In this raw and heartfelt episode, I dive into the whirlwind of a connection that lit up my world with late-night laughs, quiet glances, and unexpected gestures—like a smoothie sent to brighten a tough day. But beneath the joy, I wrestle with confusion and anger as his sudden disappearances mirror the all-too-familiar absences of my mother. I unpack how her inconsistent presence, like branches on a tree, shapes my choices and leaves me guarding my heart. With unfiltered honesty, humor, and a few tears, I confront the gravitational pull of this familiarity and my resolve to break the cycle. Join me as I explore how my mother’s influence alone has shaped my choices and led me to guard my heart, finding meaning in the shade of my own story

Hey, it’s Danielle To You from I’m Talkin to You, I’m Talkin to Me Too! I’m so excited to hear from y’all with our new fan mail! No names needed, just your truth. My stories are heavy with pain but bright with possibility. What episode moved you or changed your view? Tell me how it felt

A reflective moment with Danielle, encouraging listeners to sit still, have a mirror moment, and release what they’ve carried too long. Emphasizing the power of speaking out, this closing note affirms that everything’s always working out, and we’re all infinite.

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In this raw episode, I dive into the tangled branches of a tree rooted in my mother’s wounds. I opened my heart to someone new,a chance meeting that sparked laughter, late-night talks, and a night that felt like a fresh start. We texted, FaceTimed, and fell asleep on the phone, bridging the distance between us. I told him I liked him, but his unavailability echoed the patterns I’ve known too well: the same tree, another branch. When he returned to Chicago, we shared moments of joy—dinners, dancing, sleepovers—but his delayed goodbye and a vintage car purchase left me feeling worthless, crying, and reflecting. I’m learning to feel it all, to comb through these branches, even when it hurts. From pensive silences to speaking my frustration, I’m unpacking how my mother’s roots shape my relationships and why unavailability feels so familiar.

Attachment theory helps me trace the roots of my heart, finding clarity in the shade of my own story as I unpack why unavailability feels so familiar.

There’s no happy ending here, just the messy truth of processing pain and finding clarity. I’m talking to you, but I’m talking to me too.

Hey, it’s Danielle To You from I’m Talkin to You, I’m Talkin to Me Too! I’m so excited to hear from y’all with our new fan mail! No names needed, just your truth. My stories are heavy with pain but bright with possibility. What episode moved you or changed your view? Tell me how it felt

A reflective moment with Danielle, encouraging listeners to sit still, have a mirror moment, and release what they’ve carried too long. Emphasizing the power of speaking out, this closing note affirms that everything’s always working out, and we’re all infinite.

Support the show

I made the hardest choice—I cut my mother off. I’ve been stuck in this cycle, aching for her support, especially now, with my kids leaving for the summer with their dad. I asked her to help this last week, but her response, demanding money and laughing it off, broke me. I’m done expecting her to be what she can’t. It’s a painful truth, but it’s mine. I see now how her roots grew into the tree of my failed marriage, my divorce, and the chaos I’ve lived through—doors slammed, holes in walls, kids outside the room hearing it all. I’m ripping those roots out, creating a blank space for me and my kids to plant something new. It’s just us now, in our apartment, our safe space, where no one’s anger controls us. I want my kids to see me happy, to feel safe, even in this unknown. I’m learning to see it as a canvas, not a dark room. I’m talking to you, but I’m talking to me too.

Hey, it’s Danielle To You from I’m Talkin to You, I’m Talkin to Me Too! I’m so excited to hear from y’all with our new fan mail! No names needed, just your truth. My stories are heavy with pain but bright with possibility. What episode moved you or changed your view? Tell me how it felt

In this raw and emotional episode, I confront the struggle of masking my anger, sadness, and overwhelm from my kids, who see it all despite my efforts to hide. , a call hit me hard: my brother was sentenced to four years. Chicago’s hidden struggles, beyond its skyline, have torn my siblings apart—one in jail, another barely getting by, my sister in the services to escape, and me, a teenage mom at 17, shaped by its weight. I miss the days we’d laugh over The Temptations, joking as Otis or Blue, four of us against the world. Now, it’s just me, writing a letter for my brother’s freedom, clinging to memories of red light, green light. I want my kids to hold onto the good days, untouched by Chicago’s reach. For anyone facing family rifts or silent battles, this is for you. I’m talkin to you, I’m talkin to me too.

