Podcast
Even Tacos Fall Apart
Hosted by MommaFoxFire · EN
The "Even Tacos Fall Apart" talk show includes interviews with actual mental health professionals and conversations where real people talk about the messy side of mental illness, disabilities, wellness and life in general. My goal is to normalize mental health conversations and reduce the stigma around illnesses. We all struggle at different times in our lives, but that doesn't mean we're unlovable - after all, Tacos Fall Apart and WE STILL LOVE THOSE!
mommafoxfire is a MH advocate and variety gaming streamer on Twitch: twitch.tv/mommafoxfire
tacosfallapart.com
42episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Grit & Gratitude: Becoming Blind As a Teen & Finding Hope with Laura Bratton
Mar 1701:01:16Tap to summarizeFor anyone who has ever had the rug pulled out from under them and wondered how people actually come back from that, this is the episode to listen to.More info, resources & ways to connect - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/laura-brattonWhen Laura Bratton was nine years old, a doctor told her she would eventually go blind. At nine, she didn't fully grasp what that meant. By the time she was a teenager watching her vision disappear over the course of high school, she understood completely... and it nearly broke her.In this episode, Laura opens up about what it was really like to lose her sight during the years when all you want is to be normal. No driver's license. No all-nighters before a big project. No spontaneous anything. Every assignment had to be started the day it was assigned. While her classmates were pulling the classic cram-it-all-in-the-night-before move, Laura was working through it hour by hour, day by day. The grief that came with all of that, she says, is something she still can't fully put into words.The anxiety and depression that followed were severe. We're talking panic attacks, fog so thick she couldn't focus at school, nights so restless she felt like she was crawling out of her skin. Getting help wasn't instant or easy either... finding the right combination of medication took time and came with its own brutal side effects. But she got there.What pulled her through wasn't toxic positivity or a "superhero" narrative. Laura actually tried both ends of that spectrum (the poor-me victim mindset and the you're-so-inspirational-and-strong version) and neither one helped. What actually worked was something in the middle: grit and gratitude. Not the push-through-and-ignore-your-feelings kind of grit. The kind where you feel the weight of what's happening, you sit with it for a minute, and then you take one small step forward anyway. And not the relentlessly chipper gratitude either. Sometimes gratitude is just falling into bed at the end of a brutal day and thinking, thank God that's over.Today, Laura is the author of Harnessing Courage and founder of Ooby Global, where she speaks to organizations and works with individuals on navigating change without getting stuck in it. She also made history as the first blind student to graduate from Princeton Theological Seminary... though she'd probably tell you she was just focused on getting through the day.This conversation gets real about mental health, the difference between actual support and pity, why you should never pet a guide dog without asking, and why your loved one going through something hard doesn't need you to fix it... they need you to listen.Laura closes with something worth sitting with: in the middle of everything hard, you are enough. Even if you don't believe it right now.
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Traumatic Brain Injury & Using TTRPGs & Gaming in Therapy with Nicholas Ruchlewicz
Mar 1001:07:57Tap to summarizeIf you've ever been told you look fine when you feel anything but, or found your people somewhere nobody expected, pull up a chair.More info, resources & ways to connect - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/nicholas-ruchlewiczNicholas Ruchlewicz Survived a Traumatic Brain Injury. Then He Used Pathfinder TTRPG to Help Put Himself Back Together.On March 15, 2016 - the Ides of March, smack in the middle of Brain Injury Awareness Month - Nicholas Ruchlewicz was in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash that changed everything. He woke up not knowing where he was, seeing double, unable to control his own hands. Doctors had to tie them down because he kept pulling staples out of his own skull. He had a plate holding his pelvis together. He was living in his mom's basement with the handles taken off his wheelchair so he could fit down the hallway.That's where this story starts.In this episode, Nicholas walks us through what early recovery actually looked like... the speech therapy he fought tooth and nail because he "just hurt his legs," the 12 steps on a walker that were the hardest he'd ever taken, and the Pandora station full of Type O Negative and Opeth that his girlfriend played in the ICU and that you could literally watch lower his blood pressure on the monitors.The conversation gets really interesting when we get into how Nicholas found his way back through tabletop role-playing games. He'd already been playing Pathfinder before the crash. After it, rolling dice at a game store gave him a reason to get out of the house, a way to rebuild his cognitive function, and a community that showed up for him in ways he didn't expect... including visiting him in the hospital. He now runs organized play events up and down the East Coast, has run nearly 400 Pathfinder games, and uses the platform he's built to speak to political organizations and members of Congress about brain injury recovery and mental health.We also get into why TTRPGs specifically hit different from other hobbies when it comes to healing - the creative freedom, the social scaffolding, the way playing a confident character can quietly build confidence in real life. Nicholas has watched it help people work through social anxiety, find community, and feel seen in ways that are genuinely hard to manufacture anywhere else.He also shares a couple of practical life hacks from his recovery that honestly apply to everyone: the "1-2-3" pause technique and the Viktor Frankl principle about the space between stimulus and response being where your power lives.Nicholas's story is a good reminder that recovery is rarely linear and help shows up in unexpected places... sometimes in the form of math rocks and imaginary creatures, and a table full of people who are just glad you showed up.
