuse #lightwarriors #suicideawareness #heal #fosteryouth #fostersystem 

Season 3, Episode 1 "Finding the light in my darkness" w/ Jaimee Johnson is now✨LIVE✨ the LINKS IN BIO 🎧 

Jaimee Johnson is a lived experience expert on domestic sex trafficking and the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the Sisters of the Streets nonprofit organization. She also holds the title of mother, motivational speaker, advocate, first responder, consultant, social media marketer, entrepreneur and activist. Sisters of the Streets focuses on empowering those impacted by sexual exploitation. Mrs. Johnson integrates her lived experience into her work by providing mentorship and resources to those desiring to transition out of that lifestyle, while focusing on empowering the community to be a part of the solutions while identifying and addressing root issues that allow exploitation to thrive while encouraging harm reduction practices. In this episode Jaimee talks about her experienced of being trafficked as a young teen, young adult and how that turned into the life of drugs, prostitution and more. Jaimee has been through hell and back, but still chooses to advocate and fight for survivors that still live that life. She also talks about how her faith is what keeps her strong. BUT there is one surprising twist at the END of her story that most people wouldn’t expect. Jaimee is one of the strongest people I've spoken to and I'm so grateful she sat down to have this hard conversation. Thank you Jaimee 💛 

You can follow and dm questions to Jaimee on instagram @Sisters_of_the_atreets or on her website at www.sistersofthestreets.org Please go show her some love and support!

 ✨Make sure you LISTEN AND SHARE SHARE SHARE! Also don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to our podcast and our YouTube, so you are notified when new episodes are released. Of course, also make sure you are following our social media pages on Instagram and Facebook @candleinadarkroom 

PS: Because of Covid some of these episodes had to be recorded through zoom so please excuse that the sound quality isn't the best.

✨Remember, you can ALWAYS find light in the darkest of darkness✨ LIKE, SAVE & SHARE #speakyourtruth #youcandohardthings #candleinadarkroom #unapologeticallyme #mentalhealthawareness #breakthestigma #worldmentalhealthday #metoo #survivor #sexualabuseawareness #podcast #podcastlife #podcastmovement #saam #warrior #metoomovement #yourvoicematters #preventionstartswithyou #bodypositivity #thisbody #shatterlabels #loveyourself #mentalhealth #mentalhealthtips #selflove #acceptance #childabuse #lightwarriors #suicideawareness #heal

Season 2, Episode 20 “Societies perpetuation of silence w/ Kate Oseen is now✨LIVE✨ the LINKS IN BIO 🎧

Kate is a mom of two, wife and a passionate digital creator, but she’s well known on social media as an advocate for human trafficking! With over 63K Instagram followers, Kate uses her platform to educate and amplify preventative information to bring more awareness to Human Trafficking. In this episode we talk about why this topic is so important to her even though she’s not a victim herself and why she uses her voice! We also discuss consent, speaking to our children about these issues and what to be aware of, the effects that pornography has on our youth today, and how porn has a big part in the trafficking industry. I’m so grateful for people like Kate that use their voice to fight for the voiceless to bring awareness and education to this important issue! 💛

You can follow and dm questions to Kate on instagram @katejoseen or on her website at https://msha.ke/katejoseen/

Please go show her some love and support!

✨Make sure you LISTEN AND SHARE SHARE SHARE! Also don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to this podcast and our YouTube, so you are notified when new episodes are released. Of course, also make sure you are following our social media pages on Instagram and Facebook @candleinadarkroom

✨Remember, you can ALWAYS find light in the darkest of darkness✨

LIKE, SAVE & SHARE

#speakyourtruth #youcandohardthings

#candleinadarkroom #unapologeticallyme #mentalhealthawareness #breakthestigma #worldmentalhealthday #metoo

#survivor #sexualabuseawareness

#podcast #podcastlife #podcastmovement

#saam #warrior #metoomovement #yourvoicematters #preventionstartswithyou #bodypositivity #thisbody #shatterlabels #loveyourself #mentalhealth #mentalhealthtips #selflove #acceptance #childabuse #lightwarriors #suicideawareness

Season 2, Episode 17 “ICONfidence” w/ Sarah Foley is now ✨LIVE✨ LINK IN BIO 🎧

I had the honor to sit down with this badass, strong and inspiring women Sarah Foley, also known as Vertical Blonde! She is the epitome of getting back up when you have been knocked down!

In 2012 Sarah was in a horrible ATV accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down.

From that day Sarah has gone through all of the stages of trauma from denial, sadness, anger, acceptance and just the  roller coaster of emotions. Sarah had to literally learn, teach herself and work her ass off to pick herself back up and continue to live with her new circumstances. Sarah got married, had a beautiful son and moved to paradises in Hawaii, but she still felt like something was missing. That’s when Sarah started to do the mental work to be truly happy, and to find the light in her darknesses. That’s when Sarah started working on her confidence and changing her mindset! Here she is today, an entrepreneur, a coach, a public speaker and there’s so much more she’s doing in the near future! I’m so grateful I met Sarah! Her energy and smile is contagious, she makes you feel like you can conquer the world and she pushes you to know your worth! I hired Sarah to be my personal business coach which was my first experience, and let me tell you it was amazing, the push I needed and honestly one of the best decisions I’ve made. Sarah is just such an inspiration to me and so many people so I’m so excited to share her story with all of you!

