Growing Through It: Mental Health, Change & Resilience

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the exhausting reality of being 'everyone’s therapist' within your social circle. This guide is essential for empathetic individuals who feel drained by holding space for friends’ trauma without receiving support in return. We discuss the hidden costs of emotional labor, the difference between friendship and professional therapy, and why setting boundar...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the insidious nature of workplace gaslighting and offers a compassionate roadmap for finding your ground when reality is being rewritten by others. This guide is specifically designed for professionals who feel they are losing their mind due to manipulative colleagues, managers, or bosses who deny facts, erase contributions, and shift blame. If you have ever walked...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the profound and often unspoken isolation of living alone in a new country where you do not speak the language fluently. This narrative delves into the gritty reality of immigrant loneliness, moving beyond the romanticized versions of expat life to examine the heavy silence that settles when you cannot communicate your deepest thoughts or cultural nuances. The epis...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the complex and often shameful emotion of envy, specifically the feeling that another person’s peace highlights your own struggles. This is not a typical self-help rant; it is a calm, compassionate guide for anyone who has ever felt left behind while watching someone else thrive on social media or in real life. We begin by validating the grief that accompanie...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the subtle but devastating phenomenon of boundary erosion, where excessive kindness transforms into a cage that traps your own identity. This episode is essential for empathetic individuals, caregivers, and those who struggle with saying no, offering a compassionate guide to distinguishing between healthy empathy and self-sacrificial codependency. You will learn ho...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the profound and often isolating experience of healing from religious betrayal. This conversation is specifically designed for individuals who have left conservative Christian environments, experienced spiritual abuse, or feel alienated by rigid church structures. We address the specific pain of realizing that the community promised to hold your soul was actually h...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the psychological barriers and emotional nuances of reconnecting with former mentors after a long period of silence. Many professionals experience intense anxiety, fear of judgment, or feelings of inadequacy when attempting to reach out to someone who once guided their career but hasn’t been in contact for years. This episode provides a compassionate framewor...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the profound mental health benefits of routine as a form of self-care and resilience. This guide is designed for individuals experiencing anxiety, burnout, or life transitions who feel overwhelmed by chaos and are seeking stability. The episode argues that structure is not a restrictive cage but a gentle container that provides safety cues to the nervous system, he...

This episode of Growing Through It explores the profound emotional landscape of career loss, offering a compassionate guide for anyone navigating the sudden silence that follows unemployment. Host Sharon Johnson addresses the unique grief associated with losing not just a paycheck, but your identity, routine, and social structure. This content is specifically designed for individuals experiencing job loss, layoff trauma, or profess...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the subtle but damaging phenomenon of toxic positivity within mental health care and personal growth spaces. This discussion is essential for listeners who have ever felt invalidated in therapy, those struggling with the pressure to appear 'healed' or 'grateful' during difficult times, and anyone navigating the complex journey of grief and emotional resilience. The...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the profound psychological impact of making a public mistake and offers a compassionate roadmap for rebuilding self-trust. This guide is designed for anyone who has experienced the stinging shame of embarrassment, whether in a professional setting like a workplace meeting or a personal context like a family gathering. The episode addresses the specific anxiety that...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the complex psychological relationship between anger and fear, revealing how rage often serves as a protective shield for deeper vulnerability. This episode is designed for individuals seeking to understand their emotional triggers, improve mental health through self-awareness, and build resilience in personal relationships. Sharon guides listeners through the real...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the complex emotional landscape of being overlooked in professional and personal settings. This guide is designed for individuals experiencing workplace invisibility, quiet rage, and the painful sting of rejection after being passed over for promotions or recognition. The narrative dissects the specific feeling of 'invisibility'—that cold sensation when your ...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the profound psychological and physical toll of carrying someone else's crisis as a secret. This guide is designed for individuals who feel isolated by hidden family traumas, such as a loved one’s addiction, mental health struggles, or sudden loss. The episode identifies the specific loneliness of being the 'keeper' of difficult truths and explains how the pe...

In this deeply compassionate episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the profound emotional toll of loving a sibling through addiction. This episode is designed for adult children and siblings who are navigating the complex grief of watching a loved one disappear into substance abuse while physically remaining present in their lives. We address the specific phenomenon known as 'ambiguous loss,' where the person ...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the critical topic of early burnout recognition and recovery. This guide is designed for individuals experiencing deep, marrow-level exhaustion that persists despite adequate sleep, helping listeners distinguish between simple physical fatigue and the soul-wearing weight of emotional burnout. Sharon invites you to pause and breathe, offering a compassionate framewo...

This episode of Growing Through It explores the profound emotional toll sibling addiction takes on family members, offering a compassionate guide for those grieving the loss of their brother or sister to substance abuse. Hosted by Sharon Johnson, this conversation is designed for siblings who feel isolated, exhausted, and guilty while watching a loved one disappear into addiction. It addresses the unique pain of complicated grief&m...

In this episode of Growing Through It, host Sharon Johnson explores the profound mental health benefit of becoming 'irrelevant' to the dramas and narratives of others. This is a guide for individuals who struggle with people-pleasing, codependency, and the exhaustion of being a supporting character in other people's lives. Sharon explains how the constant performance of managing expectations creates a cage of anxiety, where your wo...

This episode of Growing Through It addresses the emotional exhaustion caused by hoping your boss will change, offering a path to reclaiming personal peace and professional resilience. Host Sharon Johnson explores why placing our emotional well-being on another person's behavior is a trap that leads to burnout and anxiety, particularly for those who feel undervalued or misunderstood in their workplace. The discussion provides practi...