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Hypnotherapy & Coping with Narcissists with Dr. Stephanie Kriesberg
Mar 301:02:22Tap to summarizeIf you've ever found yourself making excuses for someone who never once made them for you, this episode is exactly where you need to be.More info, resources & ways to connect - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/dr-stephanie-kriesbergIf you've ever walked away from a relationship wondering how you lost yourself along the way, this episode is for you. Dr. Stephanie Kriesberg, clinical psychologist and one of the only therapists in New England certified in the "Will I Ever Be Good Enough?" model, joined us to talk about narcissism, hypnotherapy and what healing actually looks like in practice.First things first — not all narcissists look the same. Dr. Kriesberg breaks down the two main types: the grandiose narcissist who dominates every room and needs constant admiration, and the covert narcissist who's quieter but just as skilled at getting other people to orbit around their needs. Both types share the same core: a lack of empathy, no real self-awareness and an expectation that the world exists to regulate their emotions. As Dr. Kriesberg puts it, a narcissist is essentially a child in an adult's body.So why do so many smart, capable people end up in these relationships? Because narcissists can be magnetic. They shower you with attention early on, make you feel chosen and needed — and by the time the dynamic shifts, you're already in deep. Dr. Kriesberg also addresses one of the most common misconceptions people carry: the belief that love, patience or the right circumstances will change things. They usually don't.We also talked about what not to do. Trying to explain yourself endlessly, hoping that if you just say it the right way they'll finally get it? That burden is not yours to carry. Instead, Dr. Kriesberg encourages people to hold onto their own sense of self, practice assertiveness and listen to their gut — especially those early red flags that are easy to rationalize away but hard to ignore once you know what they mean.And then there's hypnotherapy. This is where the conversation gets really interesting. Clinical hypnotherapy has nothing to do with stage shows or clucking like a chicken. It's a focused, relaxed state that helps people access their imagination and memory in a more intentional way. Dr. Kriesberg uses it with clients recovering from difficult relationships to help them reconnect with who they were before the relationship chipped away at them — recalling moments of confidence, competence and clarity, and bringing those back into the present. It's not a standalone fix, but woven into a broader therapy approach, it can be genuinely powerful.Dr. Kriesberg also makes the case that the most important factor in therapy isn't the model or the method — it's the relationship with your therapist. If it's not clicking, find someone else. The ball is in your court.This was a real, grounded conversation about patterns that are easier to spot in hindsight and harder to escape in the moment. Give it a listen.