Thank you so Sarah for taking the time to share your inspiring story with us💛

You can follow Sarah on instagram @verticalblonde and you can find more about her courses, story etc on her www.verticalblonde.com

 Please go show her some love

✨Make sure you LISTEN AND SHARE SHARE SHARE! Also don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to this podcast and our YouTube which has the video of our conversation, so you are notified when new episodes are released, AND of course make sure you follow our page on Instagram and Facebook @candleinadarkroom

Remember, you can ALWAYS find light in the darkest of darkness✨

In this episode I got to see down with 5 amazing women! Cassie Scerbo, Seak Smith, Amber Rose which of who have all already been guests on my podcast and are here for amazing support. Then we have two new amazing women that I’ve had a chance to meet because of Cassie! Brittany Sugarman and Alexa Mey. Brittany and Alexa talk about their experience with sexual assault. They both live and work in the entertainment industry and know a lot of important people so because of that they felt they couldn’t tell their stories. Until now. Brittany who is a professional dancer for celebs like Lady Gaga and Jlo is also Cassie’s BFF. Today she talks about the sexual assault that happened to her from a very known dance producer. Brittany now knows from more than one person he’s done it to multiple others. He’s an “important” guy who thinks he can’t be touched so he has gotten away with it for too long! So Brittany takes her power back by telling her truth and without holding back! Something that’s incredibly brave! Alexa who is a beautiful model and a good friend of Cassie’s as well also sat down with us and told us about two different incidents of assault. One that was out of her control when she was drugged at a modeling gig and one about when she lost her virginity. These women are incredible and I am so grateful to have met them and sat down with them so they could tell their truth! They are so freakin brave and I’m so proud of them both for doing this hard thing and talking about these intense and vulnerable topics! Please go show them some love!

You can follow all these ladies on instagram 

@cassiescerbo and she has two others @boo2bullying and @b2b1on1

@brittsugarman1

@alexamey

@amberrosebud_

@seak_smith

✨ Make sure you LISTEN AND SHARE SHARE SHARE! Also don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to this podcast so you are notified when new episodes are released, AND of course make sure you follow our page on Instagram and Facebook @candleinadarkroom

I got to sit down with my friend Nola Hayes. Nola is a survivor of child sexual abuse by a family member, sexual assault, she's an activist and the co founder of the podcast "Sex, Love and you". She is also an actress, dancer and the social media director for the Do good bus. In this episode Nola talks about how she didn't remember her trauma until she was an adult and the damage that did to her once she remembered. Nola talks about how her trauma affected her so much which ended up resulting in an eating disorder, substance abuse and unhealthy sexual activity. She talks about the hard work she has had to do on herself and with her trauma to truly get to a good place not only mentally, but also physically. She also talks about how she has learned to take her sexuality back after her trauma without guilt or shame which is a very common feeling/response that survivors struggle with after their trauma. This was a great episode with great information on how to recover through trauma in a healthy way before you're too destructive to yourself and to feel empowered within yourself. 

You can follow Nola on instagram @littlebird787 or @dogoodbus ✨ Make sure you LISTEN AND SHARE SHARE SHARE! Also don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to this podcast so you are notified when new episodes are released, AND of course make sure you follow our page on Instagram and Facebook @candleinadarkroom

On this episode I got to sit down with my friend Jose. Jose is a Human Trafficking Survivor, Public Speaker, Author, Advocate and Activist. Jose was physically and sexually abused as a child. He did not have the love and support of his parents or family because he was "too feminine" and later came out as gay, and his father strongly disapproved. When he was a lost teenager looking for love and acceptance, he was put into human trafficking through a massage business. He was a young teenager who was put in a dangerous, uncomfortable and forced situation by a way older man who he thought was his friend and cared about him. After 3 months he was able to get out of the situation physically, but mentally its something that took work and that he has been carrying with him for years. He is ready to speak up and bring awareness to this situation because unfortunately its a very common issue. You can follow Jose on instagram @joselewisalfaro ✨Make sure you LISTEN AND SHARE SHARE SHARE! Also don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to this podcast so you are notified when new episodes are released, AND of course make sure you follow our page on Instagram and Facebook @candleinadarkroom

I got to sit down with Kenny Akers. Kenny is a black man that has recently been known in Utah because back in June he stopped and gave a powerful speech to the looters who were robbing and destroying a 7-11. He spoke to them and gave them empathy and understanding, but all while teaching them this isn't the right way to handle the situation. Kenny talks about how he has dealt with racism in Utah and that he has learned that love is the answer to all of this chaos and hatred going on in the world. He is a war vet, a husband and a father. Kenny is a great example and I'm happy to share his point of view with you all. Because of what Kenny did, he has made it on the news, radio and has even been asked to speak at the city council meeting. He is using his voice for good and is making changes for the black community. 

