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F#CK THE STIGMA

Laisha Martinez

F The Stigma is a podcast dedicated to breaking the stigma around mental health, addiction, trauma, and the struggles we face in society. Hosted by Laisha Martinez, we have real, unfiltered conversations with guests from all walks of life—advocates, experts, and individuals with lived experiences who share their personal stories, challenges, and triumphs.

Our goal is to normalize these tough conversations, challenge societal shame, and make mental health and addiction resources accessible to all. No one should feel ashamed in their journey

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  • 23 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 1 hr 8 min
  • English

Episodes 23

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  • S2 · E51
    March 23 · 1 hr 4 min

    Meth Addiction & Crime Took Everything From Him… Then This Happened | Garet McLendon

    In episode 51 of F The Stigma Podcast, host Laisha Martinez sits down with Garet McLendon to share his powerful story of addiction, trauma, and recovery. In this episode, he opens up about the struggles that led him down a destructive path, the turning points that forced change, and what it really takes to rebuild your life from the ground up. From hard truths about relapse to finding purpose in sobriety, Garet gives raw insight into the realities of overcoming addiction and breaking the stigma around mental health. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations that challenge stigma and bring awareness to mental health and addiction. Chapters | 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:50 Garrett's Sobriety Journey 02:03 Life Today & Daily Routine 03:10 Finding Balance in Recovery 06:07 Early Life and Childhood Memories 07:13 Family, Addiction and Early Exposure 10:25 First Experiences With Substances 11:01 Escalation and Living With Addiction 14:10 Turning to Selling Drugs & Crime 17:08 Life on the Streets and Prison 21:19 Chaos, Paranoia, and Survival 26:41 Addiction Deepens and Losing Hope 32:41 Isolation and the Breaking Point 36:46 Hitting Rock Bottom and Treatment 41:12 First Steps to Recovery 45:46 Staying Engaged and Active in Recovery 50:01 Life Lessons and Growth in Sobriety 54:08 Advice and Message for Those Struggling 59:01 Closing Thoughts and Gratitude Follow us! Instagram | https://instagram.com/fthestigmapod TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@fthestigma Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/fthestigmapod Website | www.fthestigma.com Tags in this video ↓ fthestigma, podcast, addiction, recovery, trauma, anxiety, depression, ptsd, mentalhealth, mentalillness, nonprofit, vulnerability, youth, healthandwellness, god, sobriety, relapse, treatment, loss, grief, addicts, recovery, addict, relationships, psychological, experience, spiritual, spirituality, alcoholic, addiction recovery, insanity, psychosis, story, neglect, jail, prescription, alcoholic, alcoholism, treatment, diagnosis, prison, criminal, psychology, doctor, dealer, baltimore diagnosis, felony, felonies, forgiveness, spiritual, DUI#fthestigma #podcast #addiction #overdoseawareness #nonprofit #mentalhealth #mentalillness #recovery #criminal #addictionrecovery #addict