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Understanding Emotional Highs and Lows with Ryan Reichert
Feb 2401:27:37Tap to summarizeFor anyone who has ever crashed hard after a high and wondered what is wrong with them, Ryan Reichert has some answers and a lot of honesty. If you are tired of white-knuckling your way through the hard seasons and want real tools from someone who has actually been there, this one is worth your time.More info, resources & ways to connect - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/ryan-reichertRyan Reichert has lived a life of extremes. Military veteran, Fortune 500 executive, recovering alcoholic, divorced dad rebuilding his relationship with his kids. He has been at the top and at the bottom, sometimes within the same year. That kind of experience doesn't make you an expert by default, but it can if you're willing to do the work and tell the truth about all of it. Ryan has done both.On this episode of Even Tacos Fall Apart, Ryan joins us to talk about the emotional cycles we all go through and why so many of us are completely unprepared for them. His book, The Icarus Effect, takes its name from the myth of a guy who flew too high and paid for it, and Ryan argues that most of us are doing exactly that, without even realizing it.The conversation goes a lot of places. We talk about what it actually means to regulate your emotions versus just suppressing them, and why age alone doesn't make you better at it. Ryan is very clear on this point: he has seen people with decades of life experience who still blow up at the smallest things, because emotional intelligence is a skill you have to build, not something that just arrives one day.We also get into his sobriety, which hit the two-year mark right around the time we recorded this. He is honest about what drove the drinking and what finally made him stop, and it has nothing to do with willpower. The alcohol was never really the problem. It was the shame, the secrecy and the lifetime of carrying things he never told anyone.Ryan talks about what it looks like to actually start managing your emotional responses in real time, including some practical tools from his book. Box breathing for anger. Grounding your senses when anxiety takes over. Letting yourself feel joy without immediately overindulging in it. None of it is complicated, but all of it takes practice and most people never start.His closing message for anyone in a low point right now is simple: you are not alone, and you almost certainly have someone you can reach out to, even if it doesn't feel that way. He also said something that stuck with me, which is that people are probably already judging you, so you might as well just tell the truth. It was funnier in context but also completely correct.Ryan is a speaker, mindset coach and the author of The Icarus Effect. You can find him at ourprotectordevelopment.com and across all the major social platforms. Give this episode a listen and then go find someone to have an honest conversation with.
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Rebuilding After Trauma with Shannon Michelle
Feb 1701:06:10Tap to summarizeIf you're going through something difficult right now or you've experienced trauma that still affects you, this conversation offers both hope and practical wisdom. Shannon's story reminds us that healing is possible and that you don't have to do it alone. Listen if you're rebuilding after something hard, supporting someone who is, or just trying to understand why healing never goes in a straight line.More info, resources & ways to connect - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/shannon-michelleShannon Michelle knows what it means to start over. After losing her brother to suicide and navigating her own mental health struggles, she's become someone who helps others find their way through the hardest moments of their lives.In this conversation we talk about what it actually takes to rebuild when everything falls apart. Shannon shares how trauma doesn't just affect you mentally but shows up in your body too. She explains that healing isn't linear... and that that's completely normal. Some days you feel like you're making progress and other days you're back at square one.We get into the practical side of recovery. Shannon talks about how she had to learn to set boundaries and say no to things that drained her energy. She describes creating what she calls a "healing toolkit" filled with different strategies because what works one day might not work the next. Sometimes it's therapy, sometimes it's movement, sometimes it's just getting through the next hour.One of the most powerful parts of our conversation is when Shannon discusses the shame that often comes with trauma. She emphasizes that trauma isn't your fault and healing isn't about being perfect. It's about showing up for yourself even when it's messy. She's honest about her own struggles with people-pleasing and how she had to unlearn the belief that her worth was tied to making everyone else comfortable.Shannon also shares insights from her work helping others through their darkest times. She's seen people come back from things that seemed impossible. The key isn't having it all figured out but being willing to take small steps forward. She talks about the importance of finding your people - the ones who can hold space for your pain without trying to fix you or minimize what you're going through.We discuss how grief and trauma change you. You don't go back to who you were before. But that doesn't mean you can't build something meaningful from the pieces. Shannon is living proof that you can create a life you love even after experiencing profound loss.The conversation also touches on practical resources and the reality that professional help matters. Shannon emphasizes that asking for help is actually a sign of strength. She shares how therapy and medication played a role in her own recovery and why she's passionate about reducing the stigma around mental health treatment.What makes this episode special is Shannon's raw honesty. She doesn't present herself as someone who has it all figured out. She's still doing the work. She still has hard days. But she's built a life that feels authentic to her and she's dedicated to helping others do the same.
