Shhh! Don't Talk About It
On this podcast Reyna Mallare and Megan Irwin dig into taboo topics that pollite society says we can't talk openly about. Founded in 2021 after the death of a close friend, this podcast is a space to explore secret thoughts, traumatic experiences, and silly/embarrassing moments with a refreshing sense of openness, humor, and vulnerability. In addition to their lived experiences as trauma survivors, Megan is a therapist and Reyna is a nurse bringing a combined professional and personal perspective to the dark corners of what it's like to be human.
Episodes
December 12, 2023 • 29 mins
This week we are coming back briefly to announce the end of the podcast. We are so grateful for the time we got to spend making space for difficult conversations, and we have reached a natural ending point. No, we did not have a falling out, yes we are still besties - our lives have just changed tremendously since we started this conversation in December 2020.
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who joined us along the way as a listene...
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June 27, 2023 • 49 mins
In this week's summer remix series, it was Reyna's choice and she went way back to season 1 episode 4 because summer has officially begun, ya'll! Which makes us think about bodies, bodies, bodies!
No matter what shape or size you are, everyone has their own idea of what they think their body should look like. Where do those ideas come from, and do they come from a healthy place? This episode we talk about what our body goals and in...
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June 20, 2023 • 48 mins
For this week's summer re-mix we're sharing an interview we did during season 2 with our friend Shafina, who lost her second child when he was stillborn. This is a heavy topic but - as we discuss in the episode - it needs to be discussed. Each year about 21,000 babies are born stillborn and because we live in a society that says some kinds of grief are bigger than others (e.g. "stillborn child is not as painful as losing a child la...
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June 13, 2023 • 59 mins
For this week's summer re-mix series Reyna chose "Power" from season 2 with the incomparable Ambrosia Carey from Successful Stylist academy. We could all use some inspiration and motivation as we head into summer and this episode has tons of it.
Ambrosia's story starts with the birth of her first child when she was a teenager. Instead of letting that hinder her dreams, early parenthood pushed her forward. As a teen mom and a woma...
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June 6, 2023 • 79 mins
Happy June/Happy Pride! For this week's summer re-mix we are reissuing our season 4 conversation about bisexuality with the team from Catcall Magazine . This was such a fun conversation, and also served as Megan's first official "coming out" on the pod. We wanted to reissue this one because at a time when anti-trans, homophobic, hate is spreading we think its important to center queer joy and queer thinkers and queer conversations....
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May 30, 2023 • 40 mins
For this week's summer season re-issue Reyna chose Season 1, Episode 8, Love Sees Color.
In this episode Reyna opened up and shared with Megan what it was like for her to grow up biracial, raised by her white mom who taught her and her siblings to be "colorblind." Reyna shares the journey she's been on to connect to her heritage and develop a sense of self as an adult, after growing up socialized not to see or talk about race.
From...
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May 23, 2023 • 39 mins
While we are on our season break each of us are picking out favorite episodes from seasons past to share. This week, for our first re-issue Megan picked "Period Peace" (Season 1, Episode 3).
From Megan: I just love this episode even though it's from the very early days of the pod and a little rough around the edges. Things get super serious around here and so much of the first season was the two of us processing grief. This episode...
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May 16, 2023 • 83 mins
Welcome to the season 5 finale! This week we reflect on the season, adding new thoughts and new stories about each topic we covered. We also do a quick mental health check in (having kind of a hard time!) and talk about how to be ok and accepting of wherever we are - without pressure to pretend to feel anything we don't.
We wrap up the episode with a sneak peek of the bonus content we'll be putting out on Patreon between seasons - ...
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May 9, 2023 • 56 mins
This week we are joined by Alaina Wrencher, host of the Bipolar Buzz podcast. Alaina became a mental health advocate after experiencing a manic episode that landed her in the hospital in 2017.
She recounts the challenges she faced during her stay in the hospital, how it helped her gain a better understanding of her condition, and what her road to recovery was like. She also shares her experience of postpartum psychosis, a rare but ...
