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Season 2, Episode 21

We talk through what PTSD recovery looks like on an ordinary week, from loneliness and broken dreams to the quiet pride of noticing real progress. We share a trigger test that goes better than expected, plus the small routines, friendships, and boundaries that help us stay steady.
• asking you to send in burn-in questions for Mel’s upcoming takeover interview
• linking “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” to the loneliness and grief of a PTSD diagnosis
• watching a crash documentary despite it being a trigger and noticing no nightmares or anxiety spike
• taking a real win seriously as proof of progress after years of work
• entering a quilt and cushions in a Blue Mountains competition and making a Sydney day trip out of it
• managing a stubborn knee injury while keeping expectations realistic
• needing solitude more after diagnosis and feeling the strain of a busy house of teenagers
• ending on the idea that our freedom lives in how we choose to react
So send an email to her at askmadmel at gmail.com and she will collate all the questions.
You can find me on Facebook and Instagram, and don't forget to like and follow.

Song of the Week:
Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
https://youtu.be/Soa3gO7tL-c?si=dxvlkOjoV52MCpHj

Thought of the week:
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse - Charlie Macksey
"One of our greatest freedoms if how we react to things"

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Season 2, Episode 20

We bounce from pop culture to real life, using humour and friendship to make sense of memory lapses, big feelings, and the messy middle of everyday coping. We recap Toy Story, spiral a little on Taylor and Travis wedding rumours, and end with a simple reminder to listen less to fear and more to dreams.
• picking a song that feels like our friendship
• forgetting details but still feeling understood
• Toy Story thoughts on devices and imagination
• surviving a packed day-session cinema with kids
• scepticism about AI leaks and celebrity wedding photos
• knee recovery, eye infection, and adjusting to multifocals
• debating a careful return to pickleball
• planning a listener questions takeover with rapid-fire answers
• practising happiness with “toodaloo” and a smile
• thought of the week from The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

Please. Ask sorry, it's askmadmel@gmail.com.
You can find me on Facebook and Instagram, and don't forget to like and follow.

Song of the Week:
Your Nonsense Makes Sense - 502's
https://youtu.be/5UD9xpY7QXI?si=lUTzudCo-c6uRmp1

Thought of the Week:
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
"most of the old moles I know wish they had listened less to their fear and more to the dreams"

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Season 2, Episode 19

I share the real reason I started talking publicly about PTSD and how recording has become a surprising kind of therapy for me. I connect a song lyric to the hardest parts of recovery, then bring it back to everyday life with pain, setbacks, and the small social choices that keep me from isolating.
• my PTSD turning point at 37 and the end of my police career
• why telling my story out loud feels cathartic and healing
• learning from other people during inpatient mental health treatment
• the message behind “Weakness” and why PTSD does not define us
• how PTSD can look like weakness when it takes over sleep, relationships and independence
• the reality of ebbs and flows and counting small wins
• knee pain, missing sport, and the risk of isolating at home
• book club as a reminder that showing up can be worth it
• thought of the week on comparing yourself to others
You can find me on Facebook and Instagram, and don't forget to like and follow.

Song of the week:
Weakness by Dan Bremnes
https://youtu.be/aWIko5OwZ-k?si=323pUTzO-Rn03AHF

Thought of the week:
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
"What do you think is the biggest waster of time? comparing yourself to others, said the mole"