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The Troubled-Teen Industry with Dr. Corey Jentry
Feb 1001:27:03Tap to summarizeIf you're a parent of a struggling teen, work with young people, or just want to understand how billion-dollar industries profit from family desperation, this episode pulls back the curtain on the troubled-teen industry with survivor and author Dr. Corey Jentry.More info, resources & ways to connect - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/dr-corey-jentryMost people who survive the troubled-teen industry want nothing to do with it ever again. Dr. Corey Jentry is not most people.On this episode of Even Tacos Fall Apart, Corey takes us through his journey from survivor to advocate. He didn't set out to be a voice for reform because of some grand altruistic calling. He got pissed off. And honestly, that's probably the most human reason there is.After escaping one of these so-called therapeutic programs as a teenager, Corey did what a lot of survivors do. He tried to move on. He went to Europe for his education and earned a PhD from the London School of Economics studying power structures and systemic violence. His European friends would hear his story and shrug it off as "so American" because these facilities simply don't exist in countries with regulated healthcare systems. That cultural distance actually helped him heal for a while.But life has a funny way of pulling you back. Corey ended up working as a business consultant in the behavioral health industry. Seeing these operations from the inside reactivated trauma he didn't know he still carried. He started recognizing faces from his past. Former practitioners still running programs. Other survivors still fighting to be believed.Then Paris Hilton went public with her story. Corey watched industry insiders dismiss her as a troublemaker and a liar. That's when something clicked. He had insider access and academic credentials. He was a survivor himself. And he realized that most of the stories getting attention were from female survivors. Male victims of these programs needed a voice too.The result is his book "Selling Sanity: The Troubled Teen Industry, The Insane Profits, and The Kids Who Pay the Price." But Corey didn't want to write just another survivor memoir... He also wanted to expose the business mechanics behind these operations and the macro-level problems that allow them to thrive.During our conversation, Corey breaks down how America's fragmented healthcare system creates what he calls "a target rich environment" for facilities preying on desperate middle-class families. He explains the anti-regulation mindset that lets everyone pass the buck on oversight. Federal agencies point to states, states point to counties, counties point to cities... and nobody takes real responsibility.We also talk about the myth of quick fixes in mental healthcare. Corey references a book by Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield called "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry." The title says it all. Mental health isn't something you microwave. It's like brushing your teeth. You don't see the benefit because you do it every day, but stop and you'll notice real quick.The troubled-teen industry banks on parents believing there's a shortcut. Send your kid away for a few months and they'll come back fixed. It's a lie that makes billions while traumatizing the very kids it claims to help.Corey's story is proof that survivors can turn their pain into purpose without losing themselves in it. Check out "Selling Sanity" on Amazon and connect with Corey through his website and LinkedIn to learn more about the work he's doing to expose this industry and push for real reform.
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Productivity Management & Mental Illness with Elizabeth Climis
Feb 303:26:33Tap to summarizeListen to this if you've ever felt like a failure because productivity tips designed for neurotypical brains don't work for yours.More info, resources & ways to connect - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/elizabeth-climisManaging productivity when you're dealing with ADHD or depression feels impossible some days. Elizabeth Climis came back to Even Tacos Fall Apart to talk about why our brains work against us and what we can actually do about it.Elizabeth is a marriage and family therapist who's been doing in-home family work for eight years. She's also someone who got diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. That combination of professional expertise and personal experience makes her perspective valuable in ways that go beyond textbook answers.The conversation started with a truth bomb: time blindness is real and it's brutal. When you have ADHD your brain simply doesn't register time passing the way neurotypical brains do. You look up from a task and three hours disappeared. Or you think five minutes passed but it's been thirty seconds. Elizabeth explained that this happens because ADHD brains struggle with executive function. We're not lazy or careless. Our brains genuinely can't hold onto time awareness while focusing on other things.Depression adds its own layer of difficulty. When you're depressed everything feels heavy and meaningless. Productivity becomes about survival rather than achievement. Elizabeth pointed out that we need to stop treating productivity like a moral issue. Your worth isn't measured by your output.Elizabeth talked about external systems being far more helpful since our internal ones are unreliable. Timers and alarms become essential tools. She mentioned using visual timers that show time as a shrinking pie chart because seeing time helps when you can't feel it passing. Breaking tasks into stupidly small steps matters too. Not "clean the kitchen" but "put three dishes in the dishwasher."The concept of body doubling came up as a game changer for many people with ADHD. Having another person present even if they're doing their own thing creates accountability without pressure. It's why study groups work or why you suddenly clean when guests are coming over. Your brain needs that external anchor.Elizabeth stressed that systems need to be stupid simple or they won't stick. Complicated planners and elaborate routines fail because they require the exact executive function you don't have. She uses her phone for everything. Reminders go in immediately or they're gone forever. One powerful point she made: stop fighting what actually works for you just because it seems weird or childish. If fidget toys help you focus then use them. If you need to pace while on phone calls then pace. If Star Wars music helps you concentrate then blast that soundtrack. What matters is finding your specific combination of supports.The conversation also covered medication honestly. Elizabeth noted that medication isn't cheating and it's not a cure-all. It's a tool that can help level the playing field. For some people it makes an enormous difference. For others it's one piece of a bigger puzzle that includes therapy and environmental changes and support systems.She wrapped up by addressing the guilt spiral that happens when productivity tips don't work. When every strategy fails it feels personal. But the strategies aren't failing because you're doing them wrong. They're failing because they weren't designed for brains like yours. The answer isn't to try harder. It's to try different.Managing productivity with mental illness means accepting that your brain works differently and building systems around that reality instead of fighting it. Some days you'll get stuff done. Some days survival is the accomplishment. Both are valid.
