Hi, it's me Rachael

So… Hi.
I’ve rewritten this introduction more times than I care to admit.
I kept thinking I needed to sound professional. Like I had everything together. Like I needed this perfectly crafted story that would convince you I’m worth listening to.

Truth is…
I don’t.
I’m just me.

I’m a veteran. I’m a mother. I’m a wife. I’m someone who’s laughed way too hard at inappropriate jokes just to survive hard seasons. I’m someone who’s cried in the shower because it felt like the only place I could fall apart without anyone asking questions.
I’m also someone who knows what it’s like to have a story that feels too heavy to tell.

Maybe that’s why this podcast exists.

Because somewhere along the way, I realized silence doesn’t make the pain disappear. It just makes you carry it alone.
And I’m done carrying things alone. I don’t know exactly what brought you here.
Maybe you’re a survivor. Maybe you’re struggling with your mental health.
Maybe someone you love is hurting and you’re trying to understand them better.
Or maybe you’re just curious…

Whatever the reason…I’m really glad you’re here.

Here’s something you’ll learn about me pretty quickly: I don’t believe in pretending.

If I’m having a hard day, I’m probably going to tell you.
If something makes me angry, you’ll know.
If I don’t have an answer, I’m not going to fake one.
There are enough people in this world pretending they’ve got it all figured out.
I don’t want to be another one.

Breaking Ranks wasn’t created because I wanted to start a podcast.

It was created because I wanted people to stop feeling so damn alone.
Because I’ve watched people lose themselves trying to protect everyone else’s comfort.
I’ve watched survivors apologize for surviving.
I’ve watched people smile while quietly falling apart.
And I’ve watched people convince themselves that if something happened years ago, they should “just be over it by now.”

Life doesn’t work that way.

Healing doesn’t work that way.
There isn’t a deadline for healing.
There isn’t a gold star for pretending you’re okay.
And there isn’t a prize for suffering in silence.

So here’s what I hope this space becomes.

I hope it’s the place you listen to on the drive home after therapy.
I hope it’s the episode that reminds you you’re not “too much.”
I hope it’s the conversation that finally gives someone the courage to say, “Me too.”
I hope it makes you think, or makes you cry sometimes.
I hope we laugh, too, because even in the middle of the hardest stories, laughter has a funny way of reminding us we’re still alive., and that things can still be good in life. Because I feel like we lose sight of the good sometimes when we are stuck in survival mode for so long.

More than anything though…

I hope this reminds you that your story doesn’t lose its value just because someone else couldn’t hold it.
You don’t have to earn the right to be heard.
You don’t have to prove your pain.
You don’t have to justify your healing.
You just get to be human, you are allowed to ask for help, and if I’m honest…
That’s what I’m still learning too.

So this isn’t me standing on a stage telling you I know the way.

This is me pulling up another chair and saying,
“I’ve been through some things too.”
“Let’s figure this out together.”
Thank you for taking a chance on this little corner of the internet.

Listen, I know your time is valuable.
The fact that you’re spending even a few minutes here means more than you know.
And before you go, I want to leave you with one thing…

If nobody has told you today…
I’m really glad you’re still here.

Welcome to Breaking Ranks.
Let’s have the conversations people told us not to have.