Coming Home to Yourself: Season 18’s Biggest Mental Health Lessons

Season 18 reminded us that healing is not always about becoming someone new. Sometimes, it is about finding your way back to the person you were before trauma, shame, burnout, illness, or other people’s expectations pulled you away from yourself.

In this season-ender, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles look back at eight unforgettable guests, the lessons that stayed with them, and the conversations that changed how they think about anxiety, emotional healing, healthy masculinity, self-love, neurodivergence, food freedom, trauma, and listening to the body.

Awards and Downloads

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

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Mental Health Quote

“Healing isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about coming home to the person you were before the world taught you to leave.” — Inspired by the guests of Season 18

Trigger Notice and Crisis Reminder

This episode includes conversations about suicide, suicidal thoughts, childhood sexual abuse, trauma, grief, serious illness, and mental health crises. Please take care of yourself while listening.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.  https://988lifeline.org/

For crisis resources outside the United States:  https://findahelpline.com/

Episode Description

Season 18 brought us eight guests with completely different stories, but one truth kept showing up: healing begins when we stop running from ourselves and start listening.

In this season-ender, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles revisit the conversations that changed how they think about mental health, parenting, masculinity, trauma, food, illness, self-worth, and the way the body carries what the mind tries to bury.

Nancy Gilette reminded us that behavior is communication and that connection needs to come before correction. Dr. Mark Sherwood showed us what it means to become a hope dealer, especially for people who feel forgotten or written off. Dominic Petty helped us see that peace is not some distant finish line. It is the baseline underneath the noise.

Jason Lange gave men permission to feel what is happening in their bodies and talk about it without shame. Michelle Petties challenged diet culture by showing us that food noise is often emotional noise in disguise. Michael Caprio proved that a life-changing diagnosis can become part of your story without becoming the end of it. Alan Katz showed us that telling yourself the truth can set you free, even decades later. Anat Peri reminded us that the only way to feel better is to get better at feeling.

G-Rex and Dirty Skittles also reflect on their own growth, the ridiculous lies anxiety tells us, and what happens when you finally answer that voice with two words: watch me.

This episode is honest, funny, emotional, and full of reminders that your body is not the enemy, your emotions are not weaknesses, and asking for help carries absolutely zero shame.

Keywords: mental health podcast, emotional healing, coming home to yourself, anxiety recovery, self-discovery, trauma healing, emotional wellness, healthy masculinity, neurodivergent parenting, food freedom, self-love, body awareness, emotional literacy, personal growth, mental health awareness

Meet Our Guests — Season 18

Season 18 featured eight guests with eight very different stories, but every conversation gave us one unforgettable lesson about healing, self-awareness, and finding our way back to ourselves.

Nancy Gilette

Nancy taught us that behavior is communication. Before we rush to correct, fix, or control someone, especially a child, we need to slow down, listen, and connect first.

Dr. Mark Sherwood

Mark reminded us that hope can be life-saving. Even the smallest glimmer of hope can interrupt the darkness and help someone believe that more is still possible.

Dominic Petty

Dominic taught us that peace is not something we have to chase. It already exists beneath the anxiety, the noise, and the emotional chaos. The work is learning how to return to it.

Jason Lange

Jason showed us that emotional strength begins with body awareness. When men learn to name what they feel and take responsibility for their pain, they are less likely to pass that pain on to the people they love.

Michelle Petties

Michelle taught us that food struggles are rarely just about food. Lasting change begins when we understand the emotions, beliefs, and unmet needs underneath the behavior.

Michael Caprio

Michael reminded us that a diagnosis can change your life without ending it. Gratitude does not erase pain, but it can help us build meaning, connection, and hope on the other side of it.

Alan Katz

Alan taught us that the truth can set us free, even decades later. Healing began when he stopped blaming himself for what happened and finally told his own story with honesty and compassion.

Anat Peri

Anat reminded us that the only way to feel better is to get better at feeling. Self-love grows when we stop running from our emotions and learn how to sit with ourselves without judgment.

Key Takeaways

• Healing is not always a reinvention. Sometimes, it is a return to the most honest version of yourself.
• The body is a messenger, not the enemy.
• Connection creates more change than shame or correction.
• Emotional literacy helps us understand what is happening inside us.
• Rock bottom can become a turning point, but asking for help should come sooner.
• Your worth does not depend on achievement, toughness, productivity, or perfection.

Actionable Items

• Ask yourself, “What is my body trying to tell me right now?”
• Replace broad words like “fine” or “stressed” with a more specific emotion.
• When anxiety says you cannot do something, answer it with evidence and two words: “Watch me.”

Important Chapters

• 00:00:37 — Welcome to the Season 18 Ender, celebrating 18 seasons with laughs and side quests.
• 00:05:17 — The Thread That Connected the Season: Finding your way back to yourself.
• 00:08:11 — Growth, Reassurance, and Reinvention: How the season changed G-Rex and Dirty Skittles.
• 00:11:09 — Nancy Gilette Connection before correction.
• 00:14:58 — Dr. Mark Sherwood Hope, vulnerability, and first responder mental health.
• 00:17:31 — Dominic Petty Inner peace, relationship healing, and baby spiders.
• 00:25:16 — Jason Lange Men’s groups, emotions, and healthy masculinity.
• 00:30:08 — Michelle Petties Food freedom and emotional eating.
• 00:33:20 — Michael Caprio Rare disease, gratitude, and resilience.
• 00:35:19 — Alan Katz Childhood trauma and telling yourself the truth.
• 00:37:14 — Anat Peri Self-love and learning to feel.
• 00:39:26 — Gratitude for the Season: Thanking the guests, listeners, and each other.
• 00:40:42 — What Anxiety Told G-Rex From “You won’t make it” to “Watch me.”
• 00:42:18 — Goodbye to Season 18: Closing out the season and welcoming Season 19.

Closing CTA

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