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Mental Health Care for Marginalized Groups with Gino Titus-Luciano
Jan 2700:59:56Tap to summarizeThis episode is for anyone who's ever felt like therapy wasn't made for them, couldn't find a therapist who actually got it, or hit too many walls trying to access mental health care.More info, resources & ways to connect - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/gino-titus-lucianoGetting quality mental health care shouldn't depend on where you live or how much money you make. But it does. Licensed mental health counselor Gino Titus-Luciano joined me on Mental Health Monday to talk about what it takes to make therapy accessible to communities that get left behind.Gino's path into mental health work started with a college professor who made psychology come alive. He kept taking her classes because they were fun and somewhere along the way it clicked. This wasn't just interesting material. It was work that mattered. After undergrad he spent time in behavioral health and youth justice before getting his graduate degree at Northwestern. That's where he had a moment that shifted everything.He was joking with a friend about being "just a DEI student" when they stopped him cold. Why would you say that? Do you really believe you don't deserve to be there? The question stuck with him. He realized he'd internalized doubt about his own worth and that same doubt lives in so many people from marginalized communities. It became clear that fighting for equitable access to care wasn't just professional work. It was personal.Now as founder and CEO of Hokuwa Mental Health and Wellness Group, Gino provides culturally responsive therapy across Hawaii, Nevada and South Carolina. He also teaches future counselors at Northwestern and serves as president of the Hawaii Counselors Association. In that role he's pushing for real policy changes like the recent telehealth bill that allows audio-only sessions. It sounds small but for people in rural areas without reliable internet or those who can't travel, a phone call can be the difference between getting help and going without.The barriers to care are stacked high. Low-income communities often only have access to training clinics staffed by students. Insurance reimbursement rates are so low that many therapists won't accept Medicaid. The foundations of modern therapy come from a narrow perspective that doesn't always translate across cultures. Gino learned this firsthand teaching anger management in a prison where an inmate pointed out that expressing your feelings with words might work on the outside but inside it could get you hurt.Culturally responsive care means doing your homework. It means being honest when you don't know something about a client's background. It means recognizing that advice that makes perfect sense in one context can be completely wrong in another. A therapist telling a 19-year-old from a multi-generational Filipino household to set hard boundaries with their parents might be missing the entire cultural reality of filial piety and community values.Finding the right therapist is like finding the right shoe. You need the right fit for what you're doing. Some people could run a marathon in stilettos but most of us want something comfortable. It's okay to shop around. A bad first experience doesn't mean therapy doesn't work. It might just mean that particular therapist wasn't your person.States are starting to make real changes, and that gives Gino hope. Hawaii just opened up provisional licensing so new graduates can start practicing and billing insurance right away. More providers means more access and that matters for communities that have been underserved for too long. The work moves forward even when it feels like we're taking steps backward.