Hey, it’s Danielle To You from I’m Talkin to You, I’m Talkin to Me Too! I’m so excited to hear from y’all with our new fan mail! No names needed, just your truth. My stories are heavy with pain but bright with possibility. What episode moved you or changed your view? Tell me how it felt

In this unflinching episode, I dive into the tangled roots of my marriage, built not on love but on the absence of it—a pattern I mistook for familiarity. Growing up, I learned love through trauma, shaped by my mother’s harsh discipline, including the day she hit me in the eye with a broomstick, leaving me legally blind for years. I hid the truth behind a dog-bite story, carrying that silence into adulthood. That same familiarity drew me to a husband whose behavior echoed my past, a realization my therapist crystallized with the words: “Your mother was the root; your husband is the tree.” I unpack how this cycle of disappearing acts, control, and pain became my norm, and how I’m breaking free for myself and my kids. Healing isn’t linear, and neither is this journey—I don’t know where it starts or ends, but I’m speaking out. For anyone stuck in relationships that feel like survival, afraid to leave or even imagine happiness, this is for you. I’m exploding with truth, talking to you, and talking to me too, as I reclaim my voice.

Hey, it’s Danielle To You from I’m Talkin to You, I’m Talkin to Me Too! I’m so excited to hear from y’all with our new fan mail! No names needed, just your truth. My stories are heavy with pain but bright with possibility. What episode moved you or changed your view? Tell me how it felt

In this raw and deeply personal episode, recorded on May 23, 2025, I share the devastating story of losing my infant son on May 23, 2017. It started as an ordinary night, but when I went to bed, I found a small puddle of blood and discovered my son limp in my ex-husband’s arms. Panic took over as I screamed for my mom to call the police, sat against the wall chanting “not yet,” and followed the ambulance to the hospital, where doctors told me he was gone. I recount the isolating aftermath—paying for my son’s ashes, facing an empty memorial, and burying my grief to care for my other kids. Eight years later, I’m still grappling with guilt, shame, and the loss of my identity as a mother. With raw honesty, I explore how I’m learning to embrace happiness without guilt, honor my son, Infinite, and rediscover who I am. This episode is for anyone navigating loss, offering hope and resilience through shared pain.

Hey, it’s Danielle To You from I’m Talkin to You, I’m Talkin to Me Too! I’m so excited to hear from y’all with our new fan mail! No names needed, just your truth. My stories are heavy with pain but bright with possibility. What episode moved you or changed your view? Tell me how it felt

Welcome to the intro of I’m Talkin to You, I’m Talkin to Me Too! Join me as I find my voice—the voice that was stolen, but somehow along the way, I gave away too—saying all the things I should’ve said while walking through my experiences of generational trauma. My grandmother kept quiet, and my mother carried those untold stories. My mother kept quiet, and I carried hers. Now, I’m speaking so my daughter won’t have to carry mine. From my grandmother’s struggles to my mother’s pain, I unravel how trauma shaped me and how I learned to become who others needed just to stay connected. Through therapy and reflection, I’m doing the work to know my true self—for my daughter and me—breaking cycles and refusing to let trauma define the next generation.

The untold stories our mothers carried burned within them, their pain, sadness, and disappointment erupting as fear and frustration. That weight wasn’t my mother’s to hold, but she couldn’t release it, and so it was passed to me. I refuse it—it’s not mine, and it holds no power over me. Through reflection, I’m reclaiming the strength in my story, speaking its truth so my daughter inherits the power of my voice, not the silence of my trauma.

Hey, it’s Danielle To You from I’m Talkin to You, I’m Talkin to Me Too! I’m so excited to hear from y’all with our new fan mail! No names needed, just your truth. My stories are heavy with pain but bright with possibility. What episode moved you or changed your view? Tell me how it felt