  • S2 · E50
    March 9 · 1 hr 3 min

    Surviving Narcissistic Abuse and Addiction at 14

    In episode 50 of F The Stigma Podcast, host Laisha Martinez sits down with Faust Castellanos, who shares a powerful and deeply vulnerable conversation about trauma, addiction, faith, and recovery. Known for his appearance on Soft White Underbelly and several other podcasts, as well as his work as a pastor, clinical therapist, and founder of a peptide company, Fausto opens up about the sexual abuse he endured during his adolescent years and how that unresolved trauma led him to drugs and alcohol at just 14 years old. He shares candidly about overdoses, traumatic experiences, and hitting rock bottom in his early twenties before finally choosing sobriety and rebuilding his life from the ground up. Now thriving in recovery and helping others through faith, therapy, and entrepreneurship, Fausto explains why sharing his story publicly has been one of the most empowering and healing experiences of his life. This episode dives deep into childhood trauma, substance abuse, overcoming shame, getting sober, faith based healing, and what it truly means to transform pain into purpose. Chapters | 00:00 Intro & Purpose of the Podcast 01:00 Meet Foster: Therapist, Influencer, Speaker 02:00 Motivation & Overcoming Adversity 04:00 Early Life: Trauma, Addiction, and Pain 07:30 Alcohol, Drugs & Escaping Anxieties 12:00 Teen Addiction & Spiraling Out 18:00 Progression of Substances & Deepening Struggles 22:00 Narcissistic Abuse Explained 26:00 Rock Bottom: Overdoses & Seizures 29:00 Attempts at Normalcy & Cycles of Toxic Relationships 34:30 Escalation: Heavier Use & Isolation 38:00 Reaching Out for Help & First Spiritual Experience 41:00 Entering Recovery: AA, Social Media & Vulnerability 46:00 Religion, Spirituality, and Recovery 55:00 Overcoming Trauma: Forgiveness & Growth 01:00:00 Addiction as a Disease and Relapse 01:02:00 Final Thoughts on Recovery and Resilience 01:03:00 Outro: Reflections and Gratitude Follow us! Instagram | https://instagram.com/fthestigmapod TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@fthestigma Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/fthestigmapod Website | www.fthestigma.com Tags in this video ↓ fthestigma, podcast, addiction, recovery, trauma, anxiety, depression, ptsd, mentalhealth, mentalillness, nonprofit, vulnerability, youth, healthandwellness, god, sobriety, relapse, treatment, loss, grief, addicts, recovery, addict, relationships, psychological, experience, spiritual, spirituality, alcoholic, addiction recovery, insanity, psychosis, story, neglect, jail, prescription, alcoholic, alcoholism, treatment, diagnosis, prison, criminal, psychology, doctor, dealer, baltimore diagnosis, felony, felonies, forgiveness, spiritual, DUI#fthestigma #podcast #addiction #overdoseawareness #nonprofit #mentalhealth #mentalillness #recovery #criminal #addictionrecovery #addict

  • March 2 · 1 hr 1 min

    Doctor & Felon Reveal Why Addicts Relapse

    In episode 49 of F The Stigma Podcast, host Laisha Martinez sits down with Michael Lynch and Dr. Kenny Clark as they return to announce the launch of their new podcast, Solo and Doc, and have a powerful conversation about rebuilding in recovery after losing everything to addiction. We talk about what it felt like to be absent fathers during active addiction and how they worked to repair and rebuild those relationships in sobriety. Dr. Kenny shares an honest look into the inner workings of his relapses, while we also dive into how trauma impacts addiction, the grief of losing friends to substance use, and what it truly takes to heal. This is a raw and real conversation about accountability, fatherhood, relapse, and hope in recovery that you do not want to miss. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations that challenge stigma and bring awareness to mental health and addiction. Solo & Doc Links! Youtube | https://www.youtube.com/@soloanddoc Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/soloanddoc Tiktok | https://www.tiktok.com/@soloanddoc Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/soloanddoc/ Chapters | 00:00 Introductions & Podcast Origins 01:05 Discussing Recovery & Addiction as a Disease 03:00 Personal Stories of Addiction and Family Impact 09:17 Rebuilding Family Relationships in Recovery 12:00 Trauma, Addiction, and Personal Growth 18:00 Defining Trauma & Its Effects 28:00 Relapse: Understanding the Process 35:30 Emotional States and Relapse Triggers 43:00 Importance of Community in Recovery 47:00 Restarting Recovery After Setbacks 54:30 Transforming Loss into Purpose 01:00:00 Closing Thoughts & Next Steps Our mission is to normalize mental health and mental illness as widespread, treatable, and acceptable. We do this by providing useful resources, improving access to services for those who need help, sharing stories, and building a community of young people who all agree… Follow us! Website | https://fthestigma.com/ Instagram | https://instagram.com/fthestigmapod TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@fthestigma Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/fthestigmapod X | https://x.com/fthestigma Subscribe for more! | https://www.youtube.com/@fthestigma Tags in this video ↓ fthestigma, podcast, addiction, recovery, trauma, anxiety, depression, ptsd, mentalhealth, mentalillness, nonprofit, vulnerability, youth, healthandwellness, god, sobriety, relapse, treatment, loss, grief, addicts, recovery, addict, relationships, psychological, experience, spiritual, spirituality, alcoholic, addiction recovery, insanity, psychosis, story, neglect, jail, prescription, alcoholic, alcoholism, treatment, diagnosis, prison, criminal, psychology, doctor, dealer, baltimore diagnosis, felony, felonies, forgiveness, spiritual, DUI, felon, disease #fthestigma #podcast #addiction #overdoseawareness #nonprofit #mentalhealth #mentalillness #recovery #criminal #addictionrecovery #addict

Showing 21–23 of 23 episodes