Men are told to be quiet, suck it up, and man up. Steven Casillas did that for years, and he says it nearly ate him alive.

In this episode, Steven shares a story he's still living: growing up surrounded by domestic violence, drugs, and manipulation, raising his baby sisters at 8 years old, joining the Army at 18 with nowhere else to go, and surviving 3 years in Afghanistan, including the morning a bomber struck the gate he walked through every day.

He came home, bought his first house at 22, and walked into a relationship that he says repeated the patterns he grew up with. Steven is honest about all of it, including his own mistakes.

He also talks about the night he felt surrounded by darkness and then by angels, and how he hasn't put God down since.

Now a successful real estate agent and father, he's "healing loudly" so other men know they're not alone.

If you're a man suffering in silence, or you love someone who is, this one is for you.

In this episode:

-Why "man up" nearly broke him, and how he found his voice

-Growing up in chaos and learning what not to become

-Joining the Army at 18, and the close call in Afghanistan

-Trauma bonding, and why "just love harder" doesn't work

-Owning his own mistakes and unlearning things he saw as a child

-The spiritual awakening that changed everything

-His take on faith vs. religion, and why he leads with love

-"Create the man you admire and gift that man to the world"

-"If you're gonna sink to the depths of the ocean, you better come back up with that pearl"

If you or someone you love is experiencing abuse, men included, support is free and confidential: National Domestic Violence Hotline, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.

Connect with Steven on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

We all have a story. And this is Steven's.

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