Mad Mel’s Mic cover art

Mad Mel’s Mic

Mad Mel’s Mic

By: Melissa Smith
Listen for free

About this listen

Hi there! Welcome to Mad Mel’s Mic!! Thanks for joining me. My name is Melissa and this is a podcast all about me! About my life. About life with PTSD. About my life with a husband, kids and friends. Thanks for tuning in.

© 2025 Mad Mel’s Mic
Social Sciences
Episodes
  • You Can’t Fix Me, But Please Stand By Me
    Nov 25 2025

    Send us a text

    We share what a second run through the STAIR program revealed about PTSD, emotion regulation, and the quiet signs of progress. A poem, a song, and a freezer‑door trick anchor simple tools you can use when the threat system takes over.

    • outpatient stay at St John of God and why it helps
    • STAIR explained as skills for emotion, communication, and boundaries
    • feeling again after numbness and noticing growth
    • drive, soothe, threat systems and why soothe shrinks in PTSD
    • SUDS check‑ins, naming emotions, and body mapping
    • practicing skills in the green zone to use in red
    • fast arousal drops with cold, space, and grounding
    • upcoming courses on sleep and trauma recovery
    • pickleball, Persian food, and a lesson in humility
    • season plan, holiday pause, and self‑kindness over comparison

    You can find me on Facebook and Instagram, and don’t forget to like and follow

    Song of the Week:

    Andra Day - Rise Up

    https://youtu.be/lwgr_IMeEgA


    Thought of the Week:

    "There will be a lot of posts soon from people sharing how much they achieved in 2025. But, in case someone needs to hear this.... It's okay if the only thing you did this year was just get through it"

    Show More Show Less
    21 mins
  • How Small Habits, Shared Stories, And Support Networks Help Us Heal
    Nov 11 2025

    Send us a text

    Season 1, Episode 32


    We unpack a song-fueled habit challenge, explore how Emerge N See supports PTSD recovery with real community, and share honest moments from a week of anxiety spikes, parenting teens, and hard-won coping tools. Hope shows up through small steps, skilled support, and a thought that reframes struggle.

    • song of the week and a one-habit challenge
    • why Emerge N See exists and who it helps
    • Connect Hubs as safe, funded peer connection
    • donations and plans to interview the founders
    • anxiety during everyday life and sport
    • parenting teenagers while protecting recovery time
    • coping unmedicated with CBD and THC oils
    • outpatient skills program and Remembrance Day support
    • craft, joy, and a reflection on post-traumatic growth

    If everybody could take the time to share it, that would be amazing as well
    You can find me on Facebook and Instagram, and don't forget to like and follow

    Song of the Weeks:

    Kasey Musgraves - Deeper Well

    https://youtu.be/TGkMYMxi-hw?si=G3UFnMiqxkxS1R31


    Thought of the week:

    "one day in retrospect the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful"

    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
  • Lightning Storm To Opalite
    Nov 4 2025

    Send us a text

    Season 1, Episode 31


    We trace a month of real life with PTSD: finding hope in a new Taylor Swift track, fighting a stubborn eye stye, stepping back onto the basketball court, buying a bigger bike, and learning from sleep shifts, med changes, and a comical dosing mistake. The theme running through it all is “choose your hard,” backed by kindness, small wins, and steady practice.

    • applying song lyrics as coping tools
    • storm to opaline reframing
    • stye remedies and listener tips
    • return to basketball with braces and tape
    • new Kawasaki Versys 300 and group ride
    • kindness from a fellow rider pacing safely
    • sleep updates without prazosin and cannabis tolerance
    • antidepressant pause, nightmares, and tracking
    • Wegovy, weight changes, and self-respect
    • the weed plus injection mishap and lessons
    • fitness gains in pickleball and daily energy
    • Black Dog Institute walk progress and pride
    • the “choose your hard” mantra and examples

    You can find me on Facebook and Instagram, and don’t forget to like and follow

    Song of the Week

    https://youtu.be/40l9KE36aNk?si=t3DCa9N72VvLyoXt


    Thought of the Week:

    "marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard. Obesity is hard. Fit is hard. Choose your hard. Being in debt is hard. Beining financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard. Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard. Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. Choose wisely"


    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.