Maybe you’re like me.
Maybe you’ve been shunned or exiled by your family or your community simply for being who you are. Maybe you were taught your whole life that your very existence was wrong and that to be loved, you had to change, to shrink, to fit into a mold that was never meant for you.
And maybe, in trying to survive, you wore yourself out forcing that bright, untamable light of yours into a box it was never meant to fit in. You learned to hide the real parts of yourself — trading authenticity for acceptance. And every time you did, you dimmed your light just a little bit more. Piece by piece, you lost touch with who you really are. You molded yourself, lived at the mercy of what others needed you to be. And in all of that, you were never given a safe space to simply explore and embrace the real you.
What they demanded of you was never fair — but you did it anyway, because you were just a child, aching to be loved, to be accepted, to belong. And now… they’ve cast you out. Your world has been shattered, flipped inside out, and you’re left standing in the wreckage, wondering who you even are anymore. You can’t see what comes next — all you know is the hollow ache, this vast, gaping wound where your life used to be.
And now you’ve come to a crossroads — a place you never asked to be. You’ve woken up to the truth that somewhere along the way, you lost yourself trying to become who they needed you to be. And now you’re grasping, desperate for a way back to yourself, but the path feels blurred, impossible to find. Maybe you tried to quiet the pain at the bottom of a bottle, or drowned it in the hypnotic glow of a slot machine. Maybe you searched for solace in the arms of strangers, chasing a connection that always slipped through your fingers — fleeting, hollow, gone before it ever reached your heart.
If that’s you — if you’ve been waiting for permission to start over, if you’re tired of living in survival mode, numbing yourself in all the ways we do just to avoid feeling — then allow me to be the one to give you that permission. You don’t have to keep running. Not from the pain. Not from the loss. Not from yourself.
There is another way — and this channel will invite you to discover what that means for you. In this series, you’ll hear stories of survival and resilience, learn from some of the leading experts in trauma and recovery, and, hopefully, find the inspiration to finally create the change you’ve been longing for.
If you’ve found this episode, I don’t believe it’s by accident. I don’t believe in coincidences, not anymore. I believe in energy, in resonance. Which means there’s a reason you’re here. Maybe it’s a lesson. Maybe it’s simply a reminder. Whatever it is, I want you to know this: you are exactly where you belong.
This podcast is for the seekers, the survivors, the lightworkers — especially my queer family and our allies. It’s for those of us who have walked through fire and are still finding our way home. Here, we’ll talk about what it means to heal deep wounds, reclaim the parts of ourselves we were told to hide, break free from the lies we were taught, and remember the truth of who we really are. It’s real. It’s raw. And it’s for anyone ready to step out of survival mode and into something greater.
If these words resonate with you, I invite you to subscribe and walk this path with me. Together, we’ll face hard truths with courage, open the door to deep healing, and rediscover the possibility that a beautiful, meaningful life — one you may have thought was lost — is still waiting for you.
I’m Aidan Phoenix, and you are exactly where you’re meant to be. Thank you for listening — I’m so grateful to be walking this journey with you.
This… is Life Beyond the Scars. And together, we’ll remember who we truly are.
I’ll see you in the next episode.