You can follow Kenny on instagram @keneakers ✨ Make sure you LISTEN AND SHARE SHARE SHARE! Also don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to this podcast so you are notified when new episodes are released, AND of course make sure you follow our page on Instagram and Facebook @candleinadarkroom

In this episode I got to interview my friend Ashley Simpson. Ashley is a survivor of child sexual abuse from her step father as well. We have similar stories except Ashley has had to unfortunately deal with the backlash from her family after she reported her truth once she was an adult. Her family including her own mother, chose to side with her perpetrator (her step dad). In this episode Ashley tells us her story of survival as well as what happened when she told her truth and how she has had to cut ties with family to take care of herself and her own mental health. Listen to Ashleys story of strength and resilience because she is a true example of a survivor. 

You can follow Ashley on instagram @_ashley.simpson_ ✨ Make sure you LISTEN AND SHARE SHARE SHARE! Also don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to this podcast so you know when new episodes are released, AND of course make sure you follow our page on Instagram and Facebook @candleinadarkroom

In this episode I sat down with my girl Paige Watts. Paige is a social media influencer and digital creator! Paige is in front of the camera often and comes across as having confidence in her beauty, but what people don't know or see is the struggle she deals with on the inside. Paige has struggled with body dysmorphia, anxiety and other mental health struggles. She talks about why doing what she does actually helps her and how it may seem so glamorous behind the camera, but its so much harder and more stressful than people even know. She talks abut her future goals and gives advice on learning to love yourself even when its hard because its something she has to do often. Paige is beautiful inside and out, smart and one of the nicest people I've met. Plus she's an amazing singer too! She has a heart of gold and I'm honored and excited to share this honest and vulnerable episode with you. You can follow Paige on instagram @paigearmita ✨ So make sure you LISTEN AND SHARE SHARE SHARE! Also don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the podcast so you know when new episodes are released, AND of course make sure you follow our page on Instagram and Facebook @candleinadarkroom

I got to sit down with Natalie Hansen who is 20 year old beautiful and thriving model, but unfortunately she has had to do it without her dad. When Natalie was 14 years old she and her family were left devastated when she lost her father to suicide in a public setting. Natalie was one of the last people to speak to him. After losing her dad Natalie has had to deal with all the stages of grief from sadness all the way to guilt.  For the first time after 6 years Natalie is telling her story. I got to sit down and talk to her about the day her dad died, and how it has affected her life to this day. It hasn't been an easy road but Natalie is ready to share her story in hopes of helping someone who might be in a similar situation either with themselves or with someone they know. 

AnnaLynne McCord is an American actress best known for her role in 90210 and Nip Tuck. On this episode AnnaLynne talks about the secret she had deep inside for over 30 years, a secret she didn't even know or remember until last year. She talks about how it turned her world upside down and how she has, and continues to use her pain for good. For the last 3 years AnnaLynne has been the president of the organization Together 1 Heart. Together1heart helps rescue and rehabilitate girls as young as 2 years old from sex trafficking. Annalynne is one of the best people I've met with the heart to change the world. Im lucky to call her a mentor and friend.

Tessa is a close and long time friend of Desi who actually has a very similar story to Desi as well. She was sexual abused by her adoptive/step father from around 13 years old to 17. After she reported him, her whole family including her own mother disowned and shamed her. This episode tells the story of how she survived and conquered it all with no support except from a cousin. Tessa talks about where she is today and what gave her the courage to heal.

Caleb come on for a short episode and talks about his struggle with anxiety and depression at just 18 years old but it all started when he was a child. He had a hard time with it last year but talks about what he's learned and what has helped him. Thank you Caleb for being vulnerable and sharing your story. 

On todays episode I was lucky to have an old friend of mine on! Her name is Chalyn and we actually worked together at a treatment center about 5 years ago. This episode she talks about the healing process that she's been going through since she was young with an eating disorder, distorted image issues and trauma. She actually went to treatment last year to continue to work on herself and heal the areas that still need healing. Its a process but she's worked and is continuing the work to truly heal. 

The newest update on Desi's story. We thought it was over but this is something  that none of us expected. Now the triggers and court process she has to go through once again and the road to healing.

Listen to myself, my mom and our friend Val talk about how labels and bullying from when they were growing up, STILL affect them today and how even as adults labels make an impact. Have fun listening to 3 Latina's laugh, but still discuss this serious issue. You will laugh, cringe and maybe even shed some tears but lets shed light on how negative labels can have a long term affect. 

Details of my ED and some advice on how to recognize if someone you know is struggling with one. Also I provide resources for help!

Most of you know her from her previous reality tv show on E called Pretty Wild. She was known for her part in the Hollywood scandal The Bling Ring. Alexis Haines is now about 8 years sober, a mom, a wife, a doula and she has her very own podcast called "Recovering from reality" She was so fun to talk to and I'm excited for you all to hear this episode. 

I finish up my story and talk about my marriage and where I am now. 

Chapter one of my story.