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May 2, 2023 • 62 mins
This week we talk with the incredible advocate and stand up comedian Laura High about donor conception. Laura is a self described "sperm donor baby" dedicated to bringing ethics, regulation, and bravery to the infertility industry.
This is the third in our series on this topic starting last season with friend of the pod Alexis from the DNA Surprises podcast, who shared her non-paternal event DNA surprise with us, along with our epi...
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April 25, 2023 • 56 mins
This week we are joined by wonderful couple Jonathan and Nato to learn about their journey with polyamory. They walk us through how they met, the process of opening their relationship up, and what they are learning about taking care of themselves and each other through it all.
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April 18, 2023 • 67 mins
This week dive into long term relationships - what makes them work, how to keep growing in them, and when to call it quits. We each explore and share our very different relationship histories and what we've learned about ourselves through the process of making it work with someone else.
Reyna has been in her relationship almost 19 years and shares her insight on how to keep things fresh, how to avoid codependence, and how she's gro...
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April 11, 2023 • 59 mins
This week Reyna and Megan open up about their greatest fears and phobias. Some are heavy and rooted in trauma, others are just weird and we have no idea where they came from but we do our best this episode to try and figure it out. In this episode we cover
Aerophobia: Fear of flying
Fear of being attacked at night (doesn't have an official name but it should!)
Nyctophobia: Fear of the dark
Ichthyophobia: Fear of fish
Achie...
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April 4, 2023 • 67 mins
This week we're talk with Oliver James, a motivational speaker who's catch phrase on TikTok "What's up, I can't read" caught our attention and brought us into his incredible journey as he teaches himself to read at age 34.
It's rare to hear someone talk about struggling to read as an adult, but in reality 21% of the adult population in America can't read and 54% read at a 6th grade level or lower. Oliver isn't alone, he's just one...
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March 28, 2023 • 54 mins
Content warning: This episode discusses suicide, suicidal ideation, and (briefly) sexual assault. At Shhh! Don't Talk About It we believe these topics must be discussed - and that talking about them freely and without shame saves lives. However, sensitive listeners should take care of themselves throughout the episode. Feel free to take in slowly, and take breaks as you listen but we hope you'll stick with us through this difficult...
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March 21, 2023 • 65 mins
This week Reyna and Megan take a deep dive into their mental health and well being for the first time in two years. We explore and talk about
What we've learned in two years of working on our mental health.
What therapy works for us, what therapy doesn't work.
The benefits and limits of getting a diagnosis.
How childhood trauma and attachment wounding has followed us into adulthood - and what we're doing about it now.
Post Tra...
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March 14, 2023 • 47 mins
Megan and Reyna are back for Season 5 with more to talk about than ever. This week's episode sets up the theme of this coming season - Leap of Faith. This season we'll be going deeper into taboos and topics that we've looked at before, focusing on letting go of shame, but also finding the wisdom and lessons in difficult things we all go through in life.
To that end, we're proud to announce our own leap of faith: we have officially ...
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November 22, 2022 • 50 mins
This week is our season 4 finale! In the last episode of the season we look back at the season, look ahead to 2023, and revisit our thoughts on holiday traditions and boundaries. Oh yeah AND we’re celebrating a big milestone… last week we passed 5,000 downloads. Amazing!
Thank you SO much to all of you for sticking with us this season. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review and we’ll see you in a few months.
Learn more ...
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November 8, 2022 • 62 mins
When you're struggling with your mental health and wellbeing it's tempting to pretend that "everything's fine" - even when it's not. (And even when you run a podcast that's premise is talking about hard things!)
This week we get more vulnerable about our mental health than we've had the chance to in a long time. Long time listeners know both of us struggling with depression, anxiety, and PTSD - and the last several months have be...
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October 18, 2022 • 78 mins
This week Megan and Reyna are talk with new parents Emily and Amber who join us to share their experience with fertility treatments and their journey to becoming parents. Emily and Amber's story started in 2018 with their first attempt at pregnancy and ended in 2022 with the birth of their daughter, conceived via in vitro fertilization.
The couple graciously shares with us their experience with the fertility industry and topics c...
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