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Mid-Life Career Changes, Surviving Cancer & Becoming a Therapist with Zulma Williams
Jan 2001:23:47Tap to summarizeThis episode is for anyone who feels stuck in the wrong life, anyone who thinks they're too old to start over, anyone fighting their way through something that should have broken them and anyone who needs to hear that it's not too late to become who you're meant to be.More info, resources & ways to connect - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/zulma-williamsZulma Williams doesn't believe in giving up. She also doesn't believe in sugarcoating things or holding back the f-bombs. Known as "the swearing therapist," Zulma joined us for a conversation that was equal parts inspiring and real as hell.Born in Buenos Aires and moving to the US at 31, Zulma spent years working in corporate accounting before realizing she was miserable. At 42, she made the call to go back to school for her bachelor's degree. She was surrounded by kids young enough to be her own children while juggling full-time work and dealing with people who bullied her about her accent. But she showed up anyway, reading every word of every chapter and camping out at the writing center because she wanted that A.Six weeks after graduating, she got diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead of using it as an excuse to quit, she moved back to Argentina for treatment and kept her eyes on the prize. Her motto through it all? "I had cancer, cancer didn't have me." She refused to let the disease define her story even when treatment meant waiting eight hours at the hospital or getting up at 4am just to get a number to see a doctor.At 50, she started her master's program. At 54, she became a licensed therapist. Now at 60, she runs Dragonfly Therapy Services in Nevada and specializes in trauma, anxiety and depression.Zulma's approach to therapy is refreshingly honest. She asks clients trapped in car accidents if the hot firefighter was single. She tells people worried about Monday meetings that they might die before Monday gets here so maybe stop stressing about it. She gives her negative thoughts the voice of someone she can't stand so it's easier to tell them to shut up. Her biggest compliment from clients? "I feel safe with you."She talked about the ridiculous stigma around mental health and therapy. Nobody questions you for seeing an oncologist when you have cancer but everyone wants to know what's wrong with you if you go to therapy. She pointed out that we've all done things we weren't motivated to do our whole lives. Feeding a crying baby at 3am isn't about motivation. It's about discipline and love.Her advice for anyone feeling stuck or too old to make a change? Just fucking do it. You're going to turn 40 (or 50 or 60) with or without that degree. The time passes either way. Take three credits if that's all you can manage. That's three credits closer to your goal.Zulma survived cancer, abusive relationships, depression and suicidal ideation. She learned English as a second language, built a whole new career from scratch and never stopped moving forward. When asked what she's most proud of, her answer was simple: she never gave up.Life knocked her down more than once. But she got back up every single time. And now she's helping other people do the same.
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Healing & The Buddha Way with Saw Myint
Jan 1301:01:12Tap to summarizeThis episode is for anyone who's tired of their own brain running the show and wants practical tools to stop getting stuck in the highs and lows of everyday life.More info, resources & ways to connect & support - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/saw-myintSaw Myint didn't set out to become a mental health advocate. She needed help as a kid and nobody was there to listen. That experience shaped everything that came after.Growing up in a big household with extended family, Saw was treated like a servant by one of her mother's sisters. She was just a child who didn't know how to speak up. Nobody noticed. Nobody helped. That absence created a drive in her that's lasted decades: she wanted to be the person for others that she never had for herself.Now 52, the Burmese Australian mom of two has built a life around helping people. She started at 20 doing translation work for immigrants who needed help navigating schools and government departments. As she made money, she sent it back to Myanmar where there's no welfare system. When she turned 30, she got serious about Buddhism and started incorporating those teachings into how she showed up for people.But Saw ran into a problem when she tried to share her approach on social media. People saw her as a woman who couldn't speak perfect English. They weren't listening to what she was saying. So she pivoted to podcasts, looking for credibility in a different format.What Saw teaches is far from your typical meditation practice. She struggled with traditional meditation herself because it had to make sense to her first. Why should she sit and focus on breathing? She wanted to understand the why before the how. So she learned from monks' lectures and found one teacher about three years ago whose approach clicked.The core idea is simple: we only have two main feelings. Satisfied or unsatisfied. Happy or unhappy. And neither one lasts. Good food, good sex, good drugs - they all fade. Same with the bad stuff. Life keeps moving. We're aging every second but only notice it every ten years.According to Saw, science backs this up. Everything is mind and body, moving millions of times per second. By the time you feel something, whatever triggered it is already gone. You're having feelings about things that aren't even there anymore or about reflections and memories. So why get too attached?This isn't about becoming a monk or a saint. Saw wants to help everyday people living normal lives. You don't need to sit down and meditate for hours. Just recognize that happiness doesn't last, unhappiness doesn't last, and neither is worth getting addicted to. Feel it, show it, then move on to what's next.She acknowledges that this approach isn't for everyone. You need to be open-minded and realistic. You need to face facts. But for people who are ready to listen, the practice happens while you're living your life. It's about developing the right mindset so that whatever you face, good or bad, you'll be okay.During our conversation, Saw led a brief meditation exercise. Instead of focusing only on breath, she asked us to notice everything that came to mind without judgment. Worries, memories, plans - just let them in and observe. Most of what fills our heads is either memory or imagination anyway. Only about 25% of our worries actually happen.Her advice for anyone struggling: don't be shy or scared. Open up. Talk to someone. Half the problem gets solved just by letting it out.
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