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What if modern dating wasn’t done with your thumb?

In this refreshing episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with Stephanie Fischer, attorney-turned-tech CEO of NeverMissed, a proximity-based dating app designed to get you off your phone and into real life, safely.

From a hilariously infamous childhood story to caregiving through cancer, and building a women-led tech company, Stephanie serves up honest, witty, and deeply practical wisdom on love, boundaries, burnout, and choosing yourself.

By stripping away the endless swipes and curated profiles, Stephanie argues that confidence, clarity, and community are built in person, one real conversation at a time.

• NeverMissed’s premise: check in at your current location and only see others who’ve opted in there. Meet IRL, then put the phone down.
• Control & safety: you decide when you’re visible, you can check out anytime, and profiles are photo‑verified to be the real you.
• The point isn’t more messaging. It’s better matching energy in the room, not just in the feed.

• Early chaos taught self‑advocacy: “Being ‘so mature’ was a response to chaos, not a compliment.”
• Humor as a coping tool: the infamous urologist‑dad pool becomes a lifelong icebreaker and puts a lens on embarrassment and identity.
• Takeaway: Name the chaos, keep the humor, and own your story—it stops owning you.

• Left Dallas for DC to break stagnant patterns: if your environment doesn’t support growth, change the room.
• Dating “decades” shift: bars → questionnaires → intentionality.
• Action: Audit your current circle & city: Do they match who you’re becoming? If not, move or shake up routines.

• Opt‑in visibility only when you check in at a venue; no searchable database.
• “Fleeting Moments”: post a sighting (“saw you at…”) to reconnect; uses simple descriptors to help find the person.
• Goal: to complement other apps, not replace them. Meet people doing what you already love (gym, tennis, concerts).

• Navigating “men are talking” energy with receipts: you pay the bills, you set the tone.
• Reframe “bitchy” → clear, paid, and prepared; assertiveness ≠ aggression.
• Tip: Put decisions and boundaries in writing; lead with outcomes and timelines.

• Cared for mom and now dad: same love, different game plan.
• Labs don’t lie: cortisol, hormones, sleep. If you don’t delegate, your body will.
• Action: Create a care team (siblings, friends, hospital resources); schedule your appointments first each month.

• Ditch the artificial timeline (“married by 28”); Stephanie married at 39; right person, right time.
• Know yourself → know your filter. Less noise = better choices.
• Micro‑goal: 1 real‑life conversation per week (bookstore, class, coffee line). Momentum beats swiping.

• Meet in public somewhere you...

What if the guilt and shame you carry as a mother or caretaker weren’t yours to begin with?



In this episode of The Big Silence, Karena Dawn sits down with Vanessa Bennett, LMFT, licensed depth therapist, and author of the new book, The Motherhood Myth

From growing up as a “parentified child” to raising her daughter with intention, Vanessa shares how generational wounds, from the “witch wound” to the “mother wound”, shape our lives in ways we may not realize. Together, they explore self-abandonment, the myth of perfection, codependency in relationships, and how to reclaim your identity through micro moments of self-choosing. Whether you’re a mother, daughter, partner, or friend, this conversation offers tangible ways to break cycles, set boundaries, and follow the breadcrumbs back to yourself.

Vanessa reveals how recognizing inherited patterns and our part in them is the first step to breaking free.

(00:00:22) Depth Psychology and the Path to Individuation

• Vanessa explains depth psychology as the “psychology of the soul,” focusing on the whole being and the unconscious.
• Her upbringing as a parentified child and how it shaped her initial decision not to have children.
• The importance of holding your upbringing objectively to heal. “They're not all bad. And also, they're not all good.”

(00:06:11) The Trinity Wound: Witch, Sister, and Mother

• The witch wound: epigenetic trauma silencing women’s power, sexuality, and individuality.
• The sister wound: competition among women fueled by scarcity thinking.
• The mother wound: how women unconsciously uphold patriarchy and pass down harmful narratives.
• Why ending these cycles starts with self-awareness and modeling change for the next generation.

(00:12:30) Self-Abandonment, Guilt, and Rebuilding Your Sense of Self

• Guilt and shame are by design. They are tools of societal control, not signs you’re broken.
• Accept guilt as part of the process, then act anyway.
• Use “micro moments” (like saying no when you mean it) as bricks in the foundation of self-trust.
• Following breadcrumbs: orienting toward what makes you feel alive, even if it’s small or scary.

(00:22:09) Codependency, Resentment, and Healthy Boundaries

• We live in a codependent culture that teaches us to outsource our emotional regulation.
• Resentment as a diagnostic tool: a signal that a boundary is being crossed or unspoken.
• Attachment styles are fluid and change depending on the relationship dynamic.
• The link between resentment and projection and how awareness can stop the cycle.
• Why attraction often fades when relationships take on a parental dynamic, and how both partners can reclaim responsibility for their own happiness.

(00:32:50) Friendships, Attachment Styles, and Communication

• Vanessa and her co-host model conflict resolution through a commitment to talk about issues openly.
• The cultural trap of expecting a partner to “reparent” us and why it can kill romantic attraction.
• Building safety without losing mystery or eros in long-term relationships.

(00:40:17) Therapy, Accessibility, and the Power of Group Work

• Why therapists need therapists, and the stigma that still exists around seeking help.
• Alternative paths to healing: coaches, low-cost...

What if the path to healing wasn’t in returning to the life you had, but in dreaming up an even better one?



In this powerful episode of The Big Silence, Karena Dawn sits down with Ukrainian psychologist and motivational speaker Natalia Kholodenko. Once a TV star living a glamorous life in Kyiv, Natalia lost everything in an instant when war broke out. Forced to flee, she faced displacement, trauma, and the collapse of her identity, but she refused to give up. Now rebuilding her life while helping others do the same, Natalia opens up about finding meaning in pain, rebuilding self-worth, and the daily practices that anchor her through the darkest moments.

Natalia shares how she went from surviving bombings to speaking on international stages, rebuilding her life through imagination, purpose, and healing. Her story is a blueprint for how to find meaning after loss.

• Natalia reflects on her life before the war: fame, wealth, and red carpets, and how it all vanished overnight.
• The hardest part wasn’t losing material things, but losing the belief in herself.
• “You are not alive when you are just surviving,” she says—describing how she knew she had to make a change.

• She shares how survivor’s guilt set in and how she found meaning by choosing to live in honor of those who didn’t make it.
• “Dream is more powerful than trauma.” Natalia explains how imagining a “huge future” helped her begin again.
• From dreams came plans, and from plans came people to help. She shares the importance of turning imagination into action.
• Her philosophy: never stop dreaming, because good dreams create good plans, and good plans can fuel a good future.
• “We are marketologists for our lives,” she says. Speak bad things, and you’ll believe them. Speak dreams, and your brain follows.

• Even while navigating her own trauma, Natalia started speaking online to women in pain, discovering healing in connection.
• She shares how her live streams helped survivors practice joy and laughter, turning them into tools for survival.
• “I only found myself again in this life.” Viewing what happened as a gift that helped her discover her life’s work

• Every morning, Natalia visualizes giving an interview about her dream life. “I talk to the future me,” she explains.
• Cold water immersion is her go-to anti-stress tool
• Singing is a daily practice. Even silly made-up songs rewire the brain for joy.
• She’s even sung with Gloria Gaynor in support of Ukraine, proof that big dreams can come true.

Guest Resources

• Follow Natalia on Instagram + @kholodenkon
• Visit her website
• Help Ukrainians in need

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