The Survivors Podcast
Survival isn’t just about staying alive—it’s about finding the strength to rebuild, reclaim, and rise. That’s the foundation of The Survivors Podcast, where three-time suicide loss survivor, author, crisis counselor, and mental health advocate Lisa Sugarman joins Natasha J. Layton—a multiple suicide attempt and loss survivor, advocate, sexual abuse survivor, and former member of the FLDS polygamy cult—to change the way we talk about suicide, survival, and mental health. Through raw, unfiltered conversations, Lisa and Natasha explore the realities of surviving trauma, grief, abuse, mental illness, and everything in between—with honesty, hope, and humanity. Their unique perspectives—one shaped by profound loss, the other by unimaginable adversity—create a space where the hardest stories are told with compassion, courage, and vulnerability. By opening up the conversations we’ve been taught to bury, The Survivors invites listeners into a safe, stigma-free community to reflect, connect, and heal. Together, Lisa and Natasha push past stigma, challenge everything we think we know about survival, and reveal that life after darkness can be filled with meaning, connection, and hope. Subscribe now and join the conversation about surviving life, death, trauma, and everything in between.
Episodes
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse, domestic abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
What happens when you finally escape an abusive relationship—only to find yourself facing cancer in the middle of rebuilding your life? In this episode of The Survivors, we sit down with Beany Trapani, founder of Breakthroughs With Beany, to talk about leaving a 10-year abusive re...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In this episode of The Survivors, Lisa & Natasha sit down with influencer and mental health advocate Jessica Shaker about her mental health journey, including her experiences with anxiety, depression, and inpatient care. Jessica shares her story of reaching a breaking point, the challenges she faced in seeking help, and the stigma surro...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
After losing her husband Sean to suicide, Reshma Kearney found herself navigating unimaginable grief while helping her children make sense of a loss that changed everything.
In this episode of The Survivors, Reshma shares Sean's story, the mental health struggles he faced, and the lasting impact his deat...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
Family estrangement is one of the most painful forms of grief because it asks us to mourn people who are still alive. In this deeply personal episode of The Survivors, Lisa and Natasha explore the complicated reality of walking away from relationships that have caused lasting harm. Through their own li...
Episode Summary
This episode of The Survivors dives into surviving perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause through candid personal stories. Lisa and Natasha cover commonly missed symptoms—sleep disruption, brain fog, mood changes, joint pain, urinary changes, and surprising signs like itchy ears—plus conversations about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), treatment access, and self-advocacy with clinicians.
Listeners...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In this episode of The Survivors, we explore what it feels like to carry the invisible weight of loss while the rest of the world keeps moving around you. Whether you're grieving the death of a loved one, navigating a life-changing loss, or supporting someone through one of the hardest seasons of their...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In this conversation, Lisa and Natasha explore the themes of Pride Month, identity, and authenticity. They talk candidly about the significance of coming out, the essence of pride, and the evolution of personal identities.
This poignant episode emphasizes the importance of representation within the LGBTQ+ community and the res...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, the loss of a child & substance abuse and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In Part 2 of our powerful conversation with suicide loss survivor and mental health advocate Alli Skrbek, we continue exploring what it means to live, parent, grieve, and heal after the loss of a child.
Just over a year ago, Alli's oldest son, Alex, died by suic...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In part one of our two-part conversation with mental health advocate, influencer, and mom Alli Skrbek, Alli shares her heartbreaking journey of losing her oldest son Alex to suicide, exploring his life, his struggles with depression and alcohol and drugs, and the tragic circumstances leading to his death. This candid and raw c...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
This episode of The Survivors explores how major losses and life changes — from suicide and family death to coming out and leaving a polygamous cult — reshape who we are. Hosts share personal stories about identity shifts, isolation, grief, and the hard work of finding new communities and meaning.
Through candid co...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering
Episode Summary
In this episode, Lisa & Natasha explore the dangers of the automatic response "I'm fine," and how trauma reshapes honesty in everyday conversations, and practical ways to ask and answer "How are you?" with authenticity and care.
They discuss coping mechanisms like humor, the role of crisis resources such as 988, the meaning...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In the Season 4 Recap, Lisa & Natasha blast through the season’s standout moments — from compound grief to breaking mental health taboos, body-centered trauma, women and suicide, and powerful guest interviews with family members and long-time friends.
We also mark personal milestones: honest talks about suicida...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In this heartfelt episode, Lisa and Natasha explore the realities of mental health, the stigma around seeking help, and practical ways to support those in crisis.
They share personal stories, debunk myths about crisis hotlines, and emphasize the importance of honest conversations and action during Mental Health Awareness Month...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In this week's episode of The Survivors, Natasha & Lisa explore the complex emotions of Mother's Day — one celebrating a close relationship with her mother, the other navigating no contact after a polygamous, abusive family upbringing. They talk candidly about grief, boundaries, healing, and parenting through trauma,...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In this episode of The Survivors, we celebrate Lisa’s long-awaited book launch, Surviving: Finding Hope After Suicide Loss (Familius Books).
Lisa reveals learning decades later that her father died by suicide, and describes how writing the memoir—now featuring her mother's voice and a built-in resource directory an...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In this episode Lisa & Natasha talk about how grief permanently rewires who we are — how loss changes identity, priorities, and relationships. The hosts share personal stories of multiple suicide losses, how friendships shifted, and what it feels like to carry grief day to day.
They offer practical ways to show up fo...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In this episode, Natasha shares her journey from severe obesity to losing over 100 pounds, examining how childhood trauma, medications, stress, and coping behaviors shaped her body and mental health.
Lisa & Natasha discuss treatment options (including GLP‑1 medications), the role of therapy and lifestyle changes, and pract...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In this episode, Lisa's lifelong friend Caleb Powers recounts losing his father in the 1983 sinking of the SS Marine Electric—a tragedy he narrowly escaped—how that loss fueled teenage drinking and drug use, led to rehab, and eventually became the catalyst for decades of sobriety, healing, and meaning. Lisa and Nat...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In this episode, Lisa speaks with her lifelong friend Caleb Powers as he tells, for the first time publicly, the story of the SS Marine Electric sinking on February 12, 1983 and his father being lost at sea. Caleb recounts the phone call that changed everything, his father Richard Powers' role as chief engineer and his final a...
*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.
Episode Summary
In Part 2 of their deeply emotional conversation with her mother Sandy, Lisa and her mom reflect on a story their family carried quietly for decades. Together, they revisit the painful moment when Lisa’s father died by suicide and the decision Sandy made in the late 1970s to tell her young daughter that he had died